Stop the press!

A friend of mine, thinking he was buying one of my favorite beers, brought over a 24 ounce can of Hurricane High Gravity Lager. Well, no, I’d never had this before. What he thought he was buying was 211 High Gravity Steel Reserve — but this is something else, and I looked at it with suspicion. Where, I wondered, did this come? Who brewed it?

My heart fell. On the side of the can I found these heinous words: “Brewed and canned by Anheuser-Busch, Inc.” Oh great, I thought. High gravity Budweiser.

Yuck.

So I popped the top, scrunched up my nose, and took a sip. It was a gift, after all. Didn’t want to be rude.

Again, here is where I say: “Stop the press!”

This is quite an occasion. It’s a date to circle on the calendar. I have finally found something brewed by Anheuser-Busch that I actually like.

There is no tang of industrial machinery. There is no sickening aftertaste. There is actual, decent – I can even say appealing – flavor. My friends I am in shock.

This beer is not bad at all.

Now I’m not going to go so far as say that it’s wonderful, but I can’t condemn it, and I will say that I would gladly drink it again.

Anheuser-Busch, don’t get used to this, but I hereby proclaim your Hurricane High Gravity Lager as a groovy brew.

Now I wince as I publish this, as I’m sure it’s going to shred my credibility to pieces. But I have to be honest. I give credit where credit is due. I enjoyed this beer. And it went very well with a rack of smoked ribs.

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Some long time readers know I’m writing a fantasy novel about the Holy Beer.

Well, right here, right now, I’m challenging myself to finish the first draft by mid August.

If anyone was wondering why there hasn’t been any recent beer reviews, this is one of the reasons.

Wish me luck!

UPDATE 8/24/2008: I didn’t finish it.  I can blame part of it on the fact that I had a dental emergency and spent a week on codiene, which pretty much messed up my ability to write (or even think clearly).  But the other part of the blame rests solely with a section of my psyche I’m starting to think of as my “antimuse.”  I have a muse that gives me ideas for writing, and then I have an antimuse that does everything in its power to keep me from writing.  More about that later.  I did manage to put another 25,000 words on the manuscript, which is better than nothing.  The end is definitely in sight now.

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