Slane Castle and White Castle

On occassion, I do like to offer up a food pairing to go with the drink that I am reviewing.  The obvious choice for this Irish estate made whiskey with a burger made from a famous American estate.

Web stuff: This unique Whiskey blend has been distilled by the nearby Cooley Distillery, which won the European and World Distiller of the Year at the 2008 International Wine and Spirit Competition. It is a well balanced blend of malt and grain Irish Whiskey which has been aged and matured for at least four years in American oak barrels that previously matured Bourbon. In the traditional Irish style, the malt whiskey is distilled in copper pot stills and no peated malt is used. Both the malt content and the type of wood used for maturation give this product its sweetness and depth of character.

My two cents:  The aging in bourbon barrels adds a lot of sweetness and oak that differentiates it from Bushmill's and Jameson.  It does help me to forget that I am eating White Castle, which should only be consumed when you are drunk.


Grade: B-

The Kraken Rum

This product was received for review just in time, as the bottle that I had purchased for myself was almost empty.  That bottle was pretty much drained during last years Super Bowl by the $6 Million Dollar Man.  (Been a long time since I referenced my friends.)  This was an impressive feat, considering that he was having a kidney stone attack during the game.  For the uninitiated, The $6MMm man is a a walking, talking pile of replacement parts.  His left kidney has been replaced by a catalytic converter froma 1984 Chevy Monte Carlo.  His right kidney consists of a cheese cloth wrapped around a coffee press.  I'm guessing that it was a pretty big stone.

The Kraken is a spiced rum.  The natural thing to do is to compare it to the captain.  It's not as sweet, but it is spicier and more tannic.  Lets face it.  The captain is the Carson Palmer of rum; coasting on an unearned reputation, and at this point, we're not sure what team he's playing for.

Kraken & Cola.

Two shots of the Kraken
Ice
Top with cane sugar sweetened Cola (I'm using Coca Cola from Mexico)
Lime Wedge

The Power Rye 2010-11 Final Rankings

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  It's been a while.  But the Baby Rye is on the move, which means I spend most of my free time playing goalie.

We'll count it down for the final poll.

10. The little sisters of the poor.  Who are much better than TCU.

9. Arkansas. (10-3) Nanna-nanna-boo-boo.  We beat you.  PS.  Scoop and score dipshit.

8. Oklahoma. (12-2) Defeated UConn 48-20.  Before you start feeling proud of yourself, please keep in mind that Michigan beat UConn by 20.

7. Alabama.  (10-3)  Defeated Michigan St. 49-7.  I was expecting an ass-whooping, but damn!

6. LSU (11-2) Defeated Texas A&M 41-24.  Les Miles is my favorite crazy coach. 

5. Wisconsin (11-2)  Just hand the ball off on every play and you win.  Bielema = Dumbass!

4. Stanford (12-1)   Looking forward to being irrelevant again.

3. Ohio State (12-1) Defeated Arkansas 31-26.  We are tattooing the victory in the record books, so that it cannot be removed in the future.

2. Oregon (12-1) Lost the national title game.  That's about it.

1. Auburn (14-0) Defeated Oregon 22-19.  They needed a fluke non-tackle and $200k, but dag gummit, they're the champs.  As champions, I ask that a representative of the university contact me to collect your trophy.  It's a customized bottle of Old Overholt, with your battle cry "Roll Tide" on the label.  I promise that I won't revoke it when you have to give back that crystal football in a year or two.

That's one magic assed glass

... or how a Belgian beer hater had to grudgingly admit that Duvel's pretty good.

This was a Christmas gift from my bother-in-law.  They were along the right track, but I really dislike the yeast in Belgian beers.  It came with the super cool Duvel glass.  I don't know that if the tulip shape is trapping the bad flavors where I can't get to them, or encouraging them to get the hell out of here while the head settles.  Either way.  I approve.

The beer is somewhat light tasting, with some citrus, maltiness, and some yeasty qualities.  It is bottle fermented, and I plan to age my last two bottles for a couple of years to see how it evolves.  It's 8.5% abv. and goes down easy.  Consider yourself forewarned.

