Why? Dear God, why?

Does the world need another beer blog?  No. 

Will it help people?  Um, probably not.

So WHY?  Well, I already mentioned the beer dinner coming up (in June), and the acquisition of the two books by Michael Jackson.  (Since I will refer to them often, I will call him MJ and his books Ultimate and Companion.)  But there is more to it than that.  We have had two couples - each a few years older than us - who independently from each other have tried to expand our beverage horizons.  Both have tried to get us to appreciate scotch.  One also has us try lambic.  [Lambic is a fruity wheat beer from Belgium.  In Companion, MJ says "lambic scarcely seems like a beer... think of it as the beer world's counterpart to a fino sherry or dry vermouth."  I'll have a lambic later during My Year of Beer and talk about it in more detail then, but it is definitely out of the ordinary.] 

These friends were trying to get us to appreciate more than just a beverage or two, they were trying to have us grow in our appreciation of the finer things in life.  A high quality beverage is a small luxury, a bit of sophistication.  With two teenagers in the house, we live our lives pretty fast.  There is always some place to go, and something to do.  In a manner of speaking, a fine beverage in a glass is a way of forcing myself to slow down, smell the aroma, and focus. 

You may have heard that Benjamin Franklin said that beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.  You may have heard of or seen the documentary titled - How Beer Saved the World.  I am not sure of either of these claims, but this blog will be a way for me to try new things and appreciate more of the world around me.

-Jim from Milwaukee