DerekRx

Next stop, a true rocking place, Fatheads. One of the finest beer bars in the country. check out all them taps! Plenty of other stuff representin', right Wally?? I knew there was a reason I liked this place when I walked in and I couldn't pass up the Bell's Expedition Stout on draft, could I Matt?? Heath with an Atwater Vanilla Java Porter, meh Finally, our time at Fatheads begins to end, Janna with another Urthel Janna has downed another 2 Urthels As I enjoy my next brew, the Sierra Nevada ESP (Extra Special Pale Ale)... There must be Journey playing, Janna is starting to double fist This is what is called a Headwich, as its as big as your head and has eyeballs and everything Everyone enjoys their food and drinks at Fatheads Ted says "wow, those wings ARE hot!" The rest of the Borg contingent showed up to enjoy the day with us, while Heath consumes some of the hottest wings ever While I give the beer thread a Hairy Eyeball straight from Lagunitas Heath enjoys an Imperial Rogues Younger's Special Bitter Wow, even my woman has her own burger here! Whats up with that?! Since Derek's Garden Hose Kingdom can't obtain a liquor license, we went to Fatheads next

As Heath prophesized, this weekend we hit up Pittsborg and all its finest brews and beer bars. Of course, I had to rally the borg BACT team to come hook up with us for the festivities. First stop, D's Six Pack and Dogs, #13 on the list of places to get a beer. But he was easily distracted by the Beer Cave in D's The root beer was so good, I decided to have one with my dawg as well. Heath was mad that I kicked the keg and he was contemplating beating me down for it And in true karma fashion, of course I got stuck with the Southern Tier pint glass, but at least it had a cool look While I enjoy a nice Chicago style dog Heath enjoys his "Big Ben" dog, complete with slaw and fries on the dog itsself Dave and Janna met up with us, because nothing is better than a weiner at 11am! Lots of great stuff on tap, pretty cool place Here's the Tom tap section, if he ever decides to go back to Pittsburgh Kim went with the 1919 Root beer, which was really creamy and awesome So rare I think I'll enjoy one again as well First up for Heath, another fine round of the Rogue Hop Heaven, a rarity Its 11am, and here we are, safe at D's to start our attack. And parking right out front too!

^Oh how I would hate to be the assistant who checks every single poll to check its credibility. That's gotta be one really boring hobby. I wonder if they know that the parks in Florida and SoCal are still opened, as well as the stuff in Australia. Then they could ride Superman and actually see if its better than the others. Of course, it's even sadder that someone is needed to do this because some people find humor in messing with a poll.

I was originally #7, but when I wanted to add a vertical loop, Jojo roll, and 6 more 90 degree turns, they dismissed me.

This new version of Space Mountain reminds me of some far off Japanese coaster that you can only get to by crossing a rickety old suspension bridge, fighting off a dragon, and battling a bunch of ninjas in order to get the controls to operate. Then, you have to run over hot coals to escape the erupting volcano that is about to engulf the ride as a giant ancient demon is awakened from his dormant egg by the Chili Peppers music. I'm kinda looking forward to riding it now that it will only be this way for a few short months. I'm totally going to try and fix the next steel poll by getting all my friends to vote for it in its special state.

^Tis the curse of too much alcohol, Heath. I remember the same thing about the Harpoon Winter Warmer. Then I got a bottle and its nothing but cinnamon! Tonight's new brew was the Wild Goose Oatmeal Stout. Don't ask me why I'm getting into stouts, I blame that on Heath. Anyway, it was pretty tasty, some coffeeness to it, really easy to drink, and a bit of hop bitterness. I enjoyed it, and wished I had snagged a second one of those from the variety pack. Of course, I have somewhat of a start of a cold, so my taste is a bit off. Ah, nothing fights a cold quite like the bastard! (and see that twinkle in my eye...I'm coming for you, Bistro!) And to celebrate booking my flight so I can go back to Stone, I thought I'd enjoy some liquid Oaked Arrogance Not bad at all, actually fairly tasty with a good body and a surprising flavor The Wild Goose Oatmeal Stout. Am I progressing in beerdom or what?

Sad to hear I lost my connection at Pizza Port, but glad to see you made it to AZ safely. Best of luck there, and when you're on break, let me know and we'll drink! (like you don't do that anyway)

"Sillyworld"- Stone Sour

^Are you looking at a specific date for it, or will it be based as the day after Knotts' Solace (whenever they're done changing their minds about when it is)?

Today was a sad day, as Nicole had to return to Buffalo. On the way to the airport, we decided to stop off so she could see the mass that is the King of Prussia mall. While there, of course I had to enjoy a brew at Rock Bottom. This strong ale aughta help me forget how lonely I am And back home, I figured it would be hard to fall asleep without Nicole, so its time for some Hibernation Ale For dinner, we ate nearby at Maggiano's, for some really awesome Italian food I went with the Dublin Dragon Stout, really nice and creamy with some chocolate and hoppiness. Better than Guiness, but no imperial For the first time we sat at the bar. Here's all the usual stuff and some newbies too. Of all the stores at King of Prussia, Rock Bottom is the only one I care about.

