# Super Bowl Wine or Beer



## grapeman (Feb 2, 2009)

I was just wondering what everyone who watched the Super Bowl had to drink or eat during the game yesterday. Most of us make wine, and you need to drink what you enjoy during your favorite activity. Others brew their own beer and may enjoy that more during a good game. I think it is safe to day that most of us were satisfied with the game yesterday even though some of us were dissapointed by the outcome. I think the challenges were a bit overdone but other than that both teams had their high points and low points.


So what did you have to eat and drink?


I was home yesterday for the game. I kept it simple. I just made a couple jumbo pizzas, hot wings and chips, dips and salsa. Nobody was hungry and the food was easy to grab and enjoy during the game. For wine (I don't have any beer currently made up) I decided a nice red would go with the food so I picked out a *Winexpert Selection Australian Cabernet Shiraz.* I think it was a good choice for the game - not a horribly expensive wine, but an extremely enjoyable one. This wine is about three years old now and continues to improve with age. It is really smooth now. The flavors continue to mature and express themselves very well.


What did you enjoy? And keep the football discussion neutral. We don't want to upset anyone.


----------



## Scott (Feb 2, 2009)

Beer, cocktail weiners, cheese, crackers, shrimp, frozen pizza.


Not veryhealthy but something one must do


----------



## PeterZ (Feb 2, 2009)

During the pregame show SWMBO decided we needed a tea party, so she whipped up a batch of scones that we had with lemon curd and plum jam. She had Irish Breakfast tea, and I had Uva Highlands.


Shortly before kickoff I made a batch of pigs-in -blankets that we ate with a WE Grenache-Mourvedre. 


After that she drank Diet Rite cola and I drank bourbon.


----------



## Tom (Feb 2, 2009)

Homebrewa Yuengling and Sierra Nevada clone. Of course wings with my own HOT SAUCE.





go Steelers !


----------



## gaudet (Feb 2, 2009)

I was at work during the kickoff, we had a pre-game party which had tamale dip (velveta melted over unwrapped tamales and mixed to a creamy consistency) , tostito, fried wings, and a salad (who the heck brought that one??) At home in time for the second half kickoff I cracked open a bottle of my Minute Maid Blue Pom. Not too bad, seems like its coming along, I think the next time I make it I will use a couple bananas or raisins or both. It was a great game. I was pulling for KW and the Cards, but I enjoyed the game nonetheless.

Nothing too fancy, but it was good enough for us.


----------



## WineBear (Feb 2, 2009)

Got home from work about 5 pm. The wife made a taco soup, really good stuff. Then topped it off with some Watermelon merlot and some Orange Muscat during the game. Wish Curt and my old team( from St.Louis) could have pulled it off, but they just did'nt have enough. Too many penalties!! Oh well, a heck of a game anyway!!!!!


----------



## peterCooper (Feb 2, 2009)

Nothing. We Englishmen have something of a disdain for a sport called football where almost nobody uses their foot to touch the ball. Now, if you wanted to call the sport *Kill*, or *Throw the ball to the guy making too much money* or even *short, uninteresting bits of sport in between really good commercials * then I would begin to understand.

This goes along with other american sports where you have a world series without the rest of the world a National League that includes only half the nation, and an American League which represents the other half, teams that come from the east playing in the West Division and vice versa .












































So, I went to church and did choir practice and then went home and read a book.

But... When the World Cup rolls around (that's *real* football y'all) I'll be ready with my wine.





Go you Spurs! (Thats Tottenham Hotspurs, not San Antonio Spurs)</font></font>


----------



## smurfe (Feb 2, 2009)

We had fantastichome made pizza but no home made booze. I had one glass of wine, a Santa Margarita Pinot Gris which the wife is hung up on now. Guess I need to make her some Pinot. That stuff is like $25.00 a bottle. I drank mostly Boddingtons Pub Ale as I have (gasp) no homebrew on tap right now. I have quite a bit of bottled Homebrew and commercial)beer I need to drink up before the new brew system gets here. I know I am gonna go hog wild with it.


