What. A. Weekend.


Ok, so I can shut up about it after this post, but my girlfriend, who rules, bought us tickets for Saturdays "Brew at the Zoo" in Baltimore. There were about 16 breweries, each with small assortment of their brews. From large names like Sam Adams to smaller "who?" brewers like The Brewers Art and a bunch of others in between, there was something for everyone. And it felt like everyone was there, what an impressive turnout!


This was my first ever beer festival, and I couldn't have asked for a better one. And now that I'm looking at it, It looks like there was ONE brewery I missed! Make that two...Damnit! Welp, that's what a lot of beer in 90 degree weather will do to you! Looks like I'll just have to go back next year (honey, can we go back next year?)!


Now, I'm going to warn you, this post is going to be pretty picture heavy and there isn't really going to be any real "review" with a score and such, But I'll try to make this as entertaining as possible!


And if your face made it into any of my pictures...Sorry?


Ok, so lets begin!

#1 Sam Adams


Offering:
Boston Lager
Summer Ale
Angry Orchard Cider
Latitude 48 IPA
Twisted Tea


Sampled:
Summer Ale
Angry Orchard
Latitude 48 IPA


Thoughts: Nothing to really write. I have had all three of these before. I really think Angry Orchard has done hard cider as "right" as any of the mass produced hard ciders I've ever had. Latitude 48 is a good IPA (Think: entry level), and Summer Ale is...Well, their Summer Ale.

#2 DuClaw


Offering:
Euforia Toffee Nut Brown Ale
Mysterium Belgian Spiced Ale
Bare Ass Blonde Ale
Hellrazer IPA


Sampled:
All of them!


Thoughts:  In hindsight, this may have been my favorite brewery at the fest! I found myself wanting to go back and try all of their beers. Euforia was a super unique beer. Until then, Newcastle was the only Brown Ale I had ever had. I really liked this, after I tried out my girlfriends first haha! My first trip up, I wanted the Mysterium, because the name is cool, and the spice intrigued me. It tasted like a kitchen spice rack smells, pretty overwhelming. It wasn't bad, but I think I would drink...a lot of other beers before I had this again. Next up, I had the BareAss Blonde (which got me heckled as my GF next to me, ordered the IPA) followed lastly by their IPA, HELLRAZER. DuClaw was my favorite there because for the four beers they offered, all four were remarkable in my mind and good. I sounded harsh about the Mysterium, I know, but it is good. Just overwhelming and different.




#3 New Belgium


Offering:
Fat Tire Amber Ale
1554 Enlightened Black Ale
Somersault Ale
Ranger IPA
Shift Pale Lager


Sampled:
1554 Enlightened Black Ale
Somersault


Thoughts: After not being impressed by Fat Tire one of the times I had it, I went in line for New Belgium with low expectations. My first trip up I had to try the 1554, because I want to try more black ales. It was very good. My prejudice be damned! I hopped right back in line and got the Somersault, which is so far in my legal drinking history, the best blonde I have ever had. I'm always up for someone to show me different though!

#4 The Raven


Offering:
The Raven Lager


Sampled:
The Raven Lager


Thoughts: They must really stand behind their product to only have one beer. But you know what? It's worth standing behind. This was simply a delicious lager. My one sip led to gulps, it disappeared quickly. And not only was it good, they were the only brewers there that offered merchandise! That made me so happy, especially being an ex-live show junky. I crave memorabilia and merchandise. So cue my 16321654th girlfriend reference, but she bought me a beautiful Pilsner glass. She is awesome. So bravo, Raven, you appealed to me in that sense more than anyone else there! MERCH IS SO IMPORTANT!

We're talking about the tent on the left!

