Mid-week beer notes
Passing along some beer happenings coming up in the metro area and around the beer world.
(Note: If you’re looking for the Beer Championship Series, see the post below this one.)
-Edmond Discount Liquors, 1125 S Broadway, is hosting a beer tasting from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday. Featured beers are Mustang Golden Ale and Amber Lager and Sam Adams Coastal Wheat. RSVP by calling 341-0362.
-Speaking of Mustang Amber Lager, Mustang is holding a pint night featuring its Amber Lager on Monday at McNellie’s in OKC. 5 p.m. start.
-A London restaurant is trying to figure out what to do with a 12-liter bottle of beer worth more than $1,100 U.S.
-Former Oklahoma chef Rick Bayless has teamed up with Mexican beer Bohemia to introduce a Web site to help people with holiday party ideas.
-A fire-damaged bottle of beer found in the wreckage of the doomed Hindenburg airship is being put up for auction.
That’s it for the beer news today. Just a reminder, you can follow The Thirsty Beagle and get updates on new blog posts at www.twitter.com/thirstybeagle.
And if you’re a local liquor store owner or bar manager and you’ve got a beer-related event coming up for which you’d like some publicity, drop me a line at thethirstybeagle@yahoo.com.
Beer Championship Series rewind: Vote now!
I learned an important lesson yesterday: Don’t tempt the computer gods. They will strike down on you with a vengeance. Wasn’t long after I posted a blog with the title “You can’t stop the BCS!” that the Beer Championship Series was stopped. Apparently, I was scoffed at by the computer gods. As I wrote yesterday, some kind of phantom computer-code glitch prevented an unknown amount of people from voting. In reviewing the situation, nobody knows why. So, we’re re-setting the vote and starting again today.
Here’s what the bracket looks like right now.
And now, hopefully without any further disturbances, here are today’s Sweet 16 hopefuls:
Important news concerning the Beer Championship Series
Sorry to have to report this, but a technical/coding/java/mystic problem has derailed today’s voting in the Beer Championship Series. Some people were able to vote, some weren’t. There was apparently no rhyme or reason to this issue. Didn’t matter what browser you used, what location you voted from, what time of day you voted. You might have been blocked. Because of that, I’ve decided to scrap Tuesday’s results.
I’m going to re-format and re-post today’s match-ups on Wednesday morning. That has been deemed by myself and my technical gurus to be the fairest way to determine who should move on in the BCS bracket.
If you were able to vote today, many thanks. Hopefully you can find a minute Wednesday to vote again. What do you have going Wednesday, anyway? Nothing. So there.
See you tomorrow,
TTB.
Update: Apparently, you can stop the BCS
I’ve received some reports that people are not able to vote in the Beer Championship Series. We’ve been able to find no obvious technical reason why people are being blocked. Voting is working for some, not for others. We’re working on getting things straightened out. If you’re not able to vote, please try back later; voting will remain open until 10 p.m. Cheers!
2,600 votes, 11 countries: You can’t stop the BCS!
The Beer Championship Series went bonkers on Monday! We had just about 2,500 votes over five days last week for the first round. Well, beer fans must be serious about who gets to advance to the Sweet 16, because on Monday, we came up just shy of 2,600 votes in one day! Not only that, votes came in from the USA, Ukraine, Sweden, France, Germany, Denmark, Mexico, Australia, Puerto Rico, Switzerland and Thailand. That’s great, but I’ve got just one question: Where’s Canada?! I can’t get one voter from the True North Strong and Free? What’s that all about, eh? World domination aside, let’s get to Monday’s results. Here are your first eight Sweet 16 beers:
Oklahoma Region: COOP DNR – 61 percent vs. Choc Basement Batch – 39 percent
International Region: Modelo Negra- 64 percent vs. Dos Equis 36 percent
USA Region: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – 54 percent vs. Sam Adams Boston Lager – 46 percent
Europe Region: Guinness- 63 percent vs. Hoegaarden – 37 percent
Oklahoma Region: Marshall Sundown Wheat – 53 percent vs. COOP Native Amber – 47 percent
International Region: Red Stripe – 74 percent vs. Fosters – 26 percent
USA Region: Fat Tire – 74 percent vs. Blue Moon – 26 percent
Europe Region: Chimay Red- 60 percent vs. Stella Artois – 40 percent
You can see the updated bracket here.
