saltspring island ales – Beck's Beer Blog

beer column

here are my notes from yesterday’s beer column on cbc radio one’s on the coast
talking about gmos in beer with mathew lazin-ryder:

Let’s begin this post-St. Patrick’s Day column with a mention of green beer.

I am a fan of beer; good beer, quality beer. If you could make your beer green in colour without taking away from the quality of the beer, then I would be all for it. To the best of my knowledge though, the green beer on offer around Vancouveris courtesy of green food colouring. As a card carrying beer geek I’m not down with that!

Which leads me to what else shouldn’t be in beer – such as genetically modified organisms.

Beer has four ingredients, water, yeast, hops and barley. Of those four, water is not a substance that can be genetically altered, so it’s fine. Hops and barley are currently not on a risk list, so they are not likely to contain GMOs. Yeast, however, is on the high risk list. Adjuncts like corn and honey are on the high risk list, with rice and wheat on the low-risk list. So it is possible that there are GMOs in your beer. The jury is still out on whether GMOs are harmful to humans, but they have been banned in many other countries. Several recent polls show that the majority of North Americans want GMO labelling, so it seems safe to say that consumers do want to know what is in their food and beverages. And I should point out that the risk lists referred to above are from the Non-GMO Project and attached at the bottom of this post in their entirety.

There is currently no legislation in Canadato require that breweries, or any food producers for that matter, list genetically modified ingredients in their products so there is no way to be sure whether there are any in your beer, and if there are how wide-spread their presence is. I would assume that by using adjuncts like corn in their brews that macrobrews are far more likely to contain GMOs than the brews of craft breweries that use no adjuncts at all.

There are two verification processes though, that can tell the consumer which products absolutely do not have GMOs in them. Those are the Certified Organic designation, and the Non-GMO Project verification that I mentioned earlier There are a handful of breweries in the country designated Certified Organic, but so far only one brewery is in the process of obtaining Non-GMO Project verification. I spoke with several local breweries about whether they think obtaining verification is important, and I got several different viewpoints.

Any food products that are Certified Organic are GMO free by definition. Breweries such as Crannogand Nelson Brewing are Certified Organic. Rebecca Kneen of Crannog says they chose to be organic “because not only are we therefore guaranteeing what we ourselves do, but we are responsible both up and down the supply chain. So we know that none of the farms which grow our barley grow any GMOs, for example.”

Claire Wilson of Dogwood Brewing, one of the breweries set to open in 2014, is going to pursue Certified Organic status. She says that they “want to use the buying power of our business to support local and organic suppliers, we believe it makes a difference to the Health of our customers who drink our product and to the environment we live in. … When we can we should spend our money on local and Organic Products in that order. “

I spoke to Becky Julseth of Saltspring Island Ales, the brewery currently applying for Non-GMO Project verification about why they are pursing the verification. “Our ultimate goal is to get certified Organic, but it’s still really hard to secure a steady supply of a variety of organic hops. We grow as much Organic hops as we can here on Salt Spring, but it’s not yet enough to supply us year-round. We switched to 100% organic malts 2 years ago (all the grain we use here is organic, all the time).”

Becky says that one of her motivations of getting into the brewing business “was the opportunity to engage with small-scale farming and the local food movement. Seemed contradictory to be growing hops on the island and working on such an artisanal scale, but then buying our grains from Cargill or Montsanto. Organic grains are a little more expensive, but in the grand scheme, we feel better about our products and our brand so it’s worth it. I like feeling like my business is supporting a chain of goodness – both forwards to the customer and backwards to the growers. “

Becky believes that getting certified by the Non-GMO Project will show Saltspring Island Ales’ customers that they “throw our support behind smaller-scale, more sustainable farming.”

My entire interview with Becky is contained in a separate blog post.

On the other side of the equation, Dave Varga of 33 Acres says that ensuring supply of Non-GMO ingredients is very difficult for a small brewery: “It’s not that easy to request non GMO products. If the farmers cannot get the yield, they won’t grow non GMO barley. If the quality of barley isn’t good, the maltsters have a hard time creating a product that makes brewers happy. As a small craft brewer, if we don’t get a consistent product, we can have some real problems downstream in the brewing process that doesn’t yield a beer that a customer now expects. Until a very large production brewery starts requesting non GMO products, it will be difficult for most of us smaller craft brewers to get access to these non GMO products.”

