Beer Bloggers Conference: Part 6

Click here to read Part 5.

Too much beer.  Too little sleep.  Massive exhaustion.  The last day of the Beer Bloggers Conference was tinged with parting sorrow but also with relief; relief that maybe—just maybe—we’d recuperate from this long weekend and not keel over from swollen livers or sleep deprivation. 

The last day was a morning of seminars and a closing keynote speech.  The first panel discussion was titled Taking it to the Next Step or how to advance one’s blog, gain more readership, and boast a little more clout in the craft beer community.  The main takeaways from this session:

·         Tweet your little heart out.  BrewDad claims it was on Twitter where he started to garner a lot of attention and now he’s in negotiations for a beer-related TV show. 

·         Don’t drink and Tweet.  Beer bloggers have an image to uphold and misspelled, incoherent rants do much to tarnish said image.

·         When Tweeting, don’t use all 140 characters.  Leave a few extra spaces so people can re-Tweet your message accompanied with their thoughts, too.

·         Beer bloggers are important enough to write for big publications.  They’re also not so important that they can’t write for small publications.  Be confident, not uppity.

·         A beer blogger’s knowledge is valuable so don’t dole out all your information for free.  A lawyer charges for his or her consultation, why shouldn’t beer bloggers?  Of course, it goes without saying that nickel-and-diming people is a sleazy way of doing business; not every bit of information should come with a price tag.  Beer bloggers are experts, though, and it’s about time we were treated as such.

·         Keep your blog updated.  It looks unprofessional when you have months-long gaps between posts.

·         “Grow the circle.”  Engage people who aren’t beer blogger or beer geeks otherwise we’re just talking to ourselves.  Don’t throw out a lot of jargon without explaining its meaning; that’s a turn-off to the uninitiated.  Expand the blog into other genres.  A foodie doesn’t have reason to read your beer blog unless it’s a “cooking with beer” blog.  Now there’s a subject matter overlap and a chance for increased readership.  I consider Beer in Colorado a travel journal/beer blog hybrid; perhaps I can attract a wider audience by hyping the travel aspects.

Next was Creating a Beer Event presented by Eric of Focus on the Beer. 

·         I may have to hand in my Colorado Card because, while I knew Eric was based in Colorado, I never got the joke behind his blog’s title.  It was only recently I realized he’s from Colorado Springs, Colorado and, now that I have that piece of the puzzle, the name “Focus on the Beer” is hilarious.

·         Cardinal rule of hosting a beer event?  Have enough cups for everyone. 

·         Check out Eric’s Beers Made by Walking project.

The last official order of business was the closing keynote speech by author Randy Mosher.  While the opening keynote speech mainly concerned Garrett Oliver’s philosophy of brewing, Mosher’s speech was a history lesson on the lesser-known aspects of beer.

·         In the days of the ancient Greeks when everybody drank wine, it was considered barbaric to drink beer.  Unfortunately, that stigma sticks with us today as society’s upper-crust indulges in wine and looks down their noses at the uncouth beer guzzlers.  Actually, no, it’s not unfortunate.  Call me a barbarian; I’d rather be that than a wine snob.  Compare your local beer bar to your local wine bar and tell me which one has the most jovial patrons. 

·         Quick, name the civilization that invented “light” beer!  America?  Thankfully, we can’t be held responsible for that atrocity.  Hang the blame on the Sumerians.

·         Who invented the drinking boot?  That’s got to be the Germans, right?  Nope, the Persians.  Funny how one of beer culture’s most debaucherous activities originated in a country where you’d now have your tongue cut out of your head for simply looking at a beer.

·         The first beer to use hops had to be from somewhere in Europe, right?  Right, but it’s not from the country you’d assume; it was Italy!

With the conclusion of Mosher’s speech came the official close of the conference.  Fret not, for there was still fun left in the day!  We had the opportunity to take home Night of Many Bottles leftovers (I made sure to nab a Red Snapper Roasted Pale Ale from Arbor Brewing Company; fellow fans of the movie UHF will understand why) and, afterwards, those of us who didn’t have a plane to catch received an unofficial conference perk: a private lunch and tour at Sun King Brewery.