#5 Leinenkugel


Offering: 
Summer Shandy
Red Lager


Sampled:
Summer Shandy


Thoughts: I knew right away, I wanted the Summer Shandy. It was a hot outside...really, really hot. And a Lemonade Beer just seemed like the perfect thing to have. Now, I have had this beer two times prior. Once, I purchased a 12 pack of their cans when I couldn't find the Saranac Summer Brew I had grown to love. That was when I decided that I would never buy another beer in a can. The second time was earlier this spring, I saw there were bottles available. I'm so glad I grabbed it, it was a difference of night and day. So now, we're having the draft and you know what?  I prefer the bottles. I didn't have much of an interest in trying the red lager, nor did I have an interest in getting any of the Blue Moon that was right next to me. So I got some wine and we moved along!

Great picture, I know. The graffiti was pretty awesome, you'll have to trust me!

#6 The Brewers Art


Offering:
Resurrection
Ozzy


Sampled:
Resurrection
Ozzy


Thoughts: These are the only two beers I have had from the famous Baltimore brewers, and they were both fantastic! I had had the Resurrection once prior and I loved it. I haven't had too many abbey-style ales during my tenure, in fact, this might be the only one. It packs a wallop at 7%, but the sweet flavor hides it so well. You would never know. This is a beer that should be getting national recognition. The Ozzy, seemed so...boring after having the Resurrection. Then again, I have a feeling any beer would be. It's a nice representation of the Belgian style though, and perfect for warm sunny days. If you find yourself in Baltimore, you need to go there. Even if I never have!

HI SEAN!

#7 Shiner


Offering:
Wild Hare Pale Ale
Shiner Bock
Spring Ale Dortmunder
Ruby Redbird


Sampled:
Shiner Bock
Ruby Redbird


Thoughts: Well...After lunch, I decided to hit the rest of the breweries I had missed the first half. This was the first I hit after lunch. I was feeling refreshed, sober and had a nice, clean palette. BRING ON THE BOCK! Actually, don't. This beer was awful. And me being the glutton for punishment, decided to try another, the Ruby Redbird. It was certainly a step up from the Bock, but still, nothing special. A grapefruit based wheat is a great idea in theory. And maybe another brewery could pull it off, but Shiner did not. And unless I'm already a bunch of beers deep, during a power outage, I wouldn't drink another Shiner beer. Like with anything I don't like though, I welcome you to convince me otherwise. I have been known to change my mind when I've been convinced I don't like things!

#8 Sprecher Brewing 


Offering:
Black Bavarian
Hefeweiss


Sampled:
Hefeweiss


Thoughts: I really, REALLY, really wanted the Black Bavarian. They had run out of it by the time I made my presence known. Do you think If I had told them I'm a blogger, they would have pulled out their super special secret stash? I should try that next time. Anyway, I settled for the Hefeweiss and I'm glad I tried it. I don't normally seek out this style and I can only name a few good ones that I have tried that I would buy. I'm happy to add this to the list. What a delicious beer! Nice and light, with a delicious, sweet aroma. I'm going to keep n eye out for more from this brewery. It only makes me want to try the Black even more now!

#9 Flying Dog


Offering:
Underdog Atlantic Lager
Snake Dog IPA
Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout
Woody Creek White


Sampled: 
Woody Creek White


Thoughts:
I've said it before, Flying Dog is my absolute favorite brewery. I only sampled one of theirs because...Well, I'm not entirely too sure. I think we were wrapping up and getting ready to head out soon and in a rush to hit the last few brewers before the end of the day. But its ok. I couldn't try the one I really wanted to, the Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout. Not because they ran out or anything like that...Blame my stupid, goddamned shellfish allergies. They torture me. 


Now, that about does it for the brewers I remembered to take a picture for. There are a few others I sampled from: 


Moosehead Brewery, I had their Lager and Light Lime. Yuck to both.


Harpoon, I had their Rye IPA, because its freaking awesome. One of my favorite ryes! New England represent!


Spaten, which surprised me, because the night prior I reviewed one of the beers being offered! totally random! But today i tried the Oktoberfest, which was pretty good. Its out of season, so I have a feeling that it might have affected my reception to it.


And lastly, Yards Brewing. They had a Saison and  was so excited to have it! it was actually one of the beers on my list I wanted to try before we left. I had it and it was well worth it. Saisons are a style I want to get more acquainted with. So if you know of any I should try, let me know!