----------



## dragonmaster42 (Feb 2, 2009)

Chips, various dips, lots ofsnacky stuff and a couple of homemade Irish Red ales.


----------



## smurfe (Feb 2, 2009)

peterCooper said:


> Nothing. We Englishmen have something of a disdain for a sport called football where almost nobody uses their foot to touch the ball. Now, if you wanted to call the sport *Kill*, or *Throw the ball to the guy making too much money* or even *short, uninteresting bits of sport in between really good commercials *then I would begin to understand.
> 
> This goes along with other american sports where you have a world series without the rest of the world a National League that includes only half the nation, and an American League which represents the other half, teams that come from the east playing in the West Division and vice versa .
> 
> ...




Too funny. I do have to agree with you on most points. I don't know why they call it football. And I don't know why the World Series doesn't have teams from around the world. I am a huge baseball fan and love it when I can see international play. We now have the MLB Network on our cable system. I am going to be able to watch quite a few International games such as the World Baseball Classic and the games the US teams play in the spring in Japan.


----------



## Tom (Feb 2, 2009)

smurfe said:


> We had fantastichome made pizza but no home made booze. I had one glass of wine, a Santa Margarita Pinot Gris which the wife is hung up on now. Guess I need to make her some Pinot. That stuff is like $25.00 a bottle. I drank mostly Boddingtons Pub Ale as I have (gasp) no homebrew on tap right now. I have quite a bit of bottled Homebrew and commercial)beer I need to drink up before the new brew system gets here. I know I am gonna go hog wild with it.






Tell me more about your NEW SYSTEM.


----------



## grapeman (Feb 2, 2009)

tepe see smurfe's post about it from a week or so ago.


http://www.finevinewines.com//Wiz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7280&amp;PN=1


----------



## Tom (Feb 2, 2009)

appleman said:


> tepe see smurfe's post about it from a week or so ago.
> 
> 
> http://www.finevinewines.com//Wiz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7280&amp;PN=1








HOW DID I MISS THIS POST ??? GREAT SYSTEM !
I just use either a 15 or 28gal ss pot for my boil.


That makes me drool....
When are you gonna invite us to help you Drink all that brew?


I hope you keg now that you have this. I do and it makes it so easy. I converted a small side by side so I can get 2 cornies and 2 taps thru the door


----------



## smurfe (Feb 2, 2009)

Yeah, I normally do keg. I just got the urge to bottle the last few batches. Bottling is a pain though. Got 8 new kegs and am switching from Pin Lock to Ball Lock. 
















Here is the new system being built.








Here is an assortment of what we use now.


----------



## Tom (Feb 2, 2009)

Your old setup is simular to mine. Even thou I have some converted kegs I still use my ss pots as in my last post.


Hmm... 3 taps thru your door I just may have to add another.
When i'm in full swing homebrewing I usually make either a 10 or 20 gallon batch at once ( nice having big pots). I never filled all my kegs but, I came close thou. 
Oh ..I have 23 cornies.


----------



## grapeman (Feb 2, 2009)

Smurfe is working on getting all the toys for brewing. We are all jealous. When I need a brewing fix I go visit my nephew at work. Here is his little brew setup.












And his kegs






And if he is bottling(these are good)








The advantage smurfe has is that he either has or soon will have all his toys and gets to do it all himself with his brewing buddy!


----------



## Tom (Feb 2, 2009)

And, are you his buddy? If he lived closer to the Philly area I would like to be his buddy... LOL !









Nice "little setup" I seeit in Lake Placid


----------



## uavwmn (Feb 2, 2009)

Peter,ummmmmm........you DO realize you are in the USA, right? 

Glad you enjoyed your English day and did the church thing, the choir thing and the book thing.

I am sure when the World Cup rolls around NASCAR will be in full swing!!!!
VROOM VROOM......turn left!!!!!!!


----------



## uavwmn (Feb 2, 2009)

Appleman, chipotle chicken wings, honey soy sauce wings and winterfest beer with orange slices.

AZ should have won, but I was happy it was a great game. Commericals??? Not so much....


----------



## grapeman (Feb 2, 2009)

tepe said:


> And, are you his buddy? If he lived closer to the Philly area I would like to be his buddy... LOL !
> 
> 
> 
> ...




