CU Fall Softball Information

The two main places to play softball in CU have gotten their information out for Fallball.

Champaign Park District

If you need information for Champaign Park District, call Joe at 398-2571 or email joe.kearfott@cparkdistrict.com

Fall Leagues	Day	Dates	Team Fee	Max Teams	Class ID
Men's Tuesday Doubleheader	Tu	8/31-11/2	$370*	16	242003-B1
Men's Wednesday Doubleheader	W	9/1-11/3	$370*	16	242003-B2
Men's Thursday Single Header	Th	9/2-11/4	$260*	16	242003-B3
Women's	Th	9/2-11/4	$260*	8	242003-B4
11"/12" Co-Rec	M	8/30-11/1	$260*	32	242003-B5

Poboys

If you need information for Po' Boys, send an email to poboyssoftball@hotmail.com.

League entry deadline is August 31.

Men’s Day Dates # Games $ Fee

Men’s Rec SH – 1 ump/3HR Sunday 9/12-10/17* 6 $ 280**

Men’s Rec DH – 1 ump/3 HR Tuesday 9/14-10/19* 12 $ 360**

Men’s Rec DH – 1ump/3 HR Wednesday 9/15-10/20* 12 $ 360**

Men’s Rec DH – 1ump/2HR Friday 9/17-10/22* 12 $ 360**

Co-Rec Day Dates # Games $ Fee

Co-Rec SH – 1ump/3HR Sunday 9/12-10/17* 6 $ 280**

Co-Rec SH – 1ump/3HR Wednesday 9/15-10/20* 6 $ 280**

There is a $30 discount if fees are paid by August 15.

CU Beer Weekend; July 30

Is anything big going on this weekend? The fair ends tomorrow. Great Taste of the Midwest is in two weeks. Bloomington's Bruegala (a festival of beer) is August 27-28. Urbana Beer and Chili is September 25. So, take this weekend off, relax locally, go to a bar, and have a beer... that was a lot of commas.

Seven Saints

Founders Cerise
Bell's Oberon

Wednesday: Whiskey Wednesday, Scotch

Radio Maria

Draft Beers as of 07/23/10

1. Founders Cerise $4
2. Southern Tier Heavy Weizen $6
3. Goose Island Pere Jacques $6
4. Bells HopSlam IPA $5
5. Arcadia HopMouth $5
6. Arcadia Scotch Ale $4
7. Founders Breakfast Stout $5
8. Flying Dog In Heat Wheat $4
9. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout $8
10.Jolly Pumpkin, Langanara, the Firefly $8
11.Two Brothers Dog Days Lager $4.5
12.Left Hand Chainsaw $4
13.Delirium Dark Brown $6
14.Ballast Point Sculpin IPA $6
15.Brasserie Blanche de Bruxelles $5
16.Guinness $4
17.Left Hand Milk Stout $4
18.Two Brothers Hoppy Public Domaine $4.5
19.Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout $5
20.Lost Abbey Angel's Share $7
21.Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale $4
22.Southern Tier Gemini $6
23.Victory Prima Pils $4.5
24.Dark Horse Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock $5
25.Port Older Viscosity $7
26.Weihenstephaner Weissbeir $5
27.PBR $2.25

Friday: Happy Hour with free appetizers 4:30 - 5:30; beer special, Founders Cerise, $3 a tulip; DJ at 10pm
Saturday: $6 John Daly's, Salsa Night at 10.
Sunday: $2 wells, $1.25 PBR
Monday: 25% off bottles of wine; Board Game Monday; Softball Beer Specials
Tuesday: 1/2 price wine by the glass
Wednesday: $1 off all beers on draft; Frankly Wednesdays: All Frank Sinatra and Rat Pack every Wednesday late night
Thursday:$5 Mojitos, Caipirinhas, and Brazilian Cosmos; Open Decks: local dj's perform.

August 21: Radio Maria Art Fair, 10am, showcasing local artists, running the same as the Downtown Festival of the Arts.

September 20: Goose Island Beer Dinner, 6pm, $50, 4 courses 5 beers including a vertical of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

October 3: German Wine Dinner, 6pm

Blind Pig

Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca; Dexter, Michigan, Belgian White, 4.8% abv
Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza; Dexter, Michigan, Belgian Strong Ale, 8% abv
Monk’s Cafe; Belgium, Sour Ale, 5.5% abv
Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga (The Firefly); Dexter, MI, Belgian Ale, 6.5% abv
Founders Devil Dancer; Grand Rapids, Michigan, Triple IPA, 12% abv
Unibroue La Terrible; Canada, Belgian Strong Ale, 10.5% abv
New Holland Imperial Hatter; Holland, Michigan, Imperial IPA, 9.4% abv
Southern Tier Farmer’s Tan; Lakewood, New York, Strong Pale Lager, 9% abv
Fuller’s 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
Goose Island Matilda; Chicago, Illinois, Belgian Ale, 7% abv
Stella Artois; Belgium, Pale Lager, 5.2% abv
Pabst Blue Ribbon; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Rogue OREgasmic; Newport, Oregon, American Pale Ale, 7%
Dark Horse Pam’s Kitchen; Marshall, Michigan, Wheat Ale, 6.5% abv
Avery Samael’s Oak-Aged Ale; Boulder, Colorado, Barley Wine, 15.53%
Lagunitas IPA; Petaluma, California, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv
Victory Prima Pils; Downington, Pennsylvania, Pilsener, 5.3%
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.3% abv
Two Brothers Long Haul; Warrenville, Illinois, Mild Ale, 4.2% abv
Lindeman’s Peche; Belgium, Lambic, 2.5% abv
Old Speckled Hen; England, Premium Bitter, 5.2%
Guinness; Dublin, Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Blind Pig Brewery (the Piglet)

Blind Pig Hard Cider
Blind Pig Weizenbock
Blind Pig Barley Wine
Schlafly Kölsch; Maplewood, Missouri, Kölsch, 4.8% abv
Founder’s Cerise; Grand Rapids, Michigan, Fruit Beer, 6.5% abv
Rogue Chipotle; Newport, Oregon, Spice Ale, 5.5% abv
Wychwood Hobgoblin; England, Premium Bitter, 5.2% abv
Two Brother’s Oaked Domaine Dupage; Illinois, Biere de Garde, 5.9% abv
Two Brother’s Dog Days Lager; Warrenville, Illinois, Dortmunder, 4.9% abv
Flying Dog In Heat Wheat; Frederick, MD, German Hefeweizen, 4.7% abv
Two Brothers Hop Juice; Warrenville, Illinois, Imperial IPA, 9.9%
Cuvee de Trolls; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 7% abv
Guinness; Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Sunday: Trivia Night; 7-9pm, win gift cards

Crane Alley

PBR 4.7%
Guinness 4.2%
New Holland Imperial Mad Hatter 9.4%
Mikkeller Nelson Sauvin Single Hop IPA 6.9%
Van Diest Fruli Strawberry Bier 4.1$
Mikkeller Black Hole Imperial Stout 13.1%
Two Brothers Hoppy Public Domaine
Left Hand Polestar Pilsner 5.0%
Founders Porter 6.5%
Big Sky Moose Drool Brown Ale 5.3%
Bells Amber Ale 6.0%
Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA 7.1%
Flying Dog In Heat Wheat Hefe Weizen 4.7%
Port Brewing S.P.A. 5.4%
Cuvee Des Trolls 7.0%
Bells Oberon 6.0%

Black Dog Smoke and Ale House

Scrimshaw Pilsner
Green Flash Le Freak Belgian IPA
Schlafly APA
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
Avery Maharaja
North Coast Old #38 Stout

Champaign Urbana Beer Club

Tuesday: Happy hour at Mike n' Molly's, 6pm (or sooner)

local news; Car Break-Ins Increase in Champaign

From WCIA 3 CBS, Illinoishomepage.net

Car Break-Ins Increase in Champaign

Champaign Police want you to be on the look out for someone who's been breaking into cars.

