Seven Saints
Rotating taps:
Dark Horse Tres blueberry stout
Southern Tier Backburner Barleywine
Wednesday: Whiskey Wednesday, half off Irish.
Thursday: Beer Class, road trip (the revenge) to the Bayern Stube in Gibson City. Hunter's Feast continues until March 6.
Radio Maria
Tap list as of 2/20
1. Schlafly APA $6
2. Schneider Weisse $6
3. Two Brothers Northwind Stout $5
4. Dark Horse Beat Your Wheat $5
5. Dark Horse Scotty Karate $4
6. New Holland Cabin Fever $4
7. Founders Breakfast Stout $5
8. Zywiec Pilsner $6
9. Kwak Belgian Ale $6
10.Kulmbacher Eisbock $5
11.Ballast Pointe "Big Eye" IPA $4.5
12.Ballast Pointe Calico Amber Ale $5
13.St Bernardus Prior 8 $6
14.Eugene City 200 Meter Ale $5
15.Victory Golden Monkey $5
16.Moylan Dragoon's Dry Irish Stout $4.5
17.Boulder Brewing Company Oak Aged Obovoid Oatmeal Stout $6
18.Goose Island Bourbon County Stout $7
19.Lost Abbey Angel's Share $7
20.Southern Tier Old Man Winter $4
21.Southern Tier Choklat $6
22.Bell's HopSlam $5
23.Pyramid Apricot $4
24.Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock $5
25.Uerige Sticke Alt $5
26.Weihenstepnaner Weissbier $6
27.PBR $2.25
Friday: Happy Hour 4:30 - 5:30, Dark Horse Beat Your Wheat $4 .
Saturday: $3 Bacardi and $6 Bacardi Mojitos, Salsa Night at 10.
Sunday: $2 wells, $1.25 PBR
Monday: 25% off bottles of wine; Board Game Monday
Tuesday: Uptown Mardi Gras party; 1/2 price wine by the glass
Wednesday: $1 off all beers on draft; Trivia Night; 11pm with MC Juice
Thursday: $1 off house specialty cocktails
Starting Sunday, Sunday Supper returns. Four course menu is $50. Wine pairing adds $15.
March 27: 6pm; Pinot Noir Dinner, $85.
Blind Pig
Port Brewing Midnight Sessions; San Marcos, Califonria, Schwazbier, 5% abv
Port Brewing Hop-15; San Marcos, California, Imperial IPA, 9.7% abv
Lost Abbey Red Barn Ale; San Marcos, California, Saison, 6.7 % abv
Lost Abbey Serpent’s Stout; San Marcos, California, Imperial Stout, 11% abv
Green Flash Le Freak; Vista, California, Abbey Tripel, 9.2% abv
Ballast Point Sea Monster; San Diego, California, Imperial Stout, 10%
Sand Creek Wild Ride; Black River Falls, Wisconsin, India Pale Ale, 6% abv
Troubadour Obscura; Belgium, Stout, 8.5% abv
Fullers London Pride; England, Premium Bitter, 4.7% abv
Delirium Tremens; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 8.5% abv
Blue Moon; Golden, Colorado, Belgian White, 5.4% abv
Krusovice Imperial 12° Bohemian; Pilsener, Czech Republic, 5% abv
Stella Artois; Belgium, Pale Lager, 5.2% abv
Pabst Blue Ribbon; San Antonio, Texas, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Rogue Mocha Porter; Newport, Oregon, Baltic Porter
Boulevard Nut Cracker; Kansas City, Missouri, English Strong Ale, 5.9% abv
Duchesse De Bourgogne; Belgium, Sour Ale, 6.2%
Lagunitas IPA; Petaluma, California, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv
Two Brothers Cane & Ebel; Warrenville, Illinois, American Strong Ale, 7% abv
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.3% abv
Lindemans Framboise Belgium, Lambic, 2.5% abv
Petrus Oud Bruin; Belgium, Sour Ale, 5.5% abv
Old Speckled Hen; England, Premium Bitter, 5.2%
Guinness; Dublin, Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv
Blind Pig Brewery (the Piglet)
Blind Pig Imperial IPA
Blind Pig American Pale Ale
Katie's Belgian Stout
Dark Horse Perkulator; Marshall, Michigan, Doppelbock, 7.5% abv
Schneider Aventinus; Germany, Weizen Bock, 8.2% abv
Founders Reds Rye; Grand Rapids, Michigan, Specialty Grain, 6.6% abv
North Coast Red Seal; Fort Bragg, California, American Pale Ale, 5.5% abv
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout; Chicago, Illinois, Imperial Stout, 13% abv
Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout; Marshall, Michigan, Dry Stout, 4.5% abv
Heilemans Old Style; Woodridge, Illinois, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Left Hand Warrior IPA; Longmont, Colorado, India Pale Ale, 6.8% abv
Affligem Blonde; Belgium, Belgian Ale, 7% abv
Guinness; Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv
Sunday: 7-9 Trivia
Crane Alley
Schlafly Kolsch 4.8%
Founders Backwoods Bastard 10.2%
Brew Dog/Stone Bashah 8.6%
Dogfish Head Chicory Stout 5.3%
Three Floyds Robert The Bruce 7.0%
Left Hand Widdershins Oak Aged Barleywine 8.8%
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 13.0%
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weizen 5.4%
Guinness 4.2%
Pauwel Kwak 8.0%
Rogue John John Dead Guy 6.5%
Bells Porter 5.6%
Pabst Blue Ribbon 4.7%
Mendocino Red Tail Ale 6.0%
Dark Horse Raspberry Ale 5.0%
Breckenridge Lucky U IPA 6.2%
Coming Soon:
Dark Horse Too Cream Stout 7,0%
Mikkeller Nugget IPA
Founders Imperial Stout 10.5%
Green Flash Imperial IPA 9.2%
Bells Two Hearted Ale 7.0%
Port Brewing Midnight Sessions
Lost Abbey Serpent Stout 10.7%
Rogue Brutal Bitter 6.2%
Ska Modus Hoperandi IPA 6.7%
Bells Java Stout 7.5%
Dupont Avec Bon Les Vous 9.5%
Dogfish Head Old School Barleywine 15.0%
Avery New World Porter 6.7%
Green Flash Le Freak 9.2%
Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout
Avery Mephistopheles 16.8%
Unibroue Ephemere Apple 5.5%
Great Divide Hercules IPA 9.1%
Specials for the weekend of Feb 26
PORK LOIN - Grilled pork loin with wasabi infused rice, carrots, peas, and a sweat and sour shiitake mushroom sauce
SHRIMP FETTUCCINI - Fettuccini with green peppers, onions, celery and shrimp in a creole butter-white wine sauce
MOLE' BURGER - Hand crafted beef and chorizo 8 oz burger with roasted poblanos, avocado, mozzarella, and house made mole'
Monday, March 15: Bells Beer Dinner, $65 tix available at the bar, Bells batch 9000 tapped after the dinner.
Mike n' Molly's
Guinness
Harp
Ename Tripel
Great Divide Hibernation
North Coast Old Stock Ale
Strongbow
Avery the Czar
Miller High Life
Rogue Yellow Snow IPA
Left Hand Widdershins Oak Aged Barleywine
(one of those has been replaced by Lost Abbey the Angel's Share)
Friday:Ussop the Liar, 10pm
Saturday: The Duke of Uke & His Novelty Orchestra, 10pm
Sunday: $1 High Life, $2 Tullamore Dew and John Powers and rails, $3 Guinness
Monday: Abe Froman Project, 9-10pm, free/ Rockstar Karaoke, 10-2, free; $1 PBR
Tuesday: A Sunny Day in Glasgow, 9pm; $1.25 High Life; $.50 off all taps
Wednesday: Bingo, 9:30-midnight, free; $2 Mickey's Big Mouth; $2.50 rails
Thursday: Withnail, 10pm; $2.50 Stella Artois bottles
Black Dog Smoke and Ale House
Southern tier Chokolat Imperial Stout
Schlafly Dry Hopped APA
Ballast Point Sea Monster Imperial Stout
Rogue John John Dead Guy ale
Oscar's Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
Left Hand Milk Stout
Cask: Summit Great Northern Porter
Cowboy Monkey
Friday: Dubstep Massacre, 11pm $4
Saturday: Lesser Birds of Paradise, 9:30pm, $5
Monday: Mordechai in the Mirror, 9pm, $5
Tuesday: Beat Kitchen, 10pm, $5
Wednesday: Salsa, 10pm, free
Thursday: Blues Jam, 9pm, free
Highdive
Friday: DJ Delayney, $5, 10pm
Saturday: DJ $5, 10pm; $5 Long Island, $5 Vegas Bombs, $4 Captain Morgan drinks, $4 Jose Cuervo drinks
Monday: 80's Night, 10pm, free
Canopy Club
Friday: Green Observer Benefit Concert, $7; C/U Stand Up Spectacular, a Night of Stand Up Comedy, $8
Saturday: Chadab Purim Philanthropy, 6:30pm, $10 in advance
Sunday: Pizza Pitcher & a Movie (baseball flicks),6pm the Sandlot, 8pm Field of Dreams, 10pm Major League
Monday: One Dollar Wild Mondays with Jobu, $1 beer and well
Tuesday: Trivia Diner: Live Game Show/The Piano Man
Wednesday:Rave to the Grave
Thursday: Cornmeal, 8pm, $10 in advance
Friday, February 26, 2010
CU Liquor News; Emergency rules announced for "Unofficial" in Champaign
From the News-Gazette.
Emergency rules announced for "Unofficial" in Champaign
The nanny state is at it again! (This time, it's the nanny city)
Selected highlights in the article:
That's not necessarily a bad thing anyway.
I can throw around numbers that make it seem small. According to wiki, there are 31,173 undergraduate students at the school. If they don't turn 21 until the middle of their junior year, that's roughly 16,000 students who are under 21. That means that only 351 of roughly 16000 people got ticketed. 1 percent of 16000 is 160, 2 percent is 320, so only 2% of students got cited last year. How is that a problem?
If Champaign took the money, they would only have to bitch about $2,000 that they would have paid.
Emergency rules announced for "Unofficial" in Champaign
The nanny state is at it again! (This time, it's the nanny city)
Selected highlights in the article:
Bars in the campus area must raise their minimum entry age from 19 to 21 during Unofficial, and they must also have a doorman aged 21 or older checking identification at the entrance.
That's not necessarily a bad thing anyway.
Bars and liquor stores in the campus area will not be allowed to serve alcohol before 11 a.m. on March 5. Bars also may not serve pitchers or shots of undiluted alcohol, and all drinks must be served in a plastic or paper cup.What is a shot of undiluted alcohol? Does everything have to be a mixed drink? No pitchers? Plastic or paper cup?
The mayor’s office will not issue any keg permits for private parties, making it illegal to possess more than one keg per residence.Attention homebrewers, during unofficial if you own more than one keg, you are a criminal. Thank you for that Champaign.
Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day is a daylong drinking event in which some University of Illinois students participate. Last year, Champaign police issued 351 citations on Unofficial, and spent more than $13,000 on police overtime, Champaign police Lt. Brad Yohnka said Friday.That's an example of throwing around numbers that seem big. But they left off the biggest number. Paying $13,000 seems like a lot. Giving out 351 citations seems like a lot. In order to recoup the $13,000 and not make a profit off of those citations, the city would have to charge $37.04 per citation. The fine is more than $300, so the city took in $57,198.96 that day (300-37.04=162.96*351=57198.96).
I can throw around numbers that make it seem small. According to wiki, there are 31,173 undergraduate students at the school. If they don't turn 21 until the middle of their junior year, that's roughly 16,000 students who are under 21. That means that only 351 of roughly 16000 people got ticketed. 1 percent of 16000 is 160, 2 percent is 320, so only 2% of students got cited last year. How is that a problem?
If Champaign took the money, they would only have to bitch about $2,000 that they would have paid.
Downtown Champaign 4 bar exBEERiment
If you saw the CU Beer Weekend Feb. 19, you might have noticed that the Thursday Beer Class was supposed to be a trip to the Bayern Stube in Gibson City. That plan got changed as they said they wouldn't be able to seat more than 4 people (we had at least 8 going).
So on short notice I put together a beer experiment, the exBEERiment. The goal was to find out which beer bar in downtown Champaign serves beer the best. It was a slight bar crawl, but with intent of finding who presents the beer the best. The goal wasn't inebriation, that was a byproduct. The plan was to compare the same beer at as many different bars as possible, to see which bar served the best glass of beer. Sadly, the Blind Pig didn't seem to have any beers on tap as the other bars downtown.
The first bar we went to was Seven Saints. 7s has two rotating taps. The beer we had was Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout. At Saints it is served in a tulip glass and costs $5. It has a huge dark brown head sitting on a opaque black beer. It smelled of coffee and a bit of blueberry. It tasted roasty, and of coffee. The blueberry flavor isn't as pronounced as in previous years. It's definitely not BooBerry cereal like it has been in the past (which wasn't a problem). It was very effervescent almost painfully tingly on the tongue. The GM of 7S got mad at me when I said that the beer might actually be too cold. None of the bars downtown have the ability to serve multiple taps at different temperatures. (Beer Advocate lists the recommended serving temperature between 45-50).
My drinking buddy John said it had the carbonation of a soda. He didn't get much of the berry, but some chocolate. As it warmed he got more bitter blueberry flavor.
Kristy initially noticed no blueberry flavor, but it seemed heavy on the coffee. She didn't like last years that was very blueberry, so she liked this more.
I thought that as it warmed it turned into a brownie flavor, almost like drinking brownie batter with a hint of blueberry.
It's definitely not the same beer as Dark Horse Tres from last year. The recipe must have changed. (I've heard that it did). Before hearing that it may have changed, Andy thought that he had a bad keg of the beer.
If you were expecting last years Tres (and liked it) you are going to be very disappointed.
We finished up at Saints and headed down the street and through the alley to the Blind Pig Brewery (Piglet). BPB also had Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout on tap. There it was served in an imperial pint glass (Guinness glass) for the same $5 as at 7 Saints. If the beer was the same, then the Piglet would be the better deal.
Again, it had a thick brown head on an opaque black beer. It smelled blueberry-er and didn't have as much chocolate. Andy picked up a solvent smell, like some sort of cleaning chemicals. I noticed a slight bleach flavor in the beer.
At BPB it wasn't as effervescent. The bubbles in the beer weren't as painful. At Saints it was almost pop-rock-ish, BPB didn't have that. John again noticed coffee. One of the others on the exBEERiment thought it was sort of acidic in the finish. As it warmed up, John did notice a lot more of the blueberry. Both Andy and Brandon didn't like the beer. "I don't like anything about this beer," said Andy.
There were additional factors that may have skewed the opinion. If it's just about the beer, it still wasn't as good as at 7 Saints, but another issue may have caused some of the negative feelings.
The table we sat at was next to a waste water pipe. The pipe runs down the wall, inside the bar. I'm sure it's perfectly, completely sanitary; however, every time water was ran from the apartments above, you could hear it at our table. Being waste water, we joked that the people upstairs were flushing their toilets. They must have been having a party, because that toilet got flushed continually for about 10 minutes. That really threw off the enjoyment of the beer. the Brewery needs to conceal and insulate that pipe so that people sitting at the bar don't have to listen to water running next to them.
We left BPB and down the alley to Radio Maria. Radio didn't have Dark Horse Tres on tap, so we went with Lost Abbey the Angel's Share. The Angel's Share is an American Strong Ale (a catch all group, for high ABV beers that aren't stouts or barleywines) the beer is served in a 6-8 ounce snifter for $7.
As usual, the beer was flat with no head or bubbles. It was black, not as black as Tres, but still black and opaque. It smelled of molasses. Brandon is still kind of new to describing beer, so he smelled something that he couldn't place, but he knew was familiar. I think he was thinking of dark dried fruits like raisins, prunes, and dates.
It had the same taste of syrup, molasses and sugar; along with the dark fruits.
It's a good beer and $7 for a snifter is still a great price that will wind up being cheaper than a bottle... BUT...
The last bar we went to was Mike 'N Molly's. When we got there it was around midnight, and there was a $1 cover to pay for the DJ. I dislike paying a cover. It almost upset me to the point of ending the evening before completion. Also I don't carry cash anymore. I'm not there for entertainment, I'm there for beer. If I go to a bar to see a band, I will purchase a ticket. The person who suffered because of taking my dollar at the door is the bartender. If I tip $1 a beer, and you make me pay to get in, that's money that won't be going to the bartender. Nobody likes a Mr. Pink, but you brought it on yourself when you charged me to get in the door.
The beer we had was, again, Lost Abbey the Angel's Share. The board indicated the beer was $5.75, which would be $1.25 less than just down the alley at Radio Maria. Additionally, there was 12 ounces served in a tulip. If Radio serves 6 ounces of $7, then it costs $14 for 12 ounces; meanwhile MnM is $5.75 for 12 ounces; that's a slightly better deal...If the beer is the same.
My tab was $9.50 for two of them, making it $4.25 each, which may have been an error on the server's side. I tipped $1 on the two beers. I had planned on not tipping any (my $2 was at the door), but just couldn't do it.
The beer did have a bit of head when it was poured. It quickly dissipated. It looked the same (despite being in a much larger glass). It smelled the same. It tasted the same. It did have a bit more bubble feeling, but not much. Essentially it was the same beer. There were differences in Tres between 7S and BPB, but not any noticeable difference in the Angel's share between Radio and MnM.
