Junk Food Nation, it’s been a long week at work, and, for the first time in a while, I’m starting to run out of things to review around the house.  BUT, it’s a long weekend for me (WHAT UP COLUMBUS DAY), so I’ll be out and about this weekend looking for things to review.  I might start a new hashtag too – #GroceryWander  ….well, I didn’t say it was perfect. If there’s anything you want me to review, let me know in the comments below.

It’s a Football Friday, but it looks like the BackUp QB had a long week at work too – because his picks aren’t up yet this week!  So it looks like I win all games by forfeit!  Just kidding – I think the BQB is traveling for work but he told me his picks will be up before the Sunday slate.  Here’s the tally so far regarding the season long bet between me and the BackUp QB:

TEN POINT LEAD. Yeah, I’m crowing now, because I know that that lead could slip away in a FLASH. However, if you’ve been playing my lock picks with your bookie, you’ve been making some COLD HARD CASH.  For Week 6, the BQB’s lock is…WHO KNOWS? (edit add: “SEAHAWKS -8 at home against the Cowboys.  I like Dallas a lot, but I like Seattle at home a lot more.  They’re 14-4 there against the spread dating back to 2012.  Expect a similar game to Monday night, where Dallas keeps it close but the 12th man helps Seattle pull away at the end.”) Check out the rest of the BQB’s picks here.

My LOCK OF THE CENTURY…OF THE WEEK… is the CHARGERS -7 over the Raiders.  It’d be easy to go Broncos -9.5, because the Jets are putrid…but I gotta keep riding what is actually the hottest team in the NFL, the San Diego Chargers.  LOCK IT UP.

The rest of our picks here:

Random question – has anyone tried Fan Duel vs. Draft Kings?  And which one do they like better Comment below.

Today’s quick junk food review: MADD Virgin Craft Brewed Lager!

MADD Virgin Craft Brewed Lager: The Money Shot

Just a quick review today – I was at Walgreens recently and spotted this MADD Virgin Craft Brewed Lager. Now, this is not a non-alcoholic beer made by Mothers Against Drunk Driving – instead, this is a Canadian company (visit them at maddvirgindrinks.com) making LOTS of non-alcoholic stuff like virgin red and white wines, virgin champagne, virgin beer, and virgin margaritas and mojitos. Then they give 5% of their profits to MADD.  Makes sense.

The discussion surrounding non-alcoholic drinks is always WHAT’S THE POINT? Getting past the meathead arguments that BEER IS AWESOME BRAH WTF IS THIS SH*T, the second argument is usually, “If you’re going non-alcoholic, why not just drink soda or water or tonic, etc.?”  And I think that’s a good question – and I have no idea.  Forgetting the situation where someone IS an alcoholic, trying to stop, and needs a placebo….what’s the reason for anyone else?

I guess if this stuff is dumped into a glass, it looks EXACTLY like the real thing, so if you’re looking to get through the evening drink-incognito, then that makes sense.  But that’s such a specific situation.  Maybe it tastes really good?  I mean, maybe….I feel like non alcoholic beer is sort of like a cappella music – unless it’s really bringing something new to the table, I’d rather have the real thing.

With that in mind, I tried the MADD Virgin Craft Brewed Lager – it looked dark brown like a real lager, and smelled nice and beer-like.  Drinking it, it had a nice carbonation – but while it did have a nice malted flavor, it was more like a barley soda than a beer.  Like, imagine a yeasty bread-y semi-sweet liquid – like a barely sweet watery maple syrup – and then carbonate it.  That’s sort of what this was like. Not great, but not bad.

In a general sense, I can get behind a barley soda.  And I could see where it would go to replace a beer – there are moments, particularly when you swallow, that the flavor matches spot on.  But there were no tangy edges to the flavor – the flavor was safe, like Honey Brown.  One bonus – as the liquid warmed up, the flavor didn’t change really. So that’s something.

Overall, this was OK – I support what this company is trying to do. Not my favorite, but I’m not a non alcoholic beer drinker either, so maybe this stuff is like GOLD compared to O’Douls.   I’ll let someone else clarify that for me.

PURCHASED AT: Walgreens, Van Ness Metro Stop, DC.

COST: $2.00 per can. Online here.

Thoughts? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. I also have Google+!! Let’s hang out.

Sincerely,

Junk Food Guy