Since I don’t have a picture of the beer, are you feeling lucky, punk?
I love going to Elysian’s location near the stadium since they have a great staff, good food and an extensive beer list. One of the benefits of their list is that they tend to have stuff on tap at any given point that I have not tried before, which keeps it interesting, and generally means that I will order those beers (the exception is when they have Dark of the Moon on tap – that is what gets ordered). A recent trip to Fields was no exception as I stumbled upon “Good, Bad & Red.” I can’t find Elysian’s description of the beer , so I can tell you it is 6.2% ABV and 35 IBU is made with 4 hop varieties including Cara, C-77 and Columbus, and is only available on tap.
The beer pours a beautiful rosy red color. The nose is awash in malt and barley complimented with a heavy dose of citrus. The initial sip is a hammer of grapefruit and citrus peel followed by a mellow malty sweetness and just a hint of bitterness and barley at the very end. Despite its low IBU, this beer was very hop forward with its citrus flavors, but not bitterness, so I think that this one is a nice compromise for hop heads and casual beer drinkers alike. As it warms, the grapefruit remains the dominant up-front flavor with the sweetness and citrus peel much more restrained. The finish becomes dominated by the malt and barley with just a slight hint of bitter hop resin.
Overall this beer was a nice change of pace from what I usually get at Elysian.
Elysian’s Good, Bad & Red saunters into town with an inspired performance of 3 Blondie’s out of 5.
Ed Note: In case you don’t get it, Blondie was Clint Eastwood’s character’s name in “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”
I’m back, and recovered, from Vegas. I can talk like a normal person again. I went 29-19 this year (60.4%), betting almost every game. That figure includes money lines that I won, which raised my “effective percentage” to 63.7%. That’s pretty good, though it’s about on par with how I’ve done each of the last two years. I’d estimate I’m now “effectively” winning about 65% over the last three years.
To avoid TL;DR, here are a few bullet points about what worked, what didn’t, and some other general observations and thoughts.
1. I got in the neighborhood of “paying for the trip” this year. To actually succeed in paying for the vacation I’m going to need to lay off the stuff I don’t have a strong opinion on, and (probably) increase the size of the bets somewhat. I feel comfortable with the idea of increased bet size, though I’m not sure that everyone that I travel with shares that opinion. I may have to make little bets on the “unsure” pile, since I’m not in Vegas *not* to gamble.
2. While watching the games we usually play video poker at the bar. One of our traveling companions was dealt a Royal Flush. Dealt! No “holding” cards.. just lots of hearts. She said she just saw “heart, heart, heart, heart, heart” and held them all. At that point she realized she had a Royal Flush and had won $1000! I’ve seen people hit Royals before, but never someone we traveled with. According to at least one “odds” site, the probability of being dealt a Royal Flush (without a re-deal) is one in 649,740. I’ll need to wait several lifetimes to see it again.
This guy got busted for trafficking.
3. The betting public had no idea what to do with VCU all weekend, and *that* turned into absolute no-brainer profit on both games. Here’s why: VCU’s entire offense and defense is/was predicated upon creating turnovers and scoring off of turnovers. In the first game they played Akron. The line had VCU favored by about 8. Akron’s problem is that their star point guard had been arrested (and suspended) for trafficking (5 pounds(!)) of marijuana. For whatever reason, the public didn’t notice, or didn’t react strongly enough — VCU forced 21 turnovers, gave up 5, led 50-25 at the half en route to winning 88-42.
In the next game VCU was a slight underdog against Michigan. Michigan had the lowest turnover percentage in the country this year. Final: Michigan 78, VCU 53. Thank you VCU!
4. I took the Oregon money line at +160 against St Louis. There were a couple of Vegas natives sitting to our right betting the games as well. When I told one I had the Oregon money line he gave me the “You’re smoking crack” hand gesture. Final score Oregon 74, St Louis 57. That one felt pretty good. (Nice guys, actually.)
