I drank with the wench and came out a winner!

I was recently interviewed by a fellow beer blogger, Drink with the Wench. Check it out, in case you are in the mood for some over sharing. Trust me, there are things about me you didn't even know you wanted to know. I lack a filter 98.7% of the time. Thanks Wenchie!!

DRINK WITH THE WENCH PRESENTS:

The Beer Blogger Interview Series
Curious what goes on in the minds of your favorite beer bloggers? Well, The Beer Wench is and she has embarked upon a mission to interview as many beer bloggers that she can — from all over the world. Are you a beer blogger? Do you want to share your story? Send me an email!

INTRODUCING: TRACY CORNELIUS

AUTHOR OF: THE PISSED LIBEERIAN

Beer Blogger Interview

Full name: Tracy Cornelius
Twitter handle: @PissedLibeerian
Name of blog: The pissed liBEERian
Current location: The 253 (Tacoma), WA

Background “Snapshot”

1. Where did you grow up?
Small town girl from Camano Island, Washington.

2. What sports if any did you play growing up, through college and beyond?
I played on a bowling league at the ripe age of 12. I still bring it up to this day (16 yrs later) if I ever go out bowling with friends. I like to talk up my skills so I’m picked first for teams then amaze them with my gutter balls.

3. How old were you when you had your first beer?
I was 22 years old. Yes, you read that right, and in case you are wondering, I am making up for lost time now. At least, I completely surpassed the era of drinking cheap beer, and I can have whatever I want whenever I want.

4. If you can recall, what is the story of your first beer? Where did you have it? What style and brand was it?
By the time I decided to start drinking, it wasn’t really a big deal since I wasn’t trying to get away with anything, so I don’t recall my first beer.

5. Where, if applicable, did you go to college? What did you study? What additional activities, organizations, sports did you partake in during college?
I tri-majored in Psychology, English and Anthropology through Washington State University’s Distance Degree Program. You might be asking yourself at this point, “What the heck would someone do with that kind of degree?” The truth is I don’t know either. I find it humorous that the pissed liBEERian got her university education from the biggest party college in the state while never setting foot on campus and hardly touching a drop of alcohol til she was out of college.

Craft Beer Epiphany

Every craft beer enthusiast has at least one pinnacle craft beer experience that completely changes ones perspective on beer. I refer to this mind-blowing moment as a “craft beer epiphany.”

1. What was your first craft beer epiphany? Recall as many details about it as you can:
June 19th, 2010… I remember the day, well. Attended the Brewer’s Festival in Kenmore, WA for the first time. About halfway through the day I handed over my little wooden token to the Schooner Exact booth and had my first taste of Seamstress Union Raspberry Wheat. I call it the non-fruity fruit beer even guys like it! I think I spent an additional 10+ tokens getting more Seamstress Union that day. I couldn’t get enough, and it started me on the journey that has brought me here today. Once that pink hued liquid hit my mouth, I was bound to never be the same again.

2. Have you have additional craft beer epiphanies since the first? Detail as many of them as you wish:
I would say following the Seamstress Union encounter, my most note worthy craft beer epiphany was at Seattle International Beer Fest over 4th of July weekend in 2010. Sunday featured a special pour from Delaware’s Dogfish Head Brewery. On tap was the 120m IPA, World Wide Stout, and a Black and Tan made from the two called Heaven & Hell. My partner in crime and I were first in line and felt like festival celebrities. Had to make a dash out to the car to collect more glasses after we did the math: 2 people, 2 glasses, 3 beers = Epic Fail.
This was my first experience liking an IPA, and the whole event was just so surreal. It was an amazing weekend, and the Heaven & Hell was to die for. I enjoyed it to the very last drop and even got back in line for another round, which we barely got before the kegs blew. After SIB, I was committed to advancing my palate and integrating IPAs into my collection of loved beers.

Beer Blog Background

1. How long have you been writing your beer blog?
My first post was on August 2nd, 2010. A craft beer mission statement of sorts.

