Monday, August 31, 2009

Heeeeeere's Buddha! I'm back!

So it's been awhile since my last post and for that I do apologize but really I'm the one who suffered here. I had to go almost 2 weeks without cable or internet! Imagine the horror! But anyways I am back!

So I'm sure many of you have a lot of questions. What's Florida like? Do you enjoy your new job? What's the beer culture like? Etc, etc, etc. I'll tell you, it appears I'm in some weird beery episode of The Twilight Zone. I just left a town with very little retail beer selection but with an incredible bar scene(especially beer bar with Avenue Pub)and entered a town with a nice retail beer selection but no good bar scene whatsoever. There is no beer bar from Destin(where I work) to Panama City Beach(where I live). There is McGuires and Mellow Mushroom and as far as I can tell that's it. I'm told there are some other potential places but when I ask people they just shake their heads and tell me there aren't any good beer bars other than what I just listed. As for beer retail shops their is Chan's Wine World, Chan's Wine World or...Chan's Wine World. No one has the selection that we carry. It's great really. I have a lot of freedom to expand on the already great selection. I have grand ideas with the section so we'll see what happens. The job is like Martin Wine Cellar but more laid back(t-shirts and shorts!)and way more freedom! Plus two beer festivals a year!! The best part is I can work on the ol blog more!

Well that's all for now. The job is great, living near the beach is awesome and for those with some cash, their is a golden opportunity to open a beer bar here in town. Plus, I can get Yuengling at the store bitches! I'm out!


Cheers!

Beerbuddha

Thursday, August 6, 2009

30 Days Of Craft Beer: Day Six


Ok, so it appears like I forgot days 3,4 and 5 but actually I was in Destin, Florida for a job interview and obviously need a technology upgrade since I had no way of maintaining my blog while I was gone. Anyways, I interviewed on Tuesday with Chan Cox, owner of Chan's Wine World. The interview went extremely well and I am now the beer manager for the Destin store. If you were counting that was officially only 5 days without a job. I'm very excited about this opportunity to jump on board with a team that already has a huge success with their beer section. Plus I get to live near the beach. Hello? Beer and the beach? Score one for the Buddha! I should be starting at the end of August. The family and I are working on getting a place to live and getting organized for a move.

I'm going to miss New Orleans and the burgeoning beer scene. I've met a lot of great friends and had a blast drinking with each and every one of you! I grew up a military brat so moving for me isn't all that hard. It just means more friends around the world to drink with! If you're ever in Destin please stop by the store or email me and we'll go out for a drink!

Don't fret though dear reader(readers?) because The Beer Buddha blog will continue! It'll just be about and from a different location! I'm going to try and write about the entire Panhandle of Florida(do you actually capitalize Panhandle?)which will give me a little more area to cover. The beer quality there is actually pretty damn good compared to New Orleans so I'll have more beers to choose from! Sweet!!

I'm not sure how to continue 30 Days of Craft Beer since it was a job search AND beer drinking adventure. Perhaps I can continue the drinking part of it or maybe restructure it into something else all together. It will be tough to update the blog while I'm trying to pack stuff up and move. Hmmm. I think I will suspend it temporarily until I get settled into my new home.

Well, until then I'll update people on what's going on in New Orleans. I think I may have something in the works with The Beer Wench that'll be very awesome! Stay tuned because it's just going to get better!

Cheers!

Beer Buddha

Sunday, August 2, 2009

30 Days Of Craft Beer: Day Two


You probably thought I forgot. Come on it's day two I'm not going to forget on day two. Maybe later, but not on day two! I got caught up watching True Blood. Yeah, I know, but my wife got me reading the books and it really is pretty cool stuff. I thought it was going to be another teen vampire drama like Twilight but it's not. It's like an adult version with a good storyline. Anyways.

Job Search

So I told you about Chan's Wine World yesterday. I emailed Mr. Cox yesterday and received an email back the same day saying he is interested so I'm in the process of setting up an interview with him. It's only day one and I'm already ahead of the game. Lucky me!