Based on results from the exBEERiment, the best place to have the BEST beer, is Mike N' Molly's. The worst place of the 4 was definitely Blind Pig Brewery. If the beer was the same price for the exact same product, the results may be different. Last night it came out like that.
The next exBEERiment will be a comparison of Guinness at as many downtown bars as possible. That will leave Radio Maria out of the equation, but will open up some other bars for a look at the quality of the beer they sell, how they sell it, and the atmosphere around selling it.
So on short notice I put together a beer experiment, the exBEERiment. The goal was to find out which beer bar in downtown Champaign serves beer the best. It was a slight bar crawl, but with intent of finding who presents the beer the best. The goal wasn't inebriation, that was a byproduct. The plan was to compare the same beer at as many different bars as possible, to see which bar served the best glass of beer. Sadly, the Blind Pig didn't seem to have any beers on tap as the other bars downtown.
The first bar we went to was Seven Saints. 7s has two rotating taps. The beer we had was Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout. At Saints it is served in a tulip glass and costs $5. It has a huge dark brown head sitting on a opaque black beer. It smelled of coffee and a bit of blueberry. It tasted roasty, and of coffee. The blueberry flavor isn't as pronounced as in previous years. It's definitely not BooBerry cereal like it has been in the past (which wasn't a problem). It was very effervescent almost painfully tingly on the tongue. The GM of 7S got mad at me when I said that the beer might actually be too cold. None of the bars downtown have the ability to serve multiple taps at different temperatures. (Beer Advocate lists the recommended serving temperature between 45-50).
My drinking buddy John said it had the carbonation of a soda. He didn't get much of the berry, but some chocolate. As it warmed he got more bitter blueberry flavor.
Kristy initially noticed no blueberry flavor, but it seemed heavy on the coffee. She didn't like last years that was very blueberry, so she liked this more.
I thought that as it warmed it turned into a brownie flavor, almost like drinking brownie batter with a hint of blueberry.
It's definitely not the same beer as Dark Horse Tres from last year. The recipe must have changed. (I've heard that it did). Before hearing that it may have changed, Andy thought that he had a bad keg of the beer.
If you were expecting last years Tres (and liked it) you are going to be very disappointed.
We finished up at Saints and headed down the street and through the alley to the Blind Pig Brewery (Piglet). BPB also had Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout on tap. There it was served in an imperial pint glass (Guinness glass) for the same $5 as at 7 Saints. If the beer was the same, then the Piglet would be the better deal.
Again, it had a thick brown head on an opaque black beer. It smelled blueberry-er and didn't have as much chocolate. Andy picked up a solvent smell, like some sort of cleaning chemicals. I noticed a slight bleach flavor in the beer.
At BPB it wasn't as effervescent. The bubbles in the beer weren't as painful. At Saints it was almost pop-rock-ish, BPB didn't have that. John again noticed coffee. One of the others on the exBEERiment thought it was sort of acidic in the finish. As it warmed up, John did notice a lot more of the blueberry. Both Andy and Brandon didn't like the beer. "I don't like anything about this beer," said Andy.
There were additional factors that may have skewed the opinion. If it's just about the beer, it still wasn't as good as at 7 Saints, but another issue may have caused some of the negative feelings.
The table we sat at was next to a waste water pipe. The pipe runs down the wall, inside the bar. I'm sure it's perfectly, completely sanitary; however, every time water was ran from the apartments above, you could hear it at our table. Being waste water, we joked that the people upstairs were flushing their toilets. They must have been having a party, because that toilet got flushed continually for about 10 minutes. That really threw off the enjoyment of the beer. the Brewery needs to conceal and insulate that pipe so that people sitting at the bar don't have to listen to water running next to them.
We left BPB and down the alley to Radio Maria. Radio didn't have Dark Horse Tres on tap, so we went with Lost Abbey the Angel's Share. The Angel's Share is an American Strong Ale (a catch all group, for high ABV beers that aren't stouts or barleywines) the beer is served in a 6-8 ounce snifter for $7.
As usual, the beer was flat with no head or bubbles. It was black, not as black as Tres, but still black and opaque. It smelled of molasses. Brandon is still kind of new to describing beer, so he smelled something that he couldn't place, but he knew was familiar. I think he was thinking of dark dried fruits like raisins, prunes, and dates.
It had the same taste of syrup, molasses and sugar; along with the dark fruits.
It's a good beer and $7 for a snifter is still a great price that will wind up being cheaper than a bottle... BUT...
The last bar we went to was Mike 'N Molly's. When we got there it was around midnight, and there was a $1 cover to pay for the DJ. I dislike paying a cover. It almost upset me to the point of ending the evening before completion. Also I don't carry cash anymore. I'm not there for entertainment, I'm there for beer. If I go to a bar to see a band, I will purchase a ticket. The person who suffered because of taking my dollar at the door is the bartender. If I tip $1 a beer, and you make me pay to get in, that's money that won't be going to the bartender. Nobody likes a Mr. Pink, but you brought it on yourself when you charged me to get in the door.
The beer we had was, again, Lost Abbey the Angel's Share. The board indicated the beer was $5.75, which would be $1.25 less than just down the alley at Radio Maria. Additionally, there was 12 ounces served in a tulip. If Radio serves 6 ounces of $7, then it costs $14 for 12 ounces; meanwhile MnM is $5.75 for 12 ounces; that's a slightly better deal...If the beer is the same.
My tab was $9.50 for two of them, making it $4.25 each, which may have been an error on the server's side. I tipped $1 on the two beers. I had planned on not tipping any (my $2 was at the door), but just couldn't do it.
The beer did have a bit of head when it was poured. It quickly dissipated. It looked the same (despite being in a much larger glass). It smelled the same. It tasted the same. It did have a bit more bubble feeling, but not much. Essentially it was the same beer. There were differences in Tres between 7S and BPB, but not any noticeable difference in the Angel's share between Radio and MnM.
Based on results from the exBEERiment, the best place to have the BEST beer, is Mike N' Molly's. The worst place of the 4 was definitely Blind Pig Brewery. If the beer was the same price for the exact same product, the results may be different. Last night it came out like that.
The next exBEERiment will be a comparison of Guinness at as many downtown bars as possible. That will leave Radio Maria out of the equation, but will open up some other bars for a look at the quality of the beer they sell, how they sell it, and the atmosphere around selling it.
CU Bars in the News, Fireside
From WCIA 3/ WCFN 49/ Illinoishomepage.net
Best Bars: Fireside
Fireside is located at 25 East Springfield in Champaign. It is in the building that was formerly Rocks. The bar re-opened October 31. They don't appear to have a website.
From the video it appeared it had taps of Natural Light, Bud Light, Budweiser, Blue Moon, Coors Light, and a Miller product. It's probably not the place to go to get a decent beer.
Best Bars: Fireside
Fireside is located at 25 East Springfield in Champaign. It is in the building that was formerly Rocks. The bar re-opened October 31. They don't appear to have a website.
From the video it appeared it had taps of Natural Light, Bud Light, Budweiser, Blue Moon, Coors Light, and a Miller product. It's probably not the place to go to get a decent beer.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
CU Bars in the News: C.O. Daniels on campus set to reopen -- to patrons 21 and up
From the new News-Gazette website.
C.O. Daniels on campus set to reopen -- to patrons 21 and up
selected highlights
C.O. Daniels on campus set to reopen -- to patrons 21 and up
selected highlights
What's the easiest way to prevent underage drinking in your bar? Don't allow underage people in there.CHAMPAIGN – A Campustown bar closed since May will try to reopen this weekend for the first time under a new entry-age restriction.
C.O. Daniels, 608 E. Daniel St., is shooting for a Saturday-night reopening, bar owner John Phillips said Wednesday.Patrons under the age of 21 will not be allowed to enter.
C.O. Daniels is not a bar I've been to, and doubt I'll go there anyway. C. O. Daniels is located at 608 East Daniel Street in Champaign.Phillips said there will be few changes to the bar other than a new machine that checks identification at entry, which he said is required by the city.
The bar will be open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, Phillips said.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
CU Bars in the News; Illinois tax may help fund wine promotion
Illinois Tax May Help Fund Wine Promotion
From WAND NBC 17.
The winery they talked with was Sleepy Creek. Sleepy Creek Vineyards is located at 8254 E 1425 North Road, Fairmount IL, about 35 miles from Champaign.
From WAND NBC 17.
Champaign, IL - The Illinois wine industry wants some state tax money to use for advertising.
The industry is growing, with the number of wineries tripling in the last decade. Now, a state representative wants to use a part of the wine excise tax, about two cents per gallon, to spend on advertising and help specialists to research and improve Illinois wine.
That money already goes to the state's general fund, so critics worry education and health programs would miss out.
CU Bars in the News: Wine and a Brew from Corkscrew
Wine and a St. Patty's Day Brew
The Corkscrew Wine Emporium is located at 203 North Vine Street.
I'm not sure what the wine they tried was it was from the Cantillon area , but the beer they drank was Schlafly Extra Stout.
If you want to try the wine, go to the Corkscrew and ask for the one they had on the morning show.
Nick Bland from the Corkscrew shows us a wine and beer for St. Patty's Day.
The Corkscrew Wine Emporium is located at 203 North Vine Street.
I'm not sure what the wine they tried was it was from the Cantillon area , but the beer they drank was Schlafly Extra Stout.
If you want to try the wine, go to the Corkscrew and ask for the one they had on the morning show.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
CU Bars in the News; Latest round of bar checks yields 28 citations
Latest round of bar checks yields 28 citations
From the News-gazette (and their horribly redesigned website that doesn't function well).
Here's the full story.
Here's an older article that is really interesting.
Drop in underage-drinking tickets causes dip in court revenue
The story is from a year ago, but it makes you wonder about recent enforcement efforts. Here's some selected quotes:
If you read the article, you'll see that the police and the city aren't trying to prevent underage drinking, they are trying to make money off people who commit them. The story attempts to pain a picture that less underage drinking will make less other crimes.
It seems they are going back to underage drinking as a revenue stream. If they were smart, the city would figure out a way to make more money off the people who are going to be doing it anyway.
From the News-gazette (and their horribly redesigned website that doesn't function well).
Here's the full story.
It's still odd that Champaign turned down funds to pay for the police to do this job.CHAMPAIGN – Police and state troopers issued 29 tickets for underage drinking in checks of campus bars Friday.
Police inspected five campus bars Friday night. They issued 28 citations for minors in possession of or buying alcohol and one for theft of services.
Locations and tickets in Friday's checks included:
– Kam's, 618 E. Daniel St., C, nine.
– Clybourne, 706 S. Sixth St., C, seven.
– Murphy's Pub, 604 E. Green St., C, six.
– Joe's Brewery, 706 S. Fifth St., C, four.
– Fubar, 306 1/2 E. Green St., C, three.
Here's an older article that is really interesting.
Drop in underage-drinking tickets causes dip in court revenue
The story is from a year ago, but it makes you wonder about recent enforcement efforts. Here's some selected quotes:
In the underage alcohol offense category, 491 fewer tickets – a 33 percent decrease – were issued in 2008 than in 2007. The minimum fine for that offense is $300.If there's a minimum fine of $300 (from a year ago, it's probably higher now) and 28 citations were issued Friday, that's an $8400 gain for a night.
The 2008 annual report of the legal department on its city court prosecutions shows that revenue was down $120,275 from 2007, a result of 480 fewer tickets issued for all city ordinance violations.Every government seems to be broke now. If people aren't paying enough in taxes, the money has to come from somewhere.
If you read the article, you'll see that the police and the city aren't trying to prevent underage drinking, they are trying to make money off people who commit them. The story attempts to pain a picture that less underage drinking will make less other crimes.
It seems they are going back to underage drinking as a revenue stream. If they were smart, the city would figure out a way to make more money off the people who are going to be doing it anyway.
Friday, February 19, 2010
CU Bars in the News; the Iron Post
From WCFN 49 (Illinoishomepage.net)
The Iron Post is located at 120 South Race Street, in Urbana. Their website isn't quite up to date, as the live entertainment section is from April of last year.
I can't find the video, but the transcript from "Best Bars: The Iron Post (Urbana)" is below.
The Iron Post is located at 120 South Race Street, in Urbana. Their website isn't quite up to date, as the live entertainment section is from April of last year.
I can't find the video, but the transcript from "Best Bars: The Iron Post (Urbana)" is below.
Dave Benton: When it comes to going out for a drink, some people just love the music.Jennifer Ketchmark has a great job.
Jennifer Ketchmark: But tonight's Best Bar goes beyond a long list of tracks on the iPod—it's all live!
Paul Wirth, The Iron Post: "We have entertainment every night but Tuesday."
That means six nights a week of live music at the Iron Post in downtown Urbana—and this place doesn't stick with one genre.
Paul Wirth, The Iron Post: "Every Thursday is U of I jazz band. Monday is a jazz jam, Wednesdays and Sundays are small combos. Friday and Saturday nights I have rock cover bands to blues."
And when he says live music, he's not kidding.
Paul Wirth, The Iron Post: "March will be my 35 hundredth show."
As you can tell, variety is key here.
Paul Wirth, The Iron Post: "My tastes are eclectic, I like all kinds of music, you should see my iPod."
And just like Paul's varied taste in music, the clientele is also wide spanning.
Paul Wirth, The Iron Post: "As I like to say, our clientele is from bikers to bankers."
And some of those clients have left their mark on this bar.
Paul Wirth, The Iron Post: "I tell them if they can't be here, send me a card, so there are cards from Africa, Ireland, and various places in the United States."
And check this out—Paul even makes his own cajun spices and spicy barbecue, and of course I had to try it. Pretty spicy!
Paul Wirth, The Iron Post: "The one difference we do is our french fries. We don't deep fry them, we bake them. They aren't fattening, they aren't greasy. We go through about 100 pounds of fries a week."
And you can find your standard bar food and lots of classics, but one thing is different.
Paul Wirth, The Iron Post: "And healthy because nothing's deep-fried.
Not too bad! Another thing you won't want to miss once the weather cooperates is just a sit outside.
Paul Wirth, The Iron Post: "In the summertime I grill steaks on the patio, and people sit outside on the patio, and we have a band out there."
But regardless of the time of year, you are always welcome here.
Paul Wirth, The Iron Post: "Everyone should feel welcome at the Post, it's a friendly place."
Great live music is why this place made our list of Best Bars.
CU Beer Weekend Feb. 19
Seven Saints
Rotating taps:
Two Brothers Red Eye Porter
Southern Tier Backburner Barleywine
Wednesday: Whiskey Wednesday, half off Canadian + US Micro. USA, USA, USA!!! Andy will be keeping track of all whiskey sold, and the nation with the most sold will be the winner. Don't let Canada win!
Thursday: Beer Class, road trip, will be heading to the Bayern Stube in Gibson City. Hunter Feast starts today. Contact Andy at Seven Saints to reserve your spot.
Bayern Stube (Gibson City)
Spaten Lager
Kostritzer Schwarzbier
Bitburger
Nuncher Hofbrau
BBK Dark
Franziskaner Hefe Weizen
Friday, Feb 19-March 6: 2010 Hunter's Feast, Wild Boar Schnitzel, Hasenpfeffer (rabbit), Venison, Wild Game Sausages... call for reservations (217) 784-8304.
Radio Maria
Tap list as of 2/18
1. Allagash White $4
2. Schneider Weisse $6
3. Two Brothers Northwind Stout $5
4. Dark Horse Beat Your Wheat $5
5. Dark Horse Scotty Karate $4
6. New Holland Cabin Fever $4
7. Founders Breakfast Stout $5
8. Zywiec Pilsner $6
9. Kwak Golden Ale $6
10.Kulmbacher Eisbock $5
11.Ballast Pointe "Big Eye" IPA $4.5
12.Ballast Pointe Calico Amber Ale $5
13.St Bernardus Prior 8 $6
14.Eugene City 200 Meter Ale $5
15.Victory Golden Monkey $5
16.North Coast Old No. 38 Stout $4
17.Boulder Brewing Company Oak Aged Obovoid Oatmeal Stout $6
18.Goose Island Bourbon County Stout $7
19.Lost Abbey Angel's Share $7
20.Southern Tier Old Man Winter $4
21.Southern Tier Choklat $6
22.Bell's HopSlam $5
23.Pyramid Apricot $4
24.Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock $5
25.Uerige Sticke Alt $5
26.Weihenstepnaner Weissbier $6
27.PBR $2.25
Friday: Happy Hour 4:30 - 5:30, Dark Horse Scotty Karate $3 .
Saturday: $3 Bacardi and $6 Bacardi Mojitos, Salsa Night at 10.
