Here we go...

Happy Thanksgiving, and Welcome!

Do you drink beer? No? Then hasta la vista, baby! Just kidding. Gotta start somewhere, right? Despite the fact that I am the "PC Guru" of computer support where I live, this is technically my first blog. So this should be interesting. Especially since the theme of this blog is all about beer and where to get it. Well, at least where to go for a worthy pint or find that elusive bottle of something special you heard about. Or been looking for. Forever.

But, I digress... I live in Duarte, CA. -a city within the San Gabriel Valley, a vast populated area near Los Angeles (Think Pasadena, CA and you're there). My name is Todd. Or "Ramone", or "Bigs", or some other name if you were around during my past. And that past had a past. Or several pasts to be precise. But more on that best seller later. Maybe. Anyways, I was a "typical" beer drinker long before I discovered what beer really could be.

Back in the day... There was a time when Coors light "Silver Bullets" by the 15-pack was the beer du jour. And a little bit 'o that green herb not generally used for cooking (I didn't say "baking") never hurt either.

This past 1/2 decade... Nothing under 5.5% ABV. That's alcohol. But again, I digress...

Beer. But "worthy beer", and not that mass produced, watered down fizzy yellow excuse for a lager intended to make wussies feel like men either! Worthy beer. Like wine, especially fine wine, beer can be aged with extremely positive and rewarding results. A metamorphosis of alchemy like no other. Well, maybe wine, but you know what I mean. Certain beers when fresh are simply fantastic and can be one of life's simple pleasures -as in "dad's little helper".

However, like expensive fine wines that really benefit from aging, there also happens to be a very encouraging number of those "certain" beers out there just waiting to be discovered. Beers where, if the right amount of time and care is applied, you end up with not only a diamond that once may have been fantastic "in the rough" (when fresh), but has evolved and become a beer that an imbiber cannot help but savor as a part of life itself! Beer that's elevated to an entirely new level and remains burned indelibly in one's memory. Beers that stand out as being on your "what would I have with me on a desert island" list. Or whatever. These are beers that when compared to what you could get in a fine wine for 2 weeks pay, are one helluva bargain.

So on we go... This blog will reflect a number of things -occasional trips to my favorite local haunts for a pint, travels far and wide, as well as tasting notes and comments from purchases I make including my own extensive beer "cellar".

Ps. I grew up in Tacoma, WA., which is where my roots are -including a very good friend (and fellow beer blogger) who I've know for most of my life. He's the one responsible for me drinking beer in the first place. And later "reintroduced" me to what beer really could be. Check out Fitz's blog: "Beering Around Tacoma"!

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check back frequently for all sorts of interesting rants!

-Todd