I like Yuengling a lot .  Great beer, fair prices, great history…tough to beat that combination. I also love the limited variety, to be honest…I mainly only drink the tried-and-true Lager (now in cans). Why mess with a good thing (you know, like PBR). Oddly enough, I also love that though spelled with a YUEN, it’s pronounced YIN…like NYC’s Houston (Houseton) St., makes it that much more “homey” or like you’re in the know or something. Call me crazy.

Pottsville, Pennsylvania-based D.G. Yuengling & Son, the country’s oldest brewer, continues to thrive as other traditional U.S. brewers struggle. Yuengling, which entered its 15th market last year with expansion into Ohio, posted a 14% jump in volume to 2.5 million barrels in 2011. Strong demand has prompted Yuengling to begin building a new brew house at its Tampa brewery—a move which will add needed capacity. Yuengling COO Dave Casinelli spoke recently with Shanken News Daily about the company’s prospects for continued growth.

This comes from Shanken News Daily (SND):

SND: After a strong 2011, how are Yuengling’s current sales trends?

Casinelli: Year to date, in markets excluding Ohio, our business is nearly up by double-digits. Given the climate of the beer business, that’s pretty darned spectacular. If you include Ohio, our shipments year to date are up 30%. Right now, our market share in Ohio is between 5% and 6%, but in some channels—such as chain stores—we have a share in the double-digits. The only downside to the phenomenal rollout in Ohio is that it has put a big bullseye on our back for the big brewers. Meanwhile, we’re on fire in Florida and helping drive a rebound in the beer market there.

SND: What’s your growth projection for Yuengling in 2012?

Casinelli: We’ll definitely be up double-digits again this year. The question is how big. We expect to break 2.8 million barrels. There’s even an outside chance that we’ll get close to the 3-million-barrel mark this year. Lager was up right around 10% last year. Light Lager is one of the fastest growing brands in the country. In our chain data, year to date, it’s up about 160%. We expect to have a big banner year with Light Lager this year, and for the first time, it’s receiving its own advertising.

SND: What’s next? Are you looking at additional markets?

Casinelli: We’ve always got expansion in the back of our minds, but for right now we’re trying to ensure that at our physical plants we’re getting every drop of beer out as efficiently as we can. At about 4 to 4.5 million barrels, we don’t have unlimited capacity. We have major capital projects underway to increase our capacity. There’s no market specifically on the drawing board in terms of expansion, but we’re looking at those things. Obviously, for us to keep growing, at some point in time, a capacity acquisition—buying or building—has to come back into play.

SND: What’s new from Yuengling?

Casinelli: With the exception of Yuengling Oktoberfest available in six-packs for the first time, there will be nothing new. Everyone says that new product innovation and packaging mix drives the industry, but that’s not our business model. We offer one of the fewest SKU mixes in the industry. Whatever they teach you at Harvard Business School, we do the opposite.

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Going my way…?

Sure, we all love our kids and we want the best for them. We want them to experience and have the best we can possibly offer. It’s why we have a family. It’s why we move to the towns we do and have the houses we do and work the jobs we do. It’s the way it SHOULD be. The more the better it seems and we always want better for them than what we had. I am all on board to a point for sure (over/under scheduling is an entirely different post), but man…it’s really tough at times to get things done when the kids have an action-packed schedule and they depend on you to be the mode of transportation.

Imagine if you began to charge for the service. Maybe take on a few of your friend’s kids as clients? How much money would you make? Damn, that’s a great idea.

I mean, let’s take a quick look at the things these kids do on a daily basis. It’s like they need their own personal admin (other than you).

You have school, you have sports (many, many), you have music, you have play dates, religion class, Scouts, parties, and the list goes on and on. We only have the two, but it seems like they always have something to attend. More people in our town have 3 or 4 kids, if not more (I know, I’m not sure what’s in the water here). They are completely insane. Forget weekends…that’s wall-to-wall sporting events. It’s nuts!  And you are far from the only ones, so at least there are people there to commiserate with.

Plus, I try to mix in my work plus doing the typical house-related chores. Damn, a brother needs a nap sometimes.

How do you all handle the load…does it make you nuts? Do you think it’s too much, or just enough? Are you happy to do it, or are you a little bit resentful? How do you juggle the other parts of your life/responsibilities? Do you self-medicate and drink heavily (that was a joke…kind of)?