And Parallel 49 has no desire to go Non-GMO. They are excited to try out some “GMO yeast from UBC that can do some really interesting [things] now that the genome has been mapped.”

At the end of the day, if what goes into their beer is important to consumers, they can show that via their beer choices and by opening dialogue with their local breweries. Part of the joy of having tasting rooms around town is the ability to directly access the folks making your beer. Oh, and there’s social media too of course. I first heard about the Non-GMO Project through a listener who tweeted me, wanting to know why there are currently no breweries in North America verified by the project.

Beer Picks:

I’m going all organic with these picks – not a GMO in sight!

Nelson Brewing After Dark brown ale

Crannog Brewing’s legendary Backhand of God stout

Saltspring Island Ale’s Porter

From the Non-GMO Project

APPENDIX B

List of Crops, Processed/Processing Inputs, Production Inputs, and other Organisms with GMO Risk

Crops – The following crops carry risk of being genetically engineered, because engineered varieties of these crops are grown large scale in North America and certain other parts of the world:
These crops may not be used in Non-GMO Project approved products unless verified as
compliant with the Non-GMO Project Standard.

Alfalfa
Canola
Corn Except popcorn
Cotton
Papaya

Soy
Sugar beets
Zucchini and yellow summer squash

Animal Derivatives – These include products derived from cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, and other common livestock, fowl, and fish, and include the following:
Most animal-derived products have GMO risk because soy, corn, cottonseed, and canola are commonly used in feed. Micro Inputs for feed such as vitamins may also carry risk of not being compliant with the Non-GMO Project Standard (see below).

Non-GMO Project Standard
These animal derivatives may not be used in Non-GMO Project approved products unless
verified as compliant with the Non-GMO Project Standard.

Milk
Meat Hides and skins are also included in this category.
Eggs
Honey and other bee products Due to potential for contamination with GMO crop pollen.
Livestock Production Inputs

The following inputs may not be used unless verified as compliant with the Non-GMO
Project Standard.

rBGH, rBST (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone or recombinant Bovine Somatotropin)
Semen See Guidance at 1.2.1.6.
Vaccines
Veterinary Medicines
Microbes and microbial products
Enzymes, including chymosin
Microbial cultures and starters Including yeast.

Processed/processing inputs and ingredients, and related derivatives, derived from crops, livestock, or microorganisms:

The following is a non-exhaustive list of derivatives with high GMO risk that are commonly used in food production. It is meant to provide examples of materials that will be considered high-risk in the Non-GMO Project Product Verification Program. The following inputs may not be used unless verified as compliant with the Non-GMO Project Standard.

Amino Acids
Aspartame
Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbate, Vitamin C
Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate Derived from glucose syrup.
Ethanol Derived from corn or GMO sugar beets.
Flavorings, “natural” and “artificial” Also the carrier may have GMO risk.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Lactic acid
Maltodextrins

Microbial growth media
Molasses Derived from sugar beets, beginning 2008 crop.
Monosodium Glutamate
Sucrose Derived from sugar beets, beginning 2008 crop.
Textured vegetable protein Including soy protein,

Xanthan Gum
Vitamins Vitamin A (various forms), Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin), Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), and Vitamin E (various forms) are known to have GMO risk. Vitamins in general are often formulated with dispersants and related
ingredients that also have GMO risk (e.g., corn oil).
Yeast products

APPENDIX C
List of Monitored Crops

Crops – The following crops carry potential risk of being contaminated with GMOs:

Monitored crops include those for which suspected or known incidents of contamination have occurred, and those crops which have genetically modified relatives in commercial production with which cross-pollination is possible.

Beta vulgaris, (e.g., chard, table beets) Cross pollination risk from GM sugar beets
Brassica napa (e.g., rutabaga, Siberian kale) Cross pollination risk from GM canola
Brassica rapa (e.g., bok choy, mizuna, Chinese cabbage, turnip, rapini, tatsoi) Cross pollination risk from GM canola
Curcubita (acorn squash, delicata squash, patty pan squash, pumpkin, and spaghetti squash) Cross-pollination risk from GM squash
Flax
Rice
Wheat

gcbf

what am i looking forward to at gcbf???
well, drinking beer in the sunshine of course!

but more specifically, there are a few beers i have not tried before
and some casks/limited releases that have my antenna twitching

1. IPAs I haven’t tried before:

BANFF BREWING/JASPER BREWING – Banff, AB – Head Smashed IPA – This excellent brew is our flagship beer. Heavily hopped pale ale.