Sunday: $2 wells, $1.25 PBR
Monday: 25% off bottles of wine; Board Game Monday
Tuesday: Uptown Mardi Gras party; 1/2 price wine by the glass
Wednesday: $1 off all beers on draft; Trivia Night; 11pm with MC Juice
Thursday: $1 off house specialty cocktails
Blind Pig
Left Hand Juju Ginger; Longmont, Colorado, Spice Ale, 4% abv
Left Hand Sawtooth; Longmont, Colorado, Premium Bitter, 4.75% abv
New Belgium Mothership Wit; Fort Collins, Colorado, Belgian White, 4.8 % abv
Left Hand Widdershins; Longmont, Colorado, Barley Wine, 8.8% abv
Two Brothers Northwind; Warrenville, Illinois, Imperial Stout, 8.5% abv
Unibroue Trois Pistoles; Canada, Belgian Strong Ale, 9%
Victory Hop Devil; Downington, Pennsylvania, India Pale Ale, 6.7% abv
BrewDog/Stone Brewing Bashah; Scotland, American Strong Ale, 8.6% abv
Fullers London Pride; England, Premium Bitter, 4.7% abv
Delirium Tremens; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 8.5% abv
Blue Moon; Golden, Colorado, Belgian White, 5.4% abv
Krusovice Imperial 12°; Bohemian Pilsener, Czech Republic, 5% abv
Stella Artois; Belgium, Pale Lager, 5.2% abv
Pabst Blue Ribbon; San Antonio, Texas, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Rogue Mocha Porter; Newport, Oregon, Porter, 5.1%
Boulevard Nut Cracker; Kansas City, Missouri, English Strong Ale, 5.9% abv
Duchesse De Bourgogne; Belgium, Sour Ale, 6.2%
Lagunitas IPA; Petaluma, California, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv
Two Brothers Cane & Ebel; Warrenville, Illinois, American Strong Ale, 7% abv
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.3% abv
Lindemans Framboise; Belgium, Lambic, 2.5% abv
Petrus Oud Bruin; Belgium, Sour Ale, 5.5% abv
Moylan’s Dragoons Dry Irish Stout; Novato, California, Dry Stout, 5%
Guinness; Dublin, Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv
Thursday: California Brewery Night! Ballast Point Sea Monster Imperial Stout; Green Flash Le Freak Belgian Style IPA; Port Brewing Hop 15; Port Brewing Midnight Sessions Black Lager; Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout; Lost Abbey Red Barn Ale.
Blind Pig was named one of the top 150 bars in the U.S. by Draft Magazine, and is listed as one of the best bars in Illinois (list is Alphabetical).
Blind Pig Brewery (the Piglet)
Blind Pig Belgian Pale Ale
Katie's Belgian Stout
Dark Horse Perkulator; Marshall, Michigan, Doppelbock, 7.5% abv
Hirter Pilsner; Austria, Bohemian Pilsener, 5.2% abv
Arcadia Big Dicks Olde Ale; Battle Creek, Michigan, Old Ale, 8% abv
Ommegang Three Philosophers; Cooperstown, New York, Quadrupel, 9.8% abv
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout; Chicago, Illinois, Imperial Stout, 13% abv
Dark Horse Scotty Karate; Marshall, Michigan, Scotch Ale, 9.75% abv
Heilemans Old Style; Woodridge, Illinois, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Left Hand Warrior IPA; Longmont, Colorado, India Pale Ale, 6.8% abv
Corsendonk Brown; Belgium, Abbey Dubbel, 7.5% abv
Guinness; Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv
Sunday: 7-9 Trivia
Crane Alley
Schlafly Kolsch 4.8%
Dark Horse Scotty Karate 9.7%
Brew Dog/Stone Bashah 8.6%
Dogfish Head Chicory Stout 5.3%
Three Floyds Robert The Bruce 7.0%
Left Hand Widdershins Oak Aged Barleywine 8.8%
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 13.0%
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weizen 5.4%
Guinness 4.2%
North Coast Brother Thelonious 9.3%
Lost Abbey Gift Of The Magi 9.5%
Two Brothers Red Eye Coffee Porter 9.2%
Pabst Blue Ribbon 4.7%
Two Brothers Domaine Du Page 5.9%
St Louis Framboise 4.5%
Breckenridge Lucky U IPA 6.2%
Coming Soon
Dark Horse Too Cream Stout
Mikkeller Nugget IPA
Founders Imperial Stout 10.5%
Mendocino Red Tail Ale 6.0%
Bells Java Stout 7.5%
Avery New World Porter 6.7%
Green Flash Le Freak
Avery Mephistopheles 16.8%
Dark Horse Raspberry Ale 4.5%
Great Divide Hercules IPA 9.1%
Specials for the weekend of Feb 19th
ORANGE CURRY CHICKEN - Grilled chicken with sauteed peppers and onions on a bed of coconut rice drizzled with a house made orange curry sauce...14.95
PUTANESCA - Our own putanesca sauce created from anchovies, olives and marinara over linguine with garlic toast...12.95
ANDOUILLE STUFFED POBLANOS - Two Poblano peppers stuffed with andouille, cheese, and peppers served over rice then drizzled with a jalapeno cream sauce...13.95
Monday, March 15: Bells Beer Dinner, $65 tix available at the bar, Bells batch 9000 tapped after the dinner.
Mike n' Molly's
On Tap: (an old list)
Guinness
Harp
Ename Tripel
Great Divide Hibernation
North Coast Old Stock Ale
Strongbow
Avery the Czar
Miller High Life
Rogue Yellow Snow IPA
Left Hand Widdershins Oak Aged Barleywine.
Friday:Poundcake, 10pm
Saturday: White Mystery, 10pm
Sunday: $1 High Life, $2 Tullamore Dew and John Powers and rails, $3 Guinness
Monday: Abe Froman Project, 9-10pm, free/ Rockstar Karaoke, 10-2, free; $1 PBR
Tuesday: $1.25 High Life; $.50 off all taps
Wednesday: Bingo, 9:30-midnight, free; $2 Mickey's Big Mouth; $2.50 rails
Thursday: $2.50 Stella Artois bottles
Black Dog Smoke and Ale House
(as of Feb 19)
Southern Tier Choklat
Schlafly Hefe
Ballast Point Sea Monster
Rogue John John
Victory Storm King
Belhaven
(Thanks to Gene and Brandon)
Cowboy Monkey
Friday: The Pimps, $5, 10pm
Saturday: Heyokas, $5, 10 pm
Tuesday: Open Mic, 10 pm
Wednesday: Salsa, 10pm
Thursday: Closed, private party
Highdive
Friday: DJ Delayney, $5, 10pm
Saturday: State Radio, $15 in advance, 7:30pm; DJ $5, 10:30pm; $5 Long Island, $5 Vegas Bombs, $4 Captain Morgan drinks, $4 Jose Cuervo drinks
Monday: 80's Night, 10pm, free
Tuesday: Open Mic Sessions, 9pm, $5
Canopy Club
Friday: Cotton Club Weekend: DJ Dance Party, 10pm
Saturday: RJD2, $13 in advance, 6pm; Cotton Club Weekend: DJ Dance Party, 10pm
Sunday: Pizza Pitcher & a Movie (tribute to Brad Pitt),6pm Ocean's 11, 8pm Snatch, 10pm Fight Club
Monday: One Dollar Wild Mondays with Jobu, $1 beer and well
Tuesday: Trivia Diner: Live Game Show/The Piano Man
Wednesday:Rave to the Grave; Joe Pug, $10 in advance, 6pm
Thursday: Brainchild, $5, 9pm; The Vagina Monologues Benefit Concert, $7, 6pm
Rotating taps:
Two Brothers Red Eye Porter
Southern Tier Backburner Barleywine
Wednesday: Whiskey Wednesday, half off Canadian + US Micro. USA, USA, USA!!! Andy will be keeping track of all whiskey sold, and the nation with the most sold will be the winner. Don't let Canada win!
Thursday: Beer Class, road trip, will be heading to the Bayern Stube in Gibson City. Hunter Feast starts today. Contact Andy at Seven Saints to reserve your spot.
Bayern Stube (Gibson City)
Spaten Lager
Kostritzer Schwarzbier
Bitburger
Nuncher Hofbrau
BBK Dark
Franziskaner Hefe Weizen
Friday, Feb 19-March 6: 2010 Hunter's Feast, Wild Boar Schnitzel, Hasenpfeffer (rabbit), Venison, Wild Game Sausages... call for reservations (217) 784-8304.
Radio Maria
Tap list as of 2/18
1. Allagash White $4
2. Schneider Weisse $6
3. Two Brothers Northwind Stout $5
4. Dark Horse Beat Your Wheat $5
5. Dark Horse Scotty Karate $4
6. New Holland Cabin Fever $4
7. Founders Breakfast Stout $5
8. Zywiec Pilsner $6
9. Kwak Golden Ale $6
10.Kulmbacher Eisbock $5
11.Ballast Pointe "Big Eye" IPA $4.5
12.Ballast Pointe Calico Amber Ale $5
13.St Bernardus Prior 8 $6
14.Eugene City 200 Meter Ale $5
15.Victory Golden Monkey $5
16.North Coast Old No. 38 Stout $4
17.Boulder Brewing Company Oak Aged Obovoid Oatmeal Stout $6
18.Goose Island Bourbon County Stout $7
19.Lost Abbey Angel's Share $7
20.Southern Tier Old Man Winter $4
21.Southern Tier Choklat $6
22.Bell's HopSlam $5
23.Pyramid Apricot $4
24.Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock $5
25.Uerige Sticke Alt $5
26.Weihenstepnaner Weissbier $6
27.PBR $2.25
Friday: Happy Hour 4:30 - 5:30, Dark Horse Scotty Karate $3 .
Saturday: $3 Bacardi and $6 Bacardi Mojitos, Salsa Night at 10.
Sunday: $2 wells, $1.25 PBR
Monday: 25% off bottles of wine; Board Game Monday
Tuesday: Uptown Mardi Gras party; 1/2 price wine by the glass
Wednesday: $1 off all beers on draft; Trivia Night; 11pm with MC Juice
Thursday: $1 off house specialty cocktails
Blind Pig
Left Hand Juju Ginger; Longmont, Colorado, Spice Ale, 4% abv
Left Hand Sawtooth; Longmont, Colorado, Premium Bitter, 4.75% abv
New Belgium Mothership Wit; Fort Collins, Colorado, Belgian White, 4.8 % abv
Left Hand Widdershins; Longmont, Colorado, Barley Wine, 8.8% abv
Two Brothers Northwind; Warrenville, Illinois, Imperial Stout, 8.5% abv
Unibroue Trois Pistoles; Canada, Belgian Strong Ale, 9%
Victory Hop Devil; Downington, Pennsylvania, India Pale Ale, 6.7% abv
BrewDog/Stone Brewing Bashah; Scotland, American Strong Ale, 8.6% abv
Fullers London Pride; England, Premium Bitter, 4.7% abv
Delirium Tremens; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 8.5% abv
Blue Moon; Golden, Colorado, Belgian White, 5.4% abv
Krusovice Imperial 12°; Bohemian Pilsener, Czech Republic, 5% abv
Stella Artois; Belgium, Pale Lager, 5.2% abv
Pabst Blue Ribbon; San Antonio, Texas, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Rogue Mocha Porter; Newport, Oregon, Porter, 5.1%
Boulevard Nut Cracker; Kansas City, Missouri, English Strong Ale, 5.9% abv
Duchesse De Bourgogne; Belgium, Sour Ale, 6.2%
Lagunitas IPA; Petaluma, California, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv
Two Brothers Cane & Ebel; Warrenville, Illinois, American Strong Ale, 7% abv
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.3% abv
Lindemans Framboise; Belgium, Lambic, 2.5% abv
Petrus Oud Bruin; Belgium, Sour Ale, 5.5% abv
Moylan’s Dragoons Dry Irish Stout; Novato, California, Dry Stout, 5%
Guinness; Dublin, Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv
Thursday: California Brewery Night! Ballast Point Sea Monster Imperial Stout; Green Flash Le Freak Belgian Style IPA; Port Brewing Hop 15; Port Brewing Midnight Sessions Black Lager; Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout; Lost Abbey Red Barn Ale.
Blind Pig was named one of the top 150 bars in the U.S. by Draft Magazine, and is listed as one of the best bars in Illinois (list is Alphabetical).
Blind Pig Brewery (the Piglet)
Blind Pig Belgian Pale Ale
Katie's Belgian Stout
Dark Horse Perkulator; Marshall, Michigan, Doppelbock, 7.5% abv
Hirter Pilsner; Austria, Bohemian Pilsener, 5.2% abv
Arcadia Big Dicks Olde Ale; Battle Creek, Michigan, Old Ale, 8% abv
Ommegang Three Philosophers; Cooperstown, New York, Quadrupel, 9.8% abv
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout; Chicago, Illinois, Imperial Stout, 13% abv
Dark Horse Scotty Karate; Marshall, Michigan, Scotch Ale, 9.75% abv
Heilemans Old Style; Woodridge, Illinois, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Left Hand Warrior IPA; Longmont, Colorado, India Pale Ale, 6.8% abv
Corsendonk Brown; Belgium, Abbey Dubbel, 7.5% abv
Guinness; Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv
Sunday: 7-9 Trivia
Crane Alley
Schlafly Kolsch 4.8%
Dark Horse Scotty Karate 9.7%
Brew Dog/Stone Bashah 8.6%
Dogfish Head Chicory Stout 5.3%
Three Floyds Robert The Bruce 7.0%
Left Hand Widdershins Oak Aged Barleywine 8.8%
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 13.0%
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weizen 5.4%
Guinness 4.2%
North Coast Brother Thelonious 9.3%
Lost Abbey Gift Of The Magi 9.5%
Two Brothers Red Eye Coffee Porter 9.2%
Pabst Blue Ribbon 4.7%
Two Brothers Domaine Du Page 5.9%
St Louis Framboise 4.5%
Breckenridge Lucky U IPA 6.2%
Coming Soon
Dark Horse Too Cream Stout
Mikkeller Nugget IPA
Founders Imperial Stout 10.5%
Mendocino Red Tail Ale 6.0%
Bells Java Stout 7.5%
Avery New World Porter 6.7%
Green Flash Le Freak
Avery Mephistopheles 16.8%
Dark Horse Raspberry Ale 4.5%
Great Divide Hercules IPA 9.1%
Specials for the weekend of Feb 19th
ORANGE CURRY CHICKEN - Grilled chicken with sauteed peppers and onions on a bed of coconut rice drizzled with a house made orange curry sauce...14.95
PUTANESCA - Our own putanesca sauce created from anchovies, olives and marinara over linguine with garlic toast...12.95
ANDOUILLE STUFFED POBLANOS - Two Poblano peppers stuffed with andouille, cheese, and peppers served over rice then drizzled with a jalapeno cream sauce...13.95
Monday, March 15: Bells Beer Dinner, $65 tix available at the bar, Bells batch 9000 tapped after the dinner.
Mike n' Molly's
On Tap: (an old list)
Guinness
Harp
Ename Tripel
Great Divide Hibernation
North Coast Old Stock Ale
Strongbow
Avery the Czar
Miller High Life
Rogue Yellow Snow IPA
Left Hand Widdershins Oak Aged Barleywine.
Friday:Poundcake, 10pm
Saturday: White Mystery, 10pm
Sunday: $1 High Life, $2 Tullamore Dew and John Powers and rails, $3 Guinness
Monday: Abe Froman Project, 9-10pm, free/ Rockstar Karaoke, 10-2, free; $1 PBR
Tuesday: $1.25 High Life; $.50 off all taps
Wednesday: Bingo, 9:30-midnight, free; $2 Mickey's Big Mouth; $2.50 rails
Thursday: $2.50 Stella Artois bottles
Black Dog Smoke and Ale House
(as of Feb 19)
Southern Tier Choklat
Schlafly Hefe
Ballast Point Sea Monster
Rogue John John
Victory Storm King
Belhaven
(Thanks to Gene and Brandon)
Cowboy Monkey
Friday: The Pimps, $5, 10pm
Saturday: Heyokas, $5, 10 pm
Tuesday: Open Mic, 10 pm
Wednesday: Salsa, 10pm
Thursday: Closed, private party
Highdive
Friday: DJ Delayney, $5, 10pm
Saturday: State Radio, $15 in advance, 7:30pm; DJ $5, 10:30pm; $5 Long Island, $5 Vegas Bombs, $4 Captain Morgan drinks, $4 Jose Cuervo drinks
Monday: 80's Night, 10pm, free
Tuesday: Open Mic Sessions, 9pm, $5
Canopy Club
Friday: Cotton Club Weekend: DJ Dance Party, 10pm
Saturday: RJD2, $13 in advance, 6pm; Cotton Club Weekend: DJ Dance Party, 10pm
Sunday: Pizza Pitcher & a Movie (tribute to Brad Pitt),6pm Ocean's 11, 8pm Snatch, 10pm Fight Club
Monday: One Dollar Wild Mondays with Jobu, $1 beer and well
Tuesday: Trivia Diner: Live Game Show/The Piano Man
Wednesday:Rave to the Grave; Joe Pug, $10 in advance, 6pm
Thursday: Brainchild, $5, 9pm; The Vagina Monologues Benefit Concert, $7, 6pm
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Beer Review, Lilja's Pulling Boat Pale
I went to Friar Tucks the other day with Scott, my plan was to just pick up a bottle for Wednesday nights beer club, but I wound up 
back at the mix-a-six and purchased 2 sixers of things that I haven't had before.
The first one I pulled out of the box on Tuesday night was Lilja's Pulling Boat Pale. Which is listed as an American Pale Ale. So, based on the name, it should have more of a hops presence than a regular IPA. Other expectations would be a strong malt base and also a tad more alcohol.
Apparently this beer is by Pangaea Beer Company, and is brewed at Sand Creek Brewery.
As you can see, it poured really clear. There was a decent head, that provided good lacing. It smelled hoppy and bitter, there may have also been a butter smell in it. It felt somewhat thin. The beer was cold, but seemed warm, probably because of bitterness.
