Day Two - Leftovers in the Refrigerator, Part I

I am, by nature, a decisive, action-oriented person, a trait that serves me well in my profession. What do I do? Oh, well, I’m a US Congressman, of course. What profession could be more decisive and action-oriented than that?

Okay, that was a cheap shot, even if it is true that Congress is positively glacial in the way it goes about the business of running this country. This, however, is a blog about my beer quest, not a political diatribe. It’s just that they are such an easy target and I simply couldn’t resist the barb.

Actually, since you’re asking, I’m an old-school project manager who is used to facing problems on a daily basis and having to act on them sooner rather than later. Driving to deadlines with a diverse cast is not for the timid or unsure. So when the idea to undertake this quest was floated out there for consideration, I thought about it, contemplated the mechanics of how this would work in sufficient detail to make an informed decision, and then put the plan in motion, all within the span of a couple of days.

Of course, this happened after I was set for beer for the week. I had some Killian’s Irish Red in the refrigerator, I had some Shock Top Belgium White in there, I had some Landshark Lager in there…

(Speaking of which, did you know that LL is a product of A-B? I just found that out and it Shock Topped the hell out of me. That makes three A-B products I drink from time to time…it’s almost like BMC is trying to pull a fast one on us unsuspecting beer drinkers…but I digress.)

…and I had bought a six-pack of Sam Adams Coastal Wheat, a brew I hadn’t had the pleasure of sampling yet, from Total Wine the day before. All of these brands appear on Total Wine’s American Micro Brews list. Great, I thought, after I had decided to do this. At least I have four of the first ten to get started. So I went back to Total Wine (can I get a hallelujah!) and bought six different, untried beers. Yes, you can purchase practically every brand sold there individually, which dramatically cuts the cost of my beer quest.

Is this a great country (in spite of Congress) or what?

But, as anxious as I am to get to these new beers, I still have a collection of beers I’ve had before in the refrigerator! We all have our crosses to bear, don’t we? Anyway, I decided to get these beers out of the way before I start on the new ones. I viewed it as a trial run of sorts, a way to become familiar with the rating process with beers I’m already familiar with.

Yesterday, it was the Killian’s. Today, it was Shock Top. Tomorrow, Landshark. Then it’s clear sailing into uncharted waters.

Kind of puts a lump in your throat, doesn’t it?