Beer Review


Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing

Beer: Odd Notion Spring 09

Style: Spiced Beer

Recommended Glassware: Pilsner Glass

Serving Type: Pilsner Glass

Appearance- This beer pours a very clear, golden color with a thin white head which disappates quickly.

Smell- Very odd smell. Pilsner malts are present, not much hoppiness that I can tell. A very weird spiciness is noticable which I guess is the agave.

Taste- Strong maltiness with an odd spiciness. The hops are more present in the taste than in the aroma. Interesting fruity sweetness accompanied by an odd vegetation taste.

Mouthfeel- Crisp, clean with a medium body.

Overall- Not a bad beer but an odd beer. The name is fitting. They know it's odd so I'll give it too them. At least they're having fun brewing different stuff.

Score:Photobucket3.5 out of 5 Buddhas

Saturday, August 1, 2009

30 Days of Craft Beer: Day One


Ok, so today is Day One of 30 Days of Craft Beer. As I said I will review one craft beer a day and will keep everyone updated on my job search.

Job Search


(1) Over the past year I have been in contact with a gentleman named Chan Cox who owns Chan's Wine World in the Panhandle of Florida. There are five locations throughout the Panhandle: Destin, Sandestin, Panama City Beach, Miramar Beach and Ft. Walton Beach. Chan's has a great beer selection and has a beer festival every year as well. My wife and I have talked about relocating to Panama City for about the past year or so. We stayed there for about a week after Hurricane Katrina hit and we absolutely loved it there. The school system there is top notch and would be great for our daughter Evangeline. Much different than here in New Orleans where there are 3 out of the 88 public schools we could possibly send our daughter to and those 3 require a lottery to get your kid in.

If you know me you know I used to be the Assistant Manager and beer guy over at Martin Wine Cellar and enjoyed helping the customers with their beer selections. Chan's would be a great fit for me so I emailed Mr. Cox today and hopefully will receive an email back fairly soon.

(2) I have some brewery contacts in Texas who are asking around. I'm not going to go into details until I hear more info but it's a good one.


Beer Review



Brewery: Boulevard Brewing

Beer: Two Jokers Double Wit

Style: Witbier

Recommended Glassware: Pint Glass

Serving Type: Pint Glass

Appearance - This beer poured a hazy orange color with a huge, fluffy white head which stuck around for a bit. Lacing was very nice.

Smell- Strong hints of yeast, wheat, cloves and lemony citrus.

Taste - Nice tartness upfront with hints of citrus and banana and clove from the yeast. The malt balances this beer well.

Mouthfeel- Very nice crisp and clean with a medium body.

Overall- Another phenomenal brew from the guys over at Boulevard. The Smokestack series are absolutely incredible and this one just adds to it!

Score: 4.5 out of 5 BuddhasPhotobucket

The Beer Buddha's 30 Days of Craft Beer: A Craft Beer Drinking and Job Finding Adventure


So most of you know by now that I have been laid off from NOLA Brewing. I knew the risk of taking a job with a new brewery and if I had to I would make the same decision every single time. My time at NOLA Brewing was an incredible experience that I wouldn't change. I learned a lot about the beer industry, got to be more involved in the beer scene here in New Orleans and got to hang around with some great people while doing it. I'm still a bit shocked but I understand the decision they had to make.



Anyways, it's time to move on. I'd like to stay in the craft beer industry so I'll be using contacts that I have and will be calling every major brewery I know of to try and find a job. And since I have plenty of time on my hands I've decided to chronicle my experience with 30 Days of Craft Beer. What's that you ask? Well, for the next 30 days I will be updating my blog daily with a beer review and will keep you up to date on my search for employment in the craft beer industry.



Their are 6 states that I have received "approval" from the wife to move to if we have to leave Louisiana. They are Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida(Panhandle only!) and Texas. Now of course I'm willing to listen to ALL job offers and if the job is too good to pass up we would move to where the job takes us. It would be tough to leave New Orleans but I'll do what I have to for my family.



So stay tuned! Later today I'll post my beer review and an update on my job search!



Cheers!



The Beer Buddha