As I subway surfed this morning (it’s where you try and stay standing without holding onto anything) I reflected on how hard this “Debriefing” blog was going to be. One mission per week. Sheesh, this is going to be tough. But then I remembered the reason why I’m here in NYC, the same reason that led to the creation of Checkverse: to experience as many things as I can with the 60 (fingers crossed) or so years I have left. A mission a week can be a big undertaking, but who cares, I’m gonna try so much new stuff!
So, for this week’s debriefing, I’m going to cover the results of a mission that led to the completion of a major milestone in my life: finding out what kind of beer I like.
The Beer Connoisseur
My friend Jake created the mission “Beer Connoisseur”. It’s very popular and a lot of Checkversians have taken it on. What’s the goal? To try a bunch of major varieties of beer: pale ale, hard cider, lager, stout, wheat beer, IPA, pilsner and ale. As of last night, I have tried all of these beers and here’s the proof:
The Debrief
So what’d I get out of this? A lot! Not since my first craft beer have I had such a beer enlightenment. If I could only go back to college knowing what I know now, my weekends would have been much… higher quality. I bet that’s what Rod Stewart was referring to. Here are the key points:
- I now know that’s there’s more than just “IPA” and “everything else”.
- New favs! Thanks to Jake, I learned I’m a fan of lager and wheat beer. Wheat beer was a special revelation. That stuff is great!
- Not big on the stouts. If someone knows a stout that will change my mind, let me know, but I’m not keen on the mouth feel.
- I feel much more empowered when I’m standing at the bar trying to make eye contact with the tender with tender in hand. The tap heads mean something to me now. I’m far less prone to just say “I’ll have what he’s having” or “give me the red one”.
- I had a Heady Topper and learned the legend of this unicorn of a beer. After my friend Scott created and completed “Drink Heady Topper”, I mentioned I’d never tried it before. Two days later my friendly FedExman handed me a box with two Heady Toppers enclosed, courtesy of Scott himself. Then when I completed “Drink Heady Topper” myself, I was surprised at how many people came out of the woodwork to talk about this beer (which I’d never heard of) to tell me about its rarity and quality. So what do I think about it? I’ve got a new reason to visit Vermont!
No, after this mission, I’m not a beer expert, but I do have the basic tools to order something I’ll like and know what I’m getting into. I have the groundwork laid to learn more about the beer world. My interest is piqued!
So that’s it for this week’s debrief. Find out what new mission I take on in next week’s episode of The Debriefing, a blog that has nothing to do with undergarments.
Your pal,
The brave self-explorer,
Anton
Like the idea of this mission? Take it on yourself by signing up for an invite to join Checkverse, an app all about doing stuff and trying new things.
