Filed under: Current selections | Tags: beer, Beer festival, Beverages, Binge drinking, Drink, Food, India Pale Ale, John LeMasney, Liquor store, Microbrewery, Mikkeller, Recreation, Shopping
Mikkeller Black Stout
Hi, friends.
You may have noticed that as of late I’ve slowed down my beer blogging considerably, and I have a very good reason: I’ve slowed my beer consumption considerably, and may very well stop drinking altogether. Before continuing, I want to say that I still very much love the craft beer movement, many of my friends and colleagues who enjoy, photograph, tweet, and blog about beer, and that I’ll still raise a glass with you, I just might not have any beer in mine.
I want to especially thank the following people and groups for sharing my quest for the best beer out there:
Gservo, gogoincognito, rkapes, scarbonaro, Angel and Bryan, Rob Mangold, Liz and the crew at the Hulmeville Inn, Mike at canal’s Burlington, the beer guys at Canal’s Lawrenceville, everyone at Super Saver Pennington, Ryan and the folks at Uno Grill in Hamilton, everyone at Issac Newton’s, Shawn Connelly and the Aleuminati, The Beer Boss, The Beer in Me, Beer Valley, the New Jersey Brewfest, the Beer Babe, Twitter Taste Live, Roch Pisarek, Jim in Hopewell, and the rest of you. Raise a pint for me, and enjoy.
My reasons for slowing, and perhaps stopping, my beer consumption are as follows:
1. I’ve gained 50 pounds in the last year, after losing over 100 in the last 3 years.
At one time, I was doing a small speaking circuit on how I lost over 100 pounds. My friends, kindly avoiding the topic, have surely noticed the return of my girth. Since I religiously record my calorie intake, I can very easily tell you that it is due to beer calories, which if you follow this blog, you know I pay attention to. However, some of my additional calories are due to post drinking easiness with which I’ll consume a few hundred calories that my sober self would easily have passed up.
2. I drink more than one or two great beers in a sitting, and sometimes drink 4 or 5.
While I can have just one beer, I don’t find a lot of fun in it. I’ve loved going to my local bottleshop, picking out a six of singles, and enjoying the complex differences between a few porters, IPAs, Belgians, or Hefeweizens. If I have the opportunity for a sampler, such as Triumph’s, I’ll always enjoy the variation in flavors and be quite satisfied with 12-14 ounces. When I’m sampling at home though, it’s easier to just splurge. The only problem is that it leads (in my individual case) to the other issues I’m listing here, not to mention, it’s called binge drinking, though it never felt that way to me.
3. Great beer can be up to $25 for a single 12 ounce bottle.
My favorite beer in the world is Mikkeller’s Black (look for the Chinese character) a 12 ounce bottle of the darkest, choclatiest, most delicious elixir I’ve ever tasted. It’s over a dollar an ounce at my place, coming in at about $18. A six pack is about $120 after taxes. This is an extreme case, but if you enjoy craft beer, you know that it’s not cheap. There are exceptions, especially when a case gets past its prime and goes on special, but in general, a six pack is between $8 and $10, and it can go pretty quick for me.
4. I’ve become closely associated with beer in my personal and professional circles.
There are some people who when they haven’t seen me for a while ask me what I’ve been drinking lately far before they’ll ask me what my favorite new application is, how my boys are doing, or how things are going at work. I’d like to be known as a list of things besides the beer blogging guy, not because I didn’t love this effort, but because I’m many things besides a beer blogger.
5. I have become recognized on sight at my local bottle shops.
When I go into any of 6 or 8 of my favorite bottleshops, I get a smile, a welcome, and a handshake. That’s nice, very nice, but the fact that I seldom get the same welcome at my favorite restaurants, food stores, libraries, etc. means that I may need to refocus my energies on strengthening different kinds of relationships.
