Friday 1 January 2010

The Session No. 35: New Beer’s Resolution


The New Year is here and after looking back at 2009, now it’s time to look forward to 2010 and everything I hope to achieve or do better than I did in the last year. This post is part of the latest Session project, hosted by Beer for Chicks, where they ask the question: What beer resolutions do you have for 2010? Here are mine...

To drink in different places. I don’t have a long list of pubs which I visit regularly and I seldom travel further than a train journey away. I need to go different places, drink different local beers and drink in new pubs. This extends to drinking abroad too, when I can.

To find new breweries. This year I’ve talked a lot about BrewDog, Thornbridge, Ramsgate and Marble. They brew great beer so they deserve it. In 2010 I want to find some more breweries to get excited about.

Go to more beer festivals. There are 3 or 4 festivals which I go to every year without fail. I need to go to more. I want to go to festivals further away than London too. The Weekend of Spontaneous Fermentation is high on my list. Leicester, Reading...

To drink new stuff or to drink familiar favourites? One of those difficult questions: you want one more beer, there’s two on the bar: a favourite cask beer or a new one you’ve never heard of. What do you choose? The old favourite you know and want to drink, the new one is unknown but there’s the hope it could be great. If you don’t try new ones then how do you discover new favourites? I want to strike a balance between new and old. I want to enjoy the old favourites but I also need to try new ones.

Say yes more/do more stuff. I’ve read Yes Man. It’s pretty inspirational. I get invited to events or to go out places and I need to say yes more. Good things happen at these places, interesting people are there and good beers are there.

Learn more about brewing and brew some beer somewhere. I understand brewing but I want to know it better and I want a deeper understanding of it. I also want to help brew some beer (home brew and professional).

Convert some lager or wine drinkers. Try and show the delights of craft brewed beer to people who don’t know about it.

Hold some beer tastings of beer and food dinners. Small groups, a few beers, tell people about the joys of great beer.

And a personal Resolution: To be more ‘go get ‘em’. I need to make things happen for myself and not just sit back, thinking about doing them.

Here’s hoping 2010 is a great year!

5 comments:

  1. I'm sure I could sort you out a brew day once I'm settled in my new job.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like your resolution is pritty much the same as mine. By the way, as an admirer of your work I would be honoured if if you would join my facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=app_2373072738&gid=232363700910

    Read all about it on my blog: www.robsbeerquest.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Only travelling a train journey away is fine - as long as it involves a change of trains. Ideally at St Pancras...

    If you're going to venture out to beer fests, do go to Reading; the ratebeer table is a veritable orgy of beery fun. And you really must go to Leicester; real ale + real curry is awesome. Nottingham beer fest attendance is mandatory.

    Only 'convert' lager and wine drinkers if you're prepared to drink excellent lager and wine first. Show people that they don't need to drink Carling and Blossom Hill by offering quality alternatives; then entice them with beer.

    As for drinking new stuff or familiar favourites.... I know a website all about that :-) Seriously, that's what CAMRA festvials can be great for; exposure to new brewers and beers. Then you get a feel for the ones that are worth trying wherever you see them and which ones are just swill.

    New year, new beer, new cheer!

    ReplyDelete
  4. "Convert some lager or wine drinkers. Try and show the delights of craft brewed beer to people who don’t know about it."

    My mission to do this over Christmas completely and totally failed. Can't say I didn't try though! It's a good resolution to have.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like my local music festival (Summer Sundae) partly because it has a great beer tent with around 30 real ales - I ilke to think of it as a beer festival with music tagged on. I don't get to try all of them over the three days, but with a partner willing to share the load and by avoiding beers I've tried before (unless they're really nice) I can try quite a few interesting ales.

    ReplyDelete