Around the Big Ten

[entropy]

or.. if you're not drinking beer..

[Tom W]

Now you're talking, Entropy- and to think what we were wasting our time with last November at the Scio Church tailgate!

[*JD*]

I'd drink a Corona over a Heinekin but that isn't saying much.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Ohio State will play three of its four October games at night, including Nebraska's visit to the Horseshoe. It's no surprise, given the Buckeyes' following and the presence of Urban Meyer. Even without the ability to play in the postseason, the Buckeyes figure to be an attractive team for TV ratings purposes this year. The atmosphere in Columbus when Big Red comes to town should be absolutely electric.

The best part about this is that Disney will make every effort to provide every last detail of the sordid tressel imbroglio during the braodcast of that game. The story behind the story will be the story.

CFB fans (esp. Michigan fans) will get to relive that in spades thanks to the dogged efforts of the ABC/ESPN sports press core who have nothing at all useful to say about football but absolutely love titillating the millions of fans watching, the ones who also know very little about football, but love soap operas. This is called targeting your audience.

[Rob F]

Noon is okay, but I still wish they would go back to 1:00 kickoffs- that extra hour on a Saturday morning is gravy time- whether you spend it sleeping in or drinking beer. Beer just seems to taste better after 11:00 am.

...and that explains, once and for all, why Liney has decided to open The Kone & Keg daily at 11.

[Rob F]

I've never understood the appeal of a beer that comes from a country that isn't exactly known for its high quality water standards. Although I suppose the stuff could be brewed in Minnesota for all I know.

Spoken like a true beer aficionado!

[Jeff Buchanan]

I'm telling you ..... Sean can make beer brewed and fermented in nasty Saline, MI water taste pretty damn good.

Its the hops man, and the skills of the brewmeister, not the water.

[Paul L]

Ent- Oban is great, but partial to this one myself.

[Rob F]

I'm telling you ..... Sean can make beer brewed and fermented in nasty Saline, MI water taste pretty damn good.

Its the hops man, and the skills of the brewmeister, not the water.

Excellent point, Jeff. Problem with Corona, though: they not only start with substandard water, but then do nothing to improve it. Far as I can tell, anyone caught smuggling hops into a Corona Plant is shot on sight.

As much as I hate Bud Light, at least it's clean water (if nothing else) in those blue cans.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Paul, you must like toasted pete moss.

I was in Scotland for a military exercise in the 80s and spent about a month in Edinbergh with an RAF pilot who said ...... you yanks can drink all the expensive, single malt scotch you like me lad, Americans love it, we don't drink it at all ...... for me and most of the Scots, its Famous Grouse.

I can get it in the US for about $20 US (750mls). Smooth, takes like scotch, not a burned out tree, perfect neat or on a few cubes of ice (I like it in a scotch snifter at room temp.). They have a couple of upgrade brands, I've not tried them but reportedly quite good.

[Paul L]

I do enjoy the peat smoke, Jeff. Will have to give the Grouse a try; thanks for the recommendation.

[entropy]

I'll have to try it too. Thanks for the recommendation

[hack]

Grouse is utterly toothless though. Something's missing with that Lagavulin 16. We have one too, and it's not knocking our socks off as something like that should. Very, very nice, but not the thrill you'd expect from Lagavulin at that age. I think the 12 is actually priced a bit higher...

[Tom W]

I'm telling you ..... Sean can make beer brewed and fermented in nasty Saline, MI water taste pretty damn good.

Its the hops man, and the skills of the brewmeister, not the water.

True enough, Jeff- water is overrated in brewing. If you can drink it, you can brew with it. Of course, there are subtleties that impact how your malt, hops and yeast react, but most drinkers don’t notice and good brewers can compensate(which is where you really have to admire Budweiser, and Guinness, who make their stuff all over the world). it’s like the old “does size matter?” argument- sure it does, but only if you’re not doing it right.

Based on what I've seen in competitions, the real killer of otherwise well intended beers is deficient quality control. Infection is more deadly than the actual ingredients or recipe. Things can go very wrong very quickly be it in fermentation packaging or how it is stored and served. Beer is just not a naturally robust product.

[hack]

I know very little about this but it's fair to give a nod to the major producers for their consistency. That must indeed be a costly trick, and many brewers worldwide lack the attention to detail required.