Reviews: Two Beers From Florida Breweries

Two more from the beer run to Gainesville... a Key West Southernmost Wheat from the Florida Beer Company, and a Holy Mackerel Special Golden Ale from Gordash Brewing Company.  One of the things I always try to do when traveling is check out the local beers.  The only one I found on tap while I was out in Gainesville was the Swamp Head Stumpknocker Pale Ale but I did find these two at the bottle shop, so let's dive in.

Up first, the Key West Southernmost Wheat.  It's a pale yellow beer, bubbly with a small white head.  An earthy, grassy aroma with a little spice to it.  A definite orange citrus flavor as well.  

 

The flavor is more orange citrus than earthy, creamy on the tongue even, and very carbonated.  All in all, this is really just an average witbier as far as I can tell.  It's not bad, but nothing I would seek out again.

My Rating: C+

BeerAdvocate: B-

Witbier

The second one is the Holy Mackerel Special Golden Ale from the Gordash Brewing Company.  It's considered a Belgian Strong Pale Ale... interesting, and not really what I was expecting from a little brewery in Florida.  I poured it from a 12 oz. bottle into a Chimay goblet... it's a hazy orange color with a really small white head.

Smell strong of wheat, with a little hint of apples. No real Belgian spices that I'd associate with a Belgian ale.  The taste is better, with spicy, fruity, floral notes... pretty good actually. Certainly better than expected after the aroma.  Pretty solid mouthfeel too, bubbly, carbonated, not too thin... good. 

This one is really easy to drink, the alcohol (8.5% abv) doesn't come through strong at all. Ended up being a pretty decent beer I think.  I'd definitely get more from this small brewery if I saw them. 

My Rating: B-

BeerAdvocate: B-

Belgian Strong Pale Ale

And with that... a little closer to 365 in 2011.  As of writing this, I'm one behind pace, so I guess tonight will need to involve a beer or two!  Good news though, it's my birthday and I'm about to head to the Chimes to celebrate!

Cheers!

Review: Hitachino Nipponia Belgian Pale Ale

And now for #22 on my list... the Hitachino Nipponia, a Belgian Pale Ale from the Japanese Kiuchi Brewery.  Their White Ale is one of my favorite beers of all-time, so I'm excited to try this one, another Japanese take on a Belgian ale. 

It pours a light gold color... yellow at the thinner parts but more of a gold through the thick of the body. Small white head, but really good lacing.  The smell is simultaneously sweet and hoppy and spicy... it's really intriguing. There's definitely a large hop profile but the Japanese spices blend well with it. Interesting to say the least.

I really like the taste of this one... except there's almost TOO much going on. It has a good balance befitting a pale ale, but the spices add a different element not usually found in an American Pale Ale. They dominate the malts and barley and really form the second layer underneath the dominant hops.  There is also a sour note to it that comes through from the sorachi ace hops. 

All in all, I'm really enjoying this one.  Easy to drink despite the abundance of flavor, in fact the different feel makes me want to keep on drinking and take another taste.

Another good one from Kiuch... not as good as the White Ale, but still a great beer.

My Rating: A

BeerAdvocate: B+

Pale Ale

Merry Christmas from The BR Beer Scene!

For my Christmas present to myself, I figured I'd break out one of the beers I had aging in the back of my fridge... a Scaldis Noel from Christmas 2008.  Scaldis Noel (AKA Bush De Noel) is from Brasserie Dubuisson in Belgium, and is considered a Belgian Strong Dark Ale.  I originally tried this one at a beer tasting at BJ's in Baton Rouge along with some other Christmas & Winter beers and this was one of the standouts.  Fortunately they have a few extra and I got to take a bottle home with me.  They said it would taste even better with some age... hopefully two years was enough!

As you can see, it's a bubbly beer!  I wonder if the extra years of being in the bottle increased the carbonation, or if it's just normally like that?  (Hey look, a Homer Brewing snifter!)  An important note for beers like this... use the proper glassware, and let them warm to 50 degrees or so before drinking.  Serving them ice cold kills all the best flavors!  

Underneath the bubbles, the beer is actually more of a deep red color.  Really nice looking brew.  The aroma is malts and dark fruits and alcohol.  The 12% abv comes through pretty strong on this one, but that's not really a bad thing.  The taste is more of the same but even more complex.  The alcohol content is unmistakable, as is the Belgian notes of this ale.  Spicy, malty, fruity, even some hops all contribute to a fantastic flavor.