6. I have taken to traveling for over an hour to visit great bottleshops throughout my state.
Oaktree BuyRite is a great bottle shop. I’ve traveled on a Sunday for over an hour so that I can get the finest selection of craft beer in the state. I could have been spending that time not burning gas, reading, sleeping, or playing with my sons. Again, it’s refocusing priorities.
7. When traveling, part of my itinerary is undoubtedly finding great beer.
I have a google map where I’ve collected high ranked beer shops in each of the areas I’ve visited in the last two years. I have gone on late night trips to supermarkets to see what that state’s offering comparative to NJ. Simply put, traveling for me became as much about finding great beer as taking great photos, and sometimes the beer finding outweighed the photos.
8. I’ve started getting beer related gifts for holidays and other occasions.
In the last three months, I’ve gotten 2 beer related shirts, 3 beer posters, and asked to go to a beer festival as my major birthday present. All nice gifts, but there are other things to enjoy.
9. My youtube videos, tweeps, social networks, and other online trails have become laden with beer related content.
I like my job, but I bet if I was job searching right now, I’d be answering questions about my obsessions with beer in interviews. I personally think I’d have great answers about why beer was such an important part of my life, but I bet that many people would read into my intense appreciation for beer as something else. It’s already happened with some people.
10. I want to refocus on other topics, such as leadership, technology, open source, training, and family.
As I said, while I really enjoyed this great ride, it’s time to give it a rest. This is by no means meant to be an insult to the brewing community, beer lovers, beer bloggers, or anyone else. It’s really just a way of communicating why you might not be hearing alot more from me about beer anytime soon. You can however start hearing from me about the topics in the header above, and many others.
Here’s to you, thanks for a great ride.
John LeMasney, formerly Beercritic.
75 Comments so far
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BeerCritic 
Very, very insightful and telling. Nice writing and a nice list.
Comment by Daniel Bradford 08/12/2009 @ 4:03 PMThanks, Daniel!
Comment by lemasney 08/12/2009 @ 8:06 PMSorry to see you leaving the sphere, so to speak, if for nothing else than the beautiful images of the beers you create to go with your tasting notes.
But you’re right. Beer is just beer, and it should enhance life, not dominate.
Comment by Barry 08/12/2009 @ 4:45 PMIt has enhanced my life, and I’m looking forward to moving on to other things. Thanks, Barry!
Comment by lemasney 08/12/2009 @ 8:07 PMI’ll miss your posts but I think you laid out many good reasons for either stepping back or stepping out altogether. No matter how much you like something, there are always other things to do and other things to like and other priorities to be concerned about. Good luck with whatever topics you focus on next!
Comment by Edward Corrado 08/12/2009 @ 4:57 PMThanks, Ed. You’re someone who’s seen me go full circle. I appreciate the support.
Comment by lemasney 08/12/2009 @ 8:08 PMlame
Comment by Mike 08/12/2009 @ 6:48 PMI’m also very grateful I won’t have to look at silly, needless comments from people like Mike anymore. So there’s that.
Comment by lemasney 08/12/2009 @ 8:12 PMsorry to see you go, but i would ask you to re think things a little and i will go in more depth later. I suggest, stepping away for a while, refocusing( the stuff you want to refocus on sounds really cool btw), but if you truly enjoy craft beer, you dont have to give it up all together , you just have to find a balance with it. Me for instance, i have actually lost weight since i got into craft beer. You see, for me to enjoy craft beer, i have to add that much more to my cardio work outs, plus when i know i am going to ave a beer session, i have a lot of salads. etc. Also, beer is not primary for me, it goes in conjunctionhttp://eclecticallygeeking.blogspot.com/ with comics books, computers and other geekly thingys. and by the way, we are supposed to have another pint together one day, don’t think i forgot.
