From Lite to Double Stout

Hi. We’re June & Kendall from Nashville, TN. We’re starting a new blog to promote craft beer, especially among women. We’ll be doing this from a couple’s perspective. We’ve been married almost 17 years and have a great friendship and many common interests. Beer is one of our favorites. We’ll blog about beer events, beer reviews and people working in the craft beer world.

I need to start with a public apology. For a long time I was happy to recommend “girl beers” to June when we went out. I didn’t think she’d like the hoppy, dark or imperial beer. So I would tell her what kind of beers she would like or not like. I was wrong. What a jerk. One day I had an epiphany. I’ll let June describe that day…

I used to be one of those girls who said “Eww…I don’t like beer!” My first introduction to beer was in college, and since I was living on a weekly $20 allowance, it was REALLY cheap beer. There was a bar right next to campus that had $4 pitchers. At the time, we didn’t care what it tasted like as long as we could afford to drink a lot of it. As I got older and could afford it, I switched to mixed drinks and wine. To me, beer was the stuff you drank because you couldn’t afford anything else. I got to the point where I could tolerate beer if there was nothing else to drink but I didn’t enjoy it.

All of that changed when Kendall became a home brewer. In the interest of “research”, we starting stocking the fridge with beers that I have never heard of, touring local breweries, and attending beer festivals. I started getting my feet wet with beers like Blue Moon and Yazoo’s Hefeweizen. I realized why I didn’t think I liked beer – the stuff I had been drinking before didn’t taste like beer, it tasted like beer-flavored water! The more I tried craft beer, the more I began to appreciate the unique varieties and flavors. I was surprised to discover I liked hoppy beer and dark beer.

The moment I realized I really loved beer? We were at a beer festival and Kendall had just gotten a sample of North Coast’s Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. He took a sip and said, “you won’t like this.” I tried it and not only discovered I loved it, I decided it was my favorite beer at the festival!

This is Kendall again… you see now why I love her? I don’t know why I was I trying to “protect” her palette. She can handle great beer. A couple weeks ago, June and some girlfriends celebrated a friend’s birthday at East Nashville’s swanky Holland House. The place is known for some of the best cocktails in Nashville and all the girls ordered them. Except June. She ordered a Green Flash Double Stout. That’s my girl.

Guys, please don’t try tell you girlfriend or wife what kind of beer to drink. The ladies can figure it out. Besides, they’re smarter than we are.