Behold! The Beer Championship Series bracket!
This is the day you’ve waited for all year! Or not. But either way, it’s time for The Thirsty Beagle’s answer to the Bowl Championship Series: The second annual Beer Championship Series. This BCS is a 64-beer, bracket-style playoff where blog readers vote for Oklahoma’s favorite beer. The bracket is broken down into four regions: the International Region, the USA Region, the Europe Region and the Oklahoma Region. Beers featured in the Oklahoma region are from COOP, Mustang, Choc, Marshall, Bricktown Brewery and Belle Isle Brewery. The others regions consist of popular beers and generally ones you can find in stores here in state, with a couple exceptions for personal favorites of The Thirsty Beagle that may not be so readily available. Hey, it’s my blog, right? Anyway, you can find the bracket right here.
New beers from Sam Adams, Mustang Brewing
Got a note in my e-mail today that Sam Adams Oktoberfest is being phased out for the season; it’ll return next year. The exit of that seasonal beer will mean the arrival of Sam Adams Winter Classics Variety Park. And for those of you seeking something else from Sam Adams, fear not. They’ve announced a new series of beers: the Barrel Room Collection.
The
The collection includes three beers:
-New World Tripel, described as “Pale gold in color, this ale is big, flavorful and complex. A special Belgian yeast strain adds tropical fruit and spice notes to the crisp dry ale, while Saaz hops add a subtle herbal note. (~10% ABV)”
-American Kriek, described as follows: “The intense black cherry character in this beer comes from Balaton cherries, which were discovered in Hungary and are now grown in Michigan. These special cherries are prized for their depth of flavor. The tartness from the cherries is balanced by a rich, malty character with toasted oak notes added from the barrel aging. (~7% ABV)”
-Stony Brook Red, described like this: “This unique brew defies traditional beer style definition. The rich, malty brew combines notes of tart fruit from the yeast with a toasty oak character from the barrel aging. The long dry finish is almost wine-like. This is a beer that is satisfying on its own and also pairs well with many foods such as braised or roasted meats, beef stews and strong salty cheeses. (~9% ABV)”
The beers are only available in select states as of right now, SA officials said, with the closest to Oklahoma being Colorado. I’ll keep you updated if they become available in-state.
If you’re interested in a beer you can find a little more readily, Mustang Brewing Co. reports bottles of its Mustang Amber Lager will arrive in Oklahoma tomorrow (Friday).
And on a couple Thirsty Beagle notes, remember you can follow my blog and get updates about new posts at twitter.com/thirstybeagle; and stay tuned tomorrow for the release of my Beer Championship Series bracket. Check out the match-ups and get ready for voting to start Monday.
BCS: Thirsty Beagle style!
We all love the BCS, don’t we? Yes, the Bowl Championship Series is such a great thing. It clearly and concisely spells out who the greatest teams in football are each year. Case in point, let’s look at a scenario developing this year with two teams:
-Team A is 6-1. Its one loss came against a team that is also 6-1 and is ranked within the top 20 of the current BCS. The loss came in week two of the season, theoretically giving Team A plenty of time to climb up the polls by reeling off five straight wins. Two of the teams Team A has faced now have losing records, compared with five opponents with winning records. Combined, the record of Team A’s opponents is 25-25.
-Team B also is 6-1. Its one loss came against a team that is now 3-5 and not ranked in the BCS. Clearly a worse loss than Team A’s one loss. Team B’s loss came in week three of the season, theoretically giving Team B less time than Team A to climb back up the polls by winning four straight games. Three of the teams Team B has faced now have losing records, compared with four opponents with winning records. Combined, the record of Team B’s opponents is 25-25, the same as that of Team A’s opponents.
So which team is which, and more importantly, which team is ranked higher in the current BCS standings? You’d probably guess it would be Team A. After all, Team A’s one loss was against a far tougher opponent, Team A has had more time to climb back up the polls after its loss and Team A has played more teams with winning records. And since both teams have played teams with a combined record that is equal, it should seem quite obvious that Team A would be ranked higher in the BCS standings, shouldn’t it?