2. What inspired you to start writing your blog?
I was having too many ale-induced/inspired adventures and had to start keeping some kind of a record. I really got into trying new craft beers and having the time of my life with friends in the process. My whole world has been different since the beginning of the summer, like something out of the Matrix. Seamstress Union opened my eyes as if I had chosen the red pill (or pink in this case) and now see the Real World.

3. Why did you choose the name of your blog?
I work for a library + I love beer + I enjoy random English slang (hence pissed instead of drunk) = the pissed liBEERian

4. What are you personal goals for your blog? What do you hope to achieve with it?
I hope this blog mostly entertains and informs those who read it. I’m trying to spread the word about the greatness of craft beer (especially local craft beer) and maybe convert a few people to the dark side. Since I find myself so amusing along with the random experiences that happen while drinking, all I can hope to inspire is a few chuckles along the way.
If I could make a blog related wish, it would be to get paid to do what I do. Go out, drink & review beer, and make a living in the process. If someone wants to offer me a job in marketing for their company, that would be amazing too. You haven’t seen obsessed until you’ve seen me enthusiastic about something, I go ALL the way with it.
At this time, I will totally settle for meeting a host of awesome people in the business and enjoying life one pint at a time.

5. What is one of the coolest things that happened to you as a result of being a beer blogger?
Free stuff and lots of attention! That’s what comes from having a fortunate face, a big rack, and being a chick who is really into beer tasting as a hobby. The blog is becoming more widespread locally and around the globe (it warms my little liBEERian heart to see blog hits in places like Slovenia, Australia & Turkey), so I am getting more recognition personally. I’ve gotten free tickets to events and free beer, lots of random swag, and the opportunity to get to spend time with some really cool folks who own/run breweries around the Northwest.
When someone comes up to you in a bar and says “Hey, don’t you have a blog?” all I can think is “It’s pretty damn awesome to be me right now.”

6. What are you top 3 favorite beer blogs/beer websites?

• 99 Bottles’ Shopkeeper Blog
• Beer Blotter
• Blogfish by Dogfish Head

Beer Talk

1. What are your top 3 favorite beer styles?
Barleywines, Wheats and India Pale Ales. This last one (IPA) was a hard won battle. Initially, I could hardly stand to have an IPA in my mouth, let alone swallow it. It took me two solid months of drinking IPAs because I wanted to like them, and now I do. Love ‘em.

2. What are your top 3 favorite breweries?

• Schooner Exact of Seattle, WA
• Dogfish Head of Milton, DE
• Big Al of Seattle, WA

3. If you could work with or for any one brewery, which one would it be and why?
Without a doubt, Schooner Exact. They are a small brewery that started up during 2006 in Seattle owned by Heather and Matt McClung with brewing help by Dave “Hutch” Hutchinson. Due to being so awesome, they were both able to quit their day jobs to run the brewery full time. Kudos to them, living the dream! They are friendly and down to earth people who I have had the pleasure to get to know over the last few months. It started with my obsessive pursuit of Seamstress Union which caused me to email the brewery on a regular basis to find out where kegs of it had been recently delivered to Tacoma, WA.
They seem like a close knit organization and you gotta love a group of people with a sense of humor. Take for example their beer, The Shocker. A delightfully enjoyable combo of 2 parts Raspberry Wheat and 1 part King Street Brown. They brew over a dozen varieties of beer including seasonals and special-event beer. They are as fun to chat up in their tasting room as they are to hang out with at events.

4. Are you a home-brewer? If yes, what is the most unique and interesting beer recipes you’ve brewed as a home-brewer?
I see so many interesting beers that are being made, and I can’t get my hands on all of them. I think it would be fascinating to become a home brewer at some point, maybe when my life slows down a bit. Possibly once I hit the big 3-0 I’ll feel some need to become domesticated and that includes making my own brew. For now, I will just enjoy the fascinating creations of others. There are plenty to try!

5. Do you have any beer certifications (BJCP, Cicerone, Siebel, American Brewers Guild)?? If so, what are they?
Sadly, I do not. However, I do possess a bar towel from CAMRA though, Campaign for Real Ale. A group that promotes good-quality real ale and pubs, as well as acting as the consumer’s champion in relation to the UK and European beer and drinks industry.

