My blog n'at

I admit that if I had to pick one fast food place to live off of it would BK and their Whoppers. Unfortunately the area I live in has 2 BK’s and they both suck. Not like “hey man you SUCK!” but “goddamn this food sucks.” Being a fair man I headed there this afternoon for lunch so that I can report back to you, my fellow readers who kill time at work on Fridays.

According to the BK site: “MASSIVE BK BIG Fish Sandwich commands satisfaction with a crisp golden breaded 4.3-ounce fish filet, tangy tartar sauce and fresh lettuce all served on a corn dusted bun.”

The Facts
No way in hell is this a) big or b) 4.3 ounces. It looked more like someone took what was once a bulky piece of chicken and laid it on the floor, stepped back a couple of feet and jumped on it heel first. BUT it was still crisp and golden. The tartar sauce was tangy and not all that bad. The lettuce is a fallacy and ranked up there with Wendy’s buffet quality.  Corn dusted eh? THAT’S what the crud was all over my fingers.

The Taste
Why is it that a renown BURGER joint can screw up every order I place for a Whopper but yet NAIL the fish. OK, aesthetically it was mediocre but this sammich is backed with flavor. The buns were light and moist (even though covered in corn crud). The fish had little to no “fishy” taste and when biting in could see that it wasn’t some cheap processed white mesh.

Grading: B+ (the visuals kept it from an A)

This is a birthday beer from my bro (bday recap coming tomorrow) which he picked up from one of my absolute favorite mecas in Pittsburgh. Fat Heads Ale is specially brewed and bottled by Rogue Brewing and sold exclusively in their upstairs 6 pack shop. If you can’t make it to Fat Head’s but do have access to Rogue’s, pick up a few bottles of Younger’s Special Bitter. Same beverage, different bottle.

This particular selection is and English Bitter so you’re going to experience a moderate malt tone along with mid to high levels of hops. Don’t expect much of an alcohol kick as this comes in low around 4-5% ABV.

The pour on this was amazing. Dare I say it was beer porn? There was a feathery pillow of head on top that was inviting to lay a hop leaf in it (that’s for you PodCampPgh 2 pre-post dinner partiers). The body had a light amber but the flavor was anything but that. Full taste that wasn’t heavy on the palette. I found a medium level of malt and hops which were a pleasant treat plus the lacing left on the glass was very impressive (again, beer porn).

If you haven’t been able to tell yet, this one gets a thumbs up. Besides the great tasting beverage I have to give props to the bottle art. The front decor is the Fat Heads logo, which I think looks good on anything, while the side lists the ingredients (lets see fizzy yellow beer do that) and the Fat Heads way of life… chill out man. have a beer!

IBU – 35
Lovibond – 317
A.A. – 75
Plato – 12

Fat Head’s website – https://www.fatheads.com/

holyfokingshite! that’s the only way to explain the reaction I have right now. utter amazement… I think I need to sit down.

*whew* OK.  If you can’t tell I LOVE these moves today.  I hate seeing Colby go since he was one of my favorite players but it’s all business. You can read all you want about how good Hossa is but what worries me is that his contract is up and he doesn’t have the greatest playoff performance record. Esposito is a top notch draft pick but sometimes you never know. I have full confidence in Ray Shero’s decisions and can’t WAIT for the next home game, March 2nd VS Atlanta… with whom Hossa just came from. Talk about a quick reunion. Pascal Dupuis is slightly better than Armstrong so I think those two are a wash. Atlanta picked up a great shootout artist in Christensen but that’s about all he can do.
Not to be left out, I have always hated Hal Gill when he was on other teams but I LOVE to have him on our team. Roughneck D man that will be a nice force to have.

I’m glowing right now and tonight’s game vs the Islanders will be interesting to see who’s on the ice.

I geek out every year when this day comes around and with the coverage online you can’t help but notice the change the NHL has made since the lockout ended. If possible I would be sitting at home with my laptop checking out trade rumor sites and watching ESPN. instead I have the live audio feeds and trade ticker from tsn.ca.