I haven't seen this one around in the stores, but if you do, grab several.  Try one now, share with a friend, and save some for a future Christmas.  I know it's tough to let a beer just sit there and not drink it, but it'll be worth it!

Merry Christmas everyone!

My rating: A

BeerAdvocate: B+

Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Unibroue - La Fin Du Monde

After realizing that most of my recent beer reviews have been beers with funny sounding foreign names that are pretty tough to find in Baton Rouge, I decided to flip through my archive and feature a beer that has a funny sounding foreign name but is easy to find, even in Baton Rouge!  The flagship of the Unibroue brewery in Canada... La Fin Du Monde.  Unibroue is out of Chambly, Quebec and they pride themselves in maintaining traditional European brewing methods and bring them to North America.  Their specialties are Belgian-style ales (the La Fin Du Monde is a tripel) but also do some dark lagers and fruit-inspired ales.  

My first encounter came during my first trip 'Around the World' at the Chimes.  After starting off with some beers that I knew well I decided to cross Canada off the list and go with this funny sounding beer.  I can promise you that at first I didn't like it one bit... way too strong and different for me.  Fortunately as my tastes have developed I've grown to appreciate different beers, and this is one of the world's best. 

True to the style I poured this one into a goblet, after letting it warm a few degrees from fridge temperature.  The beer pours a hazy orange, small white head with good lacing. The smell is a mixture of citrus and hops, hints of floral flavors.  Exactly what you want from the style.

The taste bring out more of the floral flavors... a little bit of fruit, toasted malts on the end of the sip. I'm not picking up the hop presence from the aroma, but it's still a fantastic beer. A medium body on this one, superbly drinkable... the 9% is masked extremely well by the flavors.

A top-notch tripel and one of the best you're going to find outside of Belgium.  This one can be find all over Baton Rouge in the better beer bars (like The Chimes, Port Royal, The Cove, and The Bulldog) as well as the stores with the best beer selections.  If you want to try one of the beers that helped me get into craft brews, pick one of these up next time you see it.

 

My Rating: A

BeerAdvocate: A

Tripel

Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor

Time for a new style to me or my blog... a Belgian IPA.  When people typically think of the IPA style they think of American IPAs, commonly brewed out on the west coast featuring a heavy hop flavor.  The Belgian version of the style is inspired by the American brewers in a bit of a role reversal.  Think of an American IPA with belgian yeast strains, bottle conditioned and most likely unfiltered.  Sounds good to me!

This particular one hails from the Brouerij Het Anker,which according to their website opened in 1369.  That's not a typo.  13... as in a long time ago.  Other notable events of 1369 include King Charles V of France declaring war on England, the Turks invading Bulgaria, the pogo stick being invented, and James Lawson being born.

As for the beer itself, I poured it from a 750 ml bottle into my trusty Chimay goblet... hazy golden color with a massive white head. Definitely an unfiltered brew, with great retention and lacing on this one.

Smells of hops, for sure... sweet delicious hops. Also hints of citrus on the nose. Very nice.  The taste is bitter citrus up front, fading to the hops on the end. Good carbonation, hoppy aftertaste, a little like grapefruit at the end. A little bit bitter for my taste, but still a very good beer.  I'll definitely be on the lookout for more Belgian IPAs to serve as a comparison.

My rating: A

Beeradvocate: A-

India Pale Ale

Brasserie de Blaugies - La Moneuse Spéciale Noël

I'll start off by saying that I don't know what half of that means.  Who would have thought that all that French I learned in high school would have exited my memory bank so soon.  What I do know is that this is a Belgian winter ale from the 'Brasserie de Blaugies' and it's technically classified as a Belgian Strong Pale Ale - one of my favorite styles.  Here is their website!  This might be my all-time favorite brewery website, taking 'keep it simple' to another level entirely.  What my old French teachers would be proud to know, is that I can gather from this site that they are a family-owned artisan brewery, they don't filter their beer, and use bottle-fermentation techniques.  Yummy.

On to the beer itself... it came in a 750ml bottle, poured into a Chimay goblet after a nice pop of the cork. The beer is an orange-red color with a huge creamy head. So far it looks like this one is on the fresh side!  I picked this up at the same time as the last beer I reviewed, the Blance de Saisis, and that one was lacking in the freshness department like sushi at a chinese buffet.

