Women Enjoying Beer

I Believe…

May 12, 2010 Uncategorized

I believe that you can’t say thank you enough.

that it’s important to live with fortitude and gratitude.

that myopia is deadly.

that taking care of ourselves is the first step in taking care of everything else.

that curiosity leads to intelligence.

that awareness is a big part of progress.

that volunteering should be required.

that I am grateful every day for innumerable reasons.

that common sense isn’t terribly common.

I believe in self discipline, self respect and authority.

in punctuality, reading and growth.

that administrators of knowledge have a responsibility to share that knowledge.

that throwing a passion tantrum occasionally is highly effective.

that being loud doesn’t mean you’re right.

that we are life long learners.

in preparing for life, teaching to objectives, monitoring progress, adjusting to the situation, and moving forward.

that success begets success.

that good humor is a critical ingredient in life for us and those around us.

that we must in flexible.

that we must have standards.

that we should enjoy our vocations and have fun as often as we can.

that everyone deserves a second chance.

that on occasion we have to suck it up.

that no is the hardest word to accept.

that informed education is the only path to ensuring the perpetuity of democracy.

that integrity and ethics should guide us.

that being an adult means wanting critical feedback, thanking the source, and then acting on it.

that growth is sometimes uncomfortable.

I believe that affirmation and confirmation are important.

that talk isn’t cheap, it’s invaluable.

that it is not important to always ‘ be right’, it’s more important to do right.

that not crowing about our own achievements is not always becoming; it’s better to let others notice and crow for us.

that words and voices are powerful tools.

that being thoughtful tacks actual thought.

that passion can be constructive and destructive – use your passion responsibly.

that engaged and intelligent people make things happen.

that being humble is important.

that arrogance is never attractive or appropriate.

that replacing your’ ‘but’ with an ‘and’ makes all the difference.

that follow up and follow through are critical.

that connections to each other and the world around us matter.

I believe we live in a  truly remarkable country with boundless opportunity.

that being controversial is better than being neutered.

that we can disagree agreeably.

that nobody is useless.

in being a geek and not a snob.

that good teachers have good curriculum and an open mind.

that better is still better.

that smarter and simpler are better.

I believe that this is a short list of what I believe. And I believe I can make a difference.

What do you believe?

- with a grateful nod to Charles , Laurie Bernstein, and my Jackson County Master Recyclers class.

Mmm. Ahh. Ick.

Nov 25, 2009 Uncategorized

Couple of beer enthusiasts in San Diego

Here’s a good article on tasting beer from my friend Julie of PubQuest. Check it out and learn something new for when you are enjoying – or not – your beer.

No matter where your quest takes you to drink and enjoy beer, be open minded, be a beer geek instead of a beer snob. (Does anyone like a snob anyway??)

Cheers Julie!

Magazine Reinforcement

Nov 24, 2009 Uncategorized

I’ve read several magazine articles lately pointing to a common theme. When you educate women, you fulfill a societal call for bettering the world. Lofty? Yes. Realistic? Yes again – especially within these articles. And it’s happening worldwide.

The Rotarian’s The Virtue of Small Change by Jon Conroy and Fast Company’s Separate and Equal by Kate Rockwood are just two examples.

The connection being that when you educate women, you empower, you progress, you flourish better, quicker and more completely.

This may seem a stretch to some so I’d ask you to compare women educated in beer to the success of your beer business.

If you were to capture just a single percentage more of the only 25% of women who drink beer, if you only got say 5% more drinkers, how would that affect your beer business? How would that affect the ancillary businesses surrounding your beer business? Going farther, how does that impact you community and the world at large?

It’s a big thought that’s easy to start movement on.

Seeking out a ‘new’ market segment, that Kelly & Clipper City also understand, is the first step. “I am in total agreement with your assessment that women are a hugely overlooked market segment…“, says Kelly.

Authenticity, accuracy, realistic goals. It’s all attainable and all within your reach.

Be part of the solution and you’ll help the entire world do better. Think big starting small. Tip the domino.

Houston & Ronnie

Nov 18, 2009 Celebration worthy, Events, Good People, Home Free Tour 2009, Uncategorized

Ronnie & I

Ronnie Crocker’s a beer lover.

He’s also an editor at the Houston Chronicle, a blogger and a really good man. We met at this years GABF at the media luncheon and have kept the conversation going.

We were in Houston this past week ala our trip and he was terrific in setting up a fun beer gathering at the Flying Saucer, as well as giving us a tour of his fine paper. We even got to meet his boss (who we’re fans of) and some others who apparently could not make one event and who wanted to meet when we came though (very cool Anita and Nikki!).

