The Barley Connection

Listen to "Best Beer" in this post!

For one week every month, my wife and I skip alcohol. It’s “Dry Week.” It’s been over two and a half successful years - 32 total dry weeks. (And if I’m honest, probably a few others here and there when we weren’t thinking about it.) It has changed a few things - one is that our tolerance has gone way down. Now after two or three drinks I am less ready to get wild and more ready to go to bed! Also the cravings, habits, and routines have changed. Early on, I could definitely feel the pull to want a beer after a couple days. Now, not so much. Saturday afternoon with a baseball game on? Yeah, time for a beer. Now, not so much.

But, we also used to light a candle at the end of the day, pour a cocktail or a glass of wine and recap each others’ lives for an hour, just sitting on the couch talking. Connecting. We used to meet friends for happy hours and laughs more frequently. Connecting. Now that the cocktail routine is less prevalent, we work a little later. Or we go to exercise classes or music events in the evenings. Or we let house chores run together into a longer and longer to-do list. We honestly do connect a little less often, even on non-dry weeks.

In general, the benefits have outweighed the desires, but alcohol is a social drug. It makes you more talkative, more extroverted. It lowers the barriers between thinking and doing. It can be dangerous for many people because of that, but relaxation and socialization is good for us all. We - meaning my wife and I, as well as all of us in the community of humans - should certainly be prioritizing personal interaction: smiles, laughter, sharing stories. Connection. Knowing and understanding each other is important.

Dry week also has a way of making that first Saturday baseball game beer taste a lot better. I currently have a refrigerator full of craft beer I’m looking forward to sipping on. Some say the best beer is simply a cold one, but that cold one is even better after giving yourself a reason to appreciate it.

Here’s a song called Best Beer written with Ryan Brisotti and Michael Keys about what really makes a beer great.

Also, shout out to two of my favorite beers: Old Rasputin by North Coast Brewing, and Bavik Super Pils!