The excitement is palpable!

New Year's Day has been so far spent:

- Watching Sunderland beat Manchester City.
- Observing that, aside from their ears, dachshunds are generally wind-resistant.
- Making chili.
- Watching a Three Stooges marathon.

Now, we drink beer.

Only five of seven?

Pre-show drink preferences of the Mekons, observed at the Harmony Grill:

Jon and Sally: Magners
Rico: Stella Artois
Steve and Lu: red wine
Sarah and Susie: unknown*

*Susie did carry a margarita onstage.

We had a barrel of fun; plus, Beer of the Day

Behold the rain barrel. Net cost of materials was about $50, including the new flexible downspout, and labor time was about two hours, spread over yesterday evening and this morning.

No injuries were sustained in the making of this rain barrel.

After finishing the barrel and mowing the lawn, I relaxed with a tasty Leinenkugel Berry Weiss. As its name indicates, it tastes of berries. A lot of berries. Not that I mind, as I have a weakness for fruity beers, but this makes it none too popular among the beer cognoscenti. Never mind what they say, though - this is a good summer beer.

Beer of the Day

SKA Pinstripe Red Ale

Aroma is okay, appearance is okay, taste is okay. Spectacularly average in every possible way. The very definition of an ordinary beer.

Beer of the Day

This was actually a beer I had several months ago, but I just got around to rating it elsewhere.

Leinenkugel Fireside Nut Brown

Quoting myself: "Had this several months ago on tap at FitzGerald’s. Berwyn IL. Poured a deep brown with little head. Aroma was overwhelmingly sweet and artificial, and it was served far too cold. Taste was artificial as well. Couldn’t finish it. Ugh."

Beer of the Day

Pyramid Rollick Amber Lager

While marketed as a spring seasonal, this is more of a summer brew. A good balance of hops and malt, resulting in a drinkable lager with a bite of hops. A far cry from the crappy macros.