In the last few weeks it's happened several times, most in broad daylight.

The majority of these break-ins are in public parking lots and the culprit is using bricks to break a window out.

It’s happened at several businesses in town since July 10-th.

Valuables were stolen out of the car and in some cases the thief went through the glove box.

Cash, credit cards, I-pods, wallets, even a phone charger was stolen.

So far no one has been arrested for these break-ins.

Champaign police are still investigating.

Locally the problem seems to be centered on Champaign.

We called Urbana police department.

Officers tell me they are not seeing the same problem there.

Andy's car was broken into. So if you know who did this, turn them in. If you did this...

Bars in the news; Police seek help in Villa Grove tavern burglary

From the News-Gazette.

Police seek help in Villa Grove tavern burglary

VILLA GROVE – The Villa Grove Police want the public's help in solving a burglary at the Four Way Stop Tavern in Villa Grove.

After closing Sunday and before 10 a.m. Monday, someone broke the glass on the main entrance door and entered the business at 102 E. Harrison St.

The intruder broke in a safe and took an undisclosed amount of cash. Also stolen were three or four one-liter bottles of Crown Royal whiskey and six bottles of Canadian Club whiskey.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-280-8316 or the Villa Grove Police at 217-832-2511.

Callers may remain anonymous and do not have to give their name. Information leading to an arrest in this case or any felony case may be eligible for a cash reward.

Crown and Canadian Club.

Virgin Beer Night at the Blind Pig

Tonight, the Blind Pig will be tapping four beers they haven't had on before.

Founder's Devil Dancer Triple IPA
Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca
Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza
Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga (the Firefly)

If you haven't had many Jolly Pumpkin beers before, it's probably because they normally come in 750 ml bottles. Them being on tap is a relatively new experience.

This is the writeup of their beers from the Jolly Pumpkin site.

Calabaza Blanca- Aged in large oak casks and refermented in the bottle, Calabaza Blanca is a Belgian Biere Blanche. Spiced with orange peel and corriander, you'll find it refreshingly tart, with a wonderfully dry finish. 4.8% ABV

Oro de Calabaza- Brewed in the Franco-Belgian tradition of strong golden ales. Spicy and peppery with a gentle hop bouquet and the beguiling influence of wild yeast. 8% ABV

Luciernaga "the Firefly"- An artisan pale ale brewed in the Grand Cru tradition. Enjoy its golden effervescence and gentle hop aroma. Coriander and Grains of Paradise round out the spicy palate, melting o so softly into a silken finish of hoppiness and bliss! Make any season a celebration!

Currently, the only one of those you can find anywhere else in CU is Luciernaga, and that's across the street at Radio Maria.

Bottles of Devil Dancer are all around town, the only other place I recall it being on tap recently was at Crane Alley. Having that beer on draft is quite a treat.

From Founders website.

Devil Dancer- When you dance with the Devil the Devil don’t change. You do. Massive in complexity, the huge malt character balances the insane amount of alphas used to create it. At an incredible 112 IBU’s it’s dry-hopped with a combination of ten hop varieties. This one can age with the best of them.

(If you want to do an experiment, try the Luciernaga at Blind Pig, then run across the street to Radio Maria to see if there's a difference.)

Alcohol in the news: Brewer claims world's strongest beer

From Reuters/yahoo

Brewer claims world's strongest beer

The Brewdog record of 55% alcohol didn't last long.

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – A Dutch brewer with a penchant for competition has laid claim to creating the world's strongest brew: a beer that is some 60 percent alcohol by volume.

The brewery is 't Koelschip (the Refrigerated Ship). Their beer is named "Start the Future" apparently a jab at Brewdog's "The End of History".

Here's their site translated by google.

They don't seem to have a way to order the beer online.

Alcohol in the news: Spanish White Wine

From WCIA 3 CBS Morning Show, Illinoishomepage.net

Spanish White Wine

Nick Bland, from the Corkscrew Wine Emporium talks about white wine.

The Corkscrew is building a bar on the south side of the building. The area looks great, and will be able to seat a lot of people. According to Nick, they should be open next week.

Alcohol in the news; Cooking with Andy Borbely: Lemonade

From WCFN 49, Illinoishomepage.net

Cooking with Andy Borbely: Lemonade

Andy, from Seven Saints, pimps Leinenkugel Summer Shandy. The second drink he makes is strawberry lemonade. Finally, he makes a lemoncello martini with lemoncello, vodka, and lemon.

Jennifer Ketchmark seems to like the Shandy. Well, she seems to like all the drinks.

Alcohol in the News; $770 Beer

From WAND 17 NBC

Not sure if this was actually on the news, but it's on their website. Everyone is talking about the real expensive beer. Odd that 12 bottles of beer could cause so much uproar.

$770 BEER

There were only 12 bottles made, and they sold out in four hours.

If you are interested in some of their other high alcohol beers, they are still available.

CU Beer Weekend; July 23 Champaign County Fair

The Champaign County Fair starts today.

Tonight is the Demolition Derby
Sunday is the Prairieland Monster Truck Nationals
Tuesday is Harness Racing
Wednesday is AMA Motorcycle Races
Thursday is the Rodeo
Next Friday is another Demolition Derby
Next Saturday is the Tractor Pull

*edit* I've been told there is a beer tent. I wouldn't get your hopes up to find anything great.

I'm pretty sure that the fair is alcohol free *i'm wrong*. But that doesn't mean you can't have a couple before you go, and can't have some after you leave.

For the Demolition Derby, have a Goose Island Demolition. For the Monster Truck Nationals go with a Rock Art Brewery Vermonster (although you won't find Rock Art around here). For Harness racing, nothings better than a Kentucky Horse Piss. AMA Motorcycle Races call for an Schlafly APA. For the rodeo, get a Schlitz Red Bull Malt Liquor. For the tractor pull, get a Southern Tier Big Red.

What beer goes well with fair food? If you are at a Renaissance fair, then drink mead. But, since this is a deep fried fair, IPA's will probably do the best to cut the grease. If you are going to have foot long hotdogs, then a light German beer would be good. Also, it's going to be hot out there, so a shandy might be something to cut the heat.

If you go, be safe, have fun, watch your wallet.

