Want to hear about one of the most delightful events to happen all year in the city of Milwaukee? No? Then get the fuck out because I’m about to tell you guys everything. Every year the city welcomes everyone everyone from all around into their fine city and tells them that they can just kinda mosey around into whatever building they feel like (as long as it’s on the list) and then you learn about the city and the things it has to offer! There are legitimately a hundred and fifty different buildings and businesses and organizations that welcome the public to come marvel that the wonders of what they do and how they help contribute to the vibrant and mystical aura that is the city. Every year there are some “spotlight neighborhoods” to lure people (namely white people from the suburbs) into neighborhoods that are beautiful and thriving, but they might not normally visit because of their inherent racism and fear. This year’s spotlight neighborhoods were Mitchell Street, MLK Drive, and Oak Creek.

Honestly? I did not go to any of the spotlight neighborhoods, not because of very true reality that Mitchell Street is very hispanic and MLK Drive is predominantly an African-American neighborhood but more so because I was hellbent on seeing every goddamn church in this entire goddamn city. And I did a pretty good job. And how did I reward myself by seeing so many churches all across downtown and the East Side? By starting my Sunday of day two of Door’s Open Milwaukee at the new Milwaukee Brewing 9th Street location with Ashley!

Here’s where my Wisconsinite shines through. Ashley and I ventured out to have an “early brunch,’ aka breakfast, at Goodkind here in Bay View where we started drinking at, oh, I don’t know, 9am? Then we caught a Lyft up to 9th Street, where we wanted to check out the Brewhouse Inn, which is a hotel that they built inside a converted old Pabst building. Honestly, the whole neighborhood over there is the old Pabst complex and some of the buildings have been revitalized and repurposed into new businesses or leveled and built upon. There are lofts and offices and various other things in that neighborhood and it’s very cool. Still downtown and quite walkable to 3rd Street or the Wisconsin Sports and Entertainment Center or (dare I say it?) the Hop, but kind of out of the way. No one goes up that hill to the brewery complex because up until the last 5 years, those were just abandoned buildings that were used twenty some years ago for making beer. But now they are being made into something more useful than just a waste of valuable property downtown.

Anyways, as I ramble, I should get back to the point. The New Milwaukee Brewing location. They still have their 2nd Street location down in Walker’s Point, but this new place is bigger and also a tap room with a full menu. Ashley and I did not eat because, as I mentioned, we just came from brunch (breakfast) but we were looking to drink. So we ordered some beers.

Ashley ordered the Oktoberfest beer because it was late September and that’s Oktoberfest beer season! I don’t like Oktoberfest beers, however, so I ordered a bold choice. A Hop-Freak, which is a 8.7% double IPA. And it was delicious. But it was too goddamn early for someone to drink two beers at 8.7%, especially since we had a full day of churches and buildings and hotels to check out. But that did not stop me from ordering a second beer, of course. My second beer was a Citron Saison, which, looking back on my Untapped profile, I noted that it tasted good but smelled off, thus making it a wild experience. And I do remember that. The bartender and I spent a lot of time trying to discuss why I might not like that beer but I also think I did like it?

 And this brings me to a point that I do feel like I have to touch on, which is the whole vibe of the place created by the bartenders and waitstaff. First off, Ashely and I were sitting right next to the the servers’ drink station, so I overheard a lot of talk between the bartenders and the servers and guess what? They hate each other. Like, profoundly and deeply cannot stand the other person. Not fun banter. But palpable and uncomfortable disdain. They were constantly bitching at each other and nitpicking and then when the servers would walk away with their drinks and then the bartenders would shittalk the servers behind their back. This isn’t like me listening to bartenders talk about which girls they took to which DMB show like at Good City, this was like me being physically uncomfortable listening to the horrible things a pony-tailed bartender was saying about a blonde server. I mean, I hate confrontation, whether it involves me or not, but this felt toxic. I know that not all coworkers can be friends, but there needs to be a united front against the enemy– the customer, but instead, they were infighting. And it was weird to be around.