I admit, I’m addicted to the trade deadline day. This is like NFL Draft day to football fans. I will suck in as much coverage as possible.  Unfortunately, this happens during the day while I’m at work so no Trade Deadline party. Trust me, if this was on a Saturday I would have something.

I’m not expecting much out of the Pens today for deals. If anyone goes I expect Sabourin and a draft pick for a D man. Overall everyone is watching to see where Marian Hossa is going. So far things have been quiet with a couple small name trades and I don’t expect new to pick up until 1pm EST. Listening to Hockey This Morning on XM today they reported that Hossa was told not to attend this morning’s practice. The ironic thing, Montreal is rumored as a tea trying to land him and that is who Atlanta is playing tonight. Imagine that, you wake up on one team and that night you just walk down the hallway to play on another.

I’ll update if the Pens make a move until then keep watching tsn.ca

Woy and I have this ongoing joke about “Herky”. The only place either of us had heard the name before was at a gas station in Wesleyville (from the previous link) so whenever we see the name out n’ about it needs to be documented.

The Herky above can be found in the Seven Fields Giant Eagle seafood counter.

There’s a good reason why this is being posted late today. McDonalds has wreaked havoc on me. The deliciousness of McD’s has spent the last 4 hours punching me in the gut. The bun was soft and fluffy. The sauce wasn’t caked all over, the cheese and square piece of fish were pretty damn good. I know, “it’s McDonalds for christ’s sake” but the fish is a better quality than in the past and had an A until 30 minutes later when I’m curled up on the couch in pain from this sammich. I can’t even stomach (wow, no pun intended on that) to talk about it further. Maybe they served me blowfish or something pulled from the Mon.

Grade: D (even sickness doesnt get you an F)

I was all set to scan an incriminating picture of me as a kid until Mr. Whiskey, uber fan of my podcast, sent me an IM about an entry made on Wikipedia for my birthday. Click the image above for a full view of the entry under Births for February 21st. Take THAT Kevin Rose It should be noted that at first I was listed as dead in 1978. Wikipedia, in their infinite monitoring wisdom, removed both entries but I was able to screenshot it ahead of time.

While we’re at it, here’s a gallery of my 22nd birthday from 10 years ago. This is actually on my old site and didn’t feel like moving just for this. I was living in Erie at the time and this pretty much solidified my need to move to Pittsburgh. Which I would do 10 months later.

What do I have to look forward to this year? Well The BeerGoddeess & Intern Nick are inducing labor today so I’ll get to share my birthday with Bella’s little brother. Starting in a little over a week the first issue of a foodie magazine will be out which I’ll be co-writing a craft beer column for and also a super secret nightlife thing that I teased about last night. The podcast made it onto G4/Tech TV (there’s an early announcement to fans of the show) and I should have the video soon. I want to expand this site and develop a couple more for craft beer cooking and reviews. Anyone wanna buy me a HD video camera?

School is absolutely kicking ass. I think I’m doing so well this time around because I actually care about the coursework. Not saying I didn’t before but I REALLY wanted to get enrolled in this program for digital media. Most of my general classes are completed so I can focus on all of the fun AV classes I’ve been dying to take. Plus I’m really interested in learning more about internet law. Since the podcast is growing I need to make sure our butts are covered

I know that New Media is the next big thing because my family thinks it’s a fad and no money can be made. Why’s that? Well I was told that I would never make a living with computers… and I did. I was told that the Internet is a fad and I would never make a living on it… and I have. Why not shoot for the trifecta! I believe in it. I believe it to be the next level in communication. Besides, in a few months when they’re asking me how to start a podcast/vidcast/blog I’ll have to show them. Just like i did with computers… and the internet… so if there is anyone looking for a director/producer of new media, let me know. NHL and MLB teams I’m looking at you Gotta keep up the Derda tradition of working for a sports team!  If you need some other marketing buzz words for “I make digital media” I’ll see what I can whip up.

Cheers!