DOUBLE TROUBLE BREWERY – Guelph, ON – Hops and Robbers session IPA, golden, fruity aroma of lemon, pineapple, and toasty caramel malt flavour.

GREAT LAKES BREWING – Toronto, ON – Karma Citra IPA – Flavours of mango, grapefruit and lychee with a clean, crisp bitter finish.

MICROBRASSERIE CHARLEVOIX – Baie-Saint-Paul, QUE – Vache Folle RyePA – It’s red colour, spicy notes and silky body conferred by the use of rye set the table for an aromatic hop explosion!

MOON UNDER WATER BREWERY – Victoria, BC – Tranquility IPA – This intense, spicy and delightful IPA is extremely well balanced. Made with four specialty malts and Cascadian hops, this beer has a bold hop presence without being over the top.

NICKEL BROOK BREWERY – Burlington, ON – Headstock IPA – Very cloudy copper and small dense head. Refreshing, balanced: off-dry with good bitterness and a bright resin/pine, fruity finish.

WOLF BREWING – Nanaimo, BC – Red Brick IPA – This impressive West Coast style India pale ale is brewed with lots of Northwest hops to give a balanced, crisp, clean finish.

2. Limited release or cask:

BEAU’S BREWERY – Vankleek Hill, ON – Pan Ontario – Bourbon barrel aged blend. A blend of four beers from Wellington, Flying Monkeys, Grand River and Great lakes with Beau’s Beaver River.

CANNERY BREWING – Penticton, BC – “Drei” Hopped IPA – This cask is heavily hopped with locally grown hops.

DRIFTWOOD BREWERY – Victoria, BC – Old Cellar Dweller 2011 – Only available in cask once a year. Don’t miss out on the hop & malt monster of 2011!

LONGWOOD BREWPUB – Nanaimo, BC – India Pale Ale – Medium body with high hop bitterness, flavour and aroma keep this beer true to its original style.

GIGANTIC – Portland, ORE- Axes of Evil Pale Ale – Gigantic + Three Floyds unleash this true weapon of mass distraction. Citrus, floral and tropical hoppiness lead to full malt flavour from proper English malt, kilned over Welsh coal.

NOBLE PIG BREWERY – Kamloops, BC – ESB – A blend of five different malts from England. The medium carbonation and the sweetness of the malt are balanced by the generous addition of American and European hops.

SPINNAKERS BREWPUB – Victoria, BC – Hoptoria – Canadian superior pale and English specialty malts give the beer a smooth amber body that balances well with the four assertive additions of five hop varieties

TROU DU DIABLE – Shawiningan, QUE – La Mosure – Get bitten by the bitter taste of this American IPA. This version is cask- conditioned and dry hopped a second time for your pleasure.

3. Most intriguing sounding beer:

SALT SPRING ISLAND ALES – Salt Spring Island, BC – *Spring Fever Gruit Ale – Made without hops – using locally wildcrafted herbs and a little ‘magik’. A stimulating and refreshing beverage with bright, cider-like flavours, a floral/clover nose and a slight sweetness.

rogue women’s day pairing

usually i take photos of all the pairings at a rogue dinner
but alas, i only had my iphone with me and the lighting was atmospheric… so all you get are these two!

the lobster on cauliflower risotto

the diver scallop that melted in my mouth!

for more, see vancouverfoodster.com’s review

best pairings:

r&b lychee white ale with sea bream crudo – this would be a great summer beer

the lychee was not too sweet and went well with the brine of the fish

cannery scotch ale with smoked lamb loin (or for me, salmon)

the smokiness of the scotch ale went really well with the smoked salmon

townsite powtow porter with chocolate porter cake

i didn’t have the cake, but the malty porter paired very well with the mocha custard and glazed pecans

best beer:

crannog ales something hoppy – cascade hops and cardamom made for an amazing brew

other pairings:

big river rose hibiscus honey ale with contry ham (for me, tuna) and apple kimchi

