September 23, 2011

The most wonderful time of the year

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Today is the first day of autumn. My favorite time of year! The leaves change colors, the air gets cooler, sweaters come out. It's also Oktoberfest - and more importantly, to me - pumpkin beer time. I know some people complain about the fact that pumpkin beers are available at the beginning of September, saying it's too early. I don't feel that way at all. Bring them out in July and I'd be happy!

A couple of years ago, someone told me about Southern Tier Pumking, saying it was one of the best beers they'd ever tried. I had one and couldn't believe how good it was. It's become an all-time seasonal favorite for me. I think I have about 5 bottles waiting in the fridge right now. And one that I'm cellaring for next year, to try against the 2012 batch.

Last week at Hawthorne's I bought a bunch of pumpkin beers, so that I could try some new ones and enjoy some old favorites. It was quite the haul and I've been enjoying them nightly.

The ones that have really stuck out to me include Brooklyn Brewery Post Road, Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, Fegley's Devious Imperial Pumpkin, and Uinta's Punk'n. and the Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale

Luckily, the season is far from over. So if you've been waiting for the right time to try a new beer, now is it! And if you have a recommendation on a beer I should try, I'd love to hear it.

September 21, 2011

It's a little dusty in here

Hard to believe, but it's been just over 8 months - 8 months!! - since the last time I posted anything. Where did the time go? I wish I could say that I was backpacking through Europe, or studying with Tibetan Monks, or even gestating a baby (hey, it's been almost long enough), but none of that is the case. Somehow I just got out of the habit of writing. Life took over my life. Or something like that. I do see that I started to write three posts (they were saved as drafts, and never published. One was pretty good, and I question why I never hit the "publish post" button. I didn't do it now because it was a seasonal piece and would have made no sense. The other two were just a couple of lines along the vein of "I can't believe how long it's been since I've written!") but even the last of those was back in April.

If I'm honest with myself, I know that some of it was that I lost the focus of what I wanted this blog to be about. Judging by the name alone, I'd say beer. And probably Philly. But I didn't want to just write reviews - not that there's anything wrong with that, but there are so many people out there who do it - some well and others, well... - that I wasn't sure what was setting me apart from everyone else. People have told me they like my reviews because I just write about what I taste and smell. I don't use terms that only someone with an advanced degree in beerology can understand. But I wanted this to be more. When I started this blog a little over two years ago, I had big dreams of being THE beer girl in Philly. I did some online research and didn't really see anyone that was filling that niche in the area. What I learned is that my online searching skills needed some serious work, because there are a ton of girls (women, if you prefer) who love beer in and around the Philly area. Some of them have made careers of this, and one in particular has made quite the name for herself. I felt like I couldn't compare, and maybe I also felt like if I couldn't be best, I didn't want to be in it at all.

So why am I writing now? Maybe it's because the format of Facebook changed today, making me less enthused about spending hours on there every night and I need something else to fill my time. Maybe it's because I've missed the creative outlet that writing this blog afforded me. Maybe it was my conversation with John where I told him I need a hobby, preferably a cheap/free one, and he brought up my writing. Whatever the reason, I fired up the old computer and sat down to write this post. I'm not sure where it's going to go. I'm not sure I'm how often I'll write. And I'm seriously not sure exactly what I'll be writing about. For now, though, it felt good to blow some of the cobwebs out of the way and just tap fingers against keyboard without it being work-related, or on Facebook, or for an email.

Hopefully I still have some followers who will be happy to read something from me. And if you've missed me, hopefully you'll stick with me as I figure this out.