Big 12 (Lack of) Power Poll: Week 2
The Thirsty Beagle had to deal with major personal trauma and hardship this past weekend: Being in Canada with no access to TV channels that show college football games. It was tough. But you know, when one of your old high school buddies gets married, sometimes you have to make a sacrifice. So that’s what I did. (Congrats to Ken and Meg! Really, there’s no place I rather would have been on Saturday night. I swear!) Fear not, though, Thirsty Beagle fans. I won’t let this little setback get in the way of bringing you Week 2 of the TTB Big 12 (Lack of) Power Poll. Through the powers of the Internet, I have brought myself up to speed and am ready to proceed.
1. Colorado (1-1, last week: lost to California 52-7): The Buffs 24-3 win against Colorado State doesn’t look so hot after CSU’s 51-6 butt-whipping at the hands of mid-major Nevada. Against a real conference foe, things didn’t go so well for Colorado.
2. Iowa State(1-1, last week: lost to Iowa 35-7): The Cyclones looked quite punchless against their in-state rival in a game that many of the players billed as their Super Bowl-type game. Many of the Iowa State players, at least. One Iowa player was quoted before the game as saying the Hawkeyes were the only major football team in the state. Even with that bulletin board material, no fight from ISU.
3. Kansas (1-1, last week: beat Georgia Tech 28-25): I was almost certain Kansas would be bolted to the No. 1 spot in this poll after its truly horrendous opening loss; bouncing back against a major conference opponent was enough to bump them up a few spots.
4. Baylor (2-0, last week: beat Buffalo 34-6): As far as routs go, beating a listless Buffalo 34-6 doesn’t do much for me.
5. Oklahoma State(2-0, last week: beat Troy 41-38): Major red-flag game here for OSU. The defense gave up a ton of points, special teams got burned and the offense turned it over five times. Does Weeden have a gimpy thumb? I mean, there’s nothing really victorious about fumbling the snap in victory formation.
6. Kansas State (2-0, last week: beat Missouri State 48-24): Kansas State got a lot of credit last week for its win against UCLA. Some of that credit was ripped away when UCLA was shut out at home by Stanford over the weekend.
7. Missouri (2-0, last week: beat McNeese State 50-6): For scoring 50 points, you’d think Missouri would have tallied more than 438 yards of offense. I guess the five turnovers helped.
8. Texas Tech (2-0, last week: beat New Mexico 52-17): No style points for beating New Mexico — after all, 52-17 isn’t quite as impressive at Oregon’s 72-0 win the week before — but no real problems, either, for Tech after two weeks.
9. Oklahoma (2-0, last week: beat Florida State 47-17): OU bounces up the poll after decreasing its lack of power with a sound beating of FSU.
10. Texas A&M (2-0, last week: beat Louisiana Tech 48-16): A&M put up a ton of yards and played not too bad defensively. Predictions of a potent Aggies offense seem to be proving true.
11. Texas (2-0, last week: beat Wyoming 34-7): Good defensive effort by the Longhorns, but fans should be worried about lack of dominating wins against inferior opponents at home and near-home first two games.
12. Nebraska (2-0, last week: beat Idaho 38-17): Nebraska looked very sloppy against the over-matched Vandals, turning the ball over four times. Not wanting to be outdone, Idaho turned it over six times. Nebraska holds this spot for another week.
More info. on Choc Beer’s DFW roll-out
As promised, I’ve learned a little more about Choc Beer’s planned roll-out of its products in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
-Choc expects to start selling beer in the area the week of Sept. 27.
-The beer will be available in stores and on tap at bars/restaurants.
-The first beers made available for the market will be 1919 and Signature Dubbel. Those will be followed in the next few months with Winter Ale and Baltic Porter.
Thanks to Choc’s Zach Prichard for his speedy reply!
