Today, I will share Billboard to Me (BB2ME) number 45: Try new things like making great beer for the first time. You may want to grab a beer while reading this blog.
I like drinking great beer.
Let’s start with a fun fact. I like drinking great beers. After graduating college and getting my first job, I swore I would no longer drink bad beer. What does that mean? No light beers, no cheap beers, and none of the crappy beer that I had been drinking until then, like Milwaukee’s Best. Instead, I would drink great beers like the one pictured below. I was enjoying a fine Bavarian brew in Munich, the world’s beer capital.
Germans make the best beer in the world.
I have sampled beers from all over the world. In my opinion, Germans make the best beer in the world. The main reason is that they have strict purity laws that govern what you can put into the beer. They allow only simple ingredients with a recipe perfected over centuries. Below, you see me enjoying an Andechs beer, which is monk beer made in Bavaria. You probably can’t tell, but I’m smiling through that glass.
Belgians make excellent beers.
Another country worth mentioning is Belgium. I have visited there multiple times and sampled many of their beers. They are fantastic—Belgians like to add many different flavors to their brews, which I admire. More importantly, Belgians create special glasses specifically designed for each beer. The picture below shows me shopping in a Belgian beer glass store. I bought a Chimay glass that I still own to this day. I use it whenever I enjoy an excellent Chimay.
I also enjoy American craft beers.
I also want to shout out to American craft beers I enjoy. Over the past few decades, beers in America have improved immensely due to the craft beer movement. I want to call out one specific brewery, Lake Anne Brewhouse, where I am a VIP member. I used to live in Reston and could walk there. Nowadays, it’s a further trek for me. However, it’s always worth the trip.
My favorite brew of all time is Guinness.
If you are wondering what my favorite brew of all time is. My answer is Guinness. It is brewed in Dublin, Ireland. I love a pint of Guinness. For anybody who travels, I highly recommend visiting the Guinness Brewery if you are ever in Dublin. Below, you see a picture of my wonderful wife, Kim. We had the pleasure of visiting Guinness in 2019, which was a blast from what I can remember.
BB2ME #45 – Try new things like making beer.
Why I wrote this BB2ME
My wife, who was my girlfriend at the time, realized I love beer. She decided to buy me a beer-making kit, so I had a go at making my first batch. The result is as you can see pictured below. I won’t say it was the best brew in the world. However, it was pretty good. Some of my beer-snob friends said, “Hey, this isn’t too bad.”
How I incorporated this billboard into my life
I do my best to try new things every year, which isn’t easy for an old dog like me. At this point, I will confess that I went on to make a second batch that wasn’t nearly as good as the first. I have since retired because I am no Arthur Guinness. However each year I do try new things. After all, you never know. You could be excellent at something and not know it simply because you never tried.
What about you?
Are you trying new things every year, or are you stuck in a rut repeatedly doing the same things, which leads to boredom and sadness? I recommend giving new things a go. If this blog inspired you to make some beers, call me. I’m more than happy to sample it. If it sucks, don’t worry. We’ll pour it down the drain and drink some good German, Belgian, or American craft brew.
I am Doug Keating, and this is my letter to my sons.