Most ridiculous thing you've done because you Respect Beer

For me going out of state to find beer

 

Even more ridiculous (not to mention extremely trusting), I've consumed entire bottles of homebrew that complete strangers shipped illegally across state lines to me.

 

I spent roughly $600 on a recent trip to portland on beer I can't get in CA, Needless to say my wife isnt impressed but it was totally worth it. I've also got naked for beer back when I was a young buck at a party. ...never lived that one down.

 

I'm going to Boston next month because Toppling Goliath and some other people you may have heard of are going to be there... this will be my first big beerventure.

 

I love trading homebrews. Sometimes you get crap, but sometimes there are some real gems out there.

 

I once gave a homeless guy that I used to buy breakfast/lunch/smokes for all the time, a 12pk of PBR and a bottle of BCBS as I was walking out of a local beer shop with my weekend goodies. I saw him a few days later and he asked if I'd buy him some more of that beer. I came walking out with a 12pk of PBR and handed it to him figuring he'd thank me and I'd leave satisfied that I did good for someone else that day... he pushed it back at me and said " Nah man... not that shit! Gimme some of that "BLACK SHIT" you gave me. Go gimme a 12'r of that shit!" LOL! I almost shit myself that even he knew what the good stuff was! I told him that that "Black Shit" was almost $20 for a 4-pk, he mumbled something about me being a cheap *************, grabbed the PBR from me and staggered off. I sat stunned and shocked as some guy outside having a smoke started laughing hysterically. I told him what was up, and he told me more about the guy (was once filthy rich but came back from Vietnam and got fucked out of stuff by his family).

I saw him again a few weeks later as he was pushing his shopping cart, handed him a 4pk of 2008 GI BCBS, a pack of Marlboro menthol and a box of donuts. He hugged me and told me he was gonna buy me lunch. We went to a Deli near by. He turned in his cans and insisted that he buy me whatever I wanted. I ordered a Turkey Hero and he ordered nothing. The guy behind the counter came out, took the cans, winked at me and handed me the sandwich. We walked outside and sat on the steps of the deli. He pulled two bottles of BCBS out of his cart, opened them and handed me one. I unrolled the sandwich and passed him half. He said thank you without ever saying a word. We shared the last bit of sunshine, the sandwich, and a "Black Shit" beer together as brothers, friends, humans...
I never saw him again after that. I'd always liked to think that maybe he got it together and made life happen for himself again... I have no idea tho... I gave him good beer... he gave me a memory and a name I'll never forget.

Miss you Donnie J

 

18 hour round trip drive to Russian River. Once inside it felt like I graduated college again, felt very accomplished.

 

That's a fucking great story, dude.

 

I travel to stadiums during the baseball season for work and always map out bars and shops to hit.

 

The amount of money i'm about to drop and time i'm going to spend traversing the sf bay area during sf beer week is staggering; I really don't like to think about it. And don't even get me started on the Pliny the Younger chase...

 

I respected a beer so much that I drank it past it's prime.

 

damn dude you almost made me shed a tear.

no but seriously great story. u should develop that into a novel or short story or something.

sidenote: i wonder how bcbs tastes straight out of the bottle?

 

Every weekend I find myself driving driving to new breweries.

Drove four hours to Captain Lawrence once to find it was closed, so I just continued up route 9 to Peekskill.
Visited Captain Lawrence the next weekend.

 

One time I joined a website where people talk about nothing but beer. They even posted pictures of it for others to look at. Sometimes I just look back at those days and chuckle. Haha.

 

Well, I don't think it's ridiculous, but I travel to Belgium just to drink the beer.

 

Definitely.

 

I often cross an international border in search of craft beer. I am polite and truthful with the border guards and always offer to pay all taxes and duties. My cache of beer is nicely snuggled in the trunk of my car with blankets and towels surrounding it as I am worried about the bumps and such along the highways on these epic voyages.

Okay...it is just the Ontario/New York border or Quebec/Vermont border, but it still counts right?

 

I like the ON/NY borders, never had a problem, never waiting too long.

 

I used to have that mentality; then I started working in the beer industry. It's just impossible to finish all the beers you are presented with one way or another and I'd rather dump out a mediocre sample and drink something better than waste time/calories/ability to drink enjoyable beer because I'm worried about pouring it out...