Wow, here we are, halfway through 2020, and I realized I never wrote a BEER OF THE YEAR post for 2019. I didn’t write one for 2018 either, but now, it’s definitely too late. That’s okay. This beer deserves SO much honor, I love it SO much, that it’s possible it would have been my Beer of the Year for 2018, too.
Read MoreLet's be honest: Facebook is mostly trash. But every now and then, the algorithm does you right and you see "The Annual Icelandic Beer Festival" pop up in your feed. The name of the event alone combined three things I love (Iceland + beer + festival) so with only about 4 weeks notice we bought some plane tickets, booked some accommodations, and we were on our way.
Read MoreI was just reviewing my recap of 2016, and upon reaching the last sentence was somewhat redeemed. While 2017 was really quite marred by non-stop presidential buffoonery - which ranged from simply embarrassing to large-scale life-threatening - on a personal level, I got quite a bit done. I completed two fairly large freelance projects, almost entirely on my own. I took on several smaller, but fulfilling, side gigs.
Read MoreI stumbled upon Plan Bee Farm Brewery with a google search. We were looking for a good day-hike in the Hudson Valley region, and seeing as a cold, fresh beer is probably the best way to end a long day on the trail, the location for our trek would have to be near a brewery (naturally). I don't remember what hike we ended up doing, if we even did one at all, but I found Plan Bee in Poughkeepsie with that search, and reached out via the general email on their website, asking if I could come and do a video about them. A cold call, basically. Co-owner/co-founder Emily Watson responded quickly, quicker than many of my friends respond to my emails, to be honest, and we got a date on the calendar to go shoot.
Read MoreMy failure to keep this blog frequently updated is largely due to two issues: 1) I'm quite busy, balancing a full-time job, freelance work, a somewhat needy little dog, and a personal life of some sort, and 2) I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and I hate putting forth effort on something if I don't think I can finish it or it won't be up to my entirely self-imposed standards. The first issue I can do little about, but maybe I can give myself a bit of a break on issue two.
Read MoreUp until my visit to Dogfish Head in Delaware, my visits to breweries had been entirely observational. I got to see where the magic happened and the ingredients that would be turned into delicious beer, but that was where my involvement usually ended. When I found out I’d get to participate in a brew at Dogfish Head, I was pretty excited, and when I found out I’d be doing so alongside the brewery’s founder and president, Sam Calagione, I could hardly believe it.
Read More