Seven Saints

Founders Cerise
Bells Oberon

Wednesday: Whiskey Wednesday, half off Bourbon

Radio Maria

Draft Beers as of 07/11/10 (there are some changes, but nothing too spectacular has been changed)

1. Founders Cerise $4
2. Southern Tier Heavy Weizen $6
3. Goose Island Pere Jacques $6
4. Bells HopSlam IPA $5
5. Avery Dugana IIPA $5
6. Arcadia Scotch Ale $4
7. Founders Breakfast Stout $5
8. Flying Dog In Heat Wheat $4
9. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout $8
10.Jolly Pumpkin, Langanara, the Firefly $8
11.Two Brothers Dog Days Lager $4.5
12.Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA $4
13.Delirium Dark Brown $6
14.Ballast Point Sculpin IPA $6
15.Brasserie Blanche de Bruxelles $5
16.Guinness $4
17.Left Hand Milk Stout $4
18.Two Brothers Hoppy Public Domaine $4.5
19.Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout $5
20.Lost Abbey Angel's Share $7
21.Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale $4
22.Southern Tier Gemini $6
23.Victory Prima Pils $4.5
24.Dark Horse Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock $5
25.Port Older Viscosity $7
26.Ayinger Brau Weisse $5.5
27.PBR $2.25

Friday: Happy Hour with free appetizers 4:30 - 5:30; beer special, Arcadia Scotch Ale $3 a pint; DJ at 10pm
Saturday: $6 John Daly's, Salsa Night at 10.
Sunday: $2 wells, $1.25 PBR
Monday: 25% off bottles of wine; Board Game Monday; Softball Beer Specials
Tuesday: 1/2 price wine by the glass
Wednesday: $1 off all beers on draft; Frankly Wednesdays: All Frank Sinatra and Rat Pack every Wednesday late night
Thursday:$5 Mojitos, Caipirinhas, and Brazilian Cosmos; Open Decks: local dj's perform.

Blind Pig

Moylan’s Hell’s Lager; Novato, California, Heller Bock, 5.3% abv
New Holland Oaked Hatter; Holland, Michigan, India Pale Ale
Fort Collins Ice 9 Eisbock; Fort Collins, Colorado, Eisbock, 9.2% abv
Avery Anniversary 17; Boulder, Colorado, Schwarzbier, 7.69% abv
Southern Tier Mokah; Lakewood, New York, Imperial Stout, 10.9% abv
Unibroue La Terrible; Canada, Belgian Strong Ale, 10.5% abv
New Holland Imperial Hatter; Holland, Michigan, Imperial IPA, 9.4% abv
Southern Tier Farmer’s Tan; Lakewood, New York, Strong Pale Lager, 9% abv
Fuller’s 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
Flying Dog Gonzo Porter; Frederick, Maryland, Imperial Porter, 7.8% abv
Stella Artois; Belgium, Pale Lager, 5.2% abv
Pabst Blue Ribbon; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Rogue Imperial Younger’s Special Bitter; Newport, OR, Amer. Strong Ale, 7.5%
Cathedral Square Belgian White; St. Louis, Missouri, Belgian White, 4.8% abv
Avery Samael’s Oak-Aged Ale; Boulder, Colorado, Barley Wine, 15.53%
Lagunitas IPA; Petaluma, California, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv
Victory Prima Pils; Downington, Pennsylvania, Pilsener, 5.3%
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.3% abv
Port Summer Pale Ale; San Marcos, California, American Pale Ale% abv
Lindeman’s Peche; Belgium, Lambic, 2.5% abv
Old Speckled Hen; England, Premium Bitter, 5.2%
Guinness; Dublin, Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Thursday: Blind Pig Virgin Beer Night, four beers that haven't been on tap at the Pig. Founder's Devil Dancer Triple IPA, Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca, Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza, Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga (the Firefly).

Blind Pig Brewery (the Piglet)

Blind Pig American Pale Ale
Blind Pig Hard Cider
Blind Pig Barley Wine
Schlafly Pilsner; Maplewood, Missouri, Pilsener, 4.9% abv
Founder’s Cerise; Grand Rapids, Michigan, Fruit Beer, 6.5% abv
Rogue Chipotle; Newport, Oregon, Spice Ale, 5.5% abv
Rogue Double Dead Guy; Newport, Oregon, American Strong Ale, 9.5% abv
Two Brothers Dog Days Lager; Warrenville, Illinois, Dortmunder, 4.9% abv
Breckenridge Agave Wheat; Denver, Colorado, Wheat Ale, 4.2% abv
Capital Weizen Doppelbock; Middleton, Wisconsin, Weizen Bock, 8.5% abv
Two Brothers Hop Juice; Warrenville, Illinois, Imperial IPA, 9.9%
Cuvee de Trolls; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 7% abv
Guinness; Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Sunday: Trivia Night; 7-9pm, win gift cards


Crane Alley

PBR 4.7%
Guinness 4.2%
New Holland Imperial Mad Hatter 9.4%
Mikkeller Nelson Sauvin Single Hop IPA 6.9%
Van Diest Fruli Strawberry Bier 4.1$
Mikkeller Black Hole Imperial Stout 13.1%
Two Brothers Hoppy Public Domaine
Left Hand Polestar Pilsner 5.0%
Founders Porter 6.5%
Big Sky Moose Drool Brown Ale 5.3%
Bells Amber Ale 6.0%
Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA 7.1%
Flying Dog In Heat Wheat Hefe Weizen 4.7%
Port Brewing S.P.A. 5.4%
Cuvee Des Trolls 7.0%
Bells Oberon 6.0%

Weekend Specials for July 23rd

Shrimp Tortillitas - Shrimp pancakes made with chickpea flower, green onions and chopped tiger shrimp, served over Blue Moon Farms mixed field greens with a pineapple-chipotle vinaigrette. $9.95
Chorizo Enchilada - Ancho and orange spiced chorizo sausage folded into flour tortillas with black beans, then covered in jalapeno cream sauce and queso rico. Served with tortilla chips and fresh salsa. $13.95
Chickpea Pilaf - Sauteed chickpeas, pepper, squash and onion over a roasted pepper rice pilaf with red-wine vinaigrette and fresh cilantro. Vegan. $11.95

Black Dog Smoke and Ale House

Cask: Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
Scrimshaw Pilsner
Rogue John John Juniper
Schlafly APA
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza
North Coat Old #38 Stout

Canopy Club

Friday-Saturday: Central Illinois Metal Fest

Alcohol in the news; Maipe Malbec 2009

From WCIA 3 CBS Morning Show/ Illinoishomepage.net

Maipe Malbec 2009

Brian Bowman from Sunsinger Wine and Spirits discusses the Maipe Malbec 2009.

Founders rare beers; CBS, Black Biscuit, El Diablo Del Noche

After the Crane Alley Founders Beer Dinner, there were some awesome beers that Crane had on tap from Founders Brewing Company. You've probably had their Breakfast Stout, Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Porter, and many other of their beers. But, you may have not even heard of the ones that were on tap after the dinner.

If you've had Kentucky Breakfast Stout, and know the story behind it, you know Founders takes a version of their Breakfast Stout, and ages it for a year in Kentucky whiskey barrels. It's an awesome beer. Founders doesn't get all the barrels from the distillery in Kentucky... at least they don't get them all right away. Some of those barrels make a trip up to Canada, where they spend some time holding maple syrup. Then those barrels make the trip down to Grand Rapids.

What comes out of those barrels when they hold the breakfast stout, is an amazing beer. It's black, with a light caramel head. It's an opaque beer. It coats the glass. It smells of alcohol, coffee, roast, and maple. It feels thick, and chalky (which was unexpected). In addition to coating the glass, it will also coat your mouth.