6. What is your favorite beer and food pairing?
It’s simple but does the trick–pizza and beer. To me, they will always be a perfect match. Maybe a nice pesto and artichoke pizza with a mild IPA. I am hoping to add some more knowledge to my plethora of brain waves and enlighten others, so I am currently working on putting together a 10 course menu featuring a variety of beer selections. The book that has been my savior in planning this event: “He says beer, She says wine” co-authored by Sam Calagione and Marnie Old.

The Personal Side

1. What is your current day job?
My 2 day jobs include working for the library system (bet you think I pulled the ‘liBEERian’ thing out of nowhere ’cause it’s hot, right?) and a local university as an online technical liaison.

2. If you could change your career at this very moment, without any restrictions on what you could do, what would you want to do and why?
I’ve never felt like I was on one solid career path since growing up so my interests shift greatly at times. Although I love what I currently do for a living, I would really like to pursue a career in Marketing or PR. I’ve learned a lot about myself this last year and have realized that I have some skills and/or attributes that would probably lead me to a lot of success in this field. Being a spokesperson or marketing for a company I truly love and believe in would be a dream come true. I have been told that I am a marketing persons dream when it comes to events and fun things going on. I’d do anything if I have a reason. IE Beer Punch cards. I think I could be great at creating these events. I am intelligent and creative and personable which I think are all assets to this particular field.

3. Are you married? Children?
I am not married and have no kids. As a woman who is almost 30 you may be thinking I’m ugly or that something is wrong with me, but neither is true. I assure you it is by choice. I am not in any hurry to settle down, I am enjoying my life with virtually nothing holding me back from doing what I want to. The other things will come when they are meant to, if they are meant to.

4. Outside of beer and writing, what are some of your other hobbies?
When I’m not blogging it up or doing empirical research for the blog, my free time is usually divided between reading and exercising. Gotta work off all those beer calories somehow! I am hoping to participate in a marathon & a triathlon in 2011. Time with family and friends are my first priority, and I will always find enough hours in the day to try and do it all.

Off The Beaten Path

1. If you were a style of beer, what style would be an why?
An IPA. They are always the most inventive and uniquely named beers (I have about 20 different nicknames) plus you never really know what to expect when you go to drink one. The nose could be floral or citrusy: Is she wearing Victoria’s Secret Pink or Clinique today? The tastes can range from mild to extremely bitter: Will she be sweet and adorable or a little crazy and sexy? Don’t even get me started on the mouth feel…

2. You were caught smuggling beer illegally, which has now been made punishable by death. Right before you are sent to the executioner, you are offered one last beer. What beer would you chose and why?
A Schooner Exact Seamstress Union Raspberry Wheat. It’s my favorite beer in the world. Although many would choose an ale more profound or complicated, it is not only the taste of SU that appeals to me but all that it represents. The flavor would not only explode on my tongue, but it would remind me of: what it has been to learn about and love beer; the people I have met and befriended because of my beer pursuits; and the best summer of my life being full of love and laughter.
To me it is the equivalent of hugging a diary or licking a photo album, it takes me back.

3. If I contracted you to brew a beer (or design a beer recipe) called “The Beer Wench” — what style would you chose and what, if any, extra ingredients would you add?
A brew called “The Beer Wench” would have to simply be a Barleywine. Sweet and smooth going down but will knock you on your ass once you’ve finished with it. Extra special ingredients… a surly smile and a hair toss on her way out the tavern door.

4. If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
Without a doubt, TELEPORTATION. Gas prices are a killer, and I spend most of my time in my car since my life is so nomadic at the moment.

5. What is one of the craziest things you have ever done and lived to tell the story?
Wow… now that’s a loaded question. Let’s just say that every time I’ve gone to the Top of Tacoma bar in the 253, it’s led to an ‘experience’. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great place to drink and dine. Randomness seems to ensue whenever I hang out there.