So that was my first ever beer festival, and it was a memorable one! I can not wait to go to another! Everyone was so nice and the crowd as great, i never waited in line too long for anything. The only thing, the one small complaint I have is that the people working the tents were volunteers from Baltimore. I would have loved it if the brewers had actual representatives. I had so many questions and wanted to talk to people and I couldn't and that kind of bummed me out. Oh well! 

Even my girlfriend got involved! although, this photo can serve a dual purpose!

And I certainly didn't go home empty handed!

It felt to be there both for fun and with a purpose, to share my experience with all of you who couldn't make it. I hope you were able to make it to the end of this post!


This festival and beers goes well with: White People Dancing at Festivals

Today were looking at some fancy imports! I cant call today's post "Fancy Friday," another blog I love already has that name cornered on the blog market. Maybe I'll call this...nothing. I'll just review the damn beer! And tell a long story to go along with it!

So If you follow my Facebook or Twitter account you might know that I'm in Baltimore for the holiday weekend. You also might know that my girlfriend, being as incredible as she is, scored us both a couple tickets for this weekends brewhaha, Brew at the Zoo. What you don't know is I was greeted with some beers when we got home last night, and that's what I'm fixing to tell you all about tonight!

So, lets see what she greeted me with. The first is the main beer of this review, Franziskaner Weissbier. And if my non-existant German reading skills told me anything, this beer is a Hefeweizen. Soon, my palette confirmed it. lets take a gander!

Look out, Im getting all kinds of professional with these shots now!

Bottle porn? Nope, that term is taken too! I will be doing label
close ups for now on though. Some are really cool!

When she poured it for me, the sucker had a HUGE head. Easily 4 fingers. Or 3, if you have fat sausage fingers like me. Come to think of it, sausage would go awesome with this beer. or perhaps a nice Brat!

....Moving along, sorry!

So, a very thick head, that seemed to dissipate rather quick and not a whole lot of lacing. That last part really surprised me. It's a nice deep amber and was clooooooooooooudy with a ton of fast rising little bubbles. Getting my nose in it, I'm met with a strong, clove and generally spicy aroma. There was another strong smell that was off and my description might not make a whole lot of sense...but it was...tangy. Almost metallic. It took me a few more tries but was able to deduce it to almost floral. I had a hard time outside of the spice but that was one busy aroma. I passed her the glass and she said "Soap. So I guess floral." So floral wins! Time to take the ultimate test...

It was fizzy as hell in my mouth, those bubbles weren't joking around! And the taste did not betray the scent at all. That clove was really strong at first, giving way to a nice soothing, and very small hops bite towards the back end. It had a surprising crisp, dry finish to it. I would drink the hell out of a bunch of these, especially on a beautiful weekend like we're having.

After drinking this and looking at my notes, I had scribbled "Meh" as my final thought. I was determined to review it, because I think its important to not always have glowing reviews. And as I sat down tonight to write this, it just sounded positive. I don't know where that came from. I like this beer a lot more than I had initially thought!

Now, the last beer of the night was nothing to write home about...

If it weren't for the bottle being in the shot, you'd have thought this WAS Bud Light!

Is this a Pilsner?

What we're looking at, is Pilsner Urquell. Everything from the smell to the look to the pour screamed "I'm a pilsner!" I tasted it...Still a pilsner. It was not bad, but it was just...boring. I think I'm still awaiting a pilsner that makes me excited. So if you know of any, I'll gladly try it!

Pilsner. Sorry, I just had to say it one more time.

So that'll do it for me tonight, I have to rest up for tomorrows exciting beer filled day! Look out for me on Twitter where I'll be doing semi-frequent updates!

Franziskaner Weissbier


ABV: 5.00

Smell: 4/5

Appearance: 3/5

Taste: 3.5/5

Feel: 3/5

Overall: 3.38/5

Franziskaner pairs well with: Brazilian Girls - Talk To La Bomb

Now, before I get going on my long-winded review, I'll be honest. This is  beer I drank months ago. But this beer was so damn good, everything about it became an experience. And now I'm going to share my experience with you in great detail, until you hate me.

