The 1000th Beer: The Beginning

I should have named the last post "The Penultimate Penultimate Penultimate Post," or something like that, because you're getting a few more posts.  I originally intended to have the tale of my final beer and my wrap-up post being the same beer.  Then again, I didn't think there would be much of a tale to tell.  I originally thought that my 1000th beer would spent at a table at a bar with Liz, my dad, and maybe a few friends.  I thought I'd have the beer, pat myself on the back, and then just hang out like any other evening.  No big deal.  Welp, it turned out to be a kind of a big deal.  Before I get to the tale of the 1000th, and clue you into what that beer was (though you Twitter followers already know the answer [I thought I'd clue them in given that twitter played an intricate role in the evening]), I'll let you in on the beers that preceded the epic 1000th.  When we last left off, I was at 994.

As foretold in the last post, I spent Friday afternoon cