Beer | The Recycle Bin

Hold your thirst until Monday.

Or get your fill of beer on Saturday, because once again our backwards Georgia representatives have decided that thou shall not buy beer on Sunday. According to ajc.com, Sunday alcohol sales are not going to happen anytime soon.

“The sponsor of legislation allowing voters the chance to vote on Sunday alcohol sales at stores withdrew his bill when he realized he could not get it passed out of the Senate Regulated Industries Committee Wednesday.

The committee was supposed to vote on the bill Wednesday, but supporters knew by the time the meeting began that they wouldn’t have enough votes to pass it.

It marked the third consecutive year the bill to allow Sunday sales has stalled in the Senate.

Sen. Seth Harp (R-Midland), said he would bring the bill back up in the future and supporters hinted they would make it a campaign issue next year.”

Think I am alone in looking at the stupidity of prohibited Sunday alcohol sales? Look at the comments under the ajc article; in general, most reasonable folks agree that this stupid law has run its course.

Now Drinking …

Back by popular demand (at least the demand for me to drink beer), another edition of “now drinking” – because you know you want another cold one.
Guinness Draught in the 14.9 oz can; best served extra cold. Everyone knows this is the original great stout, perfect for a cold winter day. And does it get any freaking colder than it has been lately? A former boss (way back when in the early 90’s) always likened the “black stuff” to mother’s milk. I would not go that far, but Guinness is damn good.
Terrapin Rye Pale Ale is a personal favorite. I have written about it before, but man is it good. Some colleagues from the UK liken this one to a proper beer (meaning a bitter or ale). I suppose that is worth something.

Mmmm … delicious Terrapin

Right now I am freezing my ass off cooking some ribs on the grill, writing this entry, and of course sipping on a cole one. The honors goes to Samuel Adams Winter Lager. This “seasonal” specialty beer is a nice robust wheat lager. Best described as yummy for the tummy. Not bad for the price at $1.02/per beer ($12.29 for a 12 pack).

Until next time, a lift up a cold one and thank your lucky stars that beer is a wholesome liquid diet.

Bombs Away

Wow – it truly is a different world over here in the UK. Forget the beer – that is good and all, but I just got the heck frightened out me. I thought we were under attack; air raid or something.

Freaking fireworks display at 10:15PM BST on the Thames River. Good Lord! I thought the hotel was being bombed. Freaking crazy stuff … besides making it hard to hear the UGA game via internet, this type of thing should not be done without advance warning! Seriously, I am not exaggerating; that was some loud fireworks. WTF were they for? Just for a weekend show?

Other than the fireworks, the UK has been pretty cool. The beer is wet, and the tube is a pretty cool way to travel about the city. My iPod helps me fit in; I just plug it in, turn it up, and do some serious people watching. Meaning no disrespect, it is just a lot different over here. The women love to show off some bellybuttons – regardless of how much hip they actually have. Pretty funny actually. Have not seen much to really stare at if you catch my meaning.

I feel sorry for videogame fans because the prices seem much higher than the US after conversion (24.99UK pounds for a GBA game? That is almost $50 US or higher).

I have walked more in two days than in three or so months. Talking about being sore. Everyone except the extremely wealthy takes the tube (subway) or a cab or walks and walks and then some. It is kind of cool to people watch, but that can only get you so far before it is time to stop into a pub or two. Speaking of which, there are plenty, but I have not been brave enough to try most. Another interesting point, it looks like many of the popular (or maybe just trendy) restaurants turn into nightclubs after hours. Kind of interesting I suppose.

It has been a whirlwind tour – I have sampled several new beers, and even had some lamb at a Turkish place. The lamb was surprisingly very tasty; not like you see that every day in Columbus.

Not sure what the rest of the week will bring, but other than missing my wife and kids, London is a pretty cool and happening place. Plenty to do and tons to drink. The pubs are so different than Columbus, that it does not even seem like the same world, which I guess is fair because I am half a world away from home.

Biggest surprise? I did not notice last time I was here, but the American restaurants are very popular, crowded, and happening hangouts. A BigMac, large fries, and large coke is 3.69 (UK pounds), or almost $8 US dollars! Surprisingly it taste pretty much the same. Have also seen Fridays, Burger King, KFC, and Pizza Hut to name a few.

Until the next update, UGA is taking it to LSU 24-10 at the half.

SEC Roundup (Week 6)

No roundup this week from London. I paid $9.95 to listen to the UGA/LSU game on radio – was really worried about this one. The Sport Cafe was not showing this game, which is a major disappointment.

Maybe it is the Hoegaarden, but man am I enjoying this internet radio broadcast. 24-0 in the 2nd quarter at this point.

Go Dawgs, go!

More to come later … after I sober up a bit. BTW, the iPod still rules, and is perfect for the tube.

London Calling

No updates? In the UK on business this week, so updates have been few and far between. Last week I did not do my usual SEC preview because UGA was off. Not sure if I will do one this week because my head is spinning (too much Stella), and I cannot watch a damn thing.

