Focus

When I started blogging, I worried that I wouldn't have enough to write about.  With one year of writing just a few weeks away and a bit over 250 posts, there seems to be enough beeriness in my life to expound upon. Presently, I'm sitting on 66 rough drafts of various bars and beers that I've had in the past few months.

Which means I have to be a more discerning writer--or devote more time.  And, the latter isn't practical at the moment.  

When I grade student papers, there's always a decision to make.  Students want a number on every piece of work, and, if the world agreed that this was important enough to pay for an appropriate student to teacher ratio, I would love to work in detail with every student on every assignment.  The reality is that the student doing the work is what's important and my limited time for feedback must be used for best effect.  

In the same vein, tasting notes on beers can distract me from writing up other experiences.  While I would like to put everything online, I need a new approach.  Special beers that are above and beyond will still need to be reviewed.  I've got a bottles of Surly Syx and Melange a Trois by Nebraska  Brewing in the fridge that need to be thoughtfully sipped.  Just tonight I acquired a bottle of Utopias 2012, so my imbibing of this unique brew must be shared.  But the rest need to be bypassed, combined or incorporated briefly into other posts. 

When I want to know what beer is good or not, I go to two trusted sources: BeerAdvocate or The Bitter Nib by Al, aka Feloniousmonk.  BA has a range of reviews from geeks to neophytes, and Al writes the most entertaining and accurate reviews online.  Others are doing a great job of documenting beer in real time, and I want to focus on developing my own contribution to the beer world.

So I will diligently drink my homework, applying my growth and learning to local watering holes, travel adventures and peak experiences.