And let’s see who will round out the Sweet 16:
Big 12 (Lack of) Power Poll: Week 10
Texas appears home free, Baylor appears like it’ll be home for the holidays and Gary Pinkel appears home bound — as in, heading home after he’s booted out of Columbia. This is your weekly Big 12 (Lack of) Power Poll:
(Note: If you’re looking to vote in the Beer Championship Series, see the post below this one.)
1. Missouri (5-4, 1-4, lost to Baylor 40-32; next, at Kansas State) Losing to Baylor? Bad. Losing to Baylor at home? Very bad. Losing to Baylor after twice blowing an 11-point lead? Really bad. Losing to Baylor and allowing the Bears to drop a 40-spot on you? Can someone tell Gary Pinkel where he can rent a U-Haul?
2. Kansas (5-4, 1-4, lost to Kansas State 17-10; next, vs. Kansas) Yes, these are the same Jayhawks many touted as pre-season north division favorites. If you look in a dictionary under the definition of “Wheels are falling off,” you’d see a picture of the 2009 Jayhawks.
3. Baylor (4-5, 1-4, beat Missouri 40-32; next, vs. Texas) I’m sure the Bears are feeling fine and dandy about beating Missouri, but they’ve still got games against Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech, and I don’t see two wins and a bowl berth in that group.
4. Texas A&M (5-4, 2-3, lost to Colorado 35-34; next, at Oklahoma) Texas A&M claims the award for top split-personality team. They roar through Lubbock and destroy Texas Tech, but then fall to the Lower Buffs at home. And now they have an angry OU, a desperate Baylor and a confident Texas on their schedule. They’ve got a shot at six wins, but it’s no sure thing.
5. Colorado (3-6, 2-3, beat Texas A&M 35-34; next, at Iowa State) It was nice for Dan “Short Timer” Hawkins to get a win under his belt.
6. Iowa State (5-5, 2-4, lost to Oklahoma State 34-8; next, vs. Colorado) Paul “I am so proud to be your coach” Rhoads thought he was living large after winning in Lincoln; now two straight conference losses have brought the Cyclones back down to Earth. Have I mentioned before that when Iowa State won in Lincoln, they were the recipients of eight turnovers but only managed nine points? I may even petition the Big 12 to have that game counted as a loss for Nebraska and Iowa State.
7. Oklahoma (5-4, 3-2, lost to Nebraska 10-3; next, vs. Texas A&M) Whoa. Where to even start here? The Sooners were done in by Landry “Too Tall” Jones. As in, those passes were too tall for his receivers, but just right for Nebraska’s defenders. Come on Sooners, even Iowa State managed a touchdown against Nebraska!
8. Nebraska (6-3, 3-2, beat Okahoma 10-3; next, at Kansas) The Huskers really have no place being ranked fifth least lacking in power in the conference, but I couldn’t very well say OU was less lacking in power. Nebraska has scored 37 points in its past four games — they’re no superstars offensively, I’ll say that much.
9. Texas Tech (6-3, 3-2, bye; next, at Oklahoma State) How many times on the Texas Tech-OSU broadcast will they mention that “last time Texas Tech was in Stillwater, it was the Mike Gundy rant?”
10. Kansas State (6-4, 4-2, beat Kansas 17-10; next, vs. Missouri) Can I hand the coach of the year award to a team that’s 6-4, lost to Louisiana-Lafayette and features two of its wins against average Division II teams? You’re damn right I can! Wait, Kansas State scheduled three games against D-II teams this year? Maybe I’ll take that award back.
