Day 48 ~ One Year, One Nose

I have to tell you this -- the other real reason I'm so behind on posts is because I've been doing a boat load of evaluations of perfume for a single specific perfumery. This chick knocks my socks off. I've already picked out two favorites from the big bundle of samples I've got, and I still have about six more reviews to go. Oh, I can't really say much more than that because I'm writing the reviews for another blog. Not this one. Not my blog. Meh.

I went to listen to music here in the Tower last night -- I'm half deaf today and feel a bit fuzzy-headed because of it. I hate that feeling! Anyway, I wanted to talk about the smell of beer. Yes, it was flowing quite freely last night -- Coors, Bud Light, Red Stripe, Heineken -- imagine, if you will, the looks on the faces of my friends as I asked to smell their beers. Yeah. One would think, since all the ingredients in beer are the same, that they would smell the same, but they don't. Bud Light has a sweet syrupy quality, Coors smells pissy and thin, Heineken has a bitter note to it, while Red Stripe smells bold and grainy. Hops, I suppose. This all translates to flavor. I personally love the smell and flavor of a porter or Guinness -- my especial way of drinking Guinness is with a shot of pear cider -- something about those two flavors mingling is just so delightful. Dark bitterness paired with crisp, sweet freshness -- it's a marvel.