5. The worst losses are the close losses. Temple started well against Indiana. Temple looked “longer”, quicker, and skilled enough to play with Indiana. The halftime score was Temple by three. The sportsbook published a second-half line of Temple +8.5. I couldn’t believe it — Temple didn’t even have to win, they just had to lose by less than 6 (or win)! It seemed too good to be true, though it also looked really really strange. I paced back and forth a few times from the book to the bar, and eventually asked our bartender what he thought of that bet. He said that if it were him, he couldn’t make that bet fast enough. I went ahead with it…
Indiana trailed by four with 2:56 to go. That means I was “10 points up” on that bet with less than three minutes to go. Indiana outscored Temple 10-0 the rest of the game, and I lost by 1/2 point. Temple did literally everything wrong, and Indiana did everything right. What a crusher.
6. I thought Colorado State would be able to take care of the ball against Louisville and keep it competitive. Colorado State had a low turnover rate this year… Wrong, wrong, wrong. Louisville 82, Colorado State 56.
7. Creighton met their “better” doppleganger in Duke. Creighton had been a great 3-point shooting team all year, but they went 2-19 against Duke and lost 50-66. The line was 6, so that was an easy one to pick. After the tournament ends I’m going to do a post about the heavily 3-dependent teams and what happened to them.
—
Syracuse-Indiana post-game thought: Cody Zeller does not have a strong lower body. It showed against Temple, and it really shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Syracuse swallowed him up. He got his shot blocked about six times against Syracuse. (He finished 4-10 against Temple and 3-10 against Syracuse, though he shot 62.3% during the season.) I think he may struggle at the NBA level, unless he gets a *lot* stronger.
In a not-unrelated note: Kelly Olynyk went 8-22 while losing to Wichita State. (Though he did score 26 points.) Olynyk made 62.9% of his shots during the season.
This isn’t really that interesting a story, but I found it to be rather cool that Mariners scout, Alex Smith, made an appearance in Bull Durhamwithout knowing it for 25 years.
As it turns out, a real-world baseball card, Smith’s 1987 Durham Bulls ProCards release, got some screen time as a bookmark used by Annie Savoy as she decided to read Walt Whitman poetry to Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh.
And Smith, now the Northeast Scouting Supervisor for the Seattle Mariners, had no idea.
“I received your message, ironically on my birthday,” said Smith, who turned 50 on Monday. “What a unique, interesting gift to find out my baseball card was used in the movie. Never knew that! My initial thoughts? Pretty cool!”
Oh, the real reason for this post is to just include my favorite song from the movie: “I Got Loaded” by Los Lobos.
This isn’t really that interesting a story, but I found it to be rather cool that Mariners scout, Alex Smith, made an appearance in Bull Durhamwithout knowing it for 25 years.
As it turns out, a real-world baseball card, Smith’s 1987 Durham Bulls ProCards release, got some screen time as a bookmark used by Annie Savoy as she decided to read Walt Whitman poetry to Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh.
And Smith, now the Northeast Scouting Supervisor for the Seattle Mariners, had no idea.
“I received your message, ironically on my birthday,” said Smith, who turned 50 on Monday. “What a unique, interesting gift to find out my baseball card was used in the movie. Never knew that! My initial thoughts? Pretty cool!”
Oh, the real reason for this post is to just include my favorite song from the movie: “I Got Loaded” by Los Lobos.
Driftwood Brewing is a long time brewer out of Victoria, BC, who started distributing their beers to the US a few years ago. They make some pretty nice, albeit expensive stuff in a small but diverse lineup. Fat Tug IPA is their required entry into the crowded Northwest IPA market. It clocks in at 7% ABV and 80 IBU and is available in 22 oz. bottles for about $9.
From the brewery’s website:
Brewed with the hop aficionado in mind!