11. Oklahoma State (7-2, 4-1, beat Iowa State 34-8; next, vs. Texas Tech) Somewhere along the way, Oklahoma State got to be ranked 35th in the country in total defense. Where did that come from? They’re 33rd in the nation in scoring defense and ninth against the rush. The problem? They’re 87th against the pass. And sure enough, here comes Texas Tech to town on Saturday. Tech is second in the country in passing. Guess who’s first? Houston. We know how that went. Is trouble ahead for OSU?
12. Texas (9-0, 5-0, beat UCF 35-3; next, at Baylor) Not much to say here. Texas appears to be hitting its stride on both sides of the ball. All their competition in the conference is dropping off week-by-week. I’m not sure if there could be a less exciting drive to a perfect season.
Round two of Beer Championship Series is on!
Welcome back, beer fans, after our weekend break from the Beer Championship Series. This is our 64-beer, bracket-style playoff to select Oklahoma’s favorite beer. Last week we eliminated half the bracket and now stand at 32 beers. Today and Tuesday, the beers will battle it out for a spot in the Sweet 16. And remember, it’s your vote that decides who will survive and advance.
Here’s how the bracket looks right now.
And now, on to the round of 32:
Beer Championship Series first round is complete
The Thirsty Beagle here, checking in live from the Northwest Oklahoma County Memorial Sports Coliseum. Taking this OSU-OU intermission as an opportunity to provide the updated bracket for the Beer Championship Series. The voters have taken us from 64 beers down to 32. Check in Monday morning for the start of voting in the second round. We’re going to have some serious heavyweight match-ups.
Here’s how the bracket shapes up now.
Are here are Friday’s results:
-Oklahoma Region: Mustang Golden Ale – 64 percent vs. Choc 1919 – 36 percent
-International Region: Taj Mahal Lager – 52 percent vs. Corona – 48 percent
-USA Region: Shiner Bock – 85 percent vs. Coors Light – 15 percent
-Europe Region: St. Pauli Girl- 59 percent vs. Amstel – 41 percent
-Oklahoma Region: COOP Native Amber – 72 percent vs. Belle’s Blond – 28 percent
-USA Region: Anchor Steam – 77 percent vs. Miller Lite – 23 percent
-Europe Region: Newcastle Brown Ale- 81 percent vs. Carlsberg 19 percent
Keep up with the BCS on Twitter
Just wanted to drop a note that if you’re a user of Twitter, you can get updates on the Beer Championship Series by following The Thirsty Beagle at www.twitter.com/thirstybeagle. I’ll send alerts when a match-up is especially close, post results and let you know when new rounds of voting begin.
Cheers!
(Note: If you’re looking to vote in today’s Beer Championship Series match-ups, see the post below this one.)
Closing out round one of the Beer Championship Series
Seven more match-ups today and we’ll wrap up round one of the Beer Championship Series. It’s been a great week of beer voting — nearly 2,500 votes have been tallied from seven different countries. Clearly, this is a sweeping endorsement of The Thirsty Beagle’s version of the BCS! Once the first round is complete, be sure to check back Saturday to see the updated bracket. Then tune in Monday for our final 32 competitors. Here are the beers that survived and advanced on Thursday:
Oklahoma Region: Choc Basement Batch – 72 percent vs. Belle Isle Power House Porter - 28 percent
International Region: Sapporo – 54 percent vs. Coopers Lager – 46 percent
USA Region: Fat Tire – 62 percent vs. Sam Adams Boston Ale – 38 percent
Europe Region: Hoegaarden – 70 percent vs. Becks – 30 percent
Oklahoma Region: Marshall Atlas IPA- 82 percent vs. Bricktown Copperhead Amber Ale – 18 percent
International Region: Fosters- 56 percent vs. Tsing Tao – 44 percent
Europe Region: Stella Artois- 52 percent vs. Weihenstephaner Lager – 48 percent
For your enjoyment, the updated bracket.
And how about Friday’s match-ups:
