A Dry Winter Month

February couldn’t get here soon enough. And, as you may guess from last week’s column, I wasn’t waiting for the Super Bowl. Nor was I holding my breath for the march to tourney madness. Our beloved Cougs just aren’t cutting it in the CAA. And I’m not even some kind of St. Valentine nutter either. No my friends, I was on the old post-New Year January wagon! So February’s arrival has been quite welcome.
Why, you might ask, would your beer snob deprive himself of the sweet nectar at this crucial craft time of year? Well, that’s an interesting question, and the answer is more complex than you might think.
The quick and obvious choice was sheer poundage. Eight pounds to be exact. In all honesty, caution was thrown to the wind pretty much since my birthday in mid-October, just as the winter beers began to arrive. I went all hell bent for beer straight through from before Halloween until the weekend after New Year’s Day! Wow.
And, really, it was a wonderful holiday. Fantastic food, booze, and cheer were had by all … in abundance. But sometimes you just have to take a step back, have a deep breath, tighten up, and reset the system. It was time for a break.
Aside from weight gain and just general beautiful revelry and holiday debauchery, there was also a feeling of under-appreciating the wonderful beers I was lucky to have. Numerous Cold Mountains came crumbling down. Backwoods Bastards were run out of town in droves. Blackout Stouts were knocked out, People’s Porters were punched, and even the Event Horizon was bested.
At some point, I decided to take some time off. Put the beers down for a bit, eat less, and stick to more healthy fare. And hopefully gain some perspective.
At first, it was easy. A touch of clarity was evident after a few days, and two weeks breezed by in no time.
Yet, midway through the month, the beers began to call my name. Cravings returned. I would see a bottle in the fridge and consider the cost. I had done two weeks penance, that was enough right? A cold night, some flakes of snow appear, and your thoughts wander to imperial stouts, Baltic porters and barleywine by the fire.
In the end, I made it a month without beer. And it wasn’t that bad. Save a bit of ribbing from some friends, a buddy ordering draft Southern Tier Choklat, questions from bartenders and patrons, a few missed tastings, even a few free pints pushed my way, I stayed strong.
January 2014 has been a strange but enlightening study in patience and self-restraint. This was especially evident, when, on several occasions, I found myself in my local bottle shop, purchasing a variety of new releases and seasonal beers, only to cart them home and deposit them into the cellar or fridge without even a sip taken!
It was all worth it when, this week, my mate ordered a Founder’s Old Curmudgeon on draft one quiet afternoon. I grabbed the pint for him, and the beer just sparkled, orange and golden light emitted forth. From feet away I could smell the salted caramel and spiced orange rind aroma wafting forward. “Do you mind, just a sip?” Heaven I tell you, literally like tasting beer for the first time. I highly recommend the self-flagellation, if for no other reason than to give your taste buds the wakeup call they deserve. Enjoy the brews … Cheers.
 
Gene’s Haufbrau has at more than 200 beers in bottles or on tap. While they don’t have every beer the Beer Snob writes about, they probably have most. Gene’s is located at 817 Savannah Hwy. 225-GENE. E-mail the Beer Snob at publisher@westof.net.