It tastes of dark chocolates, syrup, coffee and had a slight alcohol burn (is that a flavor?). This beer was had several days prior to having the BrewDog's so, I guess I didn't know alcohol yet. As it warmed I noticed a cherry flavor.

This was a great sipping beer. You aren't going to want to try to chug this thing. I don't think I'd be able to drink 16 ounces of this beast. This was a killer beer. I didn't intend to do it, but it got Chipper Dave's burp test, and it was very bitter. The hops weren't noticeable in the smell or flavor, but they did make an appearance in the burp.

Crane Alley received a few of the goblets that you see in the picture, that are inscribed with Founders. Which is a very nice touch for this beer.

The second beer I had that night was the Black Biscuit. This beer was also black, but had a much lighter head. It looked visibly thinner than the CBS. It smelled like sugar, syrup, and chocolate. There didn't seem to be any hops present. It felt thinner than the CBS, but it was still a thick beer. It had some effervescence, but that didn't cut the thickness.

It tasted a little bitter, and also very sweet. I found it hard to describe as I was taking my notes. There was some chocolate, and also coffee. This beer tasted green/fresh. As though it could use a bit of time to develop.

Originally, I thought this beer was supposed to be a Black IPA (which is the new IT style; everyone's making a black IPA it seems). But then found out this is a Black Old Ale. I believe it's something like the Old Curmudgeon that's been made with black biscuit malt. So, it's an Old Black... kind of like Uncle Ben, of the wild rice fame.

Regardless of the expected style, it's a real good beer. Like the CBS, I don't think I'd want to drink much more than 8 ounces at a time.

I had only intended on drinking the above two beers, but then another co-worker showed up, so I had to have another. The third was el Diablo del Noche. This one was a black IPA. I previously had this beer on Dark Lord Day on cask. I didn't take notes then, and I didn't take notes this time. It's a black IPA. So, it's hoppy, with a strong roasty almost coffee flavor. If you can find it, you'll probably like it.

I'm not sure where you'll be able to find these beers, other than at the brewery. They make special appearances for certain events, so if you are looking for them (and if Founders is in your area), call up the brewery and ask for the sales rep, he should know where his kegs are. If you find them, take your time and enjoy them.

CU Beer Weekend; July 16

Seven Saints

Rotating Taps:
Founders Cerise
Bells Oberon

Wednesday: Whiskey Wednesday: half off Irish

Radio Maria

Draft Beers as of 07/11/10

1. Founders Cerise $4
2. Southern Tier Heavy Weizen $6
3. Goose Island Pere Jacques $6
4. Bells HopSlam IPA $5
5. Avery Dugana IIPA $5
6. Arcadia Scotch Ale $4
7. Founders Breakfast Stout $5
8. Flying Dog In Heat Wheat $4
9. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout $8
10.Jolly Pumpkin, Langanara, the Firefly $8
11.Two Brothers Dog Days Lager $4.5
12.Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA $4
13.Delirium Dark Brown $6
14.Ballast Point Sculpin IPA $6
15.Brasserie Blanche de Bruxelles $5
16.Guinness $4
17.Left Hand Milk Stout $4
18.Two Brothers Hoppy Public Domaine $4.5
19.Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout $5
20.Lost Abbey Angel's Share $7
21.Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale $4
22.Southern Tier Gemini $6
23.Victory Prima Pils $4.5
24.Dark Horse Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock $5
25.Port Older Viscosity $7
26.Ayinger Brau Weisse $5.5
27.PBR $2.25

Friday: Happy Hour with free appetizers 4:30 - 5:30; beer special, tbd; DJ at 10pm
Saturday: $6 John Daly's, Salsa Night at 10.
Sunday: $2 wells, $1.25 PBR
Monday: 25% off bottles of wine; Board Game Monday; Softball Beer Specials
Tuesday: 1/2 price wine by the glass
Wednesday: $1 off all beers on draft; Frankly Wednesdays: All Frank Sinatra and Rat Pack every Wednesday late night
Thursday:$5 Mojitos, Caipirinhas, and Brazilian Cosmos

Blind Pig

Cask: Founder's Reds Rye
Moylan’s Hell’s Lager; Novato, California, Heller Bock, 5.3% abv
New Holland Oaked Hatter; Holland, Michigan, India Pale Ale
Capital Fest; Middleton, Wisconsin, Märzen, 5.5% abv
Founder’s Curmudgeon Old Ale; Grand Rapids, Michigan, Old Ale, 9.8% abv
Moylan’s Chelsea Porter; Novato, California, Porter, 5.1% abv
Unibroue La Terrible; Canada, Belgian Strong Ale, 10.5% abv
Ballast Point Sculpin; San Diego, California, India Pale Ale, 7% abv
Moylan’s Unfiltered Wheat; Novato, California, Wheat Ale, 4.5% abv
Fuller’s 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
Flying Dog Gonzo Porter; Frederick, Maryland, Imperial Porter, 7.8% abv
Stella Artois; Belgium, Pale Lager, 5.2% abv
Pabst Blue Ribbon; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Rogue Imperial Younger’s Special Bitter; Newport, OR, Amer. Strong Ale, 7.5%
Arcadia Whitsun; Battle Creek, Michigan, Wheat Ale, 6.2% abv
Avery Samael’s Oak-Aged Ale; Boulder, Colorado, Barley Wine, 15.53%
Lagunitas IPA; Petaluma, California, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv
Victory Prima Pils; Downington, Pennsylvania, Pilsener, 5.3%
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.3% abv
Port Summer Pale Ale; San Marcos, California, American Pale Ale% abv
Lindemans Framboise; Belgium, Lambic, 2.5% abv
Moylan’s Nitro ESB; Novato, California, English Pale Ale, 5.2%
Guinness; Dublin, Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Blind Pig Brewery (the Piglet)

Blind Pig Apricot Weizen
Blind Pig American Pale Ale
Blind Pig Hard Cider
Blind Pig Barley Wine
Schlafly Pilsner; Maplewood, Missouri, Pilsener, 4.9% abv
Founder’s Cerise; Grand Rapids, Michigan, Fruit Beer, 6.5% abv
Dupont Biere de Miel; Belgium, Saison, 8% abv
Rogue Double Dead Guy; Newport, Oregon, American Strong Ale, 9.5% abv
Two Brothers Dog Days Lager; Warrenville, Illinois, Dortmunder, 4.9% abv
He’Brew Rejewvenator; San Francisco, California, Fruit Beer, 8.2% abv
Capital Weizen Doppelbock; Middleton, Wisconsin, Weizen Bock, 8.5% abv
Two Brothers Hop Juice; Warrenville, Illinois, Imperial IPA, 9.9%
Moinette Blonde; Belgium, Abbey Trippel, 8.5% abv
Guinness; Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Sunday: Trivia Night; 7-9pm, win gift cards

Crane Alley

PBR 4.7%
Guinness 4.2%
Rogue Oregasmic Ale 7.0%
Bells Hopslam 10.0%
Ommegang Rare Vos 6.5%
Ellezelloise Hercule Stout 9.0%
Two Brothers Hoppy Public Domaine
Left Hand Polestar Pilsner 5.0%
Founders Porter 6.5%
Big Sky Moose Drool Brown Ale 5.3%
Bells Amber Ale 6.0%
Founders Dry-Hopped Pale Ale 6.0%
Allagash White Ale 5.5%
Port Brewing S.P.A. 5.4%
Founders Cerise 6.5%
Bells Oarsman 4.0%

Black Dog Smoke and Ale House

Cask: Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
Scrimshaw Pilsner
Green Flash Le Freak Belgian IPA
Summit Horizon Red Ale
Cathedral Square Belgian White Ale
Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga
North Coast Old #38 Stout

BrewDog, Big Dogs

Are you familiar with BrewDog? My first introduction to those brewers from Scotland was probably one of their IPA's, either Hardcore, or Punk, although it may have been the Rip Tide Imperial Stout. After the first few, I knew I'd like their beer. Recently, they haven't proved me wrong.

