Good health has long been a part of the craft beer communities mindset. Knowing that moderation is a key to being able to fully enjoy beer helps us all know when to say when and when to partake.

Larry and Julie enjoying a beer

Julie Wartell, founder of PubQuest and friend, is a good example of beer and cycling. She’s an avid beer fan, curious, engaged and fun. PubQuest helps people in search of pubs in North America find them. Combining cycling, fresh air, and activity with quality beer and the great people surrounding the two makes for a very winning combination.

See a post of her per beer & biking here.

We met on our Home Free Tour where she gracious hosted us and our two dogs for a few nights. During that time we also were able to get in front of beer enthusiasts at Stone and San Diego Brewing to talk about the Geography of Beer.

So – ride on. Ride to, ride fro, just be sure to couple great beer with exercise and keep the cycle going.

Cathy & I at the Houston Flying Saucer

Many thanks to Ronnie and the Houston Chronicle for this clip filmed last November in Houston at the Flying Saucer.

Cathy was very happy to share her thoughts about what she wants from her beer.

What do you want from your beer?

Message today - speak up about what you like, what you don’t care for, and what you want from your beer. There’s such an enormous selection that I guarantee (yes, guarantee) the beer community can find a beer you’d like.

Education’ll do that to a person. Keep the skull open. Be a geek, not a snob.

Thanks again Ronnie!

Ginger and Julie last fall at Stone Brewing

This Saturday will mark the first mixed company WEB event – a Geography of Beer collaboration with Julie Wartell of PubQuest. Here are the details.

Julie and I collaborated last October on our Home Free Tour with two Southern California breweries with much success.

Success?

Yes, we had a nice crowds at each place, Stone and San Diego Brewing, who had come to find out about the geography of 5 different beers from 5 different United States. Julie maps out beer on the site – in fact, you can get a custom map made for your travels. Check out the site here.

Looking forward to talking about the geography of our beer again this weekend.

Lawson’s Finest, indeed. Glad to read this press about Sean and his efforts.

Sean & I in his brewery after a snowshoe

He invited us to visit him on our trip last year – which we gladly did. Although we almost didn’t.

The weather in early December in Vermont – ahhhhh! Snow! All good yet the roads are hilly (read low traction) and it’s best to stay in. Not drive about on unfamiliar rural roads.

After a few conversations and a bit of scheduling talk, we made it work. And so very glad we did.

Sean was a gracious and generous host – we got to taste at least 4 of his beers, they were widely different and delicious. Plus he sent us down the road with a few bottles which we happily shared with others we stayed with shortly thereafter.

When you get the opportunity to buy his beers, do so. You’ll be very glad you did.

Chris was one of the first people to reach out to say “come visit us” on our Home Free Tour last year. We were thrilled to get the invite as we reaaaallllly wanted to visit and stay in Jackson.

Snake River Brewing, Jackson WY

He’s indicative of the brewing community – generous, hospitable, smart, and all around really nice guy.

His blog sums it up well.

In addition to his personal hospitality, Snake River hosted an event with WEB. 19 beer enthusiastic women crammed into a small room to talk and listen. Great fun and education had by all. He’s right of course – their clientele knows their beer. It was fabulously invigorating.

Many thanks to him and his tolerant cats for letting us stay. We’re already plotting to return for another visit…welcome mat’s out in Ashland too, Chris.

It’s already been a full month since the Home Free Tour officially ended (followed promptly by a relocation to Ashland Oregon). We were on the road for well over 15,000 miles and more than 14 weeks all around this incredible

Sustainability wheel at Standing Stone

country of ours. Remarkable would be an understatement.

So I want to extend enormous thanks and express my gratitude for all the unerringly hospitable beer community people. They were all fun, enlightening and continue to fuel the passion to serve the beer community at large.

Specific thanks to these breweries, their great people, the tours and all you provided: Snake River Brewing, Jackson, WY; Wynkoop Brewing, Denver; Grand Teton Brewing, Victor ID; Bridgeport Brewing, Portland OR; Standing Stone Brewing, Ashland OR; Sierra Nevada Brewing, Chico CA; Buckbean Brewing & CANFEST, Reno NV; Dogfish Head, Rehoboth & Milton DE; Rogue, Newport OR; Avery Brewing, Boulder, CO; Firestone Walker, Buellton & Paso Robles CA; Four Peaks, Tempe AZ; BJ’s Reno NV; Lazy Magnolia Kiln MS; Bell’s, Galesburg MI; New Glarus, New Glarus WI; Russian River, Santa Rosa CA; St. Arnold Brewing, Houston TX; Terrapin Beer, Athens GA; Willimantic Brewing, Willimantic, CT; Roy Farms, Moxee WA; Lawson’s Finest, Warren VT.