It tasted slightly bitter, and seemed to have a pine hops feel to it. There was also a butterscotch flavor in it, that probably shouldn't be there. It wasn't horrible and didn't ruin the beer, but it was present.
Overall, the beer wasn't bad, I don't envision myself having it again, but if I'm at a place that doesn't have any beer other than BMC, I'd gladly take this.
I found this description online:
back at the mix-a-six and purchased 2 sixers of things that I haven't had before.The first one I pulled out of the box on Tuesday night was Lilja's Pulling Boat Pale. Which is listed as an American Pale Ale. So, based on the name, it should have more of a hops presence than a regular IPA. Other expectations would be a strong malt base and also a tad more alcohol.
Apparently this beer is by Pangaea Beer Company, and is brewed at Sand Creek Brewery.
As you can see, it poured really clear. There was a decent head, that provided good lacing. It smelled hoppy and bitter, there may have also been a butter smell in it. It felt somewhat thin. The beer was cold, but seemed warm, probably because of bitterness.
It tasted slightly bitter, and seemed to have a pine hops feel to it. There was also a butterscotch flavor in it, that probably shouldn't be there. It wasn't horrible and didn't ruin the beer, but it was present.
Overall, the beer wasn't bad, I don't envision myself having it again, but if I'm at a place that doesn't have any beer other than BMC, I'd gladly take this.
I found this description online:
Embodying the perfect marriage between sweet malted barley and citrus-floral Cascade hop, Lilja's Pulling Boat Pale Ale is a delightfully clean, medium-body, well-attenuated American pale ale.Maybe the sweet butterscotch flavor came from the barley? I definitely didn't pick up citrus-floral hops, it was the pine variety.
Beer History, doppelbocks
The world of beer is full of a lot of soft history. There's the romantic story of IPA's; the story of Dame Matilda losing her ring and a fish bringing it up; Bridget turning her bathwater into beer; that the Reinheitsgebot was a law to keep beer pure (instead of beer); that English Ale Connors had to sit in puddles of beer to check the gravity; there are romantic and usually false stories about most everything. It would be nice if those stories were completely true, there may be a bit of truth to each of them, but by and large, it's a myth.
Some of the beer stories are actually true. Russian Imperial Stouts were sent to the Russian court; beers became clearer with advances in glassware; and monks made doppelbocks to survive in Lent.
Bock beer started in Northern Germany in Einbeck. It is a lager or bottom fermented beer. Regular bock beers are generally darker than other varieties of lagers. Doppelbocks are literally, double bocks. Bock means "goat" in German, which is why you will often see a goat on a bottle of bock beer. Bocks usually have an ABV around 6 to 7%. It has a large malt presence, with little hop bitterness.
There are several different styles of bock beer, traditional, Maibock (hellerbock), doppelbock, and Eisbock (icebock) (that's another soft history story).
The first doppelbock was brewed by the monks of St. Francis of Paula in 1773, by a monk named Brother Barnabas. Paula became or is Paulaner. The beer was brewed for the Lenten season (which this year, started yesterday). During Lent, the monks were required to fast (not eat). They were allowed to drink. They were allowed to drink BEER! The monks didn't just drink beer, they also brewed beer. They knew that beer contained nutrients, so they figured if they used more ingredients they wouldn't starve during their Lenten fasts.
So the monks went to brewing, they added more of their dark malts and created a really thick beer. Modern doppelbocks normally range in ABV from 6 to 10% (with some much higher). Originally, the monks didn't make it that high of alcohol, they wanted to keep the sugars in the beer so they would get the nutrition from it, instead of the yeast getting it. That first doppelbock was literally "liquid bread", or in modern vernacular, a "pork chop in a can". Those first Paulaner monks named their beer "Salvator", stating that the beer was their savior (Salvator means "savior" in Latin).
For the first 7 years of Lent, Salvator wasn't allowed to be sold to the general public. That was changed in 1780. The monks sold it anyway.
Many doppelbocks have names that have the suffix -ator. This is in homage to Salvator. If you see a beer that ends in -ator, it's probably a doppelbock: Spaten Optimator, Tuch Bajuvator, Troeg's Troegenator, Augustiner Maximator, Hebrew Rejewvinator, Ale Asylum Bamboozleator, Destihl (in Bloomington) had Destihlinator, Bells Consecrator, Lefthand Goosinator, Dark Horse Perkulator.
There may be some soft history about the origin of doppelbocks, Einbeck Bock Beer was brewed in Hannover in 1352. There's no reason to believe that in the 400 years from Einbeck to to Brother Barnabas that no one ever made a thicker version of the beer.
Lent is the period of 40 days (not counting Sundays) before Easter. People traditionally give up something for Lent. If you fast, go ahead and drink. If it's good enough for monks, it's good enough for you. Just try not to gain too much weight while you are fasting.
Some of the beer stories are actually true. Russian Imperial Stouts were sent to the Russian court; beers became clearer with advances in glassware; and monks made doppelbocks to survive in Lent.
Bock beer started in Northern Germany in Einbeck. It is a lager or bottom fermented beer. Regular bock beers are generally darker than other varieties of lagers. Doppelbocks are literally, double bocks. Bock means "goat" in German, which is why you will often see a goat on a bottle of bock beer. Bocks usually have an ABV around 6 to 7%. It has a large malt presence, with little hop bitterness.
There are several different styles of bock beer, traditional, Maibock (hellerbock), doppelbock, and Eisbock (icebock) (that's another soft history story).
The first doppelbock was brewed by the monks of St. Francis of Paula in 1773, by a monk named Brother Barnabas. Paula became or is Paulaner. The beer was brewed for the Lenten season (which this year, started yesterday). During Lent, the monks were required to fast (not eat). They were allowed to drink. They were allowed to drink BEER! The monks didn't just drink beer, they also brewed beer. They knew that beer contained nutrients, so they figured if they used more ingredients they wouldn't starve during their Lenten fasts.
So the monks went to brewing, they added more of their dark malts and created a really thick beer. Modern doppelbocks normally range in ABV from 6 to 10% (with some much higher). Originally, the monks didn't make it that high of alcohol, they wanted to keep the sugars in the beer so they would get the nutrition from it, instead of the yeast getting it. That first doppelbock was literally "liquid bread", or in modern vernacular, a "pork chop in a can". Those first Paulaner monks named their beer "Salvator", stating that the beer was their savior (Salvator means "savior" in Latin).
For the first 7 years of Lent, Salvator wasn't allowed to be sold to the general public. That was changed in 1780. The monks sold it anyway.
Many doppelbocks have names that have the suffix -ator. This is in homage to Salvator. If you see a beer that ends in -ator, it's probably a doppelbock: Spaten Optimator, Tuch Bajuvator, Troeg's Troegenator, Augustiner Maximator, Hebrew Rejewvinator, Ale Asylum Bamboozleator, Destihl (in Bloomington) had Destihlinator, Bells Consecrator, Lefthand Goosinator, Dark Horse Perkulator.
There may be some soft history about the origin of doppelbocks, Einbeck Bock Beer was brewed in Hannover in 1352. There's no reason to believe that in the 400 years from Einbeck to to Brother Barnabas that no one ever made a thicker version of the beer.
Lent is the period of 40 days (not counting Sundays) before Easter. People traditionally give up something for Lent. If you fast, go ahead and drink. If it's good enough for monks, it's good enough for you. Just try not to gain too much weight while you are fasting.
CU Bars in the News, Passing Up Money to Fight Underage Drinking
From WICD ABC 15.
Here's the Fox 55/27 version of the story.
City won't apply for funds to fight underage drinking
It's the WICD version of the News-Gazette story yesterday.
Here's the WCIA channel 3 version.
Champaign- Champaign city leaders pass on a chance to get federal grant money to fight underage drinking. The city council voted on the grant opportunity last night. Some city council members didn’t like that the grant money only focused on enforcement and not education and prevention. They also worried that stronger enforcement would push people to drink in private apartments and houses which they say is more of a safety risk.Passing Up Money to Fight Underage Drinking
Here's the Fox 55/27 version of the story.
City won't apply for funds to fight underage drinking
Champaign city leaders have passed on applying for funding to help fight underage drinking. Find out why. Story provided by Newschannel 15.Well, nevermind, it's the exact same news story. ABC and Fox apparently are the same channel.
It's the WICD version of the News-Gazette story yesterday.
Here's the WCIA channel 3 version.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
CU Bars in the News; Sun Singer
From WCIA, Channel 3. Detecting Taste in Wine
Brian Bowman from Sun Singer discusses flavors in wine.
Sun Singer Wine & Spirits is located at 1115 West Windsor Road. They have a limited, but decent beer selection.
Brian Bowman from Sun Singer discusses flavors in wine.
Sun Singer Wine & Spirits is located at 1115 West Windsor Road. They have a limited, but decent beer selection.
CU Bars in the News; actually it's the city council
Champaign City Council votes to reject federal police grant
I don't see how they turn this down, it seems like a nice investment in the city. Get money for something that makes them money.
Yes, I believe most police functions are revenue streams for the city/county/state.
CHAMPAIGN – The city council on Tuesday denied a federal grant that would have added an estimated $11,392 to the city's budget to expand underage-drinking enforcement in Champaign.Wow, I'm really surprised they turned it down. Busting people for underage-drinking seems to be a revenue stream for the city.
The grant would have funded three years of extra enforcement targeting underage consumption of alcohol.It would have paid for cops, to go out and do a job they are supposed to do anyway.
Prior to the vote, council member Tom Bruno said he would vote against acceptance of the grant because it raises questions about "the morality of accepting federal grant money for local purposes."Apparently tea baggers have infiltrated city council to the point where they think federal money is bad.
"Probably going to be doing"?But council member Deborah Frank Feinen, who voted to accept the grant, said she would have been comfortable accepting the federal funds.
"We had an opportunity to pay for something that we're probably going to be doing anyway," Feinen said.
I don't see how they turn this down, it seems like a nice investment in the city. Get money for something that makes them money.
Yes, I believe most police functions are revenue streams for the city/county/state.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
CU Mardi Gras
It's Fat Tuesday, where are you gonna go?
Radio Maria has Uptown Mardi Gras party. Featuring Jazz, Blues, and Funk, with Sazeracs, Gin Fizzes, Pimm’s Cup and Whiskey. Feel like you are at the Mapleleaf in New Orleans!
Seven Saints will be featuring Hurricanes and other Mardi Gras drinks.
Jupiters at the Crossing will be serving Jambalaya and Chicken Gumbo, also $4 Hurricanes.
Fat City will be hosting the No Secret Band, at 6pm.
I'm sure there are more, and if you go to the campus bars, or go to downtown Champaign, everyone will have beads available. Downtown Urbana bars will probably also be giving away beads.
The ones I'd trust most for authenticity would be Seven Saints (Andy used to live in New Orleans), Radio Maria (Jacob just got back), Jupiters at the Crossing (Chris used to live there).
I trust you earned those beads...
Radio Maria has Uptown Mardi Gras party. Featuring Jazz, Blues, and Funk, with Sazeracs, Gin Fizzes, Pimm’s Cup and Whiskey. Feel like you are at the Mapleleaf in New Orleans!
Seven Saints will be featuring Hurricanes and other Mardi Gras drinks.
Jupiters at the Crossing will be serving Jambalaya and Chicken Gumbo, also $4 Hurricanes.
Fat City will be hosting the No Secret Band, at 6pm.
I'm sure there are more, and if you go to the campus bars, or go to downtown Champaign, everyone will have beads available. Downtown Urbana bars will probably also be giving away beads.
The ones I'd trust most for authenticity would be Seven Saints (Andy used to live in New Orleans), Radio Maria (Jacob just got back), Jupiters at the Crossing (Chris used to live there).
I trust you earned those beads...
Two interesting news gazette articles
Mothers Morning Out Finds New Home
and
Three arrested in two-ton cannabis bust in Douglas County
So what makes them interesting?
The first paragraph in the first article.
The first paragraph in the second article.
and
Three arrested in two-ton cannabis bust in Douglas County
So what makes them interesting?
The first paragraph in the first article.
CHAMPAIGN – A downtown Champaign preschool and drop-in child care program is moving to a new home in south Champaign.
The first paragraph in the second article.
TUSCOLA — A Moultrie County judge Tuesday ordered three California men held on $1 million bond each after their arrests Monday night in northern Douglas County for hauling more than two tons of cannabis from Texas.The third paragraph in the first article.
"This is two tons of stress off our shoulders," school Director Mimi LaPointe said Monday. "We're all very excited."I think I know where that two tons went to.
CU Bars in the News; Mardi Gras Drinks
Mardi Gras Drinks
From WCIA, channel 3.
Andy makes a hurricane.
From WCIA, channel 3.
Andy Borbely from Seven Saints in Downtown Champaign shows us how it's done in the Big Easy!
Andy makes a hurricane.
Friday, February 12, 2010
CU Bars in the News; Esquire
Best Bars: Esquire
From WCIA, channel 3.
Esquire Lounge is located in downtown Champaign at 106 North Walnut Street. It is one of the few places in downtown where you can play pool.
I recommend the Asian dumplings, for $4.50 they are awesome. The ribeye steak sandwich is also pretty good.
I don't carry them in the CU Beer Weekend list because they don't have beer taps or a bottle list that change and don't have live entertainment.
From WCIA, channel 3.
Esquire Lounge is located in downtown Champaign at 106 North Walnut Street. It is one of the few places in downtown where you can play pool.
I recommend the Asian dumplings, for $4.50 they are awesome. The ribeye steak sandwich is also pretty good.
I don't carry them in the CU Beer Weekend list because they don't have beer taps or a bottle list that change and don't have live entertainment.
CU Beer Weekend Feb. 12
Seven Saints
On the rotating taps:
Rogue Chocolate Stout
Two Brothers Red Eye Porter
Wednesday: Whiskey Wednesday, half off Scotch
Thursday: Beer Class, $10, 9:30pm
Radio Maria
Tap list as of 2/6
1. Allagash White $4
2. Schneider Weisse $6
3. Two Brothers Northwind Stout $5
4. Dark Horse Beat Your Wheat $5
5. Founders Backwoods Bastard $6
6. New Holland Cabin Fever $4
7. Founders Breakfast Stout $5
8. Victory Prima Pils $5
9. Scaldis Bush Ambree $6
10.Kulmbacher Eisbock $5
11.Ballast Pointe "Big Eye" IPA $4.5
12.Ballast Pointe Calico Amber Ale $5
13.St Bernardus Prior 8 $6
14.Victory Hop Devil IPA $4
15.Victory Golden Monkey $5
16.North Coast Old No. 38 Stout $4
17.Boulder Brewing Company Oak Aged Obovoid Oatmeal Stout $6
18.Goose Island Bourbon County Stout $7
19.Lost Abbey Angel's Share $7
20.Southern Tier Old Man Winter $4
21.Southern Tier Choklat $6
22.Bell's HopSlam $5
23.Original Sin Hard Cider $4
24.Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock $5
25.Uerige Sticke Alt $5
26.Weihenstepnaner Weissbier $6
27.PBR $2.25
Friday: Happy Hour 4:30 - 5:30, Uerige Sticke Alt $4. Brazilian Carnival 10 pm $7. VIP hour at 9pm
Saturday: $3 Bacardi and $6 Bacardi Mojitos, Salsa Night at 10.
Sunday: $2 wells, $1.25 PBR
Monday: 25% off bottles of wine; Board Game Monday
Tuesday: Uptown Mardi Gras party; 1/2 price wine by the glass
Wednesday: $1 off all beers on draft; Trivia Night; 11pm with MC Juice
Thursday: $1 off house specialty cocktails
Valentines Weekend Tasting Menu, Sat Feb 13; Sun Feb 14.
-$50-
-$65 with wine pairings-
-$85 with premium wine pairings-
1st
Shrimp Ceviche, Avocado, Popcorn
OR
Tempura Cauliflower, Artichoke Puree, Pomegranate Molasses
2nd
Bacon Risotto, Fried Quail Egg, Lemon
OR
Shiitake Mushroom Crepe, Parsnip Sauce, White Truffle Oil, Pistachio
3rd
Seared Dived Scallop, Filet Medallion,
White Truffled Potato Cake, Serrano Ham
OR
Smoked Tofu, Quinoa Risotto, Roasted Vegetables
4th
choice of:
Frangelico Dark Chocolate Mouse, White Chocolate Espuma
Limoncello Gelee, Basil Panna Cotta
Blind Pig
Left Hand Juju Ginger; Longmont, Colorado, Spice Ale, 4% abv
Boulder Never Summer; Boulder, Colorado, Spice Ale, 6% abv
Original Sin Hard Cider; New York, New York, Cider, 6% abv
Bell’s Cherry Stout; Kalamazoo, Michigan, Sweet Stout, 7% abv
Bell’s Java Stou;t Kalamazoo, Michigan, Stout, 7.5% abv
Unibroue Trois Pistoles; Canada, Belgian Strong Ale, 9%
Victory Hop Devi;l Downington, Pennsylvania, India Pale Ale, 6.7% abv
Arcadia Cereal Killer; Battle Creek, Michigan, Barleywine, 9% abv
Fullers London Pride; England, Premium Bitter, 4.7% abv
Delirium Tremens; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 8.5% abv
Blue Moon; Golden, Colorado, Belgian White, 5.4% abv
Krusovice Imperial 12°; Bohemian Pilsener, Czech Republic, 5% abv
Stella Artois; Belgium, Pale Lager, 5.2% abv
Pabst Blue Ribbon; San Antonio, Texas, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Rogue Chocolate Stout; Newport, Oregon, Sweet Stout, 6.3%
Dogfish Head Midas Touch Golden Elixer; Milton,Delaware,Traditional Ale, 9% abv
Duchesse De Bourgogne; Belgium, Sour Ale, 6.2%
Lagunitas IPA; Petaluma, California, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv
Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi; San Marcos, CA, Bière de Garde, 10% abv
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.3% abv
Lindemans Framboise; Belgium, Lambic, 2.5% abv
La Bière du Boucanier; Dark Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 9% abv
Moylan’s Dragoons Dry Irish Stout; Novato, California, Dry Stout, 5%
Guinness; Dublin, Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv
CASK: New Holland Dragon's Milk
Feb 25: Thursday; California Brewery Night: Ballast Point Sea Monster Imperial Stout; Green Flash Le Freak Belgian Style IPA; Port Brewing Hop 15; Port Brewing Midnight Sessions Black Lager; Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout; Lost Abbey Red Barn Ale.
