2015 College Football Bowl Challenge

The 2015 College Football Bowl Season is underway. In case you missed it there were 6 bowl games on 12/19/15 to get us started. Six down, 487 more to go. Actually there are 40 bowl games this season, five more than 2011 when I first attempted (and completed) the challenge.

I do not know if I will complete all games this season but so far I am on pace at this early stage. It takes more time and effort than you would think, we will see. Cheers.

Eve of Rage

The 2nd Annual Day of Rage is tomorrow, 4/20. Not what you would normally expect for that particular date but it works. This will be my first experience as a participant, one of only three confirmed, though others have been invited. There will be spectators too.

What is the Day of Rage, you ask. I hardly know myself. According to my written invitation it states "...three grown men will each consume a bottle of delicious Maker's Mark Whisky. What will follow is a terrifying descent into madness and debauchery". So there you have it, debauchery and madness. And drunkenness. There are also mentions of food, refreshments and yard-gaming. Not to mention poetry at halftime, whatever that means.

I like it. Looking forward to it. Hopefully we all survive and I can provide an update of events soon. Until then, cheers.

Don't Call It A Comeback

They've been here for years. Maker's Mark. 90 proof, unique and unwavering. Then they almost shit the bed and lost their customers.

Any bourbon drinking person I know heard the calamity that blew up roughly a month ago: Maker's made the huge announcement about reducing alcohol content to keep up with demand then all hell broke loose. Apparently their researchers didn't bother noticing what happened when Jack Daniels did the same thing several years back, resulting in ridicule and lots of loyal drinkers jumping ship. At least Maker's didn't gin up some false report saying their consumers demanded a more mellow, easy to drink whiskey like JD tried to foist upon us.

So after a week of public scorn, social media whipping and plenty of their previous PR efforts turned against them they came to the realization that things might be just fine the way they are. A logical choice for once. I applaud you, Maker's Mark. You made a bonehead decision and had the guts to admit it. Cheers.

It's the Holiday Season, Have a Drink

Another year gone so fast, don't waste the rest of it thirsty. Knoxville.com has listed a few places to consider for NYE or sooner. Don't forget the DK listings right here, starting below the Drunkards and glass of whiskey.

Cheers

Tin Roof, Redbull Play and Destroy

Play and Destroy is a collegiate student vs. student music battle where all you need is an iPod, creativity, and a solid song list. Competitors are given categories ex. best make out song, stripper anthems, singing in the shower, etc.


RULES:

-Build a playlist with your best song for each category and battle your opponent for the grand prize.
-You'll get to play each song for 30 seconds, so cue it up to the good part.
-Winners are judged by crowd response, ties are decided by playing an additional song.
-You must create a DJ Name for yourself in order to compete.
-You can't use the same song twice.

Play and Destroy will take place November 27th at Tin Roof Knoxville on the Strip
Event begins at 10:30 pm - 21+
For more information and to register to compete visit - www.RedBullPlayAndDestroy.com

I've Been Wrong Before

Well, well. Looks like I've been made a damn fool for discounting the Tiki revival movement. First Ooga Mooga and now this Swanky fellow with his authentic love of all things Tiki. I promise to investigate and get to the bottom of this. For now check out the Metro Pulse article here...

Memorial Morning Bender

On a similar premise as Drunk Breakfast, behold Memorial Morning Bender. The idea is basically the same except for the fact that everyone already has the day off so there is no satisfaction of getting loaded and having excessive breakfast while the nine to fivers go to work. In this case we salute fallen service men and women on their holiday and raise a glass in their honor.

Round 1...the drinks

 

Round 2...the meal

Round 3...pics/comments from the drunkards

2011 Brewers Jam

Yes, I ended up going after all. There's nothing like a last minute ticket to an event that you really wanted to go to but thought that you couldn't. Actually I got the good news the night before and celebrated by drinking way too much and making an ass of myself. Saturday was filled with text messages and verbal accounts of my erratic, drunken behavior: stumbling, rambling to strangers, shouting, unjustified prick point assessments, questionable random hookup, calling people by the wrong name, ditching a bar buddy - you get the idea.

Saturday's hangover wasn't too bad and I slept most of it off by noon. The first order of business was retrieving my ride, left downtown overnight. By the time I returned home the line for KBJ was moving and I went inside about an hour later. The weather this year was perfect, sunny and around 70. It was unusual to pace myself, knowing I had an obligation that evening, but I managed 4-5 samples and a bbq sandwich from Sweet P's that satisfied my cravings. I talked to a few friends, visited a few displays, then got the hell out of there before I lost my discipline.

