Beer Compurgation

"The downfall of being a great beer lover and enthusiast is a tendency to hoard. Nobody I know is as guilty of this as I. As such, I've come to realise in recent months that I really need to start working through my already sizeable bottle stock before purchasing anything else this year, if for no other reason than to try the beers I’ve spent my money on whilst they’re still at their best. Added to this is the realisation over the last few months – based on certain depressive life situations – that life is too short not to drink the great beers I have available to me. I also need to find new encouragement and inspiration to write again. I have never wanted this to be a beer review blog (with the exception of Advent) but all the above factors have led me to begin a series of “Stock Clearance” posts where I drink beers within my hoard that really need drinking for reasons that will be explained." "I shall further clarify that my beer hoard started to grow around t

“If one of my friends committed suicide, I would have no sympathy for them. I would possibly not even attend their funeral. Suicide is the ultimate cop-out.” One of my greatest friends spoke these words to me when we were having a natural conversation two or three years ago. I cannot remember how the subject arose, knowing nobody suicidal at the time, but his strong stance resonated with me, almost making me ashamed to recall how I had such thoughts a couple of years previous. I didn't truly understand mental health issues myself at the time so was inclined to agree with his strong sentiments. Today this blog returns to Steve. I hoped I wouldn't need to return to speaking of alcoholism again on a blog that promotes the drinking of fine beverages, but it is an inevitable occurrence. For those of you who have not read my two previous posts regarding this man, Steve (not his real name) is somebody very close to me who is an alcoholic and who I am involved strongly in th