Blind Pig Brewery (the Piglet)
Blind Pig Porter, ABV 5%
Blind Pig Pale Ale, ABV 5%
Blind Pig Belgian Pale Ale, ABV 6.6%
Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux; Belgium, Saison, 9.5% abv
Hirter Pilsner; Austria, Bohemian Pilsener, 5.2% abv
Arcadia Big Dicks Olde Ale; Battle Creek, Michigan, Old Ale, 8% abv
Ommegang Three Philosophers; Cooperstown, New York, Quadrupel, 9.8% abv
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout; Chicago, Illinois, Imperial Stout, 13% abv
Dark Horse Scotty Karate; Marshall, Michigan, Scotch Ale, 9.75% abv
Heilemans Old Style; Woodridge, Illinois, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Left Hand Warrior IPA; Longmont, Colorado, India Pale Ale, 6.8% abv
Corsendonk Brown; Belgium, Abbey Dubbel, 7.5% abv
Guinness; Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv
Sunday: 7-9 Trivia
Crane Alley
Bitburger Pilsner 4.9%
Dark Horse Scotty Karate 9.7%
Wexford Irish Cream Ale 5.0%
Bell's Rye Stout 6.7%
Three Floyds Pride & Joy 5.0%
Southern Tier Old Man Winter 7.2%
Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper 10.5%
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weizen 5.4%
Guinness 4.2%
St Bernardus Prior 8 8.0%
Lost Abbey Gift Of The Magi 9.5%
Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter 5.9%
Pabst Blue Ribbon 4.7%
Two Brothers Domaine Du Page 5.9%
St Louis Framboise 4.5%
Left Hand Warrior IPA 6.8%
Coming Soon
Dogfish Head Chicory Stout 5.3%
Dark Horse Too Cream Stout
Mikkeller Nugget IPA
North Coast Brother Thelonious
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 13.0%
Mendocino Red Tail Ale 6.0%
Specials for the weekend of Feb 12
CHILI BURGER - Handcrafted 8 oz burger topped with our famous chili and cheddar cheese and served with french fries
CHICKEN MARSALA - Panko crusted chicken breast with smashed potatoes, broccoli, and mushrooms in a marsala-butter sauce
GUACAMOLE RISOTTO - Grilled flank steak over guacamole risotto with a spicy black bean sauce
MUSSELS WITH LINGUINE - Prince Edward Island Mussels with red bell pepper, hearts of palm, garlic, and linguine in a white wine-butter sauce
Mike n' Molly's
On Tap:
Guinness
Harp
Ename Tripel
Great Divide Hibernation
North Coast Old Stock Ale
Strongbow
Avery the Czar
Miller High Life
Rogue Yellow Snow IPA
Left Hand Widdershins Oak Aged Barleywine.
Friday:Jason & the Punknecks, 10pm
Saturday: Lookbook, 10pm
Monday: Abe Froman Project, 9-10pm, free/ Rockstar Karaoke, 10-2, free
Wednesday: Bingo, 9:30-midnight, free
Black Dog Smoke and Ale House
(as of Feb 3)
New Holland Cabin Fever Brown
Schlafly Scotch
Green Flash Hop Head Red
Victory Storm King
Capital Island Wheat
North Coast Old No. 38 Stout
CASK: Summit Oatmeal Stout
Cowboy Monkey
Friday: Dr. Manhattan, 9:30pm $5
Saturday: Beat Kitchen, 10pm $5
Tuesday: Open Mic, 10 pm
Wednesday: Salsa, 10pm
Thursday: Blues Jam, 9pm
Highdive
Friday: DJ Delayney, $5, 10pm
Saturday: DJ $5, 10pm; $5 Long Island, $5 Vegas Bombs, $4 Captain Morgan drinks, $4 Jose Cuervo drinks
Monday: 80's Night, 10pm, free
Wednesday: Scott Miller (solo) 8pm, $10 in advance; Bomb Night, 10:30
Canopy Club
Friday: Roses and Sake, 6:30pm, $7
Saturday: Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show, 7pm, $15 in advance; Film Screening: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, $10 or free with ticket, midnight
Sunday: Bela Fleck/ The Africa Project, 7pm, $25 in Advance; Pizza Pitcher & a Movie (classic romances),6pm Breakfast at Tiffanies, 8pm Pretty Woman, 10pm the Notebook
Monday: One Dollar Wild Mondays with Jobu, $1 beer and well
Tuesday: Trivia Diner: Live Game Show/The Piano Man
Wednesday:Rave to the Grave; Tim Be Told, 6pm, $8
Thursday: The Retribution Gospel Choir, 9pm, $8 in advance; 2010 Cotton Club Talent Showcase, 5:30, $10
CU Beer Club
February Meeting at Crane Alley, 6:30. Feb theme is "Beer and Chocolate". Bring a craft beer and chocolates that are complementary.
On the rotating taps:
Rogue Chocolate Stout
Two Brothers Red Eye Porter
Wednesday: Whiskey Wednesday, half off Scotch
Thursday: Beer Class, $10, 9:30pm
Radio Maria
Tap list as of 2/6
1. Allagash White $4
2. Schneider Weisse $6
3. Two Brothers Northwind Stout $5
4. Dark Horse Beat Your Wheat $5
5. Founders Backwoods Bastard $6
6. New Holland Cabin Fever $4
7. Founders Breakfast Stout $5
8. Victory Prima Pils $5
9. Scaldis Bush Ambree $6
10.Kulmbacher Eisbock $5
11.Ballast Pointe "Big Eye" IPA $4.5
12.Ballast Pointe Calico Amber Ale $5
13.St Bernardus Prior 8 $6
14.Victory Hop Devil IPA $4
15.Victory Golden Monkey $5
16.North Coast Old No. 38 Stout $4
17.Boulder Brewing Company Oak Aged Obovoid Oatmeal Stout $6
18.Goose Island Bourbon County Stout $7
19.Lost Abbey Angel's Share $7
20.Southern Tier Old Man Winter $4
21.Southern Tier Choklat $6
22.Bell's HopSlam $5
23.Original Sin Hard Cider $4
24.Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock $5
25.Uerige Sticke Alt $5
26.Weihenstepnaner Weissbier $6
27.PBR $2.25
Friday: Happy Hour 4:30 - 5:30, Uerige Sticke Alt $4. Brazilian Carnival 10 pm $7. VIP hour at 9pm
Saturday: $3 Bacardi and $6 Bacardi Mojitos, Salsa Night at 10.
Sunday: $2 wells, $1.25 PBR
Monday: 25% off bottles of wine; Board Game Monday
Tuesday: Uptown Mardi Gras party; 1/2 price wine by the glass
Wednesday: $1 off all beers on draft; Trivia Night; 11pm with MC Juice
Thursday: $1 off house specialty cocktails
Valentines Weekend Tasting Menu, Sat Feb 13; Sun Feb 14.
-$50-
-$65 with wine pairings-
-$85 with premium wine pairings-
1st
Shrimp Ceviche, Avocado, Popcorn
OR
Tempura Cauliflower, Artichoke Puree, Pomegranate Molasses
2nd
Bacon Risotto, Fried Quail Egg, Lemon
OR
Shiitake Mushroom Crepe, Parsnip Sauce, White Truffle Oil, Pistachio
3rd
Seared Dived Scallop, Filet Medallion,
White Truffled Potato Cake, Serrano Ham
OR
Smoked Tofu, Quinoa Risotto, Roasted Vegetables
4th
choice of:
Frangelico Dark Chocolate Mouse, White Chocolate Espuma
Limoncello Gelee, Basil Panna Cotta
Blind Pig
Left Hand Juju Ginger; Longmont, Colorado, Spice Ale, 4% abv
Boulder Never Summer; Boulder, Colorado, Spice Ale, 6% abv
Original Sin Hard Cider; New York, New York, Cider, 6% abv
Bell’s Cherry Stout; Kalamazoo, Michigan, Sweet Stout, 7% abv
Bell’s Java Stou;t Kalamazoo, Michigan, Stout, 7.5% abv
Unibroue Trois Pistoles; Canada, Belgian Strong Ale, 9%
Victory Hop Devi;l Downington, Pennsylvania, India Pale Ale, 6.7% abv
Arcadia Cereal Killer; Battle Creek, Michigan, Barleywine, 9% abv
Fullers London Pride; England, Premium Bitter, 4.7% abv
Delirium Tremens; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 8.5% abv
Blue Moon; Golden, Colorado, Belgian White, 5.4% abv
Krusovice Imperial 12°; Bohemian Pilsener, Czech Republic, 5% abv
Stella Artois; Belgium, Pale Lager, 5.2% abv
Pabst Blue Ribbon; San Antonio, Texas, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Rogue Chocolate Stout; Newport, Oregon, Sweet Stout, 6.3%
Dogfish Head Midas Touch Golden Elixer; Milton,Delaware,Traditional Ale, 9% abv
Duchesse De Bourgogne; Belgium, Sour Ale, 6.2%
Lagunitas IPA; Petaluma, California, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv
Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi; San Marcos, CA, Bière de Garde, 10% abv
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.3% abv
Lindemans Framboise; Belgium, Lambic, 2.5% abv
La Bière du Boucanier; Dark Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 9% abv
Moylan’s Dragoons Dry Irish Stout; Novato, California, Dry Stout, 5%
Guinness; Dublin, Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv
CASK: New Holland Dragon's Milk
Feb 25: Thursday; California Brewery Night: Ballast Point Sea Monster Imperial Stout; Green Flash Le Freak Belgian Style IPA; Port Brewing Hop 15; Port Brewing Midnight Sessions Black Lager; Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout; Lost Abbey Red Barn Ale.
Blind Pig Brewery (the Piglet)
Blind Pig Porter, ABV 5%
Blind Pig Pale Ale, ABV 5%
Blind Pig Belgian Pale Ale, ABV 6.6%
Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux; Belgium, Saison, 9.5% abv
Hirter Pilsner; Austria, Bohemian Pilsener, 5.2% abv
Arcadia Big Dicks Olde Ale; Battle Creek, Michigan, Old Ale, 8% abv
Ommegang Three Philosophers; Cooperstown, New York, Quadrupel, 9.8% abv
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout; Chicago, Illinois, Imperial Stout, 13% abv
Dark Horse Scotty Karate; Marshall, Michigan, Scotch Ale, 9.75% abv
Heilemans Old Style; Woodridge, Illinois, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Left Hand Warrior IPA; Longmont, Colorado, India Pale Ale, 6.8% abv
Corsendonk Brown; Belgium, Abbey Dubbel, 7.5% abv
Guinness; Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv
Sunday: 7-9 Trivia
Crane Alley
Bitburger Pilsner 4.9%
Dark Horse Scotty Karate 9.7%
Wexford Irish Cream Ale 5.0%
Bell's Rye Stout 6.7%
Three Floyds Pride & Joy 5.0%
Southern Tier Old Man Winter 7.2%
Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper 10.5%
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weizen 5.4%
Guinness 4.2%
St Bernardus Prior 8 8.0%
Lost Abbey Gift Of The Magi 9.5%
Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter 5.9%
Pabst Blue Ribbon 4.7%
Two Brothers Domaine Du Page 5.9%
St Louis Framboise 4.5%
Left Hand Warrior IPA 6.8%
Coming Soon
Dogfish Head Chicory Stout 5.3%
Dark Horse Too Cream Stout
Mikkeller Nugget IPA
North Coast Brother Thelonious
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 13.0%
Mendocino Red Tail Ale 6.0%
Specials for the weekend of Feb 12
CHILI BURGER - Handcrafted 8 oz burger topped with our famous chili and cheddar cheese and served with french fries
CHICKEN MARSALA - Panko crusted chicken breast with smashed potatoes, broccoli, and mushrooms in a marsala-butter sauce
GUACAMOLE RISOTTO - Grilled flank steak over guacamole risotto with a spicy black bean sauce
MUSSELS WITH LINGUINE - Prince Edward Island Mussels with red bell pepper, hearts of palm, garlic, and linguine in a white wine-butter sauce
Mike n' Molly's
On Tap:
Guinness
Harp
Ename Tripel
Great Divide Hibernation
North Coast Old Stock Ale
Strongbow
Avery the Czar
Miller High Life
Rogue Yellow Snow IPA
Left Hand Widdershins Oak Aged Barleywine.
Friday:Jason & the Punknecks, 10pm
Saturday: Lookbook, 10pm
Monday: Abe Froman Project, 9-10pm, free/ Rockstar Karaoke, 10-2, free
Wednesday: Bingo, 9:30-midnight, free
Black Dog Smoke and Ale House
(as of Feb 3)
New Holland Cabin Fever Brown
Schlafly Scotch
Green Flash Hop Head Red
Victory Storm King
Capital Island Wheat
North Coast Old No. 38 Stout
CASK: Summit Oatmeal Stout
Cowboy Monkey
Friday: Dr. Manhattan, 9:30pm $5
Saturday: Beat Kitchen, 10pm $5
Tuesday: Open Mic, 10 pm
Wednesday: Salsa, 10pm
Thursday: Blues Jam, 9pm
Highdive
Friday: DJ Delayney, $5, 10pm
Saturday: DJ $5, 10pm; $5 Long Island, $5 Vegas Bombs, $4 Captain Morgan drinks, $4 Jose Cuervo drinks
Monday: 80's Night, 10pm, free
Wednesday: Scott Miller (solo) 8pm, $10 in advance; Bomb Night, 10:30
Canopy Club
Friday: Roses and Sake, 6:30pm, $7
Saturday: Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show, 7pm, $15 in advance; Film Screening: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, $10 or free with ticket, midnight
Sunday: Bela Fleck/ The Africa Project, 7pm, $25 in Advance; Pizza Pitcher & a Movie (classic romances),6pm Breakfast at Tiffanies, 8pm Pretty Woman, 10pm the Notebook
Monday: One Dollar Wild Mondays with Jobu, $1 beer and well
Tuesday: Trivia Diner: Live Game Show/The Piano Man
Wednesday:Rave to the Grave; Tim Be Told, 6pm, $8
Thursday: The Retribution Gospel Choir, 9pm, $8 in advance; 2010 Cotton Club Talent Showcase, 5:30, $10
CU Beer Club
February Meeting at Crane Alley, 6:30. Feb theme is "Beer and Chocolate". Bring a craft beer and chocolates that are complementary.
Bring along some chocolate and a beer that you feel fits well with it. Over 3,000 years ago, Central American Indians brewed beer from the pulp of cacao seedpods. The pod pulp was used to make the beer and the seeds were then discarded. Chocolate was then made from fermented cacao pods. Give an ancient Central American the sludge left over from brewing and what do you get: chocolate. So, what goes well with chocolate? There are chocolate stouts that are obvious, but there are more possibilities. As for the chocolate, there are chocolate bars, chocolate truffles, fruit filled chocolates, filled chocolates, nutty chocolates, milk, semi-sweet, bitter-sweet, exotic flavored Vosges bars; or make your own chocolate fudge, chocolate cookies, chocolate cake, etc. How about chocolate ice cream in a chocolate stout for a float? There are some great beer and chocolate ideas in the May 2005 issue of All About Beer magazine.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Champaign Urbana 2010 Softball
In CU there are pretty much 2 places to play softball, Champaign Park District, and Po Boys.
Here's the Park District information:
Questions: Joe, 398-2571 or joe.kearfott@cparkdistrict.com
Final deadline for teams is March 11. So you need to get on the ball.
Po Boys (formerly Brickhouse, formerly Wendls) softball is going to be run by Rich Kelly, he can be reached by email at poboyssoftball@hotmail.com . It is not going to be run by first pitch softball, like last year. I believe leagues are going to be the same nights and styles as last year. Prices will also be the same.