6. What are your thoughts on bacon?
I have never been a huge lover of bacon. My desires usually lean toward a big, fat, juicy sausage. However, now that I’ve gone all vegetarian like in the last 6 months let me just say this: I’m super happy for people who are bacon obsessed. You can find it everywhere and in everything. It must be a dream come true.

BIG THANKS TO TRACY FOR AN AWESOME INTERVIEW!

CHEERS!

Photo Credits by MGD & the pissed liBEERian, Editing done by Basil

My liver is currently on a 10 day involuntary vacation.

I am currently thinking about the moment when I made the following statement: "Heaven forbid I ever get pregnant or have to go on antibiotics. The blog shall not suffer!" With that being said, today is Numero Uno of a 10 day break from every kind of imbibing. No worries, I have no buns currently in my oven but need to take some medication which requires that I ingest nothing fun for a period of 10 days. It won't be a horrible thing, everyone needs a break sometimes. Right? Riiiiiiiiight.

I just have to rearrange my thought process to not get all sad like when a cool event is going on that I can't take part in. I can write about all kinds of non-beer-drinking related things and catch up on some half finished blogs I've had laying around in my Draft file. Plus, I always think it's nice to put the ole system on self cleaning mode once in awhile. I might as well (try to) cut out all the caffeine and refined sugar while I'm at it. I promise that it will only makes me a cranky bitch for about 2-3 days!

While on this drinking and bar hopping hiatus, I send out a teeny tiny plea to my loyal readers. If there is anything beer related you would like to read more about or see in this blog, give me a holler. I'm open to ideas and am all about pleasing YOU.

Hugs & Kisses & Stuff

the pissed liBEErian

The Shocker: Surprisingly Enjoyable!

Surprisingly enjoyable, so says the tap handle anyways. I was on a Seamstress Union hunt sometime in late July and heard the delightful rumor that Parkway Tavern may have some on tap. Wrong. Negatory. Denied. However, imagine my surprise when a little beauty called 'The Shocker' was pouring. It was a special brew made by Schooner Exact for the 75th Anniversary of Parkway (congrats!) and there was a bit left over.

The folks @ SE gave me a tap handle sticker!

'Twas a beautiful sunny day so I grabbed myself a pint and headed out to the patio to enjoy some literature with my beer. Well I was holding a book in my lap, but there was little to no reading going on. I had to text MGD immediately to tell him all about my find! He demanded a picture of me holding/drinking the Shocker while doing one. Naturally, I didn't see how I could manage the flexibility while keeping all of the liquid in my glass so I said "Nope, sorry." He replied that if I didn't take a picture of me drinking it while throwing the sign he would call Parkway and have me thrown out immediately.

Oh... you want me to throw the Shocker sign (not perform one) while holding my drink! Gotcha. Being the picture whore that I am, I turned to my fellow patio goers and asked them to snap a quick pic.

Alright, let's get around to the reason I am writing this. While I was describing the Raspberry Shocker to a friend last night I mentioned that the beer is made up of 2 parts Seamstress Union Raspberry Wheat and 1 part King Street Brown. Let me say that again... 2 pink & 1 brown. Maybe all of that blond hair dye has finally gone to my brain because the relevancy of the drink components never even occurred to me. I don't have 'aha' moments, I have 'duuuuuuuh' moments with epic authority. Seeing as it took me approximately 3 months to figure this out... Hahahahahaha.

Nicely done Schooner EXACT, nicely done.

Throwing my Shocker, while holding The Shocker @ Parkway Tavern. 

the pissed liBEERian

My buddy Spock throws his own variation...

    Options are always good...                                                                     Local flare outside the Top of Tacoma...            

Oly Oly Oxen Free, the drive to Olympia makes me go "Wee"!

A random, sunny, day drive (sunny but let's not kid ourselves, cold as balls 'cause it's October in Washington folks) led me down to Olympia for the day. Not only was the good ole Jetta pointed south anyways, but MGD & I had an inkling there were some ale related places we wanted to visit in Oly. So until our inklings became full blown ideas, we started at a familiar location, the Fishbowl (also known as Fish Tale) Brew Pub. I have a similar opinion of the Fishbowl to that of the review I linked for y'all but can sum it up pretty shortly that the place just doesn't do it for me. Nothing strong sticks out to justify this opinion, just not a huge fan of the pub or their beers. I did try an interesting Ginger Beer there though, which tasted like liquefied honey. 