Sun King

We snacked on sun King’s deli meat buffet and I drank the special-release schwarzbier.  We also talked at length with the Hoperatives from the Cincinnati-area.  I admit that after that conversation I'm willing to concede that Cincy may well be a worthy destination for beer tourists.  Most exciting, however, was the fact that I was finally able to obtain the Sun King version of the Chaka can!  My collection (of two) is now complete. 

  

Then, after a weekend that felt simultaneously like eons and nanoseconds, the Beer Bloggers Conference was officially and unofficially over.  A single, beer-laced tear rolled down my haggard face.   But what fun it was!  I refer back to Part 1 in this series where I admonish those who criticize the conference for being too corporate or whatever.  Yes, you’re right; it’s too corporate.  I was being sold every second.  It was basically one big commercial.  I’ll say anything to keep your sourpuss self from attending the next conference and tainting this great group of people with your negativity.  This event is for people who want to learn, meet great people, and drink great beer; all others need not apply.

A red snappah!  Mmm, very tasty.

Speaking of the next conference, there were rumblings on where it should be held next.  My vote goes out to Boston.  I’ve never visited and, despite the fact that some of my most hated sports teams reside there, I’d like to check the city out if only to evacuate my bladder on Gillette Stadium.

Goodbye, beer bloggers; you’re all splendid people!

I may be done writing about the Beer Bloggers Conference but Nicole and I actually did a lot more after  the conference, too, so be on the lookout for our post-conference shenanigans.

Prost!

Chris

P.S. Check out this video from the conference's Live Beer Blogging session.

My biggest take-away from the last day of the conference was how to reach out to new readers. I like to cook and bake and I really like to cook and bake with beer. Hopefully, once I get over the back-to-school blues, I’ll be able to post on a regular basis recipes using Colorado beer. I already made a delicious pot roast with Renegade Brewing Company’s Ryeteous Rye IPA and next on my list is beer cheese soup—hopefully with Renegade’s Una Mas if it’s on tap again soon.

Nicole   

Beer Bloggers Conference: Part 5

Click here to read Part 4.

The crew from Beer Bloggers Conference departed the Indiana Microbrewers Festival and made way to Indiana World Class Beer—a beer wholesaler under the Monarch Beverage Company umbrella—where we were treated to a meal (with beer, of course) and a private tour of the factory floor.

En route, our bus was regaled with the comedic stylings of Mike AKA BrewDad whose personality, true to his handle, is typical of the average, beer-swilling American dad; he’s boisterous, jolly, and he says things in public that would make his kids die of embarrassment.  Luckily, no one on the bus had paternal links to him so, far from mortification, we were entertained: entertained by stories of him falling asleep in a Chicago women’s restroom during the pre-conference excursion, for example.  I can only imagine the shade of red I’d turn if my dad said that on a crowded bus.  Needless to say, BewDad’s engaging nature made him a very popular figure at the conference. 

We arrived at World Class Beer and, naturally, bee-lined to the nearest bathroom.  After emptying our bladders we helped ourselves to a buffet-style hamburger dinner, stuffed our faces, and listened as the folks at World Class explained their role in the beer industry. 

World Class Beer was wise to invite beer bloggers into their facility because, in the three-tier system of alcohol distribution, wholesalers are considered “the bad guys”.  People assume that distributors sneer at craft beer as it doesn’t bring in as much money as Budweiser and others of that ilk.  People assume that distributors want to keep craft beer out of their warehouses as it may squat on space that would’ve otherwise been reserved for big, money-making brands.  Beer geeks can be brutally anti-corporate in that way but, the truth is, yes, World Class Beer has a ton of Coors, Corona, and other such crap but they also have one big-ass building with plenty of space for craft beer, too. 

World Class Beer’s employees were as geeky about craft beer as the conference attendees and, to ensure craft’s continued success, they must distribute Pong Beer Lite (yes, that’s a real thing) and other flavorless fare to trust fund frat boys and the rest of the throngs of domestic beer drinkers.  If distributors didn’t carry the popular and profitable big brands then they wouldn’t have enough money to operate a business and then craft beer wouldn’t have any means of transportation.  It’s an all-or-nothing situation; craft cannot be distributed if non-craft isn’t also.  Hug a distributor today because they’re not hurting the craft beer community, they’re doing everything to safeguard its growth.

One step forward with craft beer, two steps back with this swill

After the speech, we walked the factory floor.  Remember the final scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark when the Ark of the Covenant was wheeled down the seemingly-infinite warehouse of crates?  World Class Beer is a lot like that except with beer ergo more impressive.

