Most Excellent!

[JeanneC]

Off the couch! After two recent misses on the WSJ puzzle, my faith in the ability to solve these little critters has been restored. Thank you, Cap’n!

[Streroto]

Having finished WSJCC thought I would surf over here. Fun and amazing construction (at least to a non constructor). Off the couch!

Stay well all

[Cap'n Rick]

Leaderboard Update

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everybody! Nine more Muggles are OTC:

whimsy
Sharkicicles
JM
kurtalert
Jerry Miccolis
JR
Max Chemtov
Naptown Kid
Streroto

That brings our solver total to 76! Looking good!

Please let me know if I've missed anyone.

[Cap'n Rick]

Leaderboard Update

Three more stout-hearted Muggles have solved the puzzle:

SJ
Jasonbr
Toast

That brings our total to 79! Can we get to 80 before tomorrow's reveal? Stand by!

[Abide]

Relevant music I listened to yesterday:

https://music.apple.com/us/album/pursuit/633722752

[Cap'n Rick]

Final Leaderboard

Two more Muggles bring our final tally to 81:

Julie bookworm
MaineMarge

Thanks for solving, everybody! And now for the reveal...

[Cap'n Rick]

Ahoy Muggles!

The meta answers are "GUINNESS" and "BEST BEER", and while this distinction may be debatable, it's no coincidence that "Guinness" the beer (okay, "stout") and "Guinness World Records" (formerly "The Guinness Book of Records") share a name. This connection between superlatives and the adult beverage that @Al Sisti jubilantly mentions around 4:15 PM ET every Thursday provided the inspiration for this meta.

While solving, puzzlers probably noticed the MANSLAUGHTER (or MAN'S LAUGHTER, which was Al's reaction when he test solved) entry at 33A and its symmetrical opposite "SUPERLATIVES" at 44A. This was intended to hint that the first step involved finding the 8 symmetrically-placed grid entries whose clues contained superlatives. The first letters of these clues spelled "GUINNESS", and the first letters of the grid entries spelled "BEST BEER" (see below).

Easter Eggs

• ALEC - as in Sir Alec "Guinness" at 17A

• IAMALI - Muhammad Ali was known as "The Greatest"

• ESTs - superlative suffixes at 30D and 43D

• STOUT - central grid entry at 39A

• RECORD and BOOK crossing at 48D and 62A

• IRISH - Dublin-born (just like Guinness stout!) at 63A

Thanks for solving, everyone!
Cap'n Rick

[Abide]

Excellent job as usual Rick! I also noticed 27-Across can be reparsed as “ I AM AL, I”

[michaelm]

Excellent job as usual Rick! I also noticed 27-Across can be reparsed as “ I AM AL, I”

Just noticed that Cap'n Rick followed previous week's "Alphanumeric" by Bird Lives.

[Joe Ross]

PARTY ON!

EXCELLENT!

[Al Sisti]

Best meta I've seen in quite a while!