What in the H-E-double toothpicks is going on around here? This weather is just wrong, and it's seriously affecting my ability to concentrate. Maybe I just created a new diagnosis - WIADD - Weather Induced Attention Deficit Disorder. Does the PDR pay royalties? It'll probably exist clinically in a few years anyway, particularly with all the climate change. Will likely begin with the polar bear and Inuit communities and work it's way equator-ward. Got to be a diagnosis for everything, you know.

What the heck, let's go Geary's Summer Ale with this one (just doesn't feel right though).

But I'm down at my father-in-law's last weekend for Easter. He's got this little fridge in the garage (yes, attached) where the beer is. Pretty sure it still has the Conn College sticker on it from when one of his daughters stored same in New London. Often, on the visit's first trip to the garage, my stuff from the last visit is in there. Since he lives on Cape Cod, the visit before last weekend was pretty much last summer. So, I got to polish off a few of last year's Geary's Summer Ales. I have to tell you, it still tasted great. I know, the brewers and purists just dropped their specific gravity hydrometers, but it hadn't lost much if you ask me. Maybe a little, but not much.
Remember years back, when A-B started that BS marketing nightmare of freshness dating, or whatever they called it - "Born On Date" I think. What a crock. You had to drink your beer 90 days from the "Born On Date" or it was bad. The goal was basically to wreak havoc with all other brands that weren't doing dates yet. Gimme a break. You could stick a 30 pack of Budweiser in your Y2K closet (you know, that closet you have that's full of provisions in case some Spielberg-like disaster befalls us), and in 10 years it would fare better than the fava beans.
Fresh beer is best w/out question - it's kind of like seafood - the closer you are to the source, the better it tastes. That's why the brewpub is so popular, and why I'd like to be buried in one.
The Born on Date was reason #47 why I still refuse to drink any AB products.
And FYI - my toothpaste goes bad in April of 2011. I'll have to keep my eye on that.

So anyway, here it is, holding mid-April steady at 45 degrees, and I'm figuring, man, am I ready for some summer ale. This year's batch of Geary's Summer is delightful - golden in color w/ a tangy, zippy hop - reminiscent of a German brew. Perfect for a warm summer day on the water, or a 45 degree blog writing session on the couch.

"Once it hits your lips, it's so good!" - (Will Ferrell's thirtysomething year old Frank Ricard, after breaking a short stint on the wagon by doing a funnel in the movie Old School).

But seriously, it's another great seasonal batch from Geary's Brewing. Thank you Geary's and Cheers. It will be a staple of mine this summer and provided regularly to family and friends from away.

While I'm on Geary's Summer - how many of you are aware of how they design the packaging for Geary's Summer Ale each year? It's a brilliant thing that they do, supportive of local artists and the Maine College of Art - and worthy of mention. Each year, undergraduates from MECA submit designs to Geary's for that year's Summer Ale package. Geary's awards a scholarship to the student who submits the best design, and their design is used for that year's package. That's awesome.

Na zdravje,

Scott Dutton

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