Philadelphia Union

Even though the announcement isn't until Monday, a t-shirt with the Philadelphia logo has been leaked. I must say I am very impressed with the colors, the logo in general, and the snake. But most of all, let's not forget about the name. Love it! And Union til I die! The three colors give the team three possible jerseys in addition to the white, so I am pumped so see ::fingers crossed:: a powder blue jersey. 

Just no gold...US Women already tried that:

No thanks!

Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast

I decided to start my day off right today with Mikkeller's Beer Geek Breakfast. This beer is an oatmeal stout brewed with coffee with an ABV of 7.5%. I wasn't totally impressed with my first sip, but after each successive sip, I enjoyed the beer more and more. The coffee taste is not overwhelming, but it definitely gives a bit of a caffeine kick. By the bottom of the bottle, the full effect of the beer takes its course and I highly recommend trying this beer if you like stouts or coffee.

Special 1 TV- Season 1 Episode 11

I hope you didn't think about pimpin' yourself into Toronto.

I think Ronnie is my new favorite character.

Madina Lake- Attics to Eden

Madina Lake |MTV Music

Check out this band Madina Lake. They are set to release their second album called Attics to Eden. I hadn't really heard of them before "Never Take Us Alive" hit the airwaves (linked above), but they really are catching on me. I really like their sound, energy, and lyrics. For example, I'm really digging the song "Not for This World." The lyrics are as follows:

I saw a man walk from the trees
He came and sat next to me
He said, "Boy, if you don't follow your dreams,
You'll be dead someday. Just like me."
Then he got up and walked away
And I started to think.
He turned around, I saw his face
And I looked deep in his eyes,
And I realized that man was me.

Those lyrics are awesome and really are words to live by. Give them a listen.

Bullfrog Brewery- Irish Red Ale

Thanks to my coworker Jack, I was delivered a growler full of Bullfrog Brewery's Irish Red Ale. I have not previously had the Irish Red Ale, but I am glad that I requested a growler of it. The alcohol content is 4.8% and it has a beautiful red color to it. The hop content in the beer is perfect and the flavor is so attractive, it makes you want to drink more. That could be the reason that I polished off an entire growler in one night.

Pittsburgh Word Verification

I was posting a comment on a blog today and came across "yinse" as a word verification. It's not the proper spelling of "yinz," but still funny and pretty close.

Flying Fish Exit 4 American Trippel

I picked up a bottle of Flying Fish Exit 4 American Trippel and popped it open today. The trippel is part of Flying Fish's Exit Series, where they are brewing different beers for each exit on the Jersey Turnpike. I was very surprised to pick up the complementary flavor of banana in this beer, although it is only a faint flavor. Overall, this beer is an excellent combination of flavors and smell. Although the label focuses on the hop content of the beer, it is not very hoppy at all. The overall drink is smooth with a minor bite, and a great after taste. It will leave you wanting more bottles.

Southern Tier Imperial Cherry Saison

Given that it was 88 degrees today, I decided to crack open a Southern Tier Imperial Cherry Saison. The beer itself has a nice light amber color to it. The taste is fresh and crisp, which is what I really like about Saisons. This beer goes through a very intriguing and pleasureful transformation during the drinking process. When drinking, the sweet cherry taste takes over the tongue. Afterwards, the oak aging aftertaste is what makes the beer overly enjoyable. It runs at 8% due to the cherries, so it will cool you off on a hot day with a little bit of a kick. Go give it a try. It is a summer seasonal with a May release date.

Special 1 TV- Season 1 Episode 10

Do the dance of the Voyeur!

Also, Voyeur has Ars-shaven four times! Hilarious...

The Manchester Orchestra- Mean Everything to Nothing

I am really digging the new Manchester Orchestra album Mean Everything to Nothing. The first single which is linked above is "I've Got Friends," which is a really cool song. I really feel that the band has turned it up a notch from their previous album, and I do not feel that there is a poor song on the album. My favorite song at this point is "I Can Feel a Hot One." I really like the varying levels put into the song, from the lyrics to the heavy bass (listen to it on a good system). You can really feel the song, and I feel that the lyrics are easy to relate to as well. If you get a chance, check out the album.

Heidelberg and Das Boot

While in New York City, my buddies and I stopped in at Heidelberg restaurant. The draw for this restaurant is being able to drink out of a boot, also known from the movie Beerfest as "Das Boot." A picture of the boot can be seen below, with my boy Jeff peeking out from behind it.

From 04-18-09

I had my boot filled with Hofbrau Oktoberfest (appropriately). The beer was excellent and by the time you get through 2 litres of beer, the alcohol begins to kick in. The experience with the boot is very cool. Note that we decided not to chug out of it since it was more of a restaurant setting. However, I did make sure to spin the boot to avoid the bubble.

From 04-18-09

For dinner I ordered smoked bratwurst, with sauerkraut and potato salad. The meal was phenomenal, and I was most impressed with the potato salad. It's consistency was similar to lumpy mashed potatoes, but had a taste of vinegar. I could eat a whole plate of those alone.

Next time you are in the city, I highly recommend you check out Heidelberg. However, bring $20 in cash for a deposit on the boot, which is returned provided you return it to them unbroken.

Special 1 TV- Season 1 Episode 9

Why am I not behind the blur?...1 potato, 2 potato, 3 potato, 4.

Hilarious episode.

White Castle

Today after helping my boy Matt coach his girls' soccer team (beautiful weather ,btw), we stopped at White Castle on the way home for lunch. Working out all morning definitely increased my hunger, and the food definitely satisfied. I ordered a #1 (four burgers with fries and a drink) with cheese and two jalapeno burgers. Amazing. 

Cricket Hill Brewery

I went to Cricket Hill brewery located in Fairfield, New Jersey. The set up inside is very laid back, as you are sampling beer in the middle of the brewing process. Tours are available, but not really necessary because you only have to look around to see the entire brewery. Cricket Hill has four samples available on draft, and by far my favorite of the group was the Paymaster's Porter Ale. The Ale has such a smooth and round flavor. But the most surprising beer to me was the IPA Hopnotic, as seen below:

The IPA is brewed in the more traditional style rather than the American style with as many hops as one can fit into the beer. The hop balance is excellent in the IPA and it has a very clean taste. I highly recommend trying this beer if you are not an extreme hop fan.

Finally, the Jersey Summer was not available for sampling, but I decided to buy a 12-pack.

This wheat beer has a beautiful cloudy coloring, indicating that it is not over filtered. Pair it with the 70-degree weather outside, and you have the perfect experience. 

Tommy Smyth vs. John Madden

So with the retirement of John Madden today and with several websites posting their opinion about Tommy Smyth no longer commentating Champions League matches, I began to wonder who fans of both American Football and Soccer [Football] were more happy to see removed from the booth. Please vote below and feel free to comment.