Good Head, Great Legs, and Up All Night

GLBF 2008 or, the Great Lakes Brew Fest is coming!

2008-08-01T10:46:00.005-05:00

It's time to get your tickets for the Great Lakes Brew Fest in Racine, WI. This is a great opportunity to taste all kinds of beer in a beautiful setting...on the Lake Michigan lakefront in Racine.

My wife and I along with our friends Ken and Cindy have attended this fest the last two years and it's been a blast both times. It's a benefit event for the Kiltie's Drum and Bugle Corps and they put on quite a show.

Some of the highlights include beer from 80 or so breweries from around the world, 250+ craft brews, 4 hours of unlimited sampling, a free pint glass, and an all around good time.

It's coming September 13, 2008 so, get your tickets before they are sold out.

Get the Great Lakes Brew Fest Poster

Remember, don't even think of coming to this event and driving home. Be Safe, Be Responsible! We always get a hotel room for the night and take a bus to the fest.

Visit Great Lakes Brew Fest to get tickets!

Beer Crucifixion Contest on YouTube

2008-01-25T12:48:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, I went to the Chicago Improv in Schaumburg, Illinois to see the Jameson Whiskey Comedy Tour with my wife and our neighbors. After the show, we all hung out in the Improv bar where the four comedian from the show later joined us.

We had a great time hanging and drinking and then Bert Kreischer, one of the comedians, challenged a bouncer and the rest of us in the crowd to a contest. It was a contest to see who could stand the longest with two full pints of beer held out at arms length and shoulder's height away from the body.

I joined the contest and we all threw $5 in a hat to make it interesting...winner takes all.

There were five guys in the contest and there was a lot of trash talking and challenges during the contest. My goal was to hang in as long as possible and not be the first to drop out.

The bouncer quit first after about only 3 minutes. He had done one of Bert's physical challenges the night before and won and felt he had nothing to prove. We were down to four guys and I'll tell you, this challenge really sucked. It hurt like hell and my shoulders began burning after about 4-5 minutes.

At this point, I didn't want to quit. The guy next to me kept spilling his beers and shaking so I knew I could last through one more person at least. My goal now was to hang longer than him. And, I was eventually rewarded when he dropped out.

I unfortunately knew going into the contest that I wouldn't win but held out nonetheless as long as I could. I only joined the contest to have some fun and live a little.

I dropped out after about 7 minutes leaving Bert to fight it out with this other guy. Someone else who was watching our contest videotaped and posted the last 3 minutes of the contest. Unfortunately for me, he only posted the contest online after I dropped out but you can see me in the background several times in the video still holding my two pints.

This video is titled "Bert Kreischer Vs. the Audience Beer Crucifixion" on YouTube from Saturday, January 12th, 2008.

Enjoy!

Woj

Coffee: Delicious Peace

2007-02-01T14:22:00.000-06:00

Today's topic is coffee and the coffee of the day is "Delicious Peace".

Delicious Peace is a Ugandan coffee rooted in Muslim, Jewish and Christian cooperation.

The story about this cooperation appears in the February 2007 issue of Conscious Choice magazine.

Instead of fighting among each other, these Ugandan's have decided to set aside their religious differences and band together for the common good. In 2004, they founded the Mirembe Kawomera cooperative and are working together to grow coffee and sell it to boost their local economy.

This story has great "heart". Read it today.

Woj

Check out the Stealth Hydration System

2007-01-25T09:39:00.004-06:00

For those big beer drinkers among us who love a beer at a ballgame but hate the gouging we get from the vendors, check out the Beerbelly.

This product has to be one of the coolest inventions I've seen in a long time and the price is actually extremely reasonable. plus, you can use it for wine or any other beverage choices you can think of.

Compare the cost of this product to the cost of a Camelback and you'll understand what a great deal you are getting.

Happy drinking!

Woj

FerGedAboudIt Vineyard & Winery

2006-08-23T13:24:00.000-05:00

Over Memorial Day weekend 2006, my wife, Amy, and I had one of the most incredible wine tasting experiences of our lives. We accidentally stumbled across a budding boutique winery and were invited in by the owner for a private tasting.

The whole story began with us visiting Amy's parent's farm near Galena, Illinois for a work weekend. Work weekends happen about once per year and everyone who visits the farm regularly during the year for mini-vacations is invited to come out on work weekend and help maintain the farm.

During our work weekend, the work hit a lull and some of the family was going to take a siesta. Amy's dad, Bill, suggested that rather than hanging around doing nothing for a couple hours that Amy and I check out a new winery they found just up the road near one of the small towns in the area. Since, we're always up for a wine tasting, we jumped on the idea.

Bill relayed some quick directions on how to get there and I committed them to memory. But, just before we left, he asked us to pick up some food for dinner from town while we were away. Amy decided rather than go grocery shopping after the tasting that we'd hit town first and then enjoy the tasting. So, we took a direct route to town and then followed the directions to the winery in reverse.