Well, if you thought that, you’d be dead wrong. Team A is Oklahoma State, and it is ranked 14th in the BCS. Team B is USC, which is ranked fifth. Even more unbelievable, one of the computers has USC ranked seventh in its formula and doesn’t even have OSU in its top 25! How does that happen? How does a team that’s 6-1 and boasts four of its six wins over major conference opponents not even sniff the top 25 of any ranking?
Now I get that there are arguments for why USC should be fifth and OSU should be 14th, like how you can’t technically compare their opponents’ records on an even field because what if one team’s opponents have played tougher opponents than the other team’s opponents? But isn’t the fact that that is one of the arguments for putting USC so far ahead of OSU just plain crazy in and of itself?!
Like Bill Simmons would say: Ladies and gentlemen, your BCS system! It’s arbitrary, it favors traditional powers who annually start higher in the rankings, it is generally not understood by the teams and fans that it is supposed to serve, and of course, it’s two-thirds decided by people who may or may not even watch football games on a weekly basis. The answer, as always, is a playoff. The Thirsty Beagle prefers a 16-team bracket, with automatic entry granted to the top two teams in each of the six BCS conferences and four wild-card spots for the Boises, Utahs and TCUs of the world. Any chance that’ll happen sometime soon? Probably not. But guess what? You’re in my world now, grandma!
Here at The Thirsty Beagle, we don’t need no stinkin’ Bowl Championship Series. That’s because we’ve got our own BCS: The Beer Championship Series! By the end of the week, I’ll unveil the 64-beer bracket. And next week, voting will open for the match-ups. You the reader will decide which beers survive and advance through the playoff. And like any good 64-competitor bracket, we’ve got regions: The International Region; the USA Region; the Europe Region; and the Oklahoma Region.
So stay tuned for the bracket-unveiling blog post and come back Monday to vote for Oklahoma’s favorite beer!
Afternoon beer links
Some news making the rounds in the beer world:
-Tibet will boost U.S. shipments of its Lhasa Beer because of strong demand.
- Beer-maker Carlsberg said Russia’s plan to triple beer taxes may result in the loss of 100,000 jobs.
-Another warning is being issued about the connection between swine flu and beer pong.
-A nice analysis of stout beers here, courtesy of The New York Times.
-A former Anheuser-Busch executive has sued the company, saying women receive less pay in salary and bonuses.
-Very interesting read here. Water makes up most of beer, so you can understand why craft brewers are deeply concerned about the future of the country’s water supply.
Big 12 (Lack of) Power Poll: Week 8
If you would have told me when this football season started that on Oct. 25 there would be only two Big 12 teams in the top 25 of the BCS standings, I quite frankly would have called you dumb. Well look who’s dumb now, mister! Indeed, only Texas and Oklahoma State are hanging around in the BCS top 25, and if OSU loses to Texas on Saturday, there’s no telling if they’ll hang around — after all, one computer doesn’t even have OSU in its top 25! The point is, this has been a seriously wacky Big 12 season. I’m fairly certain pretty much all the teams in the conference are terrible. But even if the teams aren’t bringing it on the field, that doesn’t mean The Thirsty Beagle won’t still bring it in the weekly (Lack of) Power Poll…
1. Nebraska (4-3, 1-2, lost to Iowa State 9-7; next, at Baylor) The Thirsty Beagle is not afraid to hand the bottom/top spot in this poll to a team with the history and tradition of the Corndroppers, I mean Cornhuskers. Let’s just say that when you’re Nebraska and you lose 9-7 at home to Iowa State, that deserves some recognition. Nebraska’s challenge for this week’s game at Baylor: More points than turnovers.
2. Baylor (3-4, 0-3, lost to Oklahoma State 34-7; next, vs. Nebraska) Poor Baylor. After all the high hopes they had of finally getting to a bowl this year. Well you know who didn’t have high hopes? This guy! I predicted Baylor would be Baylor this year, and voila, Baylor is Baylor this year. Baylor making a resurgence in football? Let’s keep the natural order of the universe in line, thank you very much.