I didn't get pictures, because at that point, I wasn't a super famous blogger

Now, prior to this, I had only had 2 other brews from Shipyard Brewery in Maine. And of those two (Applehead & Pumpkinhead), I didnt enjoy one. So, I must have been feeling brave when I came across this in my local Stop & Shops craft beer shelf. Maybe it was the forgiving nature I have, or my love of blueberries. Or maybe the usage of the word "Smashed," because who doesn't love using that word? 

"I don't!"

Soon, after letting it chill, it was time. I poured it into my ever present Spider-Man pint glass and was blasted in the face by blueberry smell. Seriously, I was able to smell it across the room. Much like Mitch Hedberg and his cinnamon bun incense, this easily could give me false hopes. I would have sworn that someone was baking blueberry muffins in my house. And it looked fantastic. Pretty much no head and it was a very, very deep purple/blue/red color. All of those things combined made for a beautiful beer. I was already getting excited. I took my first sip, with almost no noticeable carbonation, this beer had a very full feel to it. And the taste was a 180 from the smell. I was almost expecting a super sweet, almost lambic taste, but nope! Instead I was pleasantly greeted with a deep, malty taste. A hint of vanilla. And blueberry. But the blueberry wasn't TOO overwhelming. This beer supposed to be a cross between a porter and a Scottish ale (sounds like a terrible craft beer joke), and I can see how they'd come to that. It felt like a porter, and the smell really does punch you in the face like a Scottish. No where was there a hint of any artificial or saccharine sweet tastes. This was just all around delicious.

So delicious, that I found myself longing for one tonight. So I suppose that perhaps I should give Shipyard another chance. Ah, forgiveness. I'm such a nice guy!

Shipyard Smashed Blueberry

ABV: 9.00

Smell: 4.5/5

Appearance: 4/5

Taste: 4/5

Feel: 3.5/5

Overall: 4/5

This beer pairs well with: Black Light Burns - Cover Your Heart

Wow. What a Sunday!


I'm going to preface this by telling you about how this Sunday was the first Sunday since the 1600's that you could purchase alcohol outside of a bar or restaurant in Connecticut. I was so excited, I was at my liquor store a half hour before they opened. DOH! I returned and made my first beer purchase on a Sunday. I felt like I was taking part in history! So cool!


After that, it was time for the trip I had been planning for a few days...Tullycross Tavern!

Looks like a classy joint, amirite? That guy on the bench made me aware that my
bag was ripped and I was about to lose my growler. Even the clientele are nice!

I really loved the atmosphere, dim lights, nice, big bar right in the center. Bring on the beer!

Impressive list!

I went with the Cow Tipper Cream Ale to start with, and I'm SO glad I did. I hadn't had a cream ale in about 6 years and that was Pete's Wicked Wanderlust. This was delicious. A nice mellow, malty, smooth refreshing drink. I didn't get any good glass shots of it while I was there, but it poured a nice basic beer yellow, albeit maybe a little cloudy. A nice one finger head that disappeared quickly. The taste was phenomenal. Malty and delicious! A big creamy flavor. A really smooth feel to it. It was carbonated, but you wouldn't be able to tell. It wasn't a flat feel by any means. More a velvet. There was a lot going on. I could be crazy but I'm pretty sure there was a slight hops bite towards the end of the taste. It was love at first taste. I polished off that beer quickly and was already trying to decide what to get next!


I deduced that there was no way buying a pint of each one was a smart idea. A good one, absolutely, but not smart! That's when experience kicked in, and a sampler was ordered! But what was I going to get? SO MANY CHOICES! I get overwhelmed easily! That's when I did science. My best friend and his girlfriend were with me, so I tried their beers! He had the Flux IPA which was good and she had the Tavern Light which was actually REALLY good! I don't expect much from a beer with "light" in the name, but the flavor profile of this was surprising! A very crisp and sweet drink. I would actually order this any day. So here's what I got...

