Featured Beer Blogger: KATE WHITTLE

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: KATE WHITTLE

AUTHOR OF: POOR DRUNK AND HUNGRY

Beer Blogger Interview

Full name: Kate Whittle
Twitter handle: @bananafofate
Name of blog: Poor, Drunk and Hungry
Current location: Missoula, Montana. Yes, the “River Runs Through It” place.
Background “Snapshot”

1. Where did you grow up?
On a small farm in rural Montana.
2. What sports if any did you play growing up, through college and beyond?
I’m you’re classic “awkward in gym class” nerd. Except for field hockey. I kick ass at field hockey.
3. How old were you when you had your first beer?
Eighteen years old. (I was a sheltered kid.)
4. If you can recall, what is the story of your first beer? Where did you have it? What style and brand was it?
It was a PBR at some house party. As a freshman girl, I thought I was super cool.

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’m about to finish my degree in journalism at the University of Montana. Most of my other activities are, er, classified information.

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:
I don’t know if this counts anymore since they’re owned by Coors, but a friend bought me some Blue Moon a few years ago. I was like, “damn, this is way tastier than the crap I’ve been drinking at parties.”

2. Have you have additional craft beer epiphanies since the first? Detail as many of them as you wish: I think when someone explained growlers to me

Beer Blog Background

1. How long have you been writing your beer blog?
I started up my cooking/booze blog a little after January of this year. Poor, Drunk and Hungry started as a food column for my school paper, the Montana Kaimin.

2. What inspired you to start writing your blog?
I have so much more drunken rambling than is fit to print.

3. Why did you choose the name of your blog?
It sums up the college experience, I think.

4. What are you personal goals for your blog? What do you hope to achieve with it?
I aim to become the Martha Stewart of inebriated country bumpkins. Yes, I aim high.

5. What is one of the coolest things that happened to you as a result of being a beer blogger?
People come up to me in bars and argue with me about beer and tacos. Totally amusing.

6. What are you top 3 favorite beer blogs/beer websites?
Lessee…Beer Wench, of course, the Grizzly Growler, and the web site for the Kettlehouse brewery, which is about four blocks from my house, so I always check to see what’s on tap.

Beer Talk

1. What are your top 3 favorite beer styles?
I’m all about dark beer: porters, bocks, stouts.

2. What are your top 3 favorite breweries?
This is a tough one. I’d say Missoula’s Big Sky and Kettlehouse breweries, and Angry Hank’s in Billings, MT.

3. If you could work with or for any one brewery, which one would it be and why?
I also really admire Bayern Brewery in Missoula for being a traditional German-style brewery: they still follow the Reinheitsgebot brewing law. It would be neat to learn the old-school methods.

4. Are you a homebrewer? If yes, what is the most unique and interesting beer recipes you’ve brewed as a homebrewer?
No, sadly…

5. Do you have any beer certifications (BJCP, Cicerone, Siebel, American Brewers Guild)?? If so, what are they?
Nope… “college student” is my only certification.

6. What is your favorite beer and food pairing?
Beer and chili.

The Personal Side

1. What is your current day job?
Student/journalist/intern at various publications.

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?
Host an irreverent cooking show on the Food Channel.

3. Are you married? Children?
Nope…

4. Outside of beer and writing, what are some of your other hobbies?
Knitting, jumping into mosh pits, arguing.

Poor, Drunk & Hungry: Cookies from Montana Kaimin on Vimeo.

Off The Beaten Path

1. If you were a style of beer, what style would be an why?
I think I’d be a really strong IPA. You know, a little bitter, and some people can’t handle it, but still really awesome.

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?
Bayern Brewery’s Doppelbock.

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?
Would definitely brew a nice, rich scotch ale. No floofy ingredients.

4. If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
I’d have the ability to pack a large amount of things into a small, weightless bag, ala Mary Poppins. Also, a magical refilling growler and the ability to snap my fingers.

5. What is one of the craziest things you have ever done and lived to tell the story?
Moved to Los Angeles for a summer. I will never do that again.

6. What are your thoughts on bacon?
BACON GOOD.’

SPECIAL THANKS TO KATE FOR AN AWESOME INTERVIEW!

CHEERS!