Writing Reviews

Its gotten to the point where “wisconsinbeerun” has to start writing reviews about bars and restaurants.  This is a good thing.  “Pictures are good…but we NEED text!” someone told me.  My general attitude that all food is good food and wherever I’m standing is currently the coolest place apparently is well received.

“We like the drunk-know-it-all attitude.  You don’t take yourself so damn serious like the rest of you people.  Our normal customers are simple people.  They want to go to other simple places.  None of that chain Bullshit virus we got going around.”

I’ll never review a place the first time I go to it.  That’s a bad idea.  Typically you only write a review if you’re really glad or really pissed off about something.  I’ll also pay for everything.  The second I start getting free food and drink pretty sure that place will seem a lot cooler.

The geographic area that “wisconsinbeerun” covers is Eau Claire in the center, Wausau/Stevens Point to the East, Lacrosse to the South, the Twin Cities to the West, and Duluth.  We’re not trying to produce a definitive guide of this area nor are we shut out to the idea of traveling outside this area.  The general idea behind this to establish a home base and work that home base well so we can enlarge it in a few months/years to eventually cover all of Wisconsin.

New Sign Off

So after a few conversations with “radio people” apparently I need to say something about the music played on “wisconsinbeerun.”  I’m not a big fan of “puffery” or what I like to call “hipster bullshit” so I really don’t like talking on and on about stuff I like.  I like it and that’s good enough for me.

So from now on “wisconsinbeerun” will start to tack on a little piece about the music we play.  It’ll be more of a historical-context-type-thing as opposed to a cutting-edge-this-music-will-blow-your-mind type-thing.  But yeah, this should help round out the “beers are songs, breweries are bands; enjoy the music” motif we employ every episode.

This new change we be the last thing said before we go off air.  Therefore we need a sign off to make every episode consistent.  That sign off will be “check ya later.”  It is a quote from the movie “Dazed and Confused” and one of the dumbest things you can possibly say to a group of girls.  I think it sums up the fact that “wisconsinbeerun” really doesn’t give a fuck what people think.

Speaking of “not giving a fuck,” apparently there is also a demand for more bullshit political conspiracy theories and The Wisconsin Socialist Workers Party propaganda.  This is great.  It highlights the specter that is currently haunting Wisconsin-the specter of being politically divided.  Some people in Wisconsin are hardcore conservative, some are hardcore liberal, most really don’t care that much and don’t vote.

The big problem with this is that when you take an extreme position on an issue you force your opponent to take an extreme position on the same issue.  That sets you up to bitch and bitch at each other without really accomplishing anything.  Fuck that noise.

I’ve been working on “wisconsinbeerun” for about seven years now.  Or better yet had the idea for “wisconsinbeerun” for about seven years now.  Either way, the past six months of public content have been a long time in the making.  The tone was developed for this project from listening to people bitch about shit at the bar.

Most other Beer Media Outlets but beer on a high pedestal and have been formally doing beer media for years now.  I can’t compete with that.  The fact is “wisconsinbeerun” is one person currently funding himself is somewhat impressive and somewhat silly.  I’m having the time of my life working on this project and believe eventually it’ll pay off.

If not I’ll just bitch about it at the bar to some rando person who couldn’t care less. 

New Glarus Beer Dinner @ Grizzly's

Every Beer Dinner I’ve been to holds a special place in my memory. They are mini vacations. It gives chefs a chance to try out things that wouldn’t really work every night of the week. A simple equation best sums it up: Good Food + Good Beer = Great Time

Episode 26: New Glarus Beer Dinner

Episode 25: Lucette Clay Classic

live music, cold beer

Nothing is more primordial than live music and cold beer. Must be the cave man in me but when these to come together I rejoice. Sunday night was a great example of this.  Sure no one likes paying for these things.  But five bucks for music and buck seventy five pulls of Old Style, C’mon?  Ten bucks can buy you paradise in Northern Wisconsin.

Lucette Clay Classic

I started “wisconsinbeerun” because I wanted to go everywhere and do everything ...in the world of beer. This isn’t going to happen. Saturday was a perfect example of this. I had plans to go to the Autumn Beer Review, the biggest Beer Fest in Minnesota AND the Lucette Clay Classic, an event with less than twenty people. I underestimated the combination of disc golf and beer. The result was me staying in Menomine all day.