S1P42 - 2019 Year In Review.

Before the sun sets on 2019, Two Old Guys Drinking Beer each made our lists of tops for the year. We each chose our top ten political/news events, top five beers, and top five baseball events. There was considerable overlap although the rankings did slightly differ. Here are those lists. Our yearend podcast was S3P15. It can be found at the link provided or wherever you listen to podcasts. We hope you enjoyed our 2019 episodes and will join us again in 2020 when we return for our fourth season. It should be interesting. In the political arena, we'll have the impeachment trial in the Senate and a year full of campaigning and elections. For baseball, the Rangers move into their new ballpark with several personnel changes plus the other changes around the majors both players and new rules. And of course, there are always new beers to taste and review. We hope you will join us for the ride. Outlined below are my lists. Dennis's lists did not differ greatly from mine, you can hear those on the podcast. Most of the differences were in ranking order, not substance. This episode and all past recordings can be found at http://2ogdb.libsyn.com/

Happy New Year!

Top Ten Political Events

1. The impeachment of President Donald J. Trump
1. The whole Ukraine affair
2. Giuliani and his thug buddies
2. The Mueller Report
3. Brexit
1. Theresa May resigns
2. Snap elections
3. Boris Johnson is elected PM
4. The trade wars
5. Climate change
1. Greta Thunberg
6. Israeli elections clusterfuck
1. Trump’s unwavering support of Israel at the expense of the Palestinians 
7. Mass shootings
1. Still no action by the Senate, House passes bills
8. Democrats huge field for the presidential nomination
9. Trump’s abandonment of the Kurds to the benefit of Turkey, Russia, Syria, and Iran
10. Democrats take over the House in January
1. They pass legislation that sits on Mitch McConnell’s desk

Bonus items

• The remaking of the judicial branch. About 25% of federal appeals court judges are now Trump appointees. 50 circuit court judges. Two Supreme Court Justices (22%). 133 district court judges.
• Human rights no longer part of US foreign policy.

Top Five Beers

1. Milk Stout Nitro - Left Hand Brewery, Longmont, CO.
2. The Temptress - Lakewood Brewing Co., Garland, TX.
3. Spaten Optimator - Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu GmbH Brewery, Munich, Germany
4. Fat Tire Amber Ale - New Belgium Brewing Co., Ft. Collins, CO.
5. Long-Range Pils - Revolver Brewery, Granbury, TX.

The Worst Beer

• Pudge Rodriguez's 13 Gold Lager - Nine Band Brewing Co., Allen, TX. This was a blog-only reviewed beer.

Top Five Baseball Items

1. The closing of Globe Life Park
2. The Nationals first World Series win in franchise history and over the mighty Houston Astros. 
3. Albert Pujols became only the third player to reach 2,000 RBIs. Aaron and Alex Rodriguez the others. Also reached 650 HRs, 650 doubles, passed Adrian Beltre for most hits by a foreign-born player at 3,167
4. Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander 21 wins and can’t win a postseason game.
5. The beginning of the $300+ million contracts. 

Bonus Observation

• Rangers only bonus - The emergence of Joey Gallo as a stud, first MLB player to reach 100 HRs before 100 singles (93) and the cratering of Rougned Odor as a future star.

wjh

S1P41 - Beer Review - Saint Arnold Christmas Ale

These are the beer notes for the new beer from the S3E15 Two Old Guys Drinking Beer podcast. That episode is a 2019 yearend review but we also managed to add in this new beer for the holiday season. A guy needs a refreshing beverage to get through a grueling podcast. Although we had already made our lists of top five beers of 2019, after trying this brew Dennis and I decided Christmas Ale might have made that list. So for now, consider it in our top six for sure and maybe higher. Give it a try this holiday season. 

