My Christmas Card to You
I talked with my mom today, and she said she was writing her Christmas cards. I thought what a great idea it was, and I needed to make it a blog!
It is hard to believe that 2023 is coming to an end. If I were to summarize the past year, it would be all about good friends, road trips, and beer!
This past year, I enjoyed four great trips, the first being a visit to Big Hair Brewhaus in Hartington, Nebraska. This was special because it included a friend who had never been on a brew day, and Reed Trenhaile was a gracious host on an early Saturday morning.
The next trip was a Nebraska beercation with our good friends Paul and Kristi and a continuation to Colorado Springs with our friends Wendy and Mark.
The Nebraska trip included stops at Canyon Lakes Brewing Company, Pals Brewing Company, and Flyover Brewing Co. It was a scenic couple of days enjoying great beer and making it to Chimney Rock for the first time!
I think Mrs. Joe was a bit worried as to what our stay would be like in Colorado Springs. Wendy is a long-time friend of Mrs. Joe's and likes craft beer. It was a two-day stay that I will never forget! Garden of the Gods could be the closest thing to heaven on earth, but a close second was:
This visit was long overdue, and leaving the beauty of the mountains that such good friends had shared with us was hard!
The last road trip of the year started at 7:15 am and ended that night at 10:30 pm. There were time zones crossed and lots of stories told along the way! My great friends Lynn and Mike agreed to go across the state of Nebraska and were so gracious to drive!
We went to our first stop in Ogallala, Nebraska, to Second Chapter Brewing. This was personally my favorite story of the year to write! There is so much family and local history around the launching of this brewery.
Our next stop would take us to Holdredge, Nebraska, the home of Lost Way Brewery. Jessica Kraus, one of the owners, welcomed us and spent the next hour talking about everything happening at the brewery. Ever since attending the soft opening of this brewery over six years ago, it feels like coming home each time I visit!
From the brews I got to review in 2023, the following are my top five.
This year also has been great to meet new friends, Chip, Chad, and Molly. We enjoyed Wednesday's happy hour at Bearder Brewer Artisan Ales.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Beers!