For your entertainment as you head into the weekend, this video has been around for while but I like it. I laughed pretty hard about this. This is how hipsters drink beer. Notice that Bud Light is still not acceptable even after all the douche baggery. Please tell me I am not like this!
Friday, May 30, 2014
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Morals of #beerchat: Dont be "that guy" and IPAs are not avocado Kitchen Aids
With #beerchat coming up tomorrow, and the fact that I missed last week and will miss tomorrow I feel like I should do my part and contribute to the discussion. @SommBeer hosted this week and led a discussion about trends in craft beer and perceptions of craft beer drinkers.
I have always been partial to this issue and I really want to be vanguard against "that guy". So if you see "that guy" tell them to get off their high horse, grab a beer, drink it without production, and chill out. While drinking beer can be about the beer, 99% of the purpose of beer is to be drank with friends and relax. So do that!
I think this question is kind of like asking which NFL team has the highest quality fans. As long as you aren't talking about the Oakland Raiders and their ugly Black Hole, fandom is just a city/regional preference and what you know. While some of us might be lucky to experience things from elsewhere we will largely know what is in our own back yard. I just have the pleasure to know the smells of amazing BBQ and the sound of a loud stadium in Kansas City.
On a side note, I would really like to find out from personal experience about beers from all over the country... Nay the world! Its a goal and on the bucket list. (Yes, I used nay. Don't judge! I used it correctly. So what if I like A Knight's Tale?)
While I might have missed the small kitchen appliance fads of the 70's, I do appreciate why fads happen. Fads happen because peoples taste evolve through stages of demand. With increased options the demand changes. I am sure you can find a few people who still have an Avocado colored Kitchen Aid. I, however, don't feel that IPAs are a fad and don't feel they are going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, I feel that craft beer drinkers are seeing their demand being answered by an ever increasing and varietal selection of kinds of IPAs. My next home brew will be a lighter IPA that focuses less on the punch in the mouth sourness and more on the crisp flavor and aroma of the hops. I will probably brew something like a Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA.
Don't get me wrong. There are A LOT of IPAs out there that are not good, could be better, or purely trying to make the drinker not be able to taste anything else for the rest of the night and pucker their face up like they ate 20 LemonHeads.
This comes down to the craft vs crafty debate. I tried to talk about this when I started this blog in Crafty vs Craft.
I feel like I have learned and grown from talking to people about this. I see this discussion a lot. I am going to write new post about this soon. I am going to try for next week.
This is a perfect answer to this question! I would always go with draft over bottle given the choice. And to this guys point that also means you probably have the keg there so there is more beer, or at least more potential for a greater quantity of beer.
Be sure to catch #beerchat tomorrow at 8pm CST. @TwoGirlsOneBeer will be hosting a discussion on the advent of canned beer and what I am assuming is how we ditch the stigma and accept that quality beer can come from a can.
@SommBeer A1: snobs are snobs, but hopefully we continue to support growth, community, pushing boundaries, and sharing a pint. #beerchat
— Brian Malone (@zima182) May 23, 2014
I have always been partial to this issue and I really want to be vanguard against "that guy". So if you see "that guy" tell them to get off their high horse, grab a beer, drink it without production, and chill out. While drinking beer can be about the beer, 99% of the purpose of beer is to be drank with friends and relax. So do that!
#beerchat Q2 who makes the highest quality Beer #eastcoat #westcoat #midwest ?? vote for #michigan and earn extra points
— SommBeer (@SommBeer) May 23, 2014
A2: I'm a NYer but lean West Coast for hoppy beers. Cali has a hefty lineup in that regard. But NY has great variety.. #beerchat
— Charles Dunkley (@cedunkley) May 23, 2014
I think this question is kind of like asking which NFL team has the highest quality fans. As long as you aren't talking about the Oakland Raiders and their ugly Black Hole, fandom is just a city/regional preference and what you know. While some of us might be lucky to experience things from elsewhere we will largely know what is in our own back yard. I just have the pleasure to know the smells of amazing BBQ and the sound of a loud stadium in Kansas City.
On a side note, I would really like to find out from personal experience about beers from all over the country... Nay the world! Its a goal and on the bucket list. (Yes, I used nay. Don't judge! I used it correctly. So what if I like A Knight's Tale?)
