Look! Look at this! This is beautiful fermenting beer, in a Yorkshire stone square fermenter at the Old Brewery in Tadcaster, where they brew Sam Smith beers. Everyone loves American Craft Beer, but it's so important, in my opinion, to keep alive the original, traditional styles born in Germany, the Czech Republic, the British Isles, and Belgium. The Old Brewery is OLD! They've been brewing beers since 1758, using whole cone hops, oak casks for all their naturally conditioned ales, and the same yeast strain since the 1800s. They must be doing something right. 
Next time, we'll open an old-world style Sam Smith India Ale and a new-world style American IPA, and talk about them. 

I better talk about some beer, right?

I'm really looking forward to this! I'll taste it with you when I can get my hands on some. 

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/03/dogfish-heads-latest-health-beer-is-made-with-quin.html?fbclid=IwAR3jqS-KiqnTiH6oz12FuZuCe1Zx6iv_2YYjAnqh1lnb0oSEpTCBnr5VySw

I stopped blogging in July 2012. 

I didn't think anyone was interested. I wasn't sure if what I was writing had any value. 

I had a bit of a rough few years. 

My mother died in 2010.

My partner's mother died in 2011. 

The beer business started to change. The heights I hit were crumbling. I had to figure something out. I suddenly was making dramatically less money. 

I changed jobs in 2014.

I got the teeniest little bit of cancer in 2015. 

I had surgery and radiation and I was put on an evil medication that makes me sad all the time. 

My new job changed dramatically, and my pay structure was changed. At least I was able to keep the job. 

I am still, I think, in some sort of mourning. I've been feeling for YEARS now that I just can't get it together. 

If the only constant is change, I'm a little tired of it.

I know. I know. I should exercise. I'd feel better. 

So why blog? Why now? To paraphrase every director's notes in every program of every community theater production. 

Why come back now and blog? 

Well, it's nice to have a place to discuss things. I am back selling beer again. As of the beginning of March, I am on the streets, trying to talk people into buying beer from me. Which feels GREAT. Absolutely great. I'm doing what I know how to do, what I'm good at. I'm not necessarily the best salesperson but I know about beer and I know what's good and I know how to show up. 

There are some fantastic beers out there, and I want to talk about them. There are also a lot of not-great beers out there. I won't talk about those. Those will eventually come to their own natural end. And, who am I to say what is good and what is bad? 

So we'll see where this goes. Mostly I'm going to be talking about beers, new and not-new, that, in my opinion, are good.