We had our bottling night at FantasyTrophies.com and now our London ESB is only 2 weeks away from us being able to crack one open. We figured since we’d be in the shop bottling the ESB why not brew up another batch of something else the same night. I know that I mentioned that I’d be pushing for brewing Dogfish Head’s 60 Minute IPA, but my friend Erin found a great recipe for a chocolate stout that none of us could pass up. When she opened the jar of cocoa nibs that had been soaking in vodka for the past few days I think all of us in the shop knew that we made the right decision. The great thing too is that it should be ready to bring in 2012!
The plan in the shop right now is to have a bottle and brew night every two weeks with us brewing a different batch each time. I see a lot of beer in our future. A cellar in the basement might be next on our list.
Any tips or comments on brewing would be greatly appreciated. We are new at this thing.
Dave

The inevitable finally took place at FantasyTrophies.com. We brewed our own beer! Yes, we have a London ESB burping away down in our basement turning those sweet sugars into alcohol. All of us in the shop definitely have an “affection” for beer and we all figured that attempting to make our own “Fantasy Brew” was the next logical choice in our beer drinking journey. It was much easier than I anticipated and I’m already thinking of what our next batch will be. I’m lobbying hard for brewing Dogfish Head’s 60 Minute IPA, which has held onto my #1 beer position for a strong 6-8 month period. Sam Calagione, the owner of Dogfish Head Brewery, graciously provides the recipe to arguably the best IPA going today. The great thing is, I don’t think I’ll receive much push back from the guys in the shop, or my wife for that matter, because we’ve all become big fans of Dogfish Head beers and in particular the 60, 90 and 120 minute IPAs. I even have my wife talking about taking a tour of the Dogfish Head Brewery in Delaware come spring.
Updates on the progress of our ESB are sure to come and if you have any suggestions or tips on brewing please leave me a comment.

Cheers,
Dave

I just wanted to say that if you’re interested in placing an order for a trophy I unfortunately will NOT be able to ship it out until after Sept. 20. I’m busy filling multiple orders right now and then fly to Cleveland for my own fantasy football draft. From there I fly to S.F. for 10 days and will not return to NYC until Sept. 18.
I will do my best to fill any orders that come in during that time when I get back to Brooklyn.

Good luck this season.

Dave

I’m like most Cleveland Cavalier fans. I really like the pick of Kyrie Irving at #1 but was a little shocked to hear Texas forward, Tristan Thompson’s name called at #4. I gotta say, I was hoping Enes Kanter would be there for the Cavs. Kanter seemed like the perfect player to add some down low scoring and toughness to a team that desperately needs it. Utah though had other plans and grabbed Kanter just before the Cavaliers at #3. Cavalier’s GM Chris Grant said he had Irving and Thompson targeted all along and is thrilled to have both of them in Cleveland. He even went as far to say that they had Thompson rated higher on their board than 4. Well, only time will tell if Grant is a genius or a fool.
In the meantime, here is some workout footage of Tristan Thompson that helps to put a face, and skillset, to the name.

The NBA Draft is this Thursday and as a Cavaliers fan I’m really only hoping for one thing- that the Cavs don’t screw this up. Unlike other years, this draft doesn’t have that one player that stands out as the true #1 guy and franchise caliber player. A David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’neal, or dare I say Lebron James type of player would’ve been nice, but just aren’t there.
Kyrie Irving is the guy that most “experts” are saying should be the #1 pick and by early reports is the player the Cavaliers will take. However, I’ll be nervous up until I hear his name called and see him holding a Cavaliers jersey. I’m basing my desire for Irving on the simple fact that the Cavs current point guard, Baron Davis, is old and past his prime and most of the dynamic offensive teams in the league have a solid point guard and a guy that can create and shoot. Though Irving may not be the quickest point guard, no one doubts his ability to score and pass the ball. The two most obvious attributes to a successful point guard in the NBA. Also, it’s no secret that Byron Scott helped shape the game of both Jason Kidd and Chris Paul and should be able to do the same with Irving.

I guess my bigger concern with the Cavaliers is who they’ll take with the #4 overall pick. My desire, if they don’t trade out of the position and assuming both Williams and Knight are gone, is to grab 6′ 10″ Enes Kanter. Though I’m really only basing this on the same footage everyone else has seen, it looks like Kanter would bring a toughness and midrange game to the center position. I also think it would help to free up Andy Varejao from playing center so much and give him more minutes at power forward. Varejao’s defensive tenacity is sorely missed when he’s forced to play the entire game down on the low block guarding cement footed big men.
I still think though that Cavaliers owner, Dan Gilbert, is looking to make more of a splash than just Irving and Kanter and is doing everything possible to try and land either Derrick Williams or a solid veteran player with the $14 million trade exception they received from Miami to go along with Irving at #1. I hope he can pull it off. Cavalier fans want nothing more than to be competitive again and fighting for a championship. I’m no different. Go Cavs!-DM

Oops. Apparently someone working for the Miami Herald didn’t get the memo that the Heat got their asses handed to them in game 6.

As a diehard Cleveland Browns fan, I must say that it’s nice to finally see the image of Peyton Hillis on the cover of Madden ’12. Hillis, who beat out Eagle’s QB Michael Vick in a nation wide vote, is seen with Cleveland Browns Stadium and the Cleveland skyline behind him on the cover. It’s a small step to receiving some much needed national exposure and really is a testament to the loyalty and enthusiasm of the Browns fan base. Now they just need to win some games. -DM