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Selected readings: January

Bugger me! This month flew by. Enough with the bollocks already, here's what I liked best in January.

Pivní Ozbor puts together a very good inventory of what happened in 2011. Among other things, it makes very clear what I've been thinking for quite some time, quantity isn't the same as quality. Last year about two dozen micro breweries opened and the stuff some of them make leaves a lot to be desired, Žatec and that světlý ležák I had from Rokycany, one of the worst beers of 2011 for me, are clear example of that. Fortunately, people like Slaný and Únětice compensate for the shortcomings of some.

From England, Zak makes a very good question, how much of the drinking experience is actually an intellectual exercise. Hard to answer, really. I think it all depends on each person and situation, but it is true that there are many people who don't put much thought on what they consume.

Another who made me think was Alan with this deep and wonderful musing. Read it, think about it, and then read it again, perhaps while sipping a beer that's been properly aged.

Though I do enjoy reading some, beer reviews don't leave me with much. Most of them are the experiences of people I don't know with beers I haven't drunk. But sometimes they can surprise me by how well the author understands the reviewed beer and the way he or she explains it, just like Craig did.

One of my wishes for this year was that Spanish written beer blogs stopped gazing at their navels for a bit and started talking about stuff beyond their personal experiences or the news. That's why I warmly welcome the new section of Lúpuloadicto called "Reflexiones de un Hophead", which he opened asking who is responsible for the sudden profusion of "extravagant" beers in the Spanish market. I hope this is just the first of many other likewise interesting topics.

Na Zdraví!

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