I'm not a whiskey drinker, but they have a line of whiskey aged stouts that are some of the best whiskey beers that I've had. I believe it's their Rip Tide stout that is aged in the barrels. That beer is good and strong on it's own; however, it holds the whiskey flavors very well. To me, it's one of the few ways I can drink a whiskey (in beer form). I wish I could appreciate whiskey, but the alcohol in them to me is over powering. I don't get the subtle flavors... all I get is burning. To quote Ralph Wiggum, "it tastes like ... burning". The Paradox line (with individual batch numbers printed on the side of the bottle) gives me the opportunity to try some of the better scotch's, without having to try to tease flavors through 80 proof. So, I'm a fan.

Yesterday morning, I got a text from Aaron, the GM at Crane Alley, informing me that he would be opening up his bottle of BrewDog Tactical Nuclear Penguin at 9:45. I thought, great, I'll hustle over there after softball (sadly, we lost both games) and get to try this beer. Around 9, he sent another message saying they were opening it soon, I didn't get the message until about 9:45 and responded immediately, saying I was "OMW". He texted back saying they had finished it; but seconds later called to say there was still a bit left. I said I'd be there in 10 minutes.

I got there, and the table had several familiar faces around it. There were some staff members of Crane, Brad from Radio Maria was there, and one of the guys who's a regular at the beer dinners (also a girlfriend or two). As I mentioned, the first beer opened was the Tactical Nuclear Penguin.

Sorry for the darkness of the picture, but it was late, and it's a cell phone. You'll note that there's only around an ounce in the glass; you won't really need much more to understand this beer. Some beers will take a bit more to find everything out about; this one explains itself nicely in an ounce.

I believe this beer is supposed to be a stout. It didn't really look too stouty. It was a dark caramel color. It didn't come across as being opaque; even in the thickest part of it, I could still see through it. It was flat, seemingly with no carbonation, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It smelled peaty, and smokey. There was a strong scent of alcohol. There didn't seem to be any noticeable hops present. If it's possible, it smelled like burning.

It felt... warm and burning. There was no effervescence. It was flat. It also felt thick, and the alcohol made it very drying. It tasted of alcohol. It burned. It also had a smokey peaty flavor to it, that is reminiscent of some of the barrel aged Paradox's from before.

Why was there such a huge alcohol burn? This beer is 32% alcohol. That's 64 proof. It's not beer, it's a shot. The ABV is pumped up by doing freeze distillation, similar to the way an icebock is made.

The beer was good. Although, it was kind of painful to drink. It burned. I don't do shots, I don't drink the fancy whiskeys for that reason. It burns. Could I drink this again, probably. But, I wouldn't want much more than an ounce.

The second beer in the lineup was Sink the Bismark. If you don't follow the link, it's a quadruple IPA, with four time the hops, and frozen four times (freeze distillation) to get it to 41% ABV. That's 82 proof. * Sink the Bismark was made because the guys at BrewDog wanted to make the worlds strongest beer. They had it with TNP, but then a German brewer produced something at 40%, so they upped it and to beat the Germans... hence Sink the Bismark.*

If the penguin was hot at 32%, the Bismark should have been a scorcher. But, this beer was an IPA. It had a pretty caramel color, that reminded me of whiskey. It had no head. It smelled of hops. I'm not sure which hops, but it was probably about half the hops crop in Scotland. When Aaron opened it, he passed around the bottle cap, as though it were a wine cork. The cap smelled of hops. I could also pick up a strong malt presence, there's got to be a lot of malt to get it that high, and under the layers of hops was the smell of alcohol. The mouthfeel was (of course) burn. This stuff sizzled on my tongue. It wasn't the sizzle of effervescence, this was alcohol. It wasn't the bubbles from champagne, it was the sting from Jack Daniels.

It tasted hoppy (I wish I knew which hops). It was almost like drinking concentrated hop juice. There was also a malty note, in addition to the alcohol. I'm not sure if this was aged in any barrels, but I started picking up woody, oaken notes. Ninja Dynamite said he tasted licorice.

After my first sip, it almost took my breath away. The alcohol burned as it's vapors came out my nose. It was a lot like taking shots. At one point, the top of my stomach started burning. I wondered, when did I develop acid reflux? My throat was burning. It was pleasant.

If you diluted this beer with equal parts water, you'd still have a 20% alcohol beer. You would have to cut it with about 5 times the amount of water to get it down to a budweiser. It would still have more flavor. Someone at the table wondered what the ABV of the rinse bucket was. Someone else wondered who would drink it. (I almost tried it).

The final beer for the evening was Tokio* intergalactic fantastic oak aged stout. (hmmm, the website lists it as Tokyo, beeradvocate has both TokYo and TokIo, however TokIo only has one review. This bottle says TokIo.)

This one actually poured with some head. It did dissipate relatively quickly, but it was there. It was a deep walnut (wood) color, almost matching the tables at Crane. It smelled of malt, bubble gum, a little bit of hops, and cherry or cranberry. It felt effervescent, and did have some alcohol burn, despite (ha, despite) being only (ha, only) 18% abv.

The taste was slightly tart, with definite alcohol, cranberry, and alcohol. It wasn't too stouty, but it did have a strong malt base. Overall, it was very nice. Normally, this would be one of the strongest beers you'd drink, on this night, it was the lightest. This beer definitely didn't seem as hot as the others. It was a nice finisher to the evening.

Overall, my favorite was probably the Tokio, followed by the Sink the Bismark, with TNP finishing it out. None of the beers were bad. They definitely expanded what beer is. Although some purists might say they aren't technically beers, based on the freeze distillation, but they are still beers to me. At the end of the night, my teeth hurt from the alcohol. I had about 5 ounces of beer in total, that average out to 30% per ounce. If Budweiser is 5% abv, and is served in 12 ounce bottles, these 4.5 ounces had more alcohol than 3 bottles of budweiser. It was much better than drinking 3 budweisers, that's for sure (not that I drink budweiser). *math may be somewhat fuzzy*

Do not try to drink it by yourself. You will make it through about half a bottle, then pass out, and wake up with $50 worth of beer spilled on you. This is a beer that you'll want to share the experience with someone, or several someones. With others around, they may taste something you don't (like Ninja Dynamite and the licorice), you may find something they don't. Additional flavors will add to the enjoyment of the beer. You can do it by yourself, but where's the fun in that?

If you can get this beer (which you can, but it's going to cost you) do it.According to Scott (who just checked out the prices) it'll cost over $150 for a bottle of Sink the Bizmark, and TNP shipped to you. Sink the Bismark is on ebay for $129 buy it now. Tactical Nuclear Penguin is on for $160.

