Belgian Beer, Trappist Ales, and Stomach Aches?

If you know me, you know that I am an avid beer drinker. Actually, scratch that. I'm a beer connoisseur. I love everything about craft beer- the hoppiness that gives beer its distinct bitterness, the sweet sweet malt, the aroma that you can almost taste,  the fruity and floral yeast, everything. And as you know, I can polish off quite a few bombers of various abv and styles in one night but I am responsible about it. I have a strict 2 pint limit when I'm driving which is a good thing. Not only do I ensure that I get everyone home safe, but I get to fully enjoy beers for all they're worth without wreaking my palate from drinking too much.

Beer is the nectar of the gods, but I have run into a slight problem when it comes to drinking.

I have a soft spot for American craft beer, but I have started to cross the pond (as they say in England) and expanded into smaller European and Trappist breweries. I have been drinking mostly Belgian and Trappists beers for the past week and they are some of the best ones I have ever tried. Here's a little Belgian beer history lesson if you are not familiar with the difference between Trappist ales and Abbey ales:

Granted they both sound very similar, they are not! All Trappist ales are Abbeys, but not all Abbeys are Trappists. Trappists are only brewed within the walls of 8 different monk monasteries: Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle, Westvleteren, Achel, La Trappe, and Gregorius who are nonprofit brewers. Makes sense since they are monks right? Every penny they make goes towards their cost-of-living and maintaining the monastery grounds; the rest goes to charity.

Abbey ales on the other hand are not made within these monasteries, and most are not even made in Europe! To be labeled as an Abbey ale or Abbey style ale a brewery has to be either owned by a church/ abbey, a beer that is sponsored by a defunct abbey, or simply a Belgian style ale that is not connected to a church at all.

Here are some examples:

Trappist: Trappistes Rochefort 8 is created in an approved Trappist monastery in Belgium.

Abbey Ale: St Bernadus Abt 12 is an Abbey Ale with a sponsor.

Abbey Style Ale:  Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale is made here right in the U. S. of A. and does not have an Abbey sponsor, so therefore has no Abbey or Saint in the name.

The easy way to know if you are drinking a Trappist beer is by looking for this easy to find Trappist logo

Some Trappists have been making beer since the 1500s and have perfected their recipes. They are some of the best beers I have ever drank, but they raise one problem- stomach aches. They're not from me drinking too much, or eating fried food, or anything; just strictly from the beer's yeast. I know it's the yeast because I usually only drink them when I am relaxing without food, it's not the style because I've had non-Trappist beers with no issues, and there's usually a ton of sedimented yeast on the bottom of the bottle. I try not to pour any in my glass, but some always comes out.

I've read online that if you drink the yeast, they kick your digestive system into overdrive, similar to yogurt.

So I raise the question: should I stop drinking something that I love just to feel 100% in the morning? Would you stop eating or drinking something so you wouldn't have a mild stomach ache the next day? They're not making me sick, just uneasy. Let me know what you would do.

I tend to be stubborn when it comes to food so I'm most likely going to continue drinking them. I eat all the ice cream I want and Mexican food regularly so I'm familiar with expected stomach aches. Maybe I'll cut back a bit, maybe I won't. 

Here's what I had the pleasure of having last night: Trappistes Rochefort 10. It received a 100 on Beer Advocate and I completely agree with their rating. I like Trappistes Rochefort 8 a little better, but I will still reach for a 10 if the price is right. At $6.99 per 11 ounce bottle I can't make this a regular beer.

I will start reviewing beers on here, so stay tuned for upcoming posts.

Cheers,

Chris

Nerd Goals

It's kind of odd to talk about New Years Resolutions in the middle of July, as many of these were long forgotten by mid-March, but mine is still going strong. Well, one of them. I didn't give myself the generic goal of losing a few extra pounds or working out more, I gave myself reading and writing goals. How nerdy is that?

