DerekRx

^^You really don't want to know what I think about the majority of domestic beers (like Budweiser, Miller, Coors, etc) but I will say that I find Miller Lite to be lacking in any serious flavor and is very watery. Even though I've had it before, I refuse to list it under all the different types of beers I've enjoyed, and I can guarantee you that Miller Lite will never be found in my beer fridge, EVER. If people who come over want Miller Lite, I tell them to bring their own. I wouldn't even use it for beer can chicken or beerbread. Tonight is time for more Kronic, err Censored Ale, from Lagunitas. If you guessed Nugget Nectar, you're Final Countdown Awesome What could I be drinking here? I'll give you a hint, it's brewed by Troegs Good and hoppy finish CENSORED, because they can't call their beer Kronic because it's sort of a drug reference. Stupid America

Todays goodness, another sunny Spring day, hooray! A very coffee filled stout, good and bitter to the finish And to end my Sunday drinking, some of the last of my Bell's Java Stout Quite a nicely balanced, middle of the road IPA, not the greatest thing, but not bad either. For no real good reason, next up was some IPA from Lagunitas, which is not the name of the king dude from 300 Of course, I drank it indoors and upstairs at the computer First up, some Leffe Blonde, great on a Spring day and with some wonderful food in my gut, it's time to head home and drink! mmmm, popcorn chicken, tots, and a limeade. Yum! So as not to get crumbs in my car, I opted for the outdoor tables Heading back from Heath's at lunchtime, I got the urge to stop off at Sonic since the weather was nice

Yesterday Heath and Kim had decided to take care of their season passes for this season at Hershey. Since this park is actually good and has its season pass office opened before the season, we headed up before the usual Saturday drinking began. We didn't go into the park, nor did we have Casey with us to look over the fence at the new Boardwalk area, so that will have to wait a few weeks. And for all you coaster peoples out there, here's one more shot of a coaster, this time an old woodie. Go ride it over Easter weekend, or wait until May. OK, let's summarize. Free, no wait, cows, chocolate smells, and free candy. The only ways this could be better is if it was Dark, Dark Chocolate Tour, or Rockin' Chocolate Tour Todays free candy was simply a few Kisses, but it's better than nothing Mmmm, product placement and chocolate smells, a good way to make me spend another $10 on more candy afterwards Not our cows Nothing beats a free darkride, especially when it has no wait and was built by Arrow! Since pass processing was a breeze, we had some time to kill. Time for some free chocolate and a darkride Here, a roller coaster to get you all thru the last couple of days of the offseason. You can ride Storm Runner again in less than 2 weeks! The new logo trash cans for the anniversary. Hopefully they don't go all Cedar Fair and have 100 trashcans per 10 square feet Cleaning the paths and planting flowers for the upcoming season The new 100th sign on the way into the park at the tram stop The first thing we see, construction at the tram stop. Could they be prepping to install the Frequent Faller as a FREE ride for the following year?! No.