Fat Tug is a northwest style India Pale Ale with an intense hop profile with notes of grapefruit, mango melon and passion fruit. Sufficient malt is there to provide support. At 7 % alc/vol and 80+ IBUs this beer delivers on the promise to satisfy anyone with a thirst for all things hoppy!
Fat Tug is an orange IPA with a lovely cream head. You won’t mistake this for another type of beer as you a hit with a wall of hops when you get within about a foot of it. Upon closer inspection, there are strong notes of grapefruit and citrus, a delicate, slightly floral aroma hanging in the background, and even then, it is barely noticeable and slight hints of grain. The first sip hits you with lots of bitter citrus peel and green hops giving way to a more pleasant grapefruit palate that lingers for a happy minute or so. After a few sips, the bitterness becomes more muted and the beer is a very stereotypical NW IPA (and that is not a bad thing). As it warms, it is a bit more floral but it complements the rich hoppiness that is Fat Tug.
I really like this beer but there is nothing outstanding about it, especially at its price point – it is a fine entry from Driftwood, but not spectacular enough to set it apart from its competition. I don’t think that I would ever refuse this beer if someone poured it for me, but I don’t know that I would run out and buy it again as it is priced on the upper end of a crowded IPA market. I would recommend picking one up if you have never had it and decide for yourself.
Driftwood Fat Tug IPA sails into port with a respectable 3 Theodore Tugboats out of 5.
A few potentially fun cooking related events will be happening around Seattle in April.
On April 9th, chocolate guru, Autumn Martin will be doing a free event at the Book Larder in Fremont promoting her new book: Malts & Milkshakes: 60 Recipes for Frosty, Creamy Frozen Treats. I am sure there will be some tasty treats to sample during the event. It runs 6:30 -8.
On April 28th, Book Larder is hosting former Top Cheftestant/Heartthrob Fabio Vivani for a book reading/signing from 4-5:30. Reservations are required and are $25, which includes a copy of Fabio’s book, Fabio’s Italian Kitchen.
And one not food related:
On April 29th, the UW Bookstore is hosting Bill Mullins to talk about his new book, Becoming Big League: Seattle, the Pilots, and Stadium Politics at 7PM in a free event. The focus of the evening is on Seattle’s one year wonder, the Pilots.
From Chuck’s FB Page, what the evenining looked like. Also a rare photo of the elusive Iron Chef Leftovers in his natural habitat.
Chuck’s Hop Shop in Greenwood recently hosted a bottle swap night. What is that you ask? Well, 24 people brought in at least 22 oz. of something rare/vintage/can’t get it in Seattle and shared it with a group of strangers. The group was split into 2 tables of 12 people each with the intention of that each table would get to taste 12 beers. Well, there was a lot of passing of bottles between tables and Chuck kept bringing out bottles from his personal stash, so, needless to say, I tasted way more than 12 beers that evening. It was an amazing opportunity to taste some stuff that I probably would not have gotten to try otherwise and there were some great conversations about the beers going on at our end of the table. It would have been nicer with a slightly smaller crowd, but based on some conversations I had with some new friends, I think we will try a CSE bottle share with fewer people at some point in the near future.
I took some brief notes on the beers, so here is an incomplete list of what I had:
Terrapin Moo-Hoo Chocolate Stout – Brought to the tasting by yours truly, so there will be a full review of this beer forthcoming.