The Power Rye: Ohio State fans spared from 4th year of one hopping a five yard slant

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/index.html
What's good for the goose...

The Human Turnstyle, TFL, Butter Fingers, "I paid for my tattoos!", and some other guy.

Five Ohio state football players have been suspended for five games next season due to their acceptance of discount tattoo prices, and selling of memorabilia to the same tattoo artist.  For some reason ($), they will be allowed to participate in the Sugar Bowl.  Ohio State will will surely struggle to replace their talent.

1. Terrell Pryor.  Who will one hop passes to wide open receivers when he's gone?
2. Boom Herron.  Who will get tackled for a loss every other play when he's gone?
3. Mike Adams.  Who will give up two sacks a game when he's gone?
4. Devier Posey.  Who is going to drop three passes a game when he's gone?
5. Soloman Thomas.  Who is he?

Here's what the dumbasses sold.

Adams must repay $1,000 for selling his 2008 Big Ten championship ring

Herron must repay $1,150 for selling his football jersey, pants and shoes for $1,000 and receiving discounted services worth $150

Posey must repay $1,250 for selling his 2008 Big Ten championship ring for $1,200 and receiving discounted services worth $50

Pryor must repay $2,500 for selling his 2008 Big Ten championship ring, a 2009 Fiesta Bowl sportsmanship award and his 2008 Gold Pants, a gift from the university

Solomon (Thomas) must repay $1,505 for selling his 2008 Big Ten championship ring for $1,000, his 2008 Gold Pants for $350 and receiving discounted services worth $155.

The Power Wry: There has to be a hard knocks joke to go with this story...

http://deadspin.com/5715741/this-may-or-may-not-be-rex-ryans-wife-making-foot+fetish-videos?skyline=true&s=i

Do yourself a favor and don't read the swinger web site screen shot at the bottom of the deadspin article.  You have to read it, but you shouldn't.

Suddenly, Rex Ryan's postgame news conference from last week makes more sense.

Q:  Coach, can you talk about the naked bootleg in which Mark Sanchez scored the tying touchdown?

Rex Ryan:  The important thing about a naked play like that is the footwork.  The footwork sells everything.  The entire stadium thought that they had their eye on the ball, you could really see James Harrison go for it.  He thought that he had it in his hands, but we play "look, but no touch".

Q:  The Steelers had a lot of success running the ball against your front seven.  Any concerns for the upcoming weeks and the playoffs?

Rex Ryan:  Those are some big hogs on that line.  Flozell Adams is a size 16 shoe.  Chris Kemoeatu, aka "Big Juicy", very agile for a guy wearing size 14 Reeboks.  The way he moves when he pulls...  Did someone turn up the heat?

Uncomfortable silence filled the room.

The Power Wry: Pussy Seahawks fan sues Shaun Ellis

Robert Lawson, who will from this point on be referred to as Susan, is suing New York Jets Nose Tackle Shaun Ellis and the Jets themselves for hitting him with a chunk of snow.  Susan, who still hasn't got over the fact that his team lost by double digits in Super Bowl XL, is suing for past and future medical expenses, past and future loss of earning (his mommy did cut his allowance), partial impairment of earnings and earning capacity (who would hire a pussy like Susan?), mental and physical pain and suffering (It is difficult to accept the fact that you are a giant wuss).  Medical experts are divided on the case.  Is Susan a giant pussy or just a money grubbing douche?  Why not both?

Most people are shocked to find out that there is a football team in Seattle.

Ten High Bourbon

I find myself with more bottles than bar space these days.  Time to clear out the almost empties.

Ten high proves the old addage, there are no bad bourbons, just better bourbons.  Smooth bourbon flavor, with a touch of oak, but no complexity. 

At around $12/liter, it's not a bad bourbon.  I find it to be a bit too mellow to stand alone in a manhattan.  Go 50/50 with some rye.

The Power Wry BS Rankings and 2010 Bowl Season Preview

The Power Rye is the most accurate ranking of college football available. Each week, I feed all the facts, figures, stats, scores, and a pint of rye whiskey into the Power Rye ranking matrix. Two days later, I pinch off a post.

