On your knees

Waldo Crawldo is this Saturday. It is in Waldo (duh), and includes all of the Waldo bars - 75th Street Brewery, Lew's, Kennedy's, Bobby Bakers, Tanner's, Waldo Pizza, & the Waldo Bar. It starts at 6 pm and goes on as long as you can remain standing. Tickets are on sale now at any of these locations for $5, and will go up to $10 on the day of the event. The bars will have drink specials all crawl-long, and there will be many chances to enter to win gift cards, limo services, spa days, pub crawls for friends, etc.

If you haven't been back to Kennedy's since the fire, now would be a good time to go! It'll be fun, there will be lots of your friends there, and no shortage of taxis to get you home. Or someone else's home. Whatever.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Right in my own backyard

What kind of a midwestern beer blogger would I be not to weigh in on this news? I know everyone heard about it already, and everyone has an opinion, from Bull @ the KC Beer Blog, to George Parker over at AdScam

I think big, old, American business institutions, including our friends in STL, have probably created some sort of giant corporate hairball over the years, and I am not above believing they should probably get some sort of a "correction" like this. I am not touching the topics of Unions, American pride, US owned companies, etc. Not with a 10 foot pole. I think anyone trying too hard to fight for US only production of anything is fighting a losing battle. We're global consumers already people. ANYway.

I know no one in STL would like for their big brewer, the supporter of 90% of all their professional sports, the fun cash cow, to be taken over in a hostile bid by a foreign company. So for their local economy, and the feeling of ownership over a monster that holds 48.5% of the national beer sales, I know it is not a fun prospect for them. Did you know that Auggie Busch managed to take home $12.2 million dollars in 2007? Yeah. Article doesn't mention the helicopter...

I think Modelo has to have a very vested interest in all of this, knowing that AB owns a significant share of their company now. What does that mean for Modelo if InBev is successful? Would Modelo really just sit back to see what happens? Would a merger with AB be beneficial for them, or more for AB? No idea. But it is all interesting. If you're more educated on all of this than I am, please, share your thoughts.

In this long, long leap of faith

Friday is my last day as a full time member of the VML media team. Monday marks my first official day as a full time member of Dept Zero, the alternative marketing company my husband Paul & I own. The company is five years old, and does some of the most exciting kind of experiential, street level, real world marketing. To say I am excited is an understatement. This level of commitment is something I have only had the stomach for when I got married. I don't even have any tattoos b/c I can't commit to an image forever. But I am 100% confident to now be a Zero for life.

I plan to be at the Saucer tomorrow afternoon. Hit me up via Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or this blog if you can come on by.

I love the smell of unleaded in the morning

Boo-hoo, I feel whiny. There are storms a-brewin' in KC again. I could go a whole week without rain/thunder/lightening/hail/tornado news. Really I could. Hail hit my new car, lightening took out my air conditioner at home, and if I don't get a chance to mow the yard soon, the neighborhood might post my picture up at the post office as a criminal. Kind of related, this is what 1.5 million gallons of burning unleaded fuel looks like, as taken from the downtown airport. Neat, huh? Burned for over 24 hours. I was impressed.
I have many things to look forward to, the most immediate is that I will be headed to the Saucer tomorrow afternoon. I heard they have wifi (thanks Bull) and I still have lots of work to do. But work with a fabulous beer selection isn't too shabby. Happy (almost-my-last) Summer Friday.

Beer knurds

I spent some quality time with my bros and their ladies this weekend, and in our typical fashion there was sushi and good beer involved. I dragged them all through the P&L district Sunday evening, which was bumpin and loud and full of line-standers, to get to the Flying Saucer, which while busy, was kind of an oasis for our sort. The 6 of us perched on stools at the bar and set up shop. My youngest bro discovered Delirium Nocturnum and my middle bro split a Boulevard Long Strange Tripel. He and his wife live in NYC, so I did my part to spread the BLVD gospel. I slept very well last night. Now it is Monday evening, and I need to go on a total beer hiatus for a week. ~sigh~

Fit me with an ankle bracelet or something

I think it's just the time of year when I fall off the face of the blog. It seems to be fairly consistent. It's not like I got off the grid entirely. You social media 2.0 peeps know where to find me. It's just spring time. Dusting off the old, prepping for the new, outdoor activities, talk talk talking, whatever. I'll be at the Saucer this weekend, with the broseph. I'll take some new beer inspired pics. He'd kill me if he knew that was posted anywhere. he looks a little - umm - special needs, in that one.

Happy long weekend to you all!

Howling mad

Being a grown up means sometimes you can't do a happy hour in the middle of a Saturday. Now Howling for me, sorry everyone.

Homebrew, homebrew, homebrew!

Jeff, who just so happens to be married to the head of my department, is a home brewer, among many other esteem-able talents. And he sent me a homebrew jackpot today. I am so excited! This is awesome. He gave me 2 bottles of 3 batches, so I can share with the Husband, if I so choose. There are 2 different Belgian Pale ales, and the other is a Belgian Dark Strong ale. Woot woot!

