CS Booze Club.

[Jester]

ASU 0 Stanford 13.

The game is off to a less than stellar start for the good guys, but at least I have plenty more beer to keep me company!

Not sure who the brewer is (no indication on the bottle), but next up is Queen of the Night pale ale, also from Mexico (4.8% ABV). The only clue to the brewer at all is on the top label, which has a painted skull, to the left of which reads Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), to the right of which reads Cerveza de Los Muertos (Beer of the Dead). I have two other beer from this same mysterious Mexican brewery, so hopefully they're good!

Queen of the Night is a dark amber color, reminiscent of but darker than most honeys. The nose is very subtle, almost nonexistent, but I detect a hint of sweetness. The taste confirms this, with a subtly sweet almost honey like flavor. Good, tasty, but oohing that will change the world. Will probably go nicely with the garlic cayenne popcorn I make make shortly. Beer score: 6.5, which means it gets more points than ASU.

Back to the game!

[Jester]

Meanwhile, back at the Old Fashioned Ass Kicking...

ASU 0 Stanford 27.

Ugh. This is not one of those games where one team gets a few lucky breaks. Stanford is just outplaying the Devils on both sides of the ball, and making it look way too easy. And giving me even more reason to hate ASU's Coach Douchebag. But that's another story.

Finally made the cayenne garlic popcorn, and it's not too had. Would have gone great with that last beer. But now I'm on to a new beer!

Death Becomes You amber ale, from the same mystery brewery in Mexico as the last beer, but this time with a 5.5% ABV. The color is an even darker, deeper amber than the last one. The nose is equally subtle, but perhaps a touch sweeter. The taste, while it has some of the same sweetness of the last one, does have a distinctive amber hop bite, which pairs it really well with this spicy, garlicky popcorn. (Though I think I need some more garlic powder on it.) Score: 7.

Okay, time to add more garlic and unpause the massacre....er, uh, "game."

[Jester]

Halftime: ASU 0 Stanford 29.

Clearly I need more beer.

And from the same brewery as Chili Devil, I have Crazy Pig Mexican Ale. The label, while it has great artwork, gives no ABV or indication what kind of beer this is, other than ale. The color is dark reddish amber, with a thick sturdy head. The nose is virtually invisible. It vaguely smells like beer. Beyond that, I got nothing. Much like my beloved Sun Devils. Unlike the game, however, this beer is not leaving a bad taste in my mouth. It is actually quite tasty, light and refreshing, without being too light or without flavor. Hey, pigs DO have good flavor, right? This is a perfect beer for spicy food, so it goes really well with my popcorn. I would happily buy a six pack of this to drink with chili, enchiladas, burritos, nachos, or chile rellenos. Good stuff. 7.0.

Now, sadly, back to the game.

[Jester]

ASU 7 Stanford 39

Fuck Stanford.

ASU is definitely playing better in the second half than they did in the first half (the second half is only 10-7 in Stanford's favor), but it's not enough.

Luckily, I have enough beer to stock a militia, if needed.

Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale (5.7% ABV): dark, dark amber with orange highlights, bordering on being brown, actually. Subtle pumpkin pie spice nose. Good pumpkin beer taste, with the spices well represented, but restrained. Very nice. 7.0. In other words, far better than this disgusting football game.

Thanks, Coach Douchebag. You coach a great second half. But where the flying FUCK were you and your players in the first half? Can we fire this idiot a couple weeks after we for some mysterious reason gave him a contract extension, in only his second year? I would give all my beer stock (which is considerable) to get this idiot fired.

Or killed. Either way.

[Jester]

Final score: ASU 28 Stanford 42.

Furious second half surge by the Devils, but just not enough. Too little, too late, as they say.

When we hired Coach Douchebag before last season, I predicted three more years of mediocrity. Last year, 8-5. This year, a dominant win over an outmatched patsy in Sacramento State, a controversial win over Wisconsin, and an ass kicking by Stanford, in which they didn't bother to show up for the first half.

Yep. I'd call that mediocrity. Puke. And next week, we get USC. Whee!

Clearly I need more beer.

[Jester]

Had to put my new knife away in the third quarter so that I would not jam it into my thigh out of frustration. Could be worse. I could be drinking Russian beer.

Baltika 9 Extra Lager (Russia, 8.0% ABV): light golden color. Light but smooth nose. Sweet, tasty, refreshing brew. Delicious! Great flavor for how light it is. Goes great with the horseradish cheddar, and will be a nice accompaniment to the new episode of Face Off. 7.5.

[Jester]

Once again, from the mysterious Mexican brewery with no name, apparently, we have Death Rides a Pale Horse blonde ale (5.6% ABV). At least they are creative with the names and the packaging, which is pretty much brilliant.

On to the beer itself! A light amber/dark gold color, it has a light, almost imperceptible nose, as this brewery's beers seem to. For a blonde, it's actually rather flavorful. Very tasty. A hint of honey, full for a blonde, but at times it also seems a bit watery. Overall, not bad, but nothing special. 6.0.

