I’ve had a can of Nordic Swell in the Frigidaire since February, but I’ve been a bit intimidated by the 9-percent ABV. Turns out it was a limited edition. It’s May now, so you might have trouble finding it in stores the farther you are from DuClaw’s Maryland home base.

The big selling point for Nordic Swell is the Norwegian yeast called kveik. Brewers in Norway have passed down their yeast through the generations, so genetically, it’s branched off from the rest of the world. Some of the differences are technical – like faster or hotter fermentation – but some stand out in the flavor. Kveik supposedly tastes more tropical or orange with hints of gingerbread or clove.

The aroma on the pour is surprisingly not that hoppy. You mostly get the fruity, sweet malt. It’s very orange copper in the pint glass with an every-so-slightly amber head. The first sip does have a bit of that hoppy resin bitterness, but it’s carried away by the sweet and the malt.

It’s a bit thick, sweet but not cloying. As I read the label, there are three honeys in there (wildflower, clove, orange blossom) as well as chamomile tea. That 9-percent ABV doesn’t come off as “hot.” I’d say everything is working in balance so it’s not too sweet or too bitter, too heavy or too floral. It might be better enjoyed on a Maryland winter than a warm Florida spring, but that was DuClaw really wanted in the first place, wasn’t it?

Between working in TV news and working in non-news video, I paid the bills (mostly) for a year by working at Brookstone. Remember Brookstone? The memory foam mattress you could lie down on (ew) and weird flashlights and a massage chair anyone could hop into? The company now seems to just live in airports, but once, it was a magical place where shoppers could kill ten minutes until Mom came out of Burdine’s.

That’s “my” store in the photo – Mall at Millenia in Orlando, FL. It’s a Lily Pulitzer now.

My Brookstone year started as a Christmas gig, shuffling boxes in the tiny back room. Eventually, I got to put on the denim apron and work the floor. It was a very hands-on store, so just about anything a customer could pick up would end up in the opposite corner from where it started. I remember these tiny sealed glass bubble aquariums that were in equilibrium until a sticky-fingered kid would shake it like a snowglobe and rattle all the brine shrimp (aka generic Sea Monkeys) inside.

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When I first heard that Yuengling was brewing up a fruity beer, that caught my attention. The company’s image is America’s Oldest Brewery and they stick to pretty traditional varieties – a lager, a pilsner, a porter. I went looking for this Yuengling mango beer and it’s a new product positioning for the brewer. It’s called “Raging Eagle” and has a logo like a football helmet.

Raging Eagle Mango Beer is also not available in bottles – just 24-ounce tall boy cans – or what some lovers of big beer cans call a “silo.” Yuengling’s other brews run between 4% and 5.5% ABV. Raging Eagle Mango hits 6%. This new Yuengling might not be aimed at the traditionalist and more at folks who want to get some beer in them quick and easy.

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I was listening to Greg Proops’ podcast, “The Smartest Man in the World” (aka “The Proopcast”), and his wife, Jennifer, dropped in a bit of a recent Blue Note Records release from Dr. Lonnie Smith and Iggy Pop. I liked it and maybe you will too.

Dr. Lonnie Smith has been playing the Hammond B-3 organ since his teens. He started in a band with Grover Washington Jr., played as both a sideman and a band leader for decades, and now at 78, has released his 29^th solo album, “Breathe.” Smith is either called “Doctor” because he likes to “doctor up” melodies with improvisations – or maybe because he didn’t want to be confused with keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith.

A lot of “Breathe” is 2017 live cuts, recorded about the same time as Smith’s 2018 record “All in My Mind.” The first and last tracks though are new studio work, both covers with Iggy Pop on vocals and Blue Note President Don Was producing. (Was also took that photo of the two up top.) A big part of the collaboration is that both Smith and Pop live in the Miami area now and Pop sat in on some of Smith’s live shows.

The first song on “Breathe” is Timmy Thomas’ “Why Can’t We Live Together.” Even if you don’t know the tune, it’ll sound familiar because Drake sampled it for “Hotline Bling.” Here’s the final track on the record, Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman.” Iggy Pop is in the crooner mode he’s progressed to over the last decade. The song’s not groundbreaking, but it’s a lot of fun.

It’s a rainy Sunday here in Orlando, so I’m staying dry, hunting for the cat when thunder hits, and diving into England Dan & John Ford Coley.  I think the song most folks know best is 1976’s “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight.” I’ll admit I was one of those folks who thought they were singing “I’m not talking ’bout the linen” even before screenwriter Shane Black called us out in  “The Long Kiss Goodnight.”

And to prove it, here’s a live version from “The Midnight Special” where you can clearly hear “I’m not talkin’ ’bout movin’ in.”

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