Truth be told, I did not start drinking until a few weeks before I turned 21.
Not wanting to go into the entire 21st birthday celebration a complete rookie, I acquired some shooter bottles of various hard alcohols and delved into a realm of new experiences. However, beer was not to be one of those experiences for quite some time. I stuck to hard alcohol throughout college. Most parties and fraternity gatherings involved Milwaukee's Best Light (a.k.a. "Beast Light"), Icehouse, Miller High Life, and various other "light" or "ice" branded beers. The near-exclusive use of these beers, based solely on their price point, made it all but impossible for me to enter the world of beer drinking.
I did not start drinking beer until June of 2006 when I quit my job and began working as waitstaff at a restaurant called Granite City. I was not making a lot of money and they gave an employee discount, so I began drinking their beer. While I was still hesitant about drinking light-colored lagers, I did find a great deal of pleasure in their "Brother Benedict's Bock" after a long shift or two. That is where it all started. From there it moved not so rapidly into Blue Moons, Paulaners, Amberbocks, Killian's Irish Reds, Warsteiners, and others. Some were "entry level" beers and some were more substantial offerings, but they were all secretly giving me a base-level education in beer. Sure my friends and I would occasionally buy the unusual bottle we spotted or seasonal brews of larger breweries (Samuel Adams, Oktoberfest varieties, etc), but things would really pick up when I moved to Florida.
Specifically, when I moved to Tampa, FL and a World of Beer franchise struck up about .25 miles from my apartment. At this point in the story, I strongly encourage you to click on the link to see the hopeless fight I was up against. 5 "gas station soda coolers" full of different bottles of beer & organized by country, then about 40 taps, then 5 more coolers. This ridiculous accessibility to a previously unfathomable amount of beer made it very easy to broaden my palate, learn different styles, try new brews, and talk about them with fellow patrons, bartenders, and one very dedicated drinking buddy.
That leads me here. I started this blog to remember amazing beers that I had tried. After all, a great beer deserves to be remembered. It also serves the purpose of putting into words the different sensations one experiences while having a brew. I strongly recommend this practice if you are looking to develop your own palate. However, I do caution doing this at the expense of no longer leisurely enjoying a beer. It can be far too easy to get caught up in evaluating a beer and not just savor it. I have made that mistake more than once.
In non-beer related news, I am married, a member of 2 professional choirs (3 in my lifetime), a player of both XBOX360 and PS3, watcher of birds, landscape enthusiast, motorcycle rider and lover of the outdoors.
Enough about me. Thank you for checking out the site! I hope you enjoy the reviews and that they might be helpful in either choosing a beer when going out, imagining a beer if it is not available in your area, or even what flavors to "look for" when tasting a particular brew.
Prost!
Not wanting to go into the entire 21st birthday celebration a complete rookie, I acquired some shooter bottles of various hard alcohols and delved into a realm of new experiences. However, beer was not to be one of those experiences for quite some time. I stuck to hard alcohol throughout college. Most parties and fraternity gatherings involved Milwaukee's Best Light (a.k.a. "Beast Light"), Icehouse, Miller High Life, and various other "light" or "ice" branded beers. The near-exclusive use of these beers, based solely on their price point, made it all but impossible for me to enter the world of beer drinking.
I did not start drinking beer until June of 2006 when I quit my job and began working as waitstaff at a restaurant called Granite City. I was not making a lot of money and they gave an employee discount, so I began drinking their beer. While I was still hesitant about drinking light-colored lagers, I did find a great deal of pleasure in their "Brother Benedict's Bock" after a long shift or two. That is where it all started. From there it moved not so rapidly into Blue Moons, Paulaners, Amberbocks, Killian's Irish Reds, Warsteiners, and others. Some were "entry level" beers and some were more substantial offerings, but they were all secretly giving me a base-level education in beer. Sure my friends and I would occasionally buy the unusual bottle we spotted or seasonal brews of larger breweries (Samuel Adams, Oktoberfest varieties, etc), but things would really pick up when I moved to Florida.
Specifically, when I moved to Tampa, FL and a World of Beer franchise struck up about .25 miles from my apartment. At this point in the story, I strongly encourage you to click on the link to see the hopeless fight I was up against. 5 "gas station soda coolers" full of different bottles of beer & organized by country, then about 40 taps, then 5 more coolers. This ridiculous accessibility to a previously unfathomable amount of beer made it very easy to broaden my palate, learn different styles, try new brews, and talk about them with fellow patrons, bartenders, and one very dedicated drinking buddy.
That leads me here. I started this blog to remember amazing beers that I had tried. After all, a great beer deserves to be remembered. It also serves the purpose of putting into words the different sensations one experiences while having a brew. I strongly recommend this practice if you are looking to develop your own palate. However, I do caution doing this at the expense of no longer leisurely enjoying a beer. It can be far too easy to get caught up in evaluating a beer and not just savor it. I have made that mistake more than once.
In non-beer related news, I am married, a member of 2 professional choirs (3 in my lifetime), a player of both XBOX360 and PS3, watcher of birds, landscape enthusiast, motorcycle rider and lover of the outdoors.
Enough about me. Thank you for checking out the site! I hope you enjoy the reviews and that they might be helpful in either choosing a beer when going out, imagining a beer if it is not available in your area, or even what flavors to "look for" when tasting a particular brew.
Prost!
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| The woods and the ride. |
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| Delivering a picture perfect Stone Cold Stunner before the eyes of children. |
