Tailgating Ideas

Hot dogs are among the many staples of fare found at tailgate parties.   Most of us develop a taste for them as children, and carry it well into adulthood.  However as we grow older our palates usually become more diverse, and as a result some move away from the simple ketchup and mustard dog, and towards something more adventurous.   We’ve all seen the advertisements for the fast food joints looking to sell you a hot dog with 3 pounds of condiments on them.  This is fine, but it can be downright sloppy to eat.   However if you changed the flavor of the hot dog itself you could make a huge change on the final product even before topping with your favorite stuff.

This is what Ball Park did with their new line of Park’s Finest dogs.  In the Park’s Finest line up are 4 varieties of all beef hot dogs, Signature Seasoned,  Cracked Dijon Mustard, Smokehouse Barbeque, and Slow Smoked Hickory.  All of which are no preservative, and no nitrate/nitrite offerings. We were recently asked to review these new dogs, and as one of those people I mentioned before that have loved hot dogs since childhood I was happy to give these new styles a try.

Disclaimer: We were given samples of each of the 4 varieties of Park’s Finest Hot Dogs for free.  This in no way affected our ability to review the product objectively and fairly.

The first variety I sampled was the Signature Seasoned. This hot dog is, of the 4, the most like your typical hot dog.  I felt it was a solid representation of what a beef hot dog should taste like.    Next I sampled the Cracked Dijon mustard.  These I had on pretzel buns which I found on sale, with some sauerkraut,  and  they were easily my favorite of the 4.  Observed in these were visible spices, which my friend noted was mustard seed.   The Smokehouse Barbeque had seasonings  like you might find in a BBQ rub, and I detected a subtle element of sweetness along with it.  Lastly the Slow Smoked Hickory definitely had a smoked flavor and texture, which I felt made it feel less like a hot dog and more like a sausage.  All 4 delivered on their claimed flavors, and did so convincingly.  Since it’s relevant to a hot dog discussion, the casing on the Park’s Finest were much like the other Ball Park varieties in that they do not feel like a casing at all.  They are not the snappier casings that you might find on a “deli” dog.

Each variety came packaged 7 to a pack and the packages were not resealable.  If I had one criticism to make it would be to make it an even 8, so as to be more in line with bun packaging, and add a zipper closure to the pack.  These are minor grievances for sure.  All in all the Park’s Finest Hot Dogs from Ball Park are solid hot dog offerings, and as such are “Tailgate Approved”.  If you plan to try these I would recommend the serving suggestion on the back of the package.  As I mentioned before I sample the Cracked Dijon Mustard style on a pretzel bun with kraut, which was listed on the package along with swiss cheese as a serving suggestion, and I felt like it made for a more gourmet experience which is where I think these would really shine.  If you’ve felt like you wanted more from a hot dog these are certainly worth a try.

Speaking of trying these, as part of the agreement for reviewing them we were also given 4 coupons to pass along to you all.    Now the coupons are good for 1 Ball Park item up to $9.99.   Entry will be easy, simple leave a comment on this post and I’ll randomly select 4 winners.  Winners will be contacted via email to arrange delivery of the coupons.   Contest will be open until Wednesday July 2nd at 11:59 EDT.  Good Luck.

Every good tailgate has a few things in common.  You’ve usually got tasty food, fun games, and plenty of great people.  You might also have some good music just to bring everything together.  In the past you might have dragged out the old boombox or even just turned up the radio in the car as I’ve done.  However, the old methods may not be useful anymore.  Let’s face it, depending on where you’re going to be tailgating the radio options can potentially be downright awful.  How many times do you need to hear the latest top 40 song before it gets old?  So to combat this many of us carry our music collections around on mp3 players, or our smart phones.  The problem with this is how can we play our music for a group of people without needing to leave one of these devices physically attached?  The answer is a wireless connection, and probably the most common one these days is Bluetooth.  This is how the nyne BASS speaker system works.

Disclaimer:  We received a sample of the nyne BASS free of charge for testing.  This in no way affected our ability to review the product fairly and objectively.