Yesterday was good to Heath and myself (Kim too). After taking us to Hershey for season pass processing and loading up on candy, we ventured around for some beer, hitting up whatever we could think of (within reason). A very sour lambic, with some barnyard-like smells. Good stuff to conclude the evening check out that label, definitely not a beer brewed in America Yup, Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus, a Belgian Lambic Oh yeah, and drink some more beer! This one's all fancy and corked, it must be a Belgian Finally it was back home to watch some Ninja Warrior, watch some movies, and eat some Jiffy Pop and Heath got the Hoppy Trails IPA on cask, which was much better than the normal Hoppy Trails, but was certainly no Nugget Nectar on cask Next round would see me having the Celtic Knot Irish Red, pretty tasty and better than domestic Irish Reds I tried the Purist Pale Ale, which wasn't too bad, but had no finish onto the beers, where Heath got the Water Gap Wheat, and Kim a ABC Rootbeer Downstairs is where they brew, as well as have a billiard room and a banquet room, where some dude was having a surprise 30th birthday. I hope I get a surprise party at a brewpub someday Looking out the bar window you see the battlefields of Gettysburg This one was pretty small looking and was in a motel parking lot, though they did have a downstairs. Best thing about it was the bar, and it's view Today's final brewpub stop would be the Gettysburg location of ABC. Now I've been to all 3! Before escaping the smokeyness of Market Cross, we each grabbed a copy of Beer Advocate Magazine to read while Kim drove us to our next destination and I tried the Red Ale, which was pretty balanced with a good hoppy finish Heath went with the Pub Porter, which had a touch of raspberries Along with some good food (for English) they've also got their own beers, though they just kicked the IPA the night before Kim even broke down and got a beer, in the form of Troegs Dreamweaver wheat The guest taps have some of the usual suspects for an English style pub, as well as some local stuff But we will head to Market Cross in Carlisle so I can try their stuff Our next stop today will sadly not be Appalachian Brewings Harrisburg location Even though they moved around their offices and merch, it's still quite a task trying to navigate the place when 1 tour finishes and another hasn't begun yet As you can see, Troegs sure does get popular and to end our drink sampling at Troegs, Nugget Nectar for Heath and Rugged Trail Nut Brown for me Next up, I had to get more Nugget Nectar, otherwise my day would not be complete Needing the beer cred, that was our first pick. Pretty tasty stuff, very cheerio-like, better than the normal Sunshine Pils Lots of the usual stuff on tap, and now the limited brewery only Sunshine Pils FEVA, an unfiltered pilsner Our first stop was Troegs, which is pretty much now a given on a Saturday visit to Hershey

Tonight won't be a 5 Beer Friday, since I am once again sans Heath and my liver just can't take it (well, it probably can, but for preserving this thread for years to come, I'll hold back). So instead you fine folks are only graced with a 4 beer Friday. But hey, thems good brews! Ah, I can't believe I forgot about you for so long. Good thing I still got plenty of you guys aging for the rest of the year To finish the night, no more mixing, just pure goodness. Oaked Arrogant Bastard from Stone Oh well, Siberian Nectar is just as good! 2nd attempt, no difference in appearance. I guess Nugget Nectar just doesn't let things separate and tastes quite perfect, with loads of hops, and loads of coffee/chocolate malt Blah, it didn't separate. Oh well, the Nugget Night is still an Imperial masterpiece Next up, we'll attempt another black and tan, this time with Thirsty Dog Siberian Night and Troeg's Nugget Nectar wow, yes it will. In fact, almost too much caramel, tasted more like a liquidized caramel popcorn ball We shall start off the evening with Saranac Caramel Porter. Will it taste all caramely?

^That's true, not very Wes-like. Too much meat on the bones too. Just curious, Will, what does my face look like? Every picture is just the back of my head, or me making out with Nicole (which I don't mind, honestly). But Flipdude makes a pretty darn accurate comic Derek, I wanna know how you fare.

Wow, Will, you know me and my house so well! Maybe I need to lock the doors and pull the shades down... Nice work, looking forward to seeing more

"Enjoy the Silence"- Lacuna Coil

That was pretty cool seeing it fall down all at once. Another coaster I really won't miss not riding again. Who knows, maybe in a few years we'll see the same fate with the coaster that received Hurricane's trains.