Breaking beer news: Choc set for DFW-area roll-out
Fresh of the beer news wires, I can report that Choc beers will soon be available in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. I have an inquiry in with folks at Choc and hope to be able to bring you more details in the near future.
Choc announces second homebrew competition
Choc Beer Co. this week announced the return in 2011 of its Brew at Choc’s Home homebrew contest. Because it’s a lot easier than me giving you the whole run-down, 
here’s the news release Choc put out to explain the contest:
(First, an aside: You’ll notice that Choc is limiting the beer style for next year’s contest. Brewmaster Michael Lalli said they are doing that because, “We wanted the competition to be more focused, we love smoked beers, and they are not widely available. Limiting the competition to smoked beers means smoked beer lovers will access to this great style on a yearly basis.” So there you go.)
Brew at Choc’s Home 2011
A Homebrew Competition
Brew at Choc’s Home is back for another year! We want to thank everyone who participated in the inaugural competition. The winning beer for 2010, Signature Smoked Porter, by Jeff Swearengin of Tulsa, Oklahoma is currently available across Choc’s distribution network. We are excited to receive and judge another great group of beers. The grand prize is a chance to scale up your recipe, brew it in Choc’s 15 barrel brew house, and then have your beer entered in the Pro-Am category at the 2011 Great American Beer Festival (GABF)!
The rules have changed a little from last year:
Eligibility:
- The competition is limited to Oklahoma residents.
- In order to qualify for the GABF Pro-Am category, entrants must be members of the American Homebrewer Association (AHA) at the time of entry (February 2011) and at the time of the GABF (September 2011). You can sign up at: http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/
- The winner of the previous year’s competition will be ineligible for the current competition.
- The competition is closed to commercial brewers or to any beer produced at a commercial brewery.
Categories Accepted:
- This year’s entries are limited to the following Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) categories:
– 22A – Classic Rauchbier
– 22B – Other Smoked Beer
- Entries will be judged against their BJCP style descriptions. Carefully read the style guide and comments section for these categories: http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style22.php
- Entries in category 22B should have an original gravity no higher than 1.074 SG because of brew house limitations.
Entry Requirements:
- Each brewer is limited to only one entry.
- Four bottles of beer (11.2 oz. or larger bottles) are required of every brewer.
- Each bottle should be free of any labels or identifying marks.
- Please fill out and include this recipe form (http://www.bjcp.org/docs/SCP_EntryRecipe.pdf) with your entry. Write your AHA membership number in the upper right hand corner.
- Entries should be shipped or hand delivered to:
Choc Beer Co.
Attn: Brew at Choc’s Home
120 S.W. 8th
Krebs, OK 74554
Entries must be received by 5 P.M. February 18th, 2011. Please package the beers securely to prevent breakage.
The Fine Print:
The judge’s decision will be final. Choc reserves the right to make recipe modifications according to availabilityof ingredients and other brewing considerations. After the winner has been notified by phone or email Choc will coordinate the planning, brewing, and packaging withthe winner. The winning beer will be marketed with a label recognizing the winner and entered in the 2011 GABF Pro-Am category.
The winning brewer must sign a licensing agreement, which limits and protects the way the GABF trademark is used, prior to the submission of entries to the GABF. GABF Pro-Am entries submitted by breweries will compete in a best-of-show style judging, during the regular GABF judging. The GABF Style Guidelines and GABF judge panel will be used for the judging. Judges will determine the top three entries in the GABF Pro-Am Competition, which will be awarded Gold, Silver, and Bronze GABF Pro-Am Competition medals during the GABF awards ceremony. Medals will be issued to both the winning brewery and the winning home brewer.
For any additional information or clarification please call 918-423-3004 or email zach@chocbeer.com
Good luck to all, have a great time brewing and we look forward to trying your beers!
Tonight’s Harvest Lager release party rescheduled
The Mustang Harvest Lager release party originally scheduled for tonight at Republic Gastropub has been rescheduled due to the weather. The party will now be next Wednesday — Sept. 15 — from 5 to 7 p.m.