Surly Abrasive Ale – A giant hop bomb, lots of citrus; exactly what I love in a hoppy beer. Score : 4 out of 5 Brillo Pads
Dogfish Head Faithful – Disappointing; some currant flavor but it seemed flat. Had a weird lavender finish. Score: 2 out of 5 Pearl Jams
Jester King RU55 – Not a fan favorite. Funky sour (but not in a good way) with hints of wood (like chewing on a 2×4, not aged in a barrel). I am wondering if the bottle was bad. Score: 1 out of 5 Comedians
Breuery Melange– Loved this beer. Major oak with lots of vanilla and malt character. Reminded me of a fine sherry Score: 5 out of 5 Mash-ups
Breuery Black Tuesday – More mellow oak than Melange (Melange is a component of this beer), but harsher. I think it needs to age to mellow out a bit before being fantastic. Score: 3 out of 5 Mondays
Big Sky Ivan the Terrible – I had been looking forward to trying this one. Lots of malt, chocolate and coffee. Delicious. Score: 4 out of 5 Czarist Swine
Troeges Nugget Nectar – lots of hops and citrus but it seemed overly fizzy, would love to retry it though. Score: 3 out of 5 Hummingbirds
Goose Island Bourbon Country Cherry Rye Stout – very complex beer. Rye barrel and cherry dominate but there were lots of subtle character too. Would love to retry on a clean palate. Score: 4 out of 5 Covered Bridges
Sam Adams Utopias Anniversary Edition – had Utopias once before, but this blend was even better. Not really a beer and more like a high end cognac or port. Score: 5 out of 5 Sir Thomas More’s
Hill’s Farmstead – was looking forward to trying this one also, but it was like drinking an ashtray – smoky with no balance. Tasted like someone was burning down the Farmstead. Score: 1 out of 5 Barns
Three Floyds Rye ‘da Tiger – gets a bonus point for the name, but was a delicious rye hop bomb. Would love to put it up against Laughing Dog, Reuben’s and Anacortes to see who would win in a blind tasting. Score: 5 out of 5 Survivors
Cascade Bourbonic Plague – Lots of oak with a mild sour finish. Have to pick one of these up for the cellar. Score: 4 out of 5 Bring Out Your Deads
Stone Double Bastard 2008 – the bottle was gone and tasted like wet cardboard. That is the danger of aging beer; you never know how it will turn out. Score: 1 out of 5 Inglorious Basterds
Arcadia Big Dick’s Old Ale 2010 – Was too light for the end of the night, reminded me of an Imperial Pilsner. Score: 3 out of 5 Too Easy, I Won’t Even Go There
I want to thank Chuck and his staff again for hosting such a wonderful evening and look forward to doing it again.
From Chuck’s FB Page, what the evenining looked like. Also a rare photo of the elusive Iron Chef Leftovers in his natural habitat.
Chuck’s Hop Shop in Greenwood recently hosted a bottle swap night. What is that you ask? Well, 24 people brought in at least 22 oz. of something rare/vintage/can’t get it in Seattle and shared it with a group of strangers. The group was split into 2 tables of 12 people each with the intention of that each table would get to taste 12 beers. Well, there was a lot of passing of bottles between tables and Chuck kept bringing out bottles from his personal stash, so, needless to say, I tasted way more than 12 beers that evening. It was an amazing opportunity to taste some stuff that I probably would not have gotten to try otherwise and there were some great conversations about the beers going on at our end of the table. It would have been nicer with a slightly smaller crowd, but based on some conversations I had with some new friends, I think we will try a CSE bottle share with fewer people at some point in the near future.
I took some brief notes on the beers, so here is an incomplete list of what I had:
Terrapin Moo-Hoo Chocolate Stout – Brought to the tasting by yours truly, so there will be a full review of this beer forthcoming.