Comment by gservo 08/12/2009 @ 8:37 PMHey, gservo. Yeah — I honestly don’t think I’m done forever, I just feel like now’s a great time to focus on other things. I was actively accounting during a given day for the fact that I’d be having a certain amount of beer calories in the evening, and I’d end up eating a fairly low amount of calories in non-beer food those days just to be able to enjoy a particularly high ABV brew or three. Then, very often after I’d have the beer, my best judgement about calories would just go out the window. It happened again and again, until I had gained back half of my lost weight. You and I will have a pint, it’s a promise. BTW, if I ever part with my glassware collection, and you’re a primary candidate for ownership. I’m not ready to part with it just yet though. It’s a nice reminder of good times, just like my Battleship NJ tasting cup. 😉 Cheers, friend.
Comment by lemasney 08/12/2009 @ 9:02 PMJohn,
My apologies. I’m just getting to this post now. I have noted your updates on the Aleuminati being less frequent of late, but just assumed – like many of us – you were busy. I think your rationale is well-reasoned and thoughtful, though it seems a bit “all or nothing” to me. I respect your decision (not that you need me to) and hope you’ll come back around to the community of craft beer sometime down the road. You’ve contributed a lot and you’re enthusiasm and keen insights will be missed. You’ve helped make the Aleuminati as successful as it’s become … you’ll always be a member in good standing!
Cheers in your future endeavors!
Shawn
Comment by Shawn, the Beer Philosopher 08/12/2009 @ 9:01 PMThanks, Shawn — don’t count me out yet, but understand my quietude in the near future. I really very much appreciate your kinship in beer appreciation, your guidance, and your friendship. Cheers.
Comment by lemasney 08/12/2009 @ 9:04 PMJohn, you are an extremely eloquent writer! I enjoyed reading this, and I’m sorry if I’ve ever committed the “beer before everything else” thing in #4.
Amy
Comment by Amy 08/12/2009 @ 9:34 PMThanks, Amy! Everything else is about to come back into focus, so to speak. 😉
Comment by lemasney 08/13/2009 @ 7:31 PMJohn,
Comment by Chris 08/12/2009 @ 9:38 PMI’m a big fan of your writing and photography. While I am disappointed to hear that this part of your life will go on hiatus, I wish you great luck in your undertakings. Godspeed, looking forward to reading more, even if of a different flavor.
Chris, you can certainly include yourself in the list of friends I’d like to thank in the post. I love your project — and envy your ability to stop with one a week. 😉 I appreciate your efforts and your kind words here.
Comment by lemasney 08/13/2009 @ 7:33 PMJohn – I was sad to read this post, because it’s hard to see that something you’re so passionate about is causing you pain. I’ll miss the frequency of your reviews and photos, but I’m glad you’ll be taking a breather and spending more time with your family. I do hope we haven’t seen the last of your contributions to the beer world!
Comment by Andy@beeraday.net 08/12/2009 @ 10:36 PMAndy,
Like 52brews, I’d like to thank you for your inspirational project. Count yourself in my gratitude and thanks. I would say that it hasn’t reached (and will not) a painful status, but I could see that happening if I stayed on my current path. There’s a fine line between positive passion and negative obsession, and I’d rather slow to a close on a positive note than to let the effort degrade into something of pain, despair, or hurt. I like to think that I will return to the beer world later in life, when I’ve gained ground on more pressing efforts. I have other work to do, and it will be easier for me to accomplish with a clear head. Cheers to you, and thanks for all that you do for the movement.
Comment by lemasney 08/13/2009 @ 7:38 PMAs with everything you’ve done, I can’t wait to see what your next project is. Like everything you do, BeerCritic was an excellent resource for craft beer. I have sent many friends to your site and all have commented to me about how wonderful a resource BeerCritic had become. I hope you are proud of what you have accomplished here. Again I look forward to your next endeavor.
Comment by Sean Piotrowski 08/12/2009 @ 11:28 PMI think maybe a collaboration is in order. I’ve love to work on something (else) with you Sean. I appreciate your kind words and sentiment here, and I always appreciated the referrals. 😉 I am indeed quite proud of what I accomplished with this project — I learned a lot, I had a blast, and I tested some boundaries. Now, to regroup, refocus, and move forward.
