Drink Beer and Carry On

This has been a sad week in the world of beer blogs.  The prolific Jay at Hedonist Beer Jive is folding HBJ and his other blogs along with topics including "music, film, politics, baseball, naval-gazing and extreme narcissism. And beer." into one blog, Hedonist Jive.   I'll follow the new blog to see to what extent beer plays in it.  Summer of Beer is also shutting down.  Steve, the enthusiastic chronicler of a beer influenced lifestyle, recently graduated from USC's medical/pharmacy school, and the blog that started as a college diversion has met the reality of the work world.  (I think that deep down, Steve, an ardent USC fan, could not bear to blog during the upcoming college football season, as I suspect the Lane Kiffin era at USC will have an inauspicious start.)

The Beer Rover is here to stay.  I have been hearing and reading that there is not much more to say about beer and many topics have been rehashed and are tired.  I agree to a point.  As craft beer becomes more commonplace it is becoming less interesting.  It used to be a quest to find an interesting beer, whether in a store or restaurant - now its routine.   I still have plenty of beer and food ideas to write about.  Some topics/posts I am working on include:

• A comparison of Stone Brewing's World Bistro and Gardens to The Linkery, and why the "eat local" and "farm to table" concept works at one but not the other.
• Pizza Port's Ocean Beach location looks set to open any day and I am planning to be one of the first to get a pint, and take a picture to prove it.
• A mini-rant on the term "gastropub," now that a new "Portland-style gastropub" is opening near my house.  (Good food served with good booze, what an original concept.)
• Keep complaining about and documenting restaurants that short change beer drinkers with faux pints and other weird glassware that give less than a pint of beer at pint prices.
• Talk about the Olive Tree Market's new beer and wine tasting room.  (The post will be as short as the tasters served.)
• Keep reviewing beers, including an overdue review of Green Flash's awesome West Coast IPA.

I am also outlining a long-form guide to beer in San Diego, which I will gear towards tourists or people interested in craft beer but are not sure where to start.  I still need to do more "research" on this project.   I consider myself a beervangelist and feel it my duty to steer people towards good beer, especially if they show an interest.   I need to clean up this site's links and add some food blogs and links to places in San Diego that serve good food and beer, as my beer drinking is usually centered around eating.

I hope Jay keeps up with his beer posts.  He's always tying different beers, and I respect his reviews.  I don't think we've heard the last of Steve.  It is hard to quit blogging, even when work takes priority.  There will always be something to say about beer, especially when a new beer either "wows" you and you have to share the news, or is so bad it's worthy of a vicious rant.

(I took the picture above from Pete's Brown's beer blog.   The shirts are being sold here.)