Here’s a summertime pairing that I tried on a whim, and it turned out even better than expected. Samuel Adams Summer Ale is a seasonal release from the Boston brewery that has been a staple of summer cookouts since 1995. The refreshing 5.3% ABV ale features Hallertau Mittelfrüh noble hops, lemon, lime, and orange peels, along with Grains of Paradise. The result is a crisp beer with a light herbal hop character, bright citrus notes, subtle wheat sweetness, and a gentle peppery spice in the finish.
Summer Ale seemed the perfect choice for a warm, rainy afternoon on the screened porch. Wanting a cigar that wouldn’t overpower the beer, yet still offered a satisfying depth of flavor, I reached for a Rocky Patel A.L.R. (Aged, Limited, and Rare) Second Edition in the Robusto vitola.
The
A.L.R. Second Edition is a cigar I’ve
enjoyed frequently over the years, resulting in numerous mentions here in these
Musings. Wrapped in Mexican San Andrés leaf over a Honduran binder and fillers from Honduras and Nicaragua, the medium-bodied smoke delivers satisfying richness while remaining remarkably balanced. Rocky Patel ages the cigars for two years after rolling, and this particular example had spent an additional 22 months resting in my humidor.
The cigar kicks off with notes of espresso and cocoa. As expected from the San Andrés wrapper, a sweet earthiness balances those darker flavors. Rather than dominating the palate, the wrapper’s natural sweetness softens the bitterness of the espresso and cocoa, creating a rich yet approachable combination.
Medium-bodied rather than powerhouse in strength, the A.L.R. Second Edition emphasizes balance over intensity, making it an ideal companion for Samuel Adams Summer Ale. The beer’s bright citrus, wheat, and subtle spice refresh the palate between draws, lifting the cigar’s espresso, chocolate, and earthy sweetness while providing a crisp contrast to its darker flavors.
Pairing cigars and beer isn’t always about matching intensity. Sometimes the better approach is finding complementary flavors that allow each to shine. In this case, the citrus brightness of the Summer Ale and the earthy sweetness of the San Andrés-wrapped A.L.R. Second Edition came together in a way that was both balanced and thoroughly enjoyable.
Cheers!
“The One Horse,” or simply One Horse , who we had on the podcast earlier last month , is bringing its Express Series down to pistol length with two new 10.5-inch 5.56 models, the Express Pistol MLOK and Express Pistol Quad Rail. Both carry over the same factory-installed Atrius Forced Reset Selector setup that defined the original 16-inch Express Rifle , which matters more than it sounds. An FRS is a drop-in part on paper, but if you’ve ever tinkered with one as I have in a number of different rifles, “timing” or tuning it correctly against the buffer weight, gas system, and shelf geometry is where a lot of DIY installs go sideways. One Horse is fitting, timing, and testing the whole system- selector, fire control group, gas system, BCG, and buffer- at the factory before it ships, rather than leaving that process to the end user, which can often be a frustrating lesson in tolerance stacking.
If you’re lucky enough to own a belt-fed that’s a full-auto, or even an FRT, you can finally take it to a match. Firearms Action Shooting Trials (FAST) is adding an Auto-Rifle division to its match roster, opening a completely new division for guns that most 2-gun series won't touch. Entrants need either a registered NFA machine gun or an FRT-equipped rifle, paired with a heavy barrel or belt-fed upper capable of soaking up the round count, and a bipod has to stay mounted for the entire stage.
Apparently this is the 20,000th post on View From The Porch, which will turn twenty-one in... hang on, lemme check ...a bit over three weeks from now.
Neat!
.
Welcome to TFB Weekly Web Deals 198, brought to you by Strike Industries , manufacturer of innovative, high-performance firearm accessories. We’re back with more deals on guns, gear, ammunition, and accessories from some of our most frequented online retailers like Strike Industries, as well as 5.11 Tactical, Primary Arms, Natchez Shooters Supply, Palmetto State Armory, Brownells, and more. Whether you’re looking for deals on new or used guns, ammo to add to your reserves, or specific accessories like flashlights, range bags, optics, bipods, and magazines, each week we’ll have new sets of deals that might fulfill one of those needs and save you a few dollars.