Finally it's beginning to feel like Spring, which arrived a few days ago. Of course, with the nice weather, I had to enjoy a tasty brew outside. Knowing the weather though, it'll be snowing by Monday again, better enjoy it while it's here. Following my outdoor enjoyment, I returned inside to enjoy another new brew, just recently released, the Weyerbacher Blasphemy, their Quad Ale (Belgian Quadruple) aged in oak whiskey barrels. Sounds like one crazy beer, which is the direction Weyerbacher's been going lately. Very smokey and oaky from the aging, super sweet and alcohol tasting from the Quad. Unique, but not something I'll be running out for a case of anytime soon. At 11.8% ABV my liver will appreciate that Then it was time for the oak aged Quad, Blasphemy. Newly released from Weyerbacher So fruity yet still holding some beerlike bitter qualities Since I have no Spring ales, I figured I'd enjoy some Pyramid Apricot while outside in the lovely temperatures

There are lots of good places to eat in Disney World. Among my favorites are: Epcot: Germany Biergarten- German buffet Japan Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki- Japanese habatchi style Canada Le Cellier- steakhouse Mexico San Angel Inn- Mexican food France Chefs de France- French cuisine Disney MGM Studios: Mama Melroses- Italian Sci Fi Dine Inn Downtown Disney: Portobello Yacht Club- Italian Fulton's Crabhouse- Seafood Wolfgang Pucks Rainforest Cafe Hotels: Contemporary- California Grill- Ritzy steakhouse Animal Kingdom Lodge- Boma- African buffet Wilderness Lodge- Artist's Point- fancy wild game and such Grand Floridian- Narcoosee's- seafood Polynesian- Ohana- meat on a stick all you can eat Boardwalk- Big River Brewing- brewpub Spoodles- Mediterranean food As you can see, there's lots of places to choose from. As others have said, try to book as early as possible, especially at Thanksgiving time. As far as a traditional Thanksgiving meal, I'm not sure if you'll be able to find one there at Disney, but your best options are probably either Liberty Tree Tavern or the Crystal Palace, both at the Magic Kingdom. Otherwise I'd go for something like Ohana or Artist's Point. Also keep in mind that some of the fancier restaurants will require 2 vouchers per person instead of one. As long as you don't go to these places and just order mac and cheese or a hamburger, you should get your money's worth.

^Actually I was contemplating the Nugget, but I didn't actually see a Troeg's tap. Instead I saw Steelhead IPA, so instead of asking for a Troegs and secretly getting the Steelhead, or being turned down for my Troegs, I just went with the Maibock.

I've never done the meal plan before, but if you are intending to be at Disney and eat there for the entire stay, I think it will be really easy and a fair price to do the meal plan. I know a few coworkers of mine have recently gone and done it with the meal plan, as did a friend on his honeymoon, and you can pretty much pick anything you want on the menu, and you'll definitely leave satisfied. If the next time I was going to WDW, I intended to be there for several days, and eat there each day, the meal plan would most likely be the way I'd go.

Tonight I decided to check out a restaurant/English pub inspired place in town that also happens to get some pretty good microbrews on tap from time to time. I, of course, wouldn't dare check out Reading on my own, so I took my mom and Nan with me for protection. Would we encounter a Lou-a-like or at least some good beers? The Speckled Hen is definitely recommended for good food in a quaint atmosphere with reasonable prices and a nice selection of microbrews. and to enjoy with dinner, I decided to have the Stoudt's Blonde Double Mai Bock, now in season Of course, Nan had to pretend she was British with some fish and chips, though she substituted 4th graders, I mean mashed potatoes for the chips Wednesday night is Prime Rib night, all for just $13. and it was a good serving of prime rib, with very little fat My salad, complete with some chili chutney vinegarette For an appetizer we got mushrooms stuffed with blue cheese in a mustard sauce. Really good! In their spare time, apparently Lou's people like to ride horses and jump over stuff After mom found out that Matt couldn't get it, she had to enjoy some too Up first I just had to go with the Bell's Two Hearted on tap, just because The taps, as soon as you walk in you're greeted by them. In true English form, they say "welcome to the Speckled Hen. Nevermind the bullocks, jolly, jolly, jolly (and then a bunch of words you can't figure out)" It's got an English pub fare, but also some pretty good food, and check out this nice little draft list! The Speckled Hen, the oldest building in all of Reading is a cute little loggish cabin

Great job, Jahan. I love how you do storytelling in between the pictures, it actually makes me have to read. I can't wait to get back to Disneyland again. Maybe I'll come out later in the year and we can sing more of "Captain Jack Sparrow" for Casey!

