Good People, Good Beer

The PubScout, a self-admitted geezer, spent a delightful, hot afternoon and evening at a very special private beer-tasting. It was held at the home of  The Costive Columnist, Paul Mulshine.

Mulshine and Betty

 That's not an insult, because Paul wears his parsimony like a badge of honor. He loves good beer, and loves it more if it's a bargain. Since I was the first to arrive, he and Betty (L.) greeted me with a Tatra, which he proudly proclaimed was $18.99 for a 24-case of 16 oz. cans. Decent Polish beer, too, although with the temps in his back yard hovering around 100º, his crystal clear pool water would probably have qualified as good. Still, having the opportunity to sit and chat one-on-one with a journalist of Mulshine's experience, perspectives and knowledge (even while adjusting our chairs to get some shade) was most illuminating.

We were joined by two of Paul's buddies. One was The Famous Captain Rich,  a very interesting, fascinating chap who flies big airliners around the globe. More importantly, he lands them safely.
The other fellow was Paul the Second, a former horticulturist, current marine biology teacher and long-time schoolmate of the Star Ledger's last remaining conservative columnist.

Paul offers beer advice to an appreciative audience

In a very organized fashion, and because he believes that only a totally blind tasting can provide accurate assessments, Paul the First laid out five different beers in numbered cups. The only info he shared was that these beers were all bocks, which generally are cooler weather beers, but none of us registered a complaint as we set about tasting and testing. They ranged in color from blonde to amber to black. We learned after the test that the bocks were Zywiec, Narraganset, Sagres, Anchor and Yuengling. The Anchor topped my list.
Paul the First will compile and analyze the stats, and very likely share them with the world in one of his columns.

Paul and The PubScout at "work."

While the beers were the centerpiece of the session, I found the company to be most enjoyable. There's just something about older guys sitting around kibitzing, reminiscing and sharing stories that puts the world on an even keel, if only for a few hours.

It confirms two of The PubScout's favorite sayings:

1.Good People drink Good Beer.
2. Better People Host Beer Tastings

UPDATE! MULSHINE'S RESULTS!