Comment by lemasney 08/13/2009 @ 7:41 PMWe need to have another lunch date. I’d like to discuss my Summer with Moodle and our future collaboration.
Comment by Sean Piotrowski 08/13/2009 @ 7:51 PMGotta say, man, I can relate in a few ways. It’s always been a fantastic learning experience to step away from something that you feel, for lack of a better term, obsessed with. And you are 100% correct: it’s a matter of refocusing priorities. I’m sure you’ll again enjoy beer, but it will be in a different way and with a different mindset.
I’ve always found that I’ll look back fondly on the those times in my life. I can remember days spent in college playing Halo 1 and 2 on Xbox. At the time, I remember making the conscious decision to take a step back and refocus my priorities, namely the freaking classes I was paying huge freaking money for (lol). However, when I look back, I remember the good times. I remember laughing with friends and screaming down the dorm hallway at 2 AM after getting sniped. I don’t regret that time at all.
And to echo Sean above, I can’t wait to see what your next project will be!
Comment by Joe Woodhull 08/13/2009 @ 5:10 PMHey, Joe! I was glad to hear our upcoming meeting was a lunch, as you can guess. 😉 Refocusing is a mantra for me right now. I am already remembering positively some key tastings and sessions — nights on which my sense of taste, palate, olfactory, and sight were thrilled, extended, and fully satisfied. I think I’ve enjoyed beer more than many people ever will (people who only drink busch light, for instance) — I feel like I faithfully pursued squeezing every drop of enjoyment out of the brew that I could. I feel fine walking away from this time of effort in my life, satisfied and very proud. Looking forward to lunch. You’ll understand if I skip Winberie’s for now, I hope.
Comment by lemasney 08/13/2009 @ 8:03 PMAlways so good when you can figure out the improvements. My husband and I used to home brew, taste, etc. and I was way overweight too. Lost over 50 lbs. When I started changing my lifestyle, losing the weight, exercising, I never thought I’d cut back on the drinking but last year I decided to try in the long term, rest of your life kind of way. I miss the socializing. Everybody always wanted to get a drink with Cindy and that’s the tough part. But I keep busy blogging and everything else. I’m sure you’ll find a new endeavor. I’m interested in what you mean by leadership. There’s always community blogging like Rockville Central!
Comment by Cindy Cotte Griffiths 08/13/2009 @ 7:39 PMI never got into homebrew, but I always wanted to. I’m already struggling a little bit with socializing. I notice people making alternative suggestions for dinner because there’s beer where we’re going. My take is that beer’s everywhere, and to try to avoid it is impossible. It makes more sense for me to go with the flow and enjoy people’s company wherever they want to be. Right now though I really do appreciate going places where there’s no beer — it’s been about a week and my expectations for those flavors are subsiding, quieting, and receding. I’m the beer guy in most of my circles, and to be honest, I’m looking forward to leaving some of that behind. I want to be the dad guy, the tech guy, the video guy, the photo guy, and the writing guy, but I worked very hard for the last year and a half at amplifying my love of beer, and succeeded. I’m looking forward to amplifying the rest. Community Blogging really appeals to me because I’ve chaired my town’s website committee, and moved them to use a blog as their website, though most of the bloglike features have been voted down. Rockville Central really hit home with me because of the project, which has been a success for the most part. Leadership is a key topic for me, and is in fact the focus of my master’s — a MA in Organizational Leadership. I like to think that everything is a leadership opportunity — including blogging, and you are a prime example of that in action. Cheers, Cindy, and thanks for the feedback.
Comment by lemasney 08/16/2009 @ 8:03 PMVery good site and great information. One of many reasons for starting my own beer blog. Thanks!
Comment by Terry 08/13/2009 @ 8:35 PMThanks, Terry — it is heartening to think I helped someone go in that direction. Cheers!