<-----  FishTale Brew Pub sandwich board. Hot damn MGD, you make a picture be what it should.

 Full blown idea hit us at some point, and we decided to seek out the Gravity Beer Market. There was a decent selection and friendly, knowledgeable staff. Bought a few bottles to try at home (good thing I carry a cooler in my trunk) and got some suggestions for other cool places to hit up in Olympia, namely the Eastside Club Tavern. After the Tracy energy vacuum that was the FishBowl (you've never seen a girl of my hyper activity level go downhill so fast, trust me), I needed a definite perk me up.

It has to be said that I was very skeptical of the ECT when we first walked in.  The interior ambiance of  Eastside leaves a bit to be desired, but after chilling at the bar for about 10m, we mutually realized that we had struck gold. ECT offers up extremely knowledgeable (and nice) bartenders, loads of entertainment value (Foosball, pool, ping pong & pinball) and check out the beer selection below!! 3 huge white boards full of awesome ales pouring that you would rarely find all in one place. As we kept reading the board, our excitement kept ramping up. I think some mini bar stool booty shaking of happiness was definitely going on.

Trip VI @ Cicada

I think the over stimulation truly set in when I thought to myself (and probably voiced out loud) "Oh man we're never going to make it out of here and I'm hungry!"  So we tried a few of their options while figuring out a place to get some nomz. The bar minions at ECT were talking about how bomb Cicada Restaurant is and suggested it to us as a dinner option. The restaurant's sweet potato gratin was recently featured in The Tacoma Weekly Volcano's 50 Favorite Dishes, so down the street we headed. Just a few blocks away and of COURSE they were out of sweet potatoes. Silly me. So instead we dined on some mushrooms and scallops while washing it down with my favorite Unoaked Chardonnay by Airfield Vineyards and a New Belgium-Elysian Trip VI Fresh Hop IPA. The meal and feel of the place were both truly enjoyable; I highly recommend adding it to any sojourn down to Olympia.

Headed back to Eastside Club Tavern for a nightcap and some bar games. Imagine my astonishment when they had the Lord of the Rings pinball machine I played (and loved) years ago!!! After having a mini emotional breakdown of excitement, we got some quarters and proceeded to dominate this thing for at least an hour. Guess what? I still rock at it! Even if the moving Balrog in the middle would capture half our balls (thus being renamed the Ball-hog) and make us spend more money, we had a stinkin' blast.

I am a person who is easily amused, often over stimulated and finds the majority of my happiness in taking pleasure in the small things. I won't say it's rare that I am truly impressed, but I was beyond impressed that my opinion rose so highly after my initial take. Eastside Club Tavern... you totally rocked my world. I had a very fun night and can't wait to see what else you will be offering on tap in the near future. I give you lotsa stars out of lotsa stars and will be back very soon.

Even when it's below 50'... we don't let sunny days here in WA stop us!

the pissed liBEERian

Confused about U.S. things like the rest of us? At least get the beer part sorted out for yourself.

The article below was published in Birmingham Weekly on 10/14/10. It contains some pretty interesting ideas for working your way through a few different styles and brewing companies to get a better understanding for American beer.  I've had 3 out of the 10 beers listed (Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Stone Arrogant Bastard & the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA) so apparently I better get busy on the others if I want to round out my beer knowledge.

How to Understand American Beer

"As recently as the 1970s, America was the butt of jokes in world beer culture. There were only a few dozen breweries, all producing little more than straw-colored lagers with minimal flavor. Today, our country boasts over 1,600 breweries leading the world in creativity and quality in brewing. To better understand that transformation, I propose drinking ten different beers that illustrate the nature of modern American beer. Not all in one sitting.

1. The first beer in this round of exploratory drinking absolutely has to be Anchor Steam Beer. In the early 1970s, steam beer was the only style of beer indigenous to North America. I’d argue that in the last few decades Americans have created quite a few new styles, but steam beer is the godfather of them all and today’s craft brewers owe a debt of gratitude to Anchor for persevering through the darkest days of brewing on this continent.

