03 NOV 12
Marla called me up one day, asking if I wanted to go to a beer tasting.
My response was simple and to the point, if I recall… I simply stated, “Yes. When and where?”
So it turned out that it would be the same day as my third Halloween party, the 3rd of November, and would be right down the street from where Mike lived in Somerville. So I invited him along, packed my car with my costume and a few other odds and ends, and headed into the city to meet up with Marla and her friends.
And when I arrived… whoa. In heaven, there is a room that mirrors this room: taps lined the bar, and the entire back wall was packed with small casks of specialty brews. There were dozens of different breweries represented, and each had a few beers in stock to show off. The selection could literally have been deadly if one tried to sample them all.
So, after quick introductions between everyone, I started in on my first glass – they served the beers in portions ranging from ¼ pint to a full pint, and our general tactic was for each person to get a different ¼ pint and then we could all share so that we’d get to try out the most beers, while still retaining a bit of mental capacity.
Now, I’m pretty well versed in the language of Beer. But I didn’t even come close to the level of “beer-fu” that Marla and her friends have. I heard more terms and phrases in the two hours that we were there than I’d heard in years… probably since I took my last ROTC course – those guys’re big on their terms and phrases.
But after a good few beers tasted and many recommendations heard, it was time to head out – I was actually meeting Daniel and company at the climbing gym down the street later on in the day, so I didn’t want to slow myself down too much before.
Mike was heading out at the same time so we both went in on some pulled pork from RedBones, who happened to be a partial sponsor of the event, and thus had a table full of BBQed goodness. It was amazing, and after a quick nap at Mike’s place (really the only cure for the lethargy brought on by BBQ and beer) I headed onwards.