Welcome to my seasonal beer blog

I have toyed with this idea for some time now, and I know it's not the only such website in the vast blogosphere. Two winters ago, while hiking with my buddy Knab and our dogs, we discussed this idea, and he said to give it a go. A little over a year later, here it is. It's finally time to launch my season beer blog. Stop by. Stop by often. Stop by infrequently. Beer won't always be the topic. Sometimes, it will be music, books, the outdoors, hiking, fly-fishing, camping, sports, friends, family, life in general. Offer comments. Offer suggestions. Agree with me. Disagree with me. But mostly, we're here to have a good time sharing our experiences with beer.

A little about myself: I am 36, about to turn 37 in April. My first memory of tasting beer? I don't recall my age, my 8 or 9, and I had a sip of Black Label my uncle gave me. I didn't develop a taste for good beer until college, and I've been sampling beers, sometimes at a rapid pace, ever since. I also drink bourbon and red wine. I might occasionally write about those topics. There are few rules here, other than that I'll keep it mostly clean, and I'm here to have fun.

Let me get started with my beer declaration of facts I hold near and dear: I like almost all types of beer -- pale ales, ales, porters, stouts, lagers and pilsners. I generally don't like fruit-flavored beers but am not against trying one. For instance, I liked a single Mad Elf Ale but when I purchased a six pack, the fruit flavor was overbearing after a couple of bottles. Pumpkin ales can vary. I like a hint of pumpkin, but not a pumpkin pie beer.

I can say with absolute certainty that I put an empty four pack of Dogfish Head's Aprihop into the recycle bin. I enjoy beers with spices from time to time, especially Harpoon's Winter Warmer.

I do not like it when beer makers stock the shelves with winter beers in mid-October or earlier. Sometimes I buy a six pack just because I like the artwork. Sometimes, I buy a beer because the artwork features a topic that interests me, like Cutthroat Pale Ale because I love to fly fish for trout. Or Bell's Two Hearted Ale because it combimes good beer, trout, fishing and Hemingway.

I am not above drinking a Bud tallboy. I'll purchase an organic beer from time to time because it's the right thing to do. I am partial to Bell's Brewery on the west side of Michigan because I developed an appreciation for Oberon Ale back when it was called Solsun.

An evening in the kitchen cooking with my wife and tasting beers washes away the stress. Drinking and discussing beers with friends always makes for good conversation and good times. If it weren't for friends in college, I would have never started drinking more and more good beers. Well, I probably would have but it would have taken longer. I hope I don't come off as a beer snob.

That about does it for now. I don't know if I'll start with spring beers and or finish off the winter beers. I might just tell stories in between.

If I could spend more days that concluded with a beer at a campfire in the mountains with my wife and dog (friends and family, too) after a day hiking and fishing for mountain trout ... someday.