Why a beer blog?
It's pretty simple: I like beer.

I didn’t always like beer. In fact, I never even started drinking beer until I tasted one that I actually enjoyed at a local microbrewery (BIG shout-out to Bristol Brewery in Colorado Springs, CO)... And the rest was history.

I have always enjoyed being in brew pubs, whether in the US, England, Ireland, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, or Canada. I am also very interested in the brewing process, being somewhat of a home-brewer myself.

In this blog I want to capture the essence of the American microbrewery, an industry that is growing exponentially due to its focus on quality and creativity.

I believe that good food and drink bring people together in a way like no other... Good beer breeds good culture.

I want to experience the culture of local pubs across the country and document the fantastic beers being produced by people who love what they do. In this blog, I intend to not only focus on the beer itself, but also on the places I drink it, and people I drink it with.

Let’s see how this goes.

Stone Brewing Company - Escondido, CA (June 15, 2011)

Who can resist the gargoyle graphics, the overly embellished descriptions of beers, and the extreme palate-wrenching flavors of the Stone Brewing Company?  After my visit there, I think I can safely say… ME.

I’ve wanted to visit Stone for a long time.  I had always enjoyed their insanely high-IBU Ruination IPA, and since I was in San Diego for the week, I figured it was the perfect time to visit.

The first thing I noticed was the size of the brewery.  This place was huge.  As soon as I walked into the building, I was turned off.  It felt like I had walked into a hotel lobby that served beer in it's gift shop.  I made my way up to the “bar” to ask for a sample.  Before I could get my words out, I was interrupted by the “bartender” who told me I needed to purchase my growler at the front desk… So I forked over a ridiculous amount of money for a 1 liter growler and brought it back to the gift shop for a fill.

While waiting for my liter of Ruination, I was finally able to get a full sentence out and asked the “bartender” if I could try a sample of a seasonal beer.  He said “No”.  And that was that.  I very much felt like a "customer" that was only there to complete a transaction.  I was not at all encouraged to hang around.  Instead of feeling like I was there to share in the experience of the beer, I was obviously just there to buy it.

I walked out with my beer in hand and a significant dent in my wallet.  If I was strictly considering just the beer, then I may have written a somewhat more positive review...  There’s no doubt that Stone has heavily influenced the craft brewing market for the better, and they are obviously doing some things right. But this experience was a reminder for me that beer is not just about the beer itself - it's about sharing, it's about community... it's about people.