1. Auburn (13-0) Defeated South Carolina 56-17.  Auburn is looking forward whooping up on Oregon in the BCS title game, and then vacating the title sometime next summer.
2. Oregon (12-0) Defeated Oregon St 37-20 in the civil war.  What is the civil war in Oregon, hippies vs beatniks?
3. Wisconsin (11-1) Plays TCU in the Rose Bowl.  They're the underdog for some stupid reason.  They will destroy TCU by 30.
4. Ohio State (11-1) plays Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl.  Here's hoping that the stench of one year in Ann Arbor clings to Ryan Mallett long enough for OSU to kick the SEC curse.
5. Michigan State (11-1) Plays Alabama in the Capital One Bowl.  As a side bet, the losing coach has to smile.  High stakes for Saban and Dantonio.
6. Stanford (11-1) plays Va Tech in the Orange Bowl.  Soon to be named the giant fraud bowl.
7. Arkansas (10-2)  Feel free to take the Buckeyes lightly.  Please.
8. LSU (10-2) plays Texas A&M in the cotton bowl.  One of the ones that you will probably skip, unless you have three TVs.
9. Oklahoma (11-2) Defeated Nebraska 23-10 plays Connecticut in the Fiesta Bowl.  Check your local listings for something worth watching.
10. TCU (12-0) Still waiting for their whooping from the badgers.

Other bowls of note:

Outback Bowl: Florida vs. Penn State a.k.a. The Quitter vs The House Guest that won't leave.
Sun Bowl: Notre Dame vs Miami.  20 years past relevancy.

That's it really.  The rest are late night TV filler.

The Power Wry BS Rankings 11/30/10

The Power Rye is the most accurate ranking of college football available. Each week, I feed all the facts, figures, stats, scores, and a pint of rye whiskey into the Power Rye ranking matrix. Two days later, I pinch off a post.

1. Auburn (12-0) Defeated Alabama 28-27.  Nick Saban had a flashback to his days at Michigan St.
2. Oregon (11-0) Defeated Arizona 48-29.  Refs fucked Arizona.
3. Wisconsin (11-1) Defeated Northwestern 70-23.  70 points again.  Look at me mommy!  Look at me!
4. Ohio State (11-1) Defeated Michigan 37-7.  OK.  Ohio State is sitting at #6 in the BCS rankings.  We only need 4 or the following 5 to happen in order to get in the title game, in order of plausibility.  a) Someone finds the paper trail and Auburn has to vacate its wins.  b) Standford fails a drug test.  c) The entire Wisconsin team is implicated in the Lufthansa Heist of 1978.  d)  TCU goes on a Mission Trip.  e) Oregon State Defeats Oregon.  It could happen.
5. Michigan State (11-1) Defeated Penn St. 28-22.  Waah!  We won't get a BCS game because we're irrevelant... and we got our asses kicked by Iowa.
6. Stanford (11-1) Defeated Oregon St. 38-0.  That vapor trail is from Jim Harbaugh bolting for greener pastures.
7. South Carolina (9-3) Defeated Clemson 29-7.  Man, the ACC sucks.
8. Arkansas (10-2) Defeated LSU 31-23.  Oh Ryan Mallett.  If only you could were 150 lbs and fragile.  You could have really been something at Michigan.
9. LSU (10-2) See above.  Appreciate Les Miles people or Ann Arbor will.
10. TCU (12-0) Defeated New Mexico 66-17.  Looking forward to losing by 50 to Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.

The Power Wry BS Rankings 11/25/10

The Power Rye is the most accurate ranking of college football available. Each week, I feed all the facts, figures, stats, scores, and a pint of rye whiskey into the Power Rye ranking matrix. Two days later, I pinch off a post.

Week in review:  Due to a virulent case of monkey sars, this ranking is late.  I considered taking a bye this week, but bye's are for pussies.

