Tis the Season to Get Falling Down Drunk!

Hints for Hooch Heads (and Suds members)
Borrowed from Modern Drunkard Magazine
Edited

• Whenever you open a non-liquor gift, loudly proclaim, “Oh, great, how the f#$% am I supposed to drink this?”They’ll know what to get you next year.
• If you’re forced to go to your employee Christmas party, always try to blackout. Because no one wants to spend their Christmas vacation knowing for sure they got fired.
• If you buy a bottle of liquor as a gift and accidentally drink half of it, just tell the giftee it’s a bottle and a personality test. If he says it’s half full, he’s an optimist. If he says it’s half empty, he’s a dick.
• If you receive three cocktail shakers every Christmas, you are a drunkard. If you receive ten, get ready for an intervention.
• Pine needles steeped in a bottle of vodka makes for an excellent gift. Because, trust me, you sure as hell won’t want to drink it.
• Don’t worry if you hate wrapping presents, because your favorite store provides free gift wrapping. Just give the brown bag a little twist around the neck of the bottle and hey! All done!
• Ironically enough, if you give your favorite bartender a bartending guide as a present he will not give you a free drink for at least a month. Nor will your significant other appreciate a copy of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Sex.”
• If money is tight, improvise your gifts. Believe it or not, a note stuffed inside an empty bottle of liquor makes for an excellent present. Because when they smash the bottle so they can read the note and it says, “This is the historic bottle the Rat Pack shared on the eve of their first appearance on stage at The Sands in Las Vegas--I bought in on eBay for $112,000” they’ll get to think, “Wow, for a second there I was pretty rich.”
• Don’t freak out if it’s your turn bring the Christmas Turkey to a family gathering. Just make sure you buy the one-liter family-sized bottle so there’s enough to go around.
• After eight of your “these-are-for-daddies-only” eggnogs, try to refrain from telling your children you are going to shoot Santa off the roof of your house when he lands.While their shrieks of terror may seem funny at the time, it will directly affect the quality of nursing home you will be eventually shipped off to.
• If your niece or nephew asks why your eggnog smells funny, tell them you added some “special warming juice.” If they ask you if you’re cold, tell them, “No, but I might be while waiting in the bushes for Santa and Rudolph to show up so I can shoot them off the roof.
• Your father’s good Scotch is hidden either in the cupboard above the refrigerator or in the hall closet behind the junk box. If he’s really crafty, it’ll be at the bottom of the clothes hamper in the laundry room.
• If your more religious relatives try to pin you down about your drinking habits at a family gathering, always tell them, “Hope you don’t mind, but I’m gonna keep prayin’ for ya!” For some reason it drives them crazy.
• If your spouse asks you to make a New Years Resolution to not drink for the rest of the year, promise her you’ll do it.You’ll find it a lot easier to keep if you make the resolution at 11:59pm on New Year’s Eve.
• Spread the holiday cheer by going to your favorite bar dressed as Santa Claus. Because nobody under-pours Santa. Nobody.
• You can’t get drunk on rum cake. But don’t let that stop you from telling your 13-year-old nephew that it’ll get him “wicked hammered,” so long as he eats the entire cake in fifteen minutes.
• No matter how stressed you get, always try to be full of Christmas cheer. They sell it down at the liquor store, $14.99 a bottle.

—Frank Kelly Rich

Holiday Shopping!

Looking for that perfect gift for Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, etc?  Check out the Suds store on Cafepress!  Suds does not make any money on your purchase but we do get to enjoy the fact that someone, somewhere is wearing our logo with pride!  

Find cafepress coupons here.

Year End Meeting

Our last meeting of the year will happen Monday, December 15 at TIME OUT SPORTS BAR (LaGrange Rd. just north of Joliet Rd in Countryside) - Meeting starts 8:30 but people usually start showing up as early as 7:30.  This meeting is typically well attended and usually a pretty good time.  If you have not been to a meeting all year come out to this one!  

Topics that will be discussed include:

- What do you like on your pizza?

- The Millard Fillmore Trip.

- Possible club events for next year.

- Should we get more beer?

- Seen any good movies lately?

- People who no longer show up for meetings.

- The classic "I have to go"/"No - just one more" argument.

- Hats.

So - come on out!  It will be a great time!

Celebrating with BEER this Holiday Season

by: Alström Bros on Friday - November 17, 2006 - 00:00 UTC
First published in: Boston's Weekly Dig

http://beeradvocate.com/articles/240

It's been documented in voyage journals that the Mayflower abandoned its voyage and landed in Plymouth due to running out of beer. That one of the first establishments constructed within the Pilgrim colony was a brewery, and that most of its passengers were also separatist farmers, poorly educated and without social or political standing. Given these facts, do you honestly think that they drank wine at the very first Thanksgiving in 1621? Hell no! They drank beer!