3. Colorado (2-5, 1-2, lost to Kansas State 20-6; next, vs. Missouri) The Lower Buffs thought they had perhaps turned a corner by beating Kansas last week. No soup for you, Buffs fan! And now with Kansas looking thoroughly exposed as a contender, that win doesn’t look so good either.
4. (tie) Kansas (5-2, 1-2, lost to Oklahoma 35-13; next, at Texas Tech) I struggled mightily on the order I would rank Kansas, Missouri, Texas A&M and Texas Tech, so I called it a draw. I present my analysis in alphabetical order, starting with Kansas: Did you see the throw in the first half that OU intercepted and ran in for a touchdown? Absolutely terrible. It’s like Reesing took a lesson last week at the Cody Hawkins School of Lazy Passes That Any Cornerback Will Jump on and Return for a Touchdown.
4. (tie) Missouri (4-3, 0-3, lost to Texas 41-7; next, at Colorado) Tigers look more like kittens in conference play. Looking bad against Texas and not-so-good against Oklahoma State are two things, but looking atrocious against Nebraska in their conference opener? That only looks worse now.
4. (tie) Texas A&M (4-3, 1-2, beat Texas Tech 52-30; next, vs. Iowa State) Texas A&M avoided an all-out disastrous start to conference play by whipping Tech in Lubbock. I did not see that one coming.
4. (tie) Texas Tech (5-3, 2-2, lost to Texas A&M 52-30; next, vs. Kansas) This loss was so bad, Mike Leach made a post-game reference to coaching the Swedish bikini team and called his quarterback “slow and statue-like.” Ouch if your Taylor Potts. And on the bikini team, get in line Mike, I signed up for that job several years ago. Still waiting by the phone.
8. Iowa State (5-3, 2-2, beat Nebraska 9-7; next, at Texas A&M) If you open up the dictionary and look for the definition of “being handed a game,” you’d find a picture of Iowa State players celebrating on Nebraska’s field on Saturday. Seems like if your opponent commits eight turnovers and you only score nine points, you should actually be credited with a loss. That being said, I had to rank Iowa State in this spot based on how terrible all the other teams are.
9. Kansas State (5-3, 3-1, beat Colorado 20-6; next, at Oklahoma) What kind of ancient wizardry is Bill Snider practicing? I wasn’t even sure if Snider would live through the season, with the old age and all. When Kansas State lost to Louisiana-Lafayette, I thought he might keel over. Then when KSU opened the conference schedule by losing 66-14 to Texas Tech, I was pretty sure he’d croak. But somehow, that old codger not only hasn’t died, he’s actually got the team thriving!
10. Oklahoma (4-3, 2-1, beat Kansas 35-13; next, vs. Kansas State) Is the Sooners defense really amazing, or is the Kansas offense really terrible? While I think OU’s defense is solid, I’m going to lean more toward Kansas being terrible. Did I mention earlier that the interception return for touchdown in the first half was a terrible throw. Repeat: terrible. Still, OU appears to be fortune’s least-favorite son this season.
11. Oklahoma State (6-1, 3-0, beat Baylor 34-7; next, vs. Texas) Zac Robinson’s increase in efficiency is likely tied to his rediscovering how to throw the ball in a spiral. Good stuff. Maybe if OSU can do what it hasn’t done since 1997 — beat Texas — the Cowboys can crack the top 25 in that one computer poll they’re unranked in.
12. Texas (7-0, 4-0, beat Missouri 41-7; next, at Oklahoma State) After a couple scuffling results in conference, Texas put together a solid game against Missouri. Have they rounded into form as the dominating team in the conference? If they can beat OSU on Saturday, it looks like an easy ride to an undefeated season.