We took advantage of a cheese-ball photo-op and strolled down the colossal aisles of beer.  We marveled at the enormity of it all: the beers we never knew existed, the packaging line, the cold keg storage.  It was a cathedral of beer, a synagogue of suds, a mosque of malts; all disciples of craft beer should be so lucky as we who gazed upon the glory of a beer distribution warehouse.

Magnificent though it may have been, the tour was running late and cutting into Night of Many Bottles.  Without much further ado, we boarded our buses and headed back to the hotel for the night’s last hoorah.

What is Night of Many Bottles?  Just a beer geek’s fantasy come to life, that’s all.  Generally, beer bloggers are loyal to their region and happy to explain such devotion by sharing with you their state’s best booze.  That’s the idea behind Night of Many Bottles: introduce the beer you love to the people that have yet to taste it.  It's about bringing hidden gems to light and allowing fellow geeks a taste of what they can’t get at their hometown liquor store (sorry New Belgium Brewing; Fat Tire’s great but it’s nothing new to anybody). 

Nicole and I felt compelled to bring as many uniquely-Colorado beers as possible.  Beers like Apis IV from Elevation Beer Co., Hypothesis Belgian-style Double IPA from River North Brewery, Ryeteous Rye IPA from Renegade Brewing Company, Pali Pilsner from Pug Ryan’s Steakhouse & Brewery, Mountain Livin’ Pale Ale from Crazy Mountain Brewing Company, Summertime Ale from Crystal Springs Brewing Company, Cocoa Molé from New Belgium Brewing, B3K from Wynkoop Brewing Company, Stephanie’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookie from Crabtree Brewing Company, India Pale Ale from Upslope Brewing Company, and my homebrewed Lavender Kӧlsch.  Now that is how you showcase the weird and wonderful world of Colorado craft beer; some of these might cross the state line but, for the most part, they are exclusive to Coloradoans.

We handed Elle Potter our beers the day before and found them in the conference room when we returned from World Class Beer, chilling in tubs of ice.  The tubs were separated by region just like at Great American Beer Festival but, unlike GABF, there were no crowds and hardly a flagship in sight—just the small, hard-to-come-by beers that attendees thought best represented their state. 

Here are the highlights of Night of Many Bottles:

·         Colorado’s own Chipper Dave of Fermentedly Challenged and I hung out in the Rocky Mountain section for a bit and preached the good word of Colorado beer to all passersby.  A testament to the distinctiveness of the beers at the event, Dave brought some Colorado beer even I hadn’t had (Ménage à Trois from Crabtree is awesome!).  I tried to keep my mouth shut when people went for my homebrew as I didn’t want to influence their opinion.  Everybody seemed to like it, though, so that was an ego boost. 

·         Many thanks to Tamre of Girls Pint Out who brought Apocalypse Cow from Three Floyds Brewing Co. as per my request.  A friend of mine had been raving about that beer for some time and, thanks to Tamre, I now understand the accolades.

·         There was a time-lapse camera set up in the corner capturing all the action.  I went and shook my butt in front of it for a few minutes, long enough for the naked eye to register it in the final cut, I hope.

·         A few non-beer blogging hotel guests of dubious intelligence snuck in to the conference room and stole an entire tub of beer.  Luckily, they weren’t as sneaky as they thought as BrewDad caught them red-handed, gave them a piece of his mind, and left with a piece of their asses.  The tub was safely returned. 

·         It was my impression that Night of Many Bottles was an opportunity to swap cans and bottles to make mixer-sixers but most people were content to simply drink on site.  Well, I brought swapping beers and, by golly, I was going to swap!  If I saw a can or bottle that caught my eye, I snagged it and stashed it under my secret table.  So, there; that’s my confession via blog but don’t ostracize me because I replaced every beer I took with one of my Colorado beers; I didn’t affect the overall quantity.

Our allotted time in the conference room eventually ran out and we had to pack up and leave but, as Semisonic says, “you don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here.”  We opted not to go home and instead snagged the open bomber bottles, brought them to the hotel lobby, and continued the party!