1. Auburn (11-0) Bye.  Mama's Boys.
2. Oregon (10-0) Bye.  Pansies.
3. LSU (10-1) Defeated Mississippi 43-26.  Nancy Boys. Oh... they played.  Sorry, I was on a roll.  Well done.
4. Wisconsin (10-1) Defeated Michigan 48-28.  Everybody does.
5. Ohio State (10-1) Defeated Iowa 20-17.  Devier Posey just arrived after being forced to walk home from Kinnick Stadium.
6. Alabama (9-2) Defeated Georgia St 63-7.  How did they get Lord Saban to play on Thursday?
7. Michigan State (10-1) Defeated Purdue 35-31.  Once again, defying the odds by not choking.
8. Stanford (10-1) Defeated Cal 48-14.  Battle of the hippies.
9. South Carolina (8-3) Defeated Troy 69-24.  Steve Spurrier has Macedonian ancestry.
10. Boise St (11-0) Defeated Fresno St 51-0.  Boise leapfrogs TCU because they played their high school game in the rain.

Preview for the upcoming slate.


I'll be in the shoe sharing the love.



The Power Wry BS Rankings 11/16/10

The Power Rye is the most accurate ranking of college football available. Each week, I feed all the facts, figures, stats, scores, and a pint of rye whiskey into the Power Rye ranking matrix. Two days later, I pinch off a post.


Week in review:  Move along.  Nothing to see here.  (Auburn's new cheer.)

1. Auburn (11-0) Defeated Georgia 49-31.  How does one fit $200k in unmarked bills in a collection plate?
2. Oregon (10-0) Defeated Cal 15-13.  That was just the 1st quarter score, right?
3. LSU (9-1) Defeated LA-Monroe 51-0.  You better.
4. Wisconsin (9-1) Defeated Indiana 83-20.  Scott Tolzein had a triple double with 18 points, 12 assists, and 18 boards.
5. Ohio State (9-1) Defeated Penn State 38-14.  The story making the rounds is that coach Jim Tressel fired up the team at halftime with a rare display of emotion.  We give you the before and after. 




Before.

  

... and After. Whoo. Scary. As you can see, all of the color was drained from his sweater vest to his face.
6. Alabama (8-2) Defeated Mississippi State 30-10.  I have three tv's in my man-cave.  That's the one I didn't watch.
7. Nebraska (9-1) Defeated Kansas 20-3.  Another classic Big 12 rivalry bites the dust.
8. Michigan State (9-1) Bye.  The Spartans spent their week off hi-jacking the Iowa team bus, and finishing the job that they left undone 3 weeks ago.  Choking against Northwestern.
9. Stanford (9-1) Defeated Arizona State 17-13.  Does anyone not eating granola still think that Stanford is a legit contender?  I don't.
10. TCU (11-0) Defeated San Diego State 40-35.  I haven't seen a high school team recruit this well since Massilllon Washington in 1981.

Power Rye BS Rankings 11/9/10

The Power Rye is the most accurate ranking of college football available. Each week, I feed all the facts, figures, stats, scores, and a pint of rye whiskey into the Power Rye ranking matrix. Two days later, I pinch off a post.

Week in Review:  Surprise, surprise.  The SEC is shady.

1. Auburn (10-0) Defeated Chattanooga 62-24.  Surprisingly, their mascot is the Mocs (as in mocking bird), not the Choo-Choos.
2. Oregon (9-0) Defeated Washington 53-16.  Still waiting for Jake Locker to do something.  He has an excuse this week, he had a boo-boo.
3. LSU (8-1) Defeated Alabama 24-21.  Memo to whomever plays LSU.  It will be a trick play.
4. Wisconsin (8-1) Defeated Purdue 34-13.  Wisconsin took a nap during the first half and still only trailed 10-6.
5. Ohio State (7-1) Bye.  Jim Tressel is up to his old tricks.  Don't play, surge up the standings.
6. Stanford (7-1) Defeated Arizona 42-17.  Stanford moves up because everyone else that was ahead of them stunk up the joint.
7. 
   Alabama (7-2) Lost to LSU.  Too busy leaking stories about Cam Newton to game plan.
8. Iowa (7-2) Defeated Indiana 18-13.  Seriously?
9. Nebraska (8-1) Defeated Iowa State 21-20.  I mean seriously?
10. TCU (10-0) Defeated Utah 47-7.  Number one sham program in the nation.

