3 things that drive me to blog about beer

The question posed by Angelo Brewpublic for The Session, #62: April 2012, is “What drives beer bloggers?” Most beer bloggers review beers, beer places, and events. Some post press releases.

My beer blog is about my lifestyle with beer. I snap pictures and jot notes on what I’m drinking. I write about what it’s like to be a small business owner and a beer clerk at a retail shop in this big ol’ world of beer.

3) For sake of therapy.

“It’s not about the beer — it’s about the beer!” I try to make sense of this frequently used quote of Don Younger. Don’s philosophy seems so Zen. I’m far from Zen. I get caught up in the moment of things. I let the retail side of the beer business sometimes drive me insane. I’m a woman who tends to over think things and my OCD doesn’t help. Writing about things that happen at the beer store helps. Sometimes I think it’s me, but the I realize it’s not always me. Especially when I post things on my personal facebook page and have people respond as shocked as I am about things that happen to retailers. I’m thankful for a little beertherapy at the end of the night.

2) To pimp my beer.

There are craftbeervangelists and there are beer pimps. I’m a beer pimp. I believe that every beer is special to the person who is drinking it. It may not be my choice to drink a BMC (Budweiser, Miller, or Coors), but I’m not gonna slam you for choosing one. I may, however, give you a little jab out of fun if you come into a craft beer store looking for a Colt 45, Budweiser Platinum, or Coors Light. I’m not going to push a BMC drinker into something big and unfamiliar that’ll turn them off of craft beer. Anyone with kids knows it takes time to grow out of diapers and get into big boy pants… If person wants to buy their BMC loyalist friend other brands, I’ll lead them down a path of familiarity: We may start with fizzy yellow import lagers, and a couple of crafts. Next, we’ll try to get them in for tastings where we explore everyday foods paired with beers. Like donuts? Come in and have beer and donuts for breakfast with us a few times each year. The response? “Bacon beer, tangerine beer, coffee beer? Oh my! Wonderful!” My goal is to awaken a passion to try new beers.

1) To remember what I’ve drank.

Let’s face it. We beer bloggers have a passion for drinking beer. While there are certainly standouts, there are some that blend into the wallpaper, as wallflowers. If all beers were super spectacular it’d be boring. I don’t write much about these beers here; instead, I post “mini blogs” of 140 characters or less on untappd. Most beers I drink get three caps; four caps if I’m likely to revisit many times over not due to convenience but due to passion; two caps if I’d be willing to have an ice tea rather than the beer. Five caps means it’s totally orgasmic; since I’m not easy, I don’t give out many five cappers. As for one cap, is there really a beer out there so unworthy?