Made A Cake

So it's my friend of 27 years, 30th birthday today. So I decided to make cake. I took pictures.

Vanilla cake.


Then I iced it.


Then I made my outline in icing.


Then I smoothed it out for the next layer of icing.



Then added the colored icing.


Then i used a wet pastry knife to smooth out the colored icing


Then i used this heat gun to smooth it out further.





Then i cut out the swimsuit shapes out of roll icing and sprayed them with gold.


Then i added them to the cake.



Then using a pastry bag, I trimmed the cake to make it look like it was fuzzy.


Then finally wrote, "Happy 30th Birthday Jason".


The whole cake is edible, unlike some of those cakes you see on TV shows. So I hope you enjoyed this side trip into what I do every day.


As always "Be Well and Drink Well"!

Winter Beerfest 2011 Part 4

As the Winter Beerfest 2011 comes to a close, happen to take a few photos. I kind of made Joey-O and BoozerX stay to help out with the promise of more beer. Which didn't happen like they thought.





Moving tables, dismantling taps, and collecting the kegs. There was a lot of stuff that had to be done. We only did a small part, because the rest of the guys were on point. They also knew how to have a little fun as they worked.





The 2011 Winter Beerfest ended at 10:00pm and we stayed to help until 11:00pm. From there we caught a cab to get some Lorenzo and Sons pizza. A nice slice sounded fantastic after all that beer.


Lorenzo's slices are about 14 inches long and 10 inches wide. So thinking that it was a good idea to get 3 whole pies.

It was a 20 minute wait, so we decided to get a beer at Jon's across the street. It part of the building of which the birth place of Larry Fine from the 3 Stooges before it became a bar. I must stop if you like the Stooges or like good food, and/or just want to grab a beer after work.

So we returned to Lorenzo's to get a our pies and head back to the hotel. Six boxes of pizzas. This was a mistake, but a good one. We would have enough pizza for breakfast and for the next two days. So we hailed a cab and went on our way.



BoozerX began chatting up the cab driver once again. Tell an awesome story of how basically there was going to be an orgy back at the hotel. You'll have to check out BoozerX's Blog in hope he might post the story because it Fantastic! BoozerX

So back at the hotel we enjoyed our slices with some beer from growlers we received at the festival. It was a great day. Philadelphia is one of the greatest beer cities in the world. So I hope you enjoyed these posts.

As always "Be Well and Drink Well"!
Oh and Joey-O says, "alblahol!"

Winter Beerfest 2011 Part 3

Now here is what most of you have been waiting for, the BEERS!

Our first stop was the Sixpoint booth. To my surprise it was Dan, the Sixpoint Rep. for our area.


We were met well before at Hawthorn's for growler night. Joey-O, BoozerX, and I decided to start off with the "Sweet Action".

Sweet Action has a ABV. of 5.2%. It has a nice citrus and sweet malt on the nose. The mouth feel was slightly creamy and smooth. First on the tongue is some citrus and spice, then rounds out to caramel maltiness and brown sugar, and finally finishes up with slight bitter. Clean and no real aftertaste. It seems the more I have this the more I want to drink it. I have to give this a 5.5 out of 6. I just wish I could get it more often. I would drink it all the time.

Next up was a Scotch ale called Scotty Karate from Dark Horse Brewing. ABV. of 9.75%. The smell has a lot of rich caramel malt, dried fruit, and breadiness.
the mouth feel is smooth and velvety with little carbonation. The taste sweet up front with rich caramel and toffee flavors. Then the fruitiness hits you in the middle and finish with some smoke, peat, and some yeast spices. This is another one I wish I could get more often. A 5.5 out of 6. If you like Scotch ales or malty beer, this is a must try.

Central Waters Mudpuppy Porter. ABV. of 5.5%. The nose you get a slight coffee and roast malt. The mouth feel is clean and light. The taste has some burnt coffee, roasted malt, and some chocolate. Finishes up with a slight burnt flavor. A 4.5 out of 6. If you like the char on a steak or the smokey BBQ, you will like this.