Thanks to Tag for the extra pass, cheers!

More Beer Please

Regal Riviera 8 located downtown Knoxville has applied for a beer permit, soon to join Downtown West as local movie theatres offering beer at the movies. I'm all for it though I'm not sure if it will change my movie going experience very much. Certainly it will be a good option but logically it doesn't appeal to me as my first choice. If an alcoholic drink is desired I prefer to have a whiskey or wine and go easy on the bladder, even though my unique special training would probably allow me to make it through a 2 hour movie without much trouble.

Enjoy Knoxville.

Keg of Lies

I blame you, Atlas, for it was you who invited us over for beer at the pool last weekend. You tried to caution us that the keg would be dry at any moment. You suggested that we bring extra beer as a “backup” just to be safe. You lifted the keg numerous times to gauge its contents. We each had a bottled beer as we arrived that day, fully assuming that we’d be drinking it later. You were amazed that it didn’t blow pouring the first round of beers, then on the second round, and on to the third and fourth, and so on until we lost count. The night grew later and later yet the keg did not yield. Juan Moore won that battle. There were many lies poured that day. The only thing that came close to this farce was the never ending bottle of Powers.

Beer at the Movies – Just Like Amsterdam?

And I don’t mean no paper cup, I’m talking about a glass of beer.

Well, I guess we’ll have to see about that. The Bottom Line blog at KNS is reporting that Regal Cinemas is seeking a beer permit for their Downtown West Cinema 8 location in west Knoxville. You may know it as that artsy-fartsy movie theater that shows all the foreign films you never see. I know it as the place where I double-dated in college at the feature of The Big Lebowski. My friend is still married to his college sweetheart and has a lovely family with 3 children. Apparently my date didn’t go so well. Anyway, there is a chance you can order a beer next time you go see that documentary on global cooling, or perhaps the Academy Award nomination for best foreign film. And try not to drown your french fries in mayonnaise either.

Beer Robot

The guys at Kissing Suzy Kolber have provided a web link to a kick-ass beer dispensing "robot" via www.Engadget.com. It utilizes a mini-fridge, catapult and web cam all controlled with an iPhone. I envy people with time and skills to create fun shit like this, but not enough to challenge or compete with them. That would take time away from drinking so I'll leave the MacGyver inspired gadgetry to those folks.


http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/29/iphone-controlled-beer-cannon-is-the-robot-friend-of-our-dreams

Football, Football, Football and Some Drinks

Here are some figures from the College Football Bowl Season Challenge I recently completed, plus some NFL games for good measure. I am not proud of this achievement.

First Bowl Game – December 18
Final Bowl Game – January 10
Total Bowl Games – 35

BONUS COLLEGE GAMES:

FCS Playoffs (formerly Division II) – 3 (2 SF, 1 Championship)

There was some overlap of games that I had to watch at home by switching channels back and forth, and on January 1 we went to a sports bar to take advantage of multiple screens. In addition to quality games with awesome players, trick plays and fantastic finishes, I also endured shitty games by shitty teams, blue and red football fields, and passed out at the end of blowout games several times. It wasn't a perfect feat, it was a drunken feat.

NFL GAMES:

Final 3 weekends of regular season (48 games total, no I didn’t watch them all) includes 1 Thursday game, 2 Monday night games, 1 Saturday/Christmas game and an odd Tuesday night game, the first one since 1946. Obviously it was impossible to watch all the NFL games simultaneously but the NFL Red Zone Channel has made it easier to keep up with what is going on.

NFL Playoffs – Wildcard weekend, 4 games

If my calculations are correct that is 90 games in 24 days. In other words: a fucking insane amount of football in a short time period. The NFL schedule inflates the total number, but I was able to take in about 50 of these games, an average of 2 per day, not too shabby.

THE BOOZE (estimated, shared amongst fiends):

Beer, Woodruff IPA – 1 keg
Vodka, bargain brands – 2 half gallons
Bourbon, Maker’s Mark, Johnny Drum & TJD – 3 fifths
Gin, Brokers – 1 fifth
Wine, various grapes – probably around ½ a case
Plus various bar tabs throughout downtown and the Cumberland strip

I will not attempt this next year, or ever again for that matter.

Whipahol

Damn, where was this during Thanksgiving dessert? A brand new way to consume alcohol has hit the market just in time for the holidays. Or maybe it's been out for a while now, I honestly don't know. Whipped Lightning is the world's first alcohol-infused whipped cream - it says so right on their web page. I applaud this invention even though I will probably never use it myself. According to the website it is not available in 33 states, however Tennessee somehow pulls a surprise win and it IS available here. Check out the recipes if you need instructions on how to enjoy their product. Or I'll save you the time by listing the two step process:

1. Make your favorite cocktail, shooter, coffee or dessert
2. Top with Whipped Lightning

Done.

