Featured Beer Blogger: justin adkins
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: justin adkins
AUTHOR OF: BEER GEEK, DUDE
Beer Blogger Interview
Full name: justin adkins (all lowercase)
Twitter handle: @beergeekdude
Name of blog: Beer Geek, Dude
Current location: Williamstown, MA
Background “Snapshot”
1. Where did you grow up?
North San Diego County, CA before all the good beer came. I’m seriously bumming it cause some of the best brewers are blocks from my folks. I visit San Diego to drink, eat, and see my parents (in that order).
2. What sports if any did you play growing up, through college and beyond?
Surfing, water polo and basketball growing up and now… cricket
3. How old were you when you had your first beer?
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 was living in Harare, Zimbabwe and it was some local crap beer that my friends loved. I was late to beer because I was really active in the legalize marijuana movement. Seriously, this will make sense. I had this belief that if people obeyed the law and fought for legalization that it might be more effective than stoners fighting for legalization. So, I obeyed the law in a lot of ways. The drinking age in Zimbabwe is 18 and, I don’t believe this idea any more.
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 Marlboro College in Vermont. I studied a lot of things in the hills of Vermont including: anarchy, graffiti, management of information systems and gender studies. Marlboro is an alternative hippie school, you kinda do whatever you want.
I was one of the oldest students there so I was always in charge of buying beer. Because of that we mostly drank McNeills. A little rumor about Marlboro is that when they were looking for their latest president (she started the same year I did) they asked all the finalists what their favorite beer is. Ellen must have said something good cause I know we didn’t hire the guy who said Coors.
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:
It has been more of a journey for me. For my kid sisters 21st birthday I bout her a big bottle of Heineken. Come to find out candy is dandy but liquor is quicker, she does not like beer. I drank the Heineken. I thought I was being a good sibling and it was at that same time that I thought about why did I like Heineken. I just knew I liked beer and at the time is was the best beer I’d had (sad, I know). I kept drinking shit beer but I longed for something better. A few years later I moved to Oregon and I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. My ex-boyfriend’s band was sponsored by Budweiser so we drank a lot of that but most of the time I preferred to buy beer rather than drink bud. I never turned back. I just keep exploring more and more craft beers.
Beer Blog Background
1. How long have you been writing your beer blog?
Only 2 months, I’m a beer blogging noob.
2. What inspired you to start writing your blog?
I need goals in my life. Last year my goal was to drink 50 different beers at my favorite local bar, Ye Olde Forge in Lanesborough MA so that I could get my pewter mug from them. I succeeded. This was a tough one because I live 25min away and had a really rough year. This year I wanted a bigger challenge. To drink a different beer everyday for a year sounded like a good idea.
3. Why did you chose the name of your blog?
It was going to be justinsbeer.com up until the last second when I realized that Beer Geek, Dude was much catchier and more me. It’s about beer by a geek, dude.
4. What are you personal goals for your blog? What do you hope to achieve with it?
To really hone my tastebuds. I want to emerge from this year with a deeper knowledge and appreciation for beer. I am also in the process of trying to start an alehouse in my community. The experience of this blog will add to that.
5. What is one of the coolest things that happened to you as a result of being a beer blogger?
People have started bringing me beer when they travel. I came home today to find a 6pack of Yuengling on my doorstep. Dude, awesome.
6. What are you top 3 favorite beer blogs/beer websites?
Beer Talk
1. What are your top 3 favorite beer styles?
English Porter, American Imperial IPA, Russian Imperial Stout
2. What are your top 3 favorite breweries?
Dogfish Head, Founders, Stone
3. If you could work with or for any one brewery, which one would it be and why?
Stone because I share their same feelings about local and holistic living. Otter Creek would be a good choice too.
4. Are you a homebrewer? If yes, what is the most unique and interesting beer recipes you’ve brewed as a homebrewer?
I do brew, but not much. Right now I am brewing an IPA with four different hop additions. Lets see how it turns out (watch my blog for updates)
5. Do you have any beer certifications (BJCP, Cicerone, Siebel, American Brewers Guild)?? If so, what are they?
I’m working on my BJCP now, it is one of my beer goals for this year.
6. What is your favorite beer and food pairing?
A good really hopped up IPA with a Carne Asada Burrito from Juanita’s Taco Shop in Encinitas, CA, or a nice English porter with Mac’n'Cheese.
The Personal Side
1. What is your current day job?
Day jobs. Website developer and Queer Life Coordinator at Williams College
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?
Start my alehouse, Turk Publick and quit the other jobs.
3. Are you married? Children?
I have a dog child.
4. Outside of beer and writing, what are some of your other hobbies?
micro-farming, art, website development, movies, mopeds, scooters, and cricket (the sport where they say “drinks on the field”)
Off The Beaten Path
1. If you were a style of beer, what style would you be and why?
I’d be an American Imperial IPA cause it is in your face but really nice about it and most people keep coming back for more.
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?
Well, if it was on tap, Allagash Black. If I just had a bottle selection, St. Peter’s Old-Style Porter. The Allagash Black because it is smooth and crisp but best on tap, not as great in a bottle. The St. Peters cause it is a a beer I will never forget.
3. If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
To never get drunk so I could drink beer all the time.
4. What is one of the craziest things you have ever done and lived to tell the story?
HA! for not being one to get drunk often I have a lot of very odd stories. If I started we would be here all day, seriously. Google me and you might realize that I’m not joking.
5. What are your thoughts on bacon?
in moderation
SPECIAL THANKS TO JUSTIN FOR AN AWESOME INTERVIEW!
CHEERS!