I seriously love the idea of samplers. I'm going to do this more often!

I'm going to give a very brief review of the 5 beers, from left to right.


Tully's Irish Red: This was the beer I was initially excited for. Unfortunately, it was underwhelming to me. In a blind taste test, I couldn't tell you the difference between this and Killians. But that's not bad, because Killians is good! 3/5

Silk City Stout: Admittedly, I'm not really a fan of stouts, but I'm TRYING. It wasn't until the end of my small glass that it started to grow on me a little. I probably wouldn't order it on my own though. 2.5/3

Apricot Wheat: Is it ok if I cuss once? This beer blew my fucking mind. I was expecting #9, instead I got blasted in the mouth by the sweet, dry, fizzy wheat. It was so good and so different. It could have easily been a sour and its halfway there. I wanted to ask if there were any moscato grapes used in the brewing process. Everything about this beer reminded me of a newer favorite I had had recently, Napa Smith Crush Beer. I loved this Apricot Wheat and I want more, soon. 4/5

Pale Ale: This was a nice, balanced pale. Not too hoppy, not too much of anything, really. I could easily put a bunch of these away without becoming overwhelmed with flavor. Admit it, it happens! 3/5

Flux IPA: Another underwhelming beer. Not much of a smell, not much of a hop taste. It wasn't bad, but I would order other beers before this one. 3/5

Towards the end of my last glass, from across the bar I hear, "Hey, are you Hipster?" Must have been the way I kept sticking my nose in the glass. If I were a dog, my ears would have perked right up! After shouting across the bar to one another for a few minutes, I went over and introduced myself to the two gentlemen who were patrons and we proceeded to discuss beer for about 10-15 minutes! I must have had the BIGGEST smile on my face. I couldn't believe it, that's two times since I started this blog! I don't think I shut up about it for the rest of the day. I'm loving the craft beer scene a lot! 

After chatting with the bartender (she was great!) I decided on my growler of Cow Tipper and got on my way! We ended our Sunday at Main Pub in Manchester. After a much needed sandwich and a couple more beers (Harpoon Rye IPA & Smuttynose Robust Porter. My first time having both and they were both great beers) it was time to call it a day.


And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I spent this very momentous day. An overall success! I'm looking forward to my next trip up to Tullycross! And for the local readers, check out their Facebook and if you're feeling froggish, head on over! 

And last but not least, here's a cumulative photo of all my legal Sunday purchases!

Sweet, sweet law changes!

And now Im off to do something totally awesome...bottle some homebrew!


Cow Tipper Cream Ale:


ABV: 6.7


Smell: 3/5
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 4/5
Feel: 4/5


Overall: 3.5/5

Cow Tipper Cream Best Paired With: Michael James Anderson - Left of the Dial

If you look at the title and think "I've never heard of that beer...," fret not! You're not crazy, or maybe you are. It's not my call. But its not a beer. It's a local bar, and they serve some AWESOME beers!

You see, this entry was supposed to be a review for Ballast Point Brewery Sculpin IPA! But, after being in the bar and meeting some awesome folks, this entry transformed itself into a creature all its own. On Thursday, I saw a post on the Cafe on Main Facebook page, and I got all kinds of excited. here's what it said:

"Dear Beer Fans, We got a new IPA coming in this week.Sculpin IPA from Ballast Point Brewery in San Diego. This is a very limited beer, only 4 barrels in the state, and we got one!! Here is a description from there website:

The Sculpin is a testament to our humble beginnings as Home Brew Mart. It showcases bright flavors and aromas of apricot, peach, mango & lemon. The lighter body also brings out the crispness of the hops.

This delicious Ballast Point Ale won a gold medal at the World Beer Cup 2010 in the International Pale Ale category. The Sculpin fish has poisonous spikes on it’s fins that can give a strong sting.

Ironically, the meat from a Sculpin is considered some of the tastiest. Something that has a sting but tastes great, sounds like a Ballast Point India Pale Ale.