He did point out that I need a goblet glass. I struggle with the glassware. I guess I need to bite the bullet and buy some, huh?

National Champs, baby

That was probably the best game of basketball I have ever seen. I'd be proud to be a Jayhawk any day of any week, but today it is just so damn good. Thank you Super Mario, Rush, Robinson, Kaun, Collins, EVERYONE, thank you Bill Self. What a freaking game. Come on home - the party is getting started.

Edited to thank the the dudes that sit on the bench and leads the let's-lock-arms-in-a-demonstration- of-teamwork-action before the end of tight games. I always hope they get to play. A couple got about 30 seconds of game time against UNC, but Monday was not to be. I route for you, dudes. Everytime. Put Kleinmann in - put in the redhead! :)

Rock Chalk

I lost my voice on Saturday. It was glorious. I cannot wait for tonight.

Now, I would NEVER, but...

...a thought just occurred to me, and I wondered what you all would do.

What if...your company had a keg of awesome yummy beer available on tap, all the time?
What if...you had far too much work to get done to even think about enjoying even one before 7 pm?
What if...your fridge at home was sadly beer free, and you plan on working ALL NIGHT, at home?
What if...you had a decently-sized empty thermos, a gift from a rep somewhere, sitting on your desk?
What if...you had not intention of drinking any beer, that is not in that thermos, between now and when you get home?

Hmmm, what exactly are the open container laws in Missouri and Kansas again?

Rock Chalk Jayhawk

The husband comes home today. The Jayhawks play this evening. It is Friday. It is Beer Friday. It is International Beer Friday! It simply cannot be a bad day.

Define Decadent

Per Merriam-Webster

1 : marked by decay or decline
2 : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of the decadents

3 : characterized by or appealing to self-indulgence <decadent pleasures>

By those definitions, the Fort Collins Double Chocolate Stout is either in decline, or a self-indulgent treat. Hrm.

I took my 22 oz bottle and managed almost 2 pint glasses from it. (Think about much beer you miss when the barkeep leaves a little too much room or the waitress sloshes it around?!) This is very dark beer. Almost black, but with enough rust around the edge and brown in the sticky foamy head that you realize it is dark, dark, dark oily brown. It reminded me a bit of Rogue’s Chocolate, but probably because Lee said he & his lovely were drinking some, and I wanted it.

The bubbly head didn't last through the whole glass. Actually, it didn’t even last through the first third. I was yakking on the phone to a friend about rings and dresses and other girly wedding themed items, and took a big swig without really thinking, and was smacked with a mouthful of bitter chocolate and roasted coffee. One glass into my bottle, and I was feeling a little light headed. This isn’t a “thick” feeling beer, but it is a tiny bit grainy. There was the typical dry aftertaste, but seemed a little more bitter and greasy than normal.

Overall it was good, but now I just want Rogue. Guess it’s another trip to Batson for me this week. I really need to transition to springy beers, despite my love for dark brews. It's diet time again. Time to update the pointy post!

The Generation Gap

Permit me a non-beer post for a moment. It's rare, so let is pass.

Old people forward email jokes.
Middle-aged people put them on their blog.
Young people post them on their friends' walls.
And kids? I have no idea what they do, except maybe recite jokes for which they can't remember the punchlines while surfing around Club Penguin or something.

My Dad forwarded me this. He thinks it is quite funny, I assume. I don't see it as all that funny. Because anyone who knows anything knows that you take your blackberry into the restroom at work, not a laptop. Now I can't decide what part of that whole thing is more pathetic.

Employee of the Month

This is the level of dedication we expect from all staff!

From,
Management

Buy yourself something pretty

I stopped by Batson on my way home tonight. Picked up some beer for the hubby, who had a full day, and 2 kinds of beer for me, who is having a full day/week/month/year. For him was the-beer-who-cannot-be-named, and for me, two little experiments:

An 8.45 oz bottle of Sam Adams Triple Bock. It cost $4.30 at Batson, and the hand written shelf sign read, "Poor Man's Utopia." I had no idea what it was, so I bought it. According to the Beer Advocate, it is something Sam Adams brewed for limited releases, with the most recent being 1997. So technically, this beer was brewed last the year I turned 21, if not before. Neat. Straight from the site:
We recommend serving it at room temperature in a snifter a few ounces at a time - one bottle should generously serve two to three. Its warming malt character and fruit esters make it an ideal after dinner aperitif. Due to legal restrictions, Samuel Adams® Triple Bock® can not be sold in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, and West Virginia.
It is a crazy, black, oily looking substance, that apparently many dislike and contains massive amounts of alcohol. So I need a crazy beer testing friend for sharing. The husband won't drink motor oil!

The other is a Fort Collins Double Chocolate Stout. Double chocolate stout just sounds yummy, and the site calls it decadent. I am hoping so. Decadent would be nice right now.

Replusive

The remnants of an irish car bomb in a plastic cup from the hooley I went to yesterday. Gross. How YOU doin'?