Clipper City Brewery in Baltimore MD brings this week’s craft beer from their Heavy Seas series in the form of Holy Sheet Uber Abbey Ale (9%ABV).

Right off the bat I thought this to be a find as it was part of the Heavy Seas variety case I picked up from Save on Beer in Cranberry TWP. Holy Sheet comes out in February as a seasonal and not one I usually see around these parts.

The aroma reminds me of the banana bread my gram used to make back in the day. You know the kind, the same one the old ladies in the parish make for the church bake sale and that you wash down with a glass of milk. That’s the bread I’m talkin about!

There was little head on it which was a letdown since the aroma when I poured it was so delicious. It does carry a deep amber color which was visually appealing but had absolutely no lacing on the glass and in fact it runs down quick like soapy water.

The taste… *oye* Remember how I said I don’t care for barleywines? Well guess what, this one should be added to that category. It’s drinkable but leaves a strong barleywine bitterness in my mouth. In fact, imagine a civil war between hops and the malt. Gettysburg is your mouth. Well minus the 3 days of killing (i hope).

Would I buy this again? Not a chance. Would I drink if someone bought it for me? eh, maybe but only if I have to drink one. This is the first bad beer I’ve had from this brewery so I can say that this one surprised me. I’m hoping that tomorrow morning my stomach doesn’t have me screaming this beer’s name literally. Then we have problems.

PCPGH3 Meeting

There will be another PodCamp Pittsburgh 3 planning meeting on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 at 6:30 PM at the Creative Treehouse in Bellevue.

Topics to be covered will include:

• Progress to date
• Subcommittee leader assignments
• Possible speakers from outside Pittsburgh
• Next steps

As Justin says, “If you have any questions, concerns or cupcakes, please bring them to the meet-up.”

Blogfest 13!
We’re not superstitious… really!

Hoping to cash in on the wallets of us catholics this Lenten season, Wendy’s came out with the “Premium Fish Fillet Sandwich”. The picture on the website shows a bulky piece of perfectly fried fish under a blanket of fresh lettuce and a hearty helping of tartar sauce. The website describes it as “Hand-cut fillets of North Pacific cod in a crisp Panko crumb breading, served with crisp lettuce and creamy tartar sauce on a warm bun. Now that’s a great-tasting catch.”

In reality it was a square cut piece of fish with cheap restaurant $3 buffet quality lettuce and average quality sauce. Thinking this may have been thrown together in haste I looked around and saw 2 people in line with me and maybe 4 cars in drivethru. This is one BAD case of the ad looking nothing like the product. Does it ever really? The description was way off base too.

The only saving grace was that the fish itself was very tasty. If you look past all of the crud that Wendy’s did to the rest of the sammich it’s a good piece of cod. Plus for me was NO heavy fish taste but that part could have been already burned off my toungue from the sauce.

I was ready to give it a C to C+ but then I had my first drink of Coke post first bite. I literally threw up in my mouth. These 2 do NOT belong together! I had the coke prior to eating so I knew that was OK. I don’t know if it was from the grease they use but typing it now is making me feel ill.

The things I do for you people, I swear!

Grade: C- (and that’s generous)

I love Valentine’s Day and not because of the mushy bull that goes on. Lushie and I don’t go out on this day and in fact we usually just do a card and rent a movie. We like to keep it simple and let the rookies go out and enjoy tonight   Kinda like the drinkers on New Years Eve.

Enough of that, this is birthday week!  From today until 2/21, my birthday, I get to kick back and enjoy. For those unfamiliar check my post from the old blog explaining it. That pad pictured up above was my first present. Well OK I needed it for school but still, Lushie gave it to me with a smile. It’s a digital graphics tablet from Wacom that I will be using in my digital imaging class. I was playing with it earlier and man what a world of difference this will make when I’m in Photoshop. I know there is a ton I need to learn about using it so I’ll have to make sure I schedule enough time to geek out.  Anyone else use one? Let me know your experience!

I’m also on some good cold meds right now so if I reply to you and my message is random, blame my doctor   weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!