(If you are a business and want to sponsor someone, let me know, I'll take your money)
Here's the Park District information:
| Women’s Single Header Leagues | Day | Dates | Team Fee | Max Teams | Class ID |
| Recreational | Th | 4/15-9/2* | $550** | 8 | 442006-D1 |
| Semi-Competitive | W | 4/14-9/1* | $550** | 8 | 442006-D2 |
| Co-Recreational Single Header Leagues | |||||
| 11”/12” Blue Recreational | Su | 4/18-8/29* | $550** | 24 | 442006-D3 |
| 11”/12” Orange Semi Competitive | Su | 4/18-8/29* | $550** | 16 | 442006-D4 |
| 11”/12” Recreational | Th | 4/15-8/26* | $550** | 16 | 442006-D5 |
| Men’s Leagues | |||||
| Capital Single Header | M | 4/12-8/30* | $550** | 16 | 442006-D6 |
| Recreational Decade Doubleheader | W | 4/14-9/1* | $825** | 24 | 442006-D7 |
| Semi-Competitive Doubleheader | Tu | 4/13-8/31* | $825** | 16 | 442006-D8 |
Questions: Joe, 398-2571 or joe.kearfott@cparkdistrict.com
Final deadline for teams is March 11. So you need to get on the ball.
Po Boys (formerly Brickhouse, formerly Wendls) softball is going to be run by Rich Kelly, he can be reached by email at poboyssoftball@hotmail.com . It is not going to be run by first pitch softball, like last year. I believe leagues are going to be the same nights and styles as last year. Prices will also be the same.
(If you are a business and want to sponsor someone, let me know, I'll take your money)
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
CU Bars in the News; Police issue 32 citations in sweep of bars
From the News-Gazette (and their horribly redesigned website that really sucks).
Police issue 32 citations in sweep of bars
The bars in question are:Clybourne, Fire Haus, Joe's Brewery, Legends, Geovanti's, and Kam's.
Police issue 32 citations in sweep of bars
The bars in question are:Clybourne, Fire Haus, Joe's Brewery, Legends, Geovanti's, and Kam's.
Illinois State Police and Champaign police issued 32 citations for underage drinking Friday under its ongoing Operation Campus/Tap program.The purpose of the program is to reduce underage drinking among college-age and high school youths.
The Illinois Secretary of State may suspend or revoke the driver's license of people found with illegal identification.
Suspensions may be for up to one year or longer. Minors convicted of purchase, possession or consumption of alcohol will face a one-year suspension of their driver's license.
The Operation Campus/Tap program is funded through a grant from the United States Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention? They don't look like they are actively PREVENTING anything, with 32 citations, it seems more like they are just punishing people who they have missed with their prevention.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Snowstorm Safety Briefing
Well, it's snowy out. If you care enough to read this, then you are probably trying to be somewhat safe in the snow.
If you are going to drive, you should clean off your car. You should clean ALL the snow off your car. Don't just clean off the windshield and rear window.
1. Clean the snow off the whole car.
Based on the type of snow that falls, you are either being a danger to yourself, or a danger to everyone else on the road (being a danger to yourself endangers everyone else).
There are pretty much two types of snow that fall, the dry snow (like central Illinois got last night) and wet snow (like we got last weekend). Dry snow is light, wet snow is heavy. Dry snow is the stuff that's bad for making snowmen and snowball fights. Wet snow is the kind you can pack, it rolls well, and balls well.
If your car is covered in dry snow, it will probably blow off as you are driving. If you didn't clean it off the hood of your car, then it will wind up on your windshield and you will have trouble seeing. If you didn't clean it off the roof of your car, it will blow off and cover your rear window, and wind up on the windshield of the car behind you.
If your car is covered in wet snow, it won't blow off as you are driving. This is the snow that you can knock off your car in one huge chunk. If your hood is sloped, you can just wipe off the front and the rest will come sliding down. If you don't clean off your car, the snow may not blow off your car. A much more dangerous situation can happen. I learned this the hard way, up in Alaska.
When your car has a thick layer of snow on the roof, it won't blow off. After you start driving, your car will heat up. The heat will normally cause a thin layer of the snow on that touches the roof the melt. As you are driving, it will be somewhat stable. If you stop suddenly, that thin layer of water, will cause the snow to go rushing forward. It will slide onto the windshield of your car. You will not be able to see. You had better hope that you don't need to see. Thankfully, the one time this happened to me, I was leaving a parking lot (after I had driven 20 miles with a foot of snow on the roof of the vehicle).
Look, that is a picture of a moron. Picture taken Wed, Feb 10 (while I was stopped at a red light). That is not overnight snow, that is snow that has been there a few days. The driver cleaned off the area above the wipers, and below the roof. It was either Texas or California plates. I would expect someone from either Texas or California wouldn't be familiar with driving in the snow. I would hope they would want to get their vehicle as clean as possible, since they were unfamiliar with winter-y driving. This person proves me wrong. If you see this person, beat them up. Please.
2. Scrape the entire windshield and all the windows.
Do not just scrape the driver side of the windshield. Do not just scrape a tiny section for you to see out of, you aren't driving a tank, you are driving a car. Any area that you don't clean will create a blindspot. There are people on the road who are dumber than you, you need to see them. You can't see them, if you don't clean off your windows. Do not attempt to clean off your windshield with washer fluid, use the scraper. If you use the fluid to melt the frost, do not drive immediately, wait until the entire windshield is clean. You probably won't be able to see out the back anyway, so you might as well scrape it.
If you are not scraping your windows and are using the defroster to clean it off, wait until the entire window is clean before driving. To hold the heat down better, put your visors down. Using the defrost will not get your side windows, so you'll have to clean them anyway.
3. Do not speed.
There is no point in going fast. The only place you'll get to quicker is your death. Slow down. Take corners slowly. If you are going fast and want to change lanes, leave plenty of space between you and other cars.
The slickest part of the road is the area with the white stripe. White reflects heat instead of absorbing. As you change lanes, if you hit the white paint, that is the area where your car is most likely to lose traction. Additionally, the lanes may be plowed, but the area between the lanes isn't necessarily plowed. The combination of snow and a colder area can lead to less traction. Less traction leads to the ditch.
4. Do not follow too close. Increase following distance.
You should be familiar with the 2 second rule. When the rear of the vehicle in front of you passes an object, there should be 2 seconds before the front of your car gets to that spot. When there's snow on the ground increase the number. If the car in front of you spins out, do you have enough distance between you to take action? If you are following too close, and they spin out, in 2 seconds you will hit the same area that they just went over, you are now probably spun out too.
5. Increase stopping distance.
You should start braking long before you get to the stop sign or other reason for stopping. Even anti-lock brakes can lock up if they aren't getting any traction. Just because you are sliding through the intersection, doesn't automatically give you the right of way.
6. Do not walk on the road.
Just because the sidewalk isn't shoveled doesn't mean you can walk on the road. You are not entitled to walk on a clean surface. It seems most people on the road now follow too closely, don't clean off their cars, don't increase stopping distance, and don't slow down; are these the people you are trusting to avoid you while you are walking on the road?
If you are at an intersection: even though you (as a pedestrian) have the right of way, do not walk in front of a car until it has come to a complete stop. It may take a second or two longer, but being in the cold for a second or two more, is much less time, than if you are being peeled off the hood of a car that couldn't stop.
Do not walk across the street (not at an intersection) if a car is coming. Even if on a nice day you would have plenty of time to make it. Do you have enough time to make it if you fell? Would that driver see you fall?
7. Remember the acronym COLD.
Keep Clean
Don't Overdress
Dress in Layers
Keep Dry
Clean clothes work better. If you are wearing polypropylene long underwear (fabric that wicks moisture away from the skin), it needs to be clean to work. If you are wearing Gore-Tex it also needs to be clean to work well.
Do not wear too many clothes. If you get too hot, you will sweat, if you suddenly get cool from sweating, that will freeze, and that is very dangerous.
Wear loose layers. Trapped air is what will keep you warm. If you have a big fluffy coat, ensure that it is big and fluffy, if all the air is out of it, it won't work. The most important layer you can wear is on your head. If you keep your head well insulated, you can probably get away with less layers elsewhere, temporarily.
Keep dry. Don't sweat, if you can help it. If you are sweating, dry off and remove a layer. If you aren't wearing layers, you can't remove anything (hence another importance of layers). If you get snow on you, brush it off. Don't take any snow with you to a place where it can melt. Brush it off your pants. Keep snow off your gloves. Wet gloves won't work.
8. Keep plenty of fuel in your car.
Don't run out of gas.
9. You aren't that important, just stay home.
Seriously, do you really have to go somewhere? Take the day off. Go play in the snow. Have a snowball fight. Build a fort. Clean the snow off your roof, then jump off it.
Have fun, be safe. If I see you without cleaning off your car, I'm going to yell at you and call you many many names, you won't be happy with me if I'm yelling at you for your stupidity.
If you are going to drive, you should clean off your car. You should clean ALL the snow off your car. Don't just clean off the windshield and rear window.
1. Clean the snow off the whole car.
Based on the type of snow that falls, you are either being a danger to yourself, or a danger to everyone else on the road (being a danger to yourself endangers everyone else).
There are pretty much two types of snow that fall, the dry snow (like central Illinois got last night) and wet snow (like we got last weekend). Dry snow is light, wet snow is heavy. Dry snow is the stuff that's bad for making snowmen and snowball fights. Wet snow is the kind you can pack, it rolls well, and balls well.
If your car is covered in dry snow, it will probably blow off as you are driving. If you didn't clean it off the hood of your car, then it will wind up on your windshield and you will have trouble seeing. If you didn't clean it off the roof of your car, it will blow off and cover your rear window, and wind up on the windshield of the car behind you.
If your car is covered in wet snow, it won't blow off as you are driving. This is the snow that you can knock off your car in one huge chunk. If your hood is sloped, you can just wipe off the front and the rest will come sliding down. If you don't clean off your car, the snow may not blow off your car. A much more dangerous situation can happen. I learned this the hard way, up in Alaska.
When your car has a thick layer of snow on the roof, it won't blow off. After you start driving, your car will heat up. The heat will normally cause a thin layer of the snow on that touches the roof the melt. As you are driving, it will be somewhat stable. If you stop suddenly, that thin layer of water, will cause the snow to go rushing forward. It will slide onto the windshield of your car. You will not be able to see. You had better hope that you don't need to see. Thankfully, the one time this happened to me, I was leaving a parking lot (after I had driven 20 miles with a foot of snow on the roof of the vehicle).
Look, that is a picture of a moron. Picture taken Wed, Feb 10 (while I was stopped at a red light). That is not overnight snow, that is snow that has been there a few days. The driver cleaned off the area above the wipers, and below the roof. It was either Texas or California plates. I would expect someone from either Texas or California wouldn't be familiar with driving in the snow. I would hope they would want to get their vehicle as clean as possible, since they were unfamiliar with winter-y driving. This person proves me wrong. If you see this person, beat them up. Please.
2. Scrape the entire windshield and all the windows.
Do not just scrape the driver side of the windshield. Do not just scrape a tiny section for you to see out of, you aren't driving a tank, you are driving a car. Any area that you don't clean will create a blindspot. There are people on the road who are dumber than you, you need to see them. You can't see them, if you don't clean off your windows. Do not attempt to clean off your windshield with washer fluid, use the scraper. If you use the fluid to melt the frost, do not drive immediately, wait until the entire windshield is clean. You probably won't be able to see out the back anyway, so you might as well scrape it.
If you are not scraping your windows and are using the defroster to clean it off, wait until the entire window is clean before driving. To hold the heat down better, put your visors down. Using the defrost will not get your side windows, so you'll have to clean them anyway.
3. Do not speed.
There is no point in going fast. The only place you'll get to quicker is your death. Slow down. Take corners slowly. If you are going fast and want to change lanes, leave plenty of space between you and other cars.
The slickest part of the road is the area with the white stripe. White reflects heat instead of absorbing. As you change lanes, if you hit the white paint, that is the area where your car is most likely to lose traction. Additionally, the lanes may be plowed, but the area between the lanes isn't necessarily plowed. The combination of snow and a colder area can lead to less traction. Less traction leads to the ditch.
4. Do not follow too close. Increase following distance.
You should be familiar with the 2 second rule. When the rear of the vehicle in front of you passes an object, there should be 2 seconds before the front of your car gets to that spot. When there's snow on the ground increase the number. If the car in front of you spins out, do you have enough distance between you to take action? If you are following too close, and they spin out, in 2 seconds you will hit the same area that they just went over, you are now probably spun out too.
5. Increase stopping distance.
You should start braking long before you get to the stop sign or other reason for stopping. Even anti-lock brakes can lock up if they aren't getting any traction. Just because you are sliding through the intersection, doesn't automatically give you the right of way.
6. Do not walk on the road.
Just because the sidewalk isn't shoveled doesn't mean you can walk on the road. You are not entitled to walk on a clean surface. It seems most people on the road now follow too closely, don't clean off their cars, don't increase stopping distance, and don't slow down; are these the people you are trusting to avoid you while you are walking on the road?
If you are at an intersection: even though you (as a pedestrian) have the right of way, do not walk in front of a car until it has come to a complete stop. It may take a second or two longer, but being in the cold for a second or two more, is much less time, than if you are being peeled off the hood of a car that couldn't stop.
Do not walk across the street (not at an intersection) if a car is coming. Even if on a nice day you would have plenty of time to make it. Do you have enough time to make it if you fell? Would that driver see you fall?
7. Remember the acronym COLD.
Keep Clean
Don't Overdress
Dress in Layers
Keep Dry
Clean clothes work better. If you are wearing polypropylene long underwear (fabric that wicks moisture away from the skin), it needs to be clean to work. If you are wearing Gore-Tex it also needs to be clean to work well.
Do not wear too many clothes. If you get too hot, you will sweat, if you suddenly get cool from sweating, that will freeze, and that is very dangerous.
Wear loose layers. Trapped air is what will keep you warm. If you have a big fluffy coat, ensure that it is big and fluffy, if all the air is out of it, it won't work. The most important layer you can wear is on your head. If you keep your head well insulated, you can probably get away with less layers elsewhere, temporarily.
Keep dry. Don't sweat, if you can help it. If you are sweating, dry off and remove a layer. If you aren't wearing layers, you can't remove anything (hence another importance of layers). If you get snow on you, brush it off. Don't take any snow with you to a place where it can melt. Brush it off your pants. Keep snow off your gloves. Wet gloves won't work.
8. Keep plenty of fuel in your car.
Don't run out of gas.
9. You aren't that important, just stay home.
Seriously, do you really have to go somewhere? Take the day off. Go play in the snow. Have a snowball fight. Build a fort. Clean the snow off your roof, then jump off it.
Have fun, be safe. If I see you without cleaning off your car, I'm going to yell at you and call you many many names, you won't be happy with me if I'm yelling at you for your stupidity.
Friday, February 5, 2010
CU Bars in the News; Buttitta's
Best Bars: Buttittas
From WCIA, channel 3.
Buttitta's is located in the former Jillians building at 1201 South Neil Street.
It's more of an Italian restaurant than a bar, but it does have a bar.
(thanks for the info anonymous person; website appears to be under construction as the bar menu doesn't work yet)
From WCIA, channel 3.
Buttitta's is located in the former Jillians building at 1201 South Neil Street.
It's more of an Italian restaurant than a bar, but it does have a bar.
(thanks for the info anonymous person; website appears to be under construction as the bar menu doesn't work yet)
CU Beer Weekend Feb. 5
Seven Saints
On the rotating taps:
Bells Best Brown Ale
Two Brothers Red Eye Porter
Wednesday: Whiskey Wednesday, half off Bourbon + Rye
Thursday: Beer Class, $10, 9:30pm
Radio Maria
Tap list as of 2/4
1. Allagash White $4
2. Schneider Weisse $6
3. Two Brothers Northwind Stout $5
4. Dark Horse Beat Your Wheat $5
5. Founders Backwoods Bastard $6
6. New Holland Cabin Fever $4
7. Founders Breakfast Stout $5
8. Victory Prima Pils $5
9. Scaldis Bush Ambree $6
10.Kulmbacher Eisbock $5
11.Ballast Pointe "Big Eye" IPA $4.5
12.Ballast Pointe Calico Amber Ale $5
13.St Bernardus Prior 8 $6
14.Victory Hop Devil IPA $4
15.Victory Golden Monkey $5
16.North Coast Old No. 38 Stout $4
17.Boulder Brewing Company Oak Aged Obovoid Oatmeal Stout $6
18.Goose Island Bourbon County Stout $7
19.Lost Abbey Angel's Share $7
20.Southern Tier Old Man Winter $4
21.Southern Tier Choklat $6
22.Bell's HopSlam $5
23.Original Sin Hard Cider $4
24.Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock $5
25.Uerige Sticke Alt $5
26.Weihenstepnaner Weissbier $6
27.PBR $2.25
Friday: Happy Hour 4:30 - 5:30, Unibroue La Terrible for $6. DJ at 10, $3 Smirnoff drinks.
Saturday: $3 Bacardi and $6 Bacardi Mojitos, Salsa Night at 10.
Sunday: $2 wells, $1.25 PBR
Monday: 25% off bottles of wine; Board Game Monday (they just got Rummikub!!!)
Tuesday: 1/2 price wine by the glass
Wednesday: $1 off all beers on draft; Trivia Night; 11pm with MC Juice
Thursday: $1 off house specialty cocktails
Valentines Weekend Tasting Menu, Sat Feb 13; Sun Feb 14.