Quote of the Day The state of Delaware has some of the strictest gun control laws in the country. But don’t make the mistake of believing that “distinction” means the state is safe from criminal gun misuse. The national gun … Continue reading →
Continue reading →
The Dyrt, the app to get the best campsites, built by the largest RVing and camping community in the U.S., found that three out of five campers (59.8%) camped for free at least once last year.
Authorities say the homeowner shot the suspect in the feet during the attempted burglary.
The suspect was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Officials
say his injuries are not considered life-threatening and he is expected
to make a full recovery.
He is expected to face burglary charges upon his release from the hospital, authorities say.
No injuries were reported to the homeowner or any other occupants of the residence.
More Here
Police in Warner Robins said officers were sent to Ignico Drive near
Village South apartments for a call about a shooting in the area at 2:42
a.m. on Friday.
At the scene, police discovered an 18-year-old boy dead after he had been shot.
City
officials later identified the victim as Kaden McGhee, and announced
that the shooting is being investigated as a self-defense incident.
More Here
It's quiet in the tropics for the first week of August. So far, we have had only two named storms in the Atlantic basin August is normally the month when the Atlantic storms crank up, notably in 2005. That was a busy year. A little research tells us that the least active hurricane season on record was 1914 when only one known tropical storm was recorded.
We had a little dry cold front move through over the weekend. No rain and the temps are not notably lower, but the humidity is down, which is a good thing.
Belle mentioned that she would like a chimichanga for lunch, and I happen to have a recipe. I'll go to the grocers in a bit and see if I can find some tortillas.
With Soviet jet bombers like the
Myasishchev M-4 (NATO reporting name "Bison") able to undertake intercontinental nuclear attack missions, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the United States Air Force joined forces to form NORAD, the North American Air Defense Command.
In the mid-1950s, the backbone of the air defense system was the radar-equipped all-weather jet interceptor, most frequently armed with unguided air-to-air rockets.
Its wingtip pods each packed as many as twenty-nine 2.75" folding-fin Mighty Mouse rockets. The radar operator sat behind the pilot.
One of the more interesting USAF interceptors used by NORAD was the North American F-86D "Sabre Dog".
Interesting because single-seat all-weather fighters, with the pilot serving as his own radar operator, were something of a novelty at the time. The F-86D at the USAF Museum has its ventral tray extended, showing the twenty four launch tubes for the Mk 4 "Mighty Mouse" rockets. If you look at the stand next to the plane, you can see a rocket with its fins unfolded.
I originally wrote this article 13 years ago. Just a few weeks ago, I went out to dinner with a long time friend from high school. She teaches women’s self defense classes at a local college. She mentioned that she used this article in every class she teaches. Until I had spoken with her, […]
Interesting changes at a Historically Black University. Tuskegee University is instituting a dress code and classroom attendance and other policies. So, outside of the dorms, no du-rags (aka do-rag), no bedroom slippers, no ‘bonnets’ (those shower cap thingies that some black women wear). Also, no revealing clothing or cellphones in class and a requirement for […]
Stating with the understanding that all mandatory, human government is illegitimate, it is interesting (and perhaps important) to understand all the various forms of human government which abound or have existed on this poor planet of ours. We do point …
Continue reading →
The Missoula gun show was this weekend. Its always a fun time, and I often get to see people whom I almost never see the rest of the year. Johnny Trochmann wasn’t there this year. Not sure why. Nonetheless, there …
Continue reading →
Attempted but did not reach four dead because of a good guy with a gun. 8/2/26 Newsweek:
A man armed with a handgun exchanged gunfire with the suspect during Saturday's deadly shooting at an In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, forcing the gunman to take cover, according to an eyewitness cited in multiple reports.
Lane Koehn told The Associated Press he saw a man carrying an AR-style rifle emerge near the drive-thru on Saturday afternoon before another man pulled a pistol and fired at the gunman.
