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Last month marked my 3 year anniversary in Ireland and enjoying Irish craft beer (My 2 year anniversary on the forums as a non-anonymous user is just around the corner).

Special thanks to the founders / site admins and all the 2006ers and 2007ers that got ICB/Beoir off to a successful start. It's been a great 3 years filled with tons of learning, brewing successes and failures (I broke a lot of stuff and made a LOT of huge messes), brewery and craft beer pub visits. -It really is great getting to explore the country and its craft beer offerings together; it combines two of my passions (beer and travel).

It's been really great as a foreigner to be welcomed into the ICB meet-ups and events and to be able to taste, share, and learn with everyone else; it was REALLY GREAT to not have to leave my love of craft beer at home, and getting to witness the growing craft beer revolution here (after missing out on the first and second craft beer waves in America) has been fantastic.

It's pretty mind blowing just how accessible the Irish Craft Beer scene is right now; getting to meet and chat with the brewers, getting private tours of the breweries, the kind of open dialog that exists with the brewers/breweries (generally)I just don't think would happen too many other places/times.


Now that's the end of that; don't expect any more reminiscent touchy-feely posts out of me for at least another year!
-I'm blaming this one on the fact that it's Thanksgiving back in the States this week; I'm definitely thankful for that glass full of craft beer I'll have tonight! <!-- s:D --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="" title="Very Happy" /><!-- s:D -->



Adam

Did the Thanksgiving thing on Saturday down in Cork with another 1 Irish and 1 American couple. Also a French couple.
Craft beer was had.

I really should've made a pumpkin ale to commemorate the holiday but my pumpkin ale last year was an abysmal failure. (Added WAY too much pumpkin and made a huge mess (literally half of the fermenter was pumpkiny and I only got about 10 liters out of a 21 liter batch.))
-There's a reason that beer never showed up at an ICB meet...

Next year I'll try it again and I'll actually put the pumpkin in the mash.


Adam

Happy birthday!!