2. Second on your beer tour should be Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, the first American pale ale ever brewed. The key point to learn from this beer is that it set the standard for American brewers amping up traditional English styles with extra hops and alcohol. The same pattern would lead to the American IPA, the double IPA, the American brown ale, and the American barley wine. Those categories now boast thousands of examples across the country, and it really all started in 1980 with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

3. After you ponder how three decades ago Americans took UK brewing traditions and created new styles of beer, toast the inspiration coming full circle with a BrewDog Punk IPA. BrewDog is a Scottish craft brewery that is heavily inspired by American craft brewing culture. Thirty years ago it was radical for American brewers to brew traditional Scottish ales. Today it’s radical for a Scottish brewery to produce an American-style IPA. And this influence continues to spread across the world.

4. Not only have we taken European beer styles in new directions, we have also perfected European beers in their original form. A great example of this is Allagash FOUR. It features four malts, four hops, four sugars, and four yeast strains, and it is every bit the equal of any quadruple brewed by any brewer in Belgium. Who needs to buy imports when beer as good or better is being brewed right here in the USA?

5. I’ll tell you who needs imports: me. While Americans have mastered almost every beer style known to man and created more than a few of our own, there are some European beers that we have yet to surpass, and Cantillon Saint Lamvinus is one of them. No one would argue Vinnie Cilurzo at Russian River is not a virtuoso in the field of brewing sour beers. But he still has not surpassed the mastery of the brewers and blenders at Cantillon, who have been perfecting the art of lambic brewing for over 100 years. As far as we’ve come, Belgium’s traditional lambic producers still have some secrets Americans have yet to uncover.

6. Next up is Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Not only is Boston Lager at the top of the heap when it comes to sales of American craft beer, the Samuel Adams brand deserves credit for keeping American craft beer alive during the late 90s, when the initial craft boom looked to many to be a fad that had passed. Lots of craft breweries from the first big wave folded, but Samuel Adams continued to grow and proved the segment had staying power.

7. Whiskey barrel-aged beer is entirely an American invention, and the brewery that started it all was Goose Island with their Bourbon County Brand Stout way back in 1992. And it’s still recognized as being among the best there is. Sip this one from a snifter and carefully ponder American creativity at its finest.

8. Although imperial stouts were not invented by Americans, the modern obsession with them started here. The phenomenon of crazed hordes traveling hundreds of miles for a chance at buying six bottles of one beer started with Three Floyds Dark Lord Imperial Stout. The beer debuted in 2004 and has hovered near the top of BeerAdvocate’s list of top beers in the world for most of its existence. It’s only available at the brewery, and only on one day a year. That day has turned into a massive beer festival with thousands of attendees who all bring and share beer. And it has spawned several very successful copycat events all centered around rare, hard to obtain imperial stouts. We have Three Floyds to thank.

9. I think nothing is more emblematic of modern Americans’ perspective on craft beer than our love of absurdly-hopped beers. And the most iconic example of that theme is Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA. It was created by Sam Calagione, now the most recognizable spokesman for American craft brewing. 90 Minute is unique in that it doesn’t feature just two or three hop additions that are common for most beers; it is continuously hopped for a full 90 minutes during the boil. It’s nuts, it’s delicious, and no European brewer would ever have dreamed of such a thing.

10. And finally, the last beer you must drink to understand modern American brewing is Stone Arrogant Bastard. It was one of the first beers to defy classification to such a degree that a new catch-all category was created for it, American strong ale. It’s a robust 7% ABV, amber in color with a thick caramel malt backbone, and intensely hoppy. But the most American thing about it is the self-righteous diatribe screen-printed on every bottle, explaining how most drinkers aren’t worthy of the beer because they’ve wasted their lives drinking fizzy yellow light beer. American brewing is dosed with a lot of hubris and attitude, and Arrogant Bastard is the epitome of that."

Learning is growing & variety is the spice of life.

the pissed liBEERian