We who miraculously had energy to spare sat at the lobby bar which, due to it being one in the morning, was completely deserted.  We poured ourselves beer from the ever-warming bottles but the tepidness of our drinks was of no consequence—we were already three sheets to the wind and having a blast geeking out on beer and meeting new friends.  Not only was the after-party great fun, it was also historic; BrewDad reached 1,000 beers on Untappd!  Here’s to 1,000 more, Mike.

Look at BrewDad with all these chicks; what a stud!

Stud status revoked

Stud status reinstated

Fun though it was, it couldn’t last forever.  The last drop had been drunk and it was time to put an end to a very full day.  The festivities weren’t quite over, though; we still had a half day of conference to attend and too little sleep to get us through it.

Hang in there, patient reader.

Prost!

Chris    

Beer Bloggers Conference: Part 4

Click here to read Part 3.

My biggest complaint about the Beer Bloggers Conference is that there was scarcely a moment to catch one’s breath.  Immediately after the Leinenkugel lunch, Nicole and I’s hands were full of complimentary glassware, beers, and bottle openers and we desperately needed to put them somewhere.  Even though we were staying in the same hotel as the conference, we barely had enough time to go to our room, drop everything off, and get back for the next session. 

When we got back, we had a seminar on using pictures and video in blogs.  It’s great advice, certainly, but there are a few reasons why Beer in Colorado won’t be converting to video anytime soon.  For one, like many people, I hate hearing my voice on electronic devices.  In our skulls, our voices sound deep but, when we hear it played back electronically, we realize we’re actually at a higher pitch and much more nasally than expected.  Secondly, I think video is a crutch for sub-par writers.  As an English major, I like to think that I write in a manner more entertaining than Average Joe blogger; I like to think you’re enthralled with the written word.  Maybe I’m wrong but, for the meantime, I’m operating on that conjecture.

Then it was time for the session I was looking forward to most: Comparative Beer and Glass Tasting with Spiegelau.  I’m patting myself on the back when I say I was slightly ahead of the curve when it came to this particular seminar but it’s the truth; I had slightly more knowledge of proper beer glassware than the majority of the room.  When I mentioned off-handedly that I was excited for the Spiegelau tasting I received looks that nonverbally said Really?  You’re excited about glassware? to which I shot back an expression implying Yeah?  You don’t know how good these glasses are or how bad pint glasses are? which was countered with a visage suggesting the thought I’m still dubious but my interest has been piqued due to your enthusiasm.  I will come into the session with a more open mind than I previously would have.  By the way, did you catch the game last night? 

Left to right: tall Pilsner, lager, wheat beer glass, and stemmed Pilsner.  And the "Joker" in the bottom left.

The Spiegelau rep began with a (too) lengthy explanation about why glassware matters.  Thin, tightly compacted glass is key to holding carbonation and an even temperature; cheap, porous glass seeps out temperature and carbonation like a sieve.  The thinness of the glass and the unique lip of Spiegelau also allows for the beer to bypass the tip of the tongue and splash directly in the middle of the palate; in comparison, a pint inundates the mouth with a deluge and the body’s natural reaction is to lift the tongue and block the intrusion thus the beer is delivered under the tongue rather than on top.  The bulbous silhouette of Spiegelau also does much to trap aroma and, because aroma and flavor are so closely tied, enhance flavor.

I was engrossed with the demonstration but I could tell by the Beer Bloggers Twitter feed that some of my compatriots where tired of talk and ready to slam some beers.  That time finally came when Garrett Oliver and the hotel staff passed out several Brooklyn Brewery bottles—one for each of the specifically designed glasses:  stemmed Pilsner, tall Pilsner, lager, and wheat beer glass.  Oh, and one “joker”—a standard pint—which we used as a point of comparison.

 

In short, pint glasses suck.  Spiegelau is expensive but phenomenal and worth the price.  It makes one wonder how many first-time beer drinkers might have been turned-off to the drink simply because it was served in inferior glassware.  “All beer tastes the same,” some critics say and I say, “you just need to drink a good beer in an appropriate glass.”  Pints are great for display purposes but, when it comes to putting beer to lips, Spiegelau (or a similar brand lest you accuse me of “being sold”) is the only way to go.  We went home with complimentary Spiegelau to match match we already had back home.