The nyne BASS is a portable audio solution that incorporates quality acoustic performance into a truly portable device.  When the product arrived for testing the first thing I noticed was the weight of the box.  It was heavier than I had expected it to be, which I felt to be a good thing.  Once I opened the box I was pleased to find a very sleek and attractive device.  Since I wanted to test this in the way most like tailgating I decided to charge the device overnight so that I could test the manufacturer claim of a 10 hour run time.

The following day I powered on the device and paired it with my phone.  This process was pretty straightforward and I had little problem making the connection.  Then I decided to listen to a broad variety of music so test out the audio performance.  What I experienced was a sound that far exceeded my expectations for this sort of peripheral.  With a name like “BASS” you would expect decent low end sound, and that sound was delivered quite well.  Not only did the lower frequencies come through well, the middle and high ranges were also well represented for a pleasantly balanced overall delivery.  I had some doubts about the quality I could expect from being on a wireless connection, but those were unsubstantiated and completely erased once I was able to listen to things from techno all the way through contemporary jazz.   Furthermore when I consulted others for their opinions they were impressed by the sound performance as well.  As for the claim of 10 hours of playback, while I did not sit by with a stopwatch, I made it through a day at the office and a couple more hours at home and it didn’t die one me.  That, to me, was a passing mark.

The volume on the device can be controlled in two ways.  First you can raise or lower the volume via the buttons on top of the device.  Those buttons, like all of the controls, are large and have raised emblems to distinguish which does what.  The other way is to use the transmitting devices volume control.  Each of these would be important for using this at a tailgate, as you’ll likely want to control the volume from whichever piece is closest to you.   One obvious question is does this thing get loud.  Yes it can get loud.  Does it distort when it gets loud?  That I cannot answer definitely.  I took the BASS as loud as I could tolerate and as loud as I feel would be prudent at a tailgate party and I experienced no distortion.  This was a very positive feature in my eyes.  The 20 watts of power were more than enough to deliver the level of sound needed from this size apparatus.

Other positive features include the ability to use a cable (included) to connect your music device directly to the BASS.  However I would reserve this for non Bluetooth equipped devices because the performance is that good.  The charger has interchangeable plugs for various outlets that you might encounter around the world.  Speaking of chargers the nyne BASS has a USB port on the back which can be used to charge your device, if that is how it charges.  The only thing I would note is that it will draw from the battery so if your phone has a large battery capacity you’ll likely cut your playback time significantly.  However the ability to charge the device is very handy.   There is also a convenient carry handle which makes for easy moving if the need should arise.

The last feature to cover on the BASS is the microphone which allows you to use it as a Bluetooth speakerphone.  Of all the features this one is probably the one that you’d be least likely to use in a tailgating setting.  However we did want to give it a fair shake.  Initial tests did not go so well.  These were done across the room speaking in an elevated voice, but not so much as to call it yelling.  However once I moved closer to the device and spoke directly into it the quality improved.  I would think that any ambient noise in the area would only work against you as it pertains to this feature, however if you use the BASS on your desk when you’re not tailgating it could be useful.  It may take some getting used to, but the learning curve should be minimal.

All in all the BASS delivered on everything that it said it would.  I especially liked the rich sounds that was produced, and that it covered a wide spectrum of music very well.  Furthermore the ability to control things remotely via Bluetooth is very much a win win.  As such I am declaring the nyne BASS as “Tailgate Approved” for it’s functionality and its usefulness for being on the go.  The only negatives I could find were the white finish was easy to get dirty, however it was also easily cleaned, and the microphone took a little getting used to.  Those, I believe, are minor and shouldn’t influence purchasing decisions by themselves.

The nyne BASS is available in white and gray (tested) or in black and silver and sells for around $150 online.  You can check out all the specs, see their other products, and get more info on nyne’s site here.

It seems like there are quite a few Kickstarter campaigns going on that the product would be a good fit for tailgating. Here comes another one and this time it is for a can koozie that has a digital thermometer embedded in it and also a device that chills your beer in the koozie. Check out their Kickstarter video.