One thing I will say…God bless these kids…they have it pretty darn good. And you what, as long as they somewhat appreciate it and are overall good kids…good for them.

Enjoy every last minute you and them. Time flies very quickly and they’ll be a time in the very near future where you really miss these little “annoyances.”

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UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir will be airing live this Saturday on PPV at 10 P.M. Eastern, from Las Vegas, NV.

The Nation got 2 out of 4 right on his UFC on Fox 3 predictions and is now 18 of 27 overall.

Tomorrow’s UFC 146 card will be unique in that the main card will be an all-Heavyweight card, as UFC showcases the top talent in their 265-pound division.

Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve (23-5) vs. Lavar Johnson (17-5) – Barely 3 weeks after his exciting KO win over Pat Barry at UFC on Fox 3, Johnson steps back in to the Octagon on ten days’ notice to fight Stefan Struve after Mark Hunt, Struve’s original opponent, had to pull out due to injury. Three weeks is  a very quick turnaround, even though the Johnson-Barry fight did not go past the first round and Johnson didn’t take much damage. Johnson is the new Pat Barry, the exciting fighter with KO power who is just below contender status but is a crowd pleaser because of his style.  Struve’s main advantages will be his height (6’11″), his reach and his ground game. However, Struve’s main weakness is Johnson’s strength – Struve can be susceptible to being caught by the big punchers, and  Johnson is a big puncher. Struve needs to use his reach to keep Johnson from getting inside, get it on the ground, and then use his long limbs to work for the submission. Prediction: Struve by submission

Stipe Miočić (8-0) vs. Shane Del Rosario (11-0) – This is an exciting battle between two of the top prospects in the heavyweight division. Both are undefeated, are about the same age, and don’t have much difference size-wise. Miocic has an impressive background, as he was a former nationally ranked NCAA Division I wrestler as well as being a former Golden Gloves champion. Del Rosario seemed well on his way to bigger and better things until getting seriously injured when his car was hit by a drunk driver in 2011, which almost ended his career. This will be his first fight since Feb. 2011. I think Del Rosario has a lot to overcome here – ring rust, as well as the recovery from the car accident. He’ll continue to go on to bigger and better things, but he’ll encounter a speed bump along the way with this fight. Prediction: Miocic by decision.

Roy “Big Country” Nelson (16-7) vs. Dave “Pee-Wee” Herman (21-3) – Nelson is a tough customer who can take a punch and is tough to finish (Of his 7 losses, only 1 was by KO and none by submission), while Herman is a guy whose wins have come mostly by KO. I don’t see Herman being able to finish Nelson, and I don’t see this going the distance either. Prediction: Nelson by KO

Cain Velasquez (10-1) vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (16-3) – This is Cain’s first fight since losing his title last November, while Bigfoot is making his UFC debut. Silva might be called “Bigfoot”, but it’s Cain who’s the beast. He’s indefatigable, can take anybody down, and because of his gas tank, can be relentless with his assault on the ground. Does Cain have one punch KO power? No. But his accumulation of punches eventually takes its toll on his opponent. Silva is a good fighter, and can be a handful on the ground (just ask Fedor), but the only fighter whom I think can beat Cain right now is the man who did beat him for the title last year, and who’s defending his title on the main event in this card. Prediction: Velasquez by KO

For the UFC Heavyweight Championship: The Champion – Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos (14-1) vs. Frank Mir (17-5) – Junior was originally supposed to face Alistair Overeem instead of Mir, who was supposed to fight Cain for the #1 contender’s spot instead. However, Overeem was suspended by the Nevada Athletic State Commission for 9 months for having elevated testosterone levels  (A normal person’s T/E ratio is 1:1; Overeem’s was 14:1, Nevada allows up to 6:1, while the Olympics allows up to 4:1).  Mir was then called in to replace Overeem. Mir puts up a good fight (not to mention sells a great one too), and he’s a great submission artist. Cigano’s just gonna knock the bejeezus out of him though. Mir won’t be able to take him down, and if he tries, he’ll get a fist in the face for his troubles. I can’t see this going past 2 rounds, maybe 1 even. Prediction: Dos Santos by KO.

