Friday Four

1. Scott Holleran has written about Gene Wilder, who passed away earlier this week:

Mr. Funny Face, the great actor, comedian and writer Gene Wilder died today. The star of Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein (which he also wrote) and Silver Streak was 83 years old. And, though he is associated with a streak of absurdist comedy brought forth chiefly by his frequent creative partner Mel Brooks, a wonderful source of silliness grounded in seriousness has been lost.

Read the whole thing.

2. Last week, I finally got a chance to try the red imperial stout from Founders, one of my favorite craft breweries. Here is their description:

reDANKulous Imperial Red IPA is a no frills, bold 9.5% ABV India Pale Ale. It pours a pleasing burnt amber with some sweetness due to the Caramalt and roasted barley used in the malt bill. But hops are the true headliner in this elaborate sensory experience. The spicy, piney, tropical complexities of Chinook, Mosaic and Simcoe hops hit you right away with their dank aroma -- and they stick around. Take a sip to have your palate simultaneously walloped and caressed in all the right places. Combined, the hops take the beer to 90 IBUs. It's not just ridiculous. It's reDANKulous. [bold added]

No. I don't know where they're getting "DANK" from, either. That said, Beer Advocate also rates this highly.

I was a little surprised to learn that this beer contains Simcoe hops, which have a very distinctive flavor. Not to detract from this excellent beer, but I'd recommend Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA to fellow hopheads unfamiliar with that variety.

3. Hah! The United States may be a latecomer to soccer, but we already have at least one great tradition: the bald goalkeeper.

4. To some, it may seem to be a case of the good news being the bad news, but it's very interesting, anyway: Tasmanian Devils seem to be evolving to resist a transmissible cancer that looked like it was going to wipe them out.

-- CAV