Category Archives: Beer!

Mezcaloteca and Mezcal Education.

I recently had the opportunity to learn a bit more about mezcal. It’s a spirit I adore, possibly more than beer, but I don’t know much about it. It’s more difficult than beer for me to partake in, in part because the cost of buying a bottle of mezcal and hating it is so much higher than buying and hating a bottle of beer.

Thus when a “rare” mezcal tasting showed up on my twitter feed, I was all over it. It was so worth it. I already want to go again. In large part because it wasn’t just tasting. I also learned a damn sight more in that two hour session about mezcal than I had in quite some time of just vaguely reading or tasting.… Continue reading →

That’s Technically Better, Yes.

Content Warning: Rape

So, there’s good news and there’s bad news.

The good news is that Pig Minds Brewing took to heart the various criticisms of one of their beer names. When they release their blueberry seasonal ale later this year, it will not be one that implicitly encourages rape. This is absolutely a step forward, and that truly is very good. The beer will not be “PD” any more but “Happi Daze.” You can see the much less rapey label below.

I don’t know if you guys know this, but I’m generally a pretty optimistic person. So while I didn’t expect that I’d ever have to write a post saying the previous label had changed, I sure as shit hoped I’d have to. I hoped the folks behind Pig Minds would, at some point, realize their label was problematic and change it.… Continue reading →

My First Mistake…

Was not following my gut instinct and saying, “None for me, thanks.”

I’d done it several times in that weekend prior to the moment in question, and I’d go on to do it several more moments after. So what made this moment special; that I should have declined and did not?

Mostly, a series of expectations, new-ness, and trying to fit in with the crowd around me.

There I was at Beer Bloggers Conference, sitting down to the “live beer blogging” session. “The premier event of the Beer Bloggers Conference,” live beer blogging is “a fast-paced, fun event that is sort of like speed dating with brewers”. The goal is to give a brewery five minutes to sample a beer out to a selection of bloggers/tweeters, and to answer questions and discuss the beer or the brewery or anything else.… Continue reading →

Some Interesting Reading

One of the things that has been kind of perpetually on my mind is reading. How much I should be doing, what I should be reading, etc.

I never come to an answer. It makes me kinda batty, honestly. I feel like there’s GOT to be some sort of rough guidelines for how much one needs to take in to stay on top of things, and also just to be a better writer, but I’ve never figured that out.

I keep reading, though. Sometimes a lot. Sometimes a little. And much of it is interesting.

So, with that in mind, I decided I’d share a short reading list of links I’ve encountered recently that I think are interesting. While I’ve encountered them recently, they may not all be very recently written.… Continue reading →

Science, Beer, Food, and Blathering Gift Suggestions

Well, after blogging for four and a half years, I guess I’ve started to get the hang of things. Like, in December, a blogger should consider having a “gift guide” or something. Or a good cookie recipe. Or both.

Well, I have several cookie recipes, but nothing new for you, so I guess we’ll have to settle on a gift ideas. I tried to come up with a few things that I have liked, used, or given as potential gifts from each “section” of the blog (food, beer, science, blather).

Mostly, I think these things are neat, fun, or wonderful and I hope to help you find something spectacular for someone awesome in your life. Or, if not find, give you some a springboard for other ideas.… Continue reading →