Beers and Baseball Cards on a Friday Night

Topps Chrome is a product that I don't get too excited about. I'll pick up a couple blasters and that's about it. This year I didn't plan on buying any, but reached out on twitter asking thoughts on this year's retail.

An overwhelming positive response had me excited to grab a few blasters this weekend. So, after work Friday I stopped at Target, and the distributor must have just been there. The card section was fully stocked and faced beautifully.

There were several boxes and packs of Chrome and I bought five blasters. Being a Friday, I hopped across the street to my favorite liquor store to buy a six pack.

Rewind six years ago and I was working in the Athletics department at Western Illinois University. I travelled with football and men's basketball so I would get to try various craft beers in many states.

One such trip brought the Leathernecks to Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama. The hotel bar had a delicious sounding stout on tap called Moo-Hoo by Terrapin Brewing based out of Georgia. It was an amazing beer, and something to this day six years later I still speak fondly about.

The glass of Moo-Hoo set me back $10.50, wiping out my entire $10 per diem for the day. Perusing the Terrapin website I was disappointed to find Tennessee was the nearest state it distributed. For the next five years I would check occasionally to see if distribution had reached any closer. Alas, it was still cornered in the southeast and I gave up hope.

Here's a description of the Moo-Hoo chocolate milk stout from the Terrapin website:

CHOCOLATE MILK STOUT About the Beer: Dark brown to black in color. Aromas of dark chocolate. Dark roasted malt flavor with hints of caramel and chocolate, rounded out by a sweet, creamy finish.

And then! Already beaming with blasters of Topps Chrome in the car, there was a brewery handing out samples at my favorite Steve's Liquor location. Each Friday afternoon, they host a craft brewery with samples. Could it be? Was that a turtle on this guy's shirt? A Terrapin???

It was! Terrapin is now in Wisconsin! I chatted with the Terrapin rep for about 10 minutes and tried a sample of each of the five beers on hand. Unfortunately, they were either IPA's or sours. Neither of which I enjoy. He did say Moo-Hoo would be released in September. The Hopsecutioner was the least hoppy of what I tried, so I had to give Terrapin my business.