We have been Cal football season ticket holders since the 80s so we have seen bad times, some more bad times and a few good times. But yesterday, we had the opportunity to be #1 in the country and unfortunately couldn’t get it done.
I guess what most disappointed me about the loss was that we have an episode of beergeekTV in the works called “Our Fall Passion” which is about our journeys as Cal football season ticket holders. We had originally conceived of the idea because we had a hole in our episode schedule between our September Colorado trip and when we returned to Europe in December. This episode was going to fill that hole.
So, what we lost yesterday wasn’t a football game but a magical episode of beergeekTV that finds us at the national championship game in New Orleans. However, all is not lost – another magical ending is still possible – us in the Rose Bowl on January 1st.
But all of this pales in comparison to yesterdays real disappointment…
I was talking with our friend Chris in Seattle (the Beer Retard) about Sierra Nevada’s latest seasonal… their Harvest/Fresh Hop Ale. Chris (who again to remind you is in Seattle) has had it both on tap and in the bottle and says… and I quote… it’s “frickin’ good”.
So I had to find some… but I have to remind everyone that we live in a beer backwater and so far haven’t been able to find it anywhere local yet. But no worries, we were going to Oakland/Berkeley yesterday so I was sure I could find it somewhere in the East Bay.
I couldn’t find the Fresh Hop Ale anywhere. Barclays didn’t have it… Pete’s Brass Rail in Danville didn’t have it… Bevmo didn’t have it… none of the liquor stores had it…
If all this wasn’t bad enough, when we were walking back from the stadium to Barclays after the game, I said aloud to Merideth that maybe we could still find it somewhere and rescue the day from disaster. There was a woman walking next to us who overheard and said the she really loved it. It turns out her husband, who was walking a few feet back, works for Sierra Nevada!! So, I am thinking we have an “In”… they have a case stashed in their car and they were going to score us a few bombers. Nope…
So, in the end, this post is really a plea… does anyone out there have some of the Fresh Hop Ale for me? Oh.. and Go Bears! We were there for a 1-10 season so we can survive being ranked #10.