Game 32: A 109–104 loss to the Bucks… featuring NoDa’s Hoppy Holidays

Of course, we enter the Christmas season with a disappointing fourth quarter loss.

No. No no no no no no no.

I fell off the wagon a bit after this game… though I guess on a beer blog, that might not be an appropriate phrase to use. The gut-wrenching frustration I felt at the end of the fourth quarter was just too much to take going into the Christmas season, so I signed off for a bit. I’m back now (in early January) to catch up a bit, using some notes.

That said, the Hornets were thoroughly depressing to end 2017, not what I hoped for when the season started, and not what I hoped for when I started this Buzz City Brews concept.

And yet, here we are. At least the beer has been good…

Looking back on it, the game didn’t exactly age well either.

Charlotte led by as many as 12 halfway through the third quarter, but the game was back and forth throughout, and with two and a half minutes left, Buzz City was up 104–100 on the road. Then, in an all-too-familiar move that did not exactly scream happy holidays to the faithful, the Hornets imploded and went scoreless for the remainder, allowing the Bucks to finish the game on a 9–0 run and secure a five point victory.

Kemba getting hurt in the fourth and missing the final minutes certainly didn’t help matters, but the team’s collapse was inexcusable… and led to a good holiday hiatus for me from Hornets action.

For the beer on the night, I went with a can of NoDa Brewing’s Hoppy Holidays that I’d been saving for this Christmas weekend. It was a solid offering, though after Foothills’ Jade IPA I’d had earlier in the week, it had a high bar to live up to… and it couldn’t quite meet it.

A clear pine flavor stuck out for me, which of course was fitting for the weekend. The hops were a bit citrusy, and the carbonation felt just right, but nothing really set this apart from other IPAs of late, and unlike some of the other seasonal beers, this didn’t find a special place in my heart that I’ll need to revisit next December.

A solid six Muggsys from me on this… wanted it to be higher, but in the end, the pine wasn’t “special” enough to warrant it.

The next night, Charlotte would face Milwaukee again in a rare home and home. That one went a little better… but the holiday brew selections did not.

Hope everyone had a great holiday season.