Kilty Pleasure from Philadelphia Brewing Co. ABV. of 8.0%. Joey-O really liked this one. The smell had some fruitiness and caramel. The mouth feel was a little hot, thick, and drying. Lots of fruit in the taste. Some cherry and plum right up front with some brown sugar and caramel malt. I picked up some plastic taste, but I was the only one. Finished with a earthy hop aftertaste. I would give this a 4 out of 6. Joey-O and BoozerX rate it higher. So once again, different strokes for different folks. You'll just have to try it for yourself.

Midas Touch by Dogfish Head Brewery. ABV. of 9.0%. Smells of honey and spice. The mouth feel is of a light syrup and a little hot. The tastes is of honey, spices, and golden raisins. The raisin hangs around on the aftertaste. This is a sweet spiced beer. I have had this a few times. Wish I had a few bottles to store. This is one of those 7 out of 6. A nice special occasion beer.

Arrogant Bastard Stone Smoked Porter. ABV. of 5.9%. Smell has some slight smoke and roasted malt. The mouth feel was light to medium and clean. the taste has some roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, and ends with smokiness. I found this had a really nice smokey aftertaste. I give this a 5.5 out of 6. A campfire brew.

Dock St. Man O Trouble. ABV. of 6.0%. The nose had some roasted malt, coffee, and a hint of vanilla. The mouth feel was a a little creamy and smooth. the taste of roasted malt, chocolate, slight coffee, and that hint of vanilla. Finishes up a little sweet. 5 out of 6. This is a good beer to add into your rotation in the fridge.

Twin Lakes Tweed Tavern Stout. ABV. of 5.0%. Slight roasted coffee and chocolate on the nose. Mouthfeel is slightly creamy and smooth. Tastes of chocolate, coffee, sweet and roasted malts. The aftertaste of coffee that dissipated fairly quickly. A 5 out of 6.

Ace Pear Cider. ABV. of 5.0%. The smell had a slight sweet and sour pear. The mouthfeel was clean and crisp. Slight pear with a tangy sour. Reminded me of watermelon sour patch kids. Finishes clean with a slight tang. BoozerX really liked this. A 5 out of 6. This is a great change of pace from your everyday beer.

After this we decided to take a little break and walk around.


We ran into Barry and Dana. The main reason for the Winter Beerfest. After exchanging pleasantries, we decided to head upstairs to try some more beers.

To be honest at this point, I was a loaded. So I'm not going to write full reviews for these next few beers but just give you some info about them.

Arcadia Smoked Porter. Strange burnt match flavor but curiously interesting. Going to get a six pack to try it again.

Williamsburg porter. So many porters at this point they were starting to taste the same. But this did catch my interest. Also going to pick up a six pack of this.

Mission brewery from Ca. was the next stop. The Blonde ale was super sour. The Amber ale was sweet and sour. Extremely awesome sour beers that I think everyone should try at least once.

Then I had a must have, Fireside Chat by 21st Amendment. Fantastic spicy, smoky, winter brew.

Then Allagash White. If you like Belgian style beers, you need to get a bottle of this.

After making our way back down stairs, we tried the Obovoid Stout from Boulder Beer. All these stouts so close but so different. This one I know I liked but don't know why.

After this we walked the non beer booths.


The Cabot Chesse booth had some fantastic cheeses. I'm not lying when I say I tried all the cheeses at least twice. The even had a beer and cheese guide.

After this happened I ran into a few ladies I had been bumping into all night. This time I accidentally spilled a tiny but of beer on one of them. Right on her chest. I felt bad, but she told me not to worry about it. Still I had to try to make it up to her so I got her a beer.

The beer you might ask? It was some "Sweet Action". She laughed and gave her number. So thank you to Sixpoint for being a great pick up line. Even though this was cool it turned a little strange when her friend wanted to braid my hair. So I ended up with a braided pony tail. Totally weird, but what the hell.

Then my last pitfall for the night happened.


http://www.famouskirbys.com/mobile/flavors.php

People told me I had to try the Four Alarm one. I love hot stuff but... Okay this is a little graphic, so if you choose to skip the last bit of this blog I won't blame you.