We drove along and didn't find any signs for the winery. Amy was getting worried that we were almost back to the farm and hadn't found the place yet. But, we finally drove around another bend and then saw grape vines in the fields. We followed the vines to an entrance at the roadside that said "Welcome to the FerGedAboudIt Vineyard" and proceeded up the drive.

We were greeted by a strange site... no winery... no tasting room... nothing... except some people working around a large metal barn. We stopped the car near the barn and asked a woman for directions to the tasting room. She just laughed out loud and gestured back toward the barn. Well, the barn didn't look like much and the drive ended just before the barn. So we stayed put and tried again to talk with the laughing woman.

Finally, she got up from her chair and walked around back to the barn. The next thing we know, an older gray haired gentleman emerges from the barn and walks toward our car. He stops at the window and tells us we must mean the vineyard down the road and over the hill. We ask for directions and he points across the fields where we look and have no idea what he is talking about. Anyway, he thinks for second and then says to us, "do you want a wine tasting? I'll tell you what... I'll let you taste my wine."

Amy and I were a little apprehensive at first but followed the gentleman back to his barn anyway. The barn turned out to be a small startup boutique winery that hasn't gone public yet.

The gentleman introduces himself to us as "Ron" and then he tells us about his winemaking. Amy and I soak in all the stories and information that he has to tell us. He then proceeds to check his wine stock and pull out a couple bottles of wine. He uncorked one, found some glasses, and offered us a taste of wine from this boutique's emerging wine selection. We are amazed by his generosity and willingness to share his wine with two total strangers. Over the next two hours, we fast become friends with this gentleman and fellow wine lover.

Ron, we later find out, is short for his real name, Rosario Bruno. He told us a fun story about why his mother called him Ron as a way to get back at her father-in-law for some incident.

Anyway, Amy and I have been to many wine tastings and handle our glasses as a connoisseur would...or, we like to think we do. But, Rosario notes the fact that we taste wine like we know wine and asks us what we think of his wine. Together, we share our honest opinions with Rosario and he pulls out a few more bottles of wine for us to try. We tried several interesting wines that haven't quite matured fully yet but were still very good.

The entire day was sort of surrealistic as we stood around the barn drinking wine with Rosario, touring his winemaking operation, sharing our thoughts on his wine, and just learning about the life of Rosario Bruno and the future of the FerGedAboutIt Vineyard & soon-to-be official winery.

Rosario has been making his new Galena wines for the last 5 years and is in the process of getting his license to sell wine to the public. He plans on taking one of his wines to a competition in 2007. He has an amazing story and a true passion for wine.

When we finally had to leave, we left wanting more but we knew we had to go and we now have a new friend to visit again on another occasion. Rosario's wine's are all made from Illinois grapes and he truly had some small batch boutique offerings that he showed us. His wines were young and good but will only become better and great with age. (I look forward to the day when I can taste them.)

Together, Amy and I look forward to the day when we can walk into a store and see the FerGedAboudIt wines on the shelf and think back to the day when we met the winemaker, Rosario Bruno, and shared wine with him in a one-on-one private tasting at his winery before it was released to the general public. We will always have these great memories and look forward to seeing Rosario again on our next trip up to the farm.

Of course, this time, we'll be sure to bring wine to share with Rosario.

(Rosario, if you ever read this post, my offer still stands to help you build a website for your FerGedAboudIt Vineyard & Winery. It would be an honor for me to do this for you. Just drop me a line. Thank you.)

Basic Red Wine Descriptions

2006-08-23T12:27:00.000-05:00

I was browsing through some files on my computer and came across this document that described several Red wines which my wife and I used on our Wedding Reception placecards. The content is good so, I figured I'd post it here to share with you.

Thanks,
Woj

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Pinot Noir, the great grape of Burgundy, is a touchy variety. Pinot Noir is a lighter colored and flavored red wine. The best examples offer the classic black cherry, spice, raspberry and currant flavors, and an aroma that can resemble wilted roses, along with earth, tar, herb and cola notes.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the premier red wine grape in the world. The Cabernet Sauvignon grape produces distinctive wines that are tannic and can have long aging potential. It displays characteristics of dark cherry, cedar, tobacco, or black currant. It is commonly aged in small oak barrels before bottling to achieve more complexity.

Merlot has long been considered the junior partner in the great Bordeaux duo of grape varieties. Merlot is a subtle, savory wine with dominant flavors of plums, cherries, blueberries and blackberries mixed with blackpepper tones. With its soft texture, deliciously plumy fruit flavor and mellow tannins, Merlot is more approachable than Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sangiovese (san-joh-VAY-zeh) is one of those wines that people tend to overlook on wine lists. The grape is believed to have its roots in Tuscany, but is grown extensively throughout Italy, where it is the dominant member of the Chianti family. The wine's high acidity makes it a perfect partner for tomato-based pastas and pizzas. Sangiovese is generally an earthy wine and is best paired with food.

Syrah (Sah-ra), also known as Shiraz, is used to produce some of the world’s finest, deepest, and darkest reds with intense flavors and excellent longevity. Syrah wines display firm tannins (although they are typically ripe and smooth, not abrasive like younger reds can be), a fuller body, and the rich round flavors of black cherry, blackberry, plum, bell pepper, black pepper, clove, licorice, dark chocolate and smoked meat.

