Drinking Beer Not That Exciting Anymore
The great thing about being a hoarder and never throwing anything away, is that you are often nostalgically surprised when you pull something out of a box you’ve had stored in the attic for 20-years.
Take this Farfrompüken t-shirt I discovered this morning. This thing brings back memories. Memories such as waking-up under a freeway overpass in a shopping cart and wondering at what point during the previous night I agreed to wearing a “Picasso-deranged” version of clown makeup.
It’s funny how, when you’re in your early twenties, spending two hours in the imported beer section at Liquor Barn was not only acceptable, but crucial! Every label must be read in order to guarantee you were getting the most alcohol content possible while still maintaining some sort of traditional, non-threatening ingredients. “Now With Extra Turpentine!” is probably a clue you should try something else.
Once you hit thirty, buying beer is much less exciting—oh, you’ll drink more—but, spending more than 10-seconds choosing a beer is pretty much a thing of the past.
I spent most of my 30′s living in the land of beer: Wisconsin. If you live there, it’s a written law that you must drink a Wisconsin beer; otherwise, I’m pretty sure it is legal for citizens to dress you up in a Minnesota Vikings uniform and let you loose in a frozen, but moderately trafficked section of the state (Wisconsinites will immediately recognize this as a fate much worse than death). The good news, though, is that nearly every small town has it’s own brewery, so you can always find something you like.
My favorite brewery was Leinenkugel’s in Chippewa Falls, and in particular, their Honey Weiss beer. I’ve had many exciting adventures fueled by Honey Weiss—sometimes mixing such unrelated themes as lumberjacking and the abuse of fireworks.
By the time you get to be forty-years-old you drink almost the same amount of beer you did in your thirties, but the beer-induced adventures consist of you watching your drunk, thirty-something friends experience their alcohol-fueled adventures. When you’re forty, climbing trees in 10-below zero temperatures doesn’t sound like the greatest idea ever anymore—but, watching your inebriated buddies do it can be very entertaining.
Now that I’m through my forties and living in Southern California, I just don’t get that excited about beer anymore. I might have one or two if I go out to a Mexican restaurant or something, and you can’t even get Honey Weiss out here. If I do order a beer it’s usually Dos Equis—not because it tastes the best, but because that’s what the most interesting man in the world prefers. 
Stay thirsty, my friends…
Dead Rooster is the online home of 
I smiled all the way through reading your post because your own observations of beer through the decades matches what I have likewise observed. Having said that, let me now tell you a secret. The best beer you will ever drink is not found on the imported beer shelves. It’s that which you make yourself and not from a kit. How do I know that? Well, as you know I’m a Canadian but what you don’t know is that my husband is a brewmeister extraordinaire. Everyone who drinks his homemade lagers, ales and stouts loves them, except for me. There’s something about my tastebuds that recoils in horror when I slurp beer into my mouth. I hate the taste – absolutely hate it!
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William McCamment
reply on October 30th, 2009 5:38 pm:
Sounds like your husband has it down. When I lived in Wisconsin we had a neighbor that brewed his own beer. At first it was really good, but he kept experimenting and got WAY out there—he once made beer using coffee. Didn’t like that one too much. LOL
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lol…extra turpentine! I used to spend tons of time looking and trying different beers too but I find I rarely go to the liquor store anymore. I wait until I’m near a brewery or eating at a restaurant that brews their own beer to go nuts and drink. If you have ever been to Whistler (site of 2010 olympics) they have some incredible local beer…have a Burger with home made fries and a few pints of their beer, then follow it with a nice 2 hour nap. Nothing beats it!
Thanks for the moment of relaxation
Alan Neville, twitter @alan_neville – Glass Pipes artist, writer, and activist.
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William McCamment
reply on November 2nd, 2009 5:53 am:
Thanks, Alan!
If I’m ever in Whistler I’ll do that.
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As we grow old, we grow weary of the things we enjoy once. I’m a beer drinker and I love its relaxing feeling. Most of the time, when I write my compositions, I gulp two bottle of beer to stimulate my creativity. There are instances though that I’m curious about trying higher form of alcoholic beverages, but I’m always superceeded by my consciousness of my own health.
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William McCamment
reply on November 2nd, 2009 5:56 am:
Years ago, I used to drink a few beers before I wrote short stories, the stories always turned out magnificent (at least until I sobered up). LOL
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oh gawd the memories! I hate to admit it but I used to think Milwaukees Best was GOOD beer – YIKES! Now I prefer Stella Artois or Peroni or Becks…. Jap beer is really good too….
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William McCamment
reply on November 2nd, 2009 5:57 am:
Haha! Milwaukee’s Best! I’ve drank that a few times myself (living in Wisconsin, everyone has to at least once).
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A couple of years ago, I was a beer snob. I was -very- particular about my beer, and would swear up and down that I could tell the difference blindfolded.
These days, I’ll take the most generic domestic on tap and drink it happily. I get a -great- kick out of interacting with my beer-snob friends and getting exasperated looks for not ordering the most bitter ale in the house.
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William McCamment
reply on November 13th, 2009 7:59 am:
Some of those specialty beers aren’t so great anyway. Unless I’m in some kind of adventurous mood, Miller lite is good enough for me!
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I just hope that man in his 40s watching his buddies climb trees also has a video camera with him. Because, y’know, like that Farfrumpukken shirt, you need a little souvenir of these days.
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William McCamment
reply on November 13th, 2009 8:01 am:
My iPhone has video, but I’m rarely in the situation to film drunks anymore. Now, if I had one 10 years ago…
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I remember when I first started buying beer in the fancy grocery stores. I would do the same thing, spending hours perusing beers. There were so many imports and microbrews and fancy colors and hilarious labels. I must have looked like a moron walking up and down the aisle switching the beer I had in my hand with a new one, like I was only allowed to bring one toy home from the store and I was not going to pick the wrong one. And now that I am in my late 20s… I still do the exact same thing.
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William McCamment
reply on November 17th, 2009 4:48 pm:
Haha! That was a perfect description of me throughout my 20′s. Good times.
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