That’s right kiddos, last year’s Inaugural Eugene Beer Week was such a smashing success (and a direct catalyst for Portland and Corvallis Beer Weeks – Humbleness Editor), the event is returning for a sophomore run.  And this year’s EBW promises to be better, stronger, faster! Well, maybe not [...]]]>  

That’s right kiddos, last year’s Inaugural Eugene Beer Week was such a smashing success (and a direct catalyst for Portland and Corvallis Beer Weeks – Humbleness Editor), the event is returning for a sophomore run.  And this year’s EBW promises to be better, stronger, faster! Well, maybe not faster… not really sure how that even relates, but definitely those first two things I mentioned. In any case, come May 7th, lil’ ol’ Eugene will once again be drenched in a solid week of beer revelry.

Of course, an event of this magnitude cannot occur without a truckload of hard work, planning and general behind-the-scenes monkey business. Oh, and money too… Yep, money sure helps. Remember those fantastic posters, hand bills and advertisements from last year’s EBW? Well, they didn’t design, print and distribute themselves… although with NASA’s budget getting hacked to pieces, we should now have some top men and women with some free time on their hands. I wonder if they can be convinced to work for beer? But I digress…

Last year, EBW had just over a dozen official sponsors, and Mike and crew did a fantastic job stretching every sponsorship dollar to its fullest extent. Those posters, hand bills and advertisements I mentioned above were the result of sponsorship monies. And if you have no idea what I’m talking about, well, then you can see one of the reasons we need more sponsors this time around. With this in mind, official planning for EBW 2012 got underway last week, with a meeting to discuss the marketing of this year’s event. While we are busy working on our list of potential sponsors, I thought I would get the ball rolling with a call-to-arms to the craft beer community.

Do you have a favorite brewery, bottleshop or watering hole? The next time you visit your establishment of choice, ask them if they are aware of Eugene Beer Week and ask them to get involved. Or perhaps, like our NASA friends, you have a little extra time on your hands too? Well, volunteers are always nice… especially those with server permits. Happen to be an artistic individual? We’d love to see your ideas for a new EBW logo.

You can get involved by contacting EBW through the official website at www.eugenebeerweek.org, or the event’s Facebook page. And keep an eye on both for more information on this year’s event.

Cheers and stay tuned!
Kevin

Archer Kevin Williams was born January 3rd, 2012 at the PeaceHealth Nurse Midwifery Birth Center in Springfield, OR. 8lbs 2oz, 20″ [...]]]> If any of the three people that read this website are wondering where I’ve been for the last several weeks, let me proudly refer you to the picture below.

Archer Kevin Williams was born January 3rd, 2012 at the PeaceHealth Nurse Midwifery Birth Center in Springfield, OR. 8lbs 2oz, 20″ long and, like his father, a head like a melon. Sorry wife.

Archer’s arrival was a lightening-fast adventure. We arrived at the birth center around 9:30 a.m. At 10:11 a.m., we had a baby. No time to call any family, no time to set up the laptop we had loaded with 8 hours of music to soundtrack the journey of birth. Again, sorry wife, next time we will leave earlier.

So, how did I celebrate the arrival of my first child? I started by opening a bottle of Hellshire I. And not just any bottle of Hellshire I, mind you. I opened the very first bottle of Hellshire I that was sold at the release last May. A bottle I acquired by being the first to arrive at the event, a bottle tucked away specifically for this occasion.

A big night for my father too; first grandchild and first barleywine, though the baby trumped the beer somewhat.

Well, that’s all for right now. I have a bunch of stuff coming down the pipe; Ninkasi Renewale 2012 and Critical Hit Barleywine, Falling Sky Brewing, Eugene Beer Week ’12 planning, a bunch of Active Directory Group Policy stuff and a DIY guide for building a custom FightStick with genuine Sanwa arcade parts (Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom III is doing a number on my Xbox 360 controllers). Oh, and when I got home from work today, I found a couple packages waiting on the doorstep – Widmer W’12 Dark Saison and Redhook Nut Brown.

Now I just need to find some time between the coffee grinding and diaper changing…

Cheer!
Kevin