Rugged One

Thanks for asking man! It was pretty good. As usual Kim made way too much. I think Derek had some for breakfast and there's still some left over for additional meals. Keep up the beer updates. We love seeing stuff from the West Coast. What part of Cali you moving too? Whatever part you go to, there's sure to be great stuff there.

Last night it was time for something that we haven't seen in awhile. The return of the Friday night beerfest! Tonights theme would be stouts. Luckily we aren't too hungover, as look for an update later as Team Extreme does it's last (for awhile anyway) bigtime BACT Attack of some local favorites. Just a peachy keen way to end the night. Until tomorrow. Finally it's time for some dessert, in the form of a big ole' bottle of Lindemans Peche. Derek says, "I cannot tell a lie. This sh*t rocks!" Of course a Stout tasting wouldn't be complete withiout a bottle of Bell's Cherry Stout. ...then a bottle of their Raspberry Imperial Stout. Very tasty. Back for more Weyerbacher, with the regular (none barrel aged) version of the Heresy. The Old Heathen... It was pretty tasty. Lots of coffee & chocolate notes, although Derek kept picking up some weirdness in the finish that he couldn't pinpoint. I'm glad I had Derek around to help me out with giant 750ml bottle of the Cisco Bros. (in Nantucket, MA) Capt. Swain's Extra Stout. In the meantime, Kim was preparing our dinner of shrimp & scallop eggrolls and little wantons. Isn't she awesome? We have to say, the fresh bottle was much more complex. The oak was much more of a compliment, while the bold Imperial Stout flavors and aroma really stood out. Time for a fresh bottle of 07 to see how it compared. Wow, the oak really stood out in this over 2 year old bottle but the Stout flavors were really subdued. Next it was time to get into the good stuff! First a little vertical tasting would commence with a 05 bottle of the Weyerbacher Oak Aged Imperial Stout, Heresy! A Bell's Oberon for Derek & a Green Flash IPA for myself. First up though, a little prepartying with something lighter.

Tonight. Fun with craft beer in cans. PART DEUX! I could do this all night. DOUBLE BOO-YA! Great, now I've got two empties that I have no idea what to do with. What to do, what to do? As a matter of fact, it was so drinkable that I decided to go all York redneck style on it's ass! This one was also decent but really seemed more on par with a pale ale. Very drinkable though. Next up is the Sea Hag IPA from the New England Brewing Co. in Woodbridge, CT. Another small craft brewery embracing the power of the can. Uh oh, I've got an empty here but we'll save this guy for some fun later. Not bad. It's a decent Scotch Ale but just seemed to lack the boldness of some others I've had. We'll give the Old Chub the respect it deserves and pour it into a glass. First up. The Oskar Blues Old Chub. An big 8% Scotch Ale in a can.

^ Sweet! Heh, it's better than gettting nothing over there. Tonight a rather big beer from one of New Hampshire's finest... The Smuttynose Imperial Stout. This was a nice one. Really fantastic hoppy finish, that reminded me alot of the Victory Storm King, only a little bolder.

Would I be a party pooper if I mentioned that 28 Days Later wasn't actually a zombie movie? Seriously, I enjoyed the first one. I'll probably check out the sequel.

And to think that that trailer and in particular that scene had to be severely cut down to secure the film an R rating. I shudder to think what it will look like on the unrated dvd.

Something new from Flying Dog tonight, the Double Dog Double IPA. Not quite a total dog of a beer but this thing needed some severe balance. Just way too much over the top hoppiness.

We really dug the White Marsh Town Center Dave. It seemed to have alot more personality than some of the other ones we've been to in Bowie & Hunt Valley. It's always nice to have a brewpub and a theater right next to each other. Next time though, we'll hit a matinee to avoid those fantastic $9.50/ticket evening prices. Tonight it was Bell's Stout night in the Rhoads household. She likes this one so much, she just has to reach out and touch someone! Next up, a little something for Kim, in the form of a Cherry Stout. Ooooooh. Sweet & chocolately up front with a nice burnt & bitter hop finish that lingers. Great stuff! First up, I go for the fantastic Kalamazoo Stout.

Wow, total jerk move by the Blondies tonight, pulling out the yield on Eric & Dani. I guess you could argue that they were just trying to get an advantage but I personally didn't see a need for it. Can't say I'm really sorry to see Joyce & Uchena out. Does anyone remember it mentioned at all this season that they were allready previous winners? I don't remember if they mentioned it in the first episode of this season at all but it kinda seems like the producers went out of their way to edit out any mentioning of them previously winning the million, either by themselves or other teams. Just curious.