So as the holiday season creeps up yet again, some of you will ask your hosts what to bring to Thanksgiving and Christmas. You can go ahead and be that same boring person that shows up with that cheap bottle of Chardonnay, thinking that it will help you swallow down hunks of dry turkey. But that's just plain rude, man. Cheap and boring is not the way to go.

What you really need is some quality craft-brewed beer to liven up the festivities. Impress the hell out of everyone when you whip out bottles of intriguing beer and reel off brief explanations of what they are. Fortify the ancestral tradition of feasting by complementing it with beer. Suggest a beer pairing with dinner. Hell, make it an all-day event, and remember there's nothing wrong with drinking at 10am. Beer goes with every meal and minute of the day!

Here are some brief suggestions ...

Apéritif (before dinner)
Try not to kill palates too early in the day, by starting off with a nice light-bodied (not lite in soul) Pilsner or Lager to introduce the evening and guests with. Offer something that will arouse appetites and slowly awaken the senses.

* Brooklyn Lager or Pilsner
* Otter Creek Vermont Lager
* Sam Adams Boston Lager
* Victory Prima Pils

You could even try a Belgian-style Strong Pale Ale along the lines of Duvel. Its light-bodied fluffiness and higher alcohol will loosen minds into conversation.

Hors d'oeuvre Hour
Kick things up a notch with a moderate level of hops. The hoppy characters in Pale Ales will pair nicely with salads, a slew of cheese varieties, fruits, and many hors d'oeuvres, without overwhelming any flavors. But don't go too bitter.

* Anchor Liberty Ale
* Smuttynose Shoal's Pale Ale
* Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
* Three Floyds Alpha King Pale Ale

Dinner
Eating poultry, gravy, stuffing, etc? You could kick the day up a notch by pairing your meal with some strong Belgian-style ales. Their higher alcohol percentages cut through fats and starches, provide an edge of sweetness, and boast very diverse and complex flavors that lend themselves very well to this pairing.

* Allagash Grand Cru
* Avery Salvation
* Russian River Damnation
* Ommegang Rare Vos

Another recommendation is to reintroduce more Pilsners and Lagers, as they will not only act as a palate cleanser in-between bites, but their lightness and spicy tones complement poultry and the contrast with gravies and stuffing is often welcome.

Dessert
In our opinion, the best course in which to pair beer with. However, the last thing you want to do is kill a beer with a pairing that is too sweet, so ensure that your beers are sweeter than your desserts. Rich and big Stouts are our favorites, and tend to work very well.

* Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
* Founders Breakfast Stout or Kentucky Breakfast Stout
* Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout or Oak Aged Yeti
* Stone Russian Imperial Stout

Digestif (after dinner)
Time to kick back and let that food digest. No doubt you are bloated at this point, so the moment calls for something smooth and numbing. Enter Barleywine-style ales, or a similar, big, complex, malty and alcoholic beer. Simply decant some into a snifter, sip, and appreciate life, and your swollen gut.

* Dogfish Head Immort Ale or Raison d'Extra
* Rouge Old Crustacean
* Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale
* Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot Barley Wine Style Ale

Now our examples are certainly not the bible in pairing beer with food, but they should give you head start. In time, you will find that nearly every beer pairs with most types of food, some more than others with certain styles of food, and others less. Just remember to be experimental with your pairings and make sure to have fun doing it. And with that, we'll leave you with a 16th century English proverb:

Wine is but single broth, ale is meat, drink and cloth.

Respect Beer.

Millard Filmore Time!

Suds Ski and Social Club Presents:

Millard Fillmore 2009

January 23-25th

Our annual weekend of debauchery and fellowship will take place again this year at the Mayflower Motel in the Wisconsin Dells.




"Nothing brings out the lower traits of human nature like frozen drinks." ~ Millard Fillmore (ok…so I paraphrased a little)


Details
As usual the price of the trip includes:

~ A lovely room at the Mayflower Motel
~ Use of the pool and amenities
~ Use of the hospitality room and all beer, frozen beverages, beer, soda, snacks, beer, games, and beer it holds.
~ Breakfast on Saturday and Sunday at the Big Country Colossal Buffet.
~ Dinner at Wally’s House of Embers on Saturday evening.
~ Fun at no extra charge!
~ Lift tickets (at an extra charge.)

