Beer of the Week: Small Craft Warning

Intro: First off, I'm thrilled some of you are enjoying this feature. I've enjoyed the feedback, both public and semi-private. I hope it's helped some explore some other brew options. Life's too short for one beer.


And for those of you that are tired of this post, you might get a brief reprieve as my Friday/Saturday time will be short the next couple weeks due to travel and vacation. And of course, football is now like 76 days away...


BotW: Today, an imperial pilsner, or Über Pils - Heavy Seas Über Pils. Clipper City is an incredible brewery. We've covered my fascination for IPAs and theirs are all really good (Loose Cannon, Black Cannon, Dubbel Cannon). But if this post is to ever make national syndication I better feature some different types.


So this was an easy pick. Plus I just happened to have one hiding last night in the back of my beer fridge. If you are used to (and grew up drinking) a lot of Miller and Bud, you're going to love this beer type and definitely this brew. If you're a steadfast "mainstream" beer drinker (and somehow you've stuck with this post this long), believe me...I get ya. And there ain't nothing wrong with a can of Budweiser, imho.


But just give this one a try. The tastes will blow you away. It's a fresh pilsner with a definitive complexity. By that I mean it gives you a pilsner experience, but the uber part of it definitely gets hoppy. In fact, if you're not into a lot of hops, you probably won't appreciate this brew. Instead of your average run of the mill hops and malts that you get from the grovery store aisle, Small Craft has a carefully refined mixture that is both complex and smooth. The result is a solid brew that packs a pirate sized punch (7% ABV, which is nearly two cans of Bud). I tend to line up a variety of craft beers when I drink them, but this is one I could consume a six pack of. Or maybe four and then a nap in a hammock swing.


In short, this isn't at all a watery pilsner. But it's more than smooth and drinkable enough to quench your thirst, over and over. If you like pilsners and are also fond of IPAs, go grab a sixer. If you're uncertain, find this one on draft to try it out first.


And if you don't like it, I'll refund your money. Just tell the bartender Bernie said "Wassup!".


Final Notes: Small Craft Warning is available year round, but can probably be a little difficult to find. Again, Beverage Superstore carries a lot of Heavy Seas. And I would highly recommend following Kevin on Twitter. He's their southern rep and can surely help you find their treasure.


Also, if you are in the near of somewhat close proximity of Suwanee GA (north Gwinnett, not far off I-85) you should really consider coming out to the Suwanee Beer Festival July 23rd. It's being held in Town Center Park with 120 different beers. Plus plenty of family friendly events outside the ropes in case your wife and kids want to come along. Click the link and check it out. And if you do come out, be sure to arrange your transportation afterwards. They'll have cabs lined up and ready, btw.

Catching up...

Since I haven't been able to keep up with my reading the last couple days, thought I would try to catch up by weighing in on:

• Kickoffs. Richt would vote in favor of eliminating them. I understand his and Schiano's basis for this radical idea. But aren't there other things we could do instead of completely scrapping on of the most exciting 15 seconds in sports? Move the scrimmage line on kickoffs back up to the 40...make the coverage team scrimmage from the line rather than get a running head start...let Coach Fabris return kicks.
• Football is a dangerous sport. I'm not in favor of more injuries. And I certainly recognize that players have gotten bigger and faster (aka they've "Thomas Davis'd"). But rather than eliminate kickoffs and drastically alter the game, can't we explore some other options? I won't speak for the entire Dawg Nation, but I cheer just as loud when Blair Walsh booms one through the endzone as I do when an opposing player gets buried inside the 20 by a backup linebacker.
• Giving James Eunice a roster spot is right in line with the Texas Rangers drafting Jonathan Taylor last week. Eunice's 18th birthday would've been yesterday. He was planning to walk on this Fall.
• Speaking of Taylor, the Rangers are in Atlanta for a series and will hold an official press conference Saturday with Cone and Taylor. So with all due respect to the local team...I'm a big Rangers fan this weekend.
• Crowell puking, Glenn getting more mobile and Geathers as Animal...I would "Like" all that sh*t on BookFace!
• And Mike paints a picture of the Georgia Dome and the opening kickoff....Goooooooo DAAAWWWWGGGGGSS!!!

Richt has thumbs that really GATA

CMR either needs to take some texting lessons from a neighborhood preteen, or he needs to let the water girl handle his smart phone.

According to documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wednesday afternoon via the Freedom of Information Act, UGA had to report six secondary violations in five sports since April. Two of those violations were inadvertently committed in one instance last month by head football coach Mark Richt.

In Athletic Director Greg McGarity’s letter of explanation to the SEC Commissioner Mike Slive,dated May 27, he explains that Richt accidentally sent two text messages from his Blackberry to the father of football prospect Jordan Jenkins of Harris County on May 26th (text messages to prospects or their family members are impermissible per NCAA rules until one day after a prospect has signed a national letter of intent with the school). In the first instance, Richt received a text from Ron Jenkins asking for camp dates. Since Richt did not have the number programmed in his phone, the text was identified as “unknown.” Richt intended to forward the text to a recruiting assistant for identification but accidentally replied to Mr. Jenkins, which was a violation NCAA Bylaw 13.4.1.2.