It was so hot, that I started tearing up, sweating, coughing as soon as I finished chewing two pretzel nuggets. It felt like my mouth was on fire. I went back to the cheese booth to get some cheese and went back to Sixpoint to get beer. It lasted for a good fifteen minutes. The next day my ass was on fire. It was not fun but it was funny. Never again. I might try their other flavors but not that one ever again.

Well that's it for this long ass blog. I have some pictures of the aftermath of the beerfest and our journey for the best slice in the next blog.

As always "Be Well and Drink Well"!

Winter Beerfest 2011 Part 2

Welcome Back.

Let's see, I left you hanging on our first speed bump in our little adventure to Winter Beerfest 2011.

Trolling the Hard Rock menu, we all decide on what would like eat. Since the ride up we had been talking about "How I Met Your Mother", I decided to go with the "Legendary" burger. Joey-O, like always, decided on the "Hickory Smoked Bacon Cheeseburger". He loves his bacon a little more then most people. If there is a bacon fetish, he would have one.

BoozerX is almost like a scientist when it comes to what he should eat before the night of drinking. After much deliberation, he had decided on "Chicken Tender and fries", with nothing on them. As any sauces would be a detriment to stomach space during beer consumption. After this banter is when it happened.

"You have the tickets?" Joey-O asked. As I reached into my pocket, panic sets in. "Insert obligatory curse here", because I think I said everyone there was. So I ended up spending the rest of the meal trying to find a place near by to print out another set of tickets. Time was short. I had only twenty minutes before the festival.

The great thing out technology is that since the tickets were purchased online, all I had to do was to find a place I could print them out. That is why I like the city for stuff like this. FedEx Kinkos are everywhere, and this one was across the street from the Hard Rock.

After get the tickets printed out, we hailed a cab. One of the great things about BoozerX, he likes to talk up cab drivers. It doesn't matter if he's telling the truth or making something up, he can spin a story so intricate, that he can make people follow his every word. This cab driver will not forget this fare for a long time to come.

Getting out of the cab, we made our way into the line in front, well actually, around the corner from the Electric Factory. Three minutes to spare before they opened the doors.


No bitter wind would could stop us from getting our drink on! Now saying this, I mean it, because I had also left my jacket at the hotel. In all honesty it was not that cold for me, because I'm always venting heat. That's one reason women love me. ;)

Making our way in I saw everyone from Barry's Homebrew Shop, checking tickets, working tables, running taps, and running around like crazy.

This place was filling up fast. I was really crowded. People fighting for spaces in line to get their sample of beer.


It was also great to see so many women interested in beer. I might just be me, but I love a woman with a beers in her hand. Especially if one of those beers is for me.


Marianne, Tiffany, and Laura decided to stop for a second, for a photo op. Loving every beer they had, they told me that they were so happy to be here.

I think I'll stop here. There will be two more posts on this beerfest. The next one will be on the actual beers we had, then the last will be the aftermath of the festival and the search for a tasty slice.


As always "Be Well and Drink Well"!

Location:Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA

Winter Beerfest 2011 Part 1

The day started out for me, like a child that can't wait to open his gifts on Christmas morning.

Porters, Old Ales, Winter Ales, Spiced Ales, Barley Wines, Sour Ales, Stouts, and pretty much everything else. Yes, there also was some IPAs. Not a wimpy beer in the bunch. Almost all of them left me with a warm feeling inside akin to lovers embrace. Being the beer guy that I am, I would dare to venture to say it was almost "Orgasmic".

With any good adventure or journey, it had a beginning, some obstacles, and a sense of accomplishment when it was all over. Also the sadness of having to leave it in the past and go on. But the memories made this day will never be forgotten.

A side note before I go on: Technology like my iPhone was a fantastic tool to have helped me not forget anything that happened, and to keep my beers straight. Now on to the adventure.

I felt all the excitement and anticipation come out when BoozerX and Joey-O arrived to pick me up. All those magnificent beers just waiting for me to try, just mere hours away.

