Trip to the Bottle Shop

To relieve the pressure of writing something “epic” or “revolutionary” in my first post, I decided to start with something relatively mundane: a trip to one of my local bottle shops. This particular gem is hidden in the guise of a convenience store on the corner of Rowan and Alberta in north Spokane called JB’s. Upon chatting with the proprietors, I learned that I was in luck because they had received a fresh shipment of ales just yesterday. It would be safe to assume that their sales are doing fine as this new shipment forced them to re-arrange merchandise and devote nearly half-again as much shelf space to fine craft ales as the last time I was in.


When walking into a bottle store, I enjoy just standing and marveling at the wonderful selections in front of me. After a few minutes the warm, fuzzy feeling subsides and I begin to zero in on what beers I would like to take home. My selections vary depending on what I am in the mood for, but I try to take into account what my tastes may be over the next couple of weeks.


On this trip I picked up a set of two anniversary ales: Sierra Nevada’s 30th, a stout guest brewed by Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing, and Great Divide’s 15th, a double IPA aged over oak chips. Great Divide’s Fresh Hop Pale Ale proved tempting as well. New Belgium Ranger IPA with Simcoe, Chinook and Cascade hops reminded me of a homebrew recipe of mine. Deschutes Jubel 2010 “Once A Decade Ale”, meant to be aged until 2011, rounded out the “yearly” ales. Two Erdinger Kristall Weizens (for easy drinking) and I was on my way to the cooled beers. I was feeling a bit plucky and I ended up with two from Dogfish Head Brewing out of Milton, Delaware: Raison d’être, made with Belgian beet sugars and green raisins, and Midas Touch, an ancient ale based on an ancient Turkish recipe using the original ingredients from the 2700 year old drinking vessels discovered in the tomb of King Midas.


Moving forward with this blog, I will be covering all things beer around my little hovel here in the Pacific Northwest. Check back for brewery and beer reviews, brewing ruminations and all things related to my pursuits in becoming a master brewer and a certified beer judge. There is even a chance my writing might improve and we can all enjoy a cold one together!