Beer

Boulevard Brewing in Kansas City, Mo., makes some broad-shouldered ales. This one is in the style of a Belgian tripel, and it's a big one. It pours dark red amber with a high head and a super-malty nose full of aromas of dried fruit, specifically of figs. It positively paints the palate with malt sweetness, while the hop level is relatively moderate, only 22 International Bittering Units. The hops do come forward a little (even physically forward, toward the tip of the tongue). eventually drying up the long, sweet finish.

WHITE HOUSE BREW Home brewers petitioned for the recipes for White House honey ale (made with White House honey) and White House porter, and they got them. Craft beer geeks started a petition asking for the recipes  (and followed up with a Freedom of Information Act request) for the White House brews, which were released in full Saturday. [The Washington Post ] WARHOL SOUP CANS Soup maker Campbell's has started selling a new limited-edition line of Warhol-themed condensed tomato soup cans at most Target stores across the country.

HBO's “Game of Thrones” already has some of the most passionate fans in television. Now it has its own beer. The network has partnered with Brewery Ommegang, a craft beer maker in Cooperstown, N.Y., to create a series of beers inspired by the popular television series. The first beer, Iron Throne Blonde Ale, was released just in time for the March 31 premiere of the third season of "Game of Thrones. " HBO Global Licensing explained the partnership this way: “The collaboration between Ommegang and HBO is focused on developing truly unique beers that directly tie into themes, characters and nuances of the series of the medieval-like fantasy realm of Westeros and surrounding kingdoms.

In the Middle Ages, brewers sometimes stoked their brew kettles by throwing in rocks that had been heated red-hot. They were on to something, as Port shows in this intriguing dark lager, a collaboration with Bend Brewing in Bend, Ore. What do the hot rocks do? They caramelize and even scorch some of the malt, giving a new layer of browned flavor — not just the caramel, chocolate or molasses notes (there is a tiny amount of the last, a huge amount of the first) but also a little of that burnt sugar taste we learned to love the first time we toasted a marshmallow.

Apparently baseball and beer really do go together. During a game between the Mariners and the Astros on Wednesday, a Mariners fan was faced with a very tough decision. While holding a draft beer in his hand (and those things are mighty expensive at ballparks), a fly ball was hit in his direction. What to do? Drop the beer and attempt to catch the ball? Keep the drink and let a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity fly past him? Faced with a split-second decision, this fan decided to have the best of worlds.

Alesmith makes this brew all year, but strong, malty ales of its sort really come into their own in cold weather. "Wee Heavy" is the traditional name for a Scottish ale style that is something like a Gaelic cousin to bock: rich, malty and viscous with lots of caramel flavors, relatively low in hops. This one pours medium brown with a tan head. The nose is milk chocolate crossed with carob, plus something grainy or grassy. The palate is molasses-sweet with just a hint of hops, and the finish is long and sweet.

A drunk driver trapped after overturning his car cracked open another can of beer while he waited for emergency crews to rescue him, a New Zealand court was told. Paul Nigel Sneddon, 47, pleaded guilty to careless driving and drunken driving after being nearly three times over the legal alcohol limit in a district court in the city of Palmerston North, the Dominion Post newspaper reported on Wednesday. Police found Sneddon, a former baker, trapped in his overturned Ford Laser on June 1, drinking a can of beer after he failed to take a corner properly and crashed through a wooden barrier, flipping his vehicle.