Stats in the Bye Week

Beer #308 Oatmeal Stout / Summit Brewing Company, St. Paul, MN

For as much as I love Penn State football and tailgating at Beaver Stadium, it's nice to actually wake up in my own home and not have to do anything or go anywhere for a weekend.  I intend to do some beer shopping today, go for a run, and maybe watch a little college football.  With a little more time on my hands today, and with us getting deep into this beer adventure, I thought I'd take a moment to throw out some interesting stats for you, the loyal reader:

Dogs:  Canines are a rather common thread: I've drank beers from five dog-related breweries (Laughing Dog, Thirsty Dog, BrewDog, Hair of the Dog, Flying Dog) and two dog-related beers (Turbodog and Garde Dog).
Religion:  Considering my general disdain for organized religion, there are an impressive number of beers with religious ties - keep in mind beer used to be the provenance of monks.  I've hit seven saintly breweries, (St. Fuillien, St. Peter's, St. Somewhere, St. Christoffel, St. Benedictusabdij, St. Bernardus, St. Slyvestre), another five saintly beers (Sainte ni Touche, St. Cloud, St. Louis, 5AM Saint, Saint Martin), and for good measure I also had us think about St. Mary's Glacier, Allen Toussaint, and Boondock Saints.  I'm not even going to count the abbeys involved.
Where in the World?:  Most popular homes for breweries we've tried?  We've collectively crossed of 61 breweries from Belgium, 35 from California, and 30 from Pennsylvania.
Royalties:  Is beer fit for a King?  It's definitely fit for royalty, as I've crossed off two Kings, a Duchesse, a Contessa, a Maharaja, and a Prince.  That's breweries and beer only, as Prince and Queen have been frequent visitors to my 'Thing To Think About Today' space.  If our royal contributors happen to rule with an Iron Fist, I drank one of those, too.

And now, to keep the wheels turning, today's beer is the Oatmeal Stout from Summit Brewing, which was on draft at Teresa's.  In the glass, you see a classic stout - black, with a creamy tan head.  The aroma gives off roasted malt, and the taste has a roasted malt flavor, with hints of coffee and some sweetness, along with a clean  finish. Descriptions of this beer online suggest you'll find chocolate notes in there as well, although I couldn't pick them up.  If you're looking for a stout, definitely give this one a shot.

Stout.

Summit has been in business since 1986, when they opened up shop in an old truck parts factory.  They've since expanded into new digs to better serve their customers.

Thing to Think About Today:
If we're drinking beer from Minnesota, and watching college football, why don't we stop and spend some time thinking of the greatest tv sitcom about college football ever, Coach.   This show starred Craig T. Nelson as the head football coach at Minnesota State University, and focused on Nelson's character balancing family and the daily ins and outs of running a football program.  On the air for nine years, this show also featured Jerry Van Dyke and Bill Fagerbakke as his oddball assistants, Luther and Dauber.  Ah, good times, good times.

In a bit of art imitating life, when this show came out they creators invented a fictitious college.  Since then, Minnesota State College changed their name in 1999 to Minnesota State University.  Sadly, they didn't adopt the mascot from the sitcom (Screaming Eagles), instead opting for the Mavericks.  No word, however, on whether or not Coach, Dauber, and Luther are employed at the new version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsH_HIHbv6E