The Koolernaut is a potential new product but the inventor is a familiar one to those longtime TailgatingIdeas.com readers. The inventor is also the same guy that sells the Beer Outlaw. We reviewed the Beer Outlaw back in 2009 and it passed with flying colors.

If you think this idea of the Koolernaut has some legs, drop some funding on these guys so they can put it into manufacturing.

Regular old beer pong gotten boring? Are you a player that doesn’t take the game too seriously and wants to add a new wrinkle to the game of beer pong? If you answered yes, then you might be interested in this new way to play beer pong.

They are calling this new way to play beer pong the Tabletop Tailgate Beer Pong Card Game. Of course they are looking for funds via Kickstarter in order to get their cards mass produced and distributed. Take a look at their video.

If this looks like something you would like to be a part of and take to your next tailgate, check out the Tabletop Tailgate Beer Pong Cards Kickstarter page and drop them some funds.

Here at Tailgating Ideas, we have tested a few hangover cures and remedies. Some have been rather effective. Others have not and we chose to not publish the results of those hangover tests here. More importantly because we did not want to give said hangover cure a bad reputation but also because we were probably too hungover to get ourselves to the keyboard to blog about it.

We were approached a while back by the folks at dhmdepot.com to try their version of a hangover cure. We are always up for new things so we told them to send us a sample. (It’s a tough job getting drunk all in the name of working for you, the tailgating public, but someone has to do it.)

While the bottle of DHM capsules were on their way, we decided to do a little research on what exactly is Dihydromyricetin (DHM) and how will it work on a hangover. Of course my research consisted of searching the internet for more information on DHM to see if this was something that was legit or was some Medicine Show Snake Oil. After some research it appeared that DHM had some validity to the claims it could knock out a hangover by testing it out on lab rats.

Dihydromyricetin (DHM) is a natural extract of the Oriental Raisin Tree. (Hovenia Dulcis) Apparently DHM has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine as a hangover cure and intoxication blocker. Initial studies concluded that DHM supplements greatly reduces hangover symptoms and negates many of the negative side effects commonly associated with intoxication such as slurred speech, loss of coordination and lowered reaction time without any adverse side effects. Sounds too good to be true, right?

Boozing – A science lesson

Your liver processes alcohol at a constant rate. When you consumer more alcohol than your liver can process, the alcohol is released into the bloodstream until your liver can get to it later. When alcohol reaches your brain, it affects two different neurotransmitters. Simply put, neurotransmitters are chemicals your brain cells use to control emotions, movement, behavior and thought processes. Two categories of neurotransmitters are inhibitory and exhibitory. Inhibitory neurotransmitters have a calming effect and “slow” things down. Exhibitory neurotransmitters increase energy levels and brain activity.

One neurotransmitter affected by alcohol is GABA. Alcohol binds to GABA receptors in your brain and amplifies its effect. As the brain receives a stronger message from GABA, you begin to feel calm, and your heart rate slows down. When you continue to drink, GABA signals are amplified further and further. Eventually, you experience loss of motor control, inhibitions are lowered and your speech begins to slur. You now have that feeling of being buzzed or even more, you feel drunk.

How DHM works – More science

Simply stated, Dihydromyricetin blocks alcohol from affecting GABA Receptors. Dihydromyricetin binds to GABA receptors in the brain and blocks the effect alcohol has on GABA receptors. Theoretically, this should reduce certain feelings related to intoxication as alcohol is only amplifying the exhibitory neurotransmitter Glutamate (another neurotransmitter affected by alcohol).

When Dihydromyricetin is taken before drinking, alcohol can’t amplify GABA and you don’t feel as intoxicated. When DHM is taken after drinking, it can accelerate the rate at which one sobers up. DHM also helps to speed up the liver’s ability to process alcohol.

Drunk rats can’t be wrong

Pharmacologist Jing Liang of UCLA did a research project on DHM to test the effectiveness on rats. Liang first tested whether DHM blocks the clumsiness and loss of coordination caused by drinking too much. To do this, she measured how long it took for treated rats to right themselves after being laid on their backs in a V-shaped cradle.

