Online TV

I’ve been using myp2p for a while now to watch football, but have now discovered KeyHoleTV…which lets you watch live Japanese telly online! It’s total awesomeness.

Instructions here:
http://xorsyst.com/japan/watch-japanese-tv-online/

And download here:
http://www.v2p.jp/video/

Reading List

Why do I choose such big books?! I’ve been reading most of these for months now…some for more than a year!

Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947

I’m quite into European history and love Berlin, so I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, however, it’s a bit dry and isn’t really a popular history title. And why do there need to be so many Fredericks?? Hard work.

The Sicilian Vespers: A History of the Mediterranean World in the Later Thirteenth Century

Ah, Runciman. I loved his History of the Crusades and he hasn’t let me down here. Great book.

The Ancestor’s Tale

There is some interesting stuff in here, but it’s hard work when you hit the invertebrates. 

The New York Review of Books

One of my favourite things in the world. I bought my first one when I was in the US for work a few years ago and haven’t missed an issue since.

The Week

Great to have for a flight or just lying around the house. I’d definitely rather have this than a UK newspaper.

German beer styles

My first ever post on our blog…hoorah! And what better place to start than a list of German beer styles! We’re heading to Berlin tonight so stay tuned for photos of us sampling them:

Altbier (“old beer”): top-fermented then cold-conditioned

Berliner Weisse: top-fermented, sour wheat beer

Bock: strong, bottom-fermented

• Doppelbock: stronger version of bock (“double bock”)
• Eisbock: bockbier lagered at sub-zero temperatures
• Maibock: brewed to celebrate Spring

Braunbier: made with dark malts, usually bottom-fermented

Dampfbief (“steam beer”): warm top-fermentation

Diaet Pils

Dinkelbier: top-fermented with a proportion of spelt malt (“dinkel”) and usually including both malted barley and wheat

Dortmunder Export: pale, bottom-fermented

Dunkel / Dunkles

• Muenchner Dunkel: dark, bottom-fermented
• Schwarzbier (“black beer”)

Export: typically a golden, bottom-fermented beer

Gose: top-fermented, sour wheat beer

Haferbier (“oat beer”)

Hanfbier: brewed with hemp blossom rather than hops

Hell / Helles (“pale”)

• Muenchner Hell

Kellerbier

Koelsch

Kraeusen

Lagerbier: bottom-fermented

Landbier

Maerzen (“Maerz”=”March”)

Pilsener / Pils

Rauchbier (“smoke beer”): produced using malt that has been smoked over beechwood

Roggen: top-fermented beer made with malted rye (“roggen”); also usually includes both malted barley and wheat

Schankbier: beer with a lower-than-usual alcohol content

• Luettje Lage (“little round”): dark, top-fermented Schankbier

Spezial

Steinbier: currently extinct!

Ungespundet (“unbunged”): only made by a handful of breweries within a 30km radius of Bamberg

Vollbier

Weissbier / Weizenbier: top-fermented; typically made with equal parts wheat and barley malt

• Hefeweizen / Hefeweissbier (“hefe”=”yeast”): unfiltered wheat beer
• Kristallweizen: filtered wheat beer

Zoigl: brewed in communal breweries in Oberpfalz

Zwickel (“tap”): unfiltered, bottom-fermented