Richt immediately reported the inadvertent violation to compliance director Eric Baumgartner, who subsequently asked if Mr. Jenkins had replied. In an attempt to forward Mr. Jenkins’ response to Baumgartner, Richt accidently replied to Mr. Jenkins again, hence he had to report another text violation.

In related news, my dad hasn't misspelled a text in over a week.


Oops. Scratch that.

Georgia Football through the years

I'm sure y'all might be sick of videos. But my internets went down in the storms last night and I'm just starting to catch up with my readings. So with a h/t to Ron again, this is a great one.

courtesy of 1UGADWG

Bubba Watson's new career

h/t Kerri

If you can't get enough of Bubba's flare...The Making of the Golf Boys...

Hallo!...ahs 'scuse me?!? 



No offense to Bubba...but hope he doesn't quit his day job.

20 Hours

h/t Ron

Along the lines of yesterday's Pay for Play post, here's a video project Drew Butler and some classmates did about the amount of time football players put in each week and how coaches manage the 20 hours mandated by the NCAA.

"Signing into class is something you should look forward to." - Aaron Murray


That's all I'm saying. Great video. Good perspective for both fans and athletes. Many thanks to Drew, Libby, Ashley and "SRod".

"We don’t have to worry about not knowing where we’re going.”

Again...Christian Robinson, you had me at "more efficiently"...

Georgia linebacker Christian Robinson on the methodology of new strength coach Joe Tereshinski:

“I’d say we’re working more efficiently right now and we have the mindset we’re not just lifting weights, we’re lifting weights to win a game on Saturday. Coach ‘T’ and his staff have done a great job of providing that vision for us to where the leaders can reinforce it. We don’t have to worry about not knowing where we’re going.”

Christian Robinson weighs in

Dijana Kunovac speaks to Robinson about who he expects to contribute on defense.

King Salmon

Nothing to do with college football, cheap Columbus Corvettes or depth charts. But just couldn't resist...

h/t Mac and TedHickman.com

More on Pay for Play

It was announced yesterday that NCAA chief Mark Emmert will convene a meeting of the minds in August to address broad issues surrounding college athletics, namely whether players should be compensated beyond what they already are. Gathering at the summit will be 50 or so college presidents and chancellors. FWIW, Michael Adams has accepted his invitation.

Among topics on the agenda are how to maintain the governing body's policy on amateurism, a definition that allows schools to restrict how athletes are compensated for playing sports. That's not all Emmert wants to talk about. 

"How do we look at issues around the integrity of the collegiate model? Is there a sense that we need stronger investigative tools? Is there a sense that we need a more understood and more comprehensive penalty structure?" Emmert said in a statement. "How do we look at the embedding of athletics in a way that sends clear messages to institutions before student-athletes even arrive on campus that there is an expectation of academic success?" 

But it's the pay-for-play issue that will certainly get the most attention. 

It has been debated publicly for decades, and has gained fresh traction in the wake of high-profile infractions cases including that of reigning Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton and former Heisman winner Reggie Bush.

The ramifications have been felt at some of the nation's most prominent programs. 

Gee, thanks Cecil. I've made my case and even posted a poll here. But I'd like to revisit it at least once again here, because I see and hear some painting the stance of not paying athletes as some form of jealousy...or a case of the haves (as in athletic ability) and the have nots (...me...and maybe you).


For me it's not about that. Beyond my hang up with a growing sense of entitlement and the fact that I still feel an education is worth something, I just get this awful taste in my mouth for what the college game will become should we venture down Delaney and Spurrier's path.


Let me break it down some: currently your average Joe goes to school and gets as much of his expenses covered as possible through various means (parents, scholarships, savings, grants, part-time job, etc). Whatever is left over that is not covered is dumped into a student loan most likely. Nothing made me value my education more than working to pay it off once I was through.


On the other more athletic hand, if a school covers the expenses for attending classes beyond what it already does (tuition, room, board, books) it simply becomes a general manager, handing out stipends for a new pair of shoes or tickets to the latest Journey (...whatever) concert. The education component is completely taken out of the equation. The school is just a landing spot in a vast farm system.


One other point. I'm particularly interested in seeing how coaches handle this hot button topic now and going forward. The safe play is to voice support for the idea like Spurrier did. That way players, both current and potentials, see you as on their side.


Purdue hoops coach Matt Painter might be swimming upstream:

"Just handing them money so they can get new Timberlands or whatever, I don't think that's right," Painter said during a conference call with reporters Monday. "I don't want to lose the amateurism. They are getting their education paid for and a lot of people say that's what the NBA is for. If you want to get paid, go to the NBA."

Again, I'd be surprised if we don't eventually get to a point where we're extending this immense money bag towards the hands of the athletes who help create it. I'm just not convinced that's what is best for the college sport.

Monday's Meatloaf - the value of a buck

What's that you say? Oh, the step-in-laws are fine. The wedding went off without too many hitches and they made it out of the swamp with no reports of unwanted circumcisions. Camo and jorts make the most beautiful ensemble this time of year.

