Here We Go Steelers, Here We Go!

On playoff eve, I pass on this awesome photo.  Enjoy!  As found on Mondesishouse.

Also, look out Ed, Hines is coming!

Bube's Brewery

I decided to check out Bube's Brewery last night. The brewery is located in Mount Joy, PA.  When we walked in, they seated us in the Bottling Works. This was my first experience there, and after talking with some people who have been there, I wish they would have asked us where we wanted to sit. Apparently, the place to eat is in the Catacombs, which includes the tour of the brewery. But alas, I was unaware of this going into the restaurant. 

The Beer

I was a little shocked when I asked the waitress what beer they had, and her reply was, "We have our own beer and we have..." She began to list all of the beers they had on draft, without putting emphasis on Bube's beers. So I had to ask her again specifically what beer the brewery had on draft. After listening to the list, the first beer I had was the Vienna Lager.

From 1-16-09 Bube's Brewery

This beer was excellent. It had a very smooth taste with a good caramel taste. It was similar to Yuengling Lager, but it definitely tasted of a higher quality.

The second beer that I had was the Dunkelweizen.  

From 1-16-09 Bube's Brewery

This was a very flavorful beer. My taste buds were put into shock when I first sipped this beer. As my boy Adam pointed out, you could tell that this beer packed an alcoholic punch. My favorite part of this beer is its lack of filtering, as you can see from the picture above, light does not pass through this beer.

I basically stayed with these two beers, as I wasn't enticed too much by the limited selection of the other beers. I tried my boy Mike's Cream Ale.

From 1-16-09 Bube's Brewery

This beer was terrible. I have never has a beer like this, but there was too much cream put into this beer. It felt like the beer was foaming in my mouth.  The taste was very similar to cream soda.

My boy Adam tried the Belgian Strong Pale Ale. 

From 1-16-09 Bube's Brewery

I did not sip this beer, but Adam liked it at first, and then said the aftertaste really got to him. So much so, he did not order another Belgian, but elected to go with the Vienna Lager.  In my opinion, I think the lager is Bube's best beer that I have tried.

The Food

I ordered the Tuscan Chicken, and I thought it was excellent tasting. However, when I was done eating, I did not feel satisfied. I felt for $18, the meal could have been a little more filling. The side of mashed potatos was excellent. For the money, my Boy Mike seemed to do the best by getting a chicken wrap that only cost $9.  

Overall

I thought overall that Bube's Brewery was a nice place, but I think my expectations were too high. I would be willing to give it another chance if I got to eat in the Catacombs. However, I would rather eat at Appalachian Brewing Company, as it has a more robust portion of food and a much longer draft list. And the draft list at ABC is comprised of only ABC beers.

Watchmen

I'm am very excited today. The "Watchmen" dispute between Warner Brothers and Fox has been resolved, and it looks like the movie is going to be released on time. At least both sides could come to an agreement and think about the fans. This movie is going to have a decent cult following, and it may pick up some mainstream viewers due to its advertising before "The Dark Knight" and on ESPN. I plan on being at the IMAX theatre March 6 to watch this long-awaited film.

Kaka Transfer

According to Sky Sports, Manchester City's transfer offer for Brazilian Kaka has been increased to £107 million ($157 million).  While the midfielder is very talented, I am not convinced that any player is worth this much money.  The downside to the new Arabic owner with his vast oil wealth (over $1 trillion) is that other teams will not be able to match their pockets.  The only saving grace for the "poorer" teams is that Manchester City does not have the historic appeal of Manchester United, Real Madrid, or Barcelona.  So, while some players will resist going to The City of Manchester Stadium, the owners are going to make it very difficult to resist the money that they will throw at players.

RBNY Flyer

How weird does the flyer for Red Bull New York look with "Western Conference Champions" pasted across the top?  I believe this flyer alone makes the argument to remove the current conference system and go to a single table.  Playoffs can still be played with a single table: just take the top eight teams.  But seeing a New York team as a Western Conference champion is a little ridiculous.

