Story time: (skip the next two paragraphs if you want to get to the point)
Several years ago when i was just getting into craft beer, I picked up a six pack of Berghoff Hazelnut Winterfest Ale based on a suggestion from a friendly liquor store employee. Why i listened to her i have no idea, i don't like anything hazelnut flavored (although actual hazelnuts are pretty good). I never sought or took her advice again after that. I had one bottle out of the six pack and hated it, then conned some friends into drinking another bottle or two. Months later, i had three bottles of something I really didn't like sitting in the refrigerator, but couldn't get myself to just pour down the drain. They sat in the fridge waiting for some other unsuspecting friend.
A few months later i came down with a bad cold. I missed a day or two of work, which is pretty rare for me, and didn't eat much more than chicken noodle soup for a good part of a week. When i was getting better, I got hungry and ate a bunch, but noticed that i could barely taste anything that i ate. I also craved a beer since I hadn't had one for quite a while, but what's the point if it doesn't taste good? Then it dawned on me, I had the perfect beer for this occasion! I had a couple Hazelnut Winterfest Ales! So, i happily drank a couple and actually enjoyed them because I didn't taste much of them, but knew that i was drinking a beer.
I'm reminded of that story tonight because i have some sort of sinus infection or the start of a cold and while i can taste things just fine, I can't smell very well. So, after not really enjoying a glass of Zombie Dust (which i normally love), i dug into the fridge to pull out something that wasn't very good and would normally be reserved to boil brats in and am drinking it tonight instead. It's a cold beer on a Monday night, and right now that's good enough.
So, for the conversation, anyone drink beer they don't like when they have a cold? Anyone else have good uses for bad beer besides boiling brats? Thankfully, I haven't had a terrible batch of homebrew yet, 5 gallons would boil an awful lot of brats.
Several years ago when i was just getting into craft beer, I picked up a six pack of Berghoff Hazelnut Winterfest Ale based on a suggestion from a friendly liquor store employee. Why i listened to her i have no idea, i don't like anything hazelnut flavored (although actual hazelnuts are pretty good). I never sought or took her advice again after that. I had one bottle out of the six pack and hated it, then conned some friends into drinking another bottle or two. Months later, i had three bottles of something I really didn't like sitting in the refrigerator, but couldn't get myself to just pour down the drain. They sat in the fridge waiting for some other unsuspecting friend.
A few months later i came down with a bad cold. I missed a day or two of work, which is pretty rare for me, and didn't eat much more than chicken noodle soup for a good part of a week. When i was getting better, I got hungry and ate a bunch, but noticed that i could barely taste anything that i ate. I also craved a beer since I hadn't had one for quite a while, but what's the point if it doesn't taste good? Then it dawned on me, I had the perfect beer for this occasion! I had a couple Hazelnut Winterfest Ales! So, i happily drank a couple and actually enjoyed them because I didn't taste much of them, but knew that i was drinking a beer.
I'm reminded of that story tonight because i have some sort of sinus infection or the start of a cold and while i can taste things just fine, I can't smell very well. So, after not really enjoying a glass of Zombie Dust (which i normally love), i dug into the fridge to pull out something that wasn't very good and would normally be reserved to boil brats in and am drinking it tonight instead. It's a cold beer on a Monday night, and right now that's good enough.
So, for the conversation, anyone drink beer they don't like when they have a cold? Anyone else have good uses for bad beer besides boiling brats? Thankfully, I haven't had a terrible batch of homebrew yet, 5 gallons would boil an awful lot of brats.
