Last week in this space, I relished the prospect that the Green Bay Packers might distract us from the predations of winter at least until Feb. 6 and Super Bowl XLV. This they achieved with their victory over the Chicago Bears last Sunday. Next stop Dallas to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Jerry Jones' billion-dollar football palace. Considering the playoff history between the Packers and the Dallas Cowboys, a Green Bay fan can only say, "How delicious!"
The intervening two weeks before the actual day can be a long time to breathe in the pre-game hype. Fortunately, the good folks of Madison, Wis., will not have to subsist on fumes until then. We have the Isthmus Beer & Cheese Fest this Saturday, Jan. 29, 1-5 p.m., at the Alliant Energy Center to sustain us.
This is, of course, the follow-up to last year's wildly popular inaugural event. This year, over 70 exhibitors will offer hundreds of beers and cheeses for your sampling enjoyment. There will also be a few other exhibitors of specialty products like cured meats and ice cream. We've even got some beer press on hand, as I notice Beer Connoisseur Magazine as a registrant.
To see who's signed up so far for IB&CF, visit our website, TheDailyPage.com, and click on the fest logo to see the list of exhibitors and sponsors, and other helpful information such as the special Union Cab deal. You can also find plenty of info on the full-page ad on page 5, including where to buy tickets.
Wednesday's New York Times profiles the Greenfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh, which happens to be Packers coach Mike McCarthy's home ground. (Full disclosure: I was born in New Eagle, Pa., 20 miles south of Pittsburgh, and the Monongahela Valley is replete with my relatives.) The story around the 'hood is that they can't lose. Homeboy and home team are on either end of the contest, and it's win-win for Greenfield.
I'm happy for them. But then again, they don't have Beer & Cheese. We do. How delicious!
