I am still here....

So, where have I been?

I owe the three of you that are reading this blog on a regular basis (hi Bob and Jeff and that other person) my apologies for my woeful absence over the last seven months. Things have been busy, that is for sure. I have not stopped drinking beer, although I have supplemented it with a nascent obsession with single malt whisky. I could never have imagined that I would become a whisky drinker, but the small collection of about 12 single malts in my beer cellar is the start of newly found passion for the spirit. I have taken to one whisky and one beer on a typical night. Anyway, I digress a wee bit.

So what has been up. Well, I curated my first exhibition this fall for my day job at the museum. It was certainly time consuming, but incredibly satisfying and well worth the effort. That was just one of the things that ate into my beer blogging time. I taught my Tufts Museums and New Media class again this fall. I also played more golf this summer and fall than I have ever played in my life. In fact, I played 45 holes in one day. No carts, no breaks, golf for about 10.5 hours...I think I walked about 10-11 miles or so. I really wasn't that tired until a good friend came along just before the 37th hole with a corked bottle of Duvel in hand. Embarrassingly I had to pour it into my water bottle, I just didn't have a glass chalice on hand. I had one glass and it certainly hit the spot. It definitely loosened me up because that last round was the best of the day, but I think it helped induce a bit of lethargy and the urge to go home for another beer.

The biggest thing that has hampered my beer blogging is the preparation for the most important day of my life. My wife is due in about 6 weeks with our first child and I have been spending most of my spare time preparing the nursery and reading about how to be a daddy. Now do you see why I played all that golf...I will never see that much free time until I retire! I am teaching my Beer Necessities course this month, but all thoughts are on the arrival of bambina Gus (long story on the nickname).

I did spend some time over the holidays redesigning my website, so head on over and check it out http://bostonbeerman.com. I am featuring a new weekly posting called What's On Tap, where I do a brief review of a newly sampled beer. I hope to keep going with this.

So what comes next? Probably a few more postings and then another respite when the baby comes. I visited Beervana (Portland, Oregon) for the first time in November, but I just couldn't find the time to post and I hope to come up with some reflections on that trip in the next couple of days.

So, I am back for a little while at least and then my time we will be all consumed with bottles, diapers, and savoring every precious moment with my newborn daughter. See you in a few days.