Overall, Milwaukee’s 9th Street location was everything I hated in a brewpub. It was clean, it was shiney, it had no character. Also, there was a lot of living wall bullshit going on, which I hate. It had no character and it was stripped of the history that the Pabst neighborhood contained around it. But Milwaukee still turns out some good beers and I do still like to drink Milwaukee beers, and MKE does still offer their “all you care to spill” tours that I would love to go on some day. But I don’t see any reason to cruise back up there just for a few beers.

Oh, also, on the whole “just grabbing a beer” front. The place is definitely angling themselves to be a restaurant first. When we walked in, three people approached us all together (maybe they were training or maybe they were just bored?) and asked how many. I said “Oh, we’re just here for a few drinks. Can we sit at the bar?” And the three of them looked at each other confused and were like, “Oh. Yeah, sure. I guess?” And then when we sat at the bar, the bartender really pushed their brunch menu on us although we told him several times “Oh, we just came from brunch. We’re just grabbing a few beers.” I don’t know if this was just an off day or if they really want to put a spotlight on their menu at this location and if you just want a beer, you can go to their taproom in the Third Ward (or just drink one of their beers at literally any bar in the state). I don’t know.

So my final conclusion is MKE Brewing still has great beer. We all knew that. Their 9th Street brewpub, though, leaves something to be desired.

Well shit. If it’s not another post in the same decade. Must be the sign of end times. But here I am, writing to you about something that happen like three days ago*. That’s right, fam. Three DAYS ago. Not months. Not years. Days. And what’s the reason for this? First, I am trying to be more timely in my writing in general. And second, the blog is called daze of beer. Not yerez of beer. So, I present, on this dreary Tuesday following a hellishly hot Saturday the tale of the second annual Wisconsin IPA Festival hosted by Third Space.

This is the second time that we have visited Third Space and also the second time that we visited for a fun celebration on an ungodly hot day. If you recall correctly for the last time we went to Third Space last September, it was also well into the 90s that day. It makes for standing around outside drinking IPAs rather unenjoyable, but as we are consummate professionals, we still did our best to drink and drink and drink and drink. So we decided to buy five drink tickets a piece when we started our endeavor. Now, head’s up. This means that we each had five different kinds of IPAs. Not full pours, obviously, but it’s still a lot of ground to cover so let me just quickly throw down what we were drinking.

Round one: Ashley and I both had the Closer Everywhere IPA from Hacienda Beer Co. and we both loved it. Like, deeply, profoundly loved this beer. It was almost too bad that we started on such a good note because it set an impossibly high standard for the rest of the IPAs to live up to. Jake’s first beer was MobCraft IPA, which I gave him so much shit for because we go to MobCraft every week and for some reason he decided to still get their IPA instead of something from a brewery that we are not as close to or do not frequent literally. Every. Week. But regardless, he liked it. And I knew he would because it’s a good IPA and I know it’s a good IPA because I have had it before, numerous times, as we go to MobCraft. Every. Fucking. Week.

Round two: I had the Hopped By Ziggy IPA from New Barons Brewing Coop. I didn’t like it. I’m sorry but I just did not like this IPA. It tasted like nothing. No flavor whatsoever. It wasn’t even that “oh, I just taste a shitton of hops.” It wasn’t even that. It was literally like drinking a Miller Lite they forgot to sprinkle a flavor packet into. Ashley’s second beer was Zed Cloud with Motueka Hops from Lion’s Tail Brewing Co. out of Neenah. She liked it. I don’t honestly remember what she had to say about it although I do believe this is the beer she insisted I take down a direct quote for and I just didn’t because it was really hot and I had to drink fast or else my beer would also get hot. Jake’s second beer was the Bitter Bitch from Biloba Brewing. He didn’t like it. It was too bitter. And then someone made a comment that it must be what I taste like. Because I, too, am a bitter bitch.

Round three: I got the Tropidelico IPA from Gathering Place Brewery and I really liked it. I love a very citrus-y IPA. And then here’s also where things got dicey because Ashley tried to get Demon Haze from Eagle Park Brewing Co. but they were actually out of it, so she ended up getting the Space Whistle IPA from Company Brewing, which she still liked. Jake’s third beer was Mosiac Theory from Component Brewing. Jake’s assessment was that the beer didn’t have much flavor.