Will this replace the tried and true method of spiking your coffee or pouring bourbon directly on your apple pie? No, it will not, especially if LVL is around with a bottle of Maker's.

Possum Weekend

This isn’t a George Jones promotion, although no one here will stop you from enjoying the classic country bard. Knoxville’s very own rugby team is celebrating 30 years of play on the pitch. Scrums, rucks, mauls, hookers – all good times. The Possums have a solid, well established team that has competed for many years throughout the region at a very high level. They have close ties with the accomplished UT club team and, I believe, have helped grow the sport via youth and high school programs with pretty good success. In addition to their achievements on the pitch they are also prolific drinkers. These guys are champion boozers, drunkards and tosspots. They put the fun in functional alcoholics. They like the sauce. Arthur Bach would ask them to take it down a notch – that’s how much they like to drink.

To celebrate their anniversary they will host their annual banquet at Calhoun’s on the River this Friday night followed by a day of rugby vs. Johnson City at Possum Park on Saturday. Plus the UT “A” and “B” squads will play as well. Directions and more information are available at www.knoxvillerugby.com. Maybe the banquet is off limits but there will be plenty of time for drinks afterwards, just guard your women. Hell, in fact if you are a woman looking for some interaction with brutish juiceheads this may be just what you’re looking for. This group isn’t the most discriminating bunch of guys in town, trust me I’ve been there. And if you’ve never watched or been to a rugby match before this is a great opportunity to make it happen. The weather is supposed to be cool and clear, admission is free and you can BYOB (or at least you could in the past, I haven’t been in a while). It’s a good time and fun to watch these guys run and beat the hell out of each other just for sport. As an “old boy” I congratulate and salute the Possums on 30 years of success and wish them many more. Cheers!

Maker's Mark vs. Kitty Kaga

Our favorite bourbon is being featured in an episode of Iron Chef America on the Food Network this week, one that I’m going to try to watch for sure. Admittedly I don’t watch the newer version of this program much because I prefer the original Iron Chef from Japan that they used to show with subtitles and the crazy-assed Chairman Kaga, plus the bizarre ingredients that I’d never seen or heard of before. But all things must change and I’ve watched my share of the current show, just not as much the past couple of years. I learned of the Maker’s news via my Ambassador letter from Maker’s CEO Bill Samuels, Jr. who also announced he is stepping down and turning the company operations over to his son Rob. His simple hope is that his son doesn’t fuck up the whisky, though he says it a bit more tastefully.

Below is an excerpt from Bill about the upcoming show airing on the Food Network:

This week's episode of Iron Chef America features Iron Chef Cat Cora and challenger Chef Paul Miranda in a bourbon battle to the finish. I'll leave it you to figure out which bourbon they chose for the battle. As if that's not enough, our very own Master Distiller, Kevin Smith, was one of the three judges and did us real proud! Hell, he may have even found a new career for himself. The competition was mighty fierce, but to find out whose bourbon "cuisine reigns supreme," you'll just have to watch! Here's a schedule of times (all EDT) when you can catch the episode on Food Network:

10/28 @ 9:00 PM
10/29 @ 12:00 AM
10/30 @ 5:00 PM
10/30 @ 11:00 PM
10/31 @ 2:00 AM

For those of you who want to compliment Cat Cora on her spectacular bourbon creations, go on over to her blog (http://catcoracooks.com/blog/) and give her a cheer. She might even share a recipe or two with you.

That's it for now. Hope to see you soon down here at the distillery - the fall colors are spectacular right now. And so is the whisky - as always.


Allez cuisine!

Summer Staycation is Over

Summer is almost officially over and for once I am glad to see it go. Bring on Autumn I say - cooler weather, football season and wine. It's been a long, hot summer of humid days and stormy, wet evenings that I won't miss one damn bit. Not to mention the allergens that have wrecked my health (I'll stop there).

I was pleased to see an article with some good booze news on MSN and thought I'd share it here in case you missed it. Basically the study focuses on older adults' alcohol consumption, so if you're lucky enough to make it that far the good news is that they suggest you keep on drinking. Super! Something to look forward to. Another thing to possibly look forward to is the soon-to-be opening Public House Pub on Magnolia. The place has been under construction for some time now and was originally targeted to open around the 4th of July holiday but these things take time. A couple of weeks ago while biking I saw a couple of workers resting outside so I stopped and asked for an update. They were noncommittal but said it may be 6-8 more weeks, which puts it around sometime in October. All we can do is wait and see. Well, actually we can continue drinking normally as we wait and see.

