Dave's passion and knowledge of mushroom hunting and picking lives on - I might have told him, I hope I did, but after seeing his pics of wild mushroom harvests in New Beer Sunday, every time I saw wild mushrooms while out hiking, I thought of Dave and wondered if he'd say that's a good find. Have for years, and will continue, so thanks, Dave! One of Dave's harvests, posted 26 SEP 2017...
Looks like Hen of the Woods. Been searching in the woods for many years and have yet to find a good hen of the woods. Maybe this will be the year.
I'm trying to see where Utopiajane is at. I know she has not been on here in quite so time but yes they certainly were the Dynamic Duo!
When I first signed on to this motley crew and got active in the forums, cavedave was one of the first BA's whose posts I looked forward to. It was not only his extensive knowledge of beer and a wide variety of other things, but also his genius as a wordsmith. I always enjoyed his NBS openings, which set a warm and welcoming tone for us newbs. He was always instantly recognizable from his avatar, which remained constant from the time I joined. We will certainly miss his wit and wisdom here, and I will certainly raise a stout in his memory.
I haven’t posted here in forever but was checking the stats on a beer and saw this notification… Wow. Gutting news. I never met Dave in person, but being I went to college in New Paltz, which is his stomping grounds, we were talking via direct messages and in the threads often. He was a hippie and I’m a hardcore/punk kid at heart yet we were at such ease talking to each other about all things, just not beer and also shared a love of the Mid-Hudson region in general and both had hung out in the same places whether it was a restaurant, a bar, a park, a cliff, a waterfall…just never at the same time. I know he had to curb the drinking because of his health but so gutting. He was still a young guy and I’m very sad to see this news. RIP Dave and hopefully your Grateful Dead guys you loved so much welcomed you at the gates.
Holy crap…drtth and ronfromjersey have passed too?? Oh my God…RIP to both of them and their families as well. I knew about a few of the others like scream and kingofhop but wow, gut punch to see this.
I miss Stahlsturm the most. Wish we could have met up in Regensburg, but Regensburg is probably happy we didn't.
@drtth passing also made me sad, along scream and DrofGolf all frequent participants to BA and the virtual bar. Some of the others honored in memoriam on BA I wasn’t as acquainted with albeit virtually, but based on their profile were younger fellas even making it even more difficult.
I'm not much of a stout guy in general, but I just cracked a 2025 Farmstrong Whiskey Barrel aged Steer You Right Stout for @cavedave. They don't say what kind of whiskey barrel it was, but it's still a nice 9.9% brew.
I posted similarly on the WBAYDN tribute thread to Dave (@cavedave). As an esteemed BA as they come imo. Never had the pleasure of a direct interaction with him (online or offline) but I always enjoyed reading his posts over the years. Someone who made BA a better community. Can you ask for more? This thread has been a beautiful read. A testament to Dave's connection to the BA community. And as a reflection of him as a person. Fare Thee Well, Dave.
I think this is a great observation. You could also tell that as a result, he really and truly savored/appreciated the beers he could drink.
Wow, that is really sad news. I appreciate you posting, @Todd It has been a few years since I have spent time with him. The first time I met him was at a Captain Lawrence release. If I recall correctly, it was for Cuvee de Castleton, back when they were located on Castleton Street in Pleasantville. One quickly got a sense of his passion for craft beer, as well as his friendly nature. There was the time at Deciccos Brewster for the CBS draft release, when Founders hadn't been available in many years in NY, that we clinked glasses to celebrate the moment. A few shares at Top Hops in Manhattan, where we hung out. Somewhere else in the city too, maybe Spuyten. Lastly, I will mention that I was fortunate enough to spend an evening with him and other friends at The Doom Saloon in the Hudson Valley. This particular night was a focus on sour beers. One of the first batches of Plan Bee Pickle was gifted to us by Evan. There were countless other sour beers. Dave also brought a bottle of Sexual Chocolate from Foothills, he had to have a couple stouts that night, haha. Everyone had a great time...rest easy Dave, your infectious passion for craft beer and life, will be missed.
Yes, I've thought about this...if anyone, he'd be creative and determined enough to plan a return trip. I think about now he's able to roam the breweries sampling everything
One bottle share we attended where he wasn't able to drink, he was content to sniff... Whatever we were sampling, we first brought to him, whereupon he took a deep, appreciative inhale (nose almost in glass) and gave his feedback and 'tasting notes.' He was a master.
