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.
Ahnapee Oktoberfest by Ahnapee Brewery was judged as a Märzen, BJCP Style 6A under 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines.
I like this beer. It pours a brilliant reddish copper under a moderate off-white foam cap as a range of bready, toasty dough aromas rise from the glass. The beer brushes your... Read More
Aniversario 1 by SouthNorte Beer Co. was judged as a Spice, Herb, Vegetable beer with underlying BJCP Category 25B, Saison. This beer is a square peg. It looks like a bad Saison topped with a thin, frothy head that recedes quickly but the dance of Mexican honey, epazote and cilantro with the... Read More
Pockets of Sunlight by Jackie O's Brewery was reviewed as BJCP Style 25B, Saison. Prying off the cap releases an inviting aroma where honey, coriander and lemon verbena blend nicely with the mixed fermentation aromas, light biscuit and faint hops. It fills the glass hazy gold under a creamy... Read More
Two Stall by Ahnapee Brewery was judged as a Spice, Herb or Vegetable Beer (BJCP Style 30A per 2015 Style Guidelines).
As soon as you pop the cap, you can tell that this beer avoids the pitfall of many chocolate milk stouts that go gangbusters on the chocolate, masking the milk stout... Read More
Batsquatch Hazy IPA by Rogue Ales & Spirits was judged as a Specialty IPA (BJCP Style Category 21B). If you are looking for a well-made, hazy NEIPA that does not burn a hole in your stomach, this beer is for you. Tropical fruit aromas, melon and stone fruit are not as up front as I would... 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
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