Praise for the Franklin Township Police Department, of Somerset, NJ!

We at the BK Club would like to give special recognition to the Franklin Township Police Department located in Somerset, NJ for their dedicated and selfless work for the community. It is through our personal experience and observation that we can attest that the FTPD lives up to and goes beyond their mission statement; which is:

"to protect and enhance the quality of life ... to promote a safe and secure environment, free from crime and the fear of crime, for all who live, work or visit our community ... while maintaining public peace and order through fair, impartial enforcement of the law ... and challenging the future with a spirit of optimism and innovation."

It is always a pleasure for the BK Club to share the back porch at Bobby's on Saturday mornings with the FTPD. It gives us an opportunity to get to know and eat alongside Franklin's Finest. Keep up the good work. You have our unwavering support and hope we continue to see the Franklin Township Police Department on Saturday mornings at Bobby's.

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The 4th week of the BK weight loss program has arrived and all of the six entrants have voluntarily weighed in on the official BKWRP scale. It appears that we are all moving in the right direction, however, anyone who says "it's not about winning, it's about getting healthy" is serving up a load of garbage. It's all about winning!

The BKWRP committee has approved a proposal by BC-2 to invest $100 of entry fees collected in a single box of a Super Bowl grid pool. Should the box return any winnings, the winner of the BKWRP is entitled to those winnings. If the box fails to return any winnings, the winner will be awarded the $20 remaining from the entry fees collected. This proposal was received far better than the other proposal by BC-2 which was to punish contestants if they did not reach a specified threshold. Although I do admire the creativity of BC-2, it does suggest a high level of intimacy with gambling. This has some members in the BK Club concerned. 

BC-6 - This new proposal was instituted without your consent but we all felt you would be ok with the prospect of increased winnings.   

Please note, I have gone to great lengths to protect the identity of all plus-size BK members. 

Key:
BKWRP - Breakfast Club Weight Reduction Program
BC-x - Beauty Contestant

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BK Public Service Announcement: A large imposing man was seen getting into a luxury SUV in a local school parking lot. Witnesses have stated he was somewhat disheveled, dressed rather haggardly and was prone to excessive profanity. The perpetrator was observed pressing buttons on the dashboard in an attempt to start the vehicle when the owner of the car appeared. A confrontation ensued but the owner of the vehicle was able to diffuse the situation without any violence. The perpetrator then quickly jumped into a strikingly similar luxury SUV and sped away while shouting out the window, "I'm in the BK Club. We don't steal cars."

BK Members & family - Please be aware of your surroundings and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. The BK Club does not, in any way, condone this type of behavior. If it is shown that a BK Club member was in fact involved, the situation will be handled internally. 

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There has been talk of the BK Club producing a podcast about who we are and what we do but talks seemed to have come to a halt. Discussions were going fine until the subject came up about who's voice would be more suited for a podcast. The first arm to go up was the BK member who claims to be the best bus driver in the group as well the best plumber. I can vouch for the plumbing claim but have no veracity for the bus driving claim. This may be a project that will take some time to develop.

All Roads Lead to The Ruck

If you like craft beer, you must get to The Ruck.
#GetRuckedTroy, #EnjoyTroy, #CraftBeer

From my home in Somerset, NJ, the Adirondack Park is about 350 miles north located in "upstate" New York. This is a trip I have made countless times before and it can be rather boring and monotonous. I can recite from memory all the landmarks that I pass along the way as I drive north. I first cross Route 78, then Route 80, Route 23, and then pass through Mahwah before crossing the state line at my hometown of Suffern, New York. Then it's on to Harriman, New Paltz, Kingston, Woodstock, Catskill, Albany, Troy, and on and on and on. It's not a trip I specifically look forward to but the reward has always been an outdoorsmen's paradise at the end of the line. Mid-way between my home and the Adirondacks, I discovered a craft beer lovers paradise called The Ruck, which has made my 5-hour trip something to look forward to.

