Great Gift for the Beer Lover in your Life

The holidays are upon us, unless you celebrate Hannukah which just past and now you're waiting for Purim (which, for your reference coincides with Valentine's Day), but that's not really the focus of this post.  The holidays are time for giving.  And what is the best gift to give?

Besides a "What's best in life?" t-shirt?  Beer, obviously.

Thoughts on Alcatraz Brewing Closing

Recently, Alcatraz Brewing located the Block at Orange Outlets at Orange closed its doors leaving the following note on their website:

On behalf of the Alcatraz Brewing Company team, we regret to announce that September 22 was our last day of operations.

After more than a decade of happily serving the community, we are closing our doors.  We thank all of our loyal customers for supporting our passion for creating award-winning, handcrafted beer.

It has been a privilege to serve you.

 That is, as the kids say, "teh suck."

Hockey Video Game Review: Ice Stars

Hockey between guys with vicious under bites and fangs.
Seems legit.

EA Sports continues to release the premiere hockey game each year for consoles (and formerly for PCs).  Every now and then, I want to play something different.  Some of those games will end up here either as a ringing endorsement or a rant or somewhere in between.

On iTunes, I came across a game from 2009 called "Ice Stars" which sadly did not unite my favorite scenes of Empire Strikes Back and hockey.  In reality, I've had this on my phone for years, and just now decided to write about (off season and all).

Stadium Music and What it Says About your Arena

Arena music is key part of the hockey game experience. The right song can energize a crowd more effectively than the giant cartoon hands and the words reading "Make some noise" and some weird animation of a 1990's styled volume knob.

As we get ready for the start of the new season, we can all expect some new audio tracks at the rinks all over the league.   So here's some songs/artists/styles of music and what they really represent as you listen to some tunes during the up-coming season.

• Bell Biv Devoe - "Poison" - Your rink is stuck in the 80's and/or couldn't get the licensing to "99 Red Balloons".
• Punk cover of 80's pop song - you're trying to be edgy by playing a faster and goofier version of a goofy song without being offensively edgy and trying not to sound goofy.  It's probably not working for you.
• Don Henley - "Boys of Summer" - Donald Fehr has hijacked the sound board.
• Ugly Kid Joe - "(I Hate) Everything About You" - Gary Bettman is in attendance. Or your Divison rival. Or if a spotlight is on you, maybe that guy you cut off on the freeway works for your local team in some capacity.
• The Zamboni's - "I Wanna Drive the Zamboni" - it's intermission or your sound guy has been drinking heavily.
• Queen - "Bohemian Rhapsody" - there's more hockey hair per capita in the stands than on the ice.
• Country - you're in Nashville or Calgary.  Or they're visiting.  The song probably features snarky lyrics that will make the visiting team cry if they were actually paying attention to anything besides the game they're being paid to play and/or the ice girls (Craig Anderson only).
• "Shake Your Money Maker" - Terry Pegula is around and probably makin' it rain.
• Skee lo - "I Wish (I was a little bit taller)" - You're playing Tampa. Or if in Tampa, you're probably playing buffalo to hurt Nathan Gerbe's feelings. You may also want to check to see if someone has put earmuffs on Martin St. Louis.  There may also be a touch of irony if they play it while showing Zdeno chara or Tyler Myers on the Jumbo Tron.
• "99 Bottles of Beer on The Wall" - You're in Patrick Kane's stall.
•  Metallica -this one is tough because of the length of their career and the various styles of wearing all black and screaming into a microphone while playing heavy metal they have encompassed. Basically everything with radio airplay sucks and everything else is cool says your long haired friend wearing an old school Metallica shirt.
• Marvin Gaye - "Lets get it on" - The cheeky kiss cam is on the jumbo tron which is never a good thing. Unless you're on a date with a girl who won't kiss you unless pressured by 18,000 strangers in which case you get ignored in favor of the adorable 80 year old couple and two players on the visitor bench. But I'm not bitter.
• "Am I Evil" and/or "Star Wars Imperial March" - Jeremy Jacobs' entrance music.  The smaller person next to him in a black hooded robe may or may not be Gary Bettman.
• Beatles - "Money (That's What I Want)" - you're at the ticket booth or the concessions.
• Any Weird Al Parody - you're in an ECHL arena.
• D.R.I. - Anything from Thrash Zone - You're at Tyler Seguin's apartment.  Wait, that's not supposed to be "Thrash" it's supposed to be "Trash."  
• Barthezz - "On the Move" - You're playing Phoenix.  This isn't actually true right now since they have a new owner.  But give it a few years for the out clause to kick in and then pick up the remix.
• Any song from a current/recent EA Sports NHL game - the Music Director doesn't know much about hockey other than wondering why they aren't trying to always pass across the slot for a one-timer.

Not Crafty Cruise Beer Selection

One thing this meal is lacking is a good beer to pair it with.

As anyone who has read this blog periodically knows, I like beer, hockey, and often both of these things together.  And like many craft beer fans, I also enjoy good food and even more so when paired with good beer.  

My family and I were going to Alaska on a Cruise (which is a trip I'd highly recommend to anyone) and I looked online for the cruise line's beer selection. Unfortunately I found a horrifying reminder that craft beer, while growing, is still the minority.  Undeterred I did what any normal person (by my definition at any rate) would do: call and find out what type of beer they offered.

The All-Compliance Buy Out Team

Not saying guys are doing this but...

In addition to the normal free agent and draft day frenzy that follows the Stanley Cup Final like a [expletive] swear filled victory parade this year we get to speculate on who's going to be bought out.  Some of it is less speculation and waiting for the paperwork to clear.  As an aside, I wish they'd give the players giant ceremonial checks, like the ones lottery winners receive, with the payout amounts written on them as a way of shaming of the GM a little.

Laura (@theactivestick) had mentioned how'd it be cool to build an all buy out expansion team and place them in Quebec until Seattle is ready to host an NHL team. Obviously, since neither Gary Bettman or Bill Daly read this blog, they're going to miss this opportunity to do what is both right and absolutely hysterical.  As well, as probably a little marginal and ineffective (although, they really don't need my help doing things like that *cough* Phoenix *cough*).

Stanley Cup Final Preview: Games 5, 6, and 7* (*If Necessary)

This year's Stanley Cup Final has been one of the most exciting in recent memory so far with back and forth play, great, pretty good, meh goaltending from Chicago and, outside the six-pack let in during game 4, great goaltending and defense from the Bruins.  There's been drama, in 5 overtime periods and a shut out.