Purpose of this blog

After winning the Beerdrinker of the Year award, I was approached by Tom Ciccateri, the 2005 winner, about writing a blog. It was something he never contemplated in his reign, but later thought it would be interesting if the world could follow the current Beerdrinker of the Year through his or her exploits. I quickly bought into the idea, and that was the genesis of this blog. My goal is to update the blog once or twice per month and document my beer travels and adventures. I will do my best to keep the blog meaningful, insightful and fun.

First, I'd like to provide a little background on this prestigious award. The Wynkoop Brewing Company started this competition in 1997. Anyone who is not employed by a brewery can enter by submitting a beer resume. The resume should contain the entrant's beer drinking philosophy, details on their passion, and previous year's experiences. Beer experts around the country weed the resumes down to 10 and finally three. Those three are flown into Denver for the finals, where seven judges grill the finalists to determine a winner. (for more information visit the competition home page)

The award, arguably deceptive in name, is not about how much someone has or can drink. Rather it honors the "most passionate, knowledgeable beer lover and supporter in the United States." I would sum it up with the words knowledge, philosophy, experience and passion. The winner is THE beer ambassador for this country! To get a feel for the people that have won, you can view the resumes of the previous winners, including mine, at the site above. I encourage you to enter your beer resume. And even if you are not one of the final three, I strongly recommend attending one of the finals at the Wynkoop to see how enjoyable and entertaining it can be. (While drinking some of the best beer in Denver of course!)

That is all for now, but please stay tuned. And in the mean time, don't forget to promote the great beer culture we have in this country and to support the craft beer industry!