The second SF Beer Week is in the books. This year's celebration of Bay
Area beer culture comprised over 240 events, from Santa Cruz to
Sebastopol, in the ten day period.

Last year, we only attended
events on the weekends. This year, we went all out; only taking two days
off of the ten. While, we didn't host our own event this year, we
volunteered at two.

We drank lots of beer, attended our first
Pliny the Younger release, first Double IPA Festival, Toronado
Barleywine Festival… Continue

“Craft Beer Down Under, The Journey to Melbourne” is the latest episode of One Pint at a Time.

Merideth turned 40 in December and she didn't really embrace the milestone. Instead of making our normal holiday pilgrimage to Europe, we decided a trip to Australia was what Merideth needed to cure the turning 40 blues. This trip marked our first beer adventure outside of North America or Europe.

In two weeks of beer travel, we journ… Continue

The last couple of years, we have been adding breweries to the List at a fairly quick pace. During the Year in Beer, we reached 400 and in 2009, the 500 brewery milestone was ours. When we started thinking about 2010 goals, the 600 brewery milestone seemed like something realistic to shoot for.
We took the opportunity of the three-day MLK weekend to get started on our 600 brewery quest. Our destination was Southern California, an area we have neglected for years.

During our long weekend in Sout… Continue

“500!” is the latest episode of One Pint at a Time.

Our trip to Maine in October was the last of three successive quickie beer trips. Focusing on Portland, Maine’s largest city and brewing center, our goal was try a bunch of local beer, eat a lot of lobster and to reach the 500 brewery milestone. In our two day trip, we visited Maine’s craft beer pioneers as well as some of the newcomers.

So e… Continue

We finally made it to Australia. After years of talking about it, we made the journey Down Under for Merideth's 40th birthday.

We didn't really know what to expect. We knew there was a budding craft beer industry. We had a list of breweries to visit and a few contacts. But that was it.

We spent two weeks in Australia. During that time, we drove from Sydney to Melbourne and back, adding 2,000 miles to our Ford Falcon XR6's odometer. Most important, we added 22 new breweries to "the List". A big… Continue

My photo of St. Sylvestre, 3 Monts, France, is included in the new CAMRA (campaign for real ale) Book, - 300 Beers to try Before you Die! - by Roger Protz.

I just got a 2nd place finish for my california common at the St. Louis Brews Happy Holiday Homebrew Competition. I'm so excited - it's my first time placing in a comp!

http://karlisbeer.blogspot.com/2009/12/gold-rush-common-takes-silver-medal.html

Our trip to Maine was the last of three successive quickie beer trips. Centered on Portland, Maine's largest city and brewing center, we also managed visits to breweries in small town Maine during our short visit.

In our two day visit, we experienced Maine's craft beer pioneers such as Geary's and the Great Lost Bear plus the newcomers Novare Res Bier Café and Maine Beer Company. And we ate a lot of lobster too.

We both reached the 500 brewery mark on the trip. Chris added eight breweries (503… Continue