After she injected rats’ abdomens with a dose of alcohol proportionate to the amount a human would get from downing 15 to 20 beers in two hours by a human, they took about 70 minutes, on average, to right themselves. However, when an injection of the same amount of booze included a milligram of DHM per kilogram of rat body weight, the animals recovered their composure within just five minutes.

Liang also discovered that DHM stopped rats in a maze from behaving in ways resembling anxiety and hangovers. Rats given heavy doses of alcohol cowered away in corners of the maze, whereas those given the extract with their alcohol behaved normally and were as inquisitive as rats given no alcohol at all, exploring the more open corridors of the maze.

Drunken rats can’t be wrong, can they? Based on my online research I decided to be my own lab rat and test out DHM for myself. I guess I was going to have to get really drunk and see what happened.

Test 1 – Operation Tailgating HAMMERED

The first time I tested DHM was back on April 26th. Cal State Fullerton’s baseball team was playing the University of Hawaii and it was a night game. That translated into the beauty and the glory of the three meal tailgate; breakfast, lunch and dinner all consumed in Lot G outside Goodwin Field. Being a Saturday night game this also meant no work the next day so I could really test drive the DHM to see if it really works.

Cut to the chase. I got REALLY hammered. I was doing a 92 proof spice rum mixed with cola and by the end of the tailgate I had consumed roughly 25 ounces of spiced rum during the course of the day. Needless to say I was ready to see if the DHM had any sobering affects on me as I went into the game. I took two capsules as directed on the bottle and headed into the game (with some assistance…). After 15 minutes, I didn’t feel any sobering effects. By the time the game was over, I was still quite drunk. Of course I had a sober driver to take me home but she did find it amusing when we got home my expression of intense love for my Yeti Cooler. Of course she snapped a photo and shared it on Instagram.

Suffice to say, the DHM had no affect on me. In order to combat the hangover I was assured was to come, I drank a Mercy Hangover Remedy drink and went to bed. I contacted the folks at DHMDepot and asked them what happened. I told them my height and weight and how much alcohol I consumed. This was their response:

Hi Dave,

Wow you can really put em back! 24 oz of 92 proof rum is equivalent to roughly 18 standard drinks of alcohol. Based on what we’ve found an effective dose for that amount would be 6 capsules, so that’s most likely why the results were so underwhelming.

If you decide to try it out again, I’d definitely recommend upping the dose.

Thanks,
Evan

Uh-oh! Challenge accepted.

Test 2 – Operation Memorial Day Weekend Outdoor Boozing

Next opportunity for me to really road test these capsules was over Memorial Day Weekend. We targeted the Vista Strawberry Festival as our location to really get after it. Knowing there would be plenty of opportunity for some outdoor boozing, we packed some Sunscreen Flasks in order to get past the rent-a-cop security bag checkers and set out for a day of boozing in the sunshine. Over the course of the day I consumed 24 ounces of the same 92 proof spiced rum (three Sunscreen Flasks all to myself) and as you might imagine, was pretty hammered. We were smart and reserved a hotel room weeks before the festival and before going to bed, I popped six or eight of the DHM capsules. To be honest I don’t remember exactly but I do remember it was more than just two.

The next morning I woke up to no hangover. Let me repeat, NO Hangover. I was truly amazed too. The aches and pains, the sensitivity to light, the upset stomach, the throbbing headache… all non-existent. I was astounded after the first test of only taking two capsules had failed. I was fine for the rest of the day and felt like I had not had any alcohol nor any trace of being really drunk the previous day.

After thoroughly testing out Dihydromyricetin, and using the proper dosage for my height, weight and amount of alcohol consumed, I am going to give DHM the Tailgating Ideas “Tailgate Approved” stamp of approval.

You can buy DHM from Amazon for a 20 capsule bottle for $34.99. You can also buy direct from the dhmdepot.com website for the same price.

If you hate hangovers and you know that 4th of July weekend is approaching, you may want to look into DHM. You might be the only one on July 5th that is feeling normal.