The nose is strong on the Belgian spices... definite orange flavors as well. Very nice. The flavor is more of the same, a little rough around the edges though... crisp but has some bite at the end. The Belgian spices come out, as well as the hops at the end, the overall flavor is earthy for lack of a better term. I like it, not the best Belgian ale ever but very very good. Great carbonation and mouthfeel as well, and even at 8% abv the alcohol is hardly noticeable.  I'll definitely be on the lookout for more from Brasserie de Blaugies at Calandro's and other places in town.

My rating: A

BeerAdvocate: B+

Brasserie Ellezelloise Blanche De Saisis

After reading some reviews, it seems the "Tarwebier Biere de Froment van des Saisis" is the same as this... just a different same for the same beer from Brasserie Ellezelloise, a small Belgian farmhouse brewery I had never heard of before.  Okay, now that I have that figured out... this one had a brewed-on date of March 2008, so it had been aging for 2 years as of this review.  I hope that helps things rather than hurts.  Some beers are meant to be aged for years and only get better while others are best when as fresh as possible.  I believe a general rule is that the higher the alcohol content the better aging will be, and this one is at a modest 5.9% so I don't want to get my hopes up.

Poured into a Chimay goblet, not a lot of head, but a murky orange-brownish color to it. There is some lacing and creamy residue after what little head there was dissipated.  Smells very sweet, of caramel and spice and a definite alcohol presence on the nose. I love it. One of the best smelling beers I've put my nose to.

Very light body to it, not much carbonation, but the flavor is mostly the same as the smell... a bit of a skunky aftertaste unfortunately. I guess the aging didn't do this one too well. It's still not bad, just I know it used to be better... oh well, I'll be on the lookout for some fresh ones with the new label.

If you see this one, or any from Brasserie Ellezelloise they are probably worth checking out, but make sure you're getting some fresh beer and not something that has spent too much time on the shelves!

My rating: B

BeerAdvocate: B+

Witbier

North Coast Cru D'Or

Here's another one from North Coast Brewing Company, a California brewery that thankfully is locally available!  A while back I did a review of the Brother Thelonius Abbey Ale, and before too long I'll be adding my review of their Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout!  I picked up a 4-pack of these guys from Marcello's going out of business sale. Hate to see a decent beer retailer go, but had to take advantage of the deals!

According to the BeerAdvocate site this one is considered a Dubbel in style, which is one of the traditional Belgian Trappist styles.  As you can see, I poured it into a Chimay goblet, always my glassware of choice for a Belgian-style ale.  It pours a murky brown color with a small off-white head that dissipated quickly into nothing.  The smell is strong, very floral with a little hint of caramel.

The taste is very similar, hints of caramel mixed in with a floral hoppy flavor. Definitely a Belgian ale here, trademark flavors are present. All in all a very good beer, as to be expected from North Coast. It doesn't measure up to the best Belgians of the style but it holds it own against American counterparts nicely.  Plus if anyone out there is into this sort of thing, it's an 'organic' beer!

My rating: B

BeerAdvocate: B

Belgian Dubbel

Blue Moon Grand Cru

Found this one at the Bet-R store a while back... I was surprised to see it, and it didn't have a price on it (must have just been put out) and they rang it up for $4.29. After seeing some pricing info and such apparently I got a steal, should have bought more!  This will be the first BMC (that's Bud/Miller/Coors) product I've talked about individually on here, but in general I think Blue Moon does a pretty good job with their beer.  They are what they are, a cheap American belgian-style wheat ale... not great, not bad, very drinkable beer and something different than the macro lagers.  So, time to give this Blue Moon specialty a try.

I poured it into an imperial pint glass, hazy orange-melon color with a frothy white head... good retention and lacing. So far so good!

Smell is a bit muted, but there is definite wheat in there, as well as hints of spice. Nothing stands out, though.  The taste is better than the smell, the spices really come out, bitter hops on the end after the coriander and orange rind. I'll be honest, I'm impressed by the taste of this one, and it really has a good mouthfeel.

I'll admit I was skeptical, but I'm really glad I picked this one up. I'm by no means going to rush out and buy a case, and it's not the best witbier I've ever tried, but not bad. Not bad at all.

Taste: B+

Value: A (at the price I got it... probably more like a B or C+ at correct pricing...)

