The Armchair Quarterback’s Guide To The NFL: Power Rankings

The Armchair Quarterback’s Odds And Ends Of The Week

Beer Review Of The Week:

New Belgium’s Rampant Imperial IPA

Normally I’m not an Imperial IPA fan. IPAs (Indian Pale Ale) are sometimes a stretch for me as I’m usually not a fan of extremely hop-heavy beers. So an Imperial IPA is usually out of my league. For newcomers to the craft beer world, “Imperial” usually implies that the beer has a higher alcohol content and often more hops (which cause bitterness) than traditional beers. I’ve reviewed several New Belgium beers recently (it’s one of my favorite breweries), but the Rampant had been sitting in the back of my fridge for a month now as the remaining survivor of a variety pack that I had purchased. Not being a huge fan of Imperial beers or IPAs in general the label description only made me all the wearier:

"It starts to take over. That craving for hops. The hoppier the happier. The happier the higher the IBU. The higher the IBU the larger the ABV. The larger the ABV the more we’re going to have to keep an eye on this Rampant Imperial IPA proliferating with heavy peach tones, herbal sweetness and aromatic complexity."

For the non craft beer enthusiasts, IBU is the bitterness rating and ABV is the alcohol content. So I was convinced that this beer would be stronger than what I usually prefer. I was actually pleasantly surprised. While there is definitely a strong hop profile (I taste grapefruit and herbs), there was also enough sweetness (peach) and malt taste mixed in to balance the beer out. A good beer to me is all about balance and the flavors working together. Too many IPAs and Imperial IPAs taste like I’m drinking a mix of grapefruit juice, pine, and flowers. The bitterness is so over the top that it’s not enjoyable for me. It’s a preference that often keeps me out of the true “craft beer club”. This Imperial IPA was different. Despite it’s 8.5% ABV, I couldn’t even taste the alcohol. While definitely not for those who usually only drink Bud Light, if you’ve been experimenting with different types of beers and think you’re ready to try something with a little more kick, this would be a great place to start. While it won’t be making any of my all time favorite lists, if I was going to drink an Imperial IPA, this would be the one I would choose.

My Rating (1-10): 7.5

A Good Way To Pass The Time This Week:

Check out the Winter Olympics

While not someone that usually gets overly caught up with “Olympic Fever” the Olympics are a good way for sports fans to fill the hole in their sports world that has been created by the end of the football season. This year’s Winter Olympics have peaked my curiosity already given the reported horrible conditions in Sochi, Russia. Journalists that are already there are describing bad conditions, athlete’s families are staying home for fear of their safety, and US athletes have been encouraged to not wear USA attire when they go out. It’s tragic and I feel bad for the athletes and their families that have worked so hard for this one moment in time.

So I’ll be tuning in to get my once every four year fix of things like ski jumping, downhill racing, speed skating, and bobsled. These athletes have trained hard for most of their lives and deserve the 15 seconds of fame. It’s not the NFL, but it may just help me take my mind off the fact that my favorite sport in the universe is gone for the next six months. So let’s get patriotic and cheer on the USA!

Non-Rant Of The Week:

Everyone should have a snow day once in a while. I am fortunate enough to be a public school teacher. It’s a rewarding job that I love and the fact that I have summers off to spend with my family is an added plus. The past two days have been an additional bonus. Located near Wichita, Kansas we were hit by the massive snow storm that hit the midwest this week. So the past two days were spent sleeping in, having Lego building contests with my kids, and playing in the snow (plus my wonderful wife made waffles for supper!). It was fantastic.

So my recommendation to you is this. If your kids have a day off of school because of snow take the day off to spend with them even if your job isn’t technically off. Call in sick. It’s worth it. If you’re lucky (or unlucky) enough to live somewhere that doesn’t ever get snow, give yourself a snow day anyway. Call your entire family in sick and spend the entire day together. In today’s society our schedules are so jam packed that even on the weekends we rarely make time to just spend a day hanging out together. No work interruptions, no homework for the kids, no practices, no games, and no stress. Just you and your family spending some quality time together. That just doesn’t happen enough anymore and you’ll be glad you did it.

That does it for this week. If you’re really going through football withdrawal, keep in mind that the NFL Combine is only two weeks away!

Thanks for reading.

Follow me on Twitter: @LyleGraversen