Was browsing the user groups, and saw this one. Now this is a group I have to join, I thought. Ive been an off and on runner for several years, but a consistent "in moderation" (I tell myself) beer snob and sort-of connoisseur of things alcoholic for the entire time. I like strong hoppy micro/craft IPA's, almost anything European with a gold foil neck on it, even clear-glass Mexican if the mood is right. The really fancy monk-crafted high gravity stuff from Belgium etc. is amazing and thankfully hurts my pocketbook enough to keep them "special". (I have learned my lesson on them and now know to drink them like one would a wine.) The heavier ales, porters, stouts not so much any more - I appreciate them but they feel immature to me now. Like something I drank in my 20's to prove my beer knowledge to the bud lite crowd. But I do still enjoy one occasionally. My latest love for the past few years is single malt Scotch. I keep a bottle of mid-priced stuff at home, as it is the most relaxing anxiety and stress relieving tonic I have yet discovered. I splurge on the really fancy stuff when "dining out" (i.e. rarely). In my late 20's and early 30's I went through a crazy Martini phase that I can't believe I survived - full fledged 4:1 gin:vermouth, every kind of stuffed olive, dirty, Gibsons too, or my own version using a) vermouth marinated mushrooms or b)yellow pimento pepper rings. I used to crave them. Now the word gin makes my head hurt. Interesting how you change with age. Can't touch Vodka anymore either. Usually once a year (around Lent, not New Years) I go cold turkey for a few weeks. My times improve...my shinsplints vanish. It helps, and I feel better, in general,and about myself, and my running. Then I go all "life's to short to miss out on the finer things" and it creeps back in. It's a love hate relationship. I do have to say, though, lately, with my running being as consistent and on-track as it's ever been, that I go to bed alot earlier now, to even bother. Because I have to get up at freakin 4:30. Today you can blame the Samuel Smiths India Ale for my inspired braindump.

Don, you sound like a cross between my brother and my hubby with all that high--falutin' beer and scotch talk (actually, DH doesn't do Scotch much anymore...the older he gets the more girly his tastes have become. Friggin' Mike's Lite and Mojitos, bah!). k