Received for Review: 1800 Silver Tequila

This tequila is peppery and smokey, with agave sweetness and an oak finish.  On ice it's a nice sipper and it stands up well in a cocktail.

When I first got the bottle, I thought that this was the most difficult stopper in the world to open.  Turns out that there is a reason for that.  Christopher Moltisanti will explain.

Missing from this video, is how you actually get the stopper out without dumping tequila all over the place, or losing it back down the bottle.  Fear not.  Here is the solution.  Frankly, it doesn't work that well, but it's cute.  To be fair.  I have had drank 5 shots of 1800 and my technique may be suspect.

The "I don't have time for all that foo foo crap" margarita:

1 1/2 parts 1800 tequila
1/2 part grand marnier
squeeze the juice of one lime wedge into the glass in order to avoid scurvy

What in the world is...Punt E Mes?

I thought that it was Italian for "whore foot".  Turns out that it means point and a half; which doesn't make a lot of sense either.

It's a sweet vermouth from Italy.  It has the same odd ketchup flavor that you fine with Martini and Rossi or Boissiere when you taste it neat.  It does make a really nice Manhattan, as long as you use a rough around the edges rye like Old Overholt..  At $20 a bottle, I'll break it out when I want to impress people, and stick with my trusty $5 bottle of Gallo the rest of the time.

Power Rye BS Rankings 11/1/10

The Power Rye is the most accurate ranking of college football available. Each week, I feed all the facts, figures, stats, scores, and a pint of rye whiskey into the Power Rye ranking matrix. Two days later, I pinch off a post.


Week in Review:  Sparty finally showed his true colors.  As did Missou.

1. Auburn (9-0) Defeated Missippi 51-31.  Ackbar was wrong.

2. Alabama (7-1) Bye.  Even the bye week had a bye before they played Alabama.
3. Oregon (8-0) Defeated USC 53-32.  USC has had trouble navigating the salary cap era.  Look for Lane Kiffen to ruin your favorite franchise/program soon.
4. Wisconsin (7-1) Bye.  Nobody noticed.
5. LSU (7-1) Bye.  Les Miles clock management haunts him again.  He showed up at the stadium on Saturday and missed a golden opportunity to sleep in.
6. Ohio State (7-1) Defeated Minnesota 52-10.  For the first time this season, Ohio State did not lose 15 defensive backs to season ending injuries.
7. Iowa (6-2) Defeated Michigan State 37-6.  They fought the battle of Thermopylae in a corn field.  Whoops.
8. Nebraska (7-1) Defeated Missouri 31-17.  How in the hell did they lose to Texas?
9. Stanford (7-1) Defeated Washington 41-0.  Didn't watch it, and neither did you.
10. Utah (8-0) Defeated Air Force 28-23.  ...and nobody cares.

Power Rye BS Rankings 10/25/10

The Power Rye is the most accurate ranking of college football available. Each week, I feed all the facts, figures, stats, scores, and a pint of rye whiskey into the Power Rye ranking matrix. Two days later, you get this.

Week in Review:  My crack research team did some investigating, and Boise is a city and not a state.  Thus, Boise State is out.  Stanford is also out.  Anyone with a thorough understanding of the second law of thermodynamics knows that only one Pac-10 team can be good at a time.  Also, they gave up 28 points to a shitty Washington State team.  Egads.