Quick note on Tulsa Oktoberfest
In case you’re planning to head up the turnpike this weekend for Tulsa’s Oktoberfest, here’s a link with a list of beer and food offerings. The Thirsty Beagle would have liked to have discussed Tulsa’s Oktoberfest in more length than this minor post, but I spent too much time doing work for my real job this week. Damn real job!
Couple things noticed at the beer store
I stopped by the beer store today and noticed the appearance of Sam Adams Winter Lager. I’ve always been partial to Winter Lager — several years ago Winter Lager was one of my first forays into the craft beer genre (I know anything Sam Adams is really more craft-beer style than truly craft beer, but you get the idea). I also saw Sam Adams’ latest six-pack offering, Coastal Wheat. For my take on Coastal Wheat, which I sampled at Zoo Brew, click here. Another thing I noticed is the 22 oz. bottles of Marshall Brewing Co. offerings: Sundown Wheat, McNellie’s Pub Ale and Atlas India Pale Ale were the ones I saw. You can also get 22 oz. Marshall bottles at Hideaway Pizza, fyi.
In other blog news, get ready for The Thirsty Beagle’s take on the BCS: the Beer Championship Series. I’m working up the bracket — a 64-brew beer playoff — as we speak, and will post it soon and open voting.
Phillies fans celebrate win by pelting hooligans with beer
You can use beer for many a purpose. Of course it’s a natural selection for celebrating your favorite baseball team winning the National League title and advancing to the World Series. It’s also very handy if you want to pelt a hooligan who has climbed to the top of a traffic light.
A pint of beer news
Here’s some news making the rounds in the beer world:
-The maker’s of Sam Adams and venerable German brewer Weihenstephan have announced they are teaming up to create and brew a new beer. The yet-to-be-named beer will feature on ABV of 10 percent and come with corks as opposed to caps. The makers describe it as a “crisp pale brew.” Added Boston Beer CEO Jim Koch: ”We’re creating a brand, a product that never existed before, a very premium brand.”
-So did you hear the one about the black bear in Wisconsin that sauntered into the grocery store and headed straight for the beer cooler? That’s not a joke.
-Here’s a review of George Wendt’s book “Drinking with George: A Barstool Professional’s Guide to Beer.” Wendt is better known as Norm from “Cheers.”
-A Wisconsin woman has started holding a church service at a bar.
-A week-long beer festival in Cleveland will wrap up this weekend. I don’t really expect any of my readers will now ship off to Cleveland to catch the last few days. Especially if you saw this or this!
Big 12 (Lack of) Power Poll: Week 7
I think it’s pretty clear that The Thirsty Beagle is a football genius. In this week’s (Lack of) Power Poll rankings, I’m going to include some comments I made last week at this time. Call me a college football visionary if you must…
1. Baylor (3-3, 0-2, lost to Iowa State 24-10; next, vs. Oklahoma State) What TTB said last week: “There may not be three more wins on Baylor’s schedule.” Certainly, there may not be three more wins. Especially after losing to Iowa State. There’s something very reassuring about knowing the Bears are who we thought they were.
2. Texas A&M (3-3, 0-2, lost to Kansas State 62-14; next, at Texas Tech) What TTB said last week: “The Aggies offensive line looked like a certain variety of cheese. That’d be Swiss.” And this week? How about allowing six sacks and totaling minus-13 yards rushing. And this was not against the likes of Alabama’s defense. This was against a team that lost to Louisiana Lafayette!
3. Kansas State (4-3, 2-1, beat Texas A&M 62-14; next, vs. Colorado) It’s not worth repeating anything I wrote about KSU last week; I slammed them. That must have shamed the team and rallied them for a forceful performance against the now-woeful Aggies. And now, three games into their conference schedule, the Wildcats lead the Big 12 North. These are crazy days, my friends.
4. Iowa State (4-3, 1-2, beat Baylor 24-10; next, at Nebraska) What TTB said last week: “Iowa State may have a more realistic shot at bowl eligibility than Baylor. Who would have thought that at the start of the year?”A lot of people are thinking that now. Somehow, Iowa State needs only two wins in its last five games to become bowl eligible, which pretty much was deemed unachievable at the start of the season.
