FMGC 2013 - Planning, Roster, Suggestions, Invites

@MrMalachiCrunch:

Can we at least have the tank tow an old couch or something that we can ride on as well?  Riding on the actual tank is going to require a lottery system because it’s going to be one oversubscribed event!

That would be hilarious!  What I wouldnt give to see that.
I’m going to imagine the tank rides (if possible) will be a paid thing as well.

@variance:

can we shoot the gun?

They tried to get the permits together to fire the gun at last years event but it was a no go (just imagine the red tape required to fire a round from the tank, even if it’s a blank, next to an Airport AND a residential neighbourhood.  Now multiply that red-tape by over 9000!).  It would be very cool though.

Maybe we can get a display of more than just the Sherman and a couple of trucks?  Then again, all of this also costs money which FMG put out last year.  I can’t remember the actual cost but it’s not cheap.

FIRE THE TANK….then run like hell back to the games and deny everything
I wonder if they would pull us behind the tank on sleds, or wagons, build a jump and a puddle, and a flaming ring (to jump threw) day dreaming again

How about if we chip in and buy some fireworks and use the barrel of the tank gun as the launcher.  Call it a Canada Day thing or a July 4 thing for our American friends.  You know, make sure its all perfectly legal.  Then we get some Russian civilians and line them up against a wall and…… never mind.

Let’s drive off with the tank and sell it on e-bay…. that should get FMG out of the red.

Its closing in on the 1 yr date of last years game event in Oshawa… Does any one have a clue if its offical yet?  Where do I sign up
I’m lookin forward to that vacation

@suprise:

Its closing in on the 1 yr date of last years game event in Oshawa… Does any one have a clue if its offical yet?   Where do I sign up
I’m lookin forward to that vacation

The FMGC date has been pushed to the late summer 😞

Here are the dates I cannot attend:

April 5-6 (Greg’s Spring Gathering XI)
June 28-30 (Attending a wedding)
July 3-5 (Short vacation)
July 26-28 (Beer Bloggers Conference, Boston)
August 15-18, 2013 (GenCon, Indianapolis)
August 30 - October 6 (Attending a wedding some time during this time period, I’ll update to a single weekend when I have that info)
October 10-12 (Great American Beer Festival, Denver)

If folks are willing to wait until late October, the largest cask beer festival in North American (maybe the world) occurs in Toronto. Personally, as a beer writer, I’d love to see overlap with that event.

Also, I would suggest not doing this during American and Canadian holidays. Travel by car or plane is generally more expensive or more troublesome during holidays and might affect attendance.

@Gargantua:

I’m definetly a fan of the Oct 12th to 15th (Sat to Mon) Range.

I would miss the first day :-(

But Denver -> Toronto would be easier than SF -> Toronto.

djensen, you’re a beer writer eh?  A friend of mine whom I used to play A&A with is a brewmaster.  Perhaps if you have time you might peruse:

http://www.niagaracollegebeer.ca/content/Home/Brewmaster.aspx

@djensen

If I knew you were a beer writer, I would never have recomended an Alexander Kieth when we were at Jack Asters, but in my defense they didn’t have a great selection. Even though small micro breweries here in Canada make great beer, you can’t find it easily, and comercial Canadian domestic beer is only great when compared to American beer. The Germans make the best comercial beer, however, Canadian rye wiskey is better than Russian Vodka, American brandy or even French wine.

As the slogan goes “those who like it, like it a lot”., but the truth is… it’s not very good. When I did drink beer, it was always Stella or Hieniken.

@Young:

@djensen

If I knew you were a beer writer, I would never have recomended an Alexander Kieth when we were at Jack Asters, but in my defense they didn’t have a great selection. Even though small micro breweries here in Canada make great beer, you can’t find it easily, and comercial Canadian domestic beer is only great when compared to American beer. The Germans make the best comercial beer, however, Canadian rye wiskey is better than Russian Vodka, American brandy or even French wine.

If you consider the fact that the Boston Beer Company is now the largest American owned brewery, I like to consider that “American beer” is now only craft beer (aka microbrews). Therefore, American beer is now the best in the world. :wink: It’s high quality, innovative, aggressive, delicate. American breweries make traditional beer and also create brand new styles: Double IPA, Black IPA, White IPA, Belgo-IPA (there’s a trend here). Some of the sour beer by American breweries rival even those made in Belgium.

Now my whole argument falls apart the minute you add Bud, Miller, Coors into the equation. And I think we were talking about large commercial breweries. In that case, yes, there is a lot of great German beer that might be considered commercial. I don’t like Becks but I do think Steigel [sic] is fantastic.

As for Canada, I was very impressed by the growing movement in Toronto to advocate cask beer.

Who knew? Our founder is a true renaissance man. We’ve got a pretty good craft brewery here in Niagara Falls called Taps (22 cent wings on Wednesdays) Big commercial places in Canada are almost as bland as they are in the States and I think the whole CDN vs. US beer debate refers to those ones, our shitty beer is better than your shitty beer, basically The only big namer in the States I like better than any of our biggies is Sam Adams. As far as whiskey goes, taking Celtic stuff out, I’ll take Makers Mark over every Canadian whisky but then it’s a long list of Canadians with Crown Royal being at the bottom. Anyone saying it’s a good whisky instantly loses credibility with me. Junk. Jim Beam is at the very bottom and second worst is Crown.

Thank you for the renaissance man compliment.