Hail to the Chief we have chosen for the nation

I am not a big fan of American football.  I'll put that right out there.  Sure, I will cheer on the home team most of the time or root against the Philadelphia Eagles (I do not like Philly fans of any sport... they are just mean) or the Dallas Cowboys (I root against anything out of Texas, just on principle), and I did get excited for the New Orleans Saints in last year's big game.  But I never watch football by myself, I have zero interest in college football, and could not name more than a dozen players, past or present.  That said, I love Super Bowl parties.  The food, the crowd, and of course the beer.  Nowadays, I usualy make a point to bring some craft beer with me to a party since it is usually the case that these types of parties typically serve beer prominently featured in the advertising of the game.  This year, though, had I been invited to the White House to watch the game (hey, it could happen!), I would have been served not only beers from Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, but a freakin' White House Homebrew!  How cool is that?!  This is not a political blog, but I do love our President more today than I did last week.

The opening of the Ale and the Witch was great.  good music, good people, and great beer.  Brett has put together a really friendly and laid back place and picked some really excellent beers.  I am looking forward to becoming a regular there.

Congratulations are in order to Tampa Bay Brewing Company.  After fifteen years of fighting, they can now sell growlers of their great beer.  I know Dave and company have worked their asses off to see this day, and hopefully this is just one more step towards bringing Florida into the mainstream craft beer world.  Bit by bit, we are getting there.

Cheers, all!

To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it!

Thank you, Charlie Chaplin.

First things first, yes, I ran the 5k.  I finished it, ran the entire way without stopping or walking, and I did it in under 40 minutes.  Those were my personal goals.  My trash-talking son beat me by roughly 8 minutes.  My body is still sore, but I have to admit it was a LOT of fun, and I plan on doing more.  Big thanks to the family for encouraging me, pushing me, and tolerating my gripes after the fact, and a big thank you to our dear friend Tonnya who ran with me and set a pace faster than I would have... which is exactly what I needed.

On to beer...

The Ale and the Witch is awesome.  I highly recommend it to anyone in St. Pete, either living here or visiting.  Brett (the owner) has put together a really great place for the craft beer lover, tucked away just enough to avoid a regular intrusion of Ed Hardy-wearing jack-wagons who might stumble by looking for the highest alcohol beer they can find so they can high-five their buddies wearing 2-sizes-too-small tshirts and then asking why there's no Mic Ultra.  32 taps of pure awesome.  And five minutes from home.  I love it.

It has been interesting to watch the HopSlam release activity around the country.  I listened to Mike and Phil at United We Drink discuss the scarcity and hype and difficulty acquiring it on their side of the state, while here in St. Pete its readily available in multiple places.  And while Total Wine is carrying it for $19.99 a six-pack (same as South Florida, it seems), my personal favorite place of Rollin' Oats has it for $15.99.  Still expensive, but interesting that the price is so drastically different.  It's a phenomenal beer, mind you.  Rumor has it you can also find it on tap in a few places around town.

Ratebeer.com has released its 2011 "Best" list, and once again, the Stout is king.  That irritates me.  I love a good Imperial Stout as much as the next person, but there are a disproportionate number of them in the top 25, in my not-so-humble opinion.  That said, it was great to see Florida - and Tampa Bay in particular - getting some serious props in the listings.  No "beer culture" my ass!

Dust in the Wind, Dude...

Some random thoughts for this week...

I am preparing (more or less) to run my first race since I ran cross country in high school.  A 5k, to be exact.  Oh, I have run since high school, but it was either while training for whatever sport I was playing, or running to or away from something.  Chronic knee issues, conditioning (or lack thereof) and the fact that I am sprinting towards 40 have all be things to deal with in the return to "fitness".  My eldest son, approaching 11, has two 5k races under his belt since December, and has found a genuine interest in running.  He's built like a runner, tall and lanky, all legs.  Sports are not generally his forte, but he like running and seems to be good at it so far.  He is not one for trash-talking, either.  Not in video games, board games, anything.  When I told him I was going to run the 5k with him this coming weekend, he said "Okay.  You'll have to see the eye doctor."
"Eye doctor?"  I wear glasses, but was a bit confused.  "What do you mean?"
"So he can get my dust out of your eyes after the race..."
Damn kids these days... no respect...

I am really hoping to get my hands on some Sierra Nevada Hoptimum.  I have not seen it anywhere yet, but I am sure its around.  I will find some...

I have one thing to say about the upcoming Packers-Steelers Superbowl: meh.

Lee Norman Williams - aka Hoptopia - posted an interesting question the other day.  "Is ranting about certain elements of the craft beer community and craft beer industry going to be a major trend in 2011?"  This prompted a good discussion amond some of us craft beer lovers.  I liked what Erik Boles from BeerTapTV had to say: "Remember, it's not what beer IS, it's what beer DOES that matters. Beer isn't what you do, beer is what you do while you're doing what you do."  I think it is a great philosophy, and elitists be damned.

New Year, New Perspective, New Opportunities

It is amazing what just the flipping over of a calendar page can do for one's psyche.  In reality, nothing about the fabric of space/time changes, but it feels really good to put difficult things behind you in a symbolic manner.  Looking forward to 2011 (as laid out in my previous post) I have a lot of things I want to accomplish.  But life has a funny way of happening while you are making plans.  Just in the past ten days, new opportunities and revelations arise.  But those are for another day...

I recently wrote a beer review for Stone Brewing's Lukcy Basartd, a beer I genuinely enjoyed.  The original Arrogant Bastard was a very influential beer for me in my craft beer journey, and I said so in the article.  Naturally, my editor and the magazine tweeted a link to the article, as they always do.  And i got this response:

Yep... that's Greg Koch, owner and brewmaster at Stone Brewing.  So, that felt pretty good to have that kind of affirmation.