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A chuckle (or wise thought) a day keeps the crazies away…

1. A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child ~  Knights of Pythagoras
2. Parents need to fill a child’s bucket of self-esteem so high that the rest of the world can’t poke enough holes to drain it dry ~ Alvin Price
3. If your child has a weakness, teach them how to turn it into a strength! The only Failure is not trying ~ Kevin Heath
4. Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn ~ Benjamin Franklin
5. What a kid I got, I told him about the birds and the bees and he told me about the butcher and my wife ~ Rodney Dangerfield

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MillerCoors is gearing up to release a new range of smaller-batch beers this summer. Although the brews will likely use craft beer-inspired marketing tactics, MillerCoors is positioning them as less expensive (under $8.99 a six-pack) and less complex alternatives to most craft offerings, geared toward consumers eager to branch out without making the price leap to the craft category.

The first launch in the series will be Third Shift Amber Lager, which was created by experimenting MillerCoors brewers at the group’s Golden, Colorado brewery and is characterized as having a sweet malt profile with clean hop bitterness underlying. Third Shift will initially be available on draft in eight markets, before being released in beer or can format.

Here’s a quick piece from BeerStreetJournal.com.

Here’s their “craft” section of the site:  http://www.millercoors.com/our-beers/great-beer.aspx.  Blue Moon, Leinenkugel’s…Killian’s?

What do you think? Is this just a disingenuous attempt to try to gain back lost marker share? Do you consider it to be try “craft” beer if it’s brewed by a behemoth like MillerCoors? I’m on the fence, but at the same time…good beer should be good beer. Snobbishness should not really apply. A good beer is a good beer. 100% I LOVE the small, craft movement that’s gaining ground and I hope it never stops.  But, should Sam Adams be considered mass market junk as they continue to grow…I hope not. I just hope that these brews are up to par and not just some half-assed attempt at being cool and “on trend.” I am looking forward to checking it out, though.

Cool label at least…

Source: Shanken News Daily

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I know Vera recently wrote about the Nespresso Pixie coffee maker, but I just have to share my $0.02 with you since I am the only one in the house actually using and enjoying it.

It’s awesome. Plain and simple.

If you like espresso, cappucino, lattes, etc. but also love the convenience of only making a cup at a time, then this truly is the machine for you. It’s great. True, rich espresso (crema and all) in minutes, literally. Just turn it on, wait maybe a minute for the water to heat, pop in a pod, and boo yiggity yah, espresso.

If that wasn’t great enough, the Aeroccino Plus is a God-send. You just pour in the milk hit a button, and 60 seconds or so later, you have warm (or cold) truly frothy and rich foam to make your cappucinos, etc. (Something I have grown to love more and more since our Italy trip).

There’s even about 16 or so different expressos (heavy, light, etc) you can try out.

It’s really awesome, and it’s small to boot.  Looks pretty cool, too (we have the orange one).

I highly recommend giving this machine a “shot.” Oh snap, snuck that one in there, didn’t I?

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Well, the spring has sprung and NY has had some interesting weather. We’ve gone for summer-like weather to very rainy weather almost on a weekly basis, with each passing day being something new. It’s times like this where I ask myself…perhaps those San Diego people are not so crazy after all. That being said, today is quite rainy, I mean really rainy…what to do with the kids?  Natalie is taken care of with school until 3 then some after school activities.  But today is Liam’s “slow” day…no music, sports, or extended day at school.  As I try to catch up on work and life, I sometimes find myself just letting him play the DS or the iPad.  He LOVES it, but is that bad? Sometimes I feel guilty and I try to play with him as much as possible (ball, LEGO, beyblades, puzzles), but sometimes I just can’t do it. There is work to be done, you know? And he’s pretty good, sure he asks me to do this and that, but he seems to get it. I guess maybe because he’s pretty lucky in that mom and dad are home a lot with him.

How do you handle that?  Isn’t it just ok to let them veg out on a rainy day and play some kiddie video games?

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UFC on Fox 3: Diaz vs. Miller will be airing this Saturday, May 5th, live from East Rutherford, NJ.

The Nation got 4 of 6 right on his UFC 145 Predictions and is now 16 of 23 overall. For the record, even though the Nation got the Schaub-Rothwell result wrong, I did say Schaub’s inability to take a big punch could be a factor.