He’s indicative of people who are intelligently engaged in beer. Smart, fun, responsible, thoughtful, forward thinking.

Cathy telling me her 10 Answers in Houston

Already looking forward to the next time as Houston clearly has a lot of beer enthusiasts - many of who I did not get to meet this one time (Donna, Iris, TallyK, etc.).

Thanks also to Jake the FS’s GM. Will take you up on your offer sooner than later, Jake.

Cheers to Houston!

Tags: Houston event

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

Nov 16, 2009 Uncategorized

More great Grand Teton Beers

Have you had yourself some absolutely yummy Grand Teton Black Cauldron Imperial Stout yet?

The fine folks at Grand Teton sent me a bottle (via a friend since I’m on the road). She was so excited to get it – and a huge lover of chocolate – that she tore into it and immediately was ‘mmmmmmmimg’ at its lux taste.

What a great way to introduce “I’m not really a beer drinker” friends to some incredible beers. It’s a very good suggestion for those who also claim they don’t “like” beer and drink full bodied wines (think ports).

And while my tastebuds are going to encounter it soon, knowing my friend and that we love similar flavors, I can bet money that I’ll love it. Can’t wait.

Here’s a great list of more full flavored beer suggestions.

Thanks to Pete, Rob, & Emily – many cheers!

10 Questions

Nov 5, 2009 Something To Think About, Uncategorized, education

If you’re a woman, I’d invite you to cogitate and send me your answers to the below 10 questions.

If you’re a women and you ‘don’t drink beer’, you’re still encouraged to answer them. Why women don’t participate in beer is as important to the goal as why women do.

bottling line at Sierra Nevada

If you’re women and this isn’t your bag (thanks for reading anyway) and share all you like with women you may know who do want to discuss it.

If you’re a man who knows women who want to talk about beer, any forwarding is always greatly appreciated.

If you’re a man, your turn is coming.

Here they are:

1. Why do you drink beer?

2. What do you like about beer?

3. What kinds of beers do you like?

4. What would compel you to try a beer you haven’t tried before?

5. What do you want from your beer? Conversely, what don’t you want from your beer?

6. What kind of beer education or social beer opportunities would you like to take advantage of?

7. How do you want the beer companies to address and acknowledge you as a female beer drinker?

8. What kind of atmosphere do you prefer when you drink beer?

9. What do you think about present beer marketing and advertising as it relates to you as a woman?

10. Does size matter for your beer?

Thanks – Swamp me with contributions!

All ‘answers’ are valid because they’re yours.

Tags: 10 questions

Stone Brewing Event

Oct 28, 2009 Uncategorized

Taste of Five States: The Geography of Craft Beer
When: Sun, November 1, 12pm – 1pm

The breweries we will be sampling:
Alaska – Alaskan Brewing Co.
California – Stone Brewing Co.
Colorado – Oskar Blues
Delaware – Dogfish Head
Oregon – Deschutes Brewery

San Diego Brewing Event

Oct 28, 2009 Uncategorized

Jim & Hops

Oct 24, 2009 Uncategorized

Larry & Jim at Roy Farms

Here I am thanking yet another person who has been gracious and hospitable during the trip.

Today’s post is in appreciation of Jim Boyd, Roy Farms, Moxee Washington (love to live in Moxee, yes??). I met Jim a few years ago via my Fine Husband at a professional conference (most likely the GABF or CBC).

Jim is a very engaged, sharp, and beer passionate person. So I’d say Roy Farms is fortunate to have him. He gave Larry and me a full tour of their farms, imparted tons of information, and what a hour well spent it was.

Here are just a few things I learned.

1. Hops is a member of the cannibis family.

2. There’s low trellis hops in additon to the traditional tall vine varieties you maybe familiar with.

3. You only want female plants (no renegade males please!)

4. Hops go from field to safely packaged in an extremely short time frame (well under 24 hours).

low trellis hops

He shared way more than I will both remember and plan to share here today. Summed up, it was a great example of education shared to better the entire beer community.

Thanks Jim (the apples were tasty too!).

p.s. here’s another very cool thing they did this year.

The Delicious Story

Oct 18, 2009 Uncategorized

Jody with a few good beers

A big shout out of THANKS! to Sherry and David for having me on their inaugural show yesterday, The Delicious Story. It was a pleasure to be at their service – such fun engaged people.

Take a listen here.

Be patient – they had some technical difficulties (really) with this first show…after the first 10-15 minutes of ads, we get into it.

Tune in – tell them what you think (tell me what you think). Have a good beer close by to enjoy while listening.

Cheers!