Dumpster Fire Friday

This is what I see on my way to pho. Everyday. It's wonderfully Cedar Rapids.

I just want write whatever the hell I want some days, so this is going to be it.

Planning on every Friday. Probably won’t be a lot of work stuff here (well OK, maybe when it’s funny and fitting).

There will be beer and pop culture and Flenker sightings.

– I’ve now drank 32 Hopslams.

I will be honest, I believe the hops are fading. I finished a case from 1/10 and the malts were starting to win. I had one from a case 1/26 last night and it was a little stingier with the hops. More ended up in town today with a brew date of 2/10. If I buy a six, I’ll need to drink it because I’m off to Austin tomorrow morning. So, I will purchase a six.

MetsFanVI and I discussed this. I went heavy. My eyes are bigger than my liver with the seasonals. It’s like when smallmouth bass start biting. One bites, they all bite. Hopslam is in the air, dammit, I’m getting me some. So yeah, two cases and a six.

Meanwhile, Mets got I think just a six and enjoyed the sharp-ass hops and moved on. Probably to a gueze.

We are talking about beer, so there’s no right or wrong answer. Just drink, dumbass.

– I admit, I was a little pissy with Toppling Goliath.

I want what I want when I want it. That’s the naked-ass consumer in me (and probably everyone). I’ve been to two TG (@TGBrews on Twitter) beer dinners at Red’s Alehouse in North Liberty and I was immediately hooked. When I’m toothless in an alley, broke and destitute, I will turn tricks for Psuedo Sue. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, but it is that good.

“I want what I want when I want it” is something small breweries have to deal with. The demand rings out, but the budget has to be sensible.

MetsFanVI organized a beer trip to Toppling Goliath in Decorah and we talked to Clark about how it all works. He’s spent his life savings on this. It’s going to take time for it to grow. And when they do grow it, it has to be smart, sustainable growth.

And I sure now feel like an asshole for the “want what I want” bit.

The good news is I’m starting to see TG more and more in Cedar Rapids. I had a pint of Dorothy Lager last week at Brick’s in downtown CR (I’m still on the fence, but there are quite a few good places to eat down there).

I nominate MetsFan for sainthood for organizing that trip. I plowed through growlers of Zee Lander (IPA) and Golden Nugget (IPA) and both were fabulous. (Totally dig Zee Lander) and am now savoring a growler of Norseman’s Wrath (Imperial Stout).

The place is a winner and I will be patient. I promise.

– I have to bring up work, just a little here.

This week, Iowa basketball took some shots from former coaches. Todd Lickliter went all passive-aggressive and had his boss, Miami (Ohio) coach Charlie Coles, dig Iowa. And then Sports Illustrated’s Seth Davis went to the defense of Steve Alford over an e-mail he received from a disgruntled Iowa fan over Alford’s failed days in Iowa City.

Iowa basketball doesn’t need me to defend it and I this is not that.

What this is accountability. Lickliter and Alford had the keys to the car and crashed it into a wall. If they could coach and if attendance and retention and hubris (Alford glows with it) were in check, they’d still be here.

Lickliter’s vision didn’t translate onto the big stage. Alford is where he belongs, at mid-major New Mexico.

To paraphrase Mr. Blond from “Reservoir Dogs,” If they hadn’t sucked when they sucked, they’d still be alive.

– BTW, north east Iowa is nutty with beer treasures.

There’s a terrific restaurant on the banks of the Turkey River in Elkader called Schera’s. Frederique Boudouani is co-owner and operator. He also happens to be a distrbutor for Jolly Pumpkin. So, there’s a ton of JP at Schera’s. Also, Schera’s has several Euro beers on tap. I didn’t see any or a lot of American craft, so know that going in. I tried the Nogne imperial stout last time I was there. Fantastic. Also, the whole process of drinking Kwak is observed. And it is a process, with the wooden holder and tipsy tulipish glass.

Toppling Goliath is about 45 minutes north of Elkader through the beautiful Driftless Area hills and valleys. Highly recommend a tour.

– Everything that happens between “Justified” and “Archer” is white noise.

I don’t know who started it (I think Spencer Hall), but the Boyd “hair threat level” is one of the funniest bits going on Twitter. I’m starting to think there’s something to that. The wilder Walton Goggin’s hair is, the most rascally the character becomes.

Timothy Olyphant’s Raylan is Dirty Harry who drinks Wild Turkey. His Raylan is right there with his Seth Bullock from the wonderful “Deadwood.”

This show is, what? In it’s third season? Finally, we had a Pappy Van Winkle reference. And it took a character from Detroit to bring it up.

Some weeks, I wonder why Raylan and Boyd just don’t bury the hatchet and hit the bourbon trail.

Flenker said it and I’m starting to see it: This season of “Archer” is in the realm of the third season of “Seinfeld.”

Brilliantly smart, funny show. If you want a primer on Adam Reed’s hilarity, check out “Frisky Dingo,” a short-lived animated series on Cartoon Network. And then quote Killface to me, because I just love that shit.

Stay away from “Unsupervised.” It’s TV’s “Family Circus,” just waiting there to suck.

OK, “Walking Dead” doesn’t suck, either. Actually, “Talking Dead” is entertaining if you’re an uber geek fan like me. (Kevin Smith’s comic book thingie is foot fungus.)

– Anybody listening to any interesting music?

I started with a trickle, but last weekend bought the entire Centro-Matic catalog on iTunes. Frontman Will Johnson does other projects, drummer for Monsters of Folk and he also has a role in New Multitudes, a Jim James/Jay Farrar deal that given life to unrecorded Woody Guthrie lyrics (sold!).

Centro-Matic is simple stuff. Guitar, singing, drums and some organ/piano. Highly recommend “South San Gabriel Songs/Music” and the song “Fireworks Treatment.”

I have 123 of their songs and have been shuffling those all week. Perfect.

– I’m listening to TV talk about three bowlers being nominated for athlete of the week.

Jeffrey Lebowski would be proud.

– Doesn’t everyone love “Open Beer Thread”? Doesn’t everyone love Justin, for basically starting this deal here?

I know I do.

– One last thing . . .

I’m leaving for Austin tomorrow morning. I would love and appreciate any craft beer suggestions.

I’ll be down there about five days. My goals are beer, purchase cowboy hat and find/purchase Austin City Limits T-shirt.

“You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.”

– Frank Zappa