Zeitgeist

These posts cover the past, present and future of distilled spirits. I have been fascinated by how much the history of distilled spirits can tell us about the cultures that they exist in. Some may argue this is true of any other beverage with a long history, but I believe that distilled beverages give us a window into the spirit of our time. So while I write about current trends in the spirit world you can also expect to find my thoughts about what these trends say about developments in our culture.

Spirit Reviews

These posts detail my sensory experienced drinking and tasting various spirits. When I can, I will include information about the producer as well as thoughts on how the spirit can be best enjoyed. 

Beer Me

These posts cover the various beer tastings, brewery tours, and beer related events that I attend. Growing up and living in the San Francisco Bay Area has exposed me to some of the best new breweries in the country. And I'll be sure to include my conversations with brew masters and a growing number of beer focused businesses and experts from the around the Bay. Besides enjoying other people beer, I'll also cover some of the homebrewing my friends and I do as it relates to better understanding how well balanced beer is crafted.

Wine?...Yes Please

These posts chronicle my adventures learning about and drinking wine. Wine has been a daunting subject for me for a number of reasons, including the huge variety of grapes used and countries of origin, to say nothing of vast numbers of micro-regions within each country. But if you are a wine drinker like me, interested in learning more and slightly intimidated by wine maybe we can learn something together.

Coffee Break

These posts cover my experiences seeking out fantastic cups of coffee and my quest to understand what roles farmers, roaster and baristas all play to make that possible. Since the beginning of the third wave coffee movement there are a growing number of coffee roasters and companies seeking to present great coffee as a fine food rather than a bulk commodity. My hope is to find and experience as many of these as I can and share them with you.

Palate Workout

These posts cover various tasting and aroma exercises that I participate in as well as evaluations of what seems to be working. While I may not have been born with the world's most sensitive palate, I am very intentional about continuing to develop my ability to identify the different flavors and aromas I encounter in my drinks. Part of being a good taster is building the cognitive links between sensation and memory. And while it may be hard work, somebody has to do it.

Beverage Book Reviews

Lastly, these posts review the books I read about spirits, beer, wine, and coffee. I also hope that these reviews can make it easier for other interested drinkers to know which books are worth investing their time and money into. The number of books available on beer, wine and spirits is daunting. Where does one start? That is the exact question I hope to answer. Thankfully, for you and for me, one skill graduate school helped me develop was the ability to read and analyze books quickly for what they have to contribute to a particular topic and where they are lacking. This way you can get a sense of which books you can skip and which you want to read for yourself.