Registration Form Here

More details to come, including directions, rules, etc.

Pricing for the trip as follows:

1st adult - $210
Additional Adults (in same room) - $100
Children 12 & Under (staying with adult) - $45
Children 2 & Under – Free
Under 21 (staying with adult) - $80
Loft room request - $50 extra
Member Discount - $20*
Adult Lift Ticket - $35
Child Lift Ticket 12 & Under – Free

Questions!?
The Rene Does Not Have All the Answers, but She Sure Will Try Hot Line is available 24 hours. Call 773.807.9925 and leave a message or E-mail renepaquin@gmail.com for the fastest response!

*Member discount applies to current, adult members who have paid their membership dues in 2008 prior to October 1, 2008.

Payment Schedule:

A deposit of half the amount of the trip is due on or before December 1st to guarantee your spot.

Balance of the trip is due on or before January 1st.

In the past we have had people decide to go in January. Any reservation made after January 1st will be subject to a $10 pain in my butt fee. No exceptions.

I will have a paypal option on the website soon. If you choose to pay with a credit card via paypal there will be a small charge to cover the processing.

Refund Policy - Any reservations that need to be canceled prior to January 1 can do so with full refund. After January 1 the club will asses a refund based on the cost incurred and the refund will be processed after the February meeting.

There is plenty to do in the Dells if you do not ski:

· MooseJaw Brewery
· HoChunk Casino
· The Forevertron
· Top Secret - Upside-Down White House
· Sorry, Hiking around Lake Delton is just not going to happen this year.
· Hang out by the pool


FYI – anyone who chooses to ski this year will be required to sign a waiver. NO lift tickets will be distributed without a signed waiver.

Haunted House!

Hey guys,I'll bet you've been wondering" whatever happened to Paul Niemeyer?" Maybe not, but anyway....I have opened my haunted house in a brand new, kickass location.Check out the website for all of the info www.ABYSShaunts.comIf you are so inclined, we would really appreciate your vote at www.hauntedillinois.comGo to main directory and click on "visitors favorite haunts" and vote for ABYSS.We would truly appreciate it, We are getting rave reviews, but we need the votes so we can stay until next year!I know it's a way to come for a scare. but I promise you. It will be a good one!! If nothing else, please vote for us, OK?Thanks! We'll see you at Millard Fillmore!

Paul Niemeyer

No plans for Halloween?

Suds members, Joel Kuchan and Mike Brousil will be playing with their band, Mangy, on Saturday, November 1, 2008 at The Hideaway in Blue Island. To hear their music or for details see the band's myspace page here.

If you have any Halloween events you would like to share with members send me an email!

Houses to AVOID while trick or treating

1. Any house that seems to be imploding into a space-time wormhole.
2. Any house made of food.
3. Any house whose only entrance goes to the basement.
4. Any house where the high tension wires suddenly stop right above it.
5. Any house that has ornamental lawn hyenas.
6. Any house that growls "get out."
7. Any house where the furniture seems to be walking across the living room floor.
8. Any house that looks like a giant pulsating orb floating 3 feet off the
ground.
9. Any house with various and extremely realistic statues in the front yard
of people in odd "running away" poses.
10. Any house that wasn't there only a minute ago...

Yep, stolen...

Beers rising from the pumpkin patch

Stolen from here

CHICAGO, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. beer sellers and manufacturers in the Midwest said recent years have seen a spike in sales of Pumpkin-flavored brews.
Katie Coggins, beer consultant and buyer at Binny's Beverage Depot in Chicago, said the store is selling twice as many seasonal beers as it had expected, with the pricey Southern Tier Pumpking selling out only four weeks after its release, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Monday.
Anthony Norkus, brand manager for Lincolnwood, Ill., beer distributor Louis Glunz Beer Inc. said pumpkin-flavored beers are the fastest growing sector for seasonal booze.
"This is one of the styles that's really stuck, and there's a great demand for it," Norkus said.
He said the number of pumpkin-infused beers carried by his company has increased from only two in 2006 to six this year.
O'Fallon Brewery in Missouri said it manufactured only 300 cases of its pumpkin brew in 2003 but this year the company expects to move about 1,000 cases of the beer.

Millard Filmore

Fliers will be going out by late October - hopefully sooner. Pretty much everything will be the same. The dates are January 23-25.

It's raining, it's pouring...

Well, we got rained out. A little rain never stopped Suds! Beer does not melt! It may get a little watered down but that's ok!