In transit (as usual) with two curious dog noses

A huge thank you to all the fine hosts who either had a cozy place to stay, fed us, gave us some tasty beer, and/or welcomed us into their homes and breweries and businesses as respite on the trip: Chris Erickson, Teri Fahrendorf & Jon Graber, Alex & Danielle Amarotico, Steve, Christine, Sophie & George Parkes, Rebecca Newman, Doug Booth and Dan Kahn, Sam Calagione & Mark Carter, C V Howe, David Walker & Jamie Smith, Ted Golden and Andy Ingram, Dan Pedersen, Leslie & Mark Henderson, Ann Ewing and Thomas Wilson, Laura Bell and Gary, Dan Carey & Jean Henstl, Vinnie & Natalie Cilurzo, Rob Sizemore, Brock Wagner, Horace Cunningham, Sharon Caskey, Julie Johnson, Craig Purser, David Wollner, Seth Schneider, Ben & Amy Julian, Pete Mervin & Rob Mullin, April Green, Terrence Sullivan, John Martin & Jesse, Tyson Blake, Sean Lawson, John & Stacey Maier.

Mile 0 in Key West

Additionally we stopped at places: Upstream Brewing, Omaha NE; The Library, Laramie, WY; Harvest Moon Brew, Belt MT; Bozeman Brewing, Bozeman, MT; Concordia Ale House, Portland OR; Caldera Brewing, Ashland OR; Triple Rock Brewing, Berkeley CA; Fifty Fifty, Truckee CA; Flying Saucer, Houston TX; Stone Brewing, Escondido, CA; San Diego Brewing, San Diego CA; Gritty McDuff’s, Portland ME; Sleepy Dog, Tempe, AZ; Kelly’s, Key West FL; Highland Brewing, Asheville NC; Triangle Brewing, Durham NC; Brickskeller, Washington DC; Crosby & Baker, Westport MA; Six Rivers, Arcata CA; Brewzzi’s, West Palm Beach FL; Magic Hat, Burlington VT; The Brewerie, Erie PA; Leinenkugel’s, Chippewa Falls WI; Barley John’s, New Brighton MN.

Beer & Dessert? Yes, 3 please

To those who gave us an extra hand as we carried on: Sebbie Buhler, Darcy Quinn, Steve Grossman, Ronnie Crocker, Greg Kitsock, Martin Wooster, Jonathon Lunardi, Julie Wartell, Ann Ewing, Erika Rietz & Jessica Daynor & Austin Wilson, Jake Harkins & Nikki Brodt, John Mallett, Claire Sykes, Jim Boyd,

To those we missed, well – there’s always hope and planning to do it again, with a different geographic route to see, meet, and enjoy more great beer and camaraderie together.

A glass is raised to you all – Cheers!!

Looking out our deck in Ashland

Thanks to everyone who followed the Home Free Tour of 2009. It was unbelievably incredible - and that’s an understatement to get to see this marvelous country of ours, meet remarkable people, savor great beer and good food, see the sites, talk with so many generous and kind folks.

There are now tons of stats in the arsenal to help WEB as well. We visited  well over 30 breweries on the route, traveled over 15,000 miles, met dozens of great people and have plans to return to several of the places we stayed. By the time we figured our way around town, it was time to move along.

I’ll cover the breweries in the coming weeks as well as other stories beer related to help us all continue to sustain and grow support of the beer community at large.

For now, know the welcome mat is out and ready in Ashland Oregon, where we landed. It’s gorgeous, wonderful to wake up to mountains as I have wanted to do for years, and breathe it all in.

With a good beer of course…there are 2 breweries in town already. Standing Stone and Caldera.

Cheers!

mmmmmmm...yes, this is beer

Thank you for your patience…after the Home Free Tour wrapped up the 27th of December, we’ve been in a whirlwind of moving cross country (again) to Ashland Oregon.

For the moment – I’d beg your patience a tiny bit longer as I find the groove again.

In the meantime, enjoy this picture – and go get your own – of Sam Adams‘ Utopias. A gracious and very fun host in California gave it to us. We decided to open it and begin to savor the flavor when we ‘landed’.

And so we  have – landed and sipped.

Cheers!

The Honda Odyssey was aptly named

Here’s a shot of the odometer as we parked the car at our final destination of the Home Free Tour, a friends home in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Overall we put on over 15,000 miles.

It’s been an absolutely remarkable trip, to understate it. More soon on all sorts of beer facets as well as other observations, lessons, and thoughts to the last 3+ months of life as we knew it on the road.

I’d ask you to bear with me for the rest of this week. We’re in the last throes of moving across the country to Ashland Oregon so will be loading the truck today, and will be driving, yet again, across the country to settle in later in the weekend.

Keep tuning in, spreading the word and staying in touch. All spread and comments are day makers so keep them coming.

My humble thanks – have a safe and tasty week.

• Do you savor it?
• Do you guzzle it?
• Does it depend on the beer?
• Does it depend on your surroundings?
• Does the size of the beer factor in?
• Does it depend on who you’re drinking it with?
• Does it depend on the season?
• Does the alcohol content make a difference for you?
• What else does it depend on?

How do you define yourself as a beer drinker? Ask yourself that question – feel free to comment and share your feedback. It’s fascinating (and useful) to hear all about these kinds of things from people, female and male, all (legal) ages, all over the country.