The brewery is actually in Plattsburgh and just a few mile from home(Lake placid is 50 miles away). He split with his old girlfriend and now lives at home with his mom (my sister) next to me. I can get bottled rejects often (labels coming off or whatever). They have expanded and have marketing agreements through a couple distributors and are semi-nationwide now. I don't worry about the marketing- just the beer.


He does most of the brewing there. He started out like smurfe, while he was in college. He and a friend used to do homebrews, keg it and they would end up on campuses for consumption!


----------



## peterCooper (Feb 2, 2009)

I'm not going to be rude about NASCAR because a) I'd get a storm of protests and b) there are somethings in the US that are worth living here for.In the UK we appear to have imported NASCAR, barbeque, decent hamburgers (as well as McD's) and Country and Western Music. So....some things are good.






There is no such thing as a decent Home Brew Specialist like George in the UK (unless he just opened one)


----------



## smurfe (Feb 2, 2009)

That's OK Pete. I'll back ya on the NASCAR. I don't like it either. Now if they raced on a Figure 8 track, I'd watch all the time. That would be interesting. You do have something in the UK I want ever so bad here though that we don't have much of, the Pub. I mean the real pub. Not a Brew Pub or a Yuppie "Authentic" Irish pub. Now I do love Brew Pubs like Appleman's nephew's place but I really love a real English and Irish Pub. Why you ask? Simple, Cask Ale aka Real Ale served from a hand pump beer engine.


----------



## vcasey (Feb 2, 2009)

No beer or wine for the game. I made chili and cookies. And while I am glad everyone seemed to have a great time and the game regardless of who won was terrific - I am even happier to get our city back to its normal crazy traffic and all the roads open once again!
VPC who lives just outside of Tampa.


----------



## Tom (Feb 2, 2009)

That's how most Micro breweries get their start. A frustrated homebrewer... LOL !


----------



## uavwmn (Feb 2, 2009)

vc, yummy.....chili and cookies!!! I can smell it from here!!


----------



## suprasteve (Feb 3, 2009)

peterCooper said:


> if you wanted to call the sport *Kill*, or *Throw the ball to the guy making too much money* or even *short, uninteresting bits of sport in between really good commercials *then I would begin to understand.


soI know the superbowl just finished, butI'm still on cloud nine from a few weeks ago andI just can't help myself..... GOOO GATORS! (at least I disproved point #2)


----------



## vcasey (Feb 3, 2009)

uavwmn said:


> vc, yummy.....chili and cookies!!! I can smell it from here!!



Family favorites, even if I did pull a fast one and used half ground turkey. The boys made nachos and a big mess they were trying to clean up during the game. Good thing they did not bother to ask me to help, I was enjoying the game and their mess with food I'm allergic to. They almost missed that touchdown that ended the half.
VPC


----------



## hannabarn (Feb 3, 2009)

Beer brewing sounds like a lot of work and lots of equipment. Luckily I became allergic to beer (consumed too much?) and now I will stick to wine drinking and wine making


----------



## smurfe (Feb 3, 2009)

hannabarn said:


> Beer brewing sounds like a lot of work and lots of equipment. Luckily I became allergic to beer (consumed too much?) and now I will stick to wine drinking and wine making




Not really much work or expensive equipment needed. You can make a great all grain beer with a cooler that can be converted to a mash tun for around $10.00 and a boil pot. Thats all that is really needed. Lots of beer styles can be made with less that $20.00 in ingredients for a 5 gallon batch. Extract kits use less equipment and cost in the $35.00 range give or take for a kit. No different than winemaking in regards to equipment. We can go cheap like most or go way overboard with crushers, de-stemmers, presses, stainless tanks, bottlers, filters, corkers etc. Did I need the system I am getting to make beer? Heck no. Do I go overboard? Heck yeah. LOL Seriously though. I want to be able to brew on a somewhat professional level and gain consistent repeatability in my brewing.


----------



## grapeman (Feb 3, 2009)

Smurfe wants drinking constistancy or is that constantly drinking?


----------