I've never been in Akbar, always just passing by as friends told me it was one of the WORST simulators ever. Todd even renamed it Yackbar after he had one unpleasant ride on it. I can't imagine its much worse than Corkscrew Hill and its evil galloping horses though! Yeah, bring back Questor!

Tonight on the beergenda, something new for me, and something Nicole drinks like candy (because it pretty much is!) Its totally raspberry nice! Now something Nicole digs, the Lindeman's Framboise Nicole was scared of it though, but she could tolerate it A fairly balanced beer, nice malts and some good balancing hops. Also, a hint of clover I start off with the Wild Goose Amber ale

To celebrate New Year's, today we shared a bottle of the good stuff, Lindeman's Cassis. Shockingly, Nicole finished hers before I finished mine Just big enough for 2 people

Well, it was New Year's Eve, which was as good a reason as any to drink. We decided to go on a bus trip from work down to the Atlantic City casinos, and while there, have a nice dinner at Bobby Flay's Steak. Overall it wasn't really our thing, as none of us gamble, and the food at Bobby's wasn't that good (plus the place was kinda Jerseyish). But thankfully we managed to bring some beers with us so we at least had a good drive down! Happy New Year! Next year we WON'T be going to the casinos, thats a fact! and finally, as we waited for the bus, Nicole passed out =D and then they had a Fresnonian crawfish battle But then he remembered he was next to Nicole, so he was ok Heath was sad that he could possibly be alone at midnight finally the food came...it was just meh and Heath got a noisemaker The food took forever to get there, but they handed out party hats some coworkers and their significant others came too Heath was the only one to get a drink, a Bloody Mary Even then, arriving on time, we were still like 25 minutes away from our table Finally we went over to the crowded smoke-filled Borgata and found our way to Bobby Flays without any help from the directories, which only told you how to get to more gambling Then Heath picked up a bottle of Rogue's Mocha Porter for us to split so after polishing that off quickly, I stole some of the girls' Cassis and somehow I ended up with the Kona Longboard Lager Heath went with the Stone Double Bastard on tap Kim says "F the glass!" The girls split a Cassis lambic from Canada um, their menu wasn't that great So instead we'll head to Firewaters, a bar in the Tropicana Here we are on the boardwalk in Atlantic City. No more coasters this year though Nicole was really into the Purple Haze and its raspberry wheatiness Hoppy is happy! and then came the HopDevil as for me, it was Stone time it was very hard to pour with no lights, luckily my Victory flashlight came in handy and some Bell's for Matt! So next came the Apricot Weizen It didn't take long at all to empty the growler And the girls enjoyed some Purple Haze Lots of drinking on the bus, starting with a growler of Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale

Today we decided to have a mini-BACT attack/holiday gathering with Adam and Ellen (Heath and Kim don't count, I see them all the time!) . Finally time to get them to The Drafting Room, followed by some nearby favorites that most people will be jealous of. I so love where I live, almost as much as San Diego's beer scene. and Adam also went with the Oatmeal to end our year together. Hoppy New Year everyone! and Heath went with the Oatmeal Stout Luckily they have beer there too, so I got a Dunkel Weiss Then off to Sly Fox so Adam can eat more Next, a brief stop at Ron's for some singles Ellen is ready for packaging Wall of Kegs is a far cooler place than the Hall of Justice Hoppy was pleased to meet his cousins Adam and Ellen are at the hoppiest place on Earth, and how wonderful it smelled OMG, going back home made Hoppy poop some hops! Wally, you could be working here And score! it was tour time too when we were there Lots of different beers here, HopDevil, Mad King Weiss, Hop Wallop, and Storm King HopDerek of course goes for the HopDevil on tap Next stop, Victory The Stone brothers enjoy some Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale At lunch, the girls were excited for some appetizers, but Heath was all "oooh, beer!" Even Kim enjoyed a good Peche Lindeman's while Heath enjoys his paint thinner As for me, I went for the credit with the Speakeasy Double Daddy IPA, it burned on the way down Heath finally gave in and got the EKU 28, just in hopes that they'd get rid of it faster First stop, BACT to the Drafting Room.