Wheat Beer

Review: Brother Thelonious Belgian-Style Abbey Ale

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Beer!

Another one from a recent Calandro's beer run... the Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale from North Coast Brewing Company.  This brewery is located in northern California, and not just San Francisco... Fort Bragg which apparently (I just checked some Google Earth) is much farther north.  That's damn near Oregon and Oregon makes some good beer, so that's a good sign.  They are probably best known for the Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, which I've tried before and will have to find again to feature on this blog sometime in the future.  But back to this beer...

I poured it from the corked 750ml bottle into a Chimay goblet... no head at all. Zero. That was really odd, as you can see in the picture from literally seconds after the pour. The color is a dark ruby red, almost brown. 

There's a good smell to it, herbal, a little pear and apple scents.

The taste isn't much like the smell upfront... hints of malts, then the fruit flavors come through and on the back end more malts with some hops as well. Pretty good, considering this one has almost no carbonation.  I obviously came across a flat bottle, total bummer... the flavor is still there but none of the character.  I've had this beer once before, on tap at the Flying Saucer in Little Rock, AR last year after the LSU/Arkansas game.  I remember it being a really good Belgian-style ale so I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt despite this disappointment.

Taste: B+

Value: B+  ($8.49 at Calandro's, good price for a 750ml bottle.)

On the notes of price, just imagine what you'd pay for a 750ml bottle of exceptional wine?  A lot more than $8.49 that's for sure, yet the same price on the same quantity of beer is often considered to be high.  Just something to think about next time you're picking up a few bombers or 6-packs.

Review: De Dolle Dulle Teve (Mad Bitch)

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Beer!

First off, I love the name.  Just say 'De Dolle Dulle Teve' real quick.  Kinda rolls off the tongue!  'De Dolle' is actually the name of the brewery, located in Esen, Belgium.  'Dulle Teve' is the name of the beer, which of course translates into 'Mad Bitch.'  I've had one of these before at the Cove and remember liking it a good bit, and Belgian Tripels are one of my favorite styles, so when I saw some at Calandro's, I figured it was time for another try. 

I poured this one from an 11.2 oz. bottle into a Chimay goblet... typical cloudy amber color with a ridiculous creamy frothy head. One of the biggest heads I've seen on a beer, especially in a goblet.  

Smells like sweet floral spices.. a hint of citrus, definitely some hops. Just like you want from a Belgian tripel.   The taste is more of the same, plus a hint of sweet caramel in there. Floral on the end of the sip, spicy and delicious.

A top notch tripel, but not my all-time favorite.

Taste: A

Value: B

Sorry for the delay between reviews... I've been trying to balance a low-calorie diet with the beer drinking since Thanksgiving, which isn't always easy.  I have a few more in the works that you should be seeing soon, including a Brooklyn Lager, Stone IPA, and a few more.

Until then, cheers!

Review: St. Bernardus Witbier & Abt 12

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Beer!

Alright, so as you may remember from a few posts back I picked up a two of each of these selections from the Belgian brewery St. Bernardus, which technically isn't a "Trappist brewery" because the brewing isn't done within the walls of a monestary, but nonetheless produces some of the world's finest Belgian ales.  On the last trip to Calandro's I picked up two of my favorites, the Witbier, and the Abt 12.

Starting with the St. Bernardus Witbier...

I poured it from a small 11.2 oz. bottle into a Castlemaine XXXX glass, stolen from a pub in Galway, Ireland after I wiped out their last keg of the XXXX Gold Lager beer.  While that's a different story it's important to note that despite this being a Belgian ale I didn't pour it into a typical goblet.  Witbiers (often referred to as white ales) are best out of a pint glass or other similar drinking vessel.  This particular witbier had a murky gold color, with a nice creamy white head. There was a lot of lacing as the head dissipated. 

The aroma is just what you would want in a Witbier... a strong smell of wheat, with hints of various fruits and spices. The taste follows that up very nicely, a hint of lemon, some banana, with some definite spice. Delicious. 

This one feels great in the mouth, and is one of the more drinkable beers I've had in a while. All in all, a superb and refreshing witbier.  It's no surprise that beeradvocate rates this one cumulatively as the best witbier available!  If you're looking to branch out into different beers this would be a fantastic starting point.

Now for the Abt 12... darker, bolder, and just as good!

