Taylor Pitt Contributor [ee had the opportunity to pick up a couple beers from Longwood Brewery. Longwood offers over 40 types of beer at their Nanaimo brewpub, but failing a road trip, their Russian Imperial Stout and Winter’s Own Weizenbock were exciting retail options to taste. First up, I tried the Russian Imperial Stout, also known as Stoutnik. It’s packaged ina matte black bottle, featuring a label embossed with Morse code anda shining, silver image of the Sputnik satellite. You can tell that Longwood placed a lot of confidence in this brew. Sadly, although not entirely naive, this confidence may have been somewhat misplaced. This beer pours as black as the bottle and has a light, almost golden brown head. Even when held up to the light above my workspace, it remains extremely dark in colour throughout the glass, except for at the very top, where just enough light shines through to turn it brown. Thinking about drinking it for the first time was almost intimidating. It smells, quite frankly, of malts and burnt coffee. Think black, dark roast Starbucks, if it had been sitting out on the counter until cold. Shib issue: (Y Life Hack: trick your tongue into going saltless (¥ Lessons on oil and preparedness And more! Craft beer: Stoutnik and Winter’s Own » Nanaimo’s Longwood brewery offers decent stout and weizenbock First impressions were entirely surprising. Sputnik : tastes highly of dark roasted : malts and Americano coffee. : Hitting your tongue, it tastes : somewhat sweet, and very : rich, but becomes bitter the : longer it sits on your tongue. It’s : extremely smooth, and easy to : drink. Unfortunately, it doesn’t : stand out as an excellent beer. : It’s rather average, despite : its extraordinary looks and : surprising taste. Once I got : waist-deep into the bottle, it : was quite clear that although : certainly worth the $7.50 I : paid for it, it wasn’t something : I'd be interested in buying : again. In fact, if you let it sit : and begin to forget what you're : drinking, you could drink it : down in large gulps and not : even taste its full flavour. This : is one of those times I feel as if : its “smoothness” does the beer : wrong. It’s great-tasting, but not : delicious, and easy to forget if : you're doing other things. But, : hey, if you're stuck studying for : a midterm, perhaps Stoutnik : Russian Imperial Stout is the : sidekick you need. Second, the Winter’s Own : Weizenbock. While not as : decorative as the previous beer, : this brown glass bottle is still : labelled with some impressive : artwork of Old Man Winter. (¥Y Understanding food shelf life to save on your grocery budget : It pours golden brown and : appears slightly darker towards : the top of the glass. It smells : slightly fruity, but mostly of : fresh wheat—which makes : sense, considering a weizenbock : is a strong wheat beer (think : hefeweizen’s badder, older : cousin). Immediately, you can taste the warmth of malt, wheat, : and spices. Pleasant to the taste : right away, it also finishes off : with some fruity accents which : reminded me of a light apple : cider. While not as smooth as : the Russian Imperial Stout, this : beer is still easy to drink and : won't give new beer drinkers a : hard time. Overall, this beer felt a lot more... beery than my first pick. : Is that a good ora bad thing? : Well, it depends. If you’re not : into dark or strangely flavoured : beers, and like microbrews, this : is one of the better picks for : beginners. Although not a usual : fare, it’s still pretty basic—but : not without its hints of oddity, : and not at all bad. In fact, I : found this wiezenbock more : memorable than the previous, : and I'd definitely buy it again. : For any occasion, and perhaps : just to show off to friends : who are both hipsters and : PBR-drinkers, Winter's Own : Weizenbock is a decent pick. Have an idea for a story? Let us know! Contact: Sophie Isbister, Life & Style Editor Mlifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca www. theotherpress.ca Winter's Own Weizenbock // By www.beermebc.com Lop it off—get a lob! » The clavicle’s where it’s at Natalie Serafini B Assistant Editor M assistant » @theotherpress.ca adies, I get it. Long, mer- maid-like locks are tradition- : : ing times been spotted on the : shoulders of Jennifer Aniston, : Nicole Richie, Gwyneth Paltrow, : Sofia Coppola, and now on the : goddess that is Beyoncé—is the : hybrid hairstyle of a grown- : out bob. This cavalcade of : clavicle-grazing coifs presents : hair that is messy, edgy, and : laissez-faire. Looking at all the : different face shapes that have : featured the cut, rest assured : that whether you have an : oblong, rectangle, oval, triangle, ally the embodiment of sultry. “Hair,” from the musical Hair, rather appropriately says it best: “Gimme a head with hair / long beautiful hair / Shining, gleam- ing / streaming, flaxen, waxen.” But you know what’s sultry, sexy, and sassy? Know what can be extremely flattering, and has previously captured count- less women in its becoming clutches? You probably guessed it from the title, but it’s the lovely lob. The name is a portmanteau : of “long” and “bob,” and it’s : the fresh new style of Spring : 2014. Need more convincing? : That’s where I, someone who : recently chopped off four inches : of hair for the cut, come in. The lob—which has at vary- : diamond, heart, round, square, : long, or anything-in-between : shape, the lob will look fetching. There are specific pro- : portions and shapes that are : inherent to the lob. The bottom : layer of the style doesn’t vary : inlength, making it similar : toachin-length bob; this is : what makes the lob different : froma regular shoulder-length : cut, which doesn’t follow the : template ofa bob. The rest of : the hair is layered to add visual : interest. This is where you : should consult with a hairstylist : and follow their expert opinion: : straight, wavy, or curly hair : will likely require different : approaches to bring out the best : inyour tresses. Be sure to surf : Google, Pinterest, or any other : sites, so you can bring pictures : in to your hairdresser showing : them exactly what you'd like. Once you've lopped it : off, there comes the question : ofstyling. Because the cut is : designed to look slightly messy : and like you haven't kept up : with getting your bob trimmed, : your approach to styling the : lob shouldn't be too sleek. If : your stylist has layered your : hair to suit your mane, the lob : is fantastic for rolling out of bed : and being ready to go—little to : no styling required. For more : primping and preening, I use : a Paul Brown Hawaii ceramic : hair straightener with rounded : edges for straight hair, wavy : locks, or curls with a little bit of : bounce. Alternatively, a curling : wand makes for some gorgeous : loose curls: shoulder-length hair : suits a1-inch wand, like Sultra’s : the Bombshell at Sephora (a : bit ofan investment at $150). With more and more : women taking their tresses : totheir shoulders, cropped : locks are in style. It’s easy to : maintain, takes weight off your : hair, lets you comfortably skip : afew days of shampoo (handy : ifyou're following along with : Sophie Isbister in her quest for : no-poo), and looks pretty darn : great on just about everyone. If : youre ready to take your locks : upa few notches (and inches), : go forth, prosper, and get a lob.