Pat Barry (7-4) vs. Lavar Johnson (16-5)  – This should be a fun fight to watch. And this should be a short one also, with someone getting his lights knocked out. Barry has won 6 of his 7 fights by KO, while Johnson has 14 of 16 fights via the same route. Barry has some professional kickboxing experience under his belt, which gives him the technical edge in striking. In terms of pure punching power though, I might give the edge to Johnson. The size difference could be a factor also, as Johnson will have 5 inches and maybe 10-15 lbs. on Barry. Prediction: Johnson by 1st round KO.

Rousimar Palhares (14-3) vs. Alan “The Talent” Belcher (17-6) – Palhares is a submission specialist, with probably the most vicious heel hook in the business. Belcher has more well rounded skills, and has about  a 6-inch height advantage. In spite of that though, Palhares should have the strength advantage. Palhares is a beast on the ground, and once it goes down there, I can see Palhares’ superior submission skills getting him the win. Prediction: Palhares by 2nd round submission.

Josh Koscheck (17-5) vs. Johny Hendricks (12-1) – Both Koscheck and Hendricks are great athletes with a great wrestling background. Not that many MMA fighters have better amateur wrestling credentials than Koscheck; Hendricks, however, is one of them. Hendricks won 2 NCAA Division I National Wrestling championships to Koscheck’s 1, and lost in the finals during his attempt for his 3rd straight title (he was 56-0 during the season until that point). In spite of that though, don’t be surprised if Hendricks ends this on the feet, as he has 7 KO’s in 12 wins, compared to only 5 KO’s in 17 wins for Kos. In fact, Hendricks knocked out Jon Fitch in 12 seconds last time he fought; an amazing fact considering Fitch’s toughness and winning streak until that point. I think both’s wrestling skills will neutralize each other’s and this ends up staying upright, at which point Hendricks’ punching power will make the difference. Prediction: Hendricks by 2nd round KO.

The Main Event: Nate Diaz (15-7) vs. Jim Miller (21-3) – This should be a great fight. Both fighters have great chins, great gas tanks, and will push the pace till the cows come home. Nate should have the advantage in the stand-up, although Miller’s ability to push things could give Nate trouble. On the ground, both are Black Belts in BJJ and have won their fair share of fights by submission (10 for Nate, 12 for Miller). Their ground skills will probably negate each other’s though, and I doubt we’ll see a submission victory for either. Both are tough as they come, although Miller’s losses have come against Benson Henderson, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard – respectively, the current UFC lightweight champion, the man Henderson beat for the title, and the man who came within a hair of beating Edgar for the title twice, and has only lost once in his career. In short, it takes an elite fighter to beat Miller. Is Nate elite? He’s moving his way up there, but I’m not sure if he’s there yet. It’ll still be a hell of a fight though. Prediction: Miller by decision

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Henrik *clap clap* Henrik *clap clap.

Game 7

NHL playoffs

Nothing like NHL and game 7 and the intense nature of the game. The on your edge, anything can happen in 3 seconds because of the speed and skill of the best of the best in the world at their sport. Add to that, the mystique of MSG, 19,000 fans who are starting to feel 1994 is the new 1940. A true sell out. Every ticket sold was used. Animosity between the teams because of one suspension and one should have been a suspension. Win or go home. All for the best trophy in all sports, the Stanley Cup

This is why I bought season tickets, to be there for these moments. The series between the Rangers and the Senators from Ottawa has been tense to say the least. My Ranger year has been a little Dodgy, 4 games 1 goal witnessed, 0-4 record. I was a little nervous about this and needed to change my routine. I dusted off my 35 – Mike Richter Jersey, got a hamburger and non Canadian beer. Pregame, my friend Chris and I tried to figure out when the “A-hole” chant to Chris Neil would happen. It did off the bat: 19:02, second shift of the game for the teams. Right on time. The Ranger fans mocked the Ottawa fans count down from 11:11 to 11:00 with an “5.4.3.2.1 Alfie Sucks” chant referring to Daniel Alfredsson, one of the more disliked players around the league even though he plays for a team that few people outside the hockey world knows even exists.

The game started and the first period ended same as the series has gone 0-0 with both goalies playing out of their minds. If I never have to watch the Rangers play vs. Chris Anderson (G-OTT) I will be fine with it. You would think he is in the same category as Patrick Roy and Dominik Hasek after his performance in  this series.