Rumor has it, there will be a BrewDog beer dinner at Crane Alley in the future, which I believe will be attended by James.

CU Beer Weekend; July 9, Champaign 150th

Seven Saints

Wednesday: Whiskey Wednesday: Half off Micro

Radio Maria

1. Anchor Liberty $4
2. Southern Tier Heavy Weizen $6
3. Goose Island Pere Jacques $6
4. Bells HopSlam IPA $5
5. Avery Dugana IIPA $5
6. Arcadia Scotch Ale $4
7. Founders Breakfast Stout $5
8. Flying Dog In Heat Wheat $4
9. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout $8
10.Jolly Pumpkin, Langanara, the Firefly $8
11.Two Brothers Dog Days Lager $4.5
12.Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA $4
13.Delirium Dark Brown $6
14.Ballast Point Sculpin IPA $6
15.Brasserie Blanche de Bruxelles $5
16.Guinness $4
17.Left Hand Milk Stout $4
18.Petrus Blonde $6
19.Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout $5
20.Lost Abbey Angel's Share $7
21.Celis White $4
22.Southern Tier Gemini $6
23.Victory Prima Pils $4.5
24.Dark Horse Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock $5
25.Port Older Viscosity $7
26.Ayinger Brau Weisse $5.5
27.PBR $2.25

Friday: Happy Hour with free appetizers 4:30 - 5:30; beer special Lost Abbey Angel's Share, $6 a snifter; DJ at 10pm
Saturday: $6 John Daly's, Salsa Night at 10.
Sunday: $2 wells, $1.25 PBR
Monday: 25% off bottles of wine; Board Game Monday; Softball Beer Specials
Tuesday: 1/2 price wine by the glass
Wednesday: $1 off all beers on draft; Frankly Wednesdays: All Frank Sinatra and Rat Pack every Wednesday late night
Thursday:$5 Mojitos, Caipirinhas, and Brazilian Cosmos

Blind Pig

Moylan’s Hell’s Lager; Novato, California, Heller Bock, 5.3% abv
Tommyknocker Imperial Nut Brown; Idaho Springs, CO, Amer. Strong Ale, 9% abv
Capital Fest; Middleton, Wisconsin, Märzen, 5.5% abv
Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti; Denver, Colorado, Imperial Stout, 9.5% abv
Moylan’s Chelsea Porter; Novato, California, Porter, 5.1% abv
Unibroue Trois Pistoles; Canada, Belgian Strong Ale, 9% abv
Avery The Maharaja; Boulder, Colorado, Imperial IPA, 10.54% abv
Moylan’s Unfiltered Wheat; Novato, California, Wheat Ale, 4.5% abv
Fuller’s 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°; Czech Republic, Bohemian Pilsener, 5% abv
Stella Artois; Belgium, Pale Lager, 5.2% abv
Pabst Blue Ribbon; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Rogue Imperial Younger’s Special Bitter; Newport, OR, Amer. Strong Ale, 7.5%
Arcadia Whitsun; Battle Creek, Michigan, Wheat Ale, 6.2% abv
Avery Samael’s Oak-Aged Ale; Boulder, Colorado, Barley Wine, 15.53%
Lagunitas IPA Petaluma, California, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv
Flying Dog Gonzo; Porter Frederick, Maryland, Imperial Porter, 7.8%
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.3% abv
Rogue American Amber; Newport Oregon, Amber Ale, 5.1% abv
Lindemans Framboise; Belgium, Lambic, 2.5% abv
Moylan’s Nitro ESB; Novato, California, English Pale Ale, 5.2%
Guinness; Dublin, Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Saturday: open at noon

Blind Pig Brewery (the Piglet)

Blind Pig American Pale Ale
Blind Pig Hard Cider
Blind Pig Imperial Stout
Schlafly Pilsner; Maplewood, Missouri, Pilsener, 4.9% abv
Founder’s Cerise; Grand Rapids, Michigan, Fruit Beer, 6.5% abv
Dupont Biere de Miel; Belgium, Saison, 8% abv
Rogue Double Dead Guy; Newport, Oregon, American Strong Ale, 9.5% abv
Two Brothers Dog Days Lager; Warrenville, Illinois, Dortmunder, 4.9% abv
He’Brew Rejewvenator; San Francisco, California, Fruit Beer, 8.2% abv
Capital Weizen Doppelbock; Middleton, Wisconsin, Weizen Bock, 8.5% abv
Southern Tier 2xIPA; Lakewood, New York, Imperial IPA, 8.2%
Moinette Blonde; Belgium, Abbey Trippel, 8.5% abv
Guinness; Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Saturday: open at noon for Champaign 150th
Sunday: Trivia Night; 7-9pm, win gift cards

Crane Alley

PBR 4.7%
Guinness 4.2%
Founders El Diablo Del Noche 7.0%
Southern Tier 2X IPA 9.0%
Bells Two Hearted Ale 7.0%
Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout 9.4%
Founders Black Biscuit 10.5%
Left Hand Polestar Pilsner 5.0%
Founders Porter 6.5%
Mikkeller Jackie Brown 6.0%
Avery Karma 5.3%
Founders Dry-Hopped Pale Ale 6.0%
Allagash White Ale 5.5%
New Holland Oak aged Mad Hatter 5.8%
Founders Cerise 6.5%
Bells Oarsman 4.0%

Weekend Dinner Specials for July 9th

Gulf Coast Mahi Tacos - Crane Alley's continued effort to help support struggling fishing communities affected by the BP disaster in the gulf brings you absolutely pristine
Mahi Mahi filets, grilled and seasoned, served in warm flour tortillas with roasted poblano and red pepper rajas, topped with serrano aioli and fresh salsa. Served with chips. $13.95

Fried Morel Mushrooms - Dead serious. Flown in from Oregon state, dipped in a chipotle and ancho batter and served with lemony garlic aioli, this is the most ridiculous order of fried mushrooms you will likely come across this year. $10.95

New Weekday Specials!

Buy lunch from 11am-4-pm and play pool for FREE!

Buy any daily lunch special and get a soft drink or iced tea for FREE!

Black Dog Smoke and Ale House

Cask: Ballast Point Calico Amber Ale
Southern Tier 2xIPA
Port Shark Attack Double Red Ale
Summit Horizon Red Ale
Great Divide Belgica IPA
Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga
Moylan's Special Bitter

Crane Alley Founders Beer Dinner

Monday, July 5 was the Crane Alley and Founders Brewing Company Beer Dinner. I gotta say, I was a huge fan. I love Founders beers. There aren't many in their lineup that aren't awesome examples of their style. Brewers in the midwest can make some great beer, Bells, Great Lakes, Three Floyds, and Founders are all great breweries that make great beer. Founders everyday lineup (and things you can still find on shelves at stores and at bars, here in central Illinois) are some of the best beers you can have. If you don't get Founders in your area, chat me up, we might be able to work something out.

When I think of regional specialties, I think the west coast is probably best known for their work with hops. The southeast (below North Carolina) to me is an area that works well within their restrictions (ABV and other weird laws). To me, the beers that are done best in the midwest are stouts and other black beers. If you look at the Beer Advocate top 100 US beers, you'll see a lot of stouts (imperial stouts) from the midwest. Three Floyds Darklord, Founders Breakfast Stout, Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout, Surly Darkness, Great Lakes Blackout Stout, Bells Expedition... sure there are stouts on that list from other places in the US, but there seem (to me) to be more that are located in Big Ten Country: Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota. We do stouts right.

