i am Worthy

this post was going to be titled, "sometimes, beer makes me happy." but for one, that title is way too long. and for another, this statement is not true. "often" or "nearly always" would be more accurate.

anyway

finding myself alone and a touch desolate this evening, i desired a tasty beverage to lift my spirits. after having reluctantly spent the day working remotely while still responding to the drudgery of work e-mails, and then completing a bare-bones basement workout to assuage my laze-induced guilt (4 sets of deadlifts, 4 sets of squats, some push-ups, all the pull-ups i could muster (not many), and some abductor band work to rehab creaky old knees), i felt i deserved a treat...or i at least felt compelled to drink away the bleakness that accompanies another 8-10 hours of meagerly-compensated grind i am finding more and more laborious.

anyway...

after a few panicked seconds of sifting through the bottles in the fridge and finding only the "light" remnants from parties past (amstel light, mojo sweaty betty, heineken, miller high life), my eyes eventually were drawn to the 22-oz bottle of Stone Double Bastard. (note that i have not capitalized anything in this post yet, and now i am capitalizing this.) just wanting something with *flavor*, *hops* were a bonus. the decision was made, the bottle opened, the glass poured. deliciousness, and a dull bliss ensued.

it wasn't until i was nearly done drinking the entire 22 ounces, that i bothered to read the bottle. i was dutifully rinsing it out, since we recently started home-brewing, and 22-oz bottles are like silver (swing-top bottles are like gold), and i paused to read the description on the back of the bottle. stone typically provides more than your compulsory, unhelpful, half-sentence description ("triple-hopped with balanced malt for your pleasure!"). they provide paragraphs. witty and lyrical, and one could argue equally unhelpful in assessing the flavor profile of the beer, but entertaining nonetheless -- it's clear someone with personality (not just an over-paid marketing exec) put some thought into it.

anyway...

Stone Double Bastard's prose begins as follows, and it was this that made me beer-happy tonight:

"Warning: Double Bastard is not to be wasted on the tentative or weak. Only the Worthy are invited, and then only at your own risk. If you have even a modicum of hesitation, DO NOT buy this bottle. Instead, leave it for a Worthy soul..."

i am Worthy.