Love Good Beer

A Time For Beer

Thursday, April 16th, 2009 | Beer

This is the second guest post from Brad Wiens. Please enjoy. ~Erik

I have been meaning to write this little blurb for quite some time, and instead of studying for finals I decided to write. A few months ago I had a big time beer realization. There is a certain time to drink a certain style of beer. Here is how I came to this conclusion.

On a nice Wednesday evening, about 9:45 pm, I decided to try an Old Bad Cat Barley Wine, from Fat Cat Brewery. Not really paying much attention to the label on the bottle I opened it up and poured it into my trusty beer stein. As with my previous barley wine I decided to take a quick sip and then let it warm up. I was hit with a massive amount of flavour which caused me to put the beer down and stare at it like it was something I should be afraid of. I looked at the label and saw that this bad boy was sitting at 12% ABV – Yikes! Now normally this is okay, but at 10:00 pm on a school day I was a little worried. So I set up a movie and proceeded to drink.

This isn’t really a review of the Old Bad Cat Barley Wine, but I must say it was an adventure that I am looking forward to enjoying again. Half an hour later I figured I should start hurrying up so I could get some shut eye. Drinking a 12% ABV beer at a quick pace is not a good idea. With about one quarter of the beer left in my mug I needed some food, standing up proved to be a challenge. I realized I was drunk when I stood up and tried to walk. I made it to the kitchen and again stared at the mug for a bit pondering what to do. Do I finish the beer, or do I pour it out? I am sad to say I chose the latter. It took me a few minutes to make the decision but finishing the barley wine would have made my next morning awful.

I was upset with myself for what I had done. I should have chosen a smaller, lighter beer before bed. Instead I ended up drunk and unable to finish a great beer, shame on me. This experience made me realize that I should be more careful what time of day I drink. Not for the fact that I couldn’t see straight that night but out of respect for the beer. I felt wrong pouring the barley wine out. I wasted perfectly good beer and for no good reason other than sleep.

I encourage everyone who loves beer to think how much time it takes to fully enjoy a beer. Don’t be a tool and find yourself pouring beer down the drain because you didn’t have enough time to finish the beer. Be respectful of beer and plan ahead.

I will be purchasing another Old Bad Cat in the near future and consuming it at a time when I can fully enjoy it right to the very end.

Brad

Tags: Fat Cat Brewing, Old Bad Cat Barleywine, Time for Beer

2 Comments to A Time For Beer

Leave a comment