^Heath, you should know better than to doubt my judgement. You've tried the Unearthly IPA and how horrid that thing was! For doubting me, you're on super secret double BACT probation. First round is on you next time! Tonight Nicole and I went out for dinner. While I haven't been to the Works in over a year, I'm glad we went back. The food got much better and a different menu to boot. Of course, that also included the beer menu, which now contains Anchor Liberty Ale and Franziskaner Hefe on draft! I went with the latter. Very cider like, but still sweet and beerific Back home, it was all about the Lindeman's Pomme, which is apple for you non Belgians But her and her furriness is all about the Alabama Slammer Nicole isn't so much into the wheat beer thing yet apparently, and blows off the Franz Franziskaner on tap, Ellen would be proud

Tonight I decided to have some more rare stuff I managed to find around me. And to top it all off, I reached my goal for the year, to have a larger beer count than a coaster count. Easy enough to do...unless your coaster count is pretty darn high! Kind of watery, but it had a good hoppy finish And finally, the night ended with some Wild Goose IPA, different beer #645 for me loaded with cherry flavor Next, Nicole and I enjoyed a Redbach together Really good stuff, excellent flavor First up, Founder's Centennial IPA, from one of the best breweries out there, in Grand Rapids, Michigan

^Yeah, that was pretty awesome of Heath! and BTW, you should have seen all the Bell's stuff at the Beer Yard. If I didn't already have most of it at home and running out of room for more, I would have totally picked up some stuff!

Tonight Nicole came into town again (finally!) and since I had to go get her during evil Philadelphia rush hour traffic, I thought we'd unwind a bit before driving home. Nice Iron Hill was in the area, I thought we could stop by there and give the place a second try, since I didn't really care for the beer the last time. Much better this time around. And then we swung by the Drafting Room on the way home, but it was too crowded. They did have Sierra Nevada Harvest on still, and Lindeman's Peche Next stop, the Beer Yard. Sadly, no Reaper ales for us Iron Hill was much better this time, probably from the lack of smoke in the nonsmoking section and really good food And Nicole went with the fajita southwest chicken salad As well as Asian Crab and Shitake For dinner I had the trio of soups, Seafood bisque, apple and butternut squash, and chicken gumbo Even Nicole got in on the action with a Raspberry Wheat For me it was the Holiday Ale, a double IPA. This was actually really tasty, sweet like the DFH 90 minute, but not as alcoholic Back in Media for another attempt at Iron Hill goodness

Tonight I dubbed "Jingle Bell's Night" to show some love to Bell's up in Michigan (something the poor Chicago crew can't enjoy in their fair city, HAHA). Emphasizing more on the citrus side and less on the pine, this is nicely grapefruity and pineappley with a smooth pine needle finish and finally, one really good IPA, the Two Hearted Smokey, sweet, malty and hoppy all in the same sip. Really good stuff Up next, the Hell Hath No Fury Ale, a Dark Belgian Strong Ale Its like a shot of espresso in every sip But with a Bell's Java Stout, I should be fine in no time! I wanted to watch the TPR UK DVD that I got today, but I was too tired at first after work

Tis Christmas night, and here's all the festive beerousness I had today. Not as good as fresh from the tap, but still a great way to end a 3 day weekend! Finally, some Stone IPA, since I couldn't actually be out there today for all their awesome stuff Good stuff, so easy to drink! For dessert, it was all about Lindeman's Cassis (black current) Really nice drinkable porter, with some chocolate, sugar, and hops Went great with Boston Market meatloaf, sure beats cooking, and no clean up either! For Christmas dinner, it was all about Three Floyd's Alpha Klaus, a porter

So far I've gotten everything I asked for this year for Christmas. Here's what I've got so far. "Michael Bay, for what you're doing to my namesake, this null ray is for you!" Talk about sweet toys! Now Optimus has someone to fight when I'm not around and fresh from Japan, Masterpiece Starscream A very awesome Kona Brewing shirt from Todd who was there last month (its even got a turtle on it!) Tommy and James new dvd Some gift cards, including gas, airfare, and beer a whole bunch of dvds that I asked for Got me a roller coaster calendar for 2007

^What ruined your Christmas, Wally, mentioning lots of deaths, or just mentioning Kings Island? I've been to PKI, I know how badly I wanted to drink when I was there, these people were just a little more desperate than I am, and now they're either in a better place...or trapped in PKI haunting it forever

^If Kim had been there, we definitely would have appreciated her most at TDR Exton, with plenty of awesome stuff on tap we'd love to try, as well as some good bottles. So here it is, Christmas Eve, time to finish up the 12 beers of Christmas, and just generally have a good time trying to avoid the family. Good and piney. Hoppy holidays everyone! And we'll finish the night with some Sierra Nevada Celebration circa 2005 A much better Christmas beer, nice and holiday-like with its cherries, spices, and pine In true celebration format, next up was the 2006 Our Special Ale from Anchor It was a nut brown, nothing too amazing, then again, neither is Christmas really Next up, the 12th beer of Christmas, the Warm Welcome Nut Brown. If you don't like pumpkin pie, there's something wrong with you. Plus this one's all alcoholy First up, the Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin. Nothing wrong with some pumpkin pie every now and again

Sweet gift, Dude. If only I had actually gotten that for Christmas, I think I'd be the happiest person ever! Hooray for mortgages!