A Note on Style...

The function and frequency of this blog is changing along with its name - The Drunken Destrier has become La Vie en Gueuze.

The reasons for this are twofold; firstly, while the blog has not quite become a ghost blog it has been idling with a greatly reduced output and in need of a reboot, so redesigning the blog to make it feel fresher seems like a good idea.

Secondly, one of the original functions of the blog was to document my experiences of the Irish craft beer industry from a strictly consumer point of view - I would excitedly try new beer that the country's brewers have to offer and give my honest opinion. Occasionally this would require me to vent my frustration or disappointment or even rather harsh criticism of a beer. However, since August 2018 I have been working in a brewery, heading up the packaging end of things in Eight Degrees Brewing, spending a lot of time working in the fermentation cellar of the brewery, as well as working on dispatching and local deliveries, dealing with trade customers and increasingly spending more time in the brewhouse and having a hand with recipe formulation. Safe to say that, despite still being a very active consumer of beer (both Irish and otherwise), I am not exclusively a consumer. While I am still happy to taste and talk about the beers I love (good beer should be advocated, no matter the brewer), I admit to feeling less comfortable with the prospect of publicly slamming a beer or brewer while working in the industry - such a thing seems unprofessional, and I would much rather engage in a conversation with brewers and producers about quality and brewing processes, than just shoot my mouth off on this blog.

So what can you expect to see here from now on?

Honestly, much of the same. Years ago I abandoned the notion that I could try even a paltry amount of the new beers released weekly by Irish brewers, and there are only so many variations on an IPA I can face before losing a bit of interest. As such, expect to see beers emptied from the cellar, interesting imports and a diversity of styles, reflecting pretty much what I feel like drinking at the time. On top of this, I intend to share my infrequent experiences in homebrewing, hopefully in long-form 'grain to glass' posts. You may even see me design and apply labels to my beer, in the interest of journalistic completion-ism.

Lastly, this is clearly coming about because I have an unusual amount of time on my hands because of the pandemic, and there's only so much drawing a man can do before he loses his mind. I hope you are keeping safe and well.

PS. A hat tip to John at The Beer Nut, the original inspiration for this blog and the one whose model I stole followed (and still more or less follow) from the beginning. Still the benchmark for informed and honest beer opinion and pleasant travelogues, and 15 years old this month.