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And the winner is… 'Newcastle Brown Ale'
-- but not without controversy

Newcastle Brown Ale, a darker-but-mainstream ale brewed in Great Britain since 1770, has been chosen as the Official Beer of the Fresno Dads Club, the club has announced. A quorum of Fresno Dads Club members favored Newcastle Brown over a dozen other nominees from all over the world in a semi-blind tasting event, held Saturday, Aug. 9, in Fresno.

But the result did not come without controversy. After the first round of competition, one top-finishing beer had to be disqualified, and one Club member raised the possibility of a flaw in the testing procedures.

It is the stated belief of the Fresno Dads Club that fathers everywhere, after fulfilling their duties as involved dads, playmates, providers, pals and disciplinarians for their children, deserve to enjoy a cold brew for their efforts, in moderation, of course. Toward this end, and to demonstrate its leadership in the Fatherhood community, the Fresno Dads Club undertook the difficult course of choosing its Official Beer.

The Event

Club members were asked to bring three 12-ounce bottles of any beer they wanted to nominate to the event, which included grilled hot dogs, bratwurst, roasted almonds and Doritos as palate-cleansing mechanisms. During tasting, participating Club members took turns pouring each nominated beer, ensuring that individual judges did not know which beer was being tasted 75 percent of the time. On their ballots, Club members were asked to rate each beer as “Good,” “Meh,” or “Bad,” based on consideration of five criteria:

1. Taste: Is it good, or is it swill?
2. Drinkability: Does it go down easy, or is it like swallowing turpentine?
3. Body: Is it a beer for frak’s sake, or is it water?
4. Finish: Happy ending, or misfire?
5. Efficacy: Could you get plowed on this stuff? Would you want to?

The Controversy

After the first round of competition, three beers were tied for the lead. But one of those beers, Pyramid Hefeweizen, could not be reconsidered during the final round of judging because none remained after the first round of competition. In the end, it was disqualified because of inadequate tasting supply.

Also, one club member raised the possibility of a flaw in the testing procedures. Club member Mahwy1, who stated a preference for Coors products and offered as full disclosure his Colorado background, said in a message posted to the Fresno Dads Club forums, “I rated 3 beers ‘Good’ and gave Coors Light a high ‘Meh,’ and only really went that way because of the ‘Is it a beer for frak’s sake or is it water?’ category.

“I was just trying to follow the judging guidelines (even though I think the category was leading us to give higher scores for darker beers),” Mahwy1 said. “I like the lighter beers, but the judging was set up to make that a negative.” In the competition, Coors and Coors Light both finished dead last in scoring, tying with budget beer Keystone “in the specially-lined can.” Incidentally, because of its distinctive vomit-esque bouquet, Keystone was designated by the judges as the beer “most likely to have been barfed into.”

“I can certainly understand Mahwy1’s position, and our supply issues with Pyramid Hefeweizen could certainly cast some doubt upon our selection of Newcastle Brown Ale as our 'Official Beer,'” said Club member and event host Thorne. “But I think we made a sound decision in choosing Newcastle Brown. And besides, I can think of worse things than having to do this competition all over again.”

(Editor's Note: We at FDC take our fathering duties seriously. But as this contest demonstrates, we’re not above having a little fun, either.)

Overall Results
 

First Round

Good

Meh

Bad

Newcastle Brown Ale

3

2

0

Miller Genuine Draft

3

2

0

Pyramid Hefeweizen

3

2

0

Smithwick

3

1

1

Firestone Double-Barrel Ale

2

2

1

Arrogant Bastard Ale

2

1

2

Miller High Life

1

3

1

Pacifico

1

3

1

Widmer Hefeweizen

1

2

2

Moylan’s

1

1

3

Coors Light

0

2

3

Coors

0

2

3

Keystone

0

2

3

 

Second Round

Judges’ Score

Newcastle Brown Ale

21

Miller Genuine Draft

14

Pyramid Hefeweizen

Disqualified

 

First-ever FDC Car Show draws a crowd

More than a dozen vehicles and nearly 100 spectators turned out for the first-ever Fresno Dads Club (FDC) Charity Car Show, held Saturday, June 7, at Fresno High School.

Show entries included tuners and customs, an all-electric Karmann Ghia, and a healthy turnout of Scion vehicles from the local chapter of CenCal Scions, a club for Scion drivers and fans. Many entries took home trophies, while attendees chose a customized 1937 Ford "ute" owned by Mike May as Best in Show.

“I think we’re all happy with the turnout,” said Jay McElroy, FDC charter member and event host. “For a first-year show, we’re seeing great cars and feeling excellent support from the fans. And rest assured, we’ll do this again next year – but bigger and better than ever!”

The event raised funds for the Fresno High School PACE (Parenting and Careers in Education) Lab, which provides parenting classes and daycare assistance for mothers attending Fresno High School.

 

 

August Events:

Family Event
Producers Ice Cream Zoofari
6-9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16

Fresno Chaffee Zoo
Meet at 6:30 p.m. in front of
the Reptile House.
BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW
 

Couples Dinner
6-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22
Million Elephant Café
Southwest corner of Fulton and Olive,
in the Tower District
 

Park Playdate
10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Aug. 23
Maple-Shepherd Park
Southeast corner of Maple and Shepherd, Clovis
Bring cold drinks, sunscreen, and a lawn chair.

 

For more information about
these FDC member events,
see the
Events page
in our Forums.

 

(c) 2008 Fresno Dads Club. All rights reserved.