So, going into the dinner, and just knowing what was on tap at the bar that night, got me real excited. Looking at the beer on the menu, there's probably things you've never heard of, there are things I've never heard of. I was joined for the evening, by Kridz and Kellz.

The first course was a butternut squash soup with pine nuts. It was served with the dry hopped pale ale. The soup was awesome. It seemed to have the consistency more of baby food, than of a soup. It wasn't a stew, and wasn't liquidy. It was great. Overheard outside was that the pine nuts added a nice crunch to go with the smooth texture of the soup. Some people thought it had some spice to it, which was cut nicely with the pale ale.

The second course was a scallop with citrus supreme, sriracha glace and leeks. It was served with Devil Dancer, which is a triple IPA. Kellz is relatively new to beer, and she doesn't seem to be too much of a hophead, so the triple IPA was probably overwhelming to her. Additionally, she didn't like the fishy taste to the scallop. (She's new-ish to being a foodie too). Kridz ate her scallop, I got to eat about 3/4 or more of Kellz. The scallop was fully cooked (at the last dinner with them, Kridz' was sort of pink/fleshy) but this time, it was white all the way through. I didn't expect that I'd like the citrus on it, but was pleasantly surprised. The leeks were awesome.

The next course was awesome, and worth the price of admission to me. (Also worth the price of Kridz ticket too). It was a Mishima Ranch Wagyu Tenderloin, with mussels, chantrelles, and madeira. This was served with Black Biscuit. Black Biscuit was an awesome beer, I figured it was a dark (black) Old ale. It's 10.5% ABV so it packed a punch. I believe it was aged in the same maple syrup bourbon barrels that Founders uses for the Canadian Breakfast Stout. It was a delicious beer. Brad (chef at Crane) actually used some of the Black Biscuit for the cooking of the mussels. According to the Founders sales rep, only one sixth barrel made it downstate, and Crane Alley used some of it for cooking!!! The beef was served rare. Yes, it looked pink and almost purple. You can see the marbling in the picture, even if you don't click on it. It was fatty and tender and delicious. Neither Kridz nor Kellz like rare meat (both would prefer it almost medium) so I got lucky and got to have most of their portions too. I don't think you can see it in the picture, but there are two pieces of the meat on the plate. Due to their not liking rare, I pretty much got to have almost 5 pieces of this awesome meat. You'll also notice on the plate that there were chantrelles mushrooms. These had a strong nutty flavor, and seemed to go well with the beer. Neither of the girls were big fans of the mushrooms, so I ate a couple, and then passed them to the wine guy from Piccadilly, who was more than happy to eat them.

The next course was an Ellensburg Farms lamb rack. This was served with a pear and chayote (like a pear) mix, along with red potato and lots of mint butter. It was paired with El Diablo Del Noche. The beer was a black double IPA. This was also served rare, so I pretty much got to eat three lamb racks. You can see the pear and chayote mix at the top of the plate. I thought that was rather good, and was surprised that I liked it. Why is lamb served with mint? It was too minty. Granted, that's just my tastes, but I didn't like the mint. All the other foods let the course be the star, but the lamb had a huge mint flavor. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but just wasn't for me.

The final course was a goat cheese cheesecake, with a brandied bing cherry, and a chocolate covered bacon. If you've never had chocolate covered bacon, you may think it sounds terrible, but I assure you, it's AWESOME! This was served with Cerise. To me, Cerise tastes like a tart cherry pie filling. It's not sweet like a maraschino cherry, it's got a slightly tart bite to it. It went really good with the cheese cake. You'll notice there's a chunk taken out of my slice, it looked so good when it came out, that I forgot to take a picture until after I tasted it. I love cheesecake. I love soft goat cheese. This was outstanding. Samantha Duce did this desert, and she's great with deserts. I could probably eat this all day, every day.

But, since Kellz gave me most of her main course foods, I took two bites of the cheesecake and gave the rest to her. Yes, I'm a nice guy. I bought Kridz ticket, so I figured if I ate most of Kellz food, she could eat the part she liked best from my plate. *edit; Kellz says Kridz ate my cheesecake... I did mention the beers were strong, didn't I?*

Upon completion of the dinner, the Founders rep had a quiz, if you got the question right, you won a Founders shirt. The first question was "where is Founders located?" I had my hand up at "where" so I won the first shirt... yay me. Kridz also won a shirt, and I think Kellz did too. Everyone got a Founders magnet and a bottle opener.

After the dinner, Aaron tapped Canadian Breakfast Stout. This beer was awesome. If you can find CBS, get CBS. It's the same beer as KBS (not breakfast stout though), but there's a little twist to the story. KBS is aged in oak Bourbon barrels. But Founders doesn't get all the barrels from that distillery, some travel up to Canada (eh) and are then used to hold maple syrup for a while. After that, Founders gets the barrels and then puts the beer into them. So you get a lot of maple flavor, oaken flavors, bourbon flavors, coffee... the flavors go on and on. It's an outstanding beer.

The meal was awesome. The beer was awesome. The company was awesome (we sat with Tom, Nancy, Eric, Ellen, and... um... that guy from Red Star). It was a good time.

If you are into food, you should try to get to a beer dinner, if you don't want to do a Crane Alley dinner, Radio Maria also has beer (and wine) dinners sporadically.

Some of the upcoming Crane Alley dinners sound spectacular. I have no idea what the food is going to be, but the breweries make it worth the while. An upcoming one will be with Brewdog, rumor is James Watt will be at the dinner. Another one that is about a year away is a Mikkeller dinner; where Mikkel himself is supposed to attend. If you are into beer, and want to eat great food, come to those, you will probably not get the opportunity to get that close to some of the best brewers in the world, without abducting them.

Now, to see if I can get them to come over and brew a batch on my stove.

Alcohol in the news: Summer Wines from Sam Samet

From WCIA 3 CBS Morning Show; Illinois Homepage.net

Summer Wines from Sam Samet

Sam Samet shows us a pair of wonderful wines for less than $10.

Piccadilly at the Crossing

CU Beer Weekend; July 2 (Independence Day)

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July.

