Now my thoughts for the week  . . .

• Random thought #1 – Though I felt pretty bad for the bird I watched fly into a screen and bounce off like it was hit by a tennis racket, I would have been pissed if he had made a hole or a tear in it by doing so.  Not sure what that says about me.
• Random thought #2 – So as I was watching a squirrel walk around on top of our screened pool enclosure I was thinking that he must have some big balls to be that bold.  As he got closer I found that it was in fact true via my unique view from underneath.
• Random thought #3 – I consider myself to be very good about getting rid of or giving away stuff that I have not used in a long time, but for whatever reason my old gaming systems continue to collect dust without even a thought of sending them out the door.  Strange what we choose to hold onto.
• Random thought #4 – Seeing my dog discover a new large branch/stick that had fallen during a recent storm was seeing what pure joy and happiness looks like.  I imagine it is the same look that I would have if I discovered a cooler of beer upon walking into the back yard.
• Random thought #5 – I really do enjoy home brewing, but as I taste more of what others are doing I realize how far I have yet to go to get really good.  Let the practice continue!

Somewhat random photo of the week.

Cheers!

You can go to the Beer Wars website or do whatever other research you want to learn more about the person who made the movie and how it came to be since I am only going to try to hit on a few points from the content of the film.  So let’s not call it a review, but more of me giving you a reason or two why you should see it if you have not done so already.

Here we go . . .

First, I do have to say that I found it at least mildly funny (if not confusing) that it took someone that worked with Mike’s Hard Lemonade to make a movie like this, but I guess it makes some sense as they all go on many of the same trucks in the end.  Combine that with the fact that she says very early on that she is allergic to alcohol and does not drink any of the stuff this movie is about and you really have to look at the movie as more of one about our capitalistic system and the business of alcohol as much as, if not more so, than the world of craft beer specifically.

Short of getting to see more of the politics behind the beer business, I was aware of most of the stuff in this movie going in.  To be truthful I actually fell asleep half way through the first time trying to watch it (what a great pitch, huh), but I cannot be blamed for the lack of explosions in Beer Wars.  For those of you who just pick up your same beer at the grocery store time after time without really thinking about it, you do owe it to yourself to see Beer Wars if for no other reason than because everyone owes it to themselves to know where everything they consume comes from and how it gets to them.

In the end it still comes down to drinking what you like (and nothing should change that), but after watching this and learning how distribution works for the smaller guys and how scary the politics behind the beer industry is, you will at least start seeing the store beer displays quite differently.

As with really any documentary style film there is an agenda going in and is likely edited together accordingly, so you do have to keep that in mind as you watch this one.  I mean if I was able to pick the light beers in a blind test when I never drink them otherwise, I have to think that there is a pretty good chance at least a few people passed that little test for her.  However as with most documentaries, this one is definitely based on many truths and you can easily do the research on whatever facts you may be suspicious of.

Is it really all about innovation or should it be about excellence?  Why not both?  You can watch and decide for yourself where you fall on the conflict in the beer world of advertising and hype versus quality and character.

If you do see it or have seen it already, let me know what your thoughts are!

As I have mentioned numerous times before, this site started as a beer journal of sorts for me.  With that I think I can make the site a better overall reference for all things beer, both for myself and for everyone else who stops by.  I do not always enjoy searching around on the web or through the books on my shelves to double check one detail I am curious about so it is time for me to transition some of that information onto this site for easier access.

Doesn't it seem to have a glow?

I have no idea how long it will take to get all of what I want to do finished, but here is what I am thinking of starting with.  Not that I am at all bored and looking for extra things to do, but I think these few additions will make a great difference over time.

One thing I want to do is to tackle documenting my glassware and give it a page all to itself.  I am thinking of maybe having pictures of each type that I have and discuss what styles go in each and why.  I could also discuss which types I have not added to my collection yet, though I do not think I am missing many.  Just maybe I will even do a few pouring videos to show how I do it and perhaps also to make it possible for someone out there to tell me why they think I am not doing it correctly.

If nothing else it would help me document exactly what glassware I own before I have to move any of it to a closet somewhere to make room for the new stuff.  It will also be a good way to revisit some of the My Tasting Ways posts that I did so long ago.

Not a great photo, but a beautiful sight.