The Brewery

• Saint Arnold Brewing Company
• 2000 Lyons Ave., Houston, TX 
• St. Arnold is the patron saint of brewers & hop pickers. 11th century
• The oldest craft brewery in Texas
• Their first keg shipped in June 1994
• Founded by Brock Wagner and Kevin Bartol
• Daily free tours
• Beer Garden & Restaurant
• Sunday - Thursday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
• Friday - Saturday 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
• Full menu - entrees $20 - $30
• Some other beers
• Fancy Lawnmower - Kolsch
• 5 O’clock Pils
• Santo - Black Kolsch
• Pub Crawl - IPA
• Guten Tag - Bavarian-style lager
• Art Car IPA
• Spring Bock - seasonal
• Summer Pils
• Pumpkinator
• Oktoberfest
• French Press
• They also make hard cider and root beer soda

The Beer

• Christmas Ale
• Available October - December
• Their first seasonal beer. Debut November 1994
• ABV 7.5%
• IBU 24
• Five different malted barleys, two different Northeast Pacific hops
• A rich, copper colored, hearty ale perfect for the holiday season with a malty sweetness and spicy hop character. The generous use of five different malts is responsible for the full flavor and high alcohol level of this beer.
• Best consumed at 45° Fahrenheit
• Recommended pairings: Fruit cake, Christmas pudding, & squash bisque.
• $9 six-pack cans @ Kroger

The Review

Both Old Guys rated Christmas Ale a high three (3) bottle caps out of five (5). This is a solid beer. Not too heavy but robust enough to stand up to any food choice. It's a perfect complement to any of the traditional holiday meals. Give it a try but hurry, it won't be available for long. At least until the 2020 holiday season. Also, be careful. At 7.5% ABV, it's significantly stronger than the normal national brews.


wjh

S1P40 - Beer Review - Shiner Cheer

This is a blog only beer review, no companion podcast. 

The Brewery

• Spoetzl Brewery
• Shiner, TX
• Independently owned by the Gambrinus Company based in San Antonio
• Began in 1909 as the Shiner Brewing Association by German and Czech immigrants.
• Founded by Bavarian-born Kosmos Spoetzl
• The oldest independent brewery in Texas
• As of 2012, Spoetzl was the fourth-largest craft brewery in the US
• Other beers:
• Shiner Bock - Their flagship beer brewed since 1913
• Wicked Juicy IPA
• Day Quencher - Session Ale
• S'more - Chocolate and Marshmallow Ale
• Ruby Redbird - Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit and Ginger Lager
• Bohemian Black Lager 
• Shiner Premium - Golden Lager, inspired by their original beer recipe. 
• Prickly Pear Lager - Golden Lager with prickly pear juice
• Shiner also offers several Family Packs through the year that include an assortment of various beers.

The Beer

• Shiner Holiday Cheer
• Old world dunkelweizen brewed with Texas peaches and roasted pecans
• ABV 5.4%
• IBU 22
• Seasonal - winter months
• Available in cans, bottles, and on draft.
• $15 for a 12-pack of cans @ Kroger

The Review

To be honest, if I had noticed the peaches and pecans ingredients I probably wouldn't have bought this beer. I was looking for something seasonal to keep in the fridge for any holiday guests. I didn't have my readers on. I saw Bavarian Dark Wheat but not the brewed with peaches and pecans in smaller print. Well, I had 12 cans so I needed to at least try it. Turns out Holiday Cheer is not too bad. Neither the peaches or pecans are overwhelming and blend OK with the rich dark beer. I did find that it becomes a little cloying and there is some aftertaste. One or two at a time are probably fine but more than that would be tough to take. Maybe paired with food would be best. The beer is a nice medium brown with a good head. If you don't mind a little sweetness in your full-bodied beer, give it a try. This Old Guy is rating Holiday Cheer three (3) bottle caps out of five (5). 

wjh

S1P39 - Beer - Review - Spaten Optimator

These are the notes from the beer review segment of the S3E14 Two Old Guys Drinking Beer podcast. 

