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