Q3 Are IPAs like Avocado colored appliances ...just a fad? Anybody sick of IPAs yet #beerchat #ipa #beer
— SommBeer (@SommBeer) May 23, 2014
A3) Definitely don't think that IPAs are like 70s appliances. They're here to stay and I'm not sick of them at all! #beerchat #ipa
— Epic Beer Girl (@epicbeergirl) May 23, 2014
While I might have missed the small kitchen appliance fads of the 70's, I do appreciate why fads happen. Fads happen because peoples taste evolve through stages of demand. With increased options the demand changes. I am sure you can find a few people who still have an Avocado colored Kitchen Aid. I, however, don't feel that IPAs are a fad and don't feel they are going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, I feel that craft beer drinkers are seeing their demand being answered by an ever increasing and varietal selection of kinds of IPAs. My next home brew will be a lighter IPA that focuses less on the punch in the mouth sourness and more on the crisp flavor and aroma of the hops. I will probably brew something like a Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA.
Don't get me wrong. There are A LOT of IPAs out there that are not good, could be better, or purely trying to make the drinker not be able to taste anything else for the rest of the night and pucker their face up like they ate 20 LemonHeads.
Q4 Should the Big (M)ass breweries disclose their ownership when selling their #craftbeer attempts? #beerchat #beer
— SommBeer (@SommBeer) May 23, 2014
@SommBeer A4: I'd like a little more transparency, but at the end of the day, drink what you like. #beerchat
— Brian Malone (@zima182) May 23, 2014
This comes down to the craft vs crafty debate. I tried to talk about this when I started this blog in Crafty vs Craft.
I feel like I have learned and grown from talking to people about this. I see this discussion a lot. I am going to write new post about this soon. I am going to try for next week.
@SommBeer A5: which method gives me more volume? That's my choice. #beerchat
— The Beer Sommelier® (@BeerSommelier) May 23, 2014
This is a perfect answer to this question! I would always go with draft over bottle given the choice. And to this guys point that also means you probably have the keg there so there is more beer, or at least more potential for a greater quantity of beer.
Be sure to catch #beerchat tomorrow at 8pm CST. @TwoGirlsOneBeer will be hosting a discussion on the advent of canned beer and what I am assuming is how we ditch the stigma and accept that quality beer can come from a can.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Follow your dreams even when you don't know where they may take you!
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| Picture courtesy of the Topeka Capital Journal |
Recently I heard of a story that might not pull your heart strings or involve any terminable diseases, but it does inspire hope and belief in that chance meetings sometimes aren't so chance and could potentially lead to a knock from opportunity.
Tarik Black, a University of Kansas big man described as a bruising forward transferred from Memphis to Kansas for his final year of NCAA eligibility. Despite my Black and Gold allegiances, KU is the place to play basketball on a national stage, get noticed by NBA scouts, and potentially boost your basketball career to the professional level.
What Tarik didn't count on was someone not associated with the NBA scouting ranks to notice his talents as a big man on the court. Since the days that Tony Gonzalez in KC Chiefs red revolutionized the tight end position in the NFL, football scouts are looking in all sorts of places to find athletes with transferable skills to the gridiron. Tarik's skill set is illustrated when he plays in the post underneath the basket going up strong for rebounds and put backs. With light hands and a strong physical presence he makes himself a target for the ball handler to get an easy layup.
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| Picture courtesy of Jamie Squire/Getty Images North America |
Great! Grand! Wonderful! (NO YELLING ON THE BUS!) What does that mean for me? You were wondering when the beer portion of this beer blog was going to show itself.
What if John McDonald, founder of Boulevard came up to me tomorrow and said, "Hey, I like your style. I need some one help bring beer to the people and make the beer more accessible to the masses. Would you like to do that?"
What if Draft Magazine came to me and said, "We need you to travel the US and abroad to drink beer, meet people, talk about beer, and share your insights. Interested?"
What if a random stranger walks up to me and hands me $5 dollars and says, "Pick me out a beer to try so that I can start my craft beer experience."
While I write and help others find craft beer, I am listening for opportunity to knock. I just hope I am listening to the right set of doors.
Most people probably read the Yahoo story about Tarik Black and thought "Oh that's nice that a kid might have a chance to make it in two of Americas top sports." I didn't take it that way. I thought:
Hard work, dedication, perseverance, and showing what you can do to others pays off in ways you might think they will, but more often than not those virtues show you a return on investment that you might not have thought of.Risking sounding like a Disney movie or high school counselor, I am going to work hard to make my dreams come true and I hope you come along for the ride.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Parkville Microbrew Fest
I didn't know what to expect, driving through Downtown Parkville with clouds clearing from the morning rains, while the grounds of the imminent beer fest were obscured by a long freight train. Once the train past, C and I were finally able to cross the tracks and see English Landing Park. After we parked and handed over our tickets in exchange for small tasting glasses, we walked up to the pavilion to see really small people playing classic rock like Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. These little people were actually kids between the age 11 to 15 just jamming out to so really awesome songs that my father and I bobbing our heads to the beat. The School of Rock, this band of kids, was skillful and showed potential for greatness. These kids, while pretty good, were just a pastime while we waited for the main event.