Comment by lemasney 08/16/2009 @ 7:52 PMGood Luck, hopefully I will catch up with you at a conference or something soon. We are planning a chester cty tweetup soon, but it is at Victory Brew Pub, so I am not sure if you are interested, but there are some cool folks engages in social media that attend.
Comment by dancinjul 08/13/2009 @ 8:50 PMI’ll certainly see you at the next HigheredCamp if you can make it! I’d love to visit Victory, but not anytime soon. Just too soon, I suppose. I hear the food is great, but it would remind me of a lot of what I’ve done here. For instance: https://beercritic.wordpress.com/category/brewery/victory/ Cheers!
Comment by lemasney 08/16/2009 @ 7:51 PMGood luck to you, I enjoyed your photography and commentaries.
Family, Health and Peace of Mind come first in my book. I’ve missed/canceled many things to be with my family.
Hope you come back and continue to share your insights with the rest of us.
Take Care.
Comment by Simply Beer 08/13/2009 @ 11:05 PMThanks, Simply Beer! I really appreciate the support.
Comment by lemasney 08/16/2009 @ 1:47 PMThis whole beer-sphere is a ride indeed; euphoric moments, the thrill of the chase, twists and turns… but tiring at the same time. It’s great to step off once in a while.
You’ve got tons of passion in your writing, John, and it’s good to know you’ll be spreading the love around in the future. Just say you’ll crack open the odd bottle occasionally and Tweet about it, please? In the on-line world of too-often turgid beer writing, you put a smile on my face every time.
Comment by haddonsman 08/14/2009 @ 1:27 AMTiring is a great word for it — I would sit down with a new beer and face the prospect of at least an hour of typing, copying & pasting, photography, editing, tweaking, and tweeting. I loved the end product that is beercritic, especially when the beer was great, but it was often a daunting task, however rewarding. Thanks so much for your compliment, and I promise from time to time I’ll taste and tweet — I can’t imagine not doing it forever. 😉
Comment by lemasney 08/16/2009 @ 7:48 PMHey John,
Maybe instead of dropping things altogether it’s time to take on another reviewer or two to delegate things to, so that your audience doesn’t have to suffer, and so that your life doesn’t have to suffer for your audience!
I understand your concerns, and I think you make a lot of valid points. When I noticed that almost half of my twitter followers were beer people a few months ago I used mrtweet.com to find more tech and training folks. I also picked up a Django project, which (in addition to the training business) has got me pretty busy, so my beer blog is completely dormant.
Well, if you’re looking for geek projects, I’ve got no shortage of them. If you’re looking for training/education projects, I’m game, and if you’re looking for more social engagement, I have a pool table, and I know this local Linux User Group full of pretty cool people. 😉
See you soon. Let’s do lunch!
Comment by Brian K. Jones 08/14/2009 @ 8:30 AMHey, Brian! I always appreciated your encouragement and suggestions for individualization and improvement. There are many fine reviewers who are staying the course, namely Shawn ‘The Beer Philosopher’ Connelly, The Beer Babe, 52 Brews, Beeraday, and many others. My work continues through hundreds of others, and my work remains in record here as well. Tech training is definitely about to take center stage for me (as far as work is concerned) since I’ve been growing my presentation and consultation circuits. I foresaw ways in which I’d be able to take what I was doing on beercritic to local bottleshops, but I also saw the pressures and effects of success in that venture as leading to an increase in the 10 reasons listed here. Increased success in tech training and consultation, however, has far fewer negative consequences, methinks. You’re definitely on my short list of technology project collaboration, and certainly those having to do with Open Source. I’d love lunch, and in fact I’d still love to do a brewday. Cheers, and I’m looking forward to lunch.