The Ruck, located in Troy, NY in an urban barn of a building, is advertised as the "Capital District's Premier Craft Beer Destination" and with good reason. Owned by David Gardell, The Ruck derives its name from the sport of Rugby. In the parlance of rugby, a ruck is a tightly packed group of people contesting for the ball. Well, if you find yourself contesting to find a warm and hospitable place that serves some of the best craft beer in the North East, get over to The Ruck. As I walk in the door, I am immediately hit with the aroma that only an old bar with character could have; the kind of character that a bar acquires after years of serving up good food and drink to locals and travelers alike. Tap handles decorate the ceiling in between old wooden beams and exposed ductwork, longboard shuffleboard is in the back and an open view kitchen is off to the side. The weathered wooden floors creak and crackle under my shoes as they have been doing for decades to the high and the low of Troy society. On any given day you may find tradesman, gamblers, politicians, students and faculty from RPI, families celebrating birthdays, lawyers, rugby players, yoga practitioners, and more. It is commonplace to see employees of The Ruck on their day-off eating, drinking, and celebrating. The staff makes a point of assuring all are welcome and all are comfortable.

Mr. Gardell appears to have done a masterful job of hiring people who share the same passion he has for serving quality craft beer. Under his direction, a handful of employees have achieved Level 1 Cicerone certification. Cicerone certification is to the beer world what Sommelier certification is to the wine world.  It recognizes those certified as highly knowledgeable in selecting, acquiring and serving beer. It is no small task to understand and be familiar with the many styles, flavors, and nuances of craft beer. Dave is currently pursuing advanced Cicerone certification which has only awarded two certifications in New York and twenty-seven worldwide.

When I find myself in craft beer bar, I want to be educated on what is on tap and all the little details of the beer and its properties. For instance, what is the ABV(alcohol by volume), IBU(International Bitterness Unit), what style is the beer, is the beer hoppy, how is it selling, what is the bitterness, etc. At most other purported craft beer bars, I don't get a sufficient answer. At The Ruck, I get my answer and much more. I asked Mr. Gardell to explain exactly what IBU is and he did an AP Chemistry brain dump on me and explained on a molecular level how a beer gets its bitterness. Dave and his staff have a very high understanding of craft beer.

At last count, The Ruck was serving beer from 28 taps, 11 bottled, and 13 canned beers. Although the list of beers is constantly changing, the selection is often representing the best breweries from across the United States, Canada, and Europe. A quick glance of the taps reveals beers from Hill Farmstead and Van Trapp breweries from Vermont, Brooklyn, Six Point, and Newburgh breweries from New York, Allagash and Main breweries from Maine, Founders All Day from Michigan, and Kulmbacher Kapuziner Weissbier from Germany just to name a few. On occasion, they will have a "Tap Takeover" which is a promotional event where most or all of the bar's taps will be pouring different beers from the same brewery.

It's worth noting, The Ruck always seems to have one or more offerings from the Hill Farmstead Brewery. Hill Farmstead is part of what I call the holy trinity of Vermont Craft Breweries that include The Alchemist, Lawsons Finest Liquids, and Hill Farmstead. All three breweries are making world class beer but distribute mainly in the state of Vermont only. For The Ruck to serve beer from any one of these breweries is quite the score.

While I was at The Ruck, I also had a delicious lunch consisting of Deviled Eggs, Buffalo Wings and Fried Pork Belly with Lime and Sour Orange Mojo. The Executive Chef, Rachel Mabb, educated at the Culinary Institute of America, is serving food that matches up real well with the eclectic character of The Ruck. The usual pub fare of burgers, wings, flatbreads, grilled sandwiches(chicken, meat, fish), and salads are available, But, you will also find Singapore Noodles, Empanadas, Falafels, and a wide assortment of vegan offerings. It seems apparent that the servers behind the kitchen have the same passion as the servers behind the bar.

Do yourself a favor and get to The Ruck! Tell them the Bauer boys sent you.

The Ruck
104 3rd St
Troy, NY 12180

#ShowerBeer - #beentheredonethat

Arrived at Bobby's: Sat, Jan 14, 2017 @7:30 AM.
#SecureThePorch: Accomplished
#ShowerBeer: #beentheredonethat

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The Breakfast Club prides itself on being up to date on sophistication and the finer things in life and because of that, I have an obligation to share the latest in the world of craft beer. There is a beer that is about to take the nation by storm and it is called Shower Beer. Created by PangPang, a one man Swedish Brewery, Shower Beer was designed specifically to be consumed while taking a shower. The beer is heavy on hops with a citrussy, soapy, and herbal profile. Founder/brewer, Fredrik Tunedal, has commented "the idea for a Shower Beer is a universal thing. Looking through the hashtag #showerbeer, it's easy to see that people all over the world love that feeling of a hot shower and an ice cold beer." He was not the first to come up with the concept of drinking a beer while taking a shower, however, he may be the first to brew a beer specifically for drinking while taking a shower. Shower Beer is distributed in 6 oz bottles and has a 10% ABV(Alcohol by Volume); the perfect size for a 10 minute shower. But, there is more...the beer recipe was designed to be used as a conditioner as well. Am I the only one who is thinking of the word "Genius"? Why would someone want to drink a beer in the shower?...you may ask?