tuna with rose did not pair so well

but the beer itself was quite nice and the tuna on pancake was to die for

gulf island heatherdale ale with honey glazed diver scallop

i wasn’t wild about the beer

but the scallop, the scallop was incredible! apple and yam puree was great with it

and didn’t quite get where the heather and scallop would be going together…

crannog something hoppy with mushroom ravioli

as previously mentioned, the beer rocked! the ravioli in broth, not so much

and not together

howe sound cascadian dark ale with massaman short rib (or for me, lobster)

the lobster was a little chewy, but very nice with the cauliflower risotto

i think the short rib probably paired well with a cda in ways that lobster just didn’t

liked them both separately

nelson oatmeal stout with oatmeal stout cookie

yes, they paired extremely well, but the cookie was huge and quite dense

and frankly after 7 other pairings i was less than attentive to the beer

so i suck, sue me!

the event:

mingler was a misnomer for this event

it was great to see all the brewers in attendance, but see them is all we were able to do

somehow i pictured an 8 plate mingler as being a standing up affair where the brewers introduced their beers, a rep from the kitchen described where they were going with the pairing and after tasting the pairing the rest of us wandered about discussing it with each other

but instead we were seated at several long tables and pretty much stuck in our seats as the pairings were brought to us one after the other

did i enjoy myself?

oh yes!

am i glad i went?

oh yes!

it didn’t turn out like i expected it to, but the food was yummy, the beers were fabulous and the company was lively

it was a great evening!

green beer – naturally

from saltspring island brewing:

Because we get asked about this every year, we did some research for ya: here’s how to make green beer for St Paddy’s, sans chemicals. So, if you insist on imbibing your beer a-la Lephrechaun this Saturday, you may do so more naturally. (makes sense if you’re drinking organic beer 😉 Note: because beer is already ‘yellow’, blue coloring is the way to get green beer.

Do It Yourself – Homemade Natural Blue Food Coloring

Ingredients:
Half head red cabbage (yes, I said “red cabbage!”)
Water
Baking Soda

Method:

1. Wash the cabbage and cut out the stem.

2. Chop into small pieces.

3. Place cabbage pieces in a pot and add water until the cabbage is covered.

4. Simmer for 10 minutes and then drain.

5. The resulting liquid will be purplish.

6. Gradually add baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until you get a nice blue hue. Be careful, because the baking soda will add flavor to the coloring. If you are using the color for something you will be eating then you need to be especially careful how much you add. Since it is the alkaline quality of the baking soda that causes the red cabbage juice to turn blue, you can also add spinach juice, green tea, or another alkaline ingredient.
7. Notes: The color in the cabbage juice, itself is not particularly sensitive to temperature, but the mixture of the baking soda with the juice is. So you will want to add the color after the food item has cooled, or else only add it to food items that will not be heated.
Recipe courtesy of wholenewmom.com

more beer gift ideas

saltspring island ales on cafepress offers a whole schwack of beer-related gifts!

and craftbeer.com has stocking stuffer ideas for the book loving beer enthusiast

women in beer

and another installment in the “it happened a while ago” vcbw posts…

women in beer
the thursday of vancouver craft beer week
held at republic

first of all, they asked me to speak
right there you know i’m gonna gush just a little bit about this event
secondly, there were so many amazing women there
you know i’m gonna gush just a little bit more!

rebecca of crannog hammers the hand truck porter cask

because i was speaking, i got to go in early

you know, to help stuff the swag bags

aaaaand schmooze with the brewers and lisa morrison!

it was great being in there early

i got to see all the casks get sprung

and talk to everyone before they got swamped by the loving hoardes

claire of big river brewing helps with the howe sound cask

the beer goddess also helped out with the howe sound cask

at 6:00 the doors opened and the lovely supporters of women in beer arrived

we had all expected that it would be set up differently

more places to sit, a proper place to speak from, actual food

but alas, republic had a different view of the set up

what we got was a great mingling space

with a few roving servers with tiny tapas

and a lower platform to speak from

so we improvised

speeches got cut from five minutes each to 30 seconds

people went out for food after the event

and more schmoozing happened

lisa morrison double-fists it at big river’s station

i began my drinking at claire connolly’s station

she’s the brewmaster at big river brewpub in richmond

she had the women’s collaboration beer on tap

along with her esb

i loved them both!

the women’s collaboration beer was a smoked saison

look at me, i liked a saison!

