Beer Origin Stories – Shafiqah Hudson

I’ve always been fascinated by what draws people to liking beer, I think in part because I really didn’t enjoy beer until I was well over the U.S. legal drinking age. There’s as many stories as there are beer enthusiasts, and part of me wants to document them all. Starting here. In this one, my friend Shafiqah Hudson reminds us that freshness matters. And that’s just in the first paragraph.

My entrance into the world of craft beer began, interestingly enough, with a REALLY good bottle of Heineken. Not my first Heinie, but the best, ever AND since. I mean, it was really, reeeeeeally fucking good, and maybe partly because I wasn’t expecting it to be.

Some extensive background: once upon a time ago, I didn’t drink beer.… Continue reading →

Your Sexism is Predictable and Boring, 18th Street Brewery.

My friend Lakeline just watched a brewery she liked take a critique of a sexually objectifying label they have very poorly. She had some words on it, and I offered to share those words here. I have my own thoughts on the topic, but I haven’t been able to put them down yet. For now, know I agree with every word she’s written below. — Natasha

Loving beer has always been pretty easy for me. Even when I was a nerd in high school who wouldn’t do anything more than drive my drunk classmates home from keg parties, I loved the taste and would happily drink a glass when my parents would offer me some with dinner.

Loving craft beer was always pretty easy for me too.… Continue reading →

‘Tis the Seasonal Beer!

Hi everyone! So, I sent out a call for guest posts for NaNo, and then got so sucked into life that I failed to get them up. They’re really good, so I was not going to miss sharing with you all, even if November is over. I’m starting here, with my friend Russ Chibe’s thoughts on seasonal beers and what places a specific beer within a specific season. Russ is a member of HOPS! homebrew club, a lawyer who does both products liability litigation and brewery consulting, and writes about beer for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and over at his personal blog, Chibebräu.

Will 2014 be known as the year that we hit peak pumpkin? I suppose you can’t truly identify a peak until it’s passed, but I will note that this year even I brewed a pumpkin beer, and I can count the number of pumpkin beers I like on two fingers.… Continue reading →

What Does NaNo Mean for MetaCookbook?

As I mentioned in the previous post, I plan to tackle NaNoWriMo (NaNo) again this year. So, what does that mean for blogging?

It’s pretty simple. Like last year, I’ve solicited several guest posts. Unlike last year, I also have three posts scheduled already that are the longer answers from my questions about Beer Bloggers’ Conference 2014. While those are not precisely guest posts, they are interesting writing from other folks. With some luck and some prodding and some nagging (and maybe some writing!), I plan to get you guys a total of six posts that aren’t update posts; those three in the queue certainly help.

There will also be update posts, expect a minimum of two of those. Probably not more than once a week, though.… Continue reading →

Beer and My Better Half

Hello, everyone. I hope those of you who are celebrating Thanksgiving today are having a great one. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, largely because the point is to be joyous and grateful. To remember what we have in life. Thus, when I got this guest post today from Jeremy over at Subbeerbia about meeting his wife, I realized it was the perfect story for today. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Considering the circumstances of the household where I grew up, the fact that beer, homebrewing, and the industry surrounding them have become such an important part of my life is quite astounding. I won’t get into the details here since I plan to discuss this topic at length elsewhere, but I was raised by a father who abhorred alcohol in any form.… Continue reading →