Colorado vs. WSU basketball: Baxter's Beer of the Game

Baxter the Dog is a generous guy, and he is stepping aside for WSU's matchup with Colorado to let his roommate Boycat take center stage. It was a nice thing to do, considering Boycat just had to spend the holidays alone, with only a friend coming to visit every other day. Sometimes being independent has its downsides.

For a little background on the fluffball you see in the picture above, he is a Manx. That means he doesn't have a tail, just a little bob on his back. He also has blue eyes with a white coat. Many that look like him have health problems as kitties, but he is strong and had no such issues.

Despite his big city look, Boycat was actually born in a barn behind my girlfriend's parents' house. He was a graduation gift for her way back in 2007, and he has traveled the country from Seattle to Nashville to Vermont with us ever since.

So what about his weird name? Well, he was named Chloe for the first six months of his life. He went to the vet for shots, but they never disputed his name. His fluffiness also hid the obvious signs that would indicate his male-ness.

When he was six months old, we took him to the Humane Society in Bellevue to get spayed. We dropped him off in the morning, and they told us he would be kept overnight. My girlfriend was sad and wished he could come home sooner.

After dropping him off, we went to grab some breakfast. As we sat eating our food, the girlfriend got a phone call. It was the vet. They were telling her that we could indeed pick him up that afternoon. Why? Because he didn't need to be spayed, he needed to be neutered.

After much debate over his new name, we decided to go with Boycat. Now, no one will ever confuse his sex. On to the beer.

This week's selection is a limited edition from Dogfish Head called Hellhound On My Ale (and yes, you can get it on the West Coast). This beer was brewed in honor of blues musician Robert Johnson. It keeps with the 100 theme, boasting 100 IBUs in the brewhouse (58 in the bottle), 10 percent ABV, 100 percent Centennial hops. They also added lemon to give it a little more citrus.

Craig's review: The aroma is full of citrus. From the Centennial hops to the lemon, the citrus smell certainly dominated the nose. At first taste, it is mostly hops with a hint of lemony freshness. Thanks to the higher alcohol content, there is quite a bit of malty sweetness to sort of balance the beer.

The malt and hops don't quite balance each other, but sort of take center stage at different times on the tongue. The lemon gives it sort of a refreshing quality that wouldn't typically be found in such a heavy beer. Overall, a quality beverage that is sure to have you feeling good, and please your palette along the way.

Boycat's review: I love any liquid that humans consume out of glasses. I stalk the water glasses on their bedsides at night, dipping my nasty cat litter paw to claim them as my own. I usually do this to get attention.

As for the beer, it was good. I pretty much will eat anything, including the strings on mini-blinds and plastic ties, so I'm not sure if you should take my opinion at face value. Also, meow, meow, meow, meow.

That is what Boycat, Baxter and I will be enjoying. What will you be having on this Saturday evening? What sort of good beverages have you tried lately? Let us know in the comments.