Thoughts on McCoy

For those that have not heard, Pitt's LeSean McCoy will enter the NFL draft. I have nothing against Shady in his decision to enter the draft. In fact, it is in his best interest to enter the draft, seeing that he is projected to be a first round pick. If he were to be injured next year in college, his draft stock could have plummeted and he might have had to wait another year.

Now while I support his decision, I can't help but think that he really still wants to be at Pitt. From all of the reports that I have read, it seems that his parents were pushing him to go to the NFL, and I believe that the he was on the fence because he wanted to stay. Now, if my beliefs are correct, I feel that McCoy made the wrong decision. I think he will do well in the NFL and he will earn a lot of money.  I just hope that somewhere down the line, he does not regret his decision because he thought his parents knew best. But best of luck to McCoy, and make Pitt and the 717 proud!

Philadelphia _____

Apparently the four registered names for the Philadelphia MLS franchise have been registered with the US Patent Office. The names are as follows:

• Philadelphia AC


• Philadelphia SC


• Philadelphia Union


• Philadelphia City

Out of these four names, my number one choice would be Philadelphia City. I think it has a great ring to it. It is a name that isn't a blatant Euro rip-off. Sure, there are "City" names, but it isn't like Real when there is nothing royal about Salt Lake City. The word city applies to any settlement that is deemed a city, and with the team being housed in Chester, it brings the whole region together under the city name. People from Chester say they are from Philadelphia. My number one choice probably would have been Athletic, but due to MLB owning the rights, that is off the table. This is the reason I don't want AC, because it will not stand for anything. SC just doesn't appeal to me, and while Union is a cool name, it sounds a little too Arena Football-esque to me. Philadelphia City should be the name of the 16th franchise of MLS.

Thoughts on the naming contest?

Pittsburgh Penguins Turn Around - Super Bowl Preview?

The Pittsburgh Penguins ended their five-game losing streak against the Flyers, winning 4-2. Malkin scored a beautiful goal, as hopefully new life has been injected into the Penguins. Was the Penguins-Flyers game a Super Bowl preview?  Only time will tell.

The Pink Spiders

I'm really digging the new album Sweat it out by The Pink Spiders.  Their first single from the album "Gimme Chemicals" is very catchy and rocks out.  The video is linked above.  If you check out the whole album, listen to "Falling With Every Step".  It is a very excellent song.

Nada Surf- Popular

So I'm going to start a new theme: throwback song.  I'm going to wrack my brain (once a day or once a week, I'm not sure yet) and come up with  a song that is from the 90's era that is off the wall, but "popular" at some point.  So fittingly, I am starting with Nada Surf's "Popular" for the first song.  Enjoy!

Nada Surf |MTV Music

Marta to LA

So how huge is it for the Women's Professional Soccer League to acquire Brazilian superstar Marta?  Professional women's soccer is looking for a resurgance, and what better way than to get the current footballer of the year?  I hope she can bring some worldwide attention to the women's game, and all of the top females in soccer decide to come to the United States to play professionally.

Destroyed in Seconds

So a new show I have been checking out called Destroyed in Seconds.  It's on Monday nights at 8:00 PM on the Discovery Channel.  I highly suggest checking it out as each week something awesome is destroyed, whether it be human bones, cars, or buildings.  Check out a sample of the show here.

Heath Ledger

It was great to see Heath Ledger win the best supporting actor Golden Globe for his role as the Joker in "The Dark Knight". I really hope this win carries him to win the Oscar, as his role was beyond any expectations. The role was so good, it is probably is what eventually led him to his death. Now, I also hope that "The Dark Knight" is nominated for Best Picture, as it by far was the best movie of the year. The only other movie to be as successful at the box office was "Titanic", and it won eleven awards, including the coveted Best Picture.

Beckham Effects

My main impression with Beckham going to AC Milan is that Mathieu Flamini really screwed up leaving Arsenal for Milan. Against Roma, Flamini was brought on the field in the 89th minute as a substitute for Beckham. If he wants playing time, staying at Arsenal would have been the better move for him. Now he is a substitute for a 3-month loan player who is 33 years old. Probably not the best move on his part.