Beer Fest Review: OC Brew Ha Ha 2013

My faith in beer festival organizers has been restored. After the disastrous Beer Loves Music beer festival at the Yost Theater in Santa Ana, I was set for a great beer fest, and found it at the OC Brew Ha Ha. Anyone running a beer festival really should attend a Brew Ha Ha function to […]

Cigar Review: Gurkha Doble Maduro Churchill

What is it with Gurkha cigars? The Gurkha Titan is one of the greatest cigars you’ll ever smoke, but when I smoked one at a cigar function a few nights ago, two different people felt compelled to cop an attitude about Gurkhas. The first one said, “Gurkha? Yeah I used to smoke Gurkhas.” The second […]

Jubel 2010 Once a Decade Ale Beer Review

Jubel 2010 Once a Decade Ale This waxed beauty from Bend, Oregon’s Deschutes Brewery has been sitting in my fridge since, well, 2010. It’s about a $13 bottle of beer so I suppose I kept putting it off for a special occasion. Tonight I felt like drinking it, and that was special occasion enough. The […]

Tonight’s Tasting: C.E.O. Red Label Cigar and Shipyard Imperial Porter

C.E.O. Red Label Cigar (5 x 50) This is a real mystery cigar.  I think I actually bought a five-pack of C.E.O. cigars, based on a vague memory that I exclaimed, “what the hell are C.E.O. cigars?” when the package came in the mail.  I think they were an impulse buy on Cigar Monster, ordered […]

Ride The Coast 2011 Coming on June 25

One of my favorite rides of the year is just two weeks away, and there is still time for you to join in.  Ride the Coast benefits the Santa Ana Boys Club.  For a $40 donation you get a fully police escorted 70 mile ride.  Get to see what it feels like to be the President; […]

Happy 4th of July from Beer, Bikes and Butts!

Enjoy the pictures I took of the 4th of July fireworks show presented in Yorba Linda, California by Bruce Sussin and company.  These don’t look like much unless you click on them to see the full version.            

Tonight’s Tasting: Zino Classic No. 8 and He’Brew Genesis Ale

Had a great motorcycle ride today, and had planned to have a beer at the ending point, Irvine Lake. Unfortunately the 500 other riders had the same idea, and the line for beer stretched most of the way to Arizona. I don’t do lines, so I contented myself with a brew at home. He’Brew Genesis […]

Why are comments moderated? Notes on blog spam.

I typically get about 30 comments a day on my blog postings, which would be great except for the fact that the vast majority of those comments are spam.  These aren’t the “buy Viagra” type of spam you find in your email, but are attempts to look like real comments.  See, behind the comment is an internal link […]

Another great tasting at 8eightyeight diamond crown lounge

Last night’s tasting was sponsored by the fine people that make Oliva (oh-lee-va) cigars.  A bunch of door prizes were given out, but I didn’t win a thing.  I think the fix was in. I love the draft beer at this place.  I generally switch between the Stella Artois and the Alaskan Amber.  Full size pints […]

What Cigar Does One Smoke While Running a $60B Ponzi Scheme?

Running a $60 billion ponzi scheme takes a lot of work.  It involves long hours drafting false trade tickets, and you can’t escape that ever nagging feeling in the back of your mind that the Feds may come a knockin’. So what cigar does such a pillar of the financial community, Bernard Madoff, smoke?  Or […]