If it's not apparent by now, let me spell this out for you. I adore Armada, MI's Blake's Hard Cider Company. Sure, quick search of this blog will only turn up 4 hits, excluding this post, from the cidery. But that's a fraction of what I've had from the place (like, less than 1/2). When I see a Blake's on store shelves I haven't tried I pick it up, bring it home, and drink it. Each and every time. I haven't had anything anywhere near a bad cider from those Michigan boys.


So, you know what I did when I saw Grizzly Pear--the company's new year-round offering--on store shelves? I picked it up, brought it home, and drank it. That's right, dear readers. This isn't a blind review (to be honest, blind reviews on the blog are few and far between these days). But never fear, because I promise to showcase my raw, honest thoughts here, regardless of how many cans of this cider I've already consumed. I always give my raw honest thoughts.

Full disclosure: I'm writing this to procrastinate on crafting my portfolio, which is the culminating project of my Masters program. By continuing to read this post you are implicitly condoning my procrastination and encouraging me to not complete my assignment in a timely manner (it's due on Friday).

Believe or not, I'm liking hoppy beers (including IPAs) more and more. I know I've said similar things before, but bear with me. Last month I decided to bite the bullet and drink a bunch of hoppy brews in a row to overcome my initial trepidation to like the style. And it worked! So this means that you can look forward to reading more posts about hoppy beers (with good scores!) here on the blog.


The beer I'm inaugurating this new-found enjoyment of hops with on John Likes Beer is Boulevard's 80-Acre. This was given to me by my soon-to-be father-in-law, who isn't a big fan of wheat beers. Which is what this is. It's wheaty and hoppy.

I like Sundays. Sundays (now that I no longer have to intern on Sundays) are when I embrace my drinking school Ohio University roots, throw caution to the wind, and drink when I want. Usually this manifests around 11 a.m. or noon after I return to my apartment after a long run. Today, though, if I run it'll be later on. I have something very important to drink right now, while it's still breakfast time.


That something important is Dogfish Head's Beer for Breakfast. The bottle at hand is my final bottle of the stuff--I've been saving it for a post just like this on a day just like today. If you don't want spoilers, you may as well skip to the next paragraph (or hit the jump if it's applicable). If you don't care about spoilers, allow me to indulge myself by saying at the top that I love this beer. It's a good thing (for my wallet) that it's released pretty sporadically.

How was your March? Mine was pretty busy. I finished up my internship. I started (and finished) the latest Legend of Zelda. I was a (hopefully) doting and attentive fiancé. All while working full time. Needless to say, I didn't have much time for beer or cider--both in the writing and the making.