The Brewery

• Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu GmbH - Munich, Bavaria, Germany. 
• Official website in German. 
• Owned by the Spaten-Löwenbräu-Gruppe, which is part of the Belgo-Brazilian company Anheuser-Busch InBev. Its products are beers of the brands Spaten and Franziskaner.
• Traces the origin back to 1397. In current location since 1867
• Began North American 1909
• Merged with Lowenbrau in 1997
• Sold to Interbrew in 2003, now A-B InBev
• Tours on first Friday of month and Saturdays
• Other beers:
• Franziskaner - hefeweizen
• Dunkel - dark lager
• Oktoberfest - Marzen 
• Franciscan non-alcoholic

The Beer

• Spaten Optimator - bottom fermented dark beer "doppel bock" with a deep dark color and a rich roasted malt flavor
• ABV - 7.6%
• Calories - 150
• Malty, Rich, Toasty, Dark Fruit, full-bodied
• $8.99 six-pack bottles @ Total Wine

The Review

Spaten Optimator is a very good rich beer. The 7.6% ABV dictates that this is not a sessionable beer. Two would probably be a good stopping point. It will hold up to the richest German foods so consider it with your next brats and kraut meal. Dennis rated this a four (4) bottle cap brew. I was a little less enthusiastic and gave it three (3) bottle caps. We both enjoyed it and look forward to popping the cap again.

wjh

S1P38 - Meanwhile

These are my notes for the Politics/News segment of the S3E14 episode the Two Old Guys Drinking Beer (2OGDB) podcast. We opened with some thoughts about the 56th anniversary of John Kennedy's assassination. This episode primarily dealt with the impeachment inquiry public hearings. We also touched on some international items like Hong Kong, Bolivia, and Israel  Despite commenting on all those subjects, there were several important items from the past three weeks we couldn't get to. We have become used to the firehose of news that Trump generates but even by those new troubling norms, it has become almost impossible to keep up in recent days. These rough notes are of items from the three weeks. Many have links to the underlying news story and some have brief commentary/thoughts by me. Remember, these are notes for a podcast, not an edited blog post. Variations in fonts, spacing, and format may also occur due to changing apps of text. Still, you'll get the gist. 

Since 11/01/2019

• November 22, 2019, is the 56th anniversary of JFK’s assassination. 
• Trump Lies - 13,435 in 993 days.
• Trump Vocabulary - Grade level 4.5, lowest of any president.
• Trump Golf - 224 visits in 147 weeks
• Trump Polls - 11/21/19 - Approve 41.9%, Disapprove 53.6%
• Impeachment Polls - 11/21 - Support 46.3%, Don’t Support 45.6%
• Democratic polls - 
• Where is the video of al-Baghdadi whimpering and crying? 
• Many Trump properties continue to perform poorly.
• Donald Trump Jr says he wrote a book and President Trump says he read it. Both lies. 
• Next Democratic debate 11/20 in Atlanta by MSNBC & WP. 10 participants. 