Boxty on the griddle

Boxty on the griddle, boxty in the pan, if you can't make a boxty, you'll never get your man.

I am drinking an Irish Ale right now. It is an irish red brewed by my friendly neighborhood brewer, Boulevard. I love the Irish Ale. I even love the Celtic-ish label. It pours a deep reddish/caramel color with a decent foamy head that settles into lacing for the entire beer. It smells like sweet caramel, a little bready and malty, and a bit fruity. The taste is also caramel malts and sweet, but has some nuttiness, and a tiny hint of hops. The body is fairly light, and sparsely carbonated, and basically I love this beer.

Tomorrow I am taking the day off of work. I plan to start the day with a boxty, because no matter what anyone thinks, I think it sounds delish for breakfast. And a fat plate of potatoes sounds like a good way to pad the hubby's stomach for a long day.

I don't have a written recipe. My family never did, you just make them on sight. A boxty is like a latke, but if you make them flat enough, you can stuff them with fillings. Basically, if you are feeding an army, you take a pound of peeled potatoes, and boil half of them, and then make mashed potatoes. The other (raw) half of the pound you grate as if for hash browns. You take the grated potatoes and put them in a tea towel, and squeeze out all the liquid. Then you mix the raw grated potatoes into the mashed potatoes, and add flour, between a 1/2 cup and 3/4 cup, about a teaspoon of baking powder, and milk. Maybe a half a cup? I tend to add in less flour and milk than any recipe ever calls for in order to make them more like hash browns and less like pancakes. Then I grease up a pan, and drop them in. When they are brown on each side, they are ready to eat! You can combine the boxty with fried mushrooms and onions, or with an egg and bacon for a more breakfast friendly option. Yum! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Whitest things ever

Funny blog I lifted from Average Jane - Stuff White People Like

#23 Microbeweries
"White people don’t like stuff that’s easy to acquire. Beer is no exception.

They generally try to avoid beers like Budweiser, Labatt’s, Molson, Coors, and Heineken because if it’s mass produced it is bad. No exceptions.

So when they need a beer, they turn to microbrews who seem to be located almost exclusively in New England, Ontario, Quebec and Colorado. Being able to walk into a bar and order a beer that no one has heard of makes white people feel good about their alcohol drinking palate.

A friend of mine once met a white guy who brought a notebook with him to every bar. He would then keep a record of all the beers he drank and his experience with them. He called it his ‘beer journal.’

Also of note: most white people want to open a microbrewery at some point. One that uses organic hops."

YES, they totally forgot about the Pacific Northwest as a source of microbrew snobbery. Some commenters on the blog believe it is because the bloggers aren't white enough, but it could possibly be that they are Canadian. Either way, an oversight that I am sure was not done on purpose. :)

My other favorite entries are
#26 Manhattan (now Brooklyn too!)
#31 Snowboarding
#53 Dogs
#54 Kitchen Gadgets
#63 Expensive Sandwiches
#79 Modern Furniture
#86 Shorts

But they are all hilarious.

Irish KC

I stumbled across this blog today, and I love it. It is also timely what with the white-people-drink-themselves-into-a-coma-holiday coming up and all. It is written by an Irishman living in KC, although at the moment back home visiting family, diligently updating the KC St. Pats 2008 Guide.

Check it out if you need to catch up on the activities round here. About.com has a decent list too. I'll be at the parade, hanging with friends downtown, and wrapping up my day at Lew's Hooley in Waldo. I can only imagine what will be spent in cab fare.

What's the deal with the spelling of hoolie? Is it hooley or hoolie?

Scooped by my mother-in-law

My MIL attended one of the private soft openings of the Gordon Biersch location in the Power & Light district last night. She knows one of the corporate peeps who flew in for the big opening, and got to try anything she wanted while the staff "practiced" serving for their grand opening this week. Officially, doors open on Monday, but they are having private openings all weekend. Because I think her enthusiasm is adorable, not to mention her turn by turn directions, I am copying & pasting her review below. Hope she doesn't mind! (She's not much a beer drinker, so I promise to provide my own beer feedback soon. )

We had dinner at a private party at Gordon Biersch at 200 East 13th Street. It doesn't officially open until Monday night, but our friends invited us to the private party. We could order anything free as it gave the staff "practice" for opening Monday. The food was great! You would like it. I especially thought the appetizer crab cake was the best in the city--large and moist with lump crab. I had the salmon with pecan topping and it was also good. Dessert we shared was the bread pudding with vanilla ice cream--again the best in the city I've ever had! We sampled their "beer sampler" of five little glasses of beer. All was good. We parked at the Town Pavilion Garage across from the HR Block one. Both were $10 last night because of the event at Sprint Center. No exceptions and validations after 6 PM didn't even count. I drove I-35 to 12th Street exit and went on 12th street to Grand. Turned right on Grand to 13th Street. Turned right again in the garage. Be sure to walk around a bit and see the "stage" area and also the pretty lighted blue trees. I think Gordon Biersch's is the nicest one on the block. Have a good time! Love, Mom