The Beer Traveller

McGuire’s was a large Irish decorated pub/restaurant that seemed to go on forever.  Many different rooms that seemed to come from nowhere. It was a combination of mounted animals & twisted Irish humor…two of my favorite things.  I guess the other thing that should be mentioned is the $500,000 in cash that had been stapled throughout the establishment.   Rick & I both agreed that we were not the type of individuals to get off on having our hard earned cash stapled to the ceiling.  I’m not quite sure of the enjoyment folks get from this, but we appeared in the minority from the looks of things.  There’s a place in Portland, Kell’s, that does the same thing but they put a thumb tack through the dollar & catapult it into the 15 ft ceiling.  They also donate the money once a year. 
McGuire’s brews generally ranked above average & got better as they got darker.  Towards the bottom of the list were the Old Fashion Ale which I immediately called horse piss or bud light want-a-be.  McGuire’s called it “similar to but a step up from ordinary American factory beer”.  Guess I was under the impression that the point of a brewpub is to move away from that awful garbage.  The Irish Raspberry Wheat also ranked a low Drinkable.  On the other side of the spectrum were the Irish Cream Stout rating a respectable Likable & the seasonal Imperial Pale Ale coming out with an Exceptional. 
In regards to food, it doesn’t get much better.  Rick & myself split some potato skins; I’m not usually a fan as they tend to be pretty bland, but these were delicious.  The prime rib that I had was probably one of the best steaks I’ve ever had.  I actually cut myself off mid meal so as not to ruin the beef w/ an upset & bloated stomach. 
McGuires ranks high with both the critics & local magazines…I couldn’t agree more.

Gwen & Zach made the decision to get married @ a YMCA summer camp that Gwen was working at.  This was one of the most laid back & fun weddings I’ve been to.  The laid back part may have had something to do with the 90 degree heat & 95% humidity of an Alabama summer.  Kinda sucks the energy out of ya…well that & the hangovers.  Guests including myself started arriving Friday.  The wedding was planned for Saturday evening with guests free to stay throughout the entire weekend.
Most of the summer kids were gone for the weekend, but there was a few stragglers including some camp counselors.  A Christian summer camp for kids leads to an interesting dynamic when it comes to a wedding.  This occurred to me as the Christian parents arrived to pick their kids up Friday & glared @ my Beer Traveller garb.  I can only imagine what was going through their minds as they wondered if I was one of the counselors with whom they had left their kids with.
Lodging involved several reserved cabins w/ approx 16 bunk beds on each side.  There were 3 toilets & 3 showers in the center.  You do the math.  Toilets & showers were in the same room which provided excellent opportunities to meet your bunk mates, both male & female.
The wedding was held outside in a nicely wooded chapel w/ thunder rumbling in the background.  The climax (before the wedding night) was the tornado warning that blared   about 5 minutes post wedding.  The game plan was to hit a Mexican restaurant after the wedding for dinner (& drinks).  This plan was obviously postponed due to…well a tornado!  Unfortunately we missed the tornado, but the sheets of rain, lightening/thunder, high winds, & blown water toys did provide for some quality entertainment.  It also gave a reprieve from the ridiculous heat & humidity.  The wedding occurred @ about 6PM & we arrived at the restaurant around 9PM.  I’m sure I don’t need to go into the mood that we all were in.  I never thought a Margarita & chips/salsa could taste so good.  The dinner ended well with some imported Japanese sake (wedding gift that was shared with me) & tequila shots at midnight to celebrate the brides birthday.  It was than back to camp to sip Coors; that’s about all you can handle in the heat. Sunday was more recovery; this consisted of standing in waist deep pee temperature brown water while the sun zapped the alcohol out of ya.
It was a great (& interesting) group of people; a vast majority were highly educated w/ doctorates in Environmentally focused majors.  There were stories of buying escorts for dentists, smoking crystal meth, exotic foods & the aftermath, & chiggers in all the wrong places.  Local fare was delicious, including serious Bama BBQ, fried catfish, fried okra, & fried pickles.  Thanks Gwen & Zach for putting everything together & I wish you the very best in your new marriage.

I say dog house because dogs Duke & Duchess obviously run the roast.  Two beautiful goldens that get to do (& do) whatever they please. I grew up w/ Golden Retrievers & know how they can be, but these 2 are more than a handful.  This was quite evident as I received numerous tongues to the face, paws to the nuts, & had to retrieve my cell from between several sets of canines.  It should be pointed out that the phone was on top of the dining room table when it was retrieved without request. 
This was the first time I had met Murray’s belle Melissa & she contained all the charm & hospitality of a true southern lady.  I will say her energy level rivaled that of the jacked-up ADHD dogs.  OMGzie girl sent me more emails, checking on her bitches, while she was at work than I have received from all other emailers combined this summer.  The funny thing is after Melissa’s nightly sugar buzz, she would crash like a 3 yr-old who had spent the day at Disney. To the point where Murray would scream @ her head without so much of a flench on her part.  Murray is quite the opposite which helps balance the extreme energy of the other residents.
I greatly appreciate the meals, beer, & lodging.  I also want to thank Duke & Duchess for not completely castrating me.

Please take a moment to go back & read John’s wisdom (comment) for the Geekapolooza entry.