Featured Beer Blogger: GENEVIEVE SHULER

DRINK WITH THE WENCH PRESENTS:

The Beer Blogger Interview Series

Curious what goes on in the minds of your favorite beer bloggers? Well, The Beer Wench is and she has embarked upon a mission to interview as many beer bloggers that she can — from all over the world. Are you a beer blogger? Do you want to share your story? Send me an email!

INTRODUCING: GENEVIEVE SHULER

AUTHOR OF: THE HOPS HONEY

Beer Blogger Interview

Full name: Genevieve Shuler
Twitter handle: @TheHopsHoney
Name of blog: The Hops Honey
Current location: NYC

Background “Snapshot”

1. Where did you grow up?

NW Jersey until I was 9, and then Oneonta in upstate NY

2. What sports if any did you play growing up, through college and beyond?

I tried my hand at karate, soccer and softball… and quickly conceded the fact that I was born a dancer, not an athlete! I did ballet as a kid & then tap & jazz all through school… oddly enough, I’m a complete klutz on the street (or, dear lord, a staircase…), but strap on a pair of dance shoes & give me a routine & I’m totally fine!

3. How old were you when you had your first beer?

I think I was a senior in high school…

4. If you can recall, what is the story of your first beer? Where did you have it? What style and brand was it?

I was NOT a partier in high school (total goody-two-shoes band/theater/dance geek & loved every minute of it!), but I had a crush on a boy so I went to a party along the river under the highway overpass with a friend, and said crush gave me a beer… though, come to think of it, I’m pretty sure it was some form of cider…

5. Where, if applicable, did you go to college? What did you study? What additional activities, organizations, sports did you partake in during college?

I went to Hartwick College in Oneonta (mom taught there so it was tuition-free!) and had a double major in Management & Spanish Education. I was an RA and campus tour-guide, and some-time member of the Orchesis dance club… and I co-taught a freshman seminar course and directed a children’s musical theater program in the town over… Cooperstown… you may have heard that there’s some great beer from over there! While I may not have had time for sports, clubs or greek life… I did get to spend 2 months in Spain and 1 month living in Puerto Rico while I was in college, which were definitely the high-points of my college experience! (PR in January is MUCH better than upstate NY!)

Craft Beer Epiphany

Every craft beer enthusiast has at least one pinnacle craft beer experience that completely changes ones perspective on beer. I refer to this mind-blowing moment as a “craft beer epiphany.”

1. What was your first craft beer epiphany? Recall as many details about it as you can:

During college I was definitely a beer neophyte, and just drank whatever was in the keg or ordered in rounds at the bar, but somewhere around my junior year I saw a new beer on tap at the Black Oak Tavern in my hometown of Oneonta and decided to give it a try… It was Sierra Nevada, and I immediately fell in love! At the time there weren’t many bars that were carrying it on tap, but if I ever saw it there was no doubt what I was ordering. Still, for many years this beer and a few Long Trails here and there were the only ‘good’ beers I drank… until…

2. Have you have additional craft beer epiphanies since the first? Detail as many of them as you wish:

… August 23, 2007… my friend Orry knew how much I loved Sierra Nevada, so he took me to the Blind Tiger in NYC. The night before they’d had a Sierra Nevada event that featured at least 17 taps of different SN brews. My jaw about hit the ground and I called my step-father to exclaim, “OMG, Timmy! I’m looking at 17 different taps of Sierra Nevada… I didn’t know they had this many!!!” That was the day that opened my eyes to the possibilities of the world of beer… and I was hooked!

Beer Blog Background

1. How long have you been writing your beer blog?

I’m still a blogging-baby… I started the blog 4 months ago, in September, 2009!

2. What inspired you to start writing your blog?

I was starting to get really into beer and none of my friends were as interested and I wanted to journal my experiences with learning more about beer, and wanted a forum from which to have a dialogue with other beer-lovers… and a friend of mine had recently started her own blog with great success & that gave me the confidence to try my hand at it!

3. Why did you choose the name of your blog?

I’m definitely a hop-head, and I wanted the name of my blog to convey that A) I was a girl writing about beer, and B) well, that I was writing about beer! (Some discarded but discussed runners-up included Lady Lager, Imbibarella and FemAle… I think I made the right choice!)

