Why do I do what I do? Short answer, because I love beer! Now, here's the long answer....
I love beer, and I want others to at least recognize that there is SO much more to beer then just Bud Light, Coors Lights etc. It is not my goal to get all my friends, family and readers to drink craft beer all the time. I feel, if I have done my "job" correctly, then my friends, family and readers will, at the very least, know craft beer is out there, and try it from time to time.
If there is one bit of criticism, or feedback I get on a regular basis about this blog (aside from the spelling errors), it is that I don't go in depth enough. That I tend to stick to a more high level, fly by's of the in's and outs of beer, and its make up, and spend more time making jokes, telling stories, or posting funny videos, pictures etc.That I am not a "serious" beer blogger. What do I say to this accusation? Your damn right I am not a serious beer blogger! Beer is not my job, beer is my hobby. I have a ton of fun with beer, and I decided to start this blog to share that fun with other people, so that they could have fun with it as well.
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| Serious about beer! |
If you are coming to this blog for definitions or essays on different hop verities, in depth analysis and beer reviews, well, sorry, its not here. If you want those things, there are a ton of blogs out there that have this information. I am not knocking these blogs by any means, I read a lot of them. Why do I not involve myself in such things? Well, mainly, because I find it boring. VERY boring. Second, I am not an expert. Sure, I may know a bit more then the average person about beer, but I do not pretend to be, nor have I ever called myself an expert. There are a lot of experts writing out there, I can direct you to them if you'd like. They write serious stuff, for serious beer readers, and industry folks. The information is of coarse helpful, informative and I would argue essential in many respects for a lot of people. It is not however, what I want my blog to be about, or what I want people to take away from it.
I didn't start this blog to teach serious beer people anything. I can't. I have, however, learned a ton from these same people. For that, I am extremely grateful. However, these serious beer folks are really not my target audience either. I started this blog a few years back when, after answering a lot of questions from friends and family about beers, what is good, what I think they would like, and all that, one of them told me "you should just write a blog". So I did. I did so in the attempt to answer those sort of basic questions that the every day person might have about beer. The person that wants to expand what it is they are drinking, without having to take a class, or skim through paragraph after paragraph of details about grain bills, boil times etc.
Like I said earlier, my goal is not to "convert" everyone I know into a beer expert, or even beer geek. My goal, is for people to understand that there is so much verity, and choice when it comes to beer, you really don't have to drink the same beer twice if you don't want to. If you try a certain beer from a certain brewer, and don't like it, to understand enough that it doesn't mean that is a bad brewery, that is means that you may just not like that particular style, or that particular beer. Its that basic understanding that I want people to have. That understanding, and the willingness to try something different, or new, at least new to you. Say you really like Sam Adams Boston Lager (and who doesn't really?), next time you are at the store, ask someone to recommended something similar to that, that you've never had. Do this when you are at the store, and before you know it, you will have tried a ton of beers, and may have even found a number of beers, and new styles that you will really enjoy, and previously never knew about..
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| Beer IS fun, you don't see them doing this with ice tea! |
That is why I do this. I always say, beer is fun, lets keep it that way. So no, I am not a serious beer blogger. It does not mean that I am not serious about beer (I take beer seriously, not myself....), just that this is not a serious blog (most of the time). There is some serious, or real information in it, but I want it to be more fun, while still informative. It is not a text book, it is not a reference tool (except for maybe some local events and releases). Its fun, because beer is fun, and I want to have fun with it. I want this blog to be a sort of "gateway" blog. One that may peak one's curiosity about beer, and start them down that road. Look at it as a sort of minor league blog. Spend some time here, learn the basics, and when you are ready, head on up to the big guys. I can refer you to a few if you would like, they are awesome guys and gals, with a great passion for beer, and just a ton of knowledge that they are very good at sharing.
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| Don't be afraid to ask for help, it can be intimidating |
So, when your ready, you can move on, I still hope you come back and visit us here from time to time, and have a laugh or two while you are here.
So, lets all take a step back, lets not get too serious about it, because remember, beer is fun, lets keep it that way.
Until next time
Bottoms up my friends
The Beer Czar
[edit- soon after I posted this, I saw this on Facebook and thought, hey, I might actually be onto something here, check this out.....
People know less about beer then you think ]
This one is for all you football fans out there. This is just a quick little piece I thought I would post, that 
OK, this will most likely piss off hardened beer snobs, but I am going to post it anyway. A while back I wrote about Red Robin's "beer float", a sort of beer milk shake made with ice cream, and Sam Adams Oktoberfest beer. Looked delicious, never had a chance to try it however.
Every so often I like to share my opinion on here (OK, maybe frequently). Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the craft beer community and its growth, and inevitable growing pains. A disturbing trend I've seen in recent years, is a sort of "turning up" of the nose at brewery's and beers once considered the best, or at least very respectable. Example, recently, I acquired a bottle of Westvlateren 12. A beer, that for years, was widely considered "the best in the world". For years, you could only get this beer, literally at the gates of the abbey where it was brewed, by appointment only. Well, last fall, this beer was made available, for one time only in the US. Since then, this beer, while still VERY highly rated, it started to take its jab's from the beer community, and the ratings have since fallen a bit. I was on a thread the other day, and mentioned how excited I was to try this beer. I got more then a few responses back ranging from "it wasn't that bad" "I didn't like it" to "don't get your hopes up, this is the most over rated beer in the world". OK, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that just because this beer is highly rated, you have to like. I am just saying, that for the longest time, you would never see anyone say this. It was almost "uncool" to say something bad about it, you weren't taken seriously. Now, its almost the exact opposite. You seem "cooler" if you don't like it. I don't get it? This is why I tend to stay away from Beer Advocate discussion threads, and most beer review sites.