We saw this Friday night and loved it! We thought that both movies were good in different ways. We loved the gore and humor of Planet Terror, that more or less pokes a little fun at it's source material. The crowd was howling at the missing reel part. Death Proof is more of a straight forward homage, with it's slasher & women's revenge story aspects, and that kick ass old school car chase that you know Tarantino's been itching for years to finally make. We thought that the trailers really stole the show though. I still don't want to know what was going on during the end of Eli Roth's Thanksgiving trailer.

Time for some pics of this Holiday weekend's festivities. First up on Friday, after a opening day visit to Six Flags America, it was off to White Marsh, MD for some new to us brewpub action. Then on Saturday, instead of freezing our asses off on some more coasters, we opted to check out a little beer event they were having over at Union Jacks. We then finished up the day having dinner with Derek & Nicole at the newly opened Union Barrel Works of which I'm sure Derek will be posting some more pics of. Another fun visit at Union Jacks. Luckily this is was the closest that Kim would allow me to to get to driving a car afterwards. ...except when we get the bill and I realize that 10oz Gordon costs me $5.50! Talk about sticker shock! I say screw it and finish up with a 10oz of Gordon on draft. Excellent as always... We always enjoy the food here at Union Jacks. Kim shows off her excellent cheeseburger. Since I had all of the beers on flight #1, except one, the Blue Point "No Apologies" 2IPA, I decided to just get a 10oz of it. It ended up being pretty good! Kim can't decide which Hop named Double IPA she disl...I mean... likes more. The Victory Hop Wallop or the Legacy Hoptimus Prime. Next up it's time for some of Rogue's Batch 10,000, which was decent but not worth $20 a bottle. Glad I got to try it here. I first get into the latest from Southern Tier, the Hoppe American Pale Ale. Very nice. We opted for flight #2 since it had two new to us brews on it. They had two set flights you could get, so no mixing and matching. Lame but understandable, since that guarantees all the kegs will get a similar level of business. On Saturday, it was back to Union Jack's for their Easter Hopfest event, which basically consisted of mostly Double IPAs (and a few other hoppy treasures) on tap. The nice thing about these Town Centers is that everything is right next to each other. Right across the street was our movie theater, where we saw Grindhouse, which ended up being pretty darn kickass! ...which I slowly work on while checking out the latest issue of the Mid Atlantic Brewing News. I finish up with a full pint of the Charlotte's Ale... Shot of some of the brew kettles. They had a bunch more that you could check out on the back side of the building. The food (like these wings) was really good and came out incredibly fast! I just love the beer names at this place. Here I get into some of the Daily Crisis IPA. ...and then helps me out with the aptly named Honeygo Lite Ale. Kim checks out the rather fantastic seasonal, Charlotte's Ale, a West Coast Amber... I first check out one of the most crazily named beers I've ever seen. The Octopus' Pajamas Scottish Ale. We decided to check out the sampler. The whole place is themed to a fire station, so they have lots of fire fighting gear, like helmets and jackets, hanging around. This was a pretty nice brewpub/restaurant, with a nice outdoor patio, big dining room, and large bar area with a nice oval bar that goes the whole way around. The Red Brick Station Brewpub, located in White Marsh, an area just outside of Baltimore.

Well the cold has started to creep in again. I guess I better start drinking accordlingly. I don't know why it took so long to get into this one. The Booneville Winter Solstice. Malty, sweet, fruity, and spicey, it helps warm up one's spirits when sun & 70s gets replaced by rain & 50s. Kim wants some Bell's too, so I give her an Oberon to try. She likes it. First up, some more fantastic chocolate, cherry awesomeness, courtesty of Bell's.

Another fine day, today. Sunny with highs in the low 70's. Very San Diegoish. Unfortunately, it's not going to last with one final blast of cold, crappy weather on the way. Better take advantage of it this week while I can... But what did I do with the can? Did I smash it on my head & throw it out in the yard? I'll keep you guessing... Ah, but it's such a nice day, that I'm not done yet. I invited Gordon over to hang out on the deck with me. Ahhhh. The sun, a light breeze, and a tasty brew. Perfect! Uh oh, I believe this is a first time appearance in the BT of our back deck. The latest seasonal from Bell's. Their summertime Oberon Ale. Wow, this was good. A nice fresh, crisp, and zesty wheat ale. It really hit the spot.

Robert Rodriguez doing a zombie movie. Nuff said!

One of my favorite local brews tonight. The Legacy Hedonism Ale. A fantastic hoppy amber ale.

