How It All Got Started.... An Introduction
Beer.... four basic ingredients (water, malt, hops and yeast) that when put together can produce a product like no other. A beverage that has been around for so long that its hard to find a time when someone wasn't enjoying a beer. And boy did I hate the taste of it! Growing up in Wisconsin it was always Miller Lite but I couldn't deal with the taste of it so I moved to Miller High Life or Miller Genuine Draft. Heineken, Foster's and Corona were exotic beers you had on special occasions or brought with you to show your sophistication. It wasn't about drinking it for the taste but rather to get drunk. As I came of age I veered away from beer minus the occasional bottle here or there. When I met my wife she was big into import beers, so the like of Guinness, Bass and Harp started to fill my fridge. The first time I ever heard of Fat Tire was on a trip we took out west, sitting at the airport my wife gushed about how good it tasted... I found it to be rather repulsive. Why does a beer have to be so bitter?? (those were my thoughts at the time). Years go by and I still get down with Black and Tans mostly but never go far from that.
Then came the talk. My father in-law is a home brewer and always tried to get me to try his beers which I typically would refuse. One day he simply asked... why don't you like beer? It was simple... beer tasted like... beer. The beers I have tried... when you read the label stating there is chocolate and vanilla notes... never had any of that. It just tasted like... BEER! So he pours me a glass, tells me the flavors I should get from this beer and encourages me to take a sip. Reluctantly I appease him and take a drink. Whoa... wait.... those flavors you said I would get.... I GET THEM!! No way is this happening! I was shocked... drank it down fast and asked for another please. He pours me a different beer and whoa... same thing! Is it true... can beer be this good?? The answer at the time was no. While his homebrews opened my eyes to what beer could be like, I still never had a "commercial" beer that I enjoyed. Then came what I would like to call Phase 2.
Phase 2 was all about Kansas City. The Power and Light district to be exact. I had been traveling to KC quite a bit one year and never did much exploring outside of the P&L district. Always passed a place called The Flying Saucer but never dared go in. Then one day we went in. And that is what we will call the beginning of a beautiful hobby. My first beer was from Tallgrass Brewery and it was ever popular Buffalo Sweat. Now, what most people don't know is that it was actually the fifth beer I ordered that night, they didn't have the first four I requested. But it was a magical beer and coincidentally that is also when I started on a lovely app called Untappd. The race has been going strong since then and my passion for finding and drinking good beer lives on to this day!!
So why a blog and why now? I have always loved sharing my story of beer but I starting to forget what experiences I have had, how much fun the people I meet are and all the amazing beers I have tried. Consider this my journal if you will, but one I will leave open to the public. I encourage to read my stories and share your own. Tell me about the cool places you've been and what you've experienced. I want to know about the friendships you've made with people who share our same passion. I want to know your story.
Then came the talk. My father in-law is a home brewer and always tried to get me to try his beers which I typically would refuse. One day he simply asked... why don't you like beer? It was simple... beer tasted like... beer. The beers I have tried... when you read the label stating there is chocolate and vanilla notes... never had any of that. It just tasted like... BEER! So he pours me a glass, tells me the flavors I should get from this beer and encourages me to take a sip. Reluctantly I appease him and take a drink. Whoa... wait.... those flavors you said I would get.... I GET THEM!! No way is this happening! I was shocked... drank it down fast and asked for another please. He pours me a different beer and whoa... same thing! Is it true... can beer be this good?? The answer at the time was no. While his homebrews opened my eyes to what beer could be like, I still never had a "commercial" beer that I enjoyed. Then came what I would like to call Phase 2.
Phase 2 was all about Kansas City. The Power and Light district to be exact. I had been traveling to KC quite a bit one year and never did much exploring outside of the P&L district. Always passed a place called The Flying Saucer but never dared go in. Then one day we went in. And that is what we will call the beginning of a beautiful hobby. My first beer was from Tallgrass Brewery and it was ever popular Buffalo Sweat. Now, what most people don't know is that it was actually the fifth beer I ordered that night, they didn't have the first four I requested. But it was a magical beer and coincidentally that is also when I started on a lovely app called Untappd. The race has been going strong since then and my passion for finding and drinking good beer lives on to this day!!
So why a blog and why now? I have always loved sharing my story of beer but I starting to forget what experiences I have had, how much fun the people I meet are and all the amazing beers I have tried. Consider this my journal if you will, but one I will leave open to the public. I encourage to read my stories and share your own. Tell me about the cool places you've been and what you've experienced. I want to know about the friendships you've made with people who share our same passion. I want to know your story.
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