The other thing I would like to do is give descriptions of all the beer styles a permanent home on a page here.  I have to assume that many if not most people who visit this site do not have a copy of the BJCP Style Guidelines or even as many beer books lying around as I do.  I can usually just spin around in my office chair and get my hands on the answer to the beer question I am looking for.

Of course it would make no sense at all for me to merely transfer information directly from the BJCP Style Guidelines (for example).  What I would like to do is a kind of simplified summary based on what I understand from reading various references along the way.  On top of becoming a good reference here it will help me study up as I have to actually write that stuff down on my own.

This is, however, a far more daunting task than tackling a glassware rundown if only because of the numbers.  If you break down the 23 main styles of beer into all of the sub-styles, that would be 80 different styles to cover (by my count).  That is even without eventually getting to the meads (3 main, 9 total) and ciders (2 main, 9 total).  No matter how I break the task up it will take some serious time to get through.  Maybe I will draw numbers out of a hat to keep it interesting for me?

Also a beautiful sight.

On top of those two things I think I will be moving some pages and other things around to make the site easier to use and to give me more flexibility in the future.  I try to plan out my attack here, but it is often a case of making it up as I go so a few renovations now and again become necessary to keep things moving ahead smoothly.

I am not sure exactly when I will get started on those tasks, but it should be sooner than later.  Stay tuned!

Is there anything else or any other information that you would like to eventually see on this site?

My thoughts for the week  . . .

• Random thought #1 – Apparently starting your own business entity means that you also signed up for a constant stream of junk mail trying to sell you a little of everything under the sun.  I wish they would save some trees and leave me alone.
• Random thought #2 – Knowing that there has to be a patron base to warrant a business staying open 24 hours is not enough to make a somewhat full parking lot at close to 5 in the morning seem normal.  Of course, me being awake and driving around at 5 in the morning is not that normal either.
• Random thought #3 – Sometimes I wonder if my dog is actually watching the television or if he is just staring off into space.  Then again, I think that The Wife often wonders the same about me.
• Random thought #4 – Taking a nap during the day is far more difficult when you are actually trying to take one.  If I am trying to read something that I really need to get through, however, there are no issues falling asleep for a while.
• Random thought #5 – I have been sitting in a room with a television displaying a show on/about mushrooms for about 30 minutes now.  The strange part is how I don’t really like mushrooms and all that time went by before I remembered and turned the channel.

Random photo of the week.

Cheers!

In an effort to spread the good word of beer and to help me sharpen my writing skills a bit, I have taken the opportunity to be the craft beer writer for The Daily City here in Orlando.  I will also be writing about architecture (and who knows what else) when the mood strikes me, but in either case I think it will be fun to help promote the good that is going on here in town.  Take this soon-to-be new addition as an example.

The other announcement is that as of tomorrow afternoon I will put my beer hobby into practice a bit by starting to work at Redlight Redlight!  I am incredibly excited and slightly nervous about the opportunity.  The nervousness will go away pretty quickly, but I am sure the excitement will stick for a long time.  I know that Redlight’s reputation can speak for itself, but beyond that it is by far my favorite beer place in town and that is more than enough reason to maintain my enthusiasm.

Now to end this week with my thoughts . . .

• Random thought #1 – At first it was a tough decision to have to either walk a longer distance to our car via an outdoor route in extreme heat or take a bit of a shorter path through the little slice of hell that is a mall on a Saturday afternoon.  Then we realized that the extreme heat is an infinitely more enjoyable option.
• Random thought #2 – Good food can definitely make up for poor service, but when the food is not as good as you remember it to be you start to notice things.  The more faults that become obvious, the more bummed you get about what was a favorite place of yours.
• Random thought #3 – It nice to have the option of going to a place for a drink (or a meal) that does not have televisions in every corner and on every bare surface available.  Gregg was spot on in mentioning that this week.
• Random thought #4 – The hours and days immediately after a haircut feel pretty damn good to me so I am not sure why the dogs have such a problem with a little trim once and a while.
• Random thought #5 – Sure you are likely to strike out a bunch before getting the first hit, but continuing to step into the batter’s box eventually gets you something that really you want.  If not that, it at least presents you with a lot of very interesting opportunities (pitches) to consider.

Random photo of the week

Cheers!