Availability 
Year-round in 22oz & draft 
Bitterness 
70 IBUS
Alc. by Vol. 
7 %
Serving Temperature 40-45 degrees"

I was sold. I warned them on Facebook to expect me around 5 on Friday, and it was on.

I got there and awkwardly ordered my first beer (I don't get out much). I quickly found a well lit seat to begin the review process and got to work:

Beer seriously lacks in the "Physically Striking" department.

I'll start off telling you it had a nice, 2 finger, very sticky head. LOTS of retention! And lots of cute, tiny, little bubbles. Aw, tiny bubbles. I stuck my nose in it and absent mindedly wiped off the head that I didn't wait for. It didn't smell like much of anything. I must have looked like a huge doofus, but I was persistent, I kept with the sniffing.. The smell was very light and very fruity. With a small hint of citrus. It actually reminded me of Magic Hat #9. I wasn't getting any hoppy aroma. Bogus.

Finally, I took a sip. It may have been my self conscious, but I felt like everyone near me in the bar was looking at me thinking "Is he going to ever DRINK the goddamned thing??" As I sat there, taking pictures and repeatedly sticking my nose in the beer and wiping it off. Anyway, as it hit my tongue I thought "I paid $6 a pint, for THIS?" It was a sweet, bubble-gummy taste, big whoop. Before I could finish my thought there was a HOPS EXPLOSION! In the span of about half a second that beer blew my friggin mind. It was like a hops mouthwash. If Altoids made a hops breath mint, this is what it would taste like. I loved it. I loved it so much, I got another...

...And that was when my ego got huge. I went up and said "Can I please have another Sculpin?" and the bartender, I believe his name is Mike, asked "Are you...Hipster...something?" "Hipster Brewfus?" I replied.

"YES!"

Holy crap, I'm already famous. 

I went back to my seat and ended up talking shop with another employee, TJ. He seemed as excited to talk to me about beer and my blog as I was. I could have hugged him. He later talked me into getting the meatloaf for dinner. It was delicious! 

And more importantly, he talked me into trying a sampler. Four, six ounce beers. I was overwhelmed. So I grabbed the list and gave it hell!

You can see my professional notes!

From left to right: Narragansett Bock, Brooklyn Summer Ale,
Ipswitch Oatmeal Stout, and Abita Purple Haze. And also my friend
 Jarus' fingers!

By this point, I was full on fun, beer and meatloaf, so my attempt to review is weak:

Abita Purple Haze: Smells like candy, tastes like juice. Fizzy head. Beer Juice Soda!

Ipswitch Oatmeal Stout: A very good stout ( I think I was making fun of another blog I came across)

Brooklyn Summer & Narragansett Bock: A doodle of Spider-mans mask

So, in closing I recommend both the beer(s) and the bar. Sculpin was a very unique IPA, unlike any I have had prior. I'm glad I made the special trip out for it. And the people and atmosphere at Cafe on Main, will keep me coming back. Small bar, but easily the best beer list I have seen in some time. And I'll be damned if they didn't make me feel welcomed. Which is nice, as I live 3 minutes away!

Ballast Point Brewery Sculpin IPA

Smell: 2.5

Appearance: 3

Taste: 4.5

Feel: 3

Overall: 3.25/5

This beer pairs well with: The Mars Volta - Noctourniquet

Huzzah, my first post! Well, My first review! I thought sitting out on the patio and enjoying this offering was more than appropriate.

Today, I'm going to tell you all about Grumpy Monk, a Belgian Style IPA in the new Sam Adams IPA-HOP-OLOGY mix pack. I put off getting the mix pack for a couple weeks, because it was+$20, but I'm SO glad I got it.

Lets take a look, what do you say?

Looks like beer, amirite? Nothing special, your basic coppery-amber color. From the glass though, you can get a pretty sweet smell. Actually I notice the sweet more than the Christmas tree smell. Its a Belgian AND an IPA (oh my god, 2 of my favorites), so that didn't surprise me. It poured with a minimal head, maybe 1 to 1.5 finger. I enjoy a small head on a beer. Means I don't have to waste too much time waiting and I get to pour the full bottle in one fell swoop.