It was a fun day anyway, and we have tickets for a game in April. Those who are still holding a ticket be sure to send them back to me whatever way you can so that I can turn them in for credit toward another group outing in April. Those who did not go, if you are interested in going in April we should have tickets available. We will probably not do the whole bus trip thing, just some BYO tailgating for those who are interested. Details will follow!

Baseball Drinking Game

From CollegeHumor.com

During my first year of college, I became a bit of an alcoholic. I found myself coming up with excuses to drink, and I found that the best way to do so was to invent drinking games for every single thing on TV! There’s The State of the Union drinking, wrestling drinking, basketball drinking, and Friends drinking, amongst many others. But I, along with a friend, who goes by the name of "Steve," put the time into one particular TV drinking game to fully develop it into a flawless time period of getting completely hammered. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Drinking Baseball!

Rules
Single - 1 shot
Double - 2 shots
Triple - 3 shots
Home Run - 4 shots + 1 for every person on base
Out of the Stadium Home Run - 7 shots
Grand Slam - 2 beers + 2 inning grace period
Strike Out - 2 shots
Walk/Passed ball - free pass for whenever
Out - 1 per
Run - 1 shot
Sacrifice - 2 shots
Hit By Pitch - 4 shots
Foul Out - 2 shots
Double Play - 2 shots
Triple Play - 6 shots
Wild Pitch/Passed Ball - 4 shots
Stolen Base - 2 shots
Caught Stealing - 3 shots
Full Count on Batter - 2 shots
Pick off - 2 shots + number of base player is on
Each consecutive foul ball after the fifth in a row - 2 shots
1-2-3 Inning - 5 shots
Coaching visit - 4 shots
Defensive substitute/pitching change - 3 shots per switch
Inside the Park - shotgun 1
Fan Hit By Ball or Bat - 6 shots
Ejection - chug 1
Off the Foul Post Home Run - chug 1
Cycle - chug 2
Brawl - chug until fight stops
No-Hitter - chug 2
Perfect Game - shotgun 2
Batting Around – shotgun 1

White Sox Trip is Coming Soon!

Suds Members! Reserve your space! There are still tickets available, but soon I am going to start actively offering tickets to nonmembers. If you want a guaranteed seat for yourself or your friends get in touch with me today! Details here!

Want a super cool hat to wear to the game? Visit our Cafepress store for this and other cool Suds gear.

In Prepararation for the Sox Outing

In preparation for the Sox Outing I thought we might all benefit on a refresher of some of the finer points of Baseball Spectating. (all info stolen from Wikipedia)

Corn Hole
Cornhole, Corn Toss, Bags, Bean Bag Toss, Soft Horseshoes, Indiana Horseshoes, Tailgate Toss, Sacks and Holes, Sack-Hole, or Baggo is a game in which players take turns pitching small bags filled with corn (or sand or beans) at a raised platform with a hole in the far end. These platforms are usually plywood, sometimes plastic, and sometimes decorated. A corn bag in the hole scores 3 points, while one on the platform scores 1 point. Play continues until a player reaches the score of 21.

Hot Dog
A hot dog is a type of fully-cooked, cured and/or smoked moist sausage of soft, even, texture and flavor. It is usually placed hot in a soft, sliced Hot dog bun of approximately the same length as the sausage, and optionally garnished with condiments and toppings. In the United Kingdom and Australia, hot dog refers more commonly to the combination of sausage and bun, with the sausage called a frankfurter.

A Chicago-style hot dog is a steamed or boiled all-beef hot dog on a poppy seed bun, which originated in the U.S. city of Chicago, Illinois. The hot dog is topped with mustard, onion, sweet pickle relish (usually neon green), a dill pickle spear, tomato slices or wedges, sport peppers, and a dash of celery salt; but never ketchup.

Beer
Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by brewing and the fermentation of starches derived from cereals. The most common cereal for beer brewing is malted barley, although wheat, corn, and rice are also widely used, usually in conjunction with barley. Most beer is flavoured with hops, which add a slightly bitter taste and act as a natural preservative.