National

• 11/01 - Beto O’Rourke drops out of the Democratic presidential race. 
• 11/01 - Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman testified that he was told to keep quiet about the Ukraine call. Why cover up a “perfect” call?
• 11/02 - Televangelist Paula White to officially join the White House. 
• 11/02 - Pompeo establishes a faith-based affinity group within the State Department. No need for that pesky separation of church and state.
• 11/03 - EPA to ease waste requirements for coal-fired power plants.
• Did Elizabeth Warren nuke her campaign with her MediCare for all funding plan?
• 11/04 - A federal appeals court rejects Trump's attempt to block access to his tax records by New York prosecutors.
• Writer E. Jean Carroll, who alleges that Trump sexually assaulted her, has filed a defamation suit against him. 
• 11/04 - House investigators released transcripts from the depositions of Maria Yovanovich, former ambassador to Ukraine, and Michael McKinley, former senior advisor to SoS Pompeo.
• 11/05 - William Taylor transcript released.
• 11/07 - George Kent transcript released.
• 11/08 - Fiona Hill transcript released.
• 11/08 - Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman transcript released.
• 11/11 - Laura Cooper transcript released.
• 11/11 - Catherine Croft transcript released
• 11/12 - Christopher Anderson transcript released
• 11/16 - Tom Morrison transcript released.
• 11/18 - David Hale and David Holmes
• 11/04 - Four White House officials defy House subpoenas to testify.
• 11/04 - Virginia Democrats take both houses of the state legislature. 
• 11/05 - Sondland now says that there was quid pro quo with Ukraine. Revises testimony. 
• 11/06 - Roger Stone’s trial begins. 
• 11/08 - Steve Bannon testifies.
• 11/15 - Roger Stone found guilty.
• 11/06 - A federal judge voided the Trump administration conscience rule declaring it unconstitutional.
• 11/06 - Trump wanted Barr to hold a news conference saying he broke no laws during Ukraine call.  
• 11/07 - A New York judge ordered President Trump to pay $2 million in damages for misusing funds from a tax-exempt charity. What's the excuse for this one?
• 11/07 - Mike Bloomberg to run for president. 
• 11/07 - Jeff Sessions announces for the Alabama senate race.
• Lindsey Graham says Trump too dumb for quid pro quo. 
• 11/08 - New book by Anonymous. 
• Will John Bolton testify before the House?
• 11/09 - Nikki Haley’s new book.
• 11/11 - Now 20 GOP House members have announced they will not seek reelection. Eight Dems.
• 11/11 - Trump and the EPA continue their assault on the environment.
• 11/12 - Supreme Court hears DACA case.
• 11/13 - Stephen Miller outed by emails for the asshole that he is. White nationalist. SPLC report on Miller.
• 11/13 - Turkish president Erdogan visits the White House.
• 11/13 - Deval Patrick to enter the Democratic presidential race.
• 11/13 - A full federal appeals court panel allows a lower court ruling to stand that Trump's accounting firm must turn over his financial records to Congress.
• 11/13 - Public impeachment testimony begins. Daniel Goldman, Dem. majority counsel. Steve Castor minority counsel.
• 11/13 - Bill Taylor and George Kent
• 11/15 - Marie Yovanovitch
• Trump puts out a threatening tweet during her testimony
• 11/19 - Jennifer Williams, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, Tim Morrison, Kurt Volker
• 11/20 - Gordon Sondland, Laura Cooper, David Hale
• 11/21 - Fiona Hill, David Holmes
• 11/15 - David Holmes testifies in private
• 11/15 - 23 states sue the EPA over fuel efficiency rules
• 11/15 - Roger Stone found guilty. 
• 11/15 - Trump clears three servicemen up on charges. GOP pressure. Against Pentagon objections Are war crimes OK?
• 10/16 - Trump has physical at Walter Reed or was it a medical episode. 
• 11/16 - John Bel Edwards wins reelection in Lousiana. 
• 11/17 - Trump backs off from vaping bans or restrictions. Could cost jobs and votes. Same deal as guns.
• 11/18 - The House is investigating whether Trump lied to Mueller.
• 11/18 - The Senate investigates Trump’s IRS audits. 
• 11/18 - The US now says that Israeli West Bank settlements are OK. 
• Biden still off his game during debate. 
• 11/20 - Bloomberg files federal papers for presidential run.
• California Supreme Court negated the requirement to release tax returns to get on the presidential ballot. Trump wins. 
• 11/21 - Lindsey Graham opens investigation into Bidens, Burisma, and Ukraine. 
• 11/21 - Government spending bill signed. Pushes a possible shutdown date to 12/20. The Wall still an issue.
• 11/22 - John Bolton tweet - stay tuned for the backstory.

International

• Bolivian president Evo Morales resigns. 
• Hong Kong demonstrations escalating.
• Leaked Chinese documents show the systematic detention of Muslims.
• Iran demonstrations.
• Benny Ganz fails to form government in Israel. 
• 11/20 - Benjamin Netanyahu indicted for fraud and corruption.

Texas

• 11/05 - Election Day
• Tarrant Co. had 332 voting centers. Some problems.
• Bedford Development Coalition to start a petition for liquor stores in Bedford. They need 7,000 signatures. 
• The Fort Worth Star-Telegram to cease Saturday’s print edition.

wjh

S1P37 - Beer Review - Big Wave

This is a blog only beer review by the One Old Guy. I was in Market Street and picked up a 12 pack. This is a somewhat upscale grocery store with upscale prices. Their beer prices are among the highest I've found in the area but they do have a good selection. So, I usually buy something different than my normal beer when I shop there. This time it was Big Wave. This is about as close as I've gotten to surfing in about 50 years. I never rode the 40 footers in Kona but there were decent waves in northeast Florida especially right before storms. 

