I can’t believe it’s been two years since I posted my first post: “Welcome to my beer blog. I hope you’ll find my site enjoyable and informative. My goal is to provide a space for the advancement of beer culture that is approachable, friendly and most of all, fun. Cheers!” Nearly 275 posts later, this blog has come a long way. So far, this is the 3rd anniversary post of created. I did one for my 6 month anniversary, my 1st year, and now my 2nd year.
Here’s my 6 month post: Six Months and Counting!
Here’s my 1 year post: 1 Year and Lots of Beers!
I’m largely going to stick to the format of the 1 year post since it encapsulates a lot of what I’ve done in what I find to be a fun and quick format.
First, some stats! (AKA – Blog Navel Gazing)
In 1 year, I think about beer has had over 26,500 views. That’s an additional 19,000 views in the 2nd 6 months. In the Second year, I’ve gained nearly 90,000 more views for a total of 115,074. Those views have come from 6 continents and 147 countries (penguins are still jerks & don’t like my beer blog).
(All the Countries that have viewed my blog. Countries in white have NOT viewed it)
The top 5 countries have remained the same over the last 2 years, and in the same order (Except the one time Belgium briefly moved into the #2 slot):
- United States
- Canada
- Belgium
- United Kingdom
- Netherlands
Australia, Italy, Germany, & Norway get honorable Mentions.
Most “unexpected” places I’ve had visit: Myanmar (Burma for those in the UK), Afghanistan, Mongolia, Haiti, Nepal, & China.
Place I didn’t know existed until someone from there visited my blog: Faroe Islands.
The Faroe Islands are a self-governing country within the Danish Kingdom. It lies north of the Scotland. Although they are part of the Danish Kingdom, they are not an EU member nor do their citizens have EU citizenship. The islands were initially settled by Irish monks around 400CE before the Viking invasions around the turn of the millennium. Today, approximately 50,000 people call the Faroe Islands home.
My 5 Most Popular Posts:
- How to Build a Beer Travel Case
- Glassware: A Victim of the Beer vs. Wine Culture Clash
- Q & Ale – Why are they called a dubbel, tripel, quadrupel?
- The Brewing Monks: A Brief History of the Trappist Order and Monastic Brewing
- Q & Ale – How do you get a job in the beer industry? Part 2: Brewery
These posts have shown a popularity and longevity way beyond their initial posting.
My 5 most Popular Beer Reviews:
- Brunehaut Bio Blonde
- The Alchemist Heady Topper
- Elysian Super Fuzz Blood Orange Pale Ale
- Blanche De Bruxelles
- Tilquin 2012/2013 Oude Quetsche A L’Ancienne
Year 1-2
The second year was marked by more travel. This time I took a beer trip to Colorado. I also took a vacation to Roatan in Honduras, and while I did drink some beer, it wasn’t what you’d call a beer-cation.
Year two also saw a lot of collaborations. I did a couple ‘Six-Pack” posts for Bryan at This Is Why I’m Drunk. I also started writing a regular post on Belgian Beer for a Belgian Travel Blogger, Sofie at Wonderful Wanderings. I’ve continued participating in Serious Drink (now fully part of Serious Eats) “Ask a Cicerone®.”
I’ve also started writing articles for the Visit Flanders‘ “A Year in Beer” project. A Year In Beer looks at a different Flemish beer every day with different writers contributing as part of Visit Flanders’ effort to promote beer tourism to Brussels and the Dutch speaking portion of Belgium. You can read all of my various postings around the internet on my “Press” page. If you’re interested in having me write something for your publication or site, please Contact Me.
During this year, I also started trading beer with a Belgian beer blogger, Kevin the Belgian Beer Geek. He loves American craft beer. I love Belgian craft beer. This has allowed us both to get a hold of some harder to get or smaller production beers that aren’t available in our areas (of course, not much American beer is available in Belgium at all). You should check out his blog. It’s entirely in Dutch, but Google translate does a good job. If you’re curious about Belgian beer and like my site, his adventures will make you jealous. I know they make me jealous!
I also started a new feature that I think will be a major part of the site going forward: The Voices of Belgian Beer. The Voices of Belgian Beer is an interview series that will focus on the people who are making the modern beer scene in Belgium so interesting and vibrant. This will include brewers, brewery owners, beer writers, beer advocates, and other relevant people. Although we’re only one interview in, I have several more lined up that will be thoroughly interesting, including some big names! If you’re one of those people in Belgium, and you’d like to participate, please use the Contact Me link to reach out to me!
Year the Third – What does it hold?
The third year promises to be another great year. I’ve got a lot of interesting content lined up. I’ll be diving deeper down the rabbit hole of how beer is made by talking to the people who help beer come to market, and that means way more than just Brewers. My ongoing segments; Q & Ale, The Brux Project, The Brewing Monks, The Voices of Belgian Beer, will continue to explore new realms of malty nerdiness for your and my enjoyment.
Belgium, Here I Come, Part 2: This Time It’s Personal. I’d also like to announce at this time, now that it’s official, that I’ll be making my return to Belgium this fall! The plane ticket is purchased and the itinerary is starting to take shape. This time will be pure beer craziness from start to finish. I’ll be traveling to every corner of Belgium to explore the brewing culture of this great country. No liver cell will be left unsacrificed. Some of the things on the trip include some visits to old friends, Brouwerij Boon and Brasserie de Brunehaut, as well as a lot of new friends. Mostly, I’ll be focusing on a mix of the newer breweries who’ve cropped up in the last dozen years or so with a good smattering of classic stops as well.
I’ll be joining up with Kevin the Belgian Beer Geek to make some joint brewery visits and so he can show me around to some of his favorite beer bars and restaurants. Some of the places I’ll be going include: Hof ten Dormaal, Oud Beersel, St. Bernardus, Achouffe, and many more! I don’t want to let all the cats out of the bag, do I?
Most of all, the 3rd year at I think about beer will continue to focus on the fun and joy of beer and beer culture. I’ll get to meet new people and share in the common bond that is the love of craft beer. Maybe this year I’ll get to meet you!
Please feel free to share my site with your friends and family! You can follow me on to get updates on my posts as well as other interesting beer related links:
- I think about beer – there is an email sign-up
- Google+
- Instagram - Beer photos with an occasional Cat picture.
- Pinterest – I’m still developing this page
Cheers from Chimay’s Private Tasting Room!