White Sox Facts
Founded: 1893, as the Sioux City, Iowa franchise in the minor Western League. Moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1895, then to Chicago in 1900 when that league was renamed the American League, and which became a major league in 1901.
Formerly known as: Sioux City Cornhuskers, 1894. St. Paul Saints, 1895-1899. "White Sox".
Home ballpark: U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago. (This park, originally known as "New Comiskey Park", was opened in 1991; the original Comiskey Park was in use from mid-1910 to 1990. The original home field in Chicago was South Side Park. The previous home field in St. Paul was Lexington Park).
Uniform colors: Black, Silver, and White
Logo design: the letters "SOX", interlocked in Old English Script font
Current Team motto: Share The Passion. Show the Swagger.
2005 World Series Championship Season Motto: Grinder Rule No. 1, "Win or Die Trying"
Fight Song: "Let's Go, Go-Go White Sox" by Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers
All-time regular season record (through 2007): 8372 wins - 8182 losses - 101 ties - 3 no-decisions
Local Television: CSN Chicago, WGN, WCIU
Local Radio: WSCR 670AM "The Score"
Mascot: Southpaw
Television Announcers: Ken Harrelson, Darrin Jackson
Radio Announcers: Ed Farmer, Steve Stone
Rivals: Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians
Spring Training Facility: Tucson Electric Park, Tucson, Arizona

Fight Song Lyrics
White Sox!
White Sox!
White Sox!
Go-Go White Sox!
Let's go, Go-Go White Sox
We're with you all the way!
You're always in there fighting,
And you do your best.
We're glad to have you out here in the Middle West.
We're gonna root-root-root-root White Sox.
And cheer you on to victory.
When we're in the stands,
We'll make those rafters ring;
All through the season,
You will hear us sing.
Let's go, Go-Go White Sox,
Chicago's proud of you!
White Sox!
White Sox!
Go-Go White Sox!
Root-Root-Root for the White Sox.
We'll cheer you on to victory.
When we're in the stands,
We'll make those rafters ring;
All through the season,
You will hear us sing.
Let's go, Go-Go White Sox,
Chicago's proud of you!
White Sox!
White Sox!
Go-Go White Sox!
Let's go, Go-Go White Sox!
Chicago is proud of you!

Election Results

The results of the election are as follows:
President - John S
VP - Ray P
Secretary - Rene P
Treasurer - Mary Z

The new positions take effect at the first meeting in July.

Original Schlitz coming back to Chicago

From the Crain's Chicago Business Newsroom
By David Sterrett-----


(Crain's) — Schlitz, known as "the beer that made Milwaukee famous," is bringing its original taste back to Chicago on Monday.


Woodridge-based Pabst Brewing Co. has recreated the original formula for the beer, which was a top seller nationwide in the 1970s before it was reformulated. The recreated beer will be sold in brown longneck bottles and labels noting the "Classic 1960s formula."


"We are going after the baby boomers who remember Schlitz when they first started drinking," says Jerry Glunz, the general manager of Lincolnwood-based Louis Glunz Beer Inc., which is distributing the beer in Chicago. "This is a different beer than the (current Schlitz line in the can), and this beer will stand up to its former glory."


He says the beer will be available at about a dozen locations on the North Side of Chicago on Monday.


He says the locations will include: Schubas Tavern, Southport Lanes & Billiards, Cardinal Liquors, 1000 Liquors, Chicago Brauhaus, Sheffield's Bar, the Long Room, Simon's Tavern, Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, Glunz Bavarian Haus and the House of Glunz.


Pabst Brewmaster Bob Newman researched the old formula and interviewed previous brewmasters to find the correct recipe, Mr. Glunz says.


Mr. Glunz said the beer declined in popularity because of changes to the formula in the 1970s and a switch to cans in the 1990s.


The beer was relaunched last year in Florida and Minnesota with its original formula and glass bottles. The relaunched beer will be priced comparable to other premium domestic brands.


He says the beer will hopefully be available in more locations around Chicago in the next couple of months.


"Hopefully we will be able to get the beer back to its top spot," Mr. Glunz says.

Election Time Again!

There is just something lovely about this photo of Ellen holding briefs with the word "Vote" on the bum. I don't know why, but it fills me with peace!

Anyway, we forgot to hold nominations last month. So, we did it this month and will vote at the April meeting. Nominations are open until April 14, so if you would like to nominate someone please contact me at renepaquin@sbcglobal.net.

New board members will take their positions in July, and the new president will appoint their cabinet at that time. Who knew "Ski Racing" would ever be a cabinet position!?

Treasurer
Bob M
Mary Z accepted
John S
Secretary
Melissa R
Rene P accepted
Vice President
John S
Ray P accepted
Rene P accepted
President
Ray P accepted
Rene P accepted
John S

If you have been nominated let me know if you accept the nomination no later than April 16. Thanks!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame!

It's been a while but Suds Ski and Social Club is planning a trip to the ball park! There are many details to be worked out yet but here are the basics:

We will gather at the Spitz home in Countryside on Saturday, September 13, 2008. There we will enjoy hot dogs and kegged beer until about 2 hours before the game.

