D'ya Want Mac n Cheese With That Beer?
Baltimore Orioles 0 at Seattle Mariners 2
American League Baseball
Tuesday 28 June 2022
Played at T-Mobile Park, Seattle
Better from the Mariners tonight. Now Won 35 Lost 42. (Exactly the same as tonight's oppos, the Orioles as it happens). But still way off the pace in the AL West. Where Houston lead with 46 wins.
We're picking and choosing our games this week. Partly because there's a few Value Games around. Essentially half price tickets. We're having them. The stadium has basically four tiers. Field level, the 100s, the lower bowl of the stadium (we were there yesterday). And, right up at the top, the 300s, (we're there later in the week). Below the 300s is a proper, full on Club Level set of hospitality boxes & suites. And, below that is the 200s. Which is where we were tonight. Just ten rows of seats, with a food and drinks court behind. You can perch on stools at the front of the bar, at the back of the seats, and watch the game half in the bar, half in the seats. Love that.
The oval shaped island bar behind us was selling spirits. In the 100s yesterday, you could get pre mixed cocktails. But, tonight in the 200s, that's a proper bar. Consequently, there are pissed punters. No one on the floor. No one causing mayhem. But a good few stumblers, shouters & dancers. A few mirrors being looked in tomorrow methinks.
Of course, the Carrier Bag Firm weren't after Bourbon. We're hunting the Beer. Which meant we couldn't really order from that grown up bar. No. Because as well as tracking down the Value Tickets. We're also tracking down the Value Beers. It's a bit of a con. The value beers are all 12oz cans (just over 350ml). And the rest come in 16s, 20s & 24s. They're really "smaller" beers, not "value" beers. And, it has to be said, the prices are eye watering anyway. And, don't forget that fucking tip, the USA is not a living wage employer.
But, at least those smaller beers allow the CBF to explore the VARIETY we crave. Of course, they're not available at that proper, adult bar I mention. No. That would be too fucking simple. To get the value beers on the 200 level, I had to queue up, out there in the rear, at the - you've guessed it - the Mac n Cheese counter. Obvious really. FFS.
Baseball lasts nine innings. And the rule in the Mariner's park is - alcohol sales cease at the first pitch of the 8th inning. I and indeed E you can't get a beer, and there's basically a quarter of the game left. Madness. Oh. Wait. It gets trickier. If they're drawing after nine innings, they just keep going. In 1920, the Brooklyn Robins and the Boston Braves kept going for Twenty Six innings. Nearly three times the normal length.
Makes beer pacing & strategy v diff. Tonight, as that last orders, shutters coming down, first pitch of the eighth was, quite frankly, hurled, the game was still tied at nil each. And, we only had one Tin on the go & one on the bench. Let's get this done…
The Orioles only had four base runners all night. The Mariners were a little better. Seven base hits & 2 ball on base. And, in the bottom of the beerless eighth, with two outs already. JP Crawford got a base hit. Some shit fielding and a dodged tag by J Rod moved it all along. Then Jesse Winker went for the fence. And to be honest, it looked from the 200s like it should have been caught. Wasn't. And the double brought the two runners home to win it. Large, and I mean large, numbers of Mariner's Marauders missed it. The bar was already shut, they were waiting in the car with the Designated Driver.
I went…
Reuben's Brews (Seattle), Crikey IPA from a Tin at 6.8%
Lovely. Hop bitterness all over it & a long finish.
Mac & Jacks Brewing Company (Redmond, Washington State), Log Boom Pale Ale from a Tin at 5.3%
That was a very nice beer straight up. Hoppy, but very drinkable. 'though it did fizzle out a bit as you got down it.
Mother Earth Brewing Company (Vista, California), Boo Koo, IPA from a Tin at 6.5%
A very nice and banging pine & bitter West Coast styleeee.
Kulshan Brewing Company (Bellingham, Washington State), Premium Lager from a Tin at 5%
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