How can 2 minds be so different?  My wife and I can argue for hours over a point that we completely agree on!  Women and men are just different.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for equality.  Hell, those on the outside of my marriage looking in would swear that I’m a proponent of affirmative action and reparations for women.  I fight everyday to achieve equality!    When I first heard of the book, “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”, I didn’t really pay it much attention.  I was single then, and understood women even less than I do now.  Now, that statement makes a lot more sense.  We are definitely wired differently.  What can make perfect sense to a man can seem totally insane to a woman, and vice versa.  I’m not saying that one is better than the other.  I can only speak from one side of the fence.

For those of you that don’t know, I entered my first beer competition back in May and suprisingly finished 2nd  in my category, (out of like 19)!

(Scroll down to table 19, Specialty Beer)

http://www.brewmastersopen.com/2009Results.html 

One of the judges grabbed me on the way back from collecting my prize and asked me what I used and told me the beer was great.  Well, due to mine and my wife’s extreme surprise we celebrated a little too much that night, with friends and family,  and I lost my scoring sheet.  I contacted the hosts of the event the following Monday, to get a copy, and they informed me that the score sheet I received was the only copy!  Oh well, that’s the price you pay for really, really, loving beer…Well, one of the prices.  Anyway, one of the hosts emailed me back with the email addresses of the judges in my category.  I emailed both of them and one of them responded…

“Hey Brian,

Awesome beer. The only notes I can recall, speak to it’s amazing tangerine aroma and flavor, balanced perfectly with a nice malt backbone. Very nice copper color, too, IIRC. I gave it a 47.

But you should be able to get another copy of your sheet from Les, no? Either way, keep up the great work and send me that recipe!

Matt”

Obviously I was flattered.  Especially after checking out Matt’s website and learning that he was actually a professional in the beer industry.  I went back to his site recently and saw this…

http://www.thebeerexpert.com/beer-summit-choices.shtml

I’m even more excited and honored after seeing this.  With Nicolai’s assistance, I have made this beer again, with some modifications, and it is silently completing itself downstairs.  Should be ready in a few weeks, who wants one?