This weeks ranking:

1. Auburn (8-0)  Defeated LSU 24-17.  Can we send Cam Newton the Heisman now and get it over with?
2. Oregon (7-0)  Defeated UCLA 60-13.  Bill Walton is spinning in his grave.
3. Michigan State (8-0)  Defeated Northwestern 35-27.  I suspect that they traded uniforms prior to kickoff.  Northwestern blew a lead that would have had John L Smith smacking himself.
4. Alabama (7-1)  Defeated Tennessee 41-10.  The Iron Bowl is looking more and more like the de facto National Title game.
5. Missouri  (7-0)  Defeated Oklahoma 36-17.  The Big 12 sucks, but they are undefeated.  For now.
6. Wisconsin (7-1)  Defeated Iowa 31-30.  Bucky wins big in back to back weeks.
7. LSU (7-1)  Lost to Auburn.  Les Miles is busy preparing for the Michigan job that accepted in 2007.
8. Ohio State (7-1) Defeated Purdue 49-0.  No, you get used to it.
9. Nebraska (6-1) Defeated Oklahoma St. 51-41.  Future Big 10 bias moves Nebraska back into the top 10.  For now.
10. Utah (7-0).  Token small conference team.

For fun.  Brett Farve's new Wrangler commercial.

Ron Matusalem Gran Reserva

Rumor has it, this is a drinking blog.

My grand tour of solera aged rums comes to an end.  I had the Ron Zacapa, the Ron Atlantico, and now the Ron Matusalem.  It's the most affordable of the three at under $30.  I get vanilla, honey, a bit of cinnamon with lightly tannic finish.  As a whiskey lover, my only complaint is that this rum tastes too much like rum.

Grade: B+

Power Rye BS Rankings 10/16/10

The Power Rye is the most accurate ranking of college football available.  Each week, I feed all the facts, figures, stats, scores, and a pint of rye whiskey into the Power Rye ranking matrix.  After my headache goes away, the results are posted.

Week in review:  Nebraska messed with Texas and they're out.  TCU is out just cause.  South Carolina, the Michigan State of the South, gacked against UK, they're out.  Ohio State wasted no time reminding me why god invented whiskey and the remote control.

This weeks rankings:

1. Auburn (7-0)  Defeated Arkansas 65-43.  No defense.  No problem.
2. LSU (7-0)  Defeated McNeese St. 32-10.  I thought that they had a bye so they fell one spot.
3. Michigan State (7-0) Defeated Illinois 26-6.  Sparty, the South Carolina of the Midwest, continues to defy the odds by not choking.  Can they make it another week?  Stay tuned.
4. Oregon (6-0)  Stayed home and played with themselves.  East Coast bias keeps them from moving up the rankings.
5. Alabama (6-1)  Defeated Mississippi 21-10.  Don't make Nick Saban angry.  You won't like him when he's angry.
6. Oklahoma (6-0)  Defeated Iowa St. 61-0.  Oklahoma is poised to blow another BCS game.  Somehow, Ohio State will get blamed for it.
7. Wisconsin (6-1)  Defeated Ohio State 31-18.  Fuck you Bucky.
8. Stanford (5-1) Bye week.  Harbaugh went for 2.
9. Ohio State (6-1)  Lost to Wisconsin 31-18.  John Clay still running.
10. Boise State (6-0)  Defeated San Jose St. 48-0.  I've been to San Jose, and it's a city.  Boise loses one spot for playing a fake state.  I've never been to Boise.  I cannot confirm whether or not it is a state.

The Power Rye's Inaugural Official BS College Football Rankings

1. LSU.  (6-0)  The "BS" stands for bat-shit crazy Les Miles.
2. THE Ohio State University.  (6-0)  Terrelle Pryor's good, but he's no Jacory Harris.  Plus, impressive victories against ACC teams do not count.
3. Nebraska.   (5-0)   Should waltz through the crappy Big 12 North.
4. Oregon.  (6-0)  I actually like the uniforms.  Rose Bowl butt whooping still fresh in my mind.
5. Michigan State.  (6-0)  The South Carolina of the midwest is due to implode any day now.
6. South Carolina.  (4-1)  The Michigan State of the south is due to implode any day now.
7. Oklahoma.  (5-0)  See Ohio State in regards to victories against ACC opponents.
8. Alabama.  (5-1)  Evil schedule may bite them again before it's all over.
9. Boise State.  (5-0)  Legally obligated to be included in any and all polls.  See Ohio State and Oklahoma for my opinion on the Va Tech victory.
10. TCU.  (6-0)  #1 high school team in Texas.