i wish this beer had been available at more events – it was a gooder

at the beginning of the night it was a bit too cold

but i had it again at the end of the night after it had warmed up a touch and it was a thing of beauty

i next wandered over and met kala hadfield of spinnakers brew pub in victoria

(if you’ve read any of my other vcbw posts, you’ll notice that i ran into kala several times over the course of the week, and she was enjoying herself each and every time!)

she brought an ipa

she figured it might not go over with all the women new to beer

but hoped it might convert some, and would please the hop headed women

and boy, was it ever a hop bomb!

i loved it!

next up for me was the howe sound menage a trois – mango, passionfruit and raspberry wheat ale with coriander

there was a whole lot going on in that beer!

but it worked

the coriander kept it from being too fruity

i said “it tastes like a patio”

and not five seconds later someone else came over to try it and quipped that they felt like they were on a patio drinking it!

rebecca kneen of crannog brought two casks with her

the handtruck porter, which has molasses in it to make it a little bit smokey

and the backhand of god stout

all hail the mighty organic beers!

we were supposed to pair the porter with the chocolate course

but since that came right at the end of the night i had my hand truck porter all by itself

and it was amazing

at the end of the night, when the chocolate finally came out, i had it with the backhand of god

and found that to be quite a divine pairing

brewery creek b.c. tasting day

i had a plan of attack
i would arrive right at noon
i would hit the casks first
then i would find the beers i hadn’t yet tried
and then i would end with old favourites

i like arriving with a plan
and i like being okay with changing it all up mid-stride!

can you spot waldo? i mean me?

i managed to show up shortly after 12
so far so good!
and i managed to try all the casks
even better!
then… as i am wont to do
i got very very chatty and was not sampling as many beers as i could have been
however, i love beer talk
and i made some very positive connections
so i just can’t regret using my mouth more for talking than for tasting!
i do wish i had taken my mouth around to all the breweries though…

the casks:
russell nectar of the gods: i was so excited to be at the festival drinking beer i forgot to actually take the time to enjoy my first beer… i recall liking it…
howe sound hip hop ipa: grapefruit ipa on limited release – a bit too flat out of the cask, but a delight in the bottle, get ye some before its gone!
driftwood spring rite abbey ale: abbey ale with brett yeast, so i only had a wee pour of this one – for a brett beer, it was quite lovely
saltspring island ales golden ale with ginger and nettles: amazing, wonderful, creative! the ginger adds a little bit of bite to the golden ale, but not as much as a ginger ale, just a reminder that its there and the nettles give it great texture and subtlety – so nice i had to have it twice!
spinnakers northwest ale: they didn’t just bring one cask, they brought two! the first was hopped with citra hops and the second with centennial and i couldn’t tell you which one i liked more, but i can say that i wanted more of both!

moving on to beers i hadn’t had before…
i had to try lighthouse’s overboard imperial pilsner
and i looooooved it!
they really hit the nail on the pilsner head with this one
and you can’t get any better bottle art either

also necessary to try was whistler brewing’s paradise valley grapefruit ale, which was a nicely balanced ale with plenty of grapefruit, but not so much that i felt it was a fruit beer
and fernie brewing’s the griz pale ale, which i think i had too late in my day as i really wasn’t into it
steamworks’ samba amba, which was too boozey for me

ooh, and speaking of boozey, rodney suggested i go try the award winning central city thor’s hammer barleywine mixed with the also award winning ipa: i gotta tell you, it was a great combination
so i told two friends and they told two friends…

by this time i was running out of both time and tokens
so i ended my b.c. foray by revisiting the saltspring cask
i can’t believe there was any left by the end of the afternoon, but there was
so i happily relieved them of a little bit more
and even after all the barleywines and ipas
the subtleties of the ginger and nettles stood up and made themselves dance on my tongue
delicious!

conrad of steamworks was nice enough to lend me his viking horns for a little fun photo shoot!

conrad the steamworks viking

oh yeah, and he won best in show for his pilsner
which yes, is a thing of beauty and a joy to imbibe
i’m also a very big fan of his ginger
(no, not his beard silly, his ginger beer!)

list of all the breweries in attendance:
red truck brewing
howe sound brewing
phillips brewing
fernie brewing
saltspring island ales
cannery brewing
pacific western brewing
tree brewing
r & b brewing
spinnakers brew pub
lighthouse brewing
granville island brewing
storm brewing
russell brewing
vancouver island brewery
dead frog brewery
vcbw
mt begbie brewing
driftwood brewing
tin whistle brewing
steamworks brewing
okanagan spring brewery
whistler brewing
central city red racer

hop shoot pickles

oh how i wish i had time in my vancouver craft beer week schedule to try out saltspring ales’ hop shoot pickles!

