In Minnesota, They Spell It D-L-U-I

This one is too good to pass up.

A 62 year old guy got popped for DUI when he was caught driving this ------------------------>!!!

Dennis LeRoy Anderson said he was cruising home from the Keyboard Lounge in Proctor, Minn. He was doing just fine until "a woman jumped on my La-Z-Boy." Anderson said she knocked it out of control and into a nearby parked car. Anderson's blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit at the time.

Hey, you can't make this stuff up.

Anderson's motorized La-Z-Boy was powered by a Briggs & Stratton lawnmower engine. It has a stereo and cup holders. He stuck a NHRA sticker on it, just so folks wouldn't laugh.

The cops took Anderson's motorized recliner away after he was convicted of Driving a La-Z-Boy Under the Influence. They will sell it with the rest of the stuff they have confiscated when they hold their next police auction.

Contact the Proctor, Minn. Police Dept. for the date/time.

Snow Means Stew...With Beer, of Course.

I don't know about you, but in my house I am the cook. (I keep telling my wife that she is a very lucky girl.) Oh yea, I keep my man card up by grilling as much as I can, but I am a guy who can dance in the kitchen, too.

When the weather starts to go winter like it has today, I go in search of a big, hearty soup or stew. I have a lot of favorites...but, one of my favorite favorites is called Carbonnade, a classic Belgian stew, made with my three favorite ingrediants....beef, onions and beer.

Now, here is a little secret. You do not have to be a master chef to create a really great tasting Carbonnade. It's no harder to cook than your normal beef stew. And, I think it is a nice change up.

Here is a great recipe for you to try.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/carbonnade_beef_and_beer_stew/

It's Alive!!!!

What are you doing for lunch?

How does some Carolina BBQ and a great brew sound?

Cool! Because starting today we get both, from the fathers of the American craft beer in a can movement.

After months of wishing and waiting, Oskar Blues' newest creation is open today at 11am.

Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids & Solids is their brand new down home brew joint that has 43 craft brew taps, southern inspired BBQ and "soul saving live music."

Like their brews, I am not sure which I'll order first. Will it be their North Carolina style BBQ pork or the spare ribs? Maybe I'll get some beer-can chicken or an order of the salmon or turkey.

All I know is all this down home slow cooked goodness comes from their in-house smoker, called the Midnight Toker.

I hope they ain't bogarting because this Carolina boy want him some, too.

Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids & Solids
1555 South Hover Street
Longmont, CO 80501
303-485-9400
open 11am to close, all week long, starting today.

To The Boats, Mate. There Is A Floatilla Of New Brews On The Horizon

Woo-Hoo!!! It's another Friday Afternoon Colorado Brew Cruise.

Today, we start at Colorado's oldest microbrewery. Boulder Beer is tapping the first keg of their Obovoid Oak-Aged Stout at 3pm. This is a perfect brew to dance with on a cold, Colorado afternoon.

Then, we will scoot across Boulder to the Twisted Pine. They are celebrating fall with a tapping party for their Mr. Brown Pumpkin Ale at 3pm. Mr. Brown comes complete with a little whipped cream on top. Whoa.

Ok, now it's time to chart a course out to Aurora. It's Firkin Friday at Dry Dock Brewing, the GABF's 2009 Small Brewery of the Year. Today, they are serving up Seven Seas Double IPA that's been dry-hopped with Riwaka hops. That starts at 3pm, too.

Speaking of the Great American Beer Festival, Downtown Denver's Falling Rock Tap House is the unofficial HQ during the GABF. Of course, they always have bodatious brews flowing from their wall of taps. Avery Brewing's gonna tap a keg of their brand new brew at 5pm, so here's your chance to grab a pint of dugan IPA.

Back in the boat and let's head south. Bristol Brewing in Colorado Springs is rolling out one of my winter favorites today. It's Winter Warlock time. Today at 5pm, they tap the first kegs of this amazing Imperial Stout.

Finally, we head back up north to drop anchor at Oskar Blues Brewing in Longmont. It's another Firkin Friday at The Tasty Weasel and they are pouring a wet hopped Dale's Pale Ale in OB's brewery pub. They tossed an extra heaping helping of Cascade Hops in this sucka. The grassy hops will be enough to make us wish for summer again.

So, leave a message for the boss, grab an oar and lets row over to the bar. There are some great new brews waiting for you and I today.

Ska Brewing's Decadent Imperial IPA

It's an ugly day in Colorado. Yesterday, we had blue skies and nice warm temperatures. Today, it's 35 degrees and the drizzle is threatening to change over to snow. I heard the weather whizzes saying winter was coming so, I got the mower out one last time. The sweet smell of cut grass got me remembering summer. As soon as I finished in the yard, I went in search of some hoppy beer grassiness. In the fridge, I found a big, brown, bomber bottle, filled with Ska Brewing's Decadent Imperial IPA.

Decadent's packaging is outstanding. You've got a thick coating of deep, red wax that covers the top and neck of the bottle. It drips seductively down over the label, guarded by a nasty looking skeleton in his tie and top hat. He clenches a big green branch of hops jauntily between his crooked teeth.

