Yes, sports fans, it has been exactly one month since I started this quest and what an adventure it has been. From St. Paddy's Day to Post Easter, I have tasted 58 different beers in 32 days. I wished I could say "consumed" because that was my original intent, right along with restricting myself to American craft brews. The latter ended on Day 1 (One?) when I had an import from Mexico. The former ended four days later with Wild Blue. I just could not choke that one down. Since then there have been three others I couldn't finish, all of the IPA's. Sorry, just not my style.
So, out of 58 beers, four were only sampled, not consumed to the last drop. It bugs me only because I feel that the professional judges, who have tens of thousands of ratings, get to that lofty perch only because they don't drink all the stuff they rate. They sample a couple of ounces and move on. As a serious beer drinker, I want to consume the beers, not sample and move on. So, it bugs me that I can't say I've drank all the beers I've rated.
We'll let that be our little secret.
I have to confess that my progress as a beer rater is coming along as smooth as the black ale I had today from New Belgium (quickly becoming my favorite brewer). I'm feeling much more comfortable with the rating system and tasting notes than when I first started. For the thousandth time, I'm no expert, not even close, but I can see where I am getting more confidence in the ratings I provide. It's all a matter of experience, just like anything else.
At this point in the quest, I should have sampled at least 46 different beers and I'm 12 ahead of that pace. I'm pretty pleased with that. At this rate I'll reach my goal 2 months ahead of schedule. I can't say that I can maintain this pace, but it's nice to have an early cushion. I may need it.
Spoiler Alert! Sharp left turn approaching!
I found out tonight that I have more than one reader of my blog. That's good. It's also frightening. My wife is a follower of my blog (she has to; it's in our marriage contract), but I've been writing as if no one else is interested. It's been a liberating frame of mind because it's like confessing - no other human being knows what I'm thinking/feeling.
Son of a gun, but is someone eavesdropping on the confessional? It's okay. More than okay, really. It's nice to know that someone else besides a person who is (basically) obligated to follow my blog is doing so. It's just, well, heck...scary. Like breaking wind at work. At home? No big deal. At work? Geez Louise, they know I had beans for lunch? Perish the thought. Same here.
So, Big D, anyone else, I hope I can continue to entertain and (maybe) enlighten you. It's more pressure, but also more fun. It's that whole hope/dread thing. I hope a million people read my blog, but I dread having that responsibility. Dang, I'll bet that's how a columnist feels.
Okay, time for the recap of yesterday and today. Two New Belgium's yesterday and one today (see Favorite Brewer above)...Sunshine Wheat and Abbey Dubbel last evening and Enlightened Black Ale today. All were really good, but I have to give a big shout out to EBA. Man, that was good stuff, among the best ever for me. The other two were from Lost Coast Brewery, Great White (witbier) and Alleycat (amber ale). The former was somewhat of a disappointment because this is one of my favorite styles and the latter was everything you want an ale to be. Five beers, two days, average 3.4. That's some Good Drinks (my apologies, Alton B).
Na zdraví! (That's Czech for "to your health").
Goal...............524.....365
Progress...........58.......32
Remaining.....466.....333
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