Magrane hauls out "biscuit malt"

Jim Magrane, who will receive a Biscuits championship ring though he wasn't with the team in the playoffs, eagerly awaits his new jewelry.

Magrane answered an e-mail Sunday about the ring. The right-handed pitcher signed in the offseason with the Washington Nationals.

Magrane wrote that he tracked Montgomery's playoff run after Class AAA Durham's season ended. Though he didn't have champagne, he had his own special celebration when the Biscuits won the title.

"I brewed up a special homebrew with a double helping of biscuit malt," Magrane said.

I'm no adult beverage expert -- biscuit malt?

"Don't believe me? Look it up," Magrane wrote. "Fat Tire, one of the best micros out there, uses biscuit malt in the recipe. I used double."

Magrane, who was 11-8 with a 2.98 ERA last year before his promotion to Durham on July 30, faced regular phone calls during the playoffs -- just like many of the other Tampa Bay minor-leaguers.

"I talked to a few guys who let me know how it all went down," Magrane said, "and (pitching coach) Xavier Hernandez called me on his way home to Houston the following day. It must have been a long drive."

The Biscuits gave rings to three players who were not in uniform for the playoffs. Pitcher Chris Flinn and shortstop Matthew Maniscalco were the others.