As the time for the beer fest approached there was a definite feeling like we were shoppers camped out at a Black Friday sale and we might have to politely throw some bows to get to the brewery tents set up in a field that could easily hold a football game(whichever style of football you prefer). When the caution tape separating the crowd from the tents was cut, each person, armed with a small tasting glass, rushed the field to find the beer they wanted from their favorite brewery.
If you are anything like C, you had a written list of all the beers and breweries you wanted to go try. You even thought of the priorities of each tasting and how long you would want to wait in line for a taste. She literally had a check list and pen ready to mark off each beer she tasted and was ready to find each tent she wanted to go to.
Me on the other hand? I was more of the opinion, "All your beers belong to me!"
I surveyed the field as C efficiently got her bearings and found the first tent she wanted to go to. From the start we worked the tents, identifying beers and breweries that we haven't had before, would like to try, or don't get in this area.
We tried great beers like:
Once we got our priority beers and breweries, started hitting the tents that interested us and we also tried to meet as many people as we could. We got to meet KC Hoptalk and his lovely wife. We rubbed elbows with men and women of Missouri Mashers, KC Nanobrew, and Lawrence Brewers Guild, all of whom have the guts to brew their own beer and bring it for others to enjoy - and people did just that! We got to talk with the brewers and staff of Rock and Run Brewery and Mother's. And I always like when I get a chance to chat with the great people at Central States Beverage.
But that is enough about people I know and met. There were SO many people there that I didn't know and didn't get to meet. From what I remember and the pictures I saw everyone had a great time! Don't believe me? Take a look at the KC Star's Mingle gallery.
I am going to a few other beer fests this summer including Boulevardia and KC Nanobrew Fest. I am looking into KC Beer Fest in September and Westport Beerfest in June.
As the time for the beer fest approached there was a definite feeling like we were shoppers camped out at a Black Friday sale and we might have to politely throw some bows to get to the brewery tents set up in a field that could easily hold a football game(whichever style of football you prefer). When the caution tape separating the crowd from the tents was cut, each person, armed with a small tasting glass, rushed the field to find the beer they wanted from their favorite brewery.
 |
| Who has two beers and huge smile? |
Me on the other hand? I was more of the opinion, "All your beers belong to me!"
I surveyed the field as C efficiently got her bearings and found the first tent she wanted to go to. From the start we worked the tents, identifying beers and breweries that we haven't had before, would like to try, or don't get in this area.
We tried great beers like:
- Peach Smeach Wheat and Java Porter by Blind Tiger from Topeka
- Foeder Projekt #1 by Boulevard
- Morningwood Sour Breakfast Ale and Krieky-Deeky by CIB Brewery in Carson, Iowa
- Velvet Underbrown by Heavy Riff Brewing Company in St. Louis
- Schuley's by Sam Schulenberg from KC Nanobrews
- Wicked Haybale by Controlled Chaos Brewing from the Lawrence Brewers Guild
- Schubrew by David Schumacher from Missouri Mashers
- Pulp Fiction by Mother's Brewing from Springfield, MO
- Melange a Trois by Nebraska Brewing Company from Papillion, NE
- Daft Punk by Rock and Run Brewery from Liberty
- Schnickelfritz by Urban Chestnut Brewing from St. Louis
These were just the highlights and best beers I tasted! I had quite a few more and still others I didn't get to try! For a complete listing of beers check out the Parkville Microbrew Fest or if you prefer the list of breweries.
Once we got our priority beers and breweries, started hitting the tents that interested us and we also tried to meet as many people as we could. We got to meet KC Hoptalk and his lovely wife. We rubbed elbows with men and women of Missouri Mashers, KC Nanobrew, and Lawrence Brewers Guild, all of whom have the guts to brew their own beer and bring it for others to enjoy - and people did just that! We got to talk with the brewers and staff of Rock and Run Brewery and Mother's. And I always like when I get a chance to chat with the great people at Central States Beverage.
But that is enough about people I know and met. There were SO many people there that I didn't know and didn't get to meet. From what I remember and the pictures I saw everyone had a great time! Don't believe me? Take a look at the KC Star's Mingle gallery.
I am going to a few other beer fests this summer including Boulevardia and KC Nanobrew Fest. I am looking into KC Beer Fest in September and Westport Beerfest in June.
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