The #2MugsBeerDraft Draft Grades Special

Another fantasy season, another season to set your board with prime hops and barley. That's right, it's the 2nd Annual #2MugsBeerDraft, and the heavy hitters came out to play. I'll be grading the "draughts" with a Beer Advocate elementary school grading system, and the draft below is listed as each "draughter" selected. Cheers.

 

 

1. @zach_law of zachlawonline.com- Our resident fantasy football interviewer, brought some strong picks to his draft, and peppered his roster with some sweet beer porn...which is always good.

Zach selected: Innis & Gunn, Corsendock Abbey Brown Ale, Dixie Blackened Voodoo, Fat Tire & Abita Strawberry. At first blush, a very strong draft for OL' Zachariah. Good balance of dark beers with some lighter fare and a fruity beer for good measure.

Hard to give this a tough grade, but then again I'm no mark. B+

 

 

2. @RotoPat of Rotoworld.com- Our good friend Pat was a tad distracted during the draft, in fact, he obliterated the rules by picking the wrong style right out of the gate, and thus forced the commish to frantically re-arrange the order, and chaos reigned. Babies were left naked and starving in the street, a sub species of lizard people rose up and took over the planet, and many of the drafters were left with broken crayons, hurriedly trying to reassess their "draught" boards. In any case, all was not lost, and we soldiered on...

Pat selected: Schafly Coffee Stout, K.C.'s Boulevard Wheat, The Indian Kingfisher, Budweiser (from the can) & Modelo.

Initially Pat was like the Mike Tice lead Vikings on Draft Day, not knowing what end is up, and letting time expire on the selection clock. However, he regrouped and turned in a decent draft...even if he farted his way through the last two picks. C-

 

 

3. @RyFo18 of 2mugsff.com- My p.i.c. knows his shit, even if he's too big of a pussy to enjoy a dark beer every now and then. In any case, I expected a strong showing, and he didn't disappoint...

Ryan selected: Ommegang Hennepin Farmhouse Saison, Founder's Brewing, Red's Rye PA, New Belgium's Snow Day, Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy, Lakefront's Fixed Gear.

Listen up, there are no bitches on this cell block. Forbes runs a tight yard, and these brews will take you "old country way" ala The Iron Sheik. I like, don't love Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy, only because I've had many other shandies since, and it's middle of the pack in this man's opinion. Even still, Forbes crushed. A

 

 

4. @BNQuinlan of the world famous Twitter Fantasy Roundtable- Brian Quinlan knows two things, (1) How to grow luxurious facial hair in epic proportions and (2) Beer. So it was no surprise that the Mighty Quinlan would come away with solid sud selections...

Brian selected: Orval Trappist Ale, Bell's Hopslam, Lagunita's Imperial Ale, Sam Adam's Utopia, & Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale.

I said he knows his beer, right? Not a bum in the lot, and this weirdo beardo even threw me a local bone with his Sam Adam's selection. He knows how to influence the Portuguese judges. A top three draft, and a playoff contender...no question. A

 

 

5. @4for4_Josh from 4for4.com- Josh is one of the most accurate and respected fantasy dorks out there, so he takes his brew seriously, and checks his barley stats and hops flow charts before he pulls the top off a pick...

Josh selected- Bell's Two Hearted Ale, Duck Rabbit Brew's Milk Stout, Terrapin Beer Co.'s Big Hoppy Monster, Busch Light?, & finally Cooper's Brewery Pale Ale.

I have to give our buddy Josh some shit here. He effed up the 2 Mugs hashtag on twitter, and added a 2nd "g" to "mugs," making it a royal pain in my Portuguese ass to follow his picks. Not to mention the disrespect he showed to the Godfather on the day of his daughter's wedding. Anyhooz, he still had a strong showing, albeit for the Busch Light goofball throw in. Overall, he pimped some nice brew. B-

 

 

6. @IHateJJRedick of iHateJJRedick.com- Big Phil Gentile has been a friend of the mugs for some time now, and he of course, loves his Maryland crab cakes with what else? Beer. Phil took his job seriously...until late in the draft, when he was penalized for an expired draft timer, and wound up with....

Phil selected- Sweetwater 420 Pale Ale, Heavy Seas Loose Cannon, Flying Dog Oyster Stout, Lagunita's Little Sumpin' Sumpin' & Zima ( this is where Phil fell asleep).