A final note on the Spiegelau session: the atmosphere got a wee bit uncomfortable from time to time what with both Oliver, headbrewer at Brooklyn, and the Spiegelau rep being in the same room.  We’d pour a splash into the standard pint, sniff it, sip it, and the man from Spiegelau would say something along the lines of, “See how terrible that smells and tastes?  Uh, not that the beer is bad or anything.”  Oliver would usually reply with a line implying, “Yeah, yeah, dude; I know what you’re getting at.  Just relax.”

After Spiegelau we were beginning to run late which was unfortunate because the Indiana Microbrewers Festival was next and I knew that some of my childhood friends were already there drinking all the beer.  We loaded the buses too slow and the ride to the festival grounds was downright snail-like but we finally arrived at what appeared to be a pitiful excuse for a beer festival: two tents?  We soon realized, however, that those two tents were blocking the view to the rest of the festival which was surprisingly massive.  All the more reason I wish we would have arrived on time; there was much to explore.

The author & his friend since kindergarten (I'm not referring to the beer this time).

Nicole and I teamed up with my friends and went searching for great beer.  The festival offered more than Hoosier beer but, true to my motto “Drink Local,” we bee-lined for the Indiana section.  My friends are beer lovers in that they love to drink beer—even craft beer—but none are truly beer geeks.  For that reason, I was the designated expert explaining what can be expected from each beer style plus a brief history lesson to go along with it.  It’s something I’m glad to do; when the conversation turns to beer I’ll bend your ear like a pair of pliers. 

Too soon it was time to load up the buses and leave but the night’s fun wasn’t over, not by a long shot.  Stay tuned for more from the Beer Bloggers Conference including our private tour of World Class Beer and *gulp* Night of Many Bottles.

Prost!

Chris 

  

I am not sure how video blogging would necessarily fit into our beer blog. Maybe we could post videos teaching our readers about different styles or how to properly pour and assess beer? But, like Chris, I don’t like hearing my own voice. I am perfectly happy using pictures to tell a story.

The most memorable part of the video blogging seminar was the icebreaker the main panelist told at the beginning. He described a conversation he had with his buddy about teenage daughters and dating. His buddy had the solution to keeping boys’ hands off their little girls.  I can’t repeat it as it’s a bit inappropriate but the audience laughed hysterically [Hint: don’t pick up the soap ~ Chris].

I knew the Spiegelau presentation would demonstrate how proper glassware makes beer taste better but what I didn’t realize was that we would be drinking five beers: Sorachi Ace, Brooklyner Wheat, East India Pale Ale, Local 2, and Black Ops. Each of these beers (three of them bomber bottles) was to be shared between two people.  We neared the end of the Spiegelau demonstration, my vision was started to blur, and we still had two hours of beer festival to come!

The beer festival was a whirlwind. I only remember a few of the breweries and a few of the beers. The majority of the crowds were at the big breweries’ tents so we stuck to sampling the little guys. One of those small breweries was Backroad Brewery where I had a blueberry wheat. I find many blueberry beers to be overpowering but this one was subtle yet flavorful. We also tried beer from Iechyd Da Brewing Company The name comes from the Welsh word for cheers or good luck. Yeah, good luck pronouncing that one.

The two hours that we were there felt like minutes. As we made our way back to the bus, Chris stopped for a couple of photo ops. Aboard the bus, we munched on some Cape Cod potato chips and Helluva Good! dip as we made our way to our next destination. Try some chips and the Jalapeño Cheddar the next time you sip your favorite IPA.

Nicole

No sign can tell me what to do!

Beer Bloggers Conference: Part 3

Click here to read Part 2.

The Beer Bloggers Conference resumed at 9:30 Saturday morning but the festivities the night prior made Nicole and I’s on-time arrival a strong unlikelihood.  Thus, we missed the first session—a panel on the three-tier system of beer distribution—but word on the street is that it was a bit awkward what with certain panelist skirting tough questions.

The next session was on networking with breweries, distributors, and retailers.  Here are my main takeaways from the session:

·         Always tag the brewers in posts and tweets.  Stroke their ego and give credit where credit is due.  If bloggers get the brewer’s name out, they’ll feel more inclined to get our name out.  That is, if you’re not writing douche-y things about them.  When you need to criticize, do so tastefully—never nastily.

·         Ask for special treatment.  Yes, we as beer bloggers throw around a little more weight than the general drinking public and should thus be treated to certain perks.  