4. What are you personal goals for your blog? What do you hope to achieve with it?

Really I just wanted to see who else was out there talking about beer, and I was so blown away by the community that I’ve discovered out there, so part of my goals have already been achieved, just by being part of the discussion! My other two goals are truly to continue to learn more about the world of craft beer, and more importantly to try and encourage more gals out there to venture into the wonderland that is craft beer!

5. What is one of the coolest things that happened to you as a result of being a beer blogger?

Getting to meet other people within the community has probably been the best result of the blog thus far. Instead of just being another body in the bar, being able to say that you’re writing about beer lets people know that you’re serious and that you want to be a part of and help advance the craft beer industry/community, and it’s been so amazing just to see how everyone I’ve met is so passionate, so welcoming, so open… and so dedicated to sharing, communication and collaboration… it’s been beautiful to discover!

6. What are you top 3 favorite beer blogs/beer websites?

I swear, this is not ass-kissing, but… DRINK WITH THE WENCH,  HOPTOPIA & THE VICE BLOG

Beer Talk

1. What are your top 3 favorite beer styles?

IPA, Hefeweissen & Sours

2. What are your top 3 favorite breweries?

Elysian, Green Flash & Dogfish

3. If you could work with or for any one brewery, which one would it be and why?

I don’t think I’d want to work with or for any particular brewery at this point, simply because I’m enjoying getting to become familiar with as many breweries as I possibly can without bias! Although, it must be a serious kick to work with/for Sam at DogFish…

4. Are you a homebrewer? If yes, what is the most unique and interesting beer recipes you’ve brewed as a homebrewer?

I know that a lot of people say they’d homebrew if they had a bigger apartment, and then someone counters with “well you really don’t need THAT much space to start small…”… but hey, you at least need to have a kitchen, right? Given that my apartment is 105 sq. feet, I’m going to have to wait until my next apartment before I can start homebrewing… but I definitely plan to! (see… the NY Post saw how small my apt is!)

5. Do you have any beer certifications (BJCP, Cicerone, Siebel, American Brewers Guild)?? If so, what are they?

Nope – not a one! Maybe someday…

6. What is your favorite beer and food pairing?

CHEESE! I’m totally, 100% addicted to cheese… so the fact that beer & cheese pair together so beautifully is a truly incredible (read: delicious) gift!

The Personal Side

1. What is your current day job?

I’m the Marketing Coordinator at a non-profit that raises money for a basic science research institute in Israel.

2. If you could change your career at this very moment, without any restrictions on what you could do, what would you want to do and why?

I’d open up a brew-pub in Vermont with a B&B above, and a farm down the road to help sustain the restaurant… le sigh…

3. Are you married? Children?

Not yet… and not yet… but I’m currently accepting applications!

4. Outside of beer and writing, what are some of your other hobbies?

Living in NYC I love being able to check out theater, concerts, movies in the park in the summer and, of course, singing show tunes at Marie’s Crisis! I’m also big into camping & traveling, and lately I’ve managed to combine the two quite successfully!

Off The Beaten Path

1. If you were a style of beer, what style would be and why?

I’d definitely be an IPA… a strong flavor that not everyone can appreciate, but those that love an IPA are true devotees… full to the brim with hoppy bitterness, but with a sometime-sticky, sometime-floral sweetness that catches you off guard…

2. You were caught smuggling beer illegally, which has now been made punishable by death. Right before you are sent to the executioner, you are offered one last beer. What beer would you chose and why?

A Sierra Nevada Pale Ale… the beer that started it all for me should, rightfully, be my last…

3. If I contracted you to brew a beer (or design a beer recipe) called “The Beer Wench” — what style would you chose and what, if any, extra ingredients would you add?

“Bad to the Bean”… a hoppy IPA made with espresso beans for a caffeine jolt as well as some fiery chilis!

4. If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

Teleportation – that way I could visit any brewery at any time without regards to vacation time or finances! (I could also visit any beach in the world on a random weekend when I need a break!)

5. What is one of the craziest things you have ever done and lived to tell the story?

I did a hike into the FL Everglades over spring break in college & camped out overnight… with an alligator breathing outside my tent during the night… the hike ‘out’ was definitely much faster than the hike ‘in’!

6. What are your thoughts on bacon?

Given that I’m stuffing my face with this roasted bacon, apple, onion & cheddar melt right now… I’d say I’m a fan! Oh, and when I stopped being a vegetarian after 8 years, it was the first thing I had!

SPECIAL THANKS TO GENEVIEVE FOR AN AWESOME INTERVIEW!

BEER CHICKS RAWK!

CHEERS!