Choctaw’s Oktoberfest kicks off today!
If a picture says 1,000 words, than this picture says “Choctaw Oktoberfest” 500 times. That’s Mike Turek, folks, proprietor of Old Germany restaurant in Choctaw and organizer of the city’s annual Oktoberfest celebration, now in its 20th year. The festivities kick off at 5 p.m. today and at noon Thursday through Saturday. The event closes at midnight each night. More than 40 beers will be on tap, mostly German, some Belgian and a couple local brews. But the most exciting beer development is that Mike has secured 15 kegs of Paulaner Weisen Beer, the same beer served at the world-famous Munich Oktoberfest. So scoot on over to Choctaw Creek Park and score yourself some good brew. More information is available at this link. Cheers!
Return of the Big 12 (Lack of) Power rankings
With the first weekend of the college football season neatly tucked in, it’s time for the return of The Thirsty Beagle Big 12 (Lack of) Power rankings. Let’s do this!
1. Kansas (0-1, lost to North Dakota State 6-3): Talk about a slam-dunk champion of (lack of) power! I’m going to make a wild guess that it will be a long season in Lawrence this year. Just a hunch.
2. Oklahoma (1-0, beat Utah State 31-24): I’ll admit it: Sooner-hating is one of my favorite past-times. But even if I loved OU, I’d have no choice but to put them here. Barely squeaking past a cupcake foe on your home field? Shame on you.
3. Baylor (1-0, beat Sam Houston State 34-3): Beating Sam Houston State at home? Big whoop. Baylor better hope it gets to six wins fast. Last four games are Texas, OSU, A&M and Oklahoma.
4. Texas Tech (1-0, beat SMU 35-27): The Big 12 (Lack of) Power poll likes close wins against lousy opponents, so Tech fits in nicely right here.
5. Iowa State (1-0, beat Northern Illinois 27-10): I’ve got a soft spot for Iowa State and their goofy, overly emotional coach. They’re kind of cute and cuddly, you know? You just feel sorry for those poor guys sometimes.
6. Colorado (1-0, beat Colorado State 24-3): Sound the trumpets of football joy in Boulder! I don’t think Colorado held such a lofty spot in the Big 12 (Lack of) Power poll at any time last year.
7. Texas A&M (1-0, beat Stephen F. Austin 48-7): A&M gets credit for a solid final score, but I give them nothing for even playing SFA. As someone who’s been to Nacogdoches, Texas, I can say you shouldn’t even be allowed to schedule the Lumberjacks in a football game.
8. Missouri (1-0, beat Illinois 23-13): Remember when people touted Missouri as having the best offense in the country? Ummm, yeah… not so much anymore. Either way, beating a name opponent in a neutral-site game is solid way to start the year.
9. Texas (1-0, beat Rice 34-17): Not necessarily on overwhelming win against Rice. And really, playing Rice a short drive from Texas’ campus shouldn’t result in a mere 17-point win.
10. Kansas State (1-0, beat UCLA 31-22): Gotta give Old Man Snyder and his boys some props for avenging last year’s loss to the Bruins. Still, something tells me KSU will begin migrating up this poll once conference play starts.
11. Oklahoma State (1-0, beat Washington State 65-17): OSU kicked off to start the game and scored its first touchdown 30 seconds later. I’d say that — and the 65 points — was a solid debut for the new offense.
12. Nebraska (1-0, beat Western Kentucky 49-10): My biggest criticism of the Huskers before the season was that they wouldn’t be able to score this year. Well, they scored against Western Kentucky. They hold the bottom spot in this poll… for now!