It is an article of faith that a good guy with a gun (at least a concealed one) will not stop someone with an "assault weapon." At first glance, this seems to make sense: they have a powerful weapon, dangerous to 100 yards plus.
But in this case, the murderer blew away any tactical advantage: he was shooting apparently randomly as he approached. At 100 yards, yes, the rifleman has the clear advantage. At 15 yards, not so much.
As with many of these tragedies, one shot, the murderer committed suicide. I will be surprised if this does not turn out to be mental illness induced.
A Sopwith Camel, a P-38 Lightning, and an SR-71 in vertical orientation, suitable for phone wallpapers...
Embiggenate and download to your heart's content (please for non-commercial use, obv...)
.
Quote of the Day Via This Is How Strict One Country Is With Gun Control – AOL. I once read about some U.S. GI training with the Japanese military and spending an hour looking for a single piece of .50 …
Continue reading →
According to police, a man
entered McNeal’s Superette in the 5900 block of Lillian around 10 a.m.
and caused a disturbance, during which he attempted to force his way
behind the counter into a secured area. The clerk then reportedly shot
the man.
When officers
arrived at the market, police said there was a fight between the suspect
and the officers who attempted to take him into custody.
More Here
Detectives said a subject had obtained a key card to another
individual’s hotel room and entered the room without permission. The
subject later exited the room, and the verbal confrontation continued in
the hallway.
Surveillance footage showed the subject attempting to strike the other individual and enter the hotel room a second time.
During the confrontation, the subject reached into his waistband and
produced a black object. The other individual then fired approximately
eight rounds, striking the subject multiple times, authorities said.
Police said Peak and another man were physically assaulting David
Johnson Gray, a 57-year-old Black man, when a firearm was dropped during
the altercation. Investigators said Gray retrieved the firearm and
fired several rounds, striking Peak as he and the other man were
attempting to run away. The other man was not hit, police said.
More Here
The LTV* A-7 Corsair II was nicknamed the "SLUF", for Short Little Ugly Fucker. A single seat attack aircraft developed from the F-8 fighter, it was a workhorse in Vietnam.
The one in Dayton is an A-7D, which is a version of the Navy's A-7 that was built for the USAF. Instead of the two 20mm Colt Mk. 12 cannon of the original, the D model had a single 20mm Vulcan, as well as a more powerful Allison turbofan, a fine product of Indiana.
The USAF A-7's were relegated to Air National Guard units as the F-16 came online in the Seventies, but the last combat missions flown by Navy SLUFs were in Operation Desert Storm. The Corsair II was also flown by the Greeks, Thais, and Portuguese.
*LTV was Ling-Temco-Vought, the company that resulted from a 1961 hostile takeover of the old Chance Vought corporation of F4U Corsair and F8U Crusader fame by Ling Electric, who had recently gone on a buying spree, absorbing Temco Aircraft and speaker manufacturer Altec Electronics among others.
Watch the whole video. It’s worth it. As if people have not been saying the Democrat Party is socialists and/or communist for years now. Still, better late than never. Prepare appropriately.
A guest commentary and more! Tom Jefferson described liberty and how laws did not sustain and support liberty, because tyrants used law just as much (or more) than lovers of liberty did. “How keep under control the men entrusted with …
Continue reading →
7/28/26 CNN:
James Aren Duckett, 68, was pronounced dead at 1:19 p.m. following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. The 11th inmate executed by the state this year, Duckett was convicted of raping and drowning an 11-year-old girl while working as a police officer in a small central Florida city in 1987.
Enclosed emitters are gaining a lot of momentum and popularity nowadays, and Steiner has just dropped an updated version of theirs: the MPS 2.0 micro pistol sight. With newly enhanced features like larger buttons, better battery life, and the same price-point as before (no price increase for even better quality), this is something that has caught our attention.
Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome back to TFB’s Silencer Saturday, brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturers of the new Victra 20-gauge shotgun suppressor . This week we are looking at another interesting creation from my friend Collin. He made a nifty takedown .22 with an integral suppressor.