First, I going to talk about the failed one. Ever since senior year of high school I wanted to become a published author and I thought I should make this a reality. At the beginning of the year, I logged in hours upon hours of research on how to get self published, and decided to write a short story to be published on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Apple's iBooks platform. All three allowed for short works of fiction (~20 pages) and I figured thats the best way for me to get my feet wet in the world of literary fiction. I would love to write my Magnum Opus before I turned 25, but I knew that wasn't going to happen.

The short story didn't either.

Almost 7 months later, I still have nothing written down. Not one storyboard. Not one idea. Not a single word.

Maybe I will carry this over for my 2014 resolution. Or at the rate I'm going, this decade's resolution.

On to the more successful one:

My second goal for 2013 was to read 25 books by the end of the year. This task might seem simple to most but with a full time job, a full time life, and beer; it's near impossible to sit down for a few hours to immerse myself into a book without the urge of vegging out taking over. I had to make time.

It's pretty amazing how many books you can read in a few months just by reading on your lunch breaks at work. As the end of July is quickly approaching, I have finished 16 of my 25. What I have read ranges from the classics, to contemporary literature, and non-fiction; some as long as 700+ pages to as little as 125. Nothing is out of bounds.

Out of what I read this year so far, I would have to say that Moby Dick (yes, I know, almost everyone has read this in high school, but I have not) and Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy are not only two of my favorites from this challenge, but two of my favorites from all time.

I am currently in the middle of books #17 and #18 as I write this- American Pastoral by Philip Roth and Cosmos by Carl Sagan.

So far, this challenge has not only opened by eyes to books that I never thought about picking up (The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman) but has made me into a better writer just by reading different styles of prose.

This is truly an enjoyable challenge, and by bookshelf has never looked better!

I will post my completed list at the end of the year, or when I finish book #25, whatever comes first.

Happy reading,

Chris

Honesty is the Best Policy

One of the first life lessons you are taught still holds true today — honesty is the best policy. Being honest to yourself and those around you should be a priority, but can be challenging in the workplace. With pressure coming from coworkers and interoffice politics, it can be difficult to give and receive constructive criticism or even speak your mind.

Sometimes it may seem comforting to not speak up and simply do what you’re told. You may be fearful because you don’t want to leave a negative impression on your boss and company, or you fear that your job will be on the line if your opinion goes against the flow.

My advice is to come out of hiding and speak up whenever reasonable. Don't push back on things when you know you are more than capable in completing the task, only when you disagree or the project seems unreasonable; just say how you really feel. Exposing your true feelings will expose the real you. The more you speak up and the more honest you are with them, the better you will feel about your role within the company and the better you will feel about yourself.

By speaking up and going against the flow, your opinion will be more valued within the four walls of your office. Your coworkers will trust you, and possibly look to you to speak your mind on their behalf. With your honesty in the forefront, your boss will also cherish your opinion more. They will see how you really feel about new projects, office operations, policy, ect.

But most importantly, you will feel good! William Shakespeare said it best: "To thine own self be true."

Hello

Here it is, the generic first post of a blog that typically is just a reiteration of the 'About Me' section:

I am born and raised in the great state of New Jersey and love it. You really can't complain if you are only a half hour away from New York City, an hour and a half or so from Philly, two hours from Atlantic City, and only a few miles from the Jersey Shore. It would be great if I can live and work in the city, but who doesn't like commuting and sitting in rush hour traffic?

I graduated a couple of years ago from Rutgers University with a BA in English focusing on American Literature. Since I was an English major, you will always see me with my nose buried in a book (or with a pint of beer in my hand), and I tend to set leisure reading goals for myself. 

Over the past year or so, I have been doing freelance work in North Jersey for various marketing agencies- both digital and print. I have worked as a copywriter, social media community manager, and account coordinator. Out of all of my different titles in my short career, my passion lays with copywriting. 

That's where this blog comes in. Since I am not writing in my current position, I will use this blog to let my creativity flow freely and as an outlet to show off examples of my writing. 

Anything goes in this blog. 

I will try to update periodically and post about several different topics. I will also showcase some short fiction and possibly poetry. Most of what I post on here will be informal.