The second period is where the scoring happens. Two ranger defensemen going to the net with 2 great goals, a power play goal by the Senators. Trapping, jostling and great hockey. Staal with a great finish off the wonderful play by 17 day veteran Chris Kreider, a slick passes pass from Derek Stepan and the goal. The Dan Girardi, who missed an open net in the first period, scored top shelf…so top shelf, if he was a foot further back, it would have been in the stands. Ottawa answered  with a nice goal setting up the last act.

The Third period was nerve racking. The Senators seemed to be on a 15 minute power play. The Rangers missed two or three open nets. In the end, the Rangers played their hockey; kept the puck out of the zone and won a thrilling 2-1 game…not we get 36 hours to rest until the Washington Ovechkins come to town.

view from my seats, the best tradition in sport, the end of series handshakes

Let’s Go Rangers!

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The Nation only got 5 of 9 correct on his UFC 144 Predictions and is now 12 of 17 historically. Clearly, some improvement this go around is in order.

John Alessio (34-14) vs. Mark Bocek (10-4) – Will have to go with Bocek here. Bocek’s 4 losses have come against Benson Henderson, Frankie Edgar, Jim Miller and Mac Danzig. In short, they’ve come against (respectively): the current UFC lightweight champion, the former UFC lightweight champ, the #1 contender for the belt if he beats Nate Diaz on May 5th, and Mac Danzig. Prediction: Bocek by 2nd round submission.

Mark “The Machine” Hominick (20-10) vs. Eddie Yagin (15-5-1): Hominick fought for the 145 lbs. title a year ago and made a good showing of himself in spite of the loss. On his next fight, he promptly got knocked out in 7 seconds by the Korean Zombie, Chan-Sung Jung. It’s rare for a fighter to not be cut by Zuffa after 3 straight losses, so Hominick should be in desperation mode here. Yagin, aka The Filipino Phenom, is fighting for the 2nd time in the UFC. As much as I’d like to root for the fellow Pinoy here, I think Hominick has too much to lose and will come out guns blazing and win. Prediction: Hominick by 2nd round KO.

Miguel Torres (40-4) vs. Michael McDonald (14-1) – I’m really torn here. Torres from his days as WEC champion was one of my favorite fighters. He was very aggressive, threw caution to the wind and finished people. Then he got knocked the f out by Brian Bowles and he’s changed his style to fighting for points. McDonald is young (21), and he finishes people (12 finishes in 14 fights). He is one of these next-gen fighters who have been training specifically for MMA from a young age, instead of just falling into the sport. If the old Torres somehow finds a way to show up and be the aggressive beast that he is at his best at, I think we’ll see a win for him as well as Fight of the Night. Otherwise, McDonald by decision. Prediction: McDonald by decision.

Brendan Schaub (8-2) vs. Ben Rothwell (31-8) – Schaub is a good prospect with very good athleticism. 7 of his 8 wins has come via KO; the problem is both his losses have come via KO also. In short, his chin could be a problem. Rothwell is a tough fighter, and one who does not get finished easily. I don’t think Schaub will be able to KO Rothwell, but neither do I think Rothwell can KO Schaub either. This will go to a decision, where Schaub’s superior athleticism will be the difference. Prediction: Schaub by decision.

Rory MacDonald (12-1) vs. Che Mills (14-4-1) – MacDonald is another young phenom who’s destined for future glory. His only loss was against Carlos Condit; he was winning the match until Condit finished him in the last seconds of the last round. Good stand up, good submission, no way Mills wins. Prediction: MacDonald via 1st round KO

For The UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: The Challenger: “Suga” Rashad Evans (17-1-1) vs. The Champion: Jon “Bones” Jones (15-1) – Former friends and training partners, this fight has taken on a personal nature. There’s the whole “we agreed that we would never fight each other”, plus “my coaches betrayed me”, amongst other things. In any case, Evans has only lost once, to Lyoto Machida. And when you consider how deep UFC’s 205 lbs. division is, that’s impressive. Jones also has only one loss, but it really wasn’t. He was destroying Matt Hamill when he got DQ’d for illegal elbow shots. As good as Evans is, Jones is just on another stratosphere. The reach and height advantage will prove to be too much on the feet, and if it goes to the ground, I don’t see Evans faring any better than Shogun, Hamill, Vera, Bader, Rampage, etc. did. Prediction: Jones by 3rd round TKO

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