-$50-
-$65 with wine pairings-
-$85 with premium wine pairings-
1st
Shrimp Ceviche, Avocado, Popcorn
Tempura Cauliflower, Artichoke Puree, Pomegranate Molasses
2nd
Bacon Risotto, Fried Quail Egg, Lemon
Shiitake Mushroom Crepe, Parsnip Sauce, White Truffle Oil, Pistachio
3rd
Seared Dived Scallop, Filet Medallion,
White Truffled Potato Cake, Serrano Ham
Smoked Tofu, Quinoa Risotto, Roasted Vegetables
4th
Frangelico Dark Chocolate Mouse, White Chocolate Espuma
Limoncello Gelee, Basil Panna Cotta
Blind Pig
Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout; Kalamazoo, Michigan, Stout, 6% abv
Bell’s Expedition Stout; Kalamazoo, Michigan, Imperial Stout, 10.5% abv
Original Sin Hard Cider; New York, New York, Cider, 6% abv
Bell’s Cherry Stout; Kalamazoo, Michigan, Sweet Stout, 7% abv
Bell’s Java Stout; Kalamazoo, Michigan, Stout, 7.5% abv
Unibroue La Terrible; Canada, Belgian Strong Ale, 10.5%
Moylan’s Harvest IPA; Novato, California, India Pale Ale, 6.8% abv
Arcadia Cereal Killer; Battle Creek, Michigan, Barleywine, 9% abv
Fullers London Pride; England, Premium Bitter, 4.7% abv
Delirium Tremens; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 8.5% abv
Blue Moon; Golden, Colorado, Belgian White, 5.4% abv
Krusovice Imperial 12° Bohemian; Pilsener, Czech Republic, 5% abv
Stella Artois; Belgium, Pale Lager, 5.2% abv
Pabst Blue Ribbon; San Antonio, Texas, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Rogue John John; Newport, Oregon, Heller Bock
Kostritzer; Germany, Schwarzbier, 4.8% abv
Duchesse De Bourgogne; Belgium, Sour Ale, 6.2%
Lagunitas IPA; Petaluma, California, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv
Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi; San Marcos, CA, Bière de Garde, 10% abv
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.3% abv
Lindemans Framboise; Belgium, Lambic, 2.5% abv
La Bière du Boucanier Dark; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 9% abv
Moylan’s Dragoons Dry Irish Stout; Novato, California, Dry Stout, 5%
Guinness; Dublin, Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv
Blind Pig Brewery (the Piglet)
Blind Pig Porter, ABV 5%
Blind Pig Pale Ale, ABV 5%
Blind Pig Belgian Pale Ale, ABV 6.6%
Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux; Belgium, Saison, 9.5% abv
Veltins Pilsener; Germany, Classic German Pilsener, 4.8% abv
Arcadia Big Dicks Olde Ale; Battle Creek, Michigan, Old Ale, 8% abv
Ommegang Three Philosophers; Cooperstown, New York, Quadrupel, 9.8% abv
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout; Chicago, Illinois, Imperial Stout, 13% abv
Boulder Obovoid; Boulder, Colorado, Stout, 6.8% abv
Heilemans Old Style; Woodridge, Illinois, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Left Hand Warrior IPA; Longmont, Colorado, India Pale Ale, 6.8% abv
Kulmbacher Eisbock; Germany, Eisbock, 9.2% abv
Guinness; Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv
Sunday: 7-9 Trivia
Crane Alley
Bitburger Pilsner 4.9%
Dark Horse Scotty Karate 9.7%
Wexford Irish Cream Ale 5.0%
Bell's Rye Stout 6.7%
Three Floyds Pride & Joy 5.0%
Southern Tier Old Krampus 9.0%
Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper 10.5%
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weizen 5.4%
Guinness 4.2%
St Bernardus Pater 6 6.7%
Lost Abbey Gift Of The Magi 9.5%
Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter 5.9%
Pabst Blue Ribbon 4.7%
Two Brothers Domaine Du Page 5.9%
St Louis Framboise 4.5%
Left Hand Warrior IPA 6.8%
Coming Soon
Dogfish Head Chicory Stout 5.3%
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 13.0%
Mendocino Red Tail Ale 6.0%
Bells Java Stout 7.5%
Avery New World Porter 6.7%
Green Flash Le Freak
Avery Mephistopheles 16.8%
Dark Horse Raspberry Ale 4.5%
Green Flash Tripel
St Bernardus Prior 8 8.0%
Great Divide Hercules IPA 9.1%
Specials for the weekend of Feb 5
CHILI MAC - Large pasta shells with a 5 cheese bechamel topped with our famous chili
PORK LOIN - Grilled pork loin with roasted new potatoes, onions, bacon, and chipotle apple sauce
STEAMED MUSSELS - Prince Edward Island Mussels in a white wine broth with garlic, tomato, bell pepper, hearts of palm, and chili flake served in a bed of linguine
Monday: Two Brothers Brewing & Rubens Chocolates Tasting; $10, 6pm, tickets at the bar
Mike n' Molly's (with a tap listing, Mike n' Molly's moves up on the list)
On Tap (as of Jan 27):
Guinness
Harp
Ename Tripel
Great Divide Hibernation
North Coast Old Stock Ale
Strongbow
Dark Horse Plead the 5th
Miller High Life
Rogue Yellow Snow IPA
Left Hand Widdershins Oak Aged Barleywine.
Friday:Jet W. Lee, 10pm
Saturday: Chew Toy, 10pm
Sunday Kayla Brown, 7pm
Monday: Abe Froman Project, 9-10pm, free/ Rockstar Karaoke, 10-2, free
Wednesday: Bingo, 9:30-midnight, free
Black Dog Smoke and Ale House
New Holland Cabin Fever Brown
Schlafly Scotch
Green Flash Hop Head Red
Victory Storm King
Capital Island Wheat
North Coast Old No. 38 Stout
Cowboy Monkey
Friday: Webb Wilder, 8pm, $12
Saturday: The Duke of Uke, 10pm, $5
Tuesday: Open Mic, 10 pm
Wednesday: Salsa, 10pm
Thursday: S.Words/DJ Legtwo, 10pm, $5
Highdive
Friday: Mike Posner (2 shows) 7:30, $20 online only. 10pm SOLD OUT
Saturday: DJ Delayney $5, 10pm
Monday: 80's Night, 10pm, free
Tuesday: Open Mic Sessions, 9pm, $5
Canopy Club
Friday: Lucky Boys Confusion, 8pm. $12 in Advance.
Saturday: Zmick, 10pm. $5
Sunday: Fishing With Dynamite: An Evening of Sketch Comedy, 7pm, $5; Pizza Pitcher & a Movie, 4 pm SuperBowl, 10pm Vicky Christina Barcelona
Monday: One Dollar Wild Mondays with Jobu, $1 beer and well
Tuesday: Trivia Diner: Live Game Show/The Piano Man
Wednesday: Last DJ Standing
Thursday: Nomo, 9:30pm, $8 in Advance.
On the rotating taps:
Bells Best Brown Ale
Two Brothers Red Eye Porter
Wednesday: Whiskey Wednesday, half off Bourbon + Rye
Thursday: Beer Class, $10, 9:30pm
Radio Maria
Tap list as of 2/4
1. Allagash White $4
2. Schneider Weisse $6
3. Two Brothers Northwind Stout $5
4. Dark Horse Beat Your Wheat $5
5. Founders Backwoods Bastard $6
6. New Holland Cabin Fever $4
7. Founders Breakfast Stout $5
8. Victory Prima Pils $5
9. Scaldis Bush Ambree $6
10.Kulmbacher Eisbock $5
11.Ballast Pointe "Big Eye" IPA $4.5
12.Ballast Pointe Calico Amber Ale $5
13.St Bernardus Prior 8 $6
14.Victory Hop Devil IPA $4
15.Victory Golden Monkey $5
16.North Coast Old No. 38 Stout $4
17.Boulder Brewing Company Oak Aged Obovoid Oatmeal Stout $6
18.Goose Island Bourbon County Stout $7
19.Lost Abbey Angel's Share $7
20.Southern Tier Old Man Winter $4
21.Southern Tier Choklat $6
22.Bell's HopSlam $5
23.Original Sin Hard Cider $4
24.Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock $5
25.Uerige Sticke Alt $5
26.Weihenstepnaner Weissbier $6
27.PBR $2.25
Friday: Happy Hour 4:30 - 5:30, Unibroue La Terrible for $6. DJ at 10, $3 Smirnoff drinks.
Saturday: $3 Bacardi and $6 Bacardi Mojitos, Salsa Night at 10.
Sunday: $2 wells, $1.25 PBR
Monday: 25% off bottles of wine; Board Game Monday (they just got Rummikub!!!)
Tuesday: 1/2 price wine by the glass
Wednesday: $1 off all beers on draft; Trivia Night; 11pm with MC Juice
Thursday: $1 off house specialty cocktails
Valentines Weekend Tasting Menu, Sat Feb 13; Sun Feb 14.
-$50-
-$65 with wine pairings-
-$85 with premium wine pairings-
1st
Shrimp Ceviche, Avocado, Popcorn
Tempura Cauliflower, Artichoke Puree, Pomegranate Molasses
2nd
Bacon Risotto, Fried Quail Egg, Lemon
Shiitake Mushroom Crepe, Parsnip Sauce, White Truffle Oil, Pistachio
3rd
Seared Dived Scallop, Filet Medallion,
White Truffled Potato Cake, Serrano Ham
Smoked Tofu, Quinoa Risotto, Roasted Vegetables
4th
Frangelico Dark Chocolate Mouse, White Chocolate Espuma
Limoncello Gelee, Basil Panna Cotta
Blind Pig
Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout; Kalamazoo, Michigan, Stout, 6% abv
Bell’s Expedition Stout; Kalamazoo, Michigan, Imperial Stout, 10.5% abv
Original Sin Hard Cider; New York, New York, Cider, 6% abv
Bell’s Cherry Stout; Kalamazoo, Michigan, Sweet Stout, 7% abv
Bell’s Java Stout; Kalamazoo, Michigan, Stout, 7.5% abv
Unibroue La Terrible; Canada, Belgian Strong Ale, 10.5%
Moylan’s Harvest IPA; Novato, California, India Pale Ale, 6.8% abv
Arcadia Cereal Killer; Battle Creek, Michigan, Barleywine, 9% abv
Fullers London Pride; England, Premium Bitter, 4.7% abv
Delirium Tremens; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 8.5% abv
Blue Moon; Golden, Colorado, Belgian White, 5.4% abv
Krusovice Imperial 12° Bohemian; Pilsener, Czech Republic, 5% abv
Stella Artois; Belgium, Pale Lager, 5.2% abv
Pabst Blue Ribbon; San Antonio, Texas, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Rogue John John; Newport, Oregon, Heller Bock
Kostritzer; Germany, Schwarzbier, 4.8% abv
Duchesse De Bourgogne; Belgium, Sour Ale, 6.2%
Lagunitas IPA; Petaluma, California, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv
Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi; San Marcos, CA, Bière de Garde, 10% abv
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.3% abv
Lindemans Framboise; Belgium, Lambic, 2.5% abv
La Bière du Boucanier Dark; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 9% abv
Moylan’s Dragoons Dry Irish Stout; Novato, California, Dry Stout, 5%
Guinness; Dublin, Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv
Blind Pig Brewery (the Piglet)
Blind Pig Porter, ABV 5%
Blind Pig Pale Ale, ABV 5%
Blind Pig Belgian Pale Ale, ABV 6.6%
Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux; Belgium, Saison, 9.5% abv
Veltins Pilsener; Germany, Classic German Pilsener, 4.8% abv
Arcadia Big Dicks Olde Ale; Battle Creek, Michigan, Old Ale, 8% abv
Ommegang Three Philosophers; Cooperstown, New York, Quadrupel, 9.8% abv
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout; Chicago, Illinois, Imperial Stout, 13% abv
Boulder Obovoid; Boulder, Colorado, Stout, 6.8% abv
Heilemans Old Style; Woodridge, Illinois, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Left Hand Warrior IPA; Longmont, Colorado, India Pale Ale, 6.8% abv
Kulmbacher Eisbock; Germany, Eisbock, 9.2% abv
Guinness; Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv
Sunday: 7-9 Trivia
Crane Alley
Bitburger Pilsner 4.9%
Dark Horse Scotty Karate 9.7%
Wexford Irish Cream Ale 5.0%
Bell's Rye Stout 6.7%
Three Floyds Pride & Joy 5.0%
Southern Tier Old Krampus 9.0%
Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper 10.5%
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weizen 5.4%
Guinness 4.2%
St Bernardus Pater 6 6.7%
Lost Abbey Gift Of The Magi 9.5%
Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter 5.9%
Pabst Blue Ribbon 4.7%
Two Brothers Domaine Du Page 5.9%
St Louis Framboise 4.5%
Left Hand Warrior IPA 6.8%
Coming Soon
Dogfish Head Chicory Stout 5.3%
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 13.0%
Mendocino Red Tail Ale 6.0%
Bells Java Stout 7.5%
Avery New World Porter 6.7%
Green Flash Le Freak
Avery Mephistopheles 16.8%
Dark Horse Raspberry Ale 4.5%
Green Flash Tripel
St Bernardus Prior 8 8.0%
Great Divide Hercules IPA 9.1%
Specials for the weekend of Feb 5
CHILI MAC - Large pasta shells with a 5 cheese bechamel topped with our famous chili
PORK LOIN - Grilled pork loin with roasted new potatoes, onions, bacon, and chipotle apple sauce
STEAMED MUSSELS - Prince Edward Island Mussels in a white wine broth with garlic, tomato, bell pepper, hearts of palm, and chili flake served in a bed of linguine
Monday: Two Brothers Brewing & Rubens Chocolates Tasting; $10, 6pm, tickets at the bar
Mike n' Molly's (with a tap listing, Mike n' Molly's moves up on the list)
On Tap (as of Jan 27):
Guinness
Harp
Ename Tripel
Great Divide Hibernation
North Coast Old Stock Ale
Strongbow
Dark Horse Plead the 5th
Miller High Life
Rogue Yellow Snow IPA
Left Hand Widdershins Oak Aged Barleywine.
Friday:Jet W. Lee, 10pm
Saturday: Chew Toy, 10pm
Sunday Kayla Brown, 7pm
Monday: Abe Froman Project, 9-10pm, free/ Rockstar Karaoke, 10-2, free
Wednesday: Bingo, 9:30-midnight, free
Black Dog Smoke and Ale House
New Holland Cabin Fever Brown
Schlafly Scotch
Green Flash Hop Head Red
Victory Storm King
Capital Island Wheat
North Coast Old No. 38 Stout
Cowboy Monkey
Friday: Webb Wilder, 8pm, $12
Saturday: The Duke of Uke, 10pm, $5
Tuesday: Open Mic, 10 pm
Wednesday: Salsa, 10pm
Thursday: S.Words/DJ Legtwo, 10pm, $5
Highdive
Friday: Mike Posner (2 shows) 7:30, $20 online only. 10pm SOLD OUT
Saturday: DJ Delayney $5, 10pm
Monday: 80's Night, 10pm, free
Tuesday: Open Mic Sessions, 9pm, $5
Canopy Club
Friday: Lucky Boys Confusion, 8pm. $12 in Advance.
Saturday: Zmick, 10pm. $5
Sunday: Fishing With Dynamite: An Evening of Sketch Comedy, 7pm, $5; Pizza Pitcher & a Movie, 4 pm SuperBowl, 10pm Vicky Christina Barcelona
Monday: One Dollar Wild Mondays with Jobu, $1 beer and well
Tuesday: Trivia Diner: Live Game Show/The Piano Man
Wednesday: Last DJ Standing
Thursday: Nomo, 9:30pm, $8 in Advance.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Barleywine Night, BW3
Saturday, January 30 was Barleywine Night #3 at Scott's Bar, in the basement of Scott's house (no the other Scott).
If you couldn't make it, this is what you missed.
(in no particular order)
New Holland Pilgrim's Dole
New Glarus Iced Barleywine
Nogne 0 #100 Barleywine
Southern Tier Back Burner
Midnight Sun Arctic Devil
Three Floyds Behemoth
Sprecher Barleywine
Brooklyn Monster Ale '04
Brooklyn Monster Ale '05
Dogfish Head Olde School
Hooker Old Marley
Dark Horse 3 Guys
Duck Rabbit Barleywine
Tyranena Spank Me Baby
Terraping Gamma Ray
Shipyard Barleywine
Nils Oscar Swedish Barleywine
Ancho Old Foghorn
Smuttynose Barleywine
Upland Winter Warmer
Central Waters Kosmic Charlies Catastrophe
Stone Old Guardian '07
Bells Batch 6000
Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Barleywine
Avery Old Jubilation
Weyerbacher 14
Bells Third Coast
When I left, these were the bottles that were unopened.
Stone Old Guardian '09
Fish Leviathan
Dominion Millenium
Great Divide Old Ruffian
Hair of the Dog Fred
Moylans Old Blarney
Lagunitas GnarlyWine
Yes, several of those are wheatwines and not barleywines. But still, the concept was there. It didn't take much to get a full feel of these beers.
If you missed it, you missed a good time.
By the way, there were only about a dozen people there, so there was more than enough to go around.
If you couldn't make it, this is what you missed.
(in no particular order)
New Holland Pilgrim's Dole
New Glarus Iced Barleywine
Nogne 0 #100 Barleywine
Southern Tier Back Burner
Midnight Sun Arctic Devil
Three Floyds Behemoth
Sprecher Barleywine
Brooklyn Monster Ale '04
Brooklyn Monster Ale '05
Dogfish Head Olde School
Hooker Old Marley
Dark Horse 3 Guys
Duck Rabbit Barleywine
Tyranena Spank Me Baby
Terraping Gamma Ray
Shipyard Barleywine
Nils Oscar Swedish Barleywine
Ancho Old Foghorn
Smuttynose Barleywine
Upland Winter Warmer
Central Waters Kosmic Charlies Catastrophe
Stone Old Guardian '07
Bells Batch 6000
Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Barleywine
Avery Old Jubilation
Weyerbacher 14
Bells Third Coast
When I left, these were the bottles that were unopened.
