In an attempt to keep my writing juices going and to continue to provide more regular content on this blog I decided to come up with a new, (hopefully) regular series here. I’m calling it End of the Day Unwind. Pretty much I’m going to crack open a beer and give some short blurbs on things that I encountered throughout the day or just random thoughts on things — beer related or not. I guess since I’m drinking a beer I’ll talk about the beer too. It’s kind of like going back to my old days of beer reviews but not quite.

I can’t guarantee these will be daily. Actually, I can guarantee these won’t be daily but I’ll try to get a few out per week.

Feel free to jump into the comments with your thoughts on things. We’ll chat, no big whoop. We’ll see how things go here.

Drinking: Samuel Adams Raspberry Lemon Gose
I’m a sucker for the Sam Adams variety packs. I see a new one at the grocery store and it’s going into the cart right then and there, eggs be damned. Each time I see a sour style in the packs I get excited but unfortunately that excitement is extinguished pretty quickly.

Last summer was the Berliner Weisse. “Fuck yeah!” I thought but upon opening it the tartness that I expect from the style was just ever so slight.

A year has passed and I saw the Summer pack in my friendly, neighborhood big box grocer. I grabbed it, had an uncomfortable conversation with the cashier and brought that baby home. What was I excited about in the pack? A Raspberry Lemon Gose and again this year I’m left underwhelmed.

It isn’t a bad beer, not at all. There is a ton of raspberry flavor with a subtle hint of lemon. There is even a salinity to it that lends to the base style but, alas, there is barely any tartness.

I get that this beer is probably made for people with a lower tolerance for sour beers but I’m still a bit of a sad panda.

Jester King Expands Their Property
I’m full of so much joy (not a typical thing for me) to read about Jester King purchasing the remainder of the property that their brewery sits on. I had the chance to visit them last September and calling the piece of land that they rest on beautiful does not do it justice.

If you are ever in Austin this place is a must. Cheers to an amazing brewery!

People are Weird
I’m a cook a few days a week at my friend’s butcher and sandwich shop (Grace’s Fine Foods plug!) and very often I greet guests as they peruse through the market we are in. “Hi, how are you?” I’ll ask to a person as they give a look over of our menu or deli cases.

“I’m just looking.” they will reply 80% of the time. Trust me, I did a study. No you can’t see my data.

I just wish people would reply, “I’m good, thanks.” I’m not upset if you aren’t going to buy something. I’m just trying to be nice. See where being nice gets you?

Tekus are…Okay?
I used to hate Teku glasses. I admit I’m turning the corner on them. They are still fragile as fuck. I’m pretty sure I broke one once by simply giving it a nasty look.

This is America
Everyone’s talking about. It’s a pretty crazy music video right? It’s a bomb ass song right? Isn’t Donald Glover the best?

Just a Reminder
As of today, May 10, 2017, the Philadelphia Eagles are still the Super Bowl Champions.

Support a Sponsor and Support Me!
Why not end this with another shameless plug. If you become a member of the American Homebrewers Association by using my link and use the code WANDB you will get a free copy of Wood & Beer, written by Dick Cantwell and Peter Bouckaert. Along with that you will enjoy AHA benefits like such as a subscription to Zymurgy magazine, discounts on other books published by the Brewers Association, discounts at participating breweries and early access to Great American Beer Fest tickets!

So let me know if you enjoyed this format, I kind of dig it. It allows me to get stuff out there, voice my opinion and not have to take a lot of time in between my other jobs. If you want to hear my take on something please post it in the comments.