We made are way to Philly and checked in to the Double Tree Hotel on Broad St. Pretty reasonable for the city and very nice rooms.

When we settled into our room, we started with a kick off beer. OLA DUBH 40 Special Reserve. If you haven't tried it, you should. One of my favorite beers. It's a little pricey, but just think of it as a special treat if you purchase one.





Then onto our next beer, which was 2020 Ale Traquair House Brewery. Fantastic! Sweetness, coffee, toffee, citrus, and dries out at the end. Finishes nice.

So two really nice beers coursing threw our blood streams, we decided that food might be a good to have in our stomaches before our long night of drinking. Passing block after block of places, we end up at the Hard Rock.





I know it's a tourist trap, but the food is good and we were tired of the biting cold winds while walking. We enjoyed the food, as well as the mishmash of music coming from the speaker.

Then it happened. The first of a couple of minor pitfalls that were to come. But that will have to be continued in the next post. I think this one was long enough.

So until next time, "Be Well and Drink Well"!

Druid's Keep

Great corner pub. Pretty much just a local crowd. Everyone talks to each other like they are old friends, even if they aren't.


6 beer tap with a good bottle selection in the fridge. Pool table in the back. They don't serve any food other then snacks and chips. So if your looking for food this isn't the place, but if you want to tie one on with your buddies, this is the perfect place.




Anchor Steam beer by Anchor Brewing. Little floral on the nose. Carbonation scrubs your tongue.. A little roast and tannin dries you out. Nice clean dry finish. This is a tough one. A 4.5 to 5.0 out of 6.




Also the bar is dog friendly. Emma is a gentle beast. So of you get a chance check this place out.


As always "Be Well, and Drink Well"!

Oh an Britney
is so hot.


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Location:N 2nd St,Philadelphia,United States

The Irish Pol

The Irish Pol. With a name like that you know I had to stop. It's you nice corner pub type of place. A great place to pick up a quick bite and a pint.


It has a simple menu but don't hold it against this place. There is a good beer list as well a liquor bar.


Avery Karma was my first beer. A Belgian Pale Ale. A hint of citrus and sweetness on the nose. The mouth feel is light with a low carbonation. The taste is light hints of fruit, spice, and a little sweetness. It has a light bitter on the back end and finishes up pretty clean. I would have to give it a solid 5 out of 7.




Fried ravioli and fries. The marinara for the ravioli is better then most Italian places I've been to. The fries are whole cut potato style. Nothing to fantastic. They have pierogies and pulled pork on the menu. This place has no preconceptions that it is anything more the a corner bar, and I think that it is fantastic.



This will be a place I will visit again, but next time with more then just myself.

As always, "Be Well, and Drink Well"!!


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Location:S 3rd St,Philadelphia,United States

Wingbowl extra

Gotta love Ron Jeremy!



Packing it in for the main Event!



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Wingbowl festivities

Plenty of good eats in the box. Bull riding and just a good time!


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Wingbowl

Stop get some beer before the wingbowl.





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Wing Bowl Extra!

I just learned that Lucky Sign Shop will be giving out some free stuff like T-shirts and other wearable items.

Also if you haven't tried the Sam Adams Infinium, I will have a few for sampling for the Pre-Game. Along with some other beers.

So I hope to see you there!

As always, "Be Well, and Drink Well"!


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Wing Bowl Pre-Game

For those attending the Wing Bowl in Philadelphia, PA, this Friday:

Pre-Game festivities Location:
Wells Fargo Center Parking Lot
3601 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19148

I will have a selection of beers as well as some $25 gift cards to give away. Our main sponsors a for this Pre-game is Lucky Sign Shop. So stop by, say "Hi!", and have a beer.

As always, "Be Well, and Drink Well"!




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Things To Come!

Hello World!!



So I know I haven't posted, but I will be in the next couple of weeks. Boozer X and I will be covering Philly Wing Bowl, Philly Winter Beerfest, and a few side venues I'm not secured yet. So make sure to look out for the blog the next couple of weeks.

As Always, "Be Well, and Drink Well!!"