Football, why can't I quit you?

Growing up, I was never really athletic.  I have exercise induced asthma, which limits my athletic pursuits.  I did enjoy playing sports though, mainly tennis and basketball.  However, endurance would never be one of my strong suits.  I am average height (just under 6' tall), and never muscle bound.  I never played organized football (unless you count soccer, lol).  Which brings me to my original question, and it revolves around my love for a brutal sport where players try to knock each other's heads off. 

As a youngster, I watched many Detroit Lions road games, because they didn't sell games out very much.  Sure, I watched other teams, but the Lions were my home team and I wanted them to win.  When I was really young (from about 5-7 years old), they did make the playoffs a couple of times, only to experience disappointment.  Then they were terrible for a number of years (following the loss of star RB Billy Sims for that matter), before I reached high school and they drafted Barry Sanders.  In High School and College, Barry Sanders was the player to watch, and I went to numerous games at the old Pontiac Silverdome.  It was fun, but it too again ended with a lot of disappointment. 

OK, I wish this wasn't so damn depressing.  Barry was as good as it got, and he was a favorite of mine for many years.  I did hold a grudge when he retired out of nowhere in 1999, but it was how he retired more than the fact he retired.  I got over it, and he deserved better than the Detroit Lions. 

The peak of my Lions fandom was in 1991 when they reached the NFC Championship Game, which followed the only Lions playoff win in my lifetime.  However, they proceeded to get smacked up side the head by the Washington Redskin juggernaut. 

OK, so that is the NFL, did have any success in watching football?  Well, if you count the Michigan Wolverines, then there was some success.  However, most of it occurred in the 1990s when they ruined Ohio State seasons and won a share of the 1997 National Championship.  There were also many Big Ten titles and some Rose Bowl wins during my lifetime, but today they are trying to rebuild to get back to that level.  I like the new coach, but this isn't what we are talking about today.

"Too make a long story short..."
"Too late"

I moved to Arizona in 1999, and actually had season tickets to the Cardinals and the oven that is Sun Devil Stadium.  I learned I could root for the Cardinals, but they would never be my team.  I had already hit myself in the face enough times with the Lions.  The Cardinals even had some success during the Kurt Warner era, but I don't jump on bandwagons.

So, have I got the real part of the story yet?  Of course not, because I speak only of loyalty to my favorite teams.  I still watch and gut it out every week, but when disappointment strikes, I seem to know it was going to happen.  That takes some of the fun out of sports.  It is when they surprise me, that is when I get a smile on my face. 

Fantasy Football was a different story, yes, the alternate reality where I am a commissioner and owner of my own team of real players.  I remember when hard work and knowledge was a part of the game, alas now, millions of experts give even Football idiots a way to win games.  In the first 6 years that I played, I won 4 times.  Albeit, two were in very small leagues, but it still was a testament to my knowledge of the players and game.  Now, I simply lose more than I win.  I recently decided to quit this Fantasy game in a couple of years (15 years sounded like a good place to stop), because it has been long enough.  It truly becomes a headache, when it shouldn't be.

This brings us to the core of the question, why do I subject myself to the disappointment football has given me over the years.  Sure, I have rooted for friends teams and enjoyed their enjoyment, but when does it come to the point, you have no horse in the race, should I really care?  If you try to enjoy banging your head against the wall, would you do it even though it hurts a lot?  I would certainly hope not. 

In the end, I can only think of one quote that sums it all up...

"It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything."

Dwell on that one for awhile.

A Beer Journey to West Michigan Part 2

Previously on A Beer Journey...I was in Michigan and headed to the West side of the state to visit some breweries and enjoy some local Michigan Beer.  And I was just leaving Holland on my way to Grand Rapids.

Very Cool Looking Place

After a little drive, I found my way to the hotel and parked for the night.  It was time for the walking journey.  A little break and I was back on my way.  My first mistake was not realizing how tired I was and it led to a 2 mile walk to Brewery Vivant, instead of the smarter idea of cab ride.  

Yet another flight!

Oh well, the walk was ok and I found myself a spot at the bar.  First things first, it is a beautiful place, feels like I walked into the church of beer.  

They had many brews on tap, and I decided on 4 beers: the Wit Knight, Grand Pumpkin, Organic Brown Ale, and Vivant Rye Porter.  I was also lucky enough to get a sample of the BAARP (Barrel Aged Raspberry Rye Porter).  They were all good, but the highlight was the Grand Pumpkin.  Very dominant pumpkin aroma and some nutmeg and pumpkin in the flavor, and sweeter than anticipated in a good way.  After a nice conversation with a regular patron, I finished my flight and headed to the gift shop for some souvenirs.  

