A Trip to the Desert

[A trip to a fairly dry corner of the world causes me to reflect on the fact that time away from craft beer helps me remember how satisfying beer can be.]
Even in Dubai, I can have a Duvel, at the proper temperature, in a tulip glass, before my flight home. Granted, both Dubai and the [...]

December of a Dozen Dubbels

[I recently finished my blind tasting of a dozen examples of Abbey Dubbels. The tasting was spread out over a week, with my lovely fiancée providing beer pouring services, ensuring that I had no idea which beer was which. These are my results. Standard Disclaimer: I paid for all of these beers.]
A few months ago, [...]

My Top 5 New Beers of 2009

[As the year comes to the close, I’m impelled to produce some list of beers based on my past eleven and half months of drinking. After I created this list, I had the idea of listing my top five beer and food experiences of the year, but I couldn’t remember many of those. And...disclaimer: I [...]

Giving Thanks

[An opportunity to give thanks and reflect on what makes all of this great beer possible.]
Buddhist, thinker, and activist Thich Nhat Hanh once wrote, “The existence of this page is dependent on the existence of a cloud.” He was referring to the grand inter-connectedness of the universe, describing how a sheet of paper is made [...]

(Almost) Local Beer

[Engagement with the local food scene here in Rhode Island prompts me to consider how “local” craft-brewed beer can be, what some of the limitations are, and what’s next to make craft beer even more local than it already can be.]
The term “local beer” is a bit of a misnomer. “Locally-brewed” is a more accurate [...]

Not Chasing

[This week I reflect on not chasing after rare beer, drawing a comparison to chasing birds, and offer some reasons to stay home and enjoy what you've got. Also, it's official: this is a bi-weekly blog.]
“The most radical thing you can do is to stay home.” – Gary Snyder
Snyder, a poet and environmental activist, adds [...]

Changing Scenes: A move from Pennsylvania to Rhode Island

[A recent transition from graduate school in Pennsylvania to a new job in Rhode Island means I’m a week behind my originally imposed weekly writing schedule. However, it has given me inspiration to discuss the craft beer scenes of the two locales, taking a look at what I’ve left behind, what I have to look [...]

The Name of this Blog is

I’ve already had two beers, I’m ready for the broom
- Bob Dylan & The Band

[Welcome to Ready for the Broom, a unique, on-the-street view of the craft beer movement, as seen through my eyes. In this first article, I hope to give you a sense of my perspective and what to look forward to in [...]