1. Save time
2. Shower, beer, pee all in one
3. Stimulate a little romance while showering with a friend
4. Brings a little excitement to an otherwise boring task
5. All great stories always start with a beer(have you ever heard of a great story starting with a salad?)

Can anyone else think of a reason for drinking a beer in the shower???

If anyone reading this blog has any selfies of drinking beer in the shower, you may forward them to me and I will include them in a future blog.

I would like to point out that generations of Bauer's have been drinking beer in the shower for centuries...dating way back to the Bauer clan in Bavaria.

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Steve B. - Happy Birthday! It's not often I find myself down your end of the table like I did this past Saturday but, it was exciting to talk to another hard core conservative. Discussions down your end of the table seem to be a bit more cerebral. The great Ted Bruchalski from Don Bosco would be proud of us. 

Brother Al - It's a joy to have you back in New Jersey for a while. I know you must anguish over the decision to stay down in Florida during winter or come back to New Jersey and spend time with the Breakfast Club. We always have a seat waiting for you. I found our conversation regarding stretching,  yoga, and health to be very helpful. You set the standard in the Breakfast Club for all things having to do with health........and Brooklyn...the borough that is.

Say the word Jim if you need a partner in the ginseng farm you were talking about. Retirement is still a good many years away but this may be the job I need to bridge the gap. I sure don't mind getting my hands dirty and I know you don't mind slopping around in the mud.  

Can somebody please explain to me why a painting depicting the tragedy that unfolded in Ferguson, MO, which portrays policeman as pigs, is hanging in the Capital building? Don't tell me it's a first amendment issue either. Nobody wants to legislate what art people produce but the first amendment does not give license to hang vile, offensive and hurtful art that fails to depict history in our nation's capitol. Our own Attorney General and Justice Department stated "the facts do not support the filing of criminal charges" against the officer in question. This painting does not reflect reality. In the same way, it would not be acceptable to hang a painting making a mockery of the Holocaust or slavery. Shouldn't Washington be making an effort to improve race relations in America? I am finding myself asking "what am I missing here" so often lately.

Who wouldn't want a pint of Ass Clown Stout?

Arrived at Bobby's: Sat, Jan 7, 2017 @7:35 AM.
#SecureThePorch: Accomplished

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Big Jim - Thanks for the Craft Beer playing cards you gave me. The cards are themed with craft beer and celebrate 53 different Brewmasters. Each of the 53 breweries is profiled on the card faces and celebrated for embodying the spirit of American entrepreneurship. While many craft breweries are noted for having unique names, such as Dog Fish Head, Turtle Anarchy, Belching Beaver, etc., I did find a very strange brewery name in the deck and that is Ass Clown Brewing Company out of North Carolina. According to Matt Glidden, the founder, he had a friend that used the term ass clown very often and "it became burnt into his skull. Why does a name of a brewery have to be so serious". Who wouldn't want to drink a pint of Ass Clown Stout. I have to get down to North Carolina some day to give this place a visit.

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 The BKWRP committee has turned down a proposal by BC-2 to levy a $20 fee against any BKWRP contestant who has not lost a pre-determined amount of weight by Week 4. Initially, I was against this proposal but was warming up to it with a 1-pound per week threshold. However, BC-1 was dead set against it as was BC-4. BC-1's reasoning was, "Hey guys, I'm just trying to lose a few pounds here".  BC-4's reasoning was, "My home scale is stuck on the metric setting so I don't think that would work for me". Please note, I have gone to great lengths to protect the identity of all plus-size BK members. Wait...that's all BK members...not named Al or Mike.

Key:
BKWRP - Breakfast Club Weight Reduction Program
BC-x - Beauty Contestant

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Congratulations to Ryan Hagerty on winning the College Football pool. You started out with modest success and had a big spike mid-way through the bowl season and went on to hold off the Widdoss boys. Second and third place will be decided in the championship game between Alabama and Clemson. If Alabama wins, Zach and Patrick Widdoss will get 2nd and 3rd place. If Clemson wins, Tim Hagerty gets 2nd place and Zack and Rick Cooper will share 3rd place. Congratulations to Steve B. for falling under the BK rule and getting your $25 back. It is not often that one gets money back at the BK club.