5. Missouri (4-2, 0-2, lost to Oklahoma State 33-17; next, vs. Texas) What TTB said last week: “Whether is was the weather or their gimpy quarterback or their complete absence of a running game (91 yards), they didn’t look very impressive.” The weather didn’t hamper Missouri against OSU. Their gimpy quarterback and complete absence of a running game (68 yards) certainly did. In defense of the Tigers gimpy quarterback, Missouri ran so many empty-backfield formations, it’s no surprise they didn’t rack up running yards. They hardly tried. And speaking of the quarterback, will it take a severed foot for Gary Pinkel to put the back-up in? Gabbert could hardly walk, let alone use the correct mechanics to throw a football.
6. Nebraska (4-2, 1-1, lost to Texas Tech 31-10; next, vs. Iowa State) What TTB said last week: “As bad as Missouri looked, Nebraska looked just as bad — if not worse — for three quarters.” Well, the Huskers decided to go for the gusto and look terrible for all four quarters this week. I know Bo Pellini is a defensive-minded kind of guy, but surely someone on the staff knows when you’re down by three touchdowns in the fourth quarter you don’t need to be huddling and using up the whole play clock on every snap?
7. Kansas (5-1, 1-1, lost to Colorado 34-30; next, vs. Oklahoma) What TTB said last week: “Let me be clear: the Jayhawks have not been tested.” Lo and behold, the first time they were tested, they lost! And to the team coined last week by The Thirsty Beagle as the Lower Buffs, on account of how they would pretty much rate below anyone. With Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas losing in the same week, the Big 12 North’s reputation just took another big hit.
8. Colorado (2-4, 1-1, beat Kansas 34-30; next, at Kansas State) What TTB said last week: “The look on (coach Dan Hawkins’) face Saturday was somewhere between ‘I can’t wait to get out of here’ and ‘It’ll be hard to never talk to my son again, but at this point, I think that’s for the best.’” It’ll especially be hard to talk to his son now that the team’s new starter at quarterback led the Lower Buffs to their first big win of the year. But don’t get too high on that mountain air, CU fans: Beating the no. 17 team in the country is no excuse to storm the field.
9. Oklahoma (3-3, 1-1, lost to Texas 16-13; next, at Kansas) What TTB said last week: “What’ll happen when the Sooners play live bodies on Saturday against Texas?” Apparently, not a whole lot of good stuff. I’m pretty sure the Sooners have a good defense, but an offense that averaged more than 50 points a game last season now can’t protect its quarterback and has scored a total of 46 in its three losses this year.
10. Texas Tech (5-2, 2-1, beat Nebraska 31-10; next, vs. Texas A&M) What TTB said last week: “I’ve never played quarterback, but since apparently anyone can throw multiple touchdowns for the Red Raiders, I should be good for at least 300 yards and five touchdown passes.” Texas Tech’s back-up quarterback is 6-foot-4 and 175 pounds. He may be the thinnest college football player of all time. But it hasn’t stopped him from averaging four touchdown passes a game and pretty much turning Texas Tech into an unstoppable juggernaut.
11. Oklahoma State (5-1, 2-0, beat Missouri 33-17; next, at Baylor) What TTB said last week: “Several receivers got into the act with big third-down catches and the offensive line appears to be gelling a little. Both good signs going forward.” Against Missouri, the Cowboys allowed zero sacks and six players had receptions. All the sudden, OSU’s chance of making a run at the Big 12 South title looks a little more promising.
12. Texas (6-0, 3-0, beat Oklahoma 16-13; next, at Missouri) What TTB said last week: “What a couple weeks ago looked like a sure-thing Texas win in the Red River game got a little dicey over the weekend.” And of course, it was more than a little dicey. Texas impressed exactly nobody with its offense, and was surely fortunate that Sam “Porcelain Shoulder” Bradford went down early. The Longhorns perch at the bottom of this poll is a precarious one.
