Summertime

I think it is summertime again. Here is why.

1. I have noticed it is getting hot as hell AND
2. I watched a rain cloud form over the Everglades today.

In South Florida, there ARE four seasons - but two of the seasons are very short. Here they are.

1. Hurricane season, also known as summer. This lasts from May to September. This season is notable for being hot, rainy, and storms with names. I would like to be in charge of hurricane names just once - I would use movie villain names. Hurricane "Fat Bastard" has a good ring to it. You could say "that Fat Bastard ripped off my roof!"

2. Dry season. This season lasts from November to March. It is notable for its lack of storms with names, and the possibility of days with somewhat "dry" and cool air. This is the good time.

3. Transition time #1 (October) and transition time #2 (April). These two months are a mix of dry season and hurricane season. Sometimes it can be a cool or warm nice day, sometimes it is hot as hell and storming.

Another indication that it is now summer is from the Boston Beer Company, the brewers of the Samuel Adams line of beer.

You know it is summer when you can find these two beers in the supermarket! Summer Ale is a pretty good wheat beer with hints of lemon in it. It also has a slightly bitter taste that seems to go away, or at least is less noticeable, as you drink the beer. Cherry Wheat is a sweet beer, with more than just a hint of the cherry flavor. It is refreshing on a hot summer day. Both beers have about the same alcohol content.

of course summer also means BOAT SEASON! Here is the issue. Last summer was the first summer I found myself as the skipper frequently. Before the 18 footer there was a 14 footer, but the last time I was out in that thing was 1992. The engine had a problem that was never fixed and the floor rotted. The 18 footer arrived in 2004.

The first time I used the boat I brought along some Bass Ale. Now I like Bass Ale, but I discovered it is not a good boat beer. It is not a bad boat beer, but it is a bit "heavy". So I tried some Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Again, not a good boat beer. Not at all. Way too heavy for the boat. I like pale ales, but on the boat they are just too hoppy. Also, they tend to have a higher alcohol content which is not that good for the boat. You can get dehydrated too easy, and that can be dangerous.

I found that a good boat beer should:
1. Be "light" and refreshing
2. Have a lower alcohol content than 6%.
3. NOT be a crappy Miller Lite style beer. Light beer does NOT mean crap!

I bought a six pack of both Samuel Adams Summer Ale and Cherry Wheat, to evaluate what the better summer boat beer is. Being a fan of the scientific method, I set up a control and variable experiment. The first step was to establish the control. So I drank one of each beer indoors, where there is air conditioning. On my next weekend, I will simulate being out in the boat by going out in the kayak. Ill launch from the causeway beaches near Key Biscayne and go fish for little grunt under the old bridge.

And I will test drink some beer, under controlled scientific conditions. The winner will be proclaimed to be "The Lazy Iguana's Official Beer of Summer 2006".