Round four: This was a big one for me, guys. I got the Galaxy IPA from Octopi Brewing and I adored it. It tasted like Blue Moon ice cream. That’s right. My favorite flavor of ice cream which is an illusive flavor that is hard to describe because it’s so firmly rooted in it’s chemical makeup that it never occurs naturally but that is what this beer tasted like. I was so into it that I tried to see how other people described it on Untappd and Beer Advocate and other people were also struggling to articulate the flavor of the beer, which is exactly how I also feel about having to articulate what blue moon ice cream tastes like! So brilliant. Ashley’s fourth beer was Juju the Avenger from Rock County Brewing. She had some very unpleasant things to say about this beer. It would be indelicate to repeat them here in this high class blog. And Jake’s fourth beer was Juice Packets Citra from The Fermentorium. I think he liked it enough. He doesn’t like IPAs though, so this whole day was a hard read for me on what Jake was thinking about any particular beer.

Closing round: I had the NZF from Lucky’s 1313 Brew Pub which I don’t remember drinking. Not because I was sloshed after five four ounce pours, but more so because it was so hot and all I could think about was how hot I was. Ashley’s last beer was the Bunny Green Toe from Lake Louie Brewing. Again, I don’t know what she thought about it. Jake’s last beer was Ride Fast Take Chances from Fifth Ward Brewing Co, which I do remember him liking. Especially since it was Fifth Ward Brewing Co out of Oshkosh and not someone trying to call Walker’s Point the Fifth Ward again.

And then he bounced because it was goddamn hot guys. But I will say, the beer that won the People’s Choice award for best IPA was the festival was the Demon Haze IPA, which is you recall from scrolling up, was also the IPA that Ashley tried to order and they were already out of. So I think everyone sort of saw that coming in terms of what the People’s Choice beer was. I voted for the first beer I had, for the record, the Closer Everywhere IPA from Hacienda Beer Co. The IPA that was named best in Wisconsin from the experts that be was Upward Spiral from Third Space, which I didn’t have at the festival, but it is definitely a staple of my home beer stock. I almost always have either Upward Spiral or Happy Place stocked up in my kitchen, so I’m glad to see them getting recognized for having such an outstanding beer.

Honestly, I love Third Space beers and I love going over to their brewery and I am going to have to find an excuse to head over there on a typical day, maybe on a day that hell is firmly contained below Earth’s crust and now just leaking into life.

*This now happened over a month ago, but I still wrote it three days after the fact and I’m

I feel an awkward, judgmental silence coming from you right now. It’s taking a lot to not immediately burst into a nervous sweat while I frantically and incoherently babble on and on about how long it’s been since content, real content, has graced this blog and how the holidays are hard and hectic, and how I promise to do better next time, I swear. I’m not sure if saying any of that will help though. I don’t know if that’s how I can win back your affection. I know I said a lot of things last time we were together. Things about hope. And faith. And optimism for the new year. Disappointing you was never my goal, I hope you know that, right? I hope that you understand that things get crazy sometimes. Life runs away from us. The weekends are full, the nights are cold and long, and sometimes it’s hard to muster the strength and energy to drink beer somewhere other than the shower. But I promise, we will try harder in the coming weeks.

But here I am, writing from Pittsburgh’s beautiful North Shore, hot off a trip to a, do I dare say it? A… oh my God. An actual, real life, honest to God brewery. Stop fainting. I am just as shocked as you, but guys. It happened. I. Went. To. A. Brewery. Now, I recognize to the casual reader who may not see the time stamps on all these posts, they might be like “of course. that’s the premise of this blog.” But to the die hard fans (stop laughing), you know that I have not gone to a brewery since NOVEMBER and even then, it was a repeat of a past brewery. My God. Who have I become?

But fret not, for now, I am fresh off a flight from a local Pittsburgh delight called Hop Farm Brewing Co. I wandered into the taproom just around noon to find a couple sitting at the bar and a jolly crowd at the table. I ordered four 5oz pours, as I was alone and needed to try as much of the menu as possible in order to properly assess the situation I was working with. This was especially risky because I did no research before heading into Pittsburgh. I had no idea what kind craft beer scene they had and this brewery just happened to be the first one that popped up on GoogleMaps when I left the Warhol Museum* in search of beer. It could have been total garbage for all I knew, but it was where I decided to check out.