Comment by lemasney 08/16/2009 @ 7:41 PMBryan is proud of your work (so I am). You have given many people an insight into craft beer and your knowledge will always be posted here to help others. It’s always good to step away and refocus (you know from your art background ;-)). I am thinking about refocusing on painting again and might venture into cake art/baking. Sounds silly, but it’s always fun and rewarding to learn new things 🙂 Good luck, looking forward to your future projects!
Comment by Angel 08/14/2009 @ 9:58 AMThanks so much! I have to say that without Bryan, I never would have started in this venture. I have he, and you, to deeply thank for the christening of the voyage in December of 2007. It’s been a great and sensuous trip, and I have you both to thank for the start of it. I see new collaborations in our future. Cheers.
Comment by lemasney 08/16/2009 @ 1:49 PMThanks for the follow. You seem like an interesting, creative, thoughtful man. May the spirits of the bottle leave you in peace.
Comment by luxurylapdesk 08/14/2009 @ 12:37 PMWhat a kind string of adjectives. I’m feeling better already. 😉 Thanks!
Comment by lemasney 08/16/2009 @ 7:31 PMMaybe just less beer and less beer blogging! Once a week works. I gave up alcohol products recently again because the GERD is killing me (literally) again.
But I’ll be back – in moderation – some day.
Comment by Ronk 08/15/2009 @ 6:00 PMThanks, Ron. Moderation is exactly what I’m pursuing, eventually, but after sampling and reporting on over 400 beers since the beginning of 2008, I’m ready for a clean break for a while. Hope you’re feeling better.
Comment by lemasney 08/16/2009 @ 7:30 PMHi John, it’s your cousin Mike. As someone who enjoys good beer, I think I can understand your decision. I’m very busy with my four kids and work, so I really don’t have time for another hobby. That said, your posts and reviews have tempted me more than a few times to give it a try. Other than parties, I don’t buy (or drink) beer more than about six bottles a month. The calories and the buzz are enough to keep me from overindulging. Good luck to you, and I hope you can find some happy medium. Say hi to the family for me!
Comment by Mike LeMasney 08/16/2009 @ 3:55 PMHey, Mike! 2 kids here are certainly part of the equation. I think my primary work is part of the reason I’m stopping — there’s a few recent events at work that have made me want to drink for the wrong reasons, and that’s never good. I hope that my posts encourage everyone to look beyond AB InBev and taste truly great beer. I’m envious of your six bottles a month, mostly because of the cost. It has not been unheard of for me to spend $100 in a single trip to the bottleshop. A few trips like that and it starts to add up. 😉 A happy medium should come in the future, for right now the pendulum is swinging completely the other way. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, and everyone here says hi with hugs.
Comment by lemasney 08/16/2009 @ 8:45 PMI’ve enjoyed reading your blog, but never so much as with this last post. Eloquently said, and brave as hell to say. Any guy who can be that insightful is going to be known as dad guy in no time. Keep the faith–you’ve made the right decision.
Comment by JD 09/01/2009 @ 9:05 PMThanks, Justin! I really appreciate the support. So far so good.
Comment by lemasney 09/02/2009 @ 1:06 PMI think its great that you were able to step back and make a tough decision on your own terms. You’re a great writer and photographer – you could probably blog about anything with success!
I was putting together a post on Jersey beer bloggers and I’m still going to list your site because even if dormant, its an excellent place to visit. Wishing you success! Scott
Comment by Scott 09/07/2009 @ 11:07 AMThanks, Scott, I very truly appreciate it, and loved the work that I did here. I’m looking forward to moving to another topic as soon as inspiration strikes.
Comment by lemasney 09/10/2009 @ 10:36 PMGet real. What are we supposed to feel bad for you? Get a grip on yourself. It’s called moderation. Holy cow. You act as though if you enjoy you can no longer enjoy ANYTHING else in life. Just ridiculous. Hey, more beer for the rest of us!
Comment by TomG 09/10/2009 @ 10:05 AMI will indeed miss your site. I didn’t come often, but I had put you on my blogroll so I could. Good writing, excellent evaluations.
