Wins and Losses

Clearly, my preceding post celebrating the dream-like September enjoyed by the Cal football team created some pretty bad karma, as the Bears followed up their 5-0 start with a 1-4 second act to the season. The only good news, I suppose, is that there's now a decent chance that I'll be able to see the Bears play in San Francisco's Emerald Bowl over the winter break, with pre- and post-game partying at the 21st Amendment brewpub. For a beer/Bear lover like me, that's not a bad consolation prize. While it's been a lousy five weeks on the football front, I did pick up another victory on the beer front. My 2007 edition of Tripel Chainring Belgian abbey ale won its second ribbon of the year, this time taking a second place at the Pacific Brewers Cup--another staple in the Southern California homebrew competition circuit. (And my club, Pacific Gravity, absolutely dominated, with nine different brewers placing 14 different beers and meads!)