I imagine Will will get to it eventually (though it’s hard-ish to come by bottles, so you could always consider sending him one yourself...). Fantasy Factory stands out because it’s just so subtle and balanced, so it goes against the more annoying trends he talks about above.

Thanks for the well wishes! I’m in the Midwest, where if your pants and shirt fit well you stand out in a good way, so I probably benefit from that attitude. Still, wouldn’t be a bad idea to take all the ties in for a cleaning, now that you mention itit.

You could keep your fridge at less than 41 safely, maybe a bit lower if you have kids, pregnant, elderly or immunocompromised housemates. This is what I do, and a proper temperature 50ish degree beer is just a quick run under a hot tap away.

Fellow med student and totally sympathize. Tie bars are absolutely necessary, but still not perfect at preventing your tie from becoming a chamois.

I’ve found that so long as everything else looks damn good - your shirt and white coat are ironed and spotless, your pants pressed, nice shoes, quality collar stays,…

Kink was a great surprise! Have you had the new Dubbel?

Wow, Lakefront? Don’t get me wrong, I’m from MKE, their IPA is top notch, Fixed Gear is a surprising red, and their recent BBA barley wine was exceptional...but I don’t see anything they brew as “essential,” especially considering your other two choices (Revo has some fantastically varied stuff and Bells is Bells).

Not…

The real, shit-your-pants difference in homemade stock vs canned/cartoned broth is that the collagen from the bones and cartilage gives your liquid honest-to-god body that simply improves everything.

College football is just such an "event," especially in a smaller college towntown (Madison, in my experience). The youthful energy is just so dmn contagious, and seeing a whole city basically shut down is such an experience. Have you seen how insane and overdone the SEC tailgates are? Those are on my list.

You're right about the Wisconsin thing; I'm just having a bit of fun. To my understanding, you're describing the "sweet" version. In my experience, the orange is only there as a garnish and the Seven-up is avoided (far too sweet for my tastes).

Protests about the muddling of too much fruit aside, while Bulleit Rye is indeed delicious, YOU MAKE OLD FASHIONEDS WITH BRANDY I'LL FIGHT ANYBODY ABOUT THIS

This is the kind of block you dream about. Full running start. Game on the line. Coming in "perpendicularly" so there's almost no chance of making contact and blowing the game with a foul.

Are you really doubting that beer freshness matters? I must politely disagree.

I tend to get nearly all of my beer from a shop with really high turnover, so most bottles are very fresh and market staples are hot off of the bottling line (let's use New Glarus, Moon Man, in this example).

Age and "too old" really depend on your standards and expectations. Among the first flavors to drop out are the hoppy ones, especially the bright citrus notes or the fresh grassy ones (in my experience, piney and resiny stick around a bit longer and bitterness is a a little more resilient). Drinking a fresh IPA or…

It really depends on how "local" the event is and how developed your "local" scene is.

Among my growing list of reasons for avoiding procreation is the fact that I was an absolute horror about eating as kid from about 3-10; I fear adding another one of *those* to the world. I still apologize to my parents for my sins.

with 22oz / 750ml bottlebloottle-conditioned, I like to decanter slowly, leaving the dregs at the bottom as I pour my 2-4 glasses for whomever is drinking. Halfway thorough that glass, I swirl up the dregs and remaining four oz or so and see how adding the sediment changes the beer.

Then it's not for you and that's OK. You might be missing out on some fun experiences because you have a hang-up, but there are worse things in life than going through it without getting into anal. Enjoy your stuff and don't worry about it. :)

The anus is loaded with sensitive nerve endings that can feel quite nice when you allow yourself to get past the "that feeling is coming from my butt!" distractions.

The arrival of Two Hearted in a can was met with much joy and celebration by me (along with a few other selections in their lineup).