Final Beer Championship Series conference results
After six months and thousands of votes, we have reached the end of Beer Championship Series conference action. Voting ended last night in the 24th beer conference, the Belgium Conference. Here are the final standings:
1. Orval Trappiste Ale: 57 percent
2. Chimay Red: 21.5 percent
3. Hoegaarden: 11 percent
4. Stella Artois: 3.5 percent
4. Duvel: 3.5 percent
4. Westmalle Dubel: 3.5 percent
7. Leffe Blond: 0 percent.
So Orval and Chimay advance to the 64-beer bracket and earn a chance to compete for the title of Oklahoma’s favorite beer. And speaking of the 64-beer bracket, now the real fun begins. With 24 conferences complete, that means we have 48 beers that have earned spots in the bracket. Your automatic qualifies are:
Marshall Sundown Wheat; Marshall McNellie’s Pub Ale; Modelo Especial; Tecate Lager; La Fin Du Monde; Molson Canadian; Rogue Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout; Rogue Dead Guy Ale; Sapporo; Asahi; COOP F5 IPA; COOP Native Amber; Pabst Blue Ribbon; Keystone Premium; Newcastle Brown Ale; Fuller’s ESB; Dogfish Head 60-Minute IPA; Sam Adams Boston Lager; Pilsner Urquell; Carlsberg Pilsner; Budweiser; Coors Original; Sierra Nevada Pale Ale; Anchor Steam Beer; Spaten Optimator; Warsteiner Dunkel; New Belgium Fat Tire; Oskar Blue Dale’s Pale Ale; Choc Signature Dubbel; Choc Waving Wheat; Boulevard Wheat Beer; Big Sky Moose Drool Brown Ale; Samuel Smith Organic Ale; New Belgium Mothership Wit; Shiner Blond; Santa Fe Chicken Killer Barley Wine; Foster’s Lager; Toohey’s Lager; Ayinger Oktoberfest; Choctoberfest; Abita Turbodog; Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager; Mustang Washita Wheat; Battered Boar Company Man Pale Ale; Leinenkugel Original; Goose Island Honkers Ale; Orval Trappiste Ale; Chimay Red.
So what about the final 16 slots in the bracket, you ask? Shrouded in a cloud of intrigue and the aroma of hops, the Beer Selection Committee will soon begin meeting to fill out the remaining at-large spots. Check the blog for more details concerning the start of bracket voting and for a special announcement about what can only be described as a kick-ass first-place prize.
Breaking beer news: Texas State Fair to debut deep-fried beer
Hot off the beer presses I give you this NPR report:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129595919
What is it? An interview with a man who calls himself a part-time carny and claims to have invented deep-fried beer. When I first learned about 30 minutes ago that they would have deep-fried beer at the Texas State Fair this year, I have to admit, I was elated.
I wasn’t sure how they would pull it off, since, you know, pouring liquid into bubbling oil is bad news. But as a beer super-fan, I was highly intrigued. After checking out the NPR report, I feel a little let down. You see, the beer itself won’t be fried. Which makes sense considering the liquid vs. hot oil conundrum. The beer — Guinness in this case — is injected into a dough ball/pretzel-like thing and then that is fried. So what you have essentially is a deep fried beer-filled pretzel.
Now, I like beer and deep-fried bready things, so possibly this is still a good combination. Only problem: I don’t believe my schedule will allow a trip to the Texas State Fair this year. Your assignment, Thirsty Beagle Fans, is to find the deep-fried beer, try the deep-fried beer, and provide me and the readers with a full report.
Don’t let us down!
Mark your calendars for Choc, Mustang beer events
Couple nice beer events coming up, one next week and one a little further down the road.
First, Mustang Brewing is holding a release party for it’s new Harvest Lager on Wednesday at Republic. 5 to 7 p.m. More info. is available at www.republicgastropub.com or www.mustangbrewing.com.
Second, Choc Beer Co. has announced plans for its fifth Pete’s Place Beer Dinner, Oct. 29 in Krebs, naturally. The cost is $40 and includes appetizers and a four-course dinner paired with Choc beers. To reserve a spot, call (918) 423-2042.
