Most of you will skip right over this first link, but I’m a math nerd and it’s my blog so I’m going to post it. Yesterday I discovered a cool magazine called Plus, whose mission is “to introduce readers to the beauty and the practical applications of mathematics.” I flipped through the featured articles and found one that proves bluffing is a mathematically essential element in poker. How can I not like a math site that writes about poker? Other articles were about the puzzle of time, math during the Dark Ages, and a theatrical performance called X&Y that explores math. There’s another article entitled “Do Infinities Exist in Nature?” that I have not had time to read yet, but I’m intrigued that there’s a photo of a hot dog with mustard and relish next to the article headline.
If you’re a Canadian, you can get Canadian Thanksgiving dinner Monday at Kooky Canuck. If you’re an American, you can get the dinner and get started on Thanksgiving a month early. If you’re some other nationality, you’re out of luck… no, just kidding, they’ll serve you too. The restaurant will serve turkey and dressing, gravy, dinner roll, mashed potatoes and green beans and of course cranberry jelly. Lunch will be $6.49 and dinner $9.99.
In the news: Mayor Wharton wants to extend the Beale Street entertainment district all the way to the river.
This isn’t Downtown news, but in case you missed it, Fox 13’s Lauren Lee reports that Owlzilla is terrorizing joggers in East Memphis.
I bought my ticket to Cooper-Young Beerfest. It’s next Saturday at a new, larger location near Trestle Art at 795 S. Cooper. This is my favorite beer festival of the year. Most of the brewers are in the booths to talk about their product, and there’s an education tent where you can learn all about beer and what it’s like being a brewer. If you go to a beer festival to learn about beer, not to be seen and have your photo taken for RSVP Magazine, this is the beer festival for you.
And speaking of beer…
One of the most rewarding things about being Downtown is seeing friends have a dream and build it and live it. I saw my friends Patrick and Deni do it with the Majestic Grille seven years ago. Five years ago I got to see Daniel build a dream called the Silly Goose. Two years ago, Jamie, Jeannette and Colin built a dream called the Blind Bear. This year, two guys named Drew Barton and Andy Ashby built their dream, a local brewery on South Cooper called Memphis Made. Both of them are former bartenders at the Flying Saucer, and therefore they chose the two local Saucers as the first spots to roll out their new products. Drew bartended the Saucer on several different occasions, and although he’s not as easy on the eyes as the female bartenders, I always enjoyed coming in and seeing him behind the bar because of his vast knowledge of beer. Andy bartended before my time at the Saucer, but I enjoyed talking with him as a customer many times, and he was also in a couple of bands that played there. At 8 PM Kirk got them up on the bar and announced the official tapping.
Drew, Andy, and Saucer GM Kirk
The two beers that were introduced were the saison (5.6% ABV) and the pale ale (5.2%). You can get either for $4.75 at the Saucer. The saison is one of the tastiest beers I have had, and the pale ale is one I would gladly choose over nationally known pale ales like Sierra Nevada’s. They are off to a good start. The beers debut at the three Aldo restaurants (Bardog, Slider Inn, Aldo’s Pizza Pies) and Young Avenue Deli today.
Last night I realized how smart those guys were in choosing the name they did. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen tourists come in the Saucer and ask the bartender, “I’d like to try a good local beer. What do you recommend?” Now they won’t even have to ask. Those taps make it clear where the saison and pale ale are brewed. They’ve built themselves an immediate advantage over the other three local breweries (and I bet there will be more before long) with the name they selected.
Having an exciting morning around here pouring Drano Dual Foamer in the bathtub and taking the trash to the trash chute. Undecided whether I’ll lead off at Bardog or Max’s Sports Bar today. Arkansas hosts South Carolina with an 11:21 kickoff.