I Don't Believe What I Just Saw

As I've developed an intense itch for baseball to start I find myself having to quote one of the baseball gods, Los Angeles Dodgers announcer Vin Scully to begin this one. I was out on yet another beer shopping adventure recently, but this one wasn't for my own procurement.

On a miraculous note, Cigar City Brewing finally made a foothold in the Pittsburgh market. Fitting for my luck as I recently had a craving for the history geek's dream - Marshal Zhukov's Russian Imperial - around the time of the Sochi Winter Olympics. I haven't seen much of the Cigar City offering yet, but I did come across two cases of Florida Cracker White cans.

On each of the cans within said cases it ordered us to drink as soon as possible and in bold lettering it said "Do not age." I don't think I've ever seen that on too many bottles or cans aside from the Stone Enjoy-By's. I read the can for a second time and paused for a moment to take it all in.

I've always read that hops are to act as a preserving entity. Isn't that why he have the well-known story of of the IPA came to be? Why should we be rushed to drink the beer? The theory is that if we take care of them the beers should remain in decent condition upon being aged, correct?

Still, I think that the notion that hops and beer flavors being delicate is close to being hog wash. Take care of your beer!

Monday Rant: Enjoy the Festa

I've become such a cynic that I can't even watch the news anymore and I say that as someone that went and got their journalism degree. Society just drives me insane anymore. Part of the escape for me involves beer. Just a little private time with the bottle, the glass I pour it into and the actual nectar itself. Now, when that world gets invaded by the idiocy of the outside world I tend to get a little unnerved.

This weekend was Hunahpu Day in Florida and apparently it was a nightmare. For those of you that have no idea what I'm talking about Hunahpu Day is a beer festival (at least that's what I gather) in which Cigar City Brewing releases the infamous Hunahpu's Imperial Stout, one of the exalted beers I refuse to go after for the pure sake of events like this one. According to a post from Beer Pulse, the event was pure insanity. It was extremely crowded and Cigar City ran out of this liquid we call holy.

The saddest part is people rioted after Cigar City exhausted its Hunahpu. Jesus I hate even typing that word. In the Beer Pulse page I linked, there is also a Youtube video of the moment the beer ran out. Oh, the humanity.

I remember people complaining about it last year, too. My question is why do you keep going to these things? People automatically flock and fight over these beers. Is it even worth it? I mean I'm we're getting pretty lose to Godfather Festa levels here, folks.