Tonight's new brew was the Hanami Ale from Smuttynose Brewing. It's pretty much a Belgian Pale Ale with some fruit juice added, cherries in this case. Turned out to be pretty good, easy to drink, and a little tart. It wasn't an overload of cherries, not like the Red Bach, it was mostly focused on the ale part, with just a little dash of sour cherry to finish, kinda like dropping a cherry Jolly Rancher in the glass. Plus as it warmed up you could taste the cherries more, as well as a hint of cinnamon. I tried using up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start to receive 30 extra beers, but that's the Konami code, not the Hanami code. mmm, lovely grapefruit, pineapple, and piney tastes abound Next up, one wonderful IPA from Stone Surprisingly good, not overly cherry, just a tart finish Smuttynose's Hanami, with a label full of cute little Japanese goodies

Apparently this year ACE screwed up the name badge date for the Eastcoaster event, and enough ACErs were that bent out of shape about it that the guy who printed off all the name badges agreed to send out ones with the correct date if people wanted them.

Tonight I went with the last in the Sam Adams Longshot series, the Dortmunder Export Ale. She actually really dug it, and consumed it really quickly. Said it was a little more bitter than she's used to, but she's anxious for another! Meanwhile, Nan also wanted a beer tonight, so since she likes pilsners and I don't, I figured I could give her some craft beer that I don't really care for, Lagunitas Pils It was actually pretty comparable to the Dortmunder Gold from Great Lakes, just a little off The final beer in last year's homebrew competition, the Dortmunder

^^Thanks, Joe. Sorry we ended up missing you by a few days. All the pictures I posted are mine, she stole them for her own use elsewhere since her camera is far inferior to mine, and I take a lot fewer blurry pictures

Rock'n'Roller Coaster- Disney MGM Studios on Wednesday.

Today I met up with BACT Team Extreme for some postPatty movie and brews. After watching 300 on IMAX, it was off to Capone's to pick up some singles for future updates, then onward to the Drafting Room for a late lunch and some tasty beers. Heath went with the Dock Street Illuminator, a double bock. It appears he didn't really care for it, too watery Since March is Bock month at TDR, I went with the Spaten Mai Bock next. Sweet and sorta citrusy For lunch I tried the smoked chicken quesadillas. Thems was lovely Heath went with a Gordon on draft, though it's just as good out of a can Up first for me, The Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine 2007. Really quite hoppy and almost like a double IPA Snow on the ground and rooftops once again, hopefully winter is soon over.

Nope, MGM was done on a Wednesday of all days. I fear what the park may have looked like today It wasn't even Extra Magic Hour or anything like that, just a whole bunch of Texas cheerleaders and Ontario Spring Breakers ruining it for the rest of us. Glad to see I'm in good company as far as apparel is concerned

Looks like good stuff. I'm not too pleased with the "bag policy" but Griffon sure looks good. I'm still not sure if I'll venture down there in a few weeks or not, but I'll definitely encounter a working Griffon a few times this year...once it's opened and it's a tad bit warmer out. Thanks for an update from today!

Syke! to make it a 6 pack Saturday, I couldn't pass up one more beer. What, from all the merchandise today you didn't expect this beer to show up on St. Patty's Day? Victory HopDevil IPA, my true hoppiness

Good stuff! I think the reason they sometimes refer to it as Disney Studios and not Disney MGM Studios is because of some ongoing lawsuit with MGM. Basically they agreed to work with Disney to build a park, then right after went and built their own amusement park in Las Vegas. Disney wasn't happy about that and plopped down the "hat" in front of the main facade of the park, MGM agreed to not make more parks and ripped out their Vegas micropark, and from now on anytime you see the park referred, it's usually just called Disney Studios. I'm not sure where I got that info from, perhaps it was a dream??