Featured Beer Blogger: THE PERFECTLY HAPPY MAN

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: TAYLOR

AUTHOR OF: THE PERFECTLY HAPPY MAN

Beer Blogger Interview

Full name: Taylor (no last name por favor)
Twitter handle: @thePHman
Name of blog: The Perfectly Happy Man
Current location: Chicago, IL

Background “Snapshot”

1. Where did you grow up?

Oak Park, IL

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

Soccer and volleyball.

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

Though I sampled my dad’s beers from time to time as a kid, I had my first legitimate beer at 19.

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 had my first brew—a beautiful Guinness Draught—at an Irish pub in Seville, Spain during a semester abroad. Legit.

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 attended Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, and graduated with a B.A. in English.

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:

Though I haven’t been into craft beer for very long, I have already had a few beer epiphanies. The first came when I first poured a glass of Three Floyds’ Alpha King: it blew my mind from the second I smelled it. I had no idea beer could contain such incredible flavors and smells. The citrus and caramel notes combined to deliver a sweetness I’d never smelled before. Needless to say, Alpha Kind remains one of my favorite beers to this day.

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

My most recent epiphany came on the back of Dogfish Head’s Palo Santo Marron. I’ve been a big fan of tawny ports, and the insane pedigree of that beer further broadened my horizons and gave me an alternative beverage to enjoy while smoking cigars. You can’t argue with Dogfish Head.

Beer Blog Background

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

I conceived, designed, and launched The Perfectly Happy Man with a good buddy of mine in December 2009 … only a couple of months ago. That’s how long I’ve been reviewing beer.

2. What inspired you to start writing your blog?

We started The Perfectly Happy Man for two reasons: community and aesthetics. We realized we had a small group of people who enjoyed beer and talked about it often—even brewed it at home—and it would be a good idea to figure out a way to stay connected. Furthermore, most of the existing beer sites/blogs and reviews we were reading online felt way too cluttered and highbrow for “commoners” like ourselves. Hence, The Perfectly Happy Man was born.

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

There’s an ancient Egyptian proverb (that may or may not be real) that proclaims, “The mouth of the perfectly happy man is filled with beer.” It seemed as fitting a name as any and we rolled with it.

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

Our biggest goals are to have fun with beer and never treat its exploration like a job. We’re out to educate others and ourselves about the wonders of the stuff, and hopefully show people that it is much more accessible than it appears. And we want to also put our chips down for responsible decision-making when it comes to beer … to own beer, not get owned by it.

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

Like I said before, I haven’t been blogging on beer for very long, but it’s been awesome to experience the cheer of the extended beer community. We’ve been on some tours, talked with some brewers, and had some great conversations. Being on the web has allowed us all to make some great connections. At The Perfectly Happy Man, we’re all about people, so that’s been a huge bonus.

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

Jury’s still out on that one … time will tell. I dig any site that does things differently than everyone else. In the beer world, that’s rare. We’re still trying to figure that one out ourselves.

Beer Talk

1. What are your top 3 favorite beer styles?

This changes all the time. Currently I’m high on IPAs, APAs, and Brown Ales.

2. What are your top 3 favorite breweries?

Easy. Three Floyds (IN), Dogfish Head (DE), and my local Chicago favorite, Metropolitan Brewing.

3. What is your favorite beer and food pairing?

I love rocking Old Style and a brat or Maxwell Street Polish at Wrigley … Go Cubbies!

The Personal Side

What is your current day job?

I work downtown Chicago for a creative web firm.

Off The Beaten Path

1. 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?

Rogue Dead Guy Ale. So much flavor, and also, it’s called “Dead Guy Ale.” What could be more appropriate?

2. 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?

“The Beer Wench” … hmm … the British might shed some light on this one. I’d go with a standard English Ale. But brewed with cheap perfume.

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

Years of pondering this very question have led me to a final choice: shapeshifting.

4. What are your thoughts on bacon?

Savory and versatile. Bacon makes terrible cooks seem not so bad.