Founders!!!!

More exercise was in order as I walked back towards downtown and headed to Founders Brewing.  I was looking forward to this brewery all day.  When I arrived to this wonderful place, it was packed with people and the bar was full.  There was even a line at one end of the bar, and I decided to visit the gift shop area.  This led to me trying to entice them to sell me bottles of Bolt Cutter for my Arizona friends.  However, no sale on that as they were still holding bottles for ticket holders from the release party (how very nice of them...now why didn't I buy a ticket then).  I still spend some money on glassware and a Breakfast Stout T-Shirt.  Well, then my hands were full and no seats, so the I made a judgement call and journeyed back to the hotel.

Bolt Cutter!

After a quick roundtrip, I was back at Founders and found myself a seat at the bar.  A sampler was unnecessary here, and I went straight to the Bolt Cutter on draft.  Some caramel and toffee notes with a nice alcohol bite at the finish.  I did try it out of a bottle a few days later, and got some more hoppiness than on draft.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Not to be outdone, I had another one and followed it with some Backwoods Bastard.  I also had a great conversation with a guy named Owen, and we talked beer and watched his 49ers kick the crap out of the bears.  

After about three hours and a french bread pizza, I left for my final stop of the evening Hopcat.  Since I was already pretty toasted at this point, I thought this would be a one beer stop.  However, this place was too cool to stay for just one.  Plus, the tap list was one of the best I had ever experienced before.  They even had 7 of their own beers on tap.  

Since I hadn't have enough barrel aged beers at Founders, I went for an interesting brew known as Crazy Train (Bourbon Barrel) from Mount Pleasant Brewing Company.  This brew had a nice combination of hop and booze, it was very tasty.  I was far from done and went for Steve the Imperial Brown from Right Brain Brewery.  After drinking this brew, I definitely want to visit the brewery in Traverse City and try some more.  I saved a killer brew for last, Oude Brune with Sour Cherry from Kuhnhenn Brewing.  This place was awesome, and the service was great.  A return trip is definitely in order.  Make sure you follow this link to the tap list.

I finished up and it was time to roll back to the hotel for some sleep.  After a few wrong turns and cursing Siri, my trip lasted a little longer than I wanted.  However, I did make it back and passed out.

Jolly Pumpkin

I woke up the next morning, and after getting cleaned up, I headed to the popular local bottle shop, Scilliano's.  A great selection and staff, and I even picked up a few beers, including a Flander's Fred.  

I was then back on the highway and ventured back through Ann Arbor to stop at the Jolly Pumpkin Cafe & Brewery for lunch.  After the prior night's drunkfest, I settled for one beer.  For some reason, I decided on more greasy pizza.  I enjoyed this place, another cool decor setup and was even able to acquire a bottle of Soberhumano Palena'Ole for a friend.  

Then I finally made it back to rest and relax.  I also visited several breweries in the Detroit area throughout my trip, which included Kuhnhenn Brewing, Liberty Street Brewing and CJ's Brewing.  But those stories are for another time.  

What a Blast!  I had a great time and can't wait to do it all again!  Cheers!

A Beer Journey to West Michigan Part 1

As I planned my annual Thanksgiving visit to Michigan, I decided I would borrow a car and make the trek over to the west side of the state.  The plan was simple, make a drive to Kalamazoo and then head north towards Grand Rapids.  There are plenty of breweries and bars to visit along the way.  

It is easy to find the way

Hallway at the entrance

My journey began this past Monday morning at around 8:30AM as I started west.  1st stop was for some breakfast in Battle Creek, and then onto Bell's General Store, which is adjacent to Bell's Eccentric Cafe in Downtown Kalamazoo.  The Store opened at 10:00am, so I had some time to browse at merchandise and a gigantic cooler of beer before heading over to the cafe.  



I wandered over to the Cafe, just as the bartender was unlocking the doors.  It is a beautiful place with brick walls and many varieties of artwork.  But enough about that, it was time for some beer.  

A flight shaped like Michigan!