Pour the brew. Decadent is a rich, copper colored beer with a really tight, off white head. It might look a little hazy. Mine did.

Pick up the pint glass. Here is the Decadent difference. While many Imperial IPAs lead with hops, Decadent is silly full of citrus. The bitterness of a grapefruit rind slaps your nose, fills your mouth, coats your tastebuds and lasts long after you swallow. It also seems to muzzle the hops and malt flavors in the beer. What the citrus does not cover is the alcohol taste. Decadent carries 10% Alcohol By Volume (ABV), and you will feel the alcoholic warmth that goes with it. You will also feel the sting of carbonation. Decadent is a fizzy beer.

Bottom line....Ska's Decadent Imperial IPA is big and it's bossy. It's a heavy hitter that slaps your face with citrus and carbonation and pounds your head with its high alcohol content. I liked it. I really did. Even so, Decadent is not be my "go to" Imperial IPA. It needs a lot more hops...over the top hops...to be "go to" on that list.

Oktoberfest in Munich...ever wondered??

Ever wonder how many beer glasses get swiped during Munich's Oktoberfest?

Well, those that make it ain't telling, but according to the official post-Oktoberfest report, sharp eyed security types confiscated 145,500 glasses at the exits this year, which is down from the record 200,000 they found on drunken revelers last year.

That figure would have been much higher, but my wifey wasn't there this year. (She has a PhD in pint pilfering.)

Other interesting things at this year's Oktoberfest in Munich:

*the number of visitors dropped 5 percent (because of terrorism fears) but the amount of brew quaffed remained the same. 5.7 million people who showed up at the 16 day festival drank 6.5 million liters or 1.7 million gallons of beer (if my math is right....) and that is even with the price going up 6 percent.

*The total number of oxen eaten in the 14 giant tents reached an impressive 111, up from 104 last year, while sales of fried chicken fell 3 percent.

*The number of lost items fell to 4,100, including 1,250 items of clothing, 700 identity cards and passports, 420 wallets, 320 mobile phones and 75 cameras, a fishing rod, a chess clock, a toaster, a ballet skirt, three crutches, a miniature pinscher and a milk tooth. A total of 18 children were also lost but all of them were reclaimed.

*The Munich police reported collecting a total of 759 "beer corpses" -- people who had drunk themselves to oblivion. That was up sharply from 2008, when 565 were reported. Three people actually died -- an Australian man was run over by a local train after visiting the festival, a 51-year-old man choked on his own vomit and a reveller from England died when he fell out of his hotel room window while trying to urinate out of it.

Seriously??? A guy pissed himself to the pearly gates? Dang, them Germans sure know how to party.

Steamworks' Steam Engine Lager. Let's Give it a Ride

According to Rob Willey of Details Magazine, Steamworks' Steam Engine Lager is a really excellent brew. As a matter of fact, Steam Engine is at the very top of his "excellent canned beer list."

He writes..."Yes, it tastes similar to Sam Adams, but it's preferable by a long shot, with a sweetness and a peppery tang."

The can is just as bold, promising that Steam Engine Lager is "arguably the best American style amber lager in the world."

This is all very heady stuff, so I popped a top of Steam Engine Lager and gave it a ride.

I have to admit, I was very impressed with its appearance. Steam Engine Lager poured crystal clear with a warm, deep coppery color. The head was tan-ish white, but it wasn't long before it dissolved into the brew. It always bothers me when a brew's head does that.

The taste? Well, I thought something was missing here. Yes, Steam Engine is a malty brew, just like an American Amber should be. It is malty enough to be called "Biscuit" if it was a horse. But, here is the deal. When a brew bills itself as "the best American amber lager in the world" and when some magazine writer sticks it on the very top of his "excellent canned beer list," the beer should bring something more than just its bready malt flavor to the table.

It didn't.

Steam Engine is a very drinkable, middle of the road American amber lager. It is a malt lover's dream. However, Steam Engine would not lead my "excellent canned beer list." It is good, but good isn't good enough to be most excellent when you are talking about being the best in the world.

Sorry guys.

Here is Details Magazine's excellent canned beer list.
1. Steamworks Steam Engine Lager--Colorado
2. Caldera Ashland Amber--Oregon
3. Oskar Blues Ten Fidy Imperial Stout--Colorado
4. 21st Amendment Brew Free! or Die IPA--California
5. Sly Fox Pikeland Pils--Pennsylvania
6. Butternuts Heinnieweisse Weissebier--New York
7. New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale--Colorado

Agree? What would be your top 7 canned beers?

By the way, I was also going to review Steamworks' Ale Diablo today. I wandered on down to Lukas Liquors in the Denver Tec Center to pick up a bottle. They didn't have it in stock. So, I trucked over to Davidson Liquors. They didn't have it either, but big beer kudos to the Davdson beer guy who offered to call the Steamworks' rep. (That's good customer service gang!) The rep said it was just hitting the Denver market, so watch for old Ale Diablo to start showing up next week.

Yum!