Toys In The Memory

Posted on by Roshan 3 Comments

Do you remember your favourite childhood toys? Let’s see how many of you beyond the age of 30 (like me who is 36) can remember stuff that they payed with 20 + years ago.

I remember a few stuff like my cars. I had several sets of toy cars, some with wind up thingies in them that made them move. My pride and job where the miniature models of the Knight Rider car (a Transam) with a reflector light sticker on the front that made it look like the display on the actual car, KIT! I played with that a lot and it even would be displayed with pride on the front shelves in our living room.

I had a rollercoster type race track with little cars that you could set and have a race with other kids. It allowed 4 cars at one time and it was a fun little activity with friends or cousins. I knew that broke when I tried carrying it up the stairs and it slipped from my hands. Still had the cars till I was 12 and then I packed them away.

I had a lion’s head that was attached to a belt and you could tie it around your waist. A button allowed you to play different roars and sound effects and with lights flashing out of the lion’s eyes and mouth. In the dark it was really cool. Needless to say all the kids loved it as well.

I had a few action figures from the He-man & the Masters of the Universe collection and my favourites were of He-Man and of Prince Adam, his alter ego which came separate. The figures were directly from Mattel, the makers of the comic & cartoon series and hence the resemblance was authentic.

Those are the ones that I can remember off the top of my head. What were yours?

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Beer Types – Bock

Posted on by Roshan Leave a comment

Bock is a strong lager of German origin. Several substyles exist, including maibock or helles bock, a paler, more hopped version generally made for consumption at spring festivals; doppelbock, a stronger and maltier version; and eisbock, a much stronger version made by partially freezing the beer and removing the water ice that forms. Originally a dark beer, a modern bock can range from light copper to brown in colour. The style is very popular, with many examples brewed internationally.

The style known now as bock was a dark, malty, lightly hopped ale first brewed in the 14th century by German brewers in the Hanseatic town of Einbeck. The style from Einbeck was later adopted by Munich brewers in the 17th century and adapted to the new lager style of brewing. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced “Einbeck” as “ein Bock” (a billy goat), and thus the beer became known as “bock”. To this day, as a visual pun, a goat often appears on bock labels. Bock is historically associated with special occasions, often religious festivals such as Christmas, Easter or Lent. Bocks have a long history of being brewed and consumed by Bavarian monks as a source of nutrition during times of fasting.

Traditional bock is a sweet, relatively strong (6.3%–7.2% by volume), lightly hopped (20-27 IBUs) lager. The beer should be clear, and colour can range from light copper to brown, with a bountiful and persistent off-white head. The aroma should be malty and toasty, possibly with hints of alcohol, but no detectable hops or fruitiness. The mouthfeel is smooth, with low to moderate carbonation and no astringency. The taste is rich and toasty, sometimes with a bit of caramel. Again, hop presence is low to undetectable, providing just enough bitterness so that the sweetness is not cloying and the aftertaste is muted.