Started out strong for Phil and he sported some strong choices. Unfortunately, the "Zima" penalty is a draft killer. Like taking Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers. Sorry, big man. C-

 

 

7. @JeffRatcliffe of Rotoworld.com- Jeff is a serious beer head, and a tremendous IDP guru for Rotoworld. In both cases, he doesn't eff around. Pick after pick, Jeff's draft read like a page out of Beer Advocate. The man has mad hops, and barley...

Jeff selected- Russian River's Pliny the Elder, Lagunita's Wilco/Tango/Foxtrot, Troeg's Nugget Nectar, Bear Republic's Racer 5, Bell's Oberon Ale.

Homey don't play. Hell, even I horsed around with my two flex picks, but sincere suds head, Jeff, would have none of it. He played it straight, and came away with a Jerry Reese-like draft. Can't find fault with one pick. No bullshit. A+

 

 

8. @mschauf of draftsharks.com- If you followed Matt's twitter feed, you'd know he has his drinking under control...because he never seems to run out of beer. Matt is no slouch, a good palette for fine brew, he had a strong draft...

Matt selected- Strong's Lucky Bastard, Dogfish Head Burton Baton, Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale, & Ithaca Flower Power.

Another killer draft to follow Mr. Ratcliffe's. Matt had a nice selection of meaty brews, & rounded off his draft with a seasonal ale and an easy drinking local brew. Hard not to love this draft. A+

 

 

9. @Ftblsickness from Footballsickness.com- Longtime "athletic supporter" of the Mugs, Ryan Burns has a decided West Coast edge to his selections, and why not? Rep the home base I always say, and California, Nevada and Oregon make some fine brew...

Burns selected- Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barley Wine, Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Guinness Stout, The Brewhouse Nevada Pale Ale.

This is a strong draft, but still very much a regional draft (with the exception of Guinness). So as much as I love his selections, there are a few that are out of reach for most of the country. That said, he had a solid draft. B+

 

 

10. @DLFootball of DynastyLeagueFootball.com- Eric Dickens proves that as the draft moves along, it doesn't necessarily get weaker. I knew Eric loved his micro brew, but some of his selections exceeded expectation...

Eric selected- Unibroue's La Fin Du Monde, Chimay Blue, Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout, Boulevard's Two Joker's Double Wit, & Ommegang's 3 Philoshophers.

Maybe I'm a softy for Chimay Blue and bow at the alter of Ommegang, but Eric got it right. It's no wonder he's a dynasty football guru, because he built a solid foundation of draft day brew here. A

 

 

11. @EyeOfTheGator of DynastyLeagueFootball.com- Our buddy Gator was ready and willing for this draft, providing quality beer porn for each subsequent selection. I think his draft trailed off a bit, but in the end it was solid...

Gator selected- Blue Point Hoptical Illusion, Troeg's Hopback Amber, Yuengling Black & Tan, Birra Moretti La Rossa, Pyramid Breweries Apricot Ale.

Always good to see a Troeg's offering in any draft, and of course Blue Point is always "on point." Okay with the black & tan selection, but bump any beer with apricots in it, leave that shit for baby food. B-

 

 

12. @RumfordJohnny of 2mugsff.com- Hey! I know that asshole! Wait, that's me, never mind. In any case, I await Ryan Forbes grade on my draft, as it would be super douchey for me to slap a gold star on this fucker...

Rummy selected- Goose Island "Matilda," Scottish Midnight Sun Porter, Ruckus Brewing's Hoptimus Prime, Sam Adam's Porch Rocker, & Narragansett Lager.

Forbes' Grade- What a brutal draft for the reigning champ. Ok, all kidding aside Johnny had a very strong showing. The superstar of this lineup was the Goose Island “Matilda” pick. Now I have to rush to the beer store to pick up a 6-pack pronto. The other 4 are unfortunately beers I’ve never tried, but I (like everyone else should be) will be making it a priority to locate these gems. The “Porch Rocker” might be the greatest name for a beer ever, and I have now been inspired to sit on my porch all day and get rocked. Strong showing from Johnny here: A.

 

Well, that wraps up this year's Beer Draft. Thanks to everyone who participated, be sure to check out their beer selections, and of course their websites and musings on Twitter. Cheers!