I also learned that there is a new craft beer bar opening in St. Petersburg.  It will be within the next few weeks, and the guy in charge seems to have a good plan.  What makes it funny, though, is that it is opening in a location at the base of the building that I used to work in!  It figures, after five years there, just a few short months after I leave, a craft beer bar opens there.  Not that it would have kept me there... *shudder*

And finally, I was asked to write an article on the Cigar City Brewing label art contest that was announced today.  It's nice to be the one people come to for something like that.  Makes me feel like I am contributing and part of the scene.

I am sure the days and weeks ahead will reveal more and more good stuff.  I feel it, and I look forward to the surprises.

Cheers, all.

My 2011 Brew Years Resolutions

2010 was quite the year for me.  Lots of ups and downs, turnarounds, and so on.  There were some really great changes and happenings, especially towards the end of the year, and I hope to build on those in 2011.  I think I see things more clearly now than I did this time last year.  Hell, I KNOW I am seeing things through different eyes just since October...

And so without further gilding the lily and with no more ado, I give to you: My 2011 Brew Years Resolutions.

1. Attend GABF in Denver for the first time.  This is a carry-over from last year, but this time I will start planning in January instead of realizing in August I am too late...
2. Visit more breweries.  Another carry-over.  Just want to continue the trend and see more of the industry.  (This includes finally getting up to Saint Somewhere!)
3. Attend more local events.  I get to some, but my lack of planning and paying attention has left me missing some great happenings.  Need to rectify that.
4. More homebrewing.  Four batches a year is pitiful.  I need to brew more, period.
5. Meet more "beer people" when they come to town and when I am travelling.  Craft beer people (who, as we know, Rgoodpeople) are everywhere.  There is no reason not to meet up.
6. Be more consistent with my writing.  It takes discipline and time, but there is no reason I cannot meet all of my obligations each week.
7. Expand my tasting range.  Its easy to fall into a pattern of only IPAs, Imperial Stouts, and the like, but there are so many other great beer choices out there.  I should give them a fair shot as well.
8. X Project 1: CLASSIFIED - A joint venture with another beer visioneer.  Should be fun and interesting.
9. X Project 2: CLASSIFIED - Another involvement I have signed up to be a part of.  Not necessarily "fun", but it is important.
10. Continue to be a vocal craft beer evangelist and advocate both locally and in general.  We are in what looks like a craft beer Renaissance, but there is evil at every turn.  We cannot afford to be complacent.

2011 holds a lot of promise and excitement.  I plan of facing it with beer in hand and determination in my heart.  May everyone have a safe and fun New Years Eve.

Cheers!

 - Beer for the Daddy

My 2010 Brew Years Resolutions - A Look Back

A year ago, I made my resolutions for 2010 as they related to my life and work in the craft beer world.  Some evolved and changed as time went on, and some I dropped all together when I realized they were not where I wanted to go with my life.  So before I make my new list, Lets review how 2010 turned out:

1. Attend GABF in Denver for the first time. - Didn't happen.  Mostly due to lack of planning on my part, and then conflicting schedules.  Looking to try to make it happen this year.

2. Visit more breweries. - I would say I did okay on this one.  Any time I travelled, I tried to make a point to visit any local breweries I could.  Not as many as I would have liked, but I did make a good effort.

3. Start rating beers. - I stopped doing this almost as quickly as I started.  I enjoy reviewing beers, talking about the flavors and what I like, etc... but the whole rating thing just didn't feel right for me.

4. More homebrewing. - Failure.  I brewed a total of 4 batches this year, about a third of what I had hoped for.  They all came out great, but too infrequent.

5. More writing. - Pretty good.  While my articles for Examiner and Hop Press slipped, I did pick up the Creative Loafing gig, but I need to be more consistant all the way around.

6. More drinking. And by this I do not me quantity, but variety. - Definitely did this, and got to sample and explore a LOT of new beers.

7. More reading. - I read everything I could get my hands on, and continue to do so.

8. Certification and study, part 1. Cicerone program. - Just never got around to it, really.

9. Certification and study, part 2. Beer Judge Certification Program. - Somewhat limited by access and availability, not to mention time.

10. Continue to be a vocal craft beer advocate. - A+.  I took a much more active role this past year not only in trying to educate people about craft beer, but standing up for it as well.

So all in all, I give myself a passing grade, but with a lot of room for improvement.  Coming soon, the 2011 resolutions!

- Beer for the Daddy

Onward Craft Beer Soldiers...

Today is the Tampa City Council Meeting that will determine the fate of the much-loved Cigar City Brewing Tasting Room.

Once again - and for the last time - here are the pertinent details:

Date: Thursday December 2nd - THAT IS TODAY!!!
Time: 10:30 AM
Location: 315 East Kennedy Boulevard (Downtown)
City Hall, 3rd Floor
Tampa, FL 33602
This is a public meeting so anyone may attend and speak if they so choose or just attend to show support.

These are the three members of Council who voted against Cigar City:
Gwen Miller
Thomas Scott
Curtis Stokes

These are those Council members who voted for Cigar City:
Mary Mulhern
Yvonne Yoli Capin
Joseph Caetano

And the absentee vote was Charlie Miranda.  He is very likely to be the tie-breaker in this fight.

So it all comes down to today.  Lets hope reason and sanity prevail instead of rumor and false accusations made in the name of "serving the community".

P.S. If you do not know what I am talking about, read these posts:

• My Creative Loafing article or my Hop Press Article
• Blog Post from Crazy Cat Lady Beer
• Mark Christopher's article on Examiner.com
• and of course Cigar City's own blog