Before I get into the beers that I ordered, let me start by saying that this brewery was very much in it’s element. When I was driving there, having just come from beautiful downtown Pittsburgh that was clean and shiny, visiting a museum just a block from PNC Park, I was rather greeted with rundown and dilapidated houses and abandoned business. At first, I was put off. Oh? This neighborhood? Really? But then within half a block, I was greeted by the familiar face of gentrification, the kind of places craft breweries are thriving. While the neighborhood looked worn and forgotten, looking more closely, you could see the spin studios and artisanal bread shoppes. It was foolish for me to question the neighborhood of this brewery, because so many breweries thrive in neighborhoods that are just starting to turn away from the grime and into the… intentional grime?

So, back to the inside and my flight. I got their Sugar Plum Fairie French Saison which was a delightful beer. It was crisp and sparkly, with a refreshingly sweet finish. I really enjoyed it and had I had friends with me, I would have probably gladly gotten a full pour of it. But as I was alone, I couldn’t be bogged down by just one beer (especially one at 9.5% ABV). It felt seasonally appropriate without being too heavy. The next beer on the flight was Purple 21 which was a classic English bitters style beer. I was hesitant to order it at first, because I wasn’t super familiar with that style of beer, but it was a pleasant surprise. It had lavender flavors, which as we all know, I love. I love lavender flavored coffees and cupcakes and pastries. I love lavender scents. I love it. But, I did not love this beer. I did like this beer. I think I like the style of beer and will definitely order it again, but it’s the lavender that was the drawback in my opinion. It was very flowery, which is to be expected, but at the same time, it had a hint of soap. Like you were at your grandmother’s sister’s house, using the guest bathroom that hasn’t been used this decade with a bar of soap that hasn’t been changed this century. And again, I liked it. I just couldn’t shake that emotional connection. The next beer on the flight was their nitro IPA. It was dark. But I like nitros. But it was dark. That’s all I’ve got to say about it. And then the last beer was a classic Natalie mistake. I ordered the Hippie Heffer which was a hefenweizen style beer. Guys. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you (and myself) that I do not like hefenweizen style beers. Why do I keep doing this? Why am I so broken? I have a strong sense that this beer is actually really good to people who are normal and well-rounded, but to me it had a good start and a hefenweizen finish. And it’s that finish, that makes a hefenweizen a hefenweizen, that ruins the whole experience for me.

But while I was there, the taproom filled in quite nicely. And the couple that were there when I came in and another gentleman who came in to get a growler filled were chatting about other breweries in the area, so of course I jumped in and asked for recommendation for other locals that they enjoyed. They then spouted off about 10 different places for me to check out, plus a couple along my route back to Wisconsin. Unfortunately, I do not believe I will make it to another brewery. The weather is rainy and taking a turn for the cold, and I wish to be back in Wisconsin before the winter weather returns, but I do like the list I have amassed for my next visit to Pittsburgh.

In whole, the brewery was delightful. It gave me a chance to interact directly with the locals of Pittsburgh, who turn out to be some of the nicest people I’ve bumped into recently. The city is so beautiful. The streets are easy to navigate. There are bridges everywhere that add to the aesthetic of the skyline rather than just functioning purely out of necessity to traverse the Allegheny River. Other than the one barista who needed to confirm another barista “felt like” making me a drink before she would allow me to order a coffee at this coffee shop I am currently sitting at, everyone here has been painfully, insultingly kind. Even the hipsters at the Warhol museum. Everyone just wanted to welcome you to their great city that I feel is often overshadowed by their big brother to the East. And while I have also never been to Philadelphia, I doubt anyone there could provide such a warm and welcoming feeling as the people of Pittsburgh gave to me. Thanks Pittsburgh. I genuinely cannot wait to return.

*Amazing museum if you ever went through that Andy Warhol phase in high school like myself (and many other faux interesting people) did. Also, just amazing in general. If you’re in Pittsburgh, would recommend highly.

