Category Archives: Beer!

I just spent $40 on bad beer. Intentionally.

And I’d thought it was going to cost me on the order of $100.

Okay, technically, I spent that $40 on a class about bad beer, thus so it’s really on the expertise to learn how to recognize specific “off” flavors.

I’m really looking forward to this. Tasting beer is absolutely one of my favorite things, which is why I genuinely love the bars and taprooms that offer 4 oz pours of all their beers. I get to try many different beers without getting hammered to do so. (Confession: I kind of hate being drunk.)

This was something of an impulse buy. I’d heard about a few seminars like this popping up around Chicago, but typically I’d hear about them after the fact or while I was already booked.… Continue reading →

Samples Lead Me Astray. To Surreality and Greatness!

Yesterday, I got two beer samples and, based on those samples, ordered a beer. The one on the left.

I received this snifter.

I briefly noted that my snifter’s beer appeared darker than the sample I’d gotten, but I’ve noticed that can happen on rare occasions. I’m not really sure of the optical physics of why a larger portion of beer can occasionally seem so much darker than a sample, but probably someone out there can explain it. Maybe I’ll poke a friend into doing so, if I can.

I also noticed the head was rather reduced in the full pour. I didn’t think much of it, until I sipped the beer. At which point I was tasting a fabulous beer, with some lovely wine barrel characteristics, that managed to be both like and unlike the sample I’d had.… Continue reading →

First Loves and Geographic Separation

I’m in and around Baltimore, Maryland this week. I think I’ve mentioned it before, but if I haven’t, I lived in Baltimore (Hampden!) for about six months, and I lived in the area for a little over three years. Thus, whenever Bill has a conference in the area, I tag along to visit everyone and everything[1].

Or almost everything. The last time or two we’ve come, I’ve missed visiting one place. I realized I have a solid chance of missing the same place, but I really hope I don’t. It’s my first beer love, DuClaw Brewing.

When I lived in this area, I largely didn’t drink. I didn’t like the taste of anything containing alcohol, and didn’t usually feel inclined to try anything alcoholic anyway[2].… Continue reading →

Food and Beer Pairing Challenges and Wins

I was somewhat impulsive when I put up my Homebrew and Home-Cooking Giveaway a couple of months ago. Not that I did it completely without thought; I certainly considered if I wanted to open our home up to total strangers and I asked Bill about the same. I considered what sorts of preparation it might take for us, in terms of around the house cleaning and furniture or feeding that many people. I even considered, and appreciated, that it would stretch my food and beer pairing skills, even if I failed at creating a delicious pairing.

I didn’t consider, however, how much it might stretch those pairing skills. You see, I didn’t truly consider the possibility of certain dietary restrictions.

Oh, I gave some thought to the possibility that someone might have a nut allergy or even be gluten-free.… Continue reading →

It Was Like A Full Shift! HOURS With Strangers.

Wow, you guys. Just wow.

So, first, I want to touch a little on my previous post regarding my giveaway dinner, where I discussed the importance of doing things ahead. I was right, doing things ahead vastly smoothed out the process of sharing food and merriment with my guests. What I didn’t anticipate, and should have, was how much easier cooking ahead would simplify my cleanup process. It really did, you guys. And for that, I could not be more grateful.

You see, we spent a solid seven or eight hours with our guests. Seriously. We didn’t get to bed until well after 1:00 am, which means we left most of the clean-up for the next morning. All I did was pour some water into each of the glasses to keep them from being extra gross in the morning.… Continue reading →