Bells Two Hearted

On Friday night, I checked out a new restaurant/pub in the the neighborhood. Not only did they have great food, they had great beer selection. There were some beers that I had never heard. It was pretty exciting and I will definitely return to explore.

Last night I had the Bell's Two Hearted Ale. Maybe it is was the name of the beer. It was quite yummy, by the way. However, it game me the courage to send out a message to my friends from the world tour. (see photo)

Yes, the bar had a section that was covered with chalkboard paint, and the proprietors leave chalk out for the patrons (another reason to return). I got some immediate responses from my WLWTOB friends. Can't wait for the next tourney. The local bar has mini kegs of Bell's Two Hearted. Definitely think it will help my game - at least the trash talking part.

Ringing in the New Year

Well, 2008 is upon us. It seem like 2007 has gone by so quickly. I just wanted to take a few minutes to recap some great beer events from the past year.

March 13th - The day I started the blog. When we actually started to grow the World Tour Team.

March 22nd - Hitting the midway point in the tour.

May 13th - Finishing the Century of beers at Winking Lizard.

July 2nd - The First Annual Corn Hole Extravaganza

August 15th - Discovering Shipyard and Smutty Nose brewing on my trip to Down East

September 11th - Having my first try of Magic Hat #9 - which has become one of my favorite beers

November 11th - Learning how to pour a half and half from the Guinness experts

December 31st - Pouring my last half and half of the year before drinking a bottle of champagne with my sister-in-law at midnight.

Buckeye Beer Extravaganza

So time is a bit tight these days, but I didn't want it to slip away without writing about Hollow Leg's Beer extravaganza. OK, so it was Beer, Corn hole, Fire Pit, OSU v. PSU and Gorgeous George's Gyros as well, but I think you get the idea.

One of the big things is that I took the Rapid to Hollow Leg's house. Yes, it is true. I am notorious for pulling the fade and heading home after a few beers. Everyone worries about me doing that (although I am generally more tired than anything else). I figured, if I didn't drive there. I couldn't drive home. It was a good plan . . . until I realized there were tons of kids staying in the house and sleeping in wasn't an option.

Mick to the rescue. A previous work mate who recently relocated here was at the party. Luckily, I swindled him into giving me a place to stay and a lift home the next morning. We had an interesting conversation about Cleveland, and his duty to participate in the WLWTOB 2008.

Yes, Mick is a gentle man and I was a lady, so don't worry you pretty little head about it. Even better, he is now a Magic Hat fan.

Good Times! Also, my corn hole playing has greatly improved and I wasn't as pathetic as I usually am.

The Last Swigs of Summer

It is that time of year. The football teams are in action, the baseball teams are fighting their way into post season and Fall is at our doorstep.

What does that mean? Well, we are going to sneak in a game of corn hole at Anelyn's place. Of course, Hollow Leg has already started the trash talking. It is very exciting that some new members will be joining.

I am sure the standard Miller Lite will be the staple at the event. I am hoping to do a quick run to the Chop House to get some Irish Red. As I was looking for the address on the Internet, I noticed that the Oktoberfest beer is going to be unveiled.

Oktoberfest in September. Oh yes. I was once fooled by the term as well. It is a celebration that originates in Germany. They start in mid-September and have a 16-day celebration going until October 1. There are several festivals throughout Germany, but the most famous Oktoberfest is in Munich.

As fortune would have it, I was in Munich as this time last year and didn't have any business meetings. Lady luck is a friend some times. I got to go the Theresienwise - the fairgrounds where the festival is held. I had no idea what to expect. It was unbelievable.

There were over a dozen beer tents and each one was bigger and more grand than the last. I walked around a bit stunned. I was seeing names like Paulaner, Augustiner, Lowenbrau and Schottenhamel. There were rides, like at American Carnivals, and teams of draught horses.

The tradition of good German beer has its place in America. Most microbreweries, and some of the major ones, offer an Oktoberfest. The local Great Lakes Brewing Company has a very nice Oktoberfest.

I think I know what I am going to be doing after our Corn Hole Tournament this weekend!

Talking Big, Talking Trash - Delivering Results

There has been a lot of trash talking on the team lately. I think my recent spike to the 70/80s in count has made the male team members a little nervous. (I wanted to say male members there, but I thought it wouldn't be appropriate.)

They came in strong with declarations of "I am going to crush you" and other similar statements. They thought their previous beer drinking experience would be enough to get them through.

Dude, you are not LeBron James. Maybe you have skills, but this is the Big League. I might not be the fastest drinker. I might not have the biggest tolerance. However, I am hungry (well thirsty), and I am willing to work at it instead of resting on my laurels.

Granted, I have thrown some verbal barbs over the wall, but I have slowly and steadily backing up my smack talk with the numbers. It is nice to hit 3 pointers, but when you can't make the layups or foul shots, you're not wearing the t-shirt with 23! You're not even wearing the Winking Lizard fleece first.

To make it even more interesting, I am the only member to complete the Belgian Beer mini tour - kind of like the All Star game for the WLTOB.

I got a wonderful glass that I am going to use as a prize for our corn hole tournament. I know I don't have the skills to win the corn hole tournament, but I also remember, it is just a game.