Friday, December 8, 2017

Beer Stories

(or A Dork Who Drinks Beer)

I almost met my idol last weekend, although idol probably isn’t the right word. Carol Burnett is an idol. I found myself in the same room with her once and I almost fainted. I got so nervous, I had to leave the room.

I wasn’t much better when I ran into ABV Girl (aka Kimberly), now owner of Final Draft Taphouse. I didn’t faint or leave the bar. But I didn’t introduce myself either. She’s doing what I fantasize about doing. She loved beer and wrote about it. And then she turned that passion into a career in opening Final Draft. Although she has a blog, I was first introduced to her on Twitter (@ABVGirl).

Owning a bar is not for me. I wouldn’t mind learning how to brew but I’m not about to become a home brewer. No, I’ve been thinking about pursuing a Cicerone Beer Certification or becoming a Certified Beer Judge because I’m the type of person that starts to run and then runs marathons. But there are two problems: work and work. As you know, that's something to be avoided.

I already have a job and to get a certification of any kind will take not only money but work. So I have to consider why I would do such a thing. To what end? I have given thought to creating a blog devoted to beer and certification would give it cred and improve my writing. Certainly, there are plenty of blogs around but none dedicated to SW Washington. The Columbian has food and restaurant reviewers but it doesn’t have anything devoted to beer or SW Washington wines.

Beer judging, whether I do it professionally or not, appeals to the geek side of me - getting technical about a thing, becoming an expert in one’s field. For me, part of enjoying beer is understanding what’s in the glass.

But will the craft beer industry continue to grow? I think so and I think there’s room for beer education, beer tastings, and beer tourism along with it. All of that sounds exciting to me.

That’s why I was excited to almost meet ABV Girl. She’s already doing it and I think that’s awesome.

Next time, I’ll try to say hello.

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