The Brewery

• Kona Brewing Company - Kona, Hawaii.
• Founded in 1994 by Cameron Healy and his son Spoon Khalsa
• Brewing liquid aloha since 1994
• Kona Brewery uses solar power and recycles water
• A new brewery is being built down the road. Planned opening in 2020
• Beer for the mainland is brewed at affiliated breweries in Portland, OR, Portsmith, NH, and Fort Collins, CO
• Tours daily for $15. Includes gift and beer samples
• Two brewpubs & restaurants
• Kona - 11:00am-10:00pm daily. Full menu, live music Sunday nights
• Koko Marina, Honolulu - 11:00am-10:00pm daily. Full menu, live music Fri, Sat, Sun
• Other beers. Available in all 50 states
• Longboard Island Lager
• Gold Cliff IPA
• Kanaha Blonde Ale
• Hanalei Island IPA
• Fire Rock IPA
• Wailua Wheat

The Beer

• Big Wave Golden Ale
• 4.4% ABV
• IBU 23
• Malts - Pale 2 row premium, Caramel 20
• Hops - Galaxy, Citra
• Calories 132
• $15.99 for a 12 pack of 12 oz. cans at Market Street
• FOOD PAIRINGS - Big Wave’s lighter body and bright hop aroma and taste make it a natural choice to enjoy with seafood, poultry, salads, and light pasta dishes.
• Big Wave is a lighter-bodied golden ale with a tropical hop aroma and flavor—smooth, easy drinking, and refreshing. The use of caramel malt contributes to the golden hue of this beer, and our special blend of hops provides a bright, quenching finish that makes it a struggle to not grab another one.

The Review

Big Wave is a nice refreshing beer. Nothing remarkable but nothing objectionable either. At 4.4% alcohol, it is a sessionable beer with more flavor than the big breweries standard brands. It has a touch of bitterness and floral notes. This particular 12 pack was brewed at Fort Collins, CO. I would certainly buy Big Wave again. I rate this a solid three (3) bottle caps out of five (5). Give it a try. 

wjh

S1P36 - Beer Review - Guinness Blonde

These are the beer notes from the Two Old Guys Drinking Beer S3E13 podcast.

The Brewery - Guinness

• Dublin brewery, St. James Gate, opens on 1759
• Now owned by Diageo, the worlds second-largest distiller
• Baltimore brewery opens in August 2018
• Open Gate Brewery 5001 Washington Blvd, Halethorpe, MD 
• Our site features an experimental brewery, taproom, restaurant, brand store, food truck and beer garden along with guided and self-guided tours.
• Taproom hours: Monday - Wednesday 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM | Thursday 3:00 PM - 10:00 PM | Friday 12:00 PM - 10:00 PM | Saturday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM | Sunday 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
• Other beers:
• Guinness Draught
• Over The Moon Milk Stout - Baltimore
• Guinness Extra Stout
• Guinness Foreign Extra Stout
• Guinness Antwerpen - stout
• Irish Wheat
• Rye Pale Ale
• Harp 

The Beer

• Guinness Blonde 
• ABV 5%
• Aroma - Light and hoppy with floral and citrus notes
• Flavor - Complex and flavorful, hoppy and citrus on the nose
• Palate - Lively mouthfeel, crisp and refreshing with a long malt biscuity finish
• Appearance - Golden amber colored beer with a dense head
• Hops - Citra, Wilamette, Mount Hood
• Irish tradition meets American spirit in Guinness Blonde. Complex and flavorful. Light, floral and alive with citrus. This beer is perfectly balanced with a lingering malt and biscuity finish. It’s the coming together of vibrant flavors, of character drawn from both sides of the pond. And it’s come a long way to get here.
• On the bottle - We refined our original blonde recipe for brewing at our new Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House in Baltimore. The first stateside Guinness brewery since the mid-1950s.
• Available in bottles and cans
• $9.99 @ Kroger

Miscellaneous

• Sam Adams Utopia - 28% ABV. That could cause some damage.

The Review

Guinness Blonde is a refreshing beer. At 5% AVB, you can certainly have more than one at a sitting. Although labeled as a blonde, it is more fruity and hoppy than most blondes. It borders on a light IPA. That is not a bad thing. Guinness has done a good job with their first Baltimore brewed beer. Both Two Old Guys rate this a solid three (3) bottle caps out of five (5). Give it a try.

wjh