Stone Old Guardian '09
Fish Leviathan
Dominion Millenium
Great Divide Old Ruffian
Hair of the Dog Fred
Moylans Old Blarney
Lagunitas GnarlyWine
Yes, several of those are wheatwines and not barleywines. But still, the concept was there. It didn't take much to get a full feel of these beers.
If you missed it, you missed a good time.
By the way, there were only about a dozen people there, so there was more than enough to go around.
Beer Review, Lost Abbey The Angel's Share
Back in January, at a Happy Hour at Radio Maria, I ordered a Lost Abbey The Angel's Share.
The beer was (and is) available on draft. At Radio, it is served in a snifter (6-8 oz). When it was on tap across the street at Blind Pig it was served in a tulip.
The brewery calls the beer an American Strong Ale. It comes in at 12.5% ABV, so you don't need much more than a snifter of it.
The beer was black, almost like a stout. Why this was an American Strong Ale and not a stout is probably up for debate. Oh, according to Beer Advocate, American Strong Ale is a category for beers that don't really fit into any other category, except are above 7%.
So, this black, not a stout, was relatively flat. There was no head, and no bubbles whatsoever. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It didn't feel flat, it just wasn't bubbly. Previous years bottles of this have been flat. It smelled syrupy. If syrup has a smell. Otherwise, you could describe it as very sweet smelling, almost sugary. I thought it smelled similar to a Sam Adams Utopias. It felt thick and coaty. It was very sticky on the lips. It felt like syrup as well. (Syrup will be a recurring theme).
It tasted like... wait for it... syrup. That wasn't a bad thing. How do you describe the taste of syrup? It was mapley, and sugary. There was a bit of chocolate, also some coffee and raisin flavors. I didn't get any vanilla flavors or anything else that I would expect to pick up from the oak.
So, how was it? Awesome. Would I have this again? To quote Sarah Palin, You betcha!
At Radio Maria, this beer will cost you $7. If you go on Wednesday, it's $1 off.
If you would like to have a bottle of this, you can get one at the Blind Pig Brewery. It should still be available at Friar Tucks. A 22 ounce bottle will cost around $30, so don't be too shocked by the price. It rarely happens, but it's actually cheaper to drink this beer in a bar. A 6 ounce glass for $7; four of them would be 24 ounces at $28. Which would be 2 ounces more, for $2 less. (Wednesday at RM, with the $1 off, it'd only be $24. )
This isn't a once in a lifetime beer, you will be able to get it again. Yes, it's expensive, but it's well worth it. If you can only get it in a bottle, try to find some friends to share it with.
It is assumed this beer will age well. If you are going to get a bottle, consider getting two, one for now, one for later.
The beer was (and is) available on draft. At Radio, it is served in a snifter (6-8 oz). When it was on tap across the street at Blind Pig it was served in a tulip.The brewery calls the beer an American Strong Ale. It comes in at 12.5% ABV, so you don't need much more than a snifter of it.
The beer was black, almost like a stout. Why this was an American Strong Ale and not a stout is probably up for debate. Oh, according to Beer Advocate, American Strong Ale is a category for beers that don't really fit into any other category, except are above 7%.
So, this black, not a stout, was relatively flat. There was no head, and no bubbles whatsoever. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It didn't feel flat, it just wasn't bubbly. Previous years bottles of this have been flat. It smelled syrupy. If syrup has a smell. Otherwise, you could describe it as very sweet smelling, almost sugary. I thought it smelled similar to a Sam Adams Utopias. It felt thick and coaty. It was very sticky on the lips. It felt like syrup as well. (Syrup will be a recurring theme).
It tasted like... wait for it... syrup. That wasn't a bad thing. How do you describe the taste of syrup? It was mapley, and sugary. There was a bit of chocolate, also some coffee and raisin flavors. I didn't get any vanilla flavors or anything else that I would expect to pick up from the oak.
So, how was it? Awesome. Would I have this again? To quote Sarah Palin, You betcha!
At Radio Maria, this beer will cost you $7. If you go on Wednesday, it's $1 off.
If you would like to have a bottle of this, you can get one at the Blind Pig Brewery. It should still be available at Friar Tucks. A 22 ounce bottle will cost around $30, so don't be too shocked by the price. It rarely happens, but it's actually cheaper to drink this beer in a bar. A 6 ounce glass for $7; four of them would be 24 ounces at $28. Which would be 2 ounces more, for $2 less. (Wednesday at RM, with the $1 off, it'd only be $24. )
This isn't a once in a lifetime beer, you will be able to get it again. Yes, it's expensive, but it's well worth it. If you can only get it in a bottle, try to find some friends to share it with.
It is assumed this beer will age well. If you are going to get a bottle, consider getting two, one for now, one for later.
Monday, February 1, 2010
How To Sample Beer
So, you've managed to score an invite to a beer tasting; or you are going to a beer class (at 7 Saints, Thursday nights, 9:30pm, $10); or you are going to the Champaign Urbana Beer Club monthly meeting (third Wednesday of each month, 6:30, Crane Alley), and you are going to try some beers; good for you. How do you sample those beers? How do you ensure that you get invited back?
Let's say (for example) it's a Beer Club meeting at Crane Alley (doesn't matter the month), all the beers are lined up, and the bottles are being opened. You brought your share of beer (24-36 ounces) and now you are ready to start tasting.
The first thing you should do is get a sampler glass. Do not drink out of a pint glass. Do not drink out of a tulip. Do not drink out of any glass other than the sampler glasses. If there are no sampler glasses around, get the smallest glass you can find, preferably larger than a shot glass, rocks glasses work well too. You will want to drink from a glass that only holds about 2-5 ounces.
A regular small beer bottle holds about 12 oz. A bomber holds 22. Growlers can vary, as can flip-top (grolsch style) bottles. Figure out how many people are going to be at the tasting. If there is only one bottle (12oz) of a particular beer, that beer should be able to make it around so everyone gets a taste. If there are more than 12 people at the tasting, you get less than an ounce. Larger bottles and multiples of the same can allow for a more generous pour, regardless, you will only want to pour about an ounce of beer. If you take more than your share of a beer, people will start to not like you. If you routinely do it, you will probably be asked to not return.
In addition to the "more than your share" reason for taking less than an ounce, there are other reasons why you shouldn't take ... more than your share. If it's a beer you've never had before, there is a chance you won't like it. If you don't like it, and you took a "heavy" pour, then you have taken that beer from someone else. That person may like it.
At the last beer club in January, someone brought New Glarus Unplugged Old English Porter. This beer didn't taste like an American porter, it was slightly tart. There were people at the tasting who didn't like this beer. It came in a 12 ounce bottle, there was only 1 bottle, there were more than a dozen people there. If you took more than an ounce, then someone probably didn't get to try it. If you took more than an ounce, and didn't like it, then most of that was wasted, AND you didn't let someone else try it, who might have liked it.
So, that covers the selfish reasons for only taking an ounce. Don't be selfish, we beer drinkers are a happy community, lets keep it that way.
There are other important reasons why you should use a sampler, or smaller glass.
There are five things that people look for when reviewing beer:
1. Appearance, what does it look like. You don't need a lot of beer in a glass to determine what it looks like.
2. Aroma/smell, what does it smell like. You will often see beer "snobs" with their nose in a glass. This is a reason you will want to use a smaller glass. If you only have an ounce of beer in a 16 ounce glass, the aromas will be diluted with the other 15 ounces (volume) of air. A smaller glass will hold the aromas better, 1 ounce of beer, 2-4 ounces (volume) of air.
3. Mouthfeel. How does the beer feel? Is it thick, thin, chalky, drying? You don't need a lot of beer to get the feel. A tiny sip will tell you all you need.
4. Taste. What does it taste like? Again, you don't need a lot to tell you the flavors. If you want to taste a piece of steak, you don't shove a piece as big as you can chew into your mouth, you take a small amount.
5. Overall impression. (Beer Advocate says Drinkability) Did you like it? Would you have it again? Was it all that you hoped for? A beer can be great, outstanding, truly spectacular, and not live up to your expectations. Conversely, a beer can be utterly horrible, and be better than you expected.
None of the five criteria for reviewing beer requires a lot of beer. There is no standard amount of beer that you have to consume to prove that you've had a beer. I used to think I had to have 4 ounces of a beer to claim that I "had the beer". But if a beer is truly terrible, I don't need more than a sip or two to confirm it. I want to share that misery with as many people as possible.
Remember the small glass? There are other reasons why you should use a small glass. If you are using a pint glass, it is not
obvious how much beer you are putting into your glass. It takes more beer to cover the bottom of the glass. An inch of beer in the bottom a glass like the one to the right, will give about an ounce. An ounce of beer in a normal pint glass will barely cover the bottom.
As you drink more and more beer, there is a chance you will start to get tipsy. As you are filling up a small glass, you can see that it fills up quickly, so you stop. If you do a "heavy" pour on a small glass, you are only taking an extra ounce, and you know that you took a "heavy" pour. If you put an inch of beer in the bottom of a pint glass, you have taken more than twice your share. You also probably didn't even realize you were taking more.
At DarkLord Day last year, I had a buddy who took a glass with him. The week before, he had lunch at Fat Sandwich, and they gave him a plastic mug. I believe the mug held a liter. He took that mug with him to DarkLord Day. He took that mug into the sampling tent. He doesn't know why he got drunk so quick, when all he did was pour beer into it until it covered the bottom of the glass. Each time he tasted a beer, he got about 5 ounces of beer. He was very rude that day. Not only did he get really drunk, but he also took more than his share of sampling beer. The drunker he got, the more he poured into the glass to a point where he could see that he had beer in it. He didn't start out his day intending to take more than his share, but he ended it that way.
Additionally, you are not entitled to more than your share of any one beer. Even if you brought the beer, you brought it for everyone, not so that everyone could watch you drink it. If you wanted it all to yourself, you should have left it at home. The uniqueness of your beer doesn't entitle you to more of another beer.
If everyone tastes the beer sparingly at first, then after everyone has had a taste, it's time to kill off those soldiers. Just because everyone has tried the beer, doesn't mean you now get to fill a pint glass though. You can refill your small glass, and enjoy the beer some more. Don't chug the beer for the sake of killing the bottle, someone else will spend the time savoring it.
Some other points to note.
Don't dump a beer out that you don't like before asking if someone else would like it.
If you dump a beer, rinse your glass. You want to remove as much of the taste you didn't like as possible. Don't ruin your next beer by having it taste like the previous one.
If you dump a beer, rinse your mouth. After you rinse your glass, drink some water. You will still have some of the previous beer in your mouth, water will help get rid of it. Don't ruin your next beer by having it taste like the previous one.
Don't feel bad about rinsing your glass often. It is acceptable to rinse it after every sample. Don't feel bad about drinking water.
I think that about covers it, to sum up:
1. Use a sampler glass, don't use a full size glass.
2. Don't take more than your share.
3. Don't dump without seeing if someone else wants it. (The more you wash your glass, the less likely someone will be to refuse taking your leftovers)
4. Rinse your glass often.
5. Drink water, rinse your mouth.
Let's say (for example) it's a Beer Club meeting at Crane Alley (doesn't matter the month), all the beers are lined up, and the bottles are being opened. You brought your share of beer (24-36 ounces) and now you are ready to start tasting.
The first thing you should do is get a sampler glass. Do not drink out of a pint glass. Do not drink out of a tulip. Do not drink out of any glass other than the sampler glasses. If there are no sampler glasses around, get the smallest glass you can find, preferably larger than a shot glass, rocks glasses work well too. You will want to drink from a glass that only holds about 2-5 ounces.
A regular small beer bottle holds about 12 oz. A bomber holds 22. Growlers can vary, as can flip-top (grolsch style) bottles. Figure out how many people are going to be at the tasting. If there is only one bottle (12oz) of a particular beer, that beer should be able to make it around so everyone gets a taste. If there are more than 12 people at the tasting, you get less than an ounce. Larger bottles and multiples of the same can allow for a more generous pour, regardless, you will only want to pour about an ounce of beer. If you take more than your share of a beer, people will start to not like you. If you routinely do it, you will probably be asked to not return.
In addition to the "more than your share" reason for taking less than an ounce, there are other reasons why you shouldn't take ... more than your share. If it's a beer you've never had before, there is a chance you won't like it. If you don't like it, and you took a "heavy" pour, then you have taken that beer from someone else. That person may like it.
At the last beer club in January, someone brought New Glarus Unplugged Old English Porter. This beer didn't taste like an American porter, it was slightly tart. There were people at the tasting who didn't like this beer. It came in a 12 ounce bottle, there was only 1 bottle, there were more than a dozen people there. If you took more than an ounce, then someone probably didn't get to try it. If you took more than an ounce, and didn't like it, then most of that was wasted, AND you didn't let someone else try it, who might have liked it.
So, that covers the selfish reasons for only taking an ounce. Don't be selfish, we beer drinkers are a happy community, lets keep it that way.
There are other important reasons why you should use a sampler, or smaller glass.
There are five things that people look for when reviewing beer:
1. Appearance, what does it look like. You don't need a lot of beer in a glass to determine what it looks like.
2. Aroma/smell, what does it smell like. You will often see beer "snobs" with their nose in a glass. This is a reason you will want to use a smaller glass. If you only have an ounce of beer in a 16 ounce glass, the aromas will be diluted with the other 15 ounces (volume) of air. A smaller glass will hold the aromas better, 1 ounce of beer, 2-4 ounces (volume) of air.
3. Mouthfeel. How does the beer feel? Is it thick, thin, chalky, drying? You don't need a lot of beer to get the feel. A tiny sip will tell you all you need.
4. Taste. What does it taste like? Again, you don't need a lot to tell you the flavors. If you want to taste a piece of steak, you don't shove a piece as big as you can chew into your mouth, you take a small amount.
5. Overall impression. (Beer Advocate says Drinkability) Did you like it? Would you have it again? Was it all that you hoped for? A beer can be great, outstanding, truly spectacular, and not live up to your expectations. Conversely, a beer can be utterly horrible, and be better than you expected.
None of the five criteria for reviewing beer requires a lot of beer. There is no standard amount of beer that you have to consume to prove that you've had a beer. I used to think I had to have 4 ounces of a beer to claim that I "had the beer". But if a beer is truly terrible, I don't need more than a sip or two to confirm it. I want to share that misery with as many people as possible.
Remember the small glass? There are other reasons why you should use a small glass. If you are using a pint glass, it is not
obvious how much beer you are putting into your glass. It takes more beer to cover the bottom of the glass. An inch of beer in the bottom a glass like the one to the right, will give about an ounce. An ounce of beer in a normal pint glass will barely cover the bottom.As you drink more and more beer, there is a chance you will start to get tipsy. As you are filling up a small glass, you can see that it fills up quickly, so you stop. If you do a "heavy" pour on a small glass, you are only taking an extra ounce, and you know that you took a "heavy" pour. If you put an inch of beer in the bottom of a pint glass, you have taken more than twice your share. You also probably didn't even realize you were taking more.
At DarkLord Day last year, I had a buddy who took a glass with him. The week before, he had lunch at Fat Sandwich, and they gave him a plastic mug. I believe the mug held a liter. He took that mug with him to DarkLord Day. He took that mug into the sampling tent. He doesn't know why he got drunk so quick, when all he did was pour beer into it until it covered the bottom of the glass. Each time he tasted a beer, he got about 5 ounces of beer. He was very rude that day. Not only did he get really drunk, but he also took more than his share of sampling beer. The drunker he got, the more he poured into the glass to a point where he could see that he had beer in it. He didn't start out his day intending to take more than his share, but he ended it that way.
Additionally, you are not entitled to more than your share of any one beer. Even if you brought the beer, you brought it for everyone, not so that everyone could watch you drink it. If you wanted it all to yourself, you should have left it at home. The uniqueness of your beer doesn't entitle you to more of another beer.
If everyone tastes the beer sparingly at first, then after everyone has had a taste, it's time to kill off those soldiers. Just because everyone has tried the beer, doesn't mean you now get to fill a pint glass though. You can refill your small glass, and enjoy the beer some more. Don't chug the beer for the sake of killing the bottle, someone else will spend the time savoring it.
Some other points to note.
Don't dump a beer out that you don't like before asking if someone else would like it.
If you dump a beer, rinse your glass. You want to remove as much of the taste you didn't like as possible. Don't ruin your next beer by having it taste like the previous one.
If you dump a beer, rinse your mouth. After you rinse your glass, drink some water. You will still have some of the previous beer in your mouth, water will help get rid of it. Don't ruin your next beer by having it taste like the previous one.
Don't feel bad about rinsing your glass often. It is acceptable to rinse it after every sample. Don't feel bad about drinking water.
I think that about covers it, to sum up:
1. Use a sampler glass, don't use a full size glass.
2. Don't take more than your share.
3. Don't dump without seeing if someone else wants it. (The more you wash your glass, the less likely someone will be to refuse taking your leftovers)
4. Rinse your glass often.
5. Drink water, rinse your mouth.
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