I went with my wife to a 40th anniversary that was being held for her parents at a local German restaurant late last week. Before being seated I had to use the men’s room (it’s part of the story – stay with me). Much to my surprise, when I returned to my seat my darling wife, without prompting, had already ordered me a beer. Now that, my friends, is love. But would she really know what to order? Had she considered the schnitzel that I came for, or the double order of fried home potatoes that awaited my palate?
My weisse (wheat) bier arrived in a tall, frosted glass, not unlike the tall frosted horse Andrew Luck rode into Indianapolis. With about a one-inch foam head, and slightly pale amber colour, my mouth was watering at the prospect of the first gulp – usually my favourite. It was spectacular. And what made it better was that it was the perfect complement to the German feast on my plate.
Hacker-Pschorr Hefe Weisse, while quite an elaborate name for most who are unfamiliar with it, is certainly a tried and true weisse bier from Deutschland. The clear shot of orange zest and cloves is like a punch in the face – very refreshing. And what’s more is the slightly sweet banana-like finish. Delicious beer. I’ve had several hefe’s lately, but this, so far, is the best. The manner in which my beer arrived was unexpected in that I didn’t order it specifically. Andrew Luck on the other hand, was anything but unexpected.
Fans have been waiting for the former Stanford quarterback to make his way into the NFL for an eternity. There was much speculation leading to the 2011 NFL Draft concerning whether he would try his Luck (horrible, horrible pun) with big-league football. When he opted for a victory lap at Stanford, the “Luck watch” was on. Which team was crappy enough to warrant this blue chip pivot. The Colts, as you know, turned out to be the crappiest of the crappy, proving that one player does not a good team make. It came as little surprise to anyone with any semblance of football IQ that the Colts took him with the first overall pick. RGIII is good, great in fact, but he’s not Peyton reincarnated. Andrew is. When life hands you lemons (a horrendous 2011 record), you make lemonade (an improved 2012 record). Or, apparently you can also make Hacker-Pschorr as I noted a hint of lemon peel in the finish.
In fact, Luck was so Peyton-like in his debut last week that he went out and threw a 63-yard pass for a touchdown on his first drive (relax, I know he had help). He was 10 of 16, with two of those 6 incompletions being throw-aways, and three being dropped balls. Oh, and how about a rating of 146? I get it, it’s preseason, but so what? These were still his first NFL game situations. He still had to read the defence. He still had to the throw the ball with reasonable accuracy. He still had to abandon the pocket when it closed. Okay, let’s not read into things too much, afterall, we have a long season ahead of us. Let’s just say Andrew Luck, so far, has lived up to the hype and call it a day, okay?
So just as I anxiously, painfully awaited my Hacker-Pschorr, so too have Colts fans waited for Andrew Luck. Last week he rode his steed, leading the Colts (see the whole “horse” theme I’m going with? Brilliant, no?) into battle against the Rams. Much like my first incredibly satisfying gulp of weisse bier at this German tavern, my last gulp was equal to the task. And just as my last gulp was equal to the task, so was Andrew Luck.
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