[Victory Sabre]

Listening to the Vikings game at work, and I need some booze. Too bad there isn't any here for me.

Speaking of booze, an employee will no longer be in our employ after today (not talking about Lazy Ass, he gets jack shit from me), and gave her a bottle of Mangria. She loves red wine, and she's excited to get done with work and try it.

[Dentarthurdent]

Jester's blow-by-blow of the beer he was drinking, interspersed with angry rants about the game and "Clearly I need more beer" sent me into fits of giggles. Honestly, the only sport I care about is my own, but it was still funny.

Now to pretend to justify my post. I myself am drinking a Wyder's Pear Cider. I have nothing bad to say about it. In fact, it's pretty much like drinking a Bartlett pear, which is to say it's fucking delicious. But I fear I have reviewed it before, have stated that it's better than Woodchuck Pear before, and I have nothing more to add.

[Jester]

Continuing with my theme from Saturday night, it's time for Monday Night Football, and my team, the Oakland Raiders, are playing our big rival, the Donkeys. I'm sure the Donkeys are from somewhere, but I don't care where it is.

Anyway, football? Raiders? BEER!

First up, pre-kickoff, we have Blue Heron pale ale (Mendocino Brewing Company, Saratoga Springs, NY, 6.1% ABV). Right off the bat, this beer looks different, both in color and clarity, than your typical pale ale. It has a deep orange amber hue, and it is actually slightly hazy, a couple things you just don't see in pale ales. Also, it's alcohol content is a bit higher than your typical pale. The nose is slightly sweet, with a hint of honey. Again, unusual. And the taste is delicious. Not really all that hoppy--are they sure this is a pale ale???--but a bit sweet, with lots of flavor, and again, a bit of honey like quality to it. And there is a bit of hoppiness on the finish, but it's a good counterbalance to the semisweet taste. Overall, I really like this very unusual beer. Not to be too cliched, but this is a beer drinker's beer. And the perfect beer for after my homemade pasta dinner. 7.0.

Now, on to the game. GO RAIDERS!!!

[Jester]

Not a good start. Raiders first possession, three and out. Donkeys first possession, 55 yard drive for a touchdown. Raiders 0, Donkeys 7. Ugh. I need a beer.

Hofbrau Oktoberfest (Germany, 6.3%): very pale yellow, unusual for an Oktoberfest. Very light nose, fresh and heathery. Nice beer, interesting flavor, a sweetness that is not one I've had very often before. Interesting taste, and the sweetness is a balanced one. Good beer. Don't know that I'd call it an Oktoberfest, but it's tasty. 6.5.

Ugh. Another three and out. Not helped by a penalty against the Raiders that denied them their first first down, and even the announcers agreed that the flag was pretty much bullshit. Thanks, refs!

Clearly I'm gonna need a lot of beer. Luckily, I have plenty!

[Jester]

Another three and out. *I* have as many first downs tonight as the Raiders. I think the Donkeys may have more first downs than the Raiders have yards. Pathetic.

It's a good thing I'm not drinking a shot for every three and out of the Raiders. I'd be unconscious before the half.

[Jester]

At one point, the announcers pointed out that the Donkeys had 11 first downs, compared to the Raiders having only run 16 offensive plays. But with the Raiders just scoring, the game seems better, as it's now just 17-7. And as I typed that last sentence, the Donkeys moved the ball to within the 20 on a long pass play. Ugh. Definitely need another beer.

And as I typed further, the [colorful and anatomically unlikely multiple expletive] Donkeys just scored yet another touchdown. 24-7. I REALLY need another beer!

Weihenstephaner Oktoberfest (Germany, 5.8%): from the oldest brewery in the world (they've been brewing since 1040), and probably my favorite brewery, one of the few selections they have that I had not tried, until recently at a German beer tasting at a local bar. Like the Hofbrau, this is unusually light in color. Like the Hofbrau, a very light, subtle nose. Unlike the Hofbrau, very full of flavor, and very delicious. Also unlike the Hofbrau, I just managed to spill some on my floor. Not sure how, since all I was trying to do was drink the damn thing. In any case, the beer that made it to my mouth was quite delicious, and one I highly recommend. 7.5.

The worst beer I've ever had from Weihenstephaner, and it's hard to say which one that would be, is better than a lot of brewery's best beer. Find their beers. You won't be disappointed. And damn it, you deserve it!



*Don't worry, non-football fans. This is not a theme that will continue. Just this weekend. After this, just straight booze and bar reviews.

[Victory Sabre]

Holy crap. I'm enjoying an Edmund Fitzgerald Porter from the Great Lakes brewing company. It's amazing. The flavor is so good. Hard to describe beyond very yummy. if you can, try it.

[Jester]

I've been hearing about and been asked about Great Lakes Brewing for at least a year or two now, but I have never tasted or even seen any of their products down here in Florida. I do, however, look forward to one day trying some of their wares.