·         People in the business of craft beer should want to work with bloggers and give us special treatment.  We are their source of free advertisement; we are their biggest proponents.  In the words of one of the session’s more outspoken panelists, if somebody in the industry doesn’t want to work with bloggers then “f**k ‘em.”  It’s their loss.

·         Make friends with store owners.  If you get in good, they might advertise some of their beers with “As recommended by [your blog name]” or something of that ilk.

·         Be gracious with beer stores.  They can’t always get what you want so don’t throw a fit when they don’t have that über-rare specialty beer you’ve been craving.  This was actually a bit incongruent with my personal experiences as one of my local bottle stores, Mondo Vino, has the opposite problem: they hound you and keep asking if there’s anything they don’t have that they can put on order for you.  But, I guess that’s just another reason why Colorado is the best state for beer—over-the-top friendly employees that want you to try as many different types of beer as possible.

·         Bloggers do more than support the craft beer industry, we educate the masses thus making it easier for brewers, bartenders, and store employees to do their jobs.  Thanks to bloggers, they can focus more on selling rather than bringing people up-to-speed on craft beer.  Sample questions that make industry people pull their hair out: “I don’t like dark beers like IPAs” or “I like Hefeweizens but I don’t like ales.”  If these phrases or phrases similar have ever escaped your lips, allow me to do my part as a beer blogger and school you so that those who make a living off of beer don’t have to roll their eyes at you.

Next was a session on international beers in the U.S.  Specifically, Pilsner Urquell since it was their American representatives leading the meeting.  First, they talked about Pilsner Urquell in general—about how it was among the first beers to be served in a clear glass so as to show-off its clarity and how they wish they had enough clout to convince the company’s higher-ups to do away with the skunky-beer-inducing green bottles.  They then transitioned into the influences American and non-American beers have on one another.  It’s not uncommon to see American breweries emulate the styles of Belgium but did you know that Belgium breweries have started making American-style IPAs?  That’s right, folks; American beer is no longer following in the footsteps of Europe, Europe is taking a cue from us!  The only problem, it seems, is that Europe is a butt-hurt continent; Belgians whine when we call our beer “Belgian-style” because they’re not technically Belgian.  “We don’t call our American-style IPAs ‘American-style’,” they say.  I say, “cram it, you waffle-munchers.”  American brewers are honoring the rich history of Belgian beer when they label their product “Belgian-style” and we’d appreciate some reciprocity, Jean-Claude Van Jerkwad.  

Samples (i.e. whole bottles) of Pilsner Urquell came next (plus free Pilsner Urquell glasses to take home) which I will not bore you with as it’s a ubiquitous beer you’ve almost certainly already had.  Petrus Aged Ale (7.3% ABV)—a Belgian sour beer that smells like champagne and finishes with persevering tartness—is a different story.  It’s a fantastic beer and, while the majority of the beers that splash over my palate are Coloradoan and the rest mainly from other parts of the U.S., I might consider letting this foreign interloper get more tongue-time in the future.

It was then time for a much needed lunch break so we closed our laptops, took the escalator to the upper-level conference rooms, and found ourselves at the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company-hosted lunch.

We began with a glass of their Hefeweizen before making our way to the circular tables scattered about the room.  We were served Summer Shandy with our first course—a salad—all the while being regaled with the history of Leinenkugel by a brewery rep who some found to be a bit too under-spoken but, personally, after the previous night’s carousing about town, a subdued, sedative speech was necessary.

The Hefeweizen and Summer Shandy were good, certainly, but rather ordinary and best enjoyed without a Y chromosome.  Then, however, they brought out the big guns: the Big Eddy series.  As we dined on exceptionally good chicken (for it being conference food, anyway), we drank Imperial IPA.  As we stuffed our faces with dessert, we drank Wee Heavy Scotch Ale.  Leinenkugel is a subsidiary of corporate giant SABMiller but one cannot deny the exquisiteness of Big Eddy.  Monstrously large brewing companies can still produce damn fine beer so long as they have detail-orientated brewers at their satellite facilities.

At the Leinenkugel lunch

Nicole and I snagged a few Big Eddy tulip glasses and bottles of Russian Imperial Stout, stopped by our room to drop off our haul, and prepared ourselves for one of the conference events I was most looking-forward to: the Spiegelau comparative beer and glass tasting session. 

But that will have to wait until the next post; I’ve said enough for this particular update.

Prost!

Chris