I paid for dis with one Rose Bowl football!

Anywho...was reflecting over the weekend about what a turbulent time it is in college football, or NCAA athletics in general. Tennessee went before the firing squad this weekend. Pete Carroll's former pro team got bitch slapped last week. THE ohio state university has been caught with their hand in the tattoo and shiny Escalade jar. Auburn's on the lamb. 


Hell, Morgantown is looking like a friggin' vacation spot for Mark Emmert and his band of merry men in suits. I imagine this used to be pretty easy for NCAA investigators. They'd lay in wait as the rumors spread and eventually someone would cop out. Then it was just a matter of showing up at the car dealership and asking the weasly accountant for the book.


Nowadays though, you have BookFace, blogs, boosters, Twitter, tattoo parlors, creative loan language, boosters with blogs, agents, churches with money laundry machines in the Fellowship Hall, 876, 234 student-athletes with Twitter accounts, eBay, agents who have "friends" on BookFace....it's endless really. It's a real headache I would imagine, even for a former professional investigator with a smartphone.


The value of the dollar bill may still be pretty weak against the Euro, but on college campuses it can get you a lot further than the average kegger. And if you're an overrated quarterback in the B1G #Fail or a HillBilly athletic director handing out lollipops and ice cream truck coupons like comp'd buffet tickets in Vegas, the dollar can still go pretty far.


At least until the CFL starts looking like an attractive career option. Even though it'll be a paycut.

Today's Ingredients

• "How Hamilton was allowed to walk away without a public excoriation, I’ll never know." Well said Kyle. Well said.
• Looks like Georgia made Adelson's top 63 this year!!!1 (h/t the Senator)
• The weekend brought news that Quayvon Hicks had committed to Coach Richt. ecdawg has some video in his recruiting update.
• And of course, Richt also picked up a commitment from punter Collin Barber of Cartersville. Barber's the real deal and should fill Butler's cleats well.
• Then the headliner of the recruiting weekend, Richt picked up commitments from teammates Jonathan Taylor and James DeLoach of Jenkins Co. These two are studs. Grade A studs.
• Dawgfan17 sees great things for Aaron Murray this season.
• Mike wants to know if you've heard the one about the gator...
• Streit had a great addition to his countdown posts, in classic Hines Ward style.
• And yesterday Hedges to Hardwood focused on the present, with Cornelius Washington.
• In case you haven't been counting down with Rivals, Ben Jones recently checked in as the 77th best player in the nation. That makes three Dawgs so far with Blair Walsh at 97, and Aaron Murray at 89th.
• After news of the Texas Rangers drafting him last week, Jonathan Taylor would like to thank everyone for the support.
• Look, I could give a (crap) about the nba. But given the national obsession with LeWhore James (as well as my obsession for really great movies) I enjoyed this post.
• Tweet of the Week came Saturday morning, just 12 weeks before awesomeness descends on Atlanta GA. Thanks for the updates Kerri!
• Please...please don't forget to check out the Georgia Bulldogs roundtable discussion over at College Football Zealots. Let me know how much I sucked...
• If any of you have thoughts of writing your own obituary, you'd be hard pressed to do better than Ellen McGarr. After all, she had a 1.8 GPA at Tallassee High School. (h/t Mac)
• Lastly, never would've thought there were a better set of parents than Mrs. Bernie and myself. But my sister and brother-in-law are setting a new bar. Love y'all!

Had a really good weekend that started with a yard sale that was practically a dud. For the wife and I it's always about what can we get rid of? For the kids though it always starts with visions of tons of cash being dumped in their lap. (Think Terrelle Pryor up until about three months ago.)

Then arguments ensue, battles over who owns which naked Barbie doll and screams of nervousness when a car approaches the driveway. (Think Mike Hamilton up until about a week ago.) So secondary to getting rid of that printer that would never scan right or sync with the wireless interwebbing at the Bernie Abode is teaching the kiddos about the value of a dollar bill.


It was a difficult task, but necessary since the 9yo insisted each (very) used DVD was worth $10. (Think Cameron Newton about 15 months ago in a high market) But luckily my kids aren't trading their useless crap for tatts. They're just waiting for Jolly Jack to come back around with his truck full of frozen treats.


And no, "Jack" isn't on any of our local perv lists. He does wear a sweater vest however. Must be cold in there....Anyway, you have a great Monday Reader. Here's your fork. Just save some for Emmert and the band of merry men.


Bernie

From the ashes of sofa cushions...Lane Kiffin

He once sped through a sea of blazing sectionals in order to deliver his KiffyBaby Swerve to southern Cali. Now he returns to help the HillBilly brethren wrestle from the grasp of the NCAA deliverance.

"It's a very thorough process and I'm glad it's over," Kiffin said before leaving the downtown Indianapolis hotel for a football camp at Southern Cal. "It was a lot shorter than the last one I sat through, three days of USC's, and I'm happy it's over."

8-12 weeks...that's how long until the creamsickle nation finds out if the paternity test comes back with a Kiffin sized Pearl.