Zinfandel (Zin-fan-dell) has been a cornerstone of the California wine scene since the mid-1800s and is perhaps the world's most versatile wine grape. It is known for its rich, dark color scheme, medium to high tannin levels and a higher alcohol content. It features flavors including raspberry, blackberry, cherry, plums, raisins, spice and black pepper all wrapped around various intensities of oak. The Zinfandel grape is also used to make the blush wine, White Zinfandel.

Late Night Log In Coffee, Boca Java Blogger's Blend

2006-07-06T09:02:00.001-05:00

Awhile back, my wife and I discovered a great coffee company named Boca Java. Just like the Gevalia's of the world, Boca Java sells mail order coffee. BUT, unlike the other coffee companies out there, Boca Java makes good coffee. Yes, I've tried some of the others and was quite disappointed by the product I received.

So, what does Boca Java do differently? Well, when you place an order, they roast your coffee to order!

What does that mean? That means that when you receive your coffee in the mail, it was roasted fresh just a few days before you opened up your box of coffee in the mail.

What does this give you? It gives you high quality, excellent tasting coffee that the big guy coffee companies can't even match.

My wife and I have been fans ever since. You see, I used to work for Starbucks and am very snobby about the coffee I drink. I prefer it good and dark and rich. And, Boca Java gives me all of those things plus much more.

Boca Java even gave me the opportunity to try some of their newest coffee blends, the Blogger's Blends. Considering my love of coffee and computers, this was a perfect fit for me.

The first coffee I'll be talking about is the Late Night Log In.

The description of this coffee from their site is... "Blog on with a very bold, dark roasted blend of South African and Island Coffees. This coffee is rich with flavor and has a smooth finish."

My opinion of this coffee is that is excellent. It has a smooth, strong flavor very much similar to a French Roast and I LIKE IT!

I extend my thanks to Boca Java for bringing this coffee into my world.

Woj

Road Dog Scottish Porter, Flying Dog Brewery

2006-04-19T13:52:00.000-05:00

I shared a great six pack of beer with my wife last night. We were finally checking out the movie "40-year old Virgin" and polished off the entire six. The beer we quaffed was "Road Dog Scottish Porter" from Flying Dog Brewery and I must admit it was damn smooth.

I get heartburn from very hoppy beers and was relieved to see that this one was quite malty but not too sweet. It was mellow and smooth and just right.

Some of the facts about this beer from the Flying Dog Brewery site are:

Alcohol
content: 5.5% ABV

Original
Gravity: 1.056

IBU's: 26

Specialty
Malts: 120L Crystal, Chocolate Malt, Black Malt

Hops: Yakima Golding, Cascade

Process: A swarm of bats often hovers over the brewhouse during brewing!

For a truly enjoyable drink, I suggest you grab a six of this one ASAP.

Enjoy,
Woj

Weggy Winery, Richland Center, Wisconsin

2006-03-27T14:17:00.000-06:00

Weggy's tasting room was a small area segmented off from their warehouse and winemaking operation. My wife and I entered with some trepidation as there wasn't a soul to be seen anywhere about. After looking at their setup, we finally found a bell to ring and the winemaker came up front from the back.

I'm regularly a red wine drinker and visit most wineries to get a taste of their reds. Then, I buy a bottle or two or more for home consumption later. At Weggy, my interests were the same...to start with.

The winemaker asked us what we liked and started straight away with their "big reds". We tried their top two reds, Oakey Red and Hilltop Red, and to tell you the truth, I didn't much care for them. They were heavily oaked and tasted bitter to me. I like a good red that I can drink and enjoy and these reds didn't do it for me.

Next, we tried their Oak Ridge Red and Merlot. Again, the Merlot was less oakey than the first two reds but still didn't quite do it for me. The Oak Ridge Red had no oak in it and was somewhat enjoyable. My wife, Amy, chose this as one of her wines to buy for the day.

Having failed me with their reds, I went on to some of their other wines. So, I tried Marlys Blush. While this is a rosé type wine and was advertised as a semi-sweet wine, it wasn't really sweet to me at all. I actually enjoyed this the best out of all of the wines I had tried so far.

NOTE: This day may just have been a bad tasting day for me. I had been eating some candy earlier before the tasting which could have affected my ability to enjoy these wines. I'll just have to visit Weggy again another time and give their wines another chance.

After the blush, I tried some of their white wines. I decided to try their Chardonnay and an unusual experiment of the winemaker's called a Vanilla Oak White. The Vanilla Oak white really impressed me and had an interestingly soft taste without being too overpowering with the Oak flavors. The Chard was alright but nothing that made me jump up and buy some.

I ended the day with a purchase of one bottle each of the Blush and the Vanilla Oak. Amy chose the Oak Ridge Red and another bottle of the Vanilla Oak White. This one seemed to just jazz both of us.

Thanks for reading,
Woj