This post is hardly a post, but I just wanted to briefly take a moment to reflect on the first seven months of beer and the year to come. This will be like those annual family updates people send with their Christmas cards under the false delusion that people actually care what your children have been doing for the last twelve months and haven’t seen their train wrecked lives on social media all year. Like, you can write all day about how great Rebecca is doing in her first year of college and how stellar her grades are and how involved in the campus community she is, but that doesn’t magically erase the pictures of her doing a keg stand I saw on Facebook last weekend. And sure, your son Jimmy might be a “budding artist” and how exciting it is for you as a parent to watch his creative interests “flourish” but the only “budding art” I’ve seen come out of your son in the last few years is in the form of actual bud. Weed. Marijuana. Devil’s lettuce. Carol, your son is a  drug dealer. Everyone knows it. Stop trying to convince us otherwise in your annual family newsletter. How else did he afford that Gucci watch? Stop pretending.

But I digress. This isn’t about your shitty cousins and your aunts that are in denial about it. This is about us. About beer. About family.

While the Beer train hasn’t always been the most concise, timely, or appropriate blog on the internet, the experiences that have been had in the name of creating content have been precious (or something). In the last seven months since this endeavor has begun, I have watched as my friends (you people) have flourished into beer snobs. I recently had a very disgusting conversation about Terrapin Beer Co.’s Hopsecutioner IPA, which, as we discussed, was boring and very much just an IPA with nothing unique or special or distinguishing about it. Then we devolved into just referring to it as a LiePA. That’s actually super cool, considering that fact that a year ago most of us wouldn’t even drink an IPA and now we not only enjoy IPAs but know the difference between good and bad and fine ones. That’s incredible! We are beer snobs!

And the message has spread. People have visited breweries in the name of “Daze of Beer” in over six states. Not every one of those visits got write-ups on the blog, but every single one had the Daze of Beer spirit in their heart while this bizarrely unique and geographically (but not ethnically) diverse family sipped local brews. Drinking local isn’t just an idea, it’s a lifestyle, and one that I am proud to watch my conspirators and collaborators take part in. Starting shortly, probably just after the new year, you’ll probably to start seeing other names on the “author” tags. I won’t be the only one spewing my gospel on this blog. And I think that will only help to grow this audience, because nihilism isn’t cute anymore but I just can’t seem to reign it in.

Speaking of the impending doom of 2018, this is may be something to look forward to. The continuation of this journey. When this idea was conceived in April and the journey was started in May, it looked nothing like what it has evolved into. I thought we were going to hastily whip through all that Milwaukee has to offer and then I would have just spent 40 dollars on two different domain names for nothing. But what it has become is a pleasure. A nice way to interact with my friends outside our comfort zone in settings that have now transformed into our comfort zones. We didn’t just look at breweries as checklist items that need to be scratched off, but have come to love and protect them with full hearts. And 2018 is going to be a time for us to further grow and develop this weirdly sincere passion I now have that six months ago I referred solely to as a “joke.” Tim’s homebrewing now. I’m becoming more disciplined (though not any more timely or eloquent) as a writer/blogger. Jake has been pitching some incredibly convincing podcast concepts and ideas in correlation to this blog. Ashley has been taking an active and concerted interest in the “What’s next?” department.

Maybe in 2018, we take it on the road. Weekends at other breweries out of state. Maybe we do finally start that podcast. Maybe more than just four people actually sift through the bullshit and find something redeeming in the words I lay to screen. Who knows? Maybe this will all come crashing down around us. But there is a future here, I feel, and while that seems sappy and out of character for me to see a future in anything, this is the place that I feel it. In this blog.

Nobody needs any reminder that 2017 was not the best year on record for any of us. Personally and locally and globally, it’s been a wild ride with ever plummeting downs and fewer and fewer ups. But throughout that, there’s still been beer and Beer. Beer has lasted the test of time. And maybe it was the Beer that got us through 2017 and maybe it will be the beer and Beer that will get us through 2018. Whatever may happen, it’s been a hell of a ride so far and I think this is the one thing in this world that will certainly only get better in 2018.

Cheers.