World fame!

Okay, not so much. But as I'd hoped, I snagged a copy of the photo from Bocktown. I am very excited and I have to share it. Plus you can see the nasty storm that was moving in behind us. Bruce Campbell is more apparent in this one.



Got my Craft Beer Radio login up and running so I'm fully prepared for the next podcast.

Otherwise, last night I tried a Great Divide Samurai Ale. It was really light colored, just a touch of bitter. It was really drinkable in the same way a light beer is (although better tasting, I swear). Otherwise pretty boring. Then again it is brewed with barley and rice so I guess that's to be expected. It was too bad considering how much I like their IPAs. GD calls is fruity. I wouldn't.

Bocktown

Last night my folks and I went to Bocktown for a Pens Conference Championship party sponsored by Craft Beer Radio where I got to meet Jeff from CBR and a fellow named Bryan from Philadelphia (who I thought looked suspiciously like Bruce Campbell- maybe someone should tell him) who runs an entertaining and informational blog called The Brew Lounge...if you enjoy Philadelphia, anyway.

After a rather nasty storm forced us off the deck and into the restaurant, we tried a nice selection of beer unavailable in the PGH area, including Iron Hill, Sly Fox (which apparently only produces canned beer), and the Canadian beer, Péché Mortel, made by Dieu du Ciel. There was this sort of lingering curiosity because my folks and I were the only ones to show up (poor advertising, I assume?) and I, a girl of 21, was the one interested in a possible career in beer. We had a group picture with Bryan, Jeff, and the owner of Bocktown, a woman named Chris so hopefully that will get put up somewhere and I can display both my love of beer and the Penguins!

As stated earlier, my taste buds are still developing. I'm a big fan of IPAs and tend to classify myself as a Hop Head. The Péché Mortel, which I suppose is a stout, was really a rather complex and strong beer. I'm decidedly not a stout person, but this beer was surprisingly delicious. My favorite of the night was definitely Iron Hill Old Ale. It smelled overwhelmingly of rum, but was actually very light on the tongue with a sweet after taste. A pleasant, lovely surprise, to say the least.

Well lookit here

Wouldn't it be spectacular to get paid to write about beer?

I don't, but I would.

My name is Amanda. I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. I just graduated from college and I don't have a job right now. I'm not a professional beer taster, I can't officially judge beer competitions, I've never homebrewed (although that is soon to change and I did learn last week [all-grain yet]), I don't have a job in the brewing industry, and I have not developed my taste for Belgians yet. But I'm not a total newbie either. I was lucky enough to have folks interested in microbrews so I do have a year of tasting under my belt. And I'm completely dedicated.

Although I can't lie. I have been known to indulge in Iron City Light during Penguins games.

I promise this blog will never mention IC Light again. But I do hope to mention my beer travels, post beer pictures, promote beer tastings, and eventually demonstrate the evolution of my taste buds to include even those peculiar Belgians.

So welcome! I do hope you check back!