There has been some talk of raising the BK monthly dues to increase our lottery winnings. If I'm not mistaken, last year's winnings totaled $51 with an investment of $770....or something close to that. I'm all for 'doubling down' but I like to double down when we are winning. If we increase our winnings fourfold we are still losing $500 on a $770 investment. But wait, it's all going to education...talk about a good laugh.

All of the local Super Bowl box pools are starting to fill up rather quickly. The money that was changing hands this morning would have made Bernie Madoff blush.

Mike H. - Happy Birthday. The rules are, if anyone wishes you a Happy Birthday, it must be noted on the blog. To fail to do so would be disrespectful. Hey - I don't make the rules.

Coach Connelly - It's nice to see your new hip is healing well. You should be good for a while with all the replacements you've had the last couple of years. Is there anything else you're looking to get replaced? Let me know if you need any suggestions?

Lets Kick The Crap out of 2017!

Arrived at Bobby's: Sat, Dec 31, 2016 @7:35 AM.
#SecureThePorch: Accomplished - The porch was secured by Coach Tom who slipped in the door a minute before I did. The enthusiasm for what the new year may bring is upon us.

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The New Year is here and for the Breakfast Club, that means it is time to dream about the glorious past and the endless opportunities of the future. There was the winning shot in the high school championship basketball game, the touchdown scored against the cross-town rival in the annual Thanksgiving Day game and the come from behind victory in the final wrestling match of an illustrious career all to ear-shattering applause by fandom. Of course, none of these things ever actually happened but the Breakfast Club never lets the facts get in the way of a good story. Well, that's enough reflection for now and it's never good to dwell on the past anyway. It's time to dream of the endless opportunities of the future....and dream of losing weight.

All portly members of the Breakfast Club have banded together and have come up with a plan to lose weight. The official weight loss program of the Breakfast Club is called the BKWRP - i.e. the Breakfast Club Weight Reduction Program. The program commenced on Sat, Dec 31 and will extend for 10 weeks terminating on Sat Mar 11, 2017. A Weight Watchers endorsed digital scale will be provided by Rick on the 1st, 4th, 8th, and final week to record progress. All beauty contestants were weighed in with the following stipulations:

Normal casual attire is to be worn
All pockets shall be empty
No footwear or jewelry are allowed
Only a tee-shirt to be worn above the waist

To make the prospect of losing weight more attractive, a $20 entry fee will be charged to all participating members in the BKWRP. The person who loses the most weight, as a percentage of their starting weight, will receive all  BKWRP fees collected.

It should be noted that an anonymous BKWRP participant has suggested additional financial incentives ensuring a successful weight loss program such as charging a fee for not reaching a particular threshold. We can make this suggestion final on Saturday at the BK Club. However, what this tells me is the anonymous participant is feeling good about having a Bacon Cheese Burger without the bun. It is going to take a lot more than that to win this epic contest. Bring it on!!!

Due to concern over identification of overweight Breakfast Club members, anonymity has been requested to protect all plus-size contestants. So, going forward, all contestants shall be referred to as BC-1, BC-2, etc., with BC standing for Beauty Contestant.

Although there appears to be some question over who came up with the name 'BKWRP - Breakfast Club Weight Reduction Program', I have it in my head that it was Kim R. How it got in my head, I have no idea. But that doesn't matter. As the saying goes, "Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story". So, Kim, I thank you. To think that we were going to call it the 'WLC - Weight Loss Contest'... how pedestrian!!!

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Mike H. - Happy Birthday! This is the 3rd week in a row you are receiving birthday wishes. Whew! Will it ever end? By the way, who is that creepy guy sitting to your left? I was only a few seats away and I don't recognize him.

College Football Bowl Update - Ryan H. continues to dominate with the Rick & the Widdoss boys in close contention. Although I am no longer 'in the conversation' for winning, I do hope that a BK member or family member wins.

Go Trojans!!! Beat that state school from Pennsylvania with the arrogant, delusional and stupid fan base.

#SecureThePorch
#BKWRP
#LetsKickTheCrapOutof2017