 

Unlike the Witbier, this one is a Quad and deserves a goblet to release the aroma and flavors as the beer reacts with the oxygen.  The beer pours a tootsie-roll brown, with a one-finger creamy head. It took a while to dissipate and left a little lacing. Some creamy residue on the surface of the beer as well. 

The aroma is malty, a little sweet, hints of spice, and VERY inviting. I can't wait to dive in. The taste is more of the same, very well balanced with a smack of clove and other spice at the beginning and then a malty sweet taste as the beer goes down. This is the best St. Bernardus offering I've had yet... phenomenal.  No surprise again that beeradvocate users rank this one as the third best quad in existence, behind the Westvletern 12 (which you have to go to Belgium to find!) and the Rochefort 10.  Again, stateside, this one is going to be hard to beat.

So there you have it... two of the best beers in the world, that you can find on a shelf just down the street.  They aren't cheap, but totally worth it.

Witbier:

Taste: A

Value: A

Abt 12:

Taste: A+

Value A

And now I'm off to Lafayette for a tasting of some Parish Brewing beers... yum!

Beer run!

File this one under:

Beer run!

So... Saturday morning... and after Eusebio swung by last night to hang out and try some of the Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale I realized I was down to one fresh beer in the fridge.  Fresh in this case being one I haven't had a chance to review and post for you guys.  So... I needed to stock up on some new beers to get to over the coming weeks.

Sounds like a trip to Calandro's was in order, which was perfect because I also needed to get some bread so I could make sandwiches from my leftover turkey and I needed some chips and salsa for the LSU game this afternoon.  And it just so happens they have the best beer selection in town.  An opportunistic coincidence, I think.

So... here you go... this is what you can look forward to in the coming few weeks... a few old favorites that I haven't written about (St. Bernardus Abt 12 and the St. Bernardus Witbier) plus a handful of new beers to me.  A six-pack of McSorley's Pale Ale, bombers of Unibroue La Terrible, North Coast Brother Thelonius, North Coast La Merle Saison, and a bottle of De Dolle Dulle Teve.  So... look forward to reviews on these guys coming soon!

 

And my prediction?  LSU 24, Ole Piss 20

Review: Brasserie Des Rocs Grand Cru

File this one under: 

Beer!

Okay, this is another one from a beer run to Calandro's a while back.  Poured from a 16.9 oz. bottle into a Chimay goblet... not a lot of head in the glass, although it did foam over after popping the top. Very murky brownish color with a hint of red... looks like some sediment made it into this first pour too.

Sweet & spicy aroma, a little funk to it.  Typical Belgian yeast.

Definitely some trub in there... but otherwise the taste is pretty solid. Kinda like a spicy strong Belgian version of a milder brown ale like Sweetwater Georgia Brown or NOLA Brown. I like it surprisingly despite the rough sediment, even though I have a feeling this one was past its shelf-life.

To finish off the bottle I filtered it to see about getting the sediment out... sometimes a little sediment is a good thing but this one had huge chunks floating around.  Not cool.  Still pretty tasty but that extra step means I'd be pretty hesitant to buy this one again.  

Taste: B

Value: C ($9.99 for the bomber)

Some random BS thoughts... I loved the call to go for it for New England Sunday night, it gave them the best statistical chance to win.  Yet, most of the experts seem to think it was one of the worst calls ever.  I don't get it, the stats say that if they are in that spot again they should go for it again.  Sometime it doesn't work, but hey, to relate it to poker, if you're always going in the best odds of winning you should win more often than not.

Review: Fantôme Spéciale De Noel

File this one under:

Beer!

Picked up from Marcello's on Perkins... poured into a Chimay goblet from the large 750ml bottle.  Had to break out the wine opener for this one as you can see... most corked beer has more of a champagne style cork to it that can be pulled out easy but this one was a wine-style cork. 

As you can see... it poured a hazy dark orange color with an average sized creamy off-white head.  Looks good for sure.

A very floral aroma to this one... like sucking in through a wreath of roses. Nothing telling as far as hops or malt goes, but a typical Belgian style to it. 

The taste is different at first. Bitter and biting at first... a little bit of floral tastes at the end. Not exceptionally convincing either way. I'm just not feeling this one on the sips like I expected... disappointed would be the right word.

It's not BAD by any means... just not really a standout beer.  I'd had their Fantôme Hiver before and it was a real standout... look for that one over this one.

Taste: B

Value: C+ ($13.99 for the 750 ml.)