Actually, I made it to the Sport Cafe, and they do show college football on Saturday and NFL on Sunday. Looks like Purdue/Notre Dame tomorrow and a lot of NFL including my Falcons on Sunday (something like 9PM or so UK time). Anyway, as some of you may know (shout out to Adam) the Sports Cafe is mentioned in the Dreamcast classic MSR – cool racing game.

The UK [edit – obviously should be US; was kind of dizzy last night; thanks for the catch Ted!] is soooo different than the UK. Will have to write more later. It is way past my bedtime and I still have another Stella to knock off, so all for now.

London is calling, and the pubs are all good. Good night that is. Cheers!

Now Drinking …

I figured I may as well go as far off topic from sports and whatnot as possible, and what better way than to talk about one of my favorite subjects – beer (and every now and again, wine)! I am going to start a semi-regular feature on what yummy adult beverage is being consumed by yours truly. Basically, whatever is in the fridge is going to be featured here. I would love to read your suggestions.

Newcastle – the brown ale. This one is a staple in the Calvert icebox. It goes down cold and easy, has a nice robust flavor, and tastes great with a variety of snack foods. Only problem is that it is really much more of a winter brew (i.e. a little heavy).

Mike’s Hard Lime (MHL) – this is a new one for me; the perfect summer brew. Kind of like drinking a margarita without the kick, and it provides a soft landing. MHL is perfect for cooling down, especially with some hot salsa. Problem is that you will throw down two or three before you realize it. In other words, MHL is very addicting; my wife loves it, which is certainly another reason to keep it on hand. Wife + MHL = fun for me. I am going to get my ass kicked if she reads this. Oh well, hope it works out well for you too!

Coors Light – I picked up a 12 pack today since it was only $8.49, and I wanted something watery for the long holiday weekend. It has been a while (say two or three years) since I picked up a Coors so I was not sure what to expect. Twins? Naw, too cheap, and not worth the beating I would take from the before mentioned wife. I managed to down a couple of silver bullets; they were certainly icy cold, and I guess had a decent flavor for a cheap, light beer. Worth the money, but nothing to write home about.

Blackstone Napa Valley Merlot (2002) – wow! What an exceptional wine. I am not a wine connoisseur so I really have no idea how to describe the quality of the wine. For me wine is either cheap and taste like crap (Fox Hound), pretty good day-to-day variety and not too hard on the wallet (i.e. Woodbridge or Beringer), or delicious and expensive (i.e. this Blackstone stuff). Since we landed a babysitter, I took my lady out for a nice meal tonight, and in the process we discovered this wonderful wine. My wife does not normally like Merlots, but she could not keep her hands off my glass. It was so good we picked up a bottle on the way home. Kind of pricey ($16.99 750ml) for my normal day-to-day tastes, but this one goes on the list of scrumptious favorites. Highly recommended.

A New Beginning

I had something rather glorious to say, and it was said, but that damn hack attack blew it away. Can you tell I am bitter? This time I made a backup! Lesson learned; I may be ignorant, but I am not stupid.

I will try to recap; after all it is only fair to have a historical explanation to the former staff (Adam, Derek, Kevin, and Ted) and the once loyal readers of that previous entity known as Calvert Games. Besides, it brings about some closure, and helps set the tone for where I am going with this blog.

So the question on everyone’s mind is “why?” Why close Calvert Games?

Three years ago I answered my own call (for “the love of the game”) and started Calvert Games after writing the following:

So it is up to the fans, the true “hard core,” to revitalize the hobby. When was the last time you posted a review to your personal web site? When was the last time you posted a review to a message board or Usenet? Give it a go. You will feel better about yourself, and you will provide a service to fellow gamers.
Reviews used to be free. Freely posted, freely distributed, and free from the Monkeys [banner ads]. Remember, it’s not about the money; it’s about the love of the game.

I am biased, but we (the staff) met the call with a no nonsense approach; those guys were the best. Damn good bunch of guys, and great writers to boot! I would say that my staff was the best staff that money could buy – of course I got off on the cheap! I am sure our friendships will last and hopefully transcend the break-up of Calvert Games.

So we come full circle – why? There are a bunch of reasons – maintaining a website grew tiresome, the hack attacks wore me down, it became a burden to review and analyze games instead of just playing them. Gaming is now mainstream, and “breaking down” games became irrelevant (no offense to Adam, Derek, Kevin, and Ted). In short, it was time for a change.

So where do I go from here? What you are now reading is the new Calvert Games; just call it version 3.0. No fuss, low maintenance, carefree, no pressure; just good old fashion short takes about … well … pretty much anything that I happen to be pondering. OK, I admit that the verbose style will most likely live on, but I think something can be said for brevity.

Calvert Games was officially launched September 27, 2001 – it was pretty barebones, and more or less hit the mark despite the Mickey Mouse look and feel. June 2003 saw a major overhaul of the site – the switch to a php Nuke based site brought about Calvert Games 2.0. The blog you are reading is my attempt at a simpler, more interesting format, that hopefully will provide me with an interesting outlet, and maybe, just maybe, entertain a reader or two.

So you see, Calvert Games continues, just in a new, different format. Lift a cold one or two; I know I will; and as long as gaming remains a pleasure, watermark breasteses (thanks for the laughs Don) and Calvert Games will live on to fight the good fight.