WHERE YOU AT, HBJ?

Oh me? Oh, you know. I’ve been around. Mostly I’ve been off doing other things – like work, bein’ a dad, bein’ a husband, resuscitating my music blog – that sort of thing. I’ve also tried to maintain a slightly healthier relationship with my favorite beverage, with some limited success. I’ve been enjoying beer for its own sake, not so much for the rating I’ll bestow upon it later, or for trying something new just because it was new. I’ve returned to a few old favorites, and have actually passed up newer, untried beers in favor of them. I’ve worked at getting my still-manageable but burgeoning love handles in line, the expansion of which I attribute almost entirely to beer mania. Lastly, I’ve tried to slowly work through all the friggin’ beer I built up in my cellar/garage over the last few months without buying new beers – believe me, it’s not easy refraining.

That said, I’ve been all around this great country of ours, trying all manner of fine nectars. Why, I was just in Seattle last Monday, and it was there that I enjoyed a fresh MAUDITE on tap at the famed Edgewater Hotel. Maudite is a wonderful Belgian-style dark amber from Canada’s UNIBROUE, one of true heavyweights of fine brewing in the 21st century. God, I heart this beer. It’s even better on draft than in the bottle – what a surprise, “eh”? A complex yet smooth blend of earthy, rich spices and yeasts, like a hopped-up red ale done in the Belgian style. Love it. Not only was I in Seattle, the United States’ second-best city, but I went to Nashville for a few nights in February as well. I know! Wild! Whilst in Nashville I checked out the local beer bar, a place called FLYING SAUCER. It was a cool place, chock-full of great beers, some of ‘em from the South and a lot of ‘em from parts east – like Belgium and Germany-east. I asked the barkeep for a TERRAPIN RYE PALE ALE, and you know what this rogue did to me? He denied my request. He said “eh, Terrapin’s all right – but try our local beer, YAZOO PALE ALE instead”. Well it just so happens that I’ve already had one of those, courtesy of the Monday Night Brewery gang, but you know what? It was good. I was still bestowing ratings back then, and went with a 7.5/10. He also poured me a North Carolina brew called HIGHLAND KASHMIR IPA – didn’t cotton to that one so much, and went with 5.5/10. I don’t remember why, I just didn’t like it & wanted to go to bed. You know how it is.

Closer to home – I mean, at home, the best thing I’ve had recently was a ST. BERNARDUS TRIPEL. A fantastic tripel, maybe one of the 5-7 best I’ve ever had, and totally in keeping with the St. Bernardus tradition of quality ales. Other than those, there’s been an Anchor Steam here, a Boont Amber there, and not a whole lot else. A few crunches and a jog or two and I’ll have a ripping six-pack of abs ("again" – right!). HBJ’s still around, so don’t you go nowhere now, you here?