Seven Saints

Rotating taps:

Bells Two Hearted
Southern Tier Heavy Weizen

Wednesday: Whiskey Wednesday: Half off Scotch

Radio Maria

Draft Beers as of 06/25/10

1. Anchor Liberty $4
2. Southern Tier Heavy Weizen $6
3. Goose Island Pere Jacques $6
4. Bells HopSlam IPA $5
5. Avery Dugana IIPA $5
6. Arcadia Scotch Ale $4
7. Founders Breakfast Stout $5
8. Flying Dog In Heat Wheat $4
9. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout $8
10.Port Midnight Sessions $5
11.Two Brothers Cane & Ebel $4.5
12.Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA $4
13.Delirium Dark Brown $6
14.Two Brothers Resistence IPA $4.5
15.Port Old Viscosity $7
16.Guinness $4
17.Left Hand Milk Stout $4
18.Petrus Blonde $6
19.Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout $5
20.Lost Abbey Angel's Share $7
21.Celis White $4
22.Southern Tier Gemini $6
23.Victory Prima Pils $4.5
24.Schneider Aventinus $5
25.Port Older Viscosity $7
26.Ayinger Brau Weisse $5.5
27.PBR $2.25

Friday: Happy Hour with free appetizers 4:30 - 5:30; beer special Lost Abbey Serpents Stout, $4 a pint; DJ at 10pm
Saturday: $6 John Daly's, Salsa Night at 10.
Sunday: Open at 9pm: $2 wells, $1.25 PBR
Monday: 25% off bottles of wine; Board Game Monday; Softball Beer Specials
Tuesday: 1/2 price wine by the glass
Wednesday: $1 off all beers on draft
Thursday:$5 Mojitos, Caipirinhas, and Brazilian Cosmos

Blind Pig

Moylan’s Hell’s Lager; Novato, California, Heller Bock, 5.3% abv
Tommyknocker Imperial Nut Brown; Idaho Springs, CO, Amer. Strong Ale, 9% abv
Capital Fest; Middleton, Wisconsin, Märzen, 5.5% abv
Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti; Denver, Colorado, Imperial Stout, 9.5% abv
Moylan’s Chelsea Porter; Novato, California, Porter, 5.1% abv
Unibroue Trois Pistoles; Canada, Belgian Strong Ale, 9% abv
Dark Horse Crooked Tree; Marshall, Michigan, India Pale Ale, 6% abv
Fort Collins Pomegranate Wheat; Fort Collins, Colorado, Fruit Beer, 4.8% abv
Fuller’s 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°; Czech Republic, Bohemian Pilsener, 5% abv
Stella Artois; Belgium, Pale Lager, 5.2% abv
Pabst Blue Ribbon; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Rogue Imperial Younger’s Special Bitter; Newport, OR, Amer. Strong Ale, 7.5%
Bells Oberon; Kalamazoo, Michigan, Wheat Ale, 6% abv
Avery Samael’s Oak-Aged Ale; Boulder, Colorado, Barley Wine, 15.53%
Lagunitas IPA; Petaluma, California, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv
Flying Dog Gonzo Porter; Frederick, Maryland, Imperial Porter, 7.8%
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.3% abv
Anchor Steam; San Francisco, California, California Common, 4.9% abv
Lindemans Framboise; Belgium, Lambic, 2.5% abv
Moylan’s Nitro ESB; Novato, California, English Pale Ale, 5.2%
Guinness; Dublin, Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Sunday: open 3pm to 2am

Blind Pig Brewery (the Piglet)

Blind Pig American Pale Ale
Blind Pig Hard Cider
Blind Pig Imperial Stout
Schlafly Pilsner; Maplewood, Missouri, Pilsener, 4.9% abv
Founder’s Cerise; Grand Rapids, Michigan, Fruit Beer, 6.5% abv
Dupont Biere de Miel; Belgium, Saison, 8% abv
Left Hand Milk Stout; Longmont, Colorado, Sweet Stout, 5.3% abv
Two Brothers Dog Days Lager; Warrenville, Illinois, Dortmunder, 4.9% abv
Southern Tier Heavy Weizen; Lakewood, New York, Wheat Ale, 7.3% abv
Goose Island Sofie; Chicago, Illinois, Saison, 6.5% abv
Southern Tier 2xIPA; Lakewood, New York, Imperial IPA, 8.2%
Witkap Pater Dubbel; Belgium, Abbey Dubbel, 7% abv
Guinness; Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Sunday: Closed for 4th of July
Tuesday: Trivia Night; 7-9pm, win gift cards

Crane Alley

PBR 4.7%
Guinness 4.2%
New Holland Oaked Mad Hatter 5.8%
Southern Tier 2X IPA 9.0%
Bells Two Hearted Ale 7.0%
Ommegang Rare Vos 6.5%
Ellezelloise Hercule Stout 9.0%
Left Hand Polestar Pilsner 5.0%
Bells Rye Stout 6.7%
Mikkeller Jackie Brown 6.0%
Avery Karma 5.3%
Serafijn Celtic Angel 6.2%
Allagash White Ale 5.5%
Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA 7.1%
Rogue John John Juniper 5.3%
Bells Oarsman 4.0%

Portabella Pizzetta - Whole portabella caps with marinara, roma tomatoes, red onion and spinach covered in melted mozzarella and dusted with romano cheese and crushed red pepper $9.95

Falafel Salad - Mesculin mixed field greens tossed in red wine vinaigrette with quinoa, red peppers, green onion, cucumber, feta cheese and topped with two fried chickpea patties $12.95

Blackened Salmon - Pan blackened 6oz salmon filet served with herb-smashed potatoes, sautéed asparagus and jalapeno cream sauce. $17.95

Monday: Founders Beer Dinner (sold out) 7:30pm. (from the Crane Alley Facebook page) Crane Alley Founders Dinner Update!!!! We will have Cerise, Dry Hopped Pale, El Diablo Del Noche, Maple-Bourbon Barrel Black Biscuit, Devil Dancer and Canadian Breakfast Stout on tap the night of the dinner. Some will be used with the dinner, however all will be available.

That's right Canadian Breakfast Stout on tap. You should be excited. If you aren't going to the dinner, you should go to Crane Alley around 10 pm and try that beer. It'll be available to everyone not at the dinner at the completion of the dinner. I'll send a tweet when the dinner is over.



Mike n' Molly's

(list from June 18)

Guinness
Harp
High Life
Mikkeller Single Hop IPA Amarillo
Lefthand Chainsaw
Rogue Johns Locker Stock Imperial Porter
Two Brother Resistance
Avery New World Porter
Schlenkerla Helles
Weston Stafford Cider

Friday: Carnivale Debauche
Saturday:Centaur
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 bottle

Black Dog Smoke and Ale House

Southern Tier Farmer's Tan
Two Brothers Hop Juice
Schlafly Kolsch
Ommegang Witte
Avery Anniversary Seventeen
Moylan's Special Bitter
cask: Ballast Point Calico Amber

Cowboy Monkey

Friday: D-Roka, 10pm, $3
Tuesday: Open Mic Night, 10pm, free
Wednesday: Salsa & Tango, 10pm, free
Thursday: Vanattica, 8pm, $5

Highdive

Friday: DJ Delayney, 10pm, $5
Saturday: DJ & Dancing, 10pm, $5
Monday: 80's Night, 10pm, free
Thursday: James McMurtry, 8pm, $15 in advance and at the door

Canopy Club

Friday: The Sugar Prophets, $7
Saturday: Oops... I womped My Pants Vol. 3
Tuesday: Piano Man
Wednesday: Discotech: Dance Night
Thursday: Uncle Boff's D.J.B., $5

Beer in the news; Best of the worst: Cheap Beer

From the buzz

Best of the worst: cheap beer

The buzz is claiming to have a beer columnist now. He and some friends did a blind tasting of inexpensive beer.

So I introduce to you buzz’s 2010 Best of the Worst. This is the Southwest Airlines of flights. It gets you where you’re going without a lot of frills, and frankly you may never want to take it again. We brought together a sample of swill approved by Joe six-pack (that’s right, I said it): Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller High Life, Icehouse and Pabst Blue Ribbon.

They did it twice. The first time the "best" was Coors Light, the second time it was PBR.

See if you like the article; I didn't necessarily care for it.