Salt Spring Island Ales

We’re also doing a full sit-down beer dinner with ‘Two Chefs and a Table”. Lucky diners will be able to sample our hop shoot pickles!

women in beer

guess who just got guest-listed for a fabulous vcbw event???
for the very slow, but lovely all the same, it’s me!
finally being a blogger comes in handy!
oh, and that whole being a girl thing too…

this is where i’ll be
and i couldn’t be more pleased!
i either already know and love, or can’t wait to meet and totally admire, everyone on the panel
and i’ll be eating chocolate again by then – yay, yay and oh, um, yay!

Signature Event

Republic
958 Granville St, Vancouver (map)

6:00pm – Late

$55 all inclusive

The Donnelly Group Presents Women and Beer II

Still think the craft brewing industry is a boys club? Allow us to prove you wrong by showing you what the industry’s finest females have on offer.

Join us at Republic for five small-plate courses paired with beers from R&B, Howe Sound, Mt Begbie, Crannog, Saltspring Island Ales, Spinnakers as well as a special ladies only collaboration beer brewed just for this event.

Sounds great? Well that’s not all. Attendees will sample chocolates by CocoaNymph, take home a bag filled with swag, such as items from Lush, Skoah and Electra Laser. In addition to all this there will be door prizes including a gift basket from Mine Salon (valued at over $150) and a signed copy of Lisa Morrison’s “Craft Beers of the Pacific Northwest”.

Joining us for the evening:

Claire Connolly, Brewer, Big River Brewery
Lundy Dale, CAMRA BC
Leslie Fenn, Owner and Director, Howe Sound Brewing
Monica Frost and Amanda Barry, CAMRA Vancouver
Kala Hadfield, Spinnakers Brewpub
Becky Julseth, Co-owner, Saltspring Island Ales
Heather Kilbourne, Asst. Brewer, Saltspring Island Ales
Rebecca Kneen, Co-owner and Asst. Brewer, Crannog Ales
Lisa Morrison, writer, blogger & host of Beer O’Clock: the show for people who love great beer
Karen Shadsheim, Owner, Townsite Brewing
Katy Wright, Co-Founder, Vanbrewers Homebrew Club

150 Tickets Available

vancouver craft beer week

we’re making history here folks – vancouver’s first ever craft brew week is almost upon us!

more than 25 breweries participating at over 20 venues – and no crappy beer!

from the website: “Vancouver Craft Beer Week is a celebration taking place throughout metropolitan Vancouver from May 10 – 16, 2010. It aims to inspire a broader interest in all aspects of beer in order to cultivate a flourishing craft beer culture in the region. VCBW consists of a series of signature festival events and independently-organized satellite events in numerous venues around town.”

there are fabulous events all week long, some of which still have tickets available, or don’t require tickets. delightfully for the event, but not for those of us who don’t yet have tickets, several events at this inaugural event are sold out.

the night I am going to cry about missing out on because its now sold out is the women and beer night on thursday. along with amazing food and beer pairings they are also featuring the following speakers:

Aly Tomlin, Operation manager, R&B Brewing
Becky Julseth, Co-owner, Saltspring Island Ales
Claire Connolly, Brewer, Turning Point Brewery
Leslie Fenn, Owner and Director, Howe Sound Brewing
Patt Dyck, Co-Owner, Cannery Brewing
Rebecca Kneen, Co-owner and assistant brewer, Crannog Ales

i can’t believe i didn’t hear about this amazing event sooner. i might just have to go and see if someone doesn’t show up and i can get in… or maybe i’ll get tickets to another event and drown my sorrows in an equally delightful night of beer and food.

i do have tickets to the four beers and a funeral pub crawl on saturday afternoon, and the craft beer tasting that night – that’s 12 whole hours of beer – yay! i just hope that i can remain clear-headed enough to remember each of the beers i am going to try.

i am so excited for this blessed event. how can i distract myself until next week?

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