The Stoutening I have interrupted my usual slow writing process – remember, you’re at the lager of beer blogs – to rush some timely piece into production, just for your eyes, dear reader. Ideally, this would be an expansive, nearly comprehensive piece on exactly how to proceed during the upcoming FODA23 in Astoria. Hosted by…
New System
I am posted at the bar of my favorite bottle shop (again) going deep into the isles to find evidence that ‘Cold IPA’, as a style, is at least as legit as Hazy NE IPAs were at some point in the distant past, before everybody had to have one in their lineup. While I don’t…
Battle Royale
Bottle shop v brewery v brewpub I recently took a trip to flyover country, the American Midwest, home of the Field of Dreams, Iowa. There were several reasons for the trip, but at it’s core, it was meant to be an opportunity to explore Iowa’s craft beer scene, specifically the breweries that have opened over…
Wheels Down – DSM
Dry January…air. I have now been in the rarefied air of mid-central Iowa for several days* and boy do I feel…cold? It’s Iowa in January and there’s just enough snow on the ground to remind me/you that it’s frosty outside, and it seriously discourages me from doing anything much outdoors, I can tell you that….
STOP ALREADY
I am at the sit-down place in the DSM airport, a large space with a bar and a number of tap handles featuring all-Iowa beer. The staff have an assortment of brewery t-shirts on, the likes of which I would have had to drive hundreds of miles to obtain on my own. Even though I…
Hotel Rooms
As I wind down the clock before my flight back to Portland, I’m left with that peculiar feeling of loss that comes every time Ipack my things up and leave another hotel room in another city. I’m sure most people don’t think about it much, but with every check-out I feel the lost possibilities of…
Pre-flight jitters
I’ll be standing in line at PDX in around 12 hours, internally screaming at myself to stop judging everyone and relax a little so i don’t look sus. In order to wind down some of the remianing time, i’ve perched myself on a stool at Loyal Legion in Beaverton and ordered a HUB Velvet ESB….
Who is Jo?
I dunno While on a post-holiday shopping trip to the dreaded city center, I decided to calm my nerves after spending $xxx dollars on some boots with some drinky drinky. Von Ebert Brewing was right up the street, and since they focused on more sessionable beers, I knew I wouldn’t get in too much trouble…
LINE GOES UP
Inflation? Nah. Just greed. I just watched a segment produced by CNBC on YouTube about the ‘decline’ for ABInBev’s ‘fortunes’ as the drinks industry continues to evolve past mass-produced American lagers – aka ‘DOMESTIC’ beer. I like doing research this way because someone else has already done a lot of the legwork of compiling earnings…
People. Watching.
As a thought experiment, think about where you’d go if you had a bunch of money, no real commitments anywhere – no people, family, kids or pets – and no specific timeline to do anything. Where would you go? Where would you even start the planning? What would you consider as important? I’m sure most…