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Pat is a National BJCP Judge with mead certification. Pat grew up in Midland Michigan. He has been drinking beer for half a century and from the start he pursued small local and regional brands and anything he hadn't seen before. He brewed his first home brew in the mid 60's - a complete flop and then dabbled a little during the 70s. A three month trip to England (2 weeks) and Amsterdam (2 1/2 months) in the early 70s was an eyeopener to the world of beer. He followed that up with 4 years in Toronto during grad school in the 70s when the major Canadian brewers there produced a much broader range of brands and he drank every one of them. At the end of the decade, a trip to Portland introduced him to the first vestiges of craft beer.
Settling into Minneapolis in 1979 the lack of beer diversity rekindled his interest in Homebrewing and he brewed around 300 batches between 1980 and 1990. By 1990 craft beer had spread enough where he could feed his craft beer habit without spending the entire weekend in his basement. During the 90s frequent road tips through Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan were at times required to ensure sufficient diversity in beer but by the dawn of the new century it required far less travel to find good craft beer.
Pat publishes a monthly newsletter Romancing the Foam about the enjoyment of good beer and has just launched a website at www.romancingthefoam.com. If you do not see him biking around Minneapolis to the various craft breweries and excellent craft beer bars, he is either in his garden sampling craft beer or siting on his computer adding to his website. It is a great time to love beer.
Situational Ethics - Maple Scotch Barrel-Aged S'mores Imperial Stout by Monday Night Brewing was reviewed as a Specialty Wood-Aged Beer, BJCP style 33B per the 2015 guidelines.
This beer is over the top. It smells like a bakery with a wood-fired oven in the back, exuding aromas of... Read More
Throw Back Vibes by Urban South Brewery was judged as a BJCP Style 21A, American IPA.
The brewer describes this as a West Coast IPA but it lacks the assertive West Coast bitterness, which, in this case is not a bad thing. Hoppy, citrus and tropical fruit fill the aroma with less pine that... Read More
This beer was reviewed as a BJCP 23C, Oud Bruin. It smells like someone poured a shot of expensive balsamic on figs and dates with a shake of black pepper and some anise. Faint chocolate, a hint of barnyard and medium low malt aromas lurk in the background. The deep dark brown to black hue... Read More
Dolce Mio by Baxter Brewing Co. was reviewed as a Spice, Herb or Vegetable Beer (Style Category 30A) according to the BJCP 2015 Style Guidelines.
This has an intriguing ingredient list - cacao, vanilla bean, lactose, and lemon that in the wrong hands can go off the rails. An initial... Read More
Hazy Cannon by Heavy Seas Beer was judged as a Specialty IPA (New England IPA), style 21B per the 2015 BJCP style guidelines.
Hazy India Pale suggests another NEIPA pushing the outer limits of haze and hops. This beer, however, is not... Read More
Lone Buffalo: Cherry Brandy Barrel Aged Stout by Wild Leap Brew Co. was judged as a BJCP Style 33B Specialty Wood-Aged Beer, per the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines.
The “Cherry Brandy Barrel Aged Stout” in the description immediately... Read More