Comment by cmblake6 09/13/2009 @ 4:32 PMHave a good life in whatever it is you continue with.
Can’t help but noticed you mentioned family last.
Comment by PitBull 09/14/2009 @ 8:26 AMYeah, but anybody who knows me knows that my family comes first, no matter what order they show up in on a blog post.
Comment by lemasney 09/22/2009 @ 4:23 PMBoo whoo what a baby. it’s just beer. Limit how much you drink and guess what? Life is ok again. Christ you people are ridiculous.
Comment by Rediculous 09/26/2009 @ 1:15 PMAs someone who’s just come to your blog, I’m sorry to hear this. I enjoyed what you had to say, but I respect and appreciate your reasons. I hope you’re still able to enjoy good beer when you want it.
Comment by aaaaaargh 11/03/2009 @ 6:14 PMThanks, Bob!
Comment by lemasney 11/03/2009 @ 10:52 PMNice honest list there. Good blog, and I can see your reasons.
Comment by Graham 03/16/2010 @ 2:46 PM[…] Giving up drinking beer… […]
Pingback by Pure Tragedy. « The Weekly Banjo 03/27/2010 @ 11:44 AMAre you serious? You’ve developed a hobby and people are curious about it think its interesting and you turn away from it? Beer is expensive, but I know you know it’s worth it. People getting yo beer related gifts and you are complaining? Did you ever thing that these people are trying to encourage your new hobby and they want you to learn more, see more, show it off? You don’t think a family man can drink 4 beers? I grew up in a family of drinkers, and they were loving, awesome, and never let drinking take over family life. I see that you had another post about victory and I hope you’ll still drinking because all of your reasons posted are what every beer snob is all about, what we love and what we are.
Comment by ridic 04/07/2010 @ 7:58 PMWhile you are posting anonymously, I’m not. I didn’t want to be personally associated with beer anymore. I’m happy I moved on to other projects that don’t involve drinking, though I respect those who choose to drink. Was i complaining? No, I wasn’t. I was loving it, but it was becoming obsessive. Labeling this project a hobby is a pretty bad misnomer. Hobbies don’t destroy your liver. A father who’s drinking four beers instead of spending time with their kids is missing the point of being a father — glad you enjoyed your upbringing, though. I’m also glad you liked what I did. Please enjoy the record of it.
Comment by lemasney 04/07/2010 @ 9:15 PMJohn,
Funny enough i found your blog researching beer calories after hitting a plateau on my weight loss. Your tone is fantastic and your beer critic “epitaph” resonates with many thoughts i have had myself. My splurging takes me to two to three beers but i bet the “post-drink” easiness could reach 1000 calories in any given night.
All things in moderation – my new passion is crossfit.com. Beer is wonderful especially when you get into some of the nuggets you have mentioned here. However, it is just too damn easy to swig a beer. Some – like my girlfriend – have a natural “off” switch. We do not it seems.
As you and others have discussed – center yourself up – like i am myself, and then you will be able to introduce it again if you want.
Rock On John….
Comment by Damon 05/12/2010 @ 9:33 PMThanks, @Damon for your kind words and thoughts. I miss the community that I found with this blog, but I like my new projects too. Rock on yourself. 🙂
Comment by lemasney 05/12/2010 @ 9:44 PMJust recently found your web site. Love/loved it. Remember, nobody likes a quitter….
Comment by Sam 08/07/2010 @ 4:47 PMThanks, Sam! I didn’t quit, I just refocused on another topic. 🙂 http://365sketches.org
Comment by lemasney 08/11/2010 @ 12:07 AM[…] when I was actively beer blogging. I stopped blogging about beer for various reasons last year (the blog post on the topic is here) but I’m still reminded every time I sit down to work here that it was a big part of my life. […]
Pingback by 357 of 365 is the end of the line #Inkscape | 365 sketches 12/18/2010 @ 11:42 PMI have come late to the party but appreciate the almost poetic end to your beer critique tenure, and hope all has improved as you intended.