Cool Wine Gimmick

A few weeks ago reader SKM sent a cool web link showing how to open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew. Leave it to the French to come up with a wine-drinking solution. The original video was on wimp.com but I found a version on YouTube that you can see below. Even better though is another wine opening technique I saw on the side bar that doesn’t quite go as planned. The second option is probably closer to how some of our group would go about things.



The other way:

Mixed Bag - Random Shit

Well, well, whattya know? Somebody was able to cook a pizza and not burn the house down. And that somebody was ME! It wasn't too long ago that I came home after a night of boozing and decided to have a late night snack. They tried to warn me. Things didn't work out that evening but this time I managed to stay awake and remove the pie on time, cooked and seasoned to perfection. Suck it!!

Latitude 35 has been chugging along nicely since their grand opening. I've been several times for breakfast, lunch, dinner and just plain drinky-time. So far so good, though there have been a couple of hiccups you'd expect with a new establishment. Some have been unpreventable like when the AC units went out and it was a humid 85 degrees inside, or the 100 degree Sundown with Blues Traveller when an obese, unhealthy woman passed out on the patio right at the front door. Others small things like ambivalent service or poor sandwich construction will work themselves out over time. Behold the Cajun Shrimp Po'Boy (HL or MC's?):

and the Providence Brisket sandwich.

Both look and tasted delicious but damn were they a mess to eat. Another sandwich, the Waldorf Chicken (not pictured) wasn't so good IMO. Briefly: the chicken slab was at least 3" shorter than the baguette (chicken should be sliced) and the granny smith apples were too thick and bulky (I suggest a Julienne cut). But oh well, I ate the whole damn thing and sweet potato fries to boot.

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The 100 block of Gay Street is set to re-open with a ribbon cutting ceremony next Monday, July 19. It will be nice to see the new work they've done and much easier to drive or bike through that part of town. Just a week or two ago I was passing through and noticed a difficult step in front of Ollanty's Havana Nights:

Maybe if you got a running start you could make it in the front door. Hopefully they have repaired that by now. I've been there only a handful of times and can't say it is one of my favorite places but it always has friendly service and they have great happy hour prices so it is worth a try if you're looking for a change of pace downtown. Plus you can hide there and be certain that none of your friends will think to look for you there. (shit, not anymore).

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And finally here are some recent graffiti additions on the Wall St. side of 36 Market Square. Enjoy them while they last, according to the KNS Property Scope blog it appears the newly designed building will no longer have room for random shit painted everywhere.

The Mer-man? Mer-murder?

The Flying Vagina?

Lilo & Stitch reject?

Some Thoughts

Things have been quiet around here for a while. Not that we haven’t been doing our share of drinking. Hell, maybe we’ve been boozing even more than usual, thus the lack of posts. Here is a bit of what’s been going on.

Pool drinking – Our friend upgraded his backyard pool to include a tiki bar that has kept things interesting. A pool is always a fun summertime destination. Throw in a HDTV, homemade kegorater, stocked bar/freezer and you’ve got some drinking to do. Wasted days and wasted nights indeed, thank you Freddy Fender.

Heat – if the insufferable heat doesn’t send you to the watering hole I don’t know what will. I mean, damn, it’s been too hot to go patio drinking. But I’ve noticed they’ll serve you indoors all the same. If that doesn’t work for you just load of the fridge with cold beer and sit on your ass drinking. I do it all the time.

NHRA weekend – a few of us loaded up and went to Bristol for the drag races. It was a hell of a motor event that impressed on many levels. More impressive was the sport-drinking we displayed. I won’t cover the entire list, let’s just say several cases of beer and over a gallon of Maker’s and Stoli didn’t make the trip back. Also a few other observations about the race:

• Bloody bulls and marys are a good way to start any day



• Lots of moustaches around the race track


• An alarming amount of male nipple rings on display


• Lots of rebel flags


• The campground ice delivery truck was impressive


• Mrs. Owl made an appearance
  
• Drunk breakfast tastes just as good on the road


• Sometimes you have to make your own shorts in the stands (not us BTW)
  
  

World Cup – Eh. We’ve covered this before. None of us are soccer fans. Nil. There has been a small effort to keep up with the USA squad but not much. I’ve personally been able to drink during two of our three games so I feel pretty good about that. The next game is this Saturday afternoon and I’m pretty sure there will be some beer consumed then. Looking forward to facing off against the Black Stars on their own continent.

Edit - Mrs. Owl is fashionably late.