At that time we will all climb aboard a bus, of course the keg can come, and go to the game. The bus will drop us off at the gate where we will watch the White Sox beat the Tigers from section 538 in the upper deck. Following the game everyone will get on the bus and head back.

This is going to be a first paid, first go event. That means I can only hold your ticket if you have paid. We have secured 50 tickets so there should be plenty for everyone. There will be no refunds for cancellations. If you have to cancel I will be happy to help you find someone to take your ticket but the club cannot be responsible for cancellations.

Cost of this trip is as follows:

$38 for Members

$40 for Non Members (or, they could just pay the $5 membership fee and be members and get the member price for this, and other events)

+ $3 to pay with a credit card via paypal

If you would like to send a check please contact me at renepaquin@sbcglobal.net anytime, day or night! I will reply with the address to send checks to.

Times, locations, etc. to come.

A Day at The Movies

SUDs Social Club Presents:


A DAY AT THE MOVIES
Saturday April 5th, 2008

1pm to 10pm - $5 Admission


Lyons Mustangs A.C.
4047 Leland Av
Lyons, IL 60534
708-447-1748


SUDs has rented out the Mustangs A.C. in Lyons, and we will be holding a veritable movie marathon!!! Thanks to the miracle of video projection, and an expansive variety of DVD titles to choose from, we have a huge sample of styles and subjects to entertain kids and adults. Starting at 1pm, we'll be showing some classic cartoon shorts, then family oriented animation/adventure at 2pm, followed by family friendly action around 4pm, maybe some comedy about 6pm, and lastly, some adult oriented fare at 8pm. Pizza and popcorn will be provided by SUDs (while supplies last), but everything else... you bring!!! It'll be SUD's version of "Brew'n'View"!!!


Q: What should I bring?
A: $5 and whatever you want to drink!


Q: Can I bring a friend?
A: Of course! Bring several!


Q: What time can I get there?
A: Anytime after 1pm. Stay until 10pm.


Q: How do I get there?
A: See the directions:


View Larger Map

PLEASE RSVP VIA EMAIL OR CONTACT JOEL AT 773-301-5385.


See you at the Movies!!!

St Patrick's Day Jokes!

Q: Why do people wear shamrocks on St. Patrick's Day?
A: Regular rocks are too heavy.

Q: Why can't you borrow money from a leprechaun?
A: Because they're always a little short.

Q: Why do leprechauns have pots o'gold?
A: They like to "go" first class!

Q: How can you tell if an Irishman is having a good time?
A: He's Dublin over with laughter!

Q: How did the Irish Jig get started?
A: Too much to drink and not enough restrooms!

Q: What would you get if you crossed Christmas with St. Patrick's Day?
A:St. O'Claus!

Q: Are people jealous of the Irish?
A:Sure, they're green with envy!

Stout, ale or porter? The essential Irish beer guide

By Stephen Beaumont
From MSN

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, a day when everyone's a wee bit Irish, we present the ultimate guide to Irish beer. Whether you prefer a deep-amber ale or dry, full-bodied stout, you'll find all your old favorites on this list, along with some new additions.

Of the Irish, the travel journalist Paul Theroux once wrote: "I cannot remember any people so quickly hospitable or easier to meet." And, he might have added, so happy to stop for a pint and a spot of the craic, that uniquely Irish form of fun. Here, for those of you who are Irish or merely aspire to be, is a guide to those essential elements in any Celtic revelry: Irish stout, ale, and porter.

Three classic stouts
Joe's Bar down the street may be serving green lager this St. Patrick's Day, but in Ireland the color of beer year-round is black—as in dry, roasty stout, the Blessed Trinity being Guinness, Murphy's, and Beamish. Poured slowly, to allow the prized creamy head to form, these three beers are as emblematic of Eire as shamrocks and Celtic crosses.

By far the best-known black beer the world over, Guinness is considered by some to be the standard by which all other stouts are judged. Others, like myself, may suggest that its character has been dulled over the past decade and a half. Regardless of your view, however, it is still a fine, dry, appetizing pint.

Poorer County Cork cousins to that Dublin-brewed juggernaut, Beamish and Murphy's represent two different takes on the Irish-stout style—the former more roasted and firmer than Guinness and the latter more malty and a bit chocolaty. For oysters on the half-shell or smoked salmon, choose Beamish or Guinness, but with roasted or grilled meats from pork to beef, try the Murphy's.

The latest and greatest stout
While casual observers can be forgiven for thinking that Ireland offers but three stouts (or even just one!), there are actually many such brews produced throughout the Emerald Isle. Alas, these beers rarely used to make it out of their native land. That situation that has now changed, thankfully, with the arrival in America of O'Hara's Irish Stout.