Surly Abrasive Ale – A giant hop bomb, lots of citrus; exactly what I love in a hoppy beer. Score : 4 out of 5 Brillo Pads
Dogfish Head Faithful – Disappointing; some currant flavor but it seemed flat. Had a weird lavender finish. Score: 2 out of 5 Pearl Jams
Jester King RU55 – Not a fan favorite. Funky sour (but not in a good way) with hints of wood (like chewing on a 2×4, not aged in a barrel). I am wondering if the bottle was bad. Score: 1 out of 5 Comedians
Breuery Melange– Loved this beer. Major oak with lots of vanilla and malt character. Reminded me of a fine sherry Score: 5 out of 5 Mash-ups
Breuery Black Tuesday – More mellow oak than Melange (Melange is a component of this beer), but harsher. I think it needs to age to mellow out a bit before being fantastic. Score: 3 out of 5 Mondays
Big Sky Ivan the Terrible – I had been looking forward to trying this one. Lots of malt, chocolate and coffee. Delicious. Score: 4 out of 5 Czarist Swine
Troeges Nugget Nectar – lots of hops and citrus but it seemed overly fizzy, would love to retry it though. Score: 3 out of 5 Hummingbirds
Goose Island Bourbon Country Cherry Rye Stout – very complex beer. Rye barrel and cherry dominate but there were lots of subtle character too. Would love to retry on a clean palate. Score: 4 out of 5 Covered Bridges
Sam Adams Utopias Anniversary Edition – had Utopias once before, but this blend was even better. Not really a beer and more like a high end cognac or port. Score: 5 out of 5 Sir Thomas More’s
Hill’s Farmstead – was looking forward to trying this one also, but it was like drinking an ashtray – smoky with no balance. Tasted like someone was burning down the Farmstead. Score: 1 out of 5 Barns
Three Floyds Rye ‘da Tiger – gets a bonus point for the name, but was a delicious rye hop bomb. Would love to put it up against Laughing Dog, Reuben’s and Anacortes to see who would win in a blind tasting. Score: 5 out of 5 Survivors
Cascade Bourbonic Plague – Lots of oak with a mild sour finish. Have to pick one of these up for the cellar. Score: 4 out of 5 Bring Out Your Deads
Stone Double Bastard 2008 – the bottle was gone and tasted like wet cardboard. That is the danger of aging beer; you never know how it will turn out. Score: 1 out of 5 Inglorious Basterds
Arcadia Big Dick’s Old Ale 2010 – Was too light for the end of the night, reminded me of an Imperial Pilsner. Score: 3 out of 5 Too Easy, I Won’t Even Go There
I want to thank Chuck and his staff again for hosting such a wonderful evening and look forward to doing it again.
Is your bracket busted yet? It feels like there are a ton of upsets this year, but if you actually look at the numbers, percentage wise, it isn’t that many. If you don’t count the 8-9 games, which are two supposedly evenly matched teams (even though the 9 seed has historically won something like 54% of these games), higher seeds are 20-8 in the tournament, or have won 71.4% of their games.
This year, it was not a good idea to be a #5 seed as 3 of the 4 teams lost their game with VCU the only team in that seed to survive.
What does this actually mean historically? Well, I took a look at the last 5 NCAA tournament first rounds (including this year), and found that the higher seed (1-7) has won exactly 71.4% of their games. So this year is an exactly average year for upsets. Just for fun, I decided to look at the results by seed for the 5 year period:
Seed
Wins
Losses
1
20
0
2
17
3
3
18
2
4
15
5
5
10
10
6
10
10
7
10
10
8
12
8
9
8
12
10
10
10
11
10
10
12
10
10
13
5
15
14
2
18
15
3
17
16
0
20
What does it all mean? Well basically it means that any games involving seeds 5-12 are a toss-up and you could probably expect to see a 13, 14 or 15 seed knock off a higher seed at least once in the tournament. The key is picking the right upset.
The Mariners offense is lighting it up in Spring Training! They lead the majors with 43 home runs and are second in total runs scored. It is time to get excited!!
Nah, if you are getting excited about the Mariners offensive barrage, just remember 2 things – those games are being played in 80 degree weather at 2000 feet, where the ball really tends to carry (as opposed to 45 degrees and sea level which is pretty much Seattle in April and May), and SPRING TRAINING STATS ARE RARELY AN INDICATION OF REGULAR SEASON PERFORMANCE. Spring Training stats usually involve a ton of at bats against guys who will not make the majors or are trying to work out some stuff, which leads to more offense. You doubt me – here is the last 4 seasons with a monthly breakdown for the M’s hitters. I included 2009 since that was the last season the Mariners hitters were not historically bad.
FlatbreadGarden 