Sample of Artwork

They offer sampler flights of 5 beers, so jumped straight in with the Roundhouse IRA, which is a nice hoppy brew under the "India Red Ale" classification.  Well, I was off an running and went straight 2 of the Experimental Hop Series from 2012, #3 (Rye Pale Ale) and #5 (Floral, Piney and Citrus IPA).  And not to be outdone, the bartender Sean went to the back bar (mainly the event room) and got me a sample of the #6 (Double IPA), small amount of disappointment though that there was no Bourbon Barrel Aged Batch 9000 remaining (he checked for me).  All of the experimental hop brews were pretty good in their own special way.  Next up was the spicy goodness of the Sweet Potato Stout, which included some brown sugar, all spice and nutmeg.  It was a tasty brew.  The last two beers were also Stouts, a Milk Stout and the Dagger Stout.  The Milk Stout was a pretty good example of the style, while the Dagger was a hoppy and bitter stout with a 10.5% ABV.  

Patio area

I also got a little pretzel plate snack with some tasty and pretty good Porter mustard.  It was only a small sampling of food, and I'd like to try more upon my next visit.

After that, I made a short walk (about a block) over to the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange.  I didn't get to witness many changes in the exchange as the place was relatively empty.  I was happy to find out that a Short's Brewing tap takeover had recently taken place and there were plenty of options left to try.  Now, I had to drive, so I settled for the Key Lime Pie beer, which I had never tried before and grabbed a hot dog and chips.  I wish I could have stayed longer as it was a cool place with friendly people.

But this was going to be a long day, and I had a drive ahead of me.  I made one last stop at the Bell's General Store to acquire one beer (Sparkling Ale), a snifter glass and a work shirt.  After all, I need to be a consumer.  

I wanted to get some further nostalgia by visiting the old Alma Mater, but a wrong turn sent me away from Campus, and I instead visited the empty lot where the movie theatre I used to work at no longer stood.  Then, it was time for the trek to Holland, Michigan and New Holland Brewing.  Holland is roughly a little over an hour's drive from Kalamazoo and closer to the Lake Michigan coast.  After some incomplete directions from Siri that only got me to 8th Street, I headed towards downtown and was there in no time.  

A beautiful building in Downtown Holland

6 good beers!

Make your own Flight!

It is a nice downtown area, and easy parking as I walked into the brewery.  It was back to the sampler flight for me, as I was able to choose 6 beers this time.  First up was the Mad Hatter IPA, which is their flagship brew and a good IPA.  Beer number two was the seasonal Ichabod Pumpkin Ale, which was mainly cinnamon and nutmeg with light pumpkin.  It was still tasty, and then I went light with the Golden Cap saison.  Very light and citrusy, this beer was very refreshing.  Then, it was back to hoppyville with the Hopivore, which was very earthy and very subtle in the overall hop flavor.  It paired very well with the Poet Chili I ordered.  The next beer was near and dear to my heart, JP's Coffee Stout.  A good coffee stout with some java and chocolate flavors.  And last but certainly not least, Dragon's Milk, which is a wonderful barrel aged treat.  Vanilla, oak and bourbon booziness make this strong brew an awesome finisher. 

New Holland was a really cool place with good beer and the Chili was pretty damn tasty as well.  After a couple of glasses of water, I exited back to the car for a 45 minute drive to Grand Rapids.   

Well, this has been a lot of writing, so this is the end of Part 1.  Part 2 will follow with the Grand Rapids part of the trip.  Cheers and I need a beer!

   

An Intro to Me

First of all, a little background about me.  I grew up in Livonia, Michigan, which is right outside of Detroit.  When I went to college, I chose to head to Western Michigan University.  After 5 years in Kalamazoo, I didn't want to live with the winter of ice and snow anymore, so I moved to Arizona.  I currently live in Chandler.  

Although, I have been going to Four Peaks Brewing in Tempe, Arizona, for several years, it wasn't until a few years ago that I truly opened up to the Craft Beer market.  I cannot stress how much this has changed my life for the better.  It is not just about the beer, it is about the great people I have met.  From fellow drinkers to home brewers to brewery reps to distributors and beyond, these are some of the nicest and most interesting people you will find.  I have learned a lot about Beer as well, but I do not consider myself an expert by a long shot.  However, I do like entertainment and I hope to provide some in this blog.  

I plan to talk about more than just beer in this blog, but a recent trip has inspired me to write.  I wouldn't normally add another writing task to my routine, because I write every day for my job as a credit underwriter. However, when you review financial statements all day, and then analyze spreads to make a case to lend a company money, this seems very easy in comparison.

Look for my first regular blog post in a few days from my journey to West Michigan to visit some breweries.