What can I say? Plain and simple, I like beer. Who am I kidding? I LOVE beer.

Truth be told, I need to lighten up these postings a bit. I have been a bit morose of late and well, that will not do. My true love affair with barley beverages started about 15 years ago. I had a friend introduce me to good beer. Three beverages come to mind from that period of transition.

Guinness.
Moose Drool from Big Sky Brewing.
Rob Nelson’s homemade Honey Porter.

I joined the DARK SIDE!

Since that time, I have explored many styles, brands and flavours. There are so many flavours to explore and I am still training my palate to find some of the subtle nuances.

I have long left behind the world of mass produced domestic swill. I am very thankful to have broken out of the mold of standard beers. (Yes, I know, Guinness is considered mass produced swill by some people. Those folks are merely being beer snobs.) Along my journey, I have discovered some very innovative and tasty beverages. I will give you a snippet from my highlight reel:

First of all, you owe it to yourself to check out some of the beer from a small micro-brewery in Penticton, BC: Cannery Brewing.
Their beers are very high quality and rank tops in our house. Of particular note are three beers: Blackberry Porter, Naramata Nut Brown Ale, and Maple Stout. All of these are simply majestic.

Another beer of high distinction, is the Schlenkera rauchbier from Germany. Simply put, this is beef jerky in a bottle. It pairs well with anything from the BBQ. Warning, this is not for the faint of heart.

A brewery that is so awesome, we planned an entire vacation around visiting their location in Newport Oregon, is Rogue Ales. These folks have so much fun, it should not be legal. They make some fantastic beers too. Some of the most bizarre and interesting beers I have tried come from Rogue.

The Summa Cum Laude of beer was a serendipitous find for me. It is called Routes des Epices and is made by Dieu Du Ciel in Montreal. Simply amazing. A Rye Peppercorn beer. It is a beer to be savoured and enjoyed.

There are so many other beers I could name or ramble on and on about. I have tried Belgium beers in Belgium, English beers in England, German beers in Germany. I really have enjoyed them all.

Today I give thanks to the beverages of hops and barley. I have had my eyes and taste buds opened up to the incredible variety and quality of beer. To my mentors: thank you. To the craft micro-breweries: thank you. To those of you who have joined me on various parts of this exploration: Cheers, and thank you.

I am Bixby on Untappd if you use that app and would like to connect.

Cheers,
Matt