Welcome Beer Geeks

Greetings craft beer enthusiasts! 

Welcome to The Pour Travelers, a new blog dedicated to beer travel, culture, humor, and the simple pleasures of imbibing craft beer.  Over the last five years, my wife (BA brewslut) and I (BA ffejherb) have immersed ourselves in the Central PA beer scene, and have met dozens - if not hundreds - of great, interesting people along the way.  My wife has even gone so far as to get a part-time job at Brass Rail Delicatessen, a local deli and bottle shop.  As for myself, I became hooked on craft beer around 2003 after discovering Troegs Nut Brown Ale (RIP) at a local restaurant in Enola, PA.  After seeking out some other local breweries, such as Selin's Grove and Bullfrog, we began traveling together to new beer establishments and brewpubs.  Eventually in October 2006, I stumbled across Beer Advocate.com, which propelled me into "beer geek-dom".  Quickly and in earnest, I began reviewing and critiquing craft beer and brewpubs, which proved to be a pleasant hobby (given my background in creative writing/English).  I thought, "What a way to marry two of my passions!"  So here I am.

I grew up in Shamokin, PA, a veritable vast beer wasteland where Yuengling Lager and Genesee Cream Ale was "the good stuff".  Needless to say, I didn't really develop a taste for beer until my late twenties because I just didn't know there was anything better out there in the world.  A naive notion to comprehend, I know.  To quote one of my favorite rock lyricists (and drummers), Neil Peart: "We can only grow the way the wind blows."  In other words, I only knew what I grew up learning about beer.  Better late than never, I suppose.  So now I had to make up for lost time, right?  Right!

Since we both love to travel, a few years ago we branched outside the Central PA area and began visiting towns and cities across the U.S. as beer destinations, seeking out the best brewpubs, beer bars and local watering holes.  "Beer-vana" is an endless quest, and there are simply too many good beers out there to remain unexplored.  My wife's mother once commented on a recent two-week trip to California: "Why are you going to California?"  My wife replied, "To drink beer."  Perplexed, her mother asked, "Can't you just drink beer at home?"  I guess she doesn't understand the need for beer geeks to broaden their horizons and seek out (to quote Star Trek) "new life and new civilizations."  Perhaps we aren't boldly going where no man has gone before, but we do like to get around, and get around as often as time permits. 

Introductions aside, I hope you all enjoy the blog, and I look forward to running (or stumbling) into you at the next beer event.  Cheers!

Ffej