What? I'm impatient!

The hoppyness didn't hit my tongue till the tail end. It seems like its more a Belgian Ale and the hops was more an afterthought than anything else. And I don't mean that to sound as negative as it sounds. In fact its a good thing. As much as I love IPAs, you have to admit they more or less are flooding the craft beer market. And again, I am not complaining. But something to make you say "Oh... that's different" is nice once in a while! The mouth-feel was nice. Light carbonation with small bubbles, this beer went down easily.

I would probably give this to anyone on the fence about IPA's or just good beer in general. Then again, if there was someone who wasn't interested in beer, I wouldn't want to share my hard earned beer with them and they can just go pound sand. Also, this is a LIMITED release. They only brewed it once and who KNOWS when you'll get to get it again. So I say try it. Its a great representation of the style and I enjoyed it for what it was. The pack in general is all kinds of amazing and well worth the more expensive price tag. Hell, its worth it alone for the Tasman Red and Dark Depths (of which you can expect a review of).


ABV: 5.7%

Smell: 3.5
Appearance: 3
Taste: 4
Feel: 3.5

Overall: 3.5/5

This beer pairs well with: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik

I did. I was 17. At some party in the middle of North Windham with my then-girlfriend who was a known hell raiser. I was a good kid, who got suckered into trying a Red Dog. Gross. I may have had MAYBE half of it before I started telling her "yeah, I drank it, yeah it was awesome, OH MAN I'M WASTED!" I wasn't. I took it to the bathroom with me, poured it down the toilet and held onto it for the rest of the night while I pretended to drink from it.

I was 17, 17 year olds are stupid.

Fast forward to college. Until my first weekend in my dorm room, I hadn't touched a drop of alcohol since that Red Dog fiasco. It was gross enough make me not want to ever drink beer...And like I said, I was a good kid. Within a few weeks, that all changed. My roommate gave me my first good beer, a Magic Hat #9. It was the furthest thing from what I expected, and I loved it. Jim, I'm sure at some point you'll read this, so thank you...for my drinking problem! I kid!

The problem was...I was 18. And broke. Sadly, I wouldn't be able to indulge in this for a couple more years.

FAST FORWARD ALL THOSE YEARS LATER!

Ok, so I'm about 20, and I'm a regular at Main St. Cafe, and they brew their own beer. I was in heaven. I would work, go home, change out of my smelly clothes and go right to my favorite bar. It helped that I was a 7 minute walk from my front door to the bar stool. And my fake ID was AWESOME! Thanks random Sprint store on Burnside Ave! They make phenomenal beer and I just couldn't get enough. But I wouldnt stray far from wheat or white ales and I was dumb enough to say that Hoegaarden was my favorite beer. While Magic Hat made me realize, "hey, I guess beer isn't shitty!" Hoegaarden grabbed me and said "DRINK!" And I did. I still couldn't do IPAs and other extreme beers. I stuck to what I knew, Belgians.

A few years later and my palette has expanded. When I was about 24, I brewed my very first beer. It was an American Lager. Budweiser with less of a stale urine taste. But it was good. Good in the sense that that's how it was supposed to taste. I just don't like lagers too much. After that, I brewed a plain White Ale that I loved and the last batch was a Boysenberry Wheat. it was AMAZING! It was called Witches Brew and it was perfect. That was the last batch I brewed for some time.

In that time I have come to discover my undying affinity for craft beer. And now, IPAs are easily my favorite beer, at the moment. My girlfriend will be the first to tell you that my favorite of anything quickly changes! I have a lot of love for good, shitty beer. I love PBR and I put away a 40 of Haffenreffer like nobody's business! It took a lot of coercion for me to start this blog and I hope I have fun with it. So this is my jumping off point...

My name is Jacob. I love craft beer and I look forward to inundating you with all kinds of beer goodies.

And I may sneak some music stuff here and there...

Here goes nothing! Cheers!