Comment by Lisa Green 10/01/2011 @ 4:13 PMThanks, Lisa! Kind of you to say.
Comment by lemasney 10/01/2011 @ 4:39 PMI’ve actually never seen this site or blog before now. As i read through this very well thought out post, it was like looking in a mirror. I’m in almost the exact same place you are and struggle with all the same issues. If you don’t believe me, just friend me on Facebook for proof. All I can say is I wish you the best and I’m not far behind….Cheers!
Comment by Ken Megal 01/25/2012 @ 8:17 AMWe enjoy reading about all the beers and beer stories this blog reports on. We are in the planning stages for a new brewery in Northeastern USA called Charter Oak Brewing Company LLC and our business plan is to grow to over 25,000BBL within 5 years.
The breweries and stories you report on, allow for much encouragement.
http://charteroakbrewing.com
Comment by Charter Oak Brewing Company LLC 03/09/2012 @ 7:01 PMA True Legend!
Hello John,,
Comment by John Kalafus 05/29/2012 @ 9:55 AMLike the Ken whose comment is directly above the “Leave a Reply” box I too have just discovered this blog and also after reading your reasons for possibly giving up beer altogether can say that I’ve been teetering with that decision for a while now myself. The options that I’ve tried so far have been to give up the beer for long periods (usually 2 to 6 weeks) and that has somewhat helped me out but still my weight creeps up and falls like a yo-yo. I’ve also tried fasting one day a week (works best but is hard to do when you work around food)
My nest (and possibly last) idea that I am going to try is to limit my enjoyment to just 2 to 3 days a week to see if that can help me keep my intake in balance. I wonder how the owner of Dogfish Head does it (probably high metabolism and lots of exercise). I’ve been drinking and enjoying craft beers for about 8 years now and I would hate to give it up but If I can’t find an a safe way to enjoy them and stay fit I’ll be following your lead soon.
Hi, John! Thanks for your feedback. Your story is familiar. I, as of Thursday this week, will have achieved my first 6 full weeks of sobriety since writing this post, years ago. For me, alcohol reduction did not work, nor did continuing to binge drink. In the five weeks that I’ve pursued unfiltered sobriety, I’ve refocused on activity, nutrition, and writing, and have lost weight steadily. I am down 16 pounds from 285 lbs in April, 2012 to 269 lbs in May, 2012. I hope you find the solution for yourself, but for me, the only thing, the final thing, was sobriety. Life in clarity is life itself. I am considering restarting this blog as a “critic” of beer in a different light: The good things in life that alcohol removed from me, such as self-worth, productivity, and family, and why I think it happened that way for me.
Comment by lemasney 05/29/2012 @ 10:05 AMGood reasoning! I especially like #10 and that you really thought it out in general. Hopefully you don’t regret letting the blog go all these years later.
Comment by Nate 05/17/2013 @ 2:36 PM[…] a more permanent basis, The Beer Critic has given up beer blogging altogether, and he provided 10 great reasons why he did to his loyal […]
Pingback by Beer and Your Health | The Brew Club 10/11/2013 @ 7:54 AMThanks so much for the kind mention!
Comment by lemasney 10/11/2013 @ 8:27 AMHello, My name is Philip…. I’m sorry to say that today I brought a Spiegelau IPA glass 😦
I’v actually lost weight drinking less, but better, beers, if that makes sense,
But today I hang my head in shame having jumped the shark.
so 2-3-4-5-6-7 and people are asking me about beers now as if I’m an expert.
I wish I had just read the reviews instead of buying all these beer, it’s just that you have one…….
Comment by Pdubyah 04/24/2014 @ 1:31 AMGood on ya, PW.
Comment by lemasney 04/25/2014 @ 6:22 PM[…] BeerCritic […]
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