The Coldest Beer in Town!

Fall is the best time of the year. Mainly because it's football time. For some reason, baseball or basketball seasons don't have the same feel as football.
Mainly I think its because a football game allows for good fellowship. You can watch the game on TV and still talk with your guests, clap for a TD and if the home team if doing well everybody's hi five'n and just having a jolly good time.

Everyone looks forward to half time. That's when the host does his thing. I've said many times "when you're at my house you'll be drinking the coldest beer in town". Today was my turn to host halftime. The call goes out "OK Bobby boy, we're thirsty. Lets see just how cold your beer is".

That's the signal to "bring it on".

Here's how to prepare to have the coldest beer in town. We start with two wash tubs. Both tubs are put in the back of my pick up. I head to the town's ice plant and purchase two 20 pounds ice blocks, one for each tub. Once home I put both tubs on the back porch because shortly they're going to be too heavy to carry.
To get their beer they have to go to the porch. No big deal because everybody's going to the john's anyway.

The first tub is lined with two cases of beer. Remember, buy beer in cans, no bottles! Stand the cans up so both cases will fit. Place them around the block of ice. Next get the garden hose and put in the beer tub just enough water to cover the cans. In one hour, the cans will be so cold it will be hard to hold them.

Beer must be served in cups. Because they have been in water, the water will drip all over you if you didn't use cups. The water is just a lame excuse. We want to use clear 16 ounce plastic cups, Because that's how you always get the beer at the ball park The cup becomes part of the scene. Pull apart a couple dozen cups and put them in the second tub. Spread them around the ice block and again put in enough water to just cover them up. We're going to allow both the beer and the cups one hour before they can be used.

When they're ready to go, we have to have one lesson on how to pour a cup of beer. Remember we need 16 ounce cups. The cans of beer hold 12 ounces. The larger cups serve a couple purposes. We don't want anything left in the can when we're done pouring and, if a head can't be avoided, this extra space will eliminate any spill over. Trying to drink a beer head is disgusting.

To pour a cup of beer, pop the can and take the cup in your left hand holding the beer in your right. Hold the beer at a 45 degree angle from the cup. Tip the cup toward the can then begin to pour. The key is to empty the can leaving no head. When finished, hold the cup up to a light to make sure no head appeared. If none appears you'll know the cup and beer are cold. After everybody's cup is full bring out the finger foods.

The first bowl is the specialty of the house "Jalapeno Poppers". Take the peppers, split in half and scrape out the seeds. That will eliminate a lot of the heat. Fill each pepper with blue cheese and wrap in a half slice of bacon and put on the grill. They will be done when the bacon is crisp. After eating 6 of these make sure there's still ample beer because these puppies are still pretty hot.

Then comes a heaping plate of french fried sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with some garlic salt and a silence falls over the room. Nobody can stop eating the sweets and peppers, but there's one more finger food to go! Out comes a big bowl of pickled eggs. You'd be suprized how many in the crowd aren't familiar with these. Serve these three finger foods together with the coldest beer in town. Now just sit back and watch the second half.

That's it, half time is over.