The pitch-black color and complex, roasted, almost winelike aroma are the first hints that O'Hara's is bigger and bolder than most of the competition. It was a champion in its class at the Brewing Industry International Awards in 2000, and it has turned more than a few heads with a rich, substantial character that recalls the way certain Irish stouts once tasted. It's dry enough for oysters, but sufficiently robust to be enjoyed with meat and cheese dishes.

Red ales
The color of Irish beer is not a uniform black; there's a parallel, though much less celebrated, tradition of Irish red ales, as well. Probably the best known globally is Smithwick's—pronounced "Smid-ick's"—a toasty, faintly caramel-like ale from the folks who brew Guinness, and a relatively recent arrival in the United States. Although brewed to a slightly different recipe than the stuff sold in Eire, it remains a more robust beer than the Coors-produced George Killian's Irish Red, which is actually a lager rather than an ale.

The Carlow Brewing Company, crafters of O'Hara's Irish Stout, also offers its interpretation of a red, and it's even more full-bodied and satisfying. Molings Traditional Red Ale is a raisiny, slightly toffee-ish ale that no one is going to mistake for a reddish-hued American pretender.

America's indigenous breweries produce more than their share of Irish-style beers, and in at least one instance, partaking of a glass or two can mean doing some good in the world. Finnegans Irish Amber may not be as full-bodied and complex as some true Irish ales, but profits from its sales go to community-outreach projects for the working poor and homeless of Minnesota. Even if you can't buy the beer (sold only in its home state), you can still donate to the Finnegans Community Fund or help out by buying a T-shirt or hat through Finnegans' website.

On a less altruistic front, Boston's Harpoon Brewery pays homage to that city's Irish population with its malt-accented Hibernian Ale. The regional brewery's significantly larger neighbor, the Boston Beer Company, makes the nationally available Samuel Adams Irish Red Ale.

Down in the Southeast, Arkansas residents enjoy the more moderately malty Irish Red from Diamond Bear Brewing, while Midwesterners seem to prefer a drier, more hoppy take on the style, typified by Kilgubbin Red Ale (from Chicago's Goose Island Brewing) and the toasty Irish Ale (from Kansas City's Boulevard Brewing). The latter is a seasonal beer hoarded annually by loyalists. Further west, Denver's Great Divide Brewing flies the black-beer banner with its widely acclaimed Saint Bridget's Porter.

Pairing beer and food
Traditional Irish cuisine is rustic and especially delicious when you use quality ingredients and the right ales to complement the hearty dishes. Some of the best salmon in the world is fished off the Irish coast and gently smoked in the south. As an appetizer, it partners beautifully with a glass of cool, though not cold, dry Irish stout. Traditional potato-based side dishes like cabbage-rich colcannon or the savory griddle bread known as boxty provide a fine excuse to break out a bottle or two of gently sweet, caramelly Irish red ale, especially if served alongside a roast leg of lamb. A hearty Irish stew would benefit from the popular half-and-half mixture of ale and stout known as Black & Tan. When it comes to dessert, don't forget that sweeter stouts will beautifully complement chocolate cakes (such as Chocolate Stout Cake) or Chocolate Mousse.

Band for the Hand

Trip Wrap Up Party

Saturday, March 1 2008 - 7:00 pm
at Sawa's Old Warsaw

As usual, free to members who were paid members last year and have paid their dues for this year. If you have not yet paid your $5 membership dues you can do so that evening. Nonmembers are welcome to come but have to pay for themselves.

Please RSVP to renepaquin@gmail.com or text or leave a message at 773.807.9925.

Thanks - hope to see you there!

MF 2008 recap!

Apparently, a good time was had by all.

If you were not there, we missed you!

If you would like to see my photos or have photos that you would like to share email me at sudsski@gmail.com.

New Store!

Check it! http://www.cafepress.com/sudsski

After months of asking I finally got the Suds logo! So...Get your Suds Stuff!

I am looking for new designs or ideas for shirts. As you might see my version of the MF shirt is kind of bland!

SOX OUTING!

There have been talks of Sox outings since the legendary one (that I did not get to attend - stupid school!) but they have never quite materialized.

I fully plan to make this happen this year.

Who wants to go?

How much money are you willing to spend?
- enough to go to the game and BYO beer and pregame snacks?
- enough to go to the game and have group tailgating food and beer?
- enough to go to the game via party bus and have group tailgating food and beer?

Tell me!!! I want your opinions!!!

