Let's Raise A Glass for Them Steelers

On the one day each year where theme parks across America are empty, Super Bowl Sunday (yesterday) was very cool, with places to go and people to meet. Each event was interesting and fun. It started with Plotnik coming off the I.R. to play ball in the morning, with no pain during the game (although afterwards his big toe, still bruised from the, uh, home repair incident, was a bit throbby). Next was putting together a large antipasto to take to J-Whacky and Domin-Nik's house for the annual Super Bowl watching, but before that came a trip to Elizabeth Street Brewery.



The owner and his wife are not pictured here (their photos will go up in the Noe Valley Voice article). Perhaps you will not be surprised to hear that the topic of the fellow in the top picture's weekly podcast is: beer. He, and everyone at the small brewery, where there was also a Super Bowl Party going on, were really nice people and willing to take lots of time to initiate a newby into the world of home brew.

The beer is REALLY good. Plotnik and Ducknik drank the "Daddy's Chocolate Milk" which is a dark ale with touches of porter but without the smoky burnt taste. Duck announced it was the best beer she's ever tasted, and she does not normally even like dark beer.

Factoids: It takes 20 pounds of grain to make 10 gallons of beer, and every citizen of the USA who is over 21 years old is permitted to brew 100 gallons a year. You can't sell it though, so ESB gives their beer away at periodic open houses. One can, however, purchase t-shirts and caps, and it is also possible for one to buy a square on the Super Bowl Puzzler.

There is a small park caddy-corner from the brewery. Plotnik played basketball there for many years. Afterwards, he sipped water from a fountain that barely worked. There was home brew across the street. Who knew?

The next Sunday stop was J-Whacky's and a terrific football game. There were three televisions set up for seven people. Even The Great Domin-Nik, who is as interested in watching football as Plotnik is in shopping for shoes, enjoyed the last quarter of this classic.

True, there was an interior price to pay for home brew, salami, prosciutto, smoked cheese, pasta, crackers, marinated mushrooms, olives and chocolate. But it was well worth it.