Quote of the Day imagine if we treated adding a new law to the economy in the same way we treated adding a new medicine to the body. you’d have to demonstrate no harmful effects show up in controlled trials, …
Continue reading →
The Martin B-10, which first flew in prototype form in '32, went into service with the USAAF in summer of 1935. It was a sales success, with the US government buying over a hundred and export sales to China, the Dutch, Thailand, and Turkey.
We phased ours out pretty quickly at the start of WW2, but the type saw extensive combat with the Chinese, Dutch, and Thai forces, and Thailand didn't retire theirs until 1949.
It was replaced as a frontline aircraft in the USAAF inventory by the Douglas B-18 Bolo.
Most of our forward deployed B-18s were in the Philippines and got destroyed on the ground by the Japanese. Most of its wartime US service was flying anti-sub patrols along the coasts. Canada got twenty of them, which were also used for anti-submarine work, and a few went to Brazil, where they served as trainers.
It appears I may be spending some time getting good with a DA trigger again, as the tactical dirt colored SIG Sauer SP2022 in the horsehide
Milt Sparks Summer Special 2 will attest. The SIG is likely just going to be a waypoint for three or four months as I work back up to spending six months or a year carrying the Langdon Beretta, which is the pistol with which I've had most of my moments of glory in gun school.
.
Hubbard said a man confronted him, falsely accusing him of assaulting
the man’s brother earlier this month — an unhoused individual Hubbard
said he has gotten to know.
Hubbard denied the alleged assault and said the man pulled a gun, fired at him, but missed. Hubbard said he fired back.
“I
needed to know that my daughter was going to live. I needed to know my
fiancée was going to live. We’re talking about my family. I’ll do what
it takes. But I did not want this,” Hubbard said.
More Here
Sources say the delivery driver fired several rounds at the teen
during the alleged carjacking attempt. Rounds were recovered near the
vehicle and a short distance down the road from where it was loaded onto
a flatbed truck.
A neighbor described what she heard and saw from inside her home.
More Here
Several talk shows have in recent days prefaced their hourly sessions on radio (and online) with quotes from various Woke Tranzi politicians. They want to abolish at least the following institutions: My oh my. That almost sounds like a libertarian, …
Continue reading →
The Springfield Armory Echelon has been the darling of Geneseo, Illinois ever since its inception for innumerable reasons. The supremely-clever optics mounting system, texturing/stippling that borders on coming from a Custom Shop, a chassis design for ultimate modularity, and flat out performance from the first magazine. Over the few years it has been out, it has evolved through different frame sizes, barrel configurations, and factory packages to please as many shooters as possible. What if you want the hot rod, but money is tight? We get it and so does Springfield. They have now announced the Echelon Alpha with a very sharp price point of $599 compared to a standard Echelon being sold for $710 and up. So, today we are going to take a look at the new Springfield Armory Echelon Alpha 4.0C 9mm to see how it performs on the range. Let’s dive in!
The Beretta Gold Cup 2026 in Malmö, Sweden brought together elite IPSC competitors from all over the World, for a match that raised the bar on stage design and volunteer execution. What stood out immediately were the creative course-of-fire elements: moving targets triggered by sensors, innovative stage layouts, and carefully crafted designs that gave each stage its own character and challenge. There was even a stage with flames and fire, as you stepped on one of the activators.
You don’t hear a lot about handgun hunting these days, and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the rise of the autoloader—I’d argue there was more interest in handgun hunting when six-guns were the norm. Or maybe it’s just because hunters interested in the up-close-and-personal action have moved on to archery equipment. Maybe it’s because they decided that blasting away at long-range targets Elmer Keith-style is too difficult, and they want to make clean kills with a rifle that requires less practice.
Done and done. The new AC unit is in the wall. I used a long sawsall blade to get between the chassis and cabinet. When the crew arrived (one son, two grandsons), we slid out the old chassis and slid the new AC unit into the hole. Plugged it in and adjusted for max cooling.
Now, it's Happy Hour.