Back from another fun filled weekend of BACT Attacking the VA parks. Screw Virginia is for Lovers. Virginia is for Beer Lovers! Let's check out some pics... ...and finally the Roadkill Barleywine, which ended up being my favorite. Real nice balance between the malt & hops, with just the right blend of alcohol & hops in the finish. ...the Black Stallion Oatmeal Stout, a rather nice stout with a roasty finish... I then get into their chainwide Pale Ale... ...and the light & fruity Silverado Ale. Kim helped me out with the light ones, including the Naked River Light, a low carb lager... That ended up being a good choice as the little, tiny pilsner glasses end up being of a pretty good size! We weren't really sure what to try first, so for $8, we decided to go for the sampler. No more High Dessert RIS but they did have plenty of other new stuff. After a couple hours @ PKD on Sunday and some beer shopping @ Whole Foods in Falls Chruch, we next went back to the local branch of the Sweetwater Tavern for some lunch. Just check out the date specific 20 page long beer menu! At this point my camera crapped out, so Adam will have to provide pics of our shenanigans. After the park, it was off to Glen Allen, VA for a late dinner at the Capital Ale House @ Innsbrook. A top 15 best place to have a beer in America and it was rather good! Over at the other table, Adam shows off his Bareknuckle Stout, flavored with hot chocolate. He seemed to really dig it. I try the Wild Hop, which I'm still not crazy about. Neither Wild nor Hoppy. It had banana in it though, so Kim was happy. Later a guy stopped by and made us a "beertini". Don't ask. Tim liked it. It reminded him of some of the other beers he's had over in Asia. Our hostess Fran pours out some Harbin, a Chinese Lager, that A/B is now distibuting. They have a new setup with the tables. They also allow you to pick your beers "ala carte" which was a welcome change. Tim shows off his evil self as we prepare for the Brewmaster's Club. Glutenfree even gets in on the act with some...well...glutenfree beer! The new Red Bridge Sorghum beer. It wasn't half bad. I try yet again with the Bare Knuckle Stout. Oh well, it's got more taste than most of the stuff they sell here. The group says "Heh, when in Rome...." Later we came back with the rest of BACT in tow. Kim even get's on the action with a big ole' cup of her own. All though I shouldn't, I really enjoy this for some reason. It's good for A/B anyway! Yeah, my favorite of the A/B seasonals is back on. The Spring Heat Spiced Wheat. When at BGW, we always have to stop off at Grogan's Pub in Ireland to kill a little time.

I agree with what's everyone else has been saying about Wednesday's episode. Totally pointless and unneeded. So they created these new characters (that pissed off the fans, when they just spontaneously appeared) just they could show them "Forrest Gumping" their way through seasons 1 & 2 and then kill them in a one-off episode with a lame twist ending? Total waste of an episode. Week to week, we get no answers but then we get this filler. Once again I'm starting to wonder where the show we used to know and love went?

Mmmmmmmmm. Happy Birthday Matt! This Bell's for you! Hmm, it's almost as if Derek & I coordinate these things.... The Bell's Expedition Stout. Nothing more needs to be said.

Back to the Stouts tonight. The Black Fly Stout from the Gritty McDuff's brewpub chain up in Maine. This one was pretty blah. Weak ass aroma, taste & body plus it poured such a huge head that I lost a 1/4 of it just pouring the foam out of the glass. Lame.

Well with very Spring-like temps today, getting near 80 degrees, I knew that a Stout just wasn't going to cut it. Luckily I had a 4-pack of an old fav chilling in the fridge. Craft beer in cans rule! *Burp!* Boo-yah! It really helped beat the heat on this unseasonalbly warm day. But what to do with the empty? That's right... Ahhhh. Just as piney, resiney, and hoppy as always. I thought I'd invite my old friend Gordan over to enjoy this nice spring weather with. In fact, he brought 3 of his friends along too.

I figured since I still have 5 bottles of this left (stupid PA beer laws), I better get cracking on some. The Lagunitas Cappucino Stout. Just as tasty & buzz inducing (in a coffee sorta way) as before.

Final trailer is now online. http://www.spiderman3oncomcast.com/ Looks good! We even get a little Spidey Vs. Venom action towards the end.

I could be mistaken but I think in the Season 1 episode where Sawyer tells his story, it's revealed that the con man that destroyed his family was in fact from Tallahassee. Hence the name of the last episode.

Mmmmm. More craziness from Dogfish Head.... The Burton Baton. A 50/50 blend of Oak Aged Strong Ale & 90 min IPA. And it tasted like a perfect combo of both. Fantastic!

^ My guess would be Shawn Vs. Bret Iron Man Match. Probably won't get to watch Wrestlemania this year. I don't really have anyone around here to watch it with and split the price of a $50 pay per view. I'm more of a casual viewer nowadays anyway. Heck if it's good, I'll just rent it on dvd in a couple of months.