And some random thoughts... hooray for Veteran's Day!  Nothing like a random day off from work in the middle of the week.  The new Kent album came out... been listening for a few days now and it's fantastic.  If you can get over the Swedish lyrics, give it a listen. 

Review: Koningshoeven Quadrupel Trappist Ale

File this one under:

Beer!

I picked up a 4-pack of these from Macello's on that beer run a week or so back... I've had it before and enjoyed it so it was time for another round.  I poured the beer from an 11.2 oz. bottle into a Chimay goblet, any Belgian style goblet/tulip glass will work for Belgian ales.  It has a ruby red color to it with a thin off-white head that leaves some creamy residue on the surface of the beer.

The smell is just what you want in a Belgian quad... floral hops, spice, coriander, some definite fruit smells like apple and berries. Very well blended together.

The taste bring all those smells together... nothing overpowers the other flavors, or the strong 10% abv. The fruit probably comes out the most, with the brewing spices blended in. Mild hop profile but still there in small amounts. Just delicious, one of my all-time favorites.

There is definite carbonation, and the beer is lighter than dark stout or something along those lines but it still has a great mouthfeel to it. Easy to swish around a bit to pull out all the flavors, no bad aftertaste at all.

If it wasn't at 10% abv, I could drink these all night long!  It might have earned a spot in my top 10, fantastic beer.

Taste: A+

Value: B  ($13.99 for a 4-pack)

And... three random thoughts: Peterson's interception yesterday would have been good in the NFL, no clue what that replay official was thinking... there was still no guarantee that we would drive the field and score to take the lead, but after the FG and all the extra time off the clock we were pretty much dead.  I also hate that  'running into the kicker' rule... I can understand a defender should be able to dive into a kicker's plant-leg or just crush him after the kick is off, but just running into his kicking foot... that was weak.

Review: St. Sebastiaan Dark Ale

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Beer!

Picked up a bottle of this one at Marcello's the other day, I had had their Grand Reserve ale before and enjoyed it, so I figured I'd try another one.  St. Sebastiaan is out of Belgium, from a brewery that brews and markets under several brand names.  This one is considered to be a dubbel in style, which is typically one of my favorite styles of beer.

I like the packaging a lot, ceramic bottle with both a bottlecap and a rubber snap-plunger for saving some.  Problem is that it's only a pint bottle, not much to save here.  It would be far more useful on a liter bottle or 750ml bottle even.  Oh well, it's still a cool concept.

I poured the beer into a Chimay goblet, as should be done with any Belgian ale.  Not necessarily a Chimay goblet, but any sort of good beer goblet.  Glassware is pretty important for proper flavor, so when in doubt check out beeradvocate or another site for proper glassware recommendations.  Dark brown body with a large creamy head as can be seen above!  Certainly looks inviting.

Very fruity alcoholic aroma, hints of berries and a subtle bit of spice. Raisins come to mind.

The taste is more of the same, nothing too varied from what I smelled... very clean aftertaste. I'm betting this one gets even better as it warms up even more... just not too warm.  Belgian beers like this one are meant to be drank around 45 degrees or so.  Very little bitterness at any point in each sip.

A solid Belgian ale, but leaves a little to be desired.  At $7.49 for a pint, I can't see going back for more of these anytime soon.  While good, there are better beers to be had for the money.

Taste: B+
Value: C-
Avail.: B+ (I think the bigger beer retailers in our area will carry this one.)

Three random baseball thoughts... the people arguing like crazy for instant replay need to consider the consequences of reviewing a play where action continues afterwards.  Like the line drive to Howard last night... replays showed he missed it despite the out call on the field.  What happens if the correct call is made on replay there?  Everyone is safe?  Obviously had the correct call been made on the field right away Howard would have thrown to second immediately trying to turn two instead of taking a few steps towards first.  Or perhaps he continues on to first and gets the force there.  You can't just assume that the rest of the play would continue identically to how it did, and that's the problem with instant replay on a call involving a live ball.  I predicted Hairston Jr. as a surprise hero a few entries ago, and he got a start last night, getting the hit that led to a key insurance run for the Yankees.  It appears my favorite team, the Astros, have hired Mills as their new manager.  I don't know too much about him, but I hope the front office has the patience to give him a chance to succeed in the long run rather than run him out when he inevitably fails in the short-term with an aging team and depleted farm system.