When we last left our hero, he was contemplating the ambitious and—judging by your responses—unappetizing prospect of spending some quality time with a Beer Fashioned. I’m happy to report that there were no fatalities. In fact, I see great potential there. My proportioning was rather elephantine (too much bourbon, not enough beer), but once the mixture settled a bit, the co-mingling of brown sugar, bourbon, and beer, with just a whisper of orange, proved to be an agreeable combination. The brown sugar and bourbon produced a pleasantly medicinal taste, while the wheat beer added malty notes and, along with the orange zest, provided an unmistakably festive tone. Note: I only had one due to a shortage of bourbon. More experiments to follow.

A reminder to all my drinking buddies that this weekend is the Nano Beer Festival at the Green Dragon. I for one don’t see the point of microscopic beers, but to each his own. I mean, are they served with an eye-dropper? What’s that? They’re not? Imagine my chagrin. This sudsy bash is a chance for smaller breweries (1000 barrels or less annually) like Heater Allen, Fort George, and Upright to bring out their own artisan ales and introduce them to a grateful public.

Finally, has anyone been to the Blue Parrot at 3416 N Lombard St lately? Apparently the name’s been changed to Foggy Notion, and I wanted to know if the bar was named for one of my favorite Velvet Underground songs.