Once I know what people want to do and how many are interested I will set a date, get ticket prices, bus prices, estimate food and drink cost and make a plan. Thanks!

Something new for next year

I have heard from several people that they would like the option to pay for Millard Filmore and other club events using a credit card. I was looking into a couple options, mainly Paypal and Google Checkout.

I am familiar with Paypal, not so much Google Checkout. If anyone has any experience I would love to hear from you.

Anyway, the main thing is, it has to be worth doing. I would have to charge a very small processing fee to those who chose to use this option. It would be very small, basically to cover the cost of the service. I think that with Google it is 2%, with Paypal it is up to 3% depending on the amount.

Who would be want to pay a little extra to use a credit card? You would still have the option of sending a check if you chose not to pay by credit card and the extra fee would not apply.

Tell me what you think.

Rene
renepaquin@sbcglobal.net

Rating Your Party

Rating Your Party

by Dave Barry

If you threw a party, the worst thing you could have done was throw the kind of party where your guests wake up today and call you up to say they had a nice time. Now you'll be expected to throw another party next year.

What you should have done was throw the kind of party where your guests wake up several days from now and call their lawyers to find out if they've been indicted for anything. You want your guests to be so anxious to avoid a recurrence of your party that they immediately start planning parties of their own, a year in advance, just to prevent you from having another one.

So next time, make sure your party reaches the correct Festivity Level:

Festivity Level One:
Your guests are chatting amiably with each other, admiring your Christmas-tree ornaments, singing carols around the upright piano, sipping at their drinks and nibbling at hors d'oeuvres.

Festivity Level Two:
Your guests are talking loudly - sometimes to each other and sometimes to nobody at all, rearranging your Christmas-tree ornaments, singing "I Gotta Be Me" around the upright piano, gulping their drinks and wolfing down hors d'oeuvres.

Festivity Level Three:
Your guests are arguing violently with inanimate objects, singing "I Can't Get No Satisfaction," gulping other people's drinks, wolfing down Christmas-tree ornaments and placing hors d'oeuvres in the upright piano to see what happens when the little hammers strike.

Festivity Level Four:
Your guests, hors d'oeuvres smeared all over their naked bodies, are performing a ritual dance around the burning Christmas tree. The piano is missing.

You want to keep your party somewhere around Level Three, unless you rent your home and own firearms, in which case you can go to Level Four. The best way to get to Level Three is eggnog.

Eggnog is a traditional holiday drink invented by the English. Many people wonder where the word "eggnog" comes from. The first syllable comes from the English word "egg," meaning, "egg." I don't know where the "nog" comes from.

To make eggnog, you'll need rum, whiskey, wine, gin and, if they are in season, eggs. Combine all ingredients in a large, festive bowl. Then induce your guests to drink this mixture.

If your party is successful, the police will knock on your door, unless your party is very successful, in which case they will lob tear gas through your living-room window. As host, your job is to make sure they don't arrest anybody. Or if they're dead set on arresting someone, your job is to make sure it isn't you. The best way to do this is to show a lot of respect for their uniforms and assure them you're not doing anything illegal. Here's how to handle it:

Police: Good evening. Are you the host?

You: No.

Police: We've been getting complaints about this party.

You: About the drugs?

Police: No.

You: About the guns, then? Is somebody complaining about the guns?

Police: No, the noise.

You: Oh, the noise. Well, that makes sense, because there are no guns or drugs here. (An enormous explosion is heard in the background.) Or fireworks. Who's complaining about the noise? The neighbors?

Police: No, the neighbors fled inland hours ago. Most of the recent complaints have come from Pittsburgh. Do you think you could ask the host to quiet things down?

You: No problem. (At this point, a Volkswagen bug with primitive religious symbols drawn on the doors emerges from the living room and roars down the hall, past the police and out the front door onto the lawn, where it smashes into a tree. Eight guests tumble out onto the grass, moaning.) See? Things are starting to wind down.

Last Call

I have to start firming up reservations for the trip, so this is it...

Last Call for Millard Filmore!

I know how busy everyone is but, if you plan to go and have not told me or registered please, just hit "reply" right now and say "Yes, I am going, and I am bringing ___others with me"

The last day to turn money in is Friday, January 18. Coincidentally this is just days prior to the last meeting before the trip. At that meeting (Monday, January 21) I will be turning all the checks over to the treasurer (or someone else who can deposit it). So, technically if you plan to come to the meeting you can just bring a check then, right!

So, help me out. Hit "reply" Tell me if you are coming. If I have already heard from you, please disregard this entire message.

Thanks!