Free Drink Friday #5: Smithwick's Imported Irish Ale

This week, I fell back to an old favorite, Smithwick's Irish Ale.  There are many kinds of beer, and I've only covered a few so far.  Irish ales are one of my 3 favorites, along side of stouts and lagers.

Smithwick's is a wonderful example of the Irish ale, having the most beautiful red color you'll ever find in a beer.  The smooth malty flavor doesn't bite at all.  Except maybe if you're still a beer novice.  But, this is a good one with which to practice.

It is labeled as being from the brewers of Guinness and it is true.  The brewery for Smithwick's started in St. Francis Abbey where monks brewed it.  While Guinness did purchase it, the brewery itself is still in the same place and still produces the same delicious beer.  This is credited as being the oldest brewery in Ireland.

Smithwick's (pronounced many ways, but always with a silent 'w') is a personal favorite of mine, and I'll always take a full 6 pack, please!

The Point Blank Critic

Death of HD-DVD

Toshiba is reviewing their HD-DVD market and may cease production of the the products.

This is a serious blow to the standard that, until last month, seemed the sure winner of the format war. It would seem Sony has gotten things right once again. It'll be a far cry from when Sony lost to VHS with its Betamax format.

In just the last week Netflix announced that they will cease to carry HD-DVD rentals and Walmart announced that they would only carry Blu-ray movies and players. HD-DVD exclusive movie studios are now limited to two of the major studios, while most of the others switched as soon as their contracts for exclusivity were up.

And, Sony's Playstation 3, which wasn't a major concern previously, may be the best route to go in obtaining a Blu-ray player as it features the ability to be updated. This will keep the machine functioning in its use of newer Blu-ray disks which promise features not available in early release disks. These features will not work with older players either, which won't have the option to just upgrade their software.

It's good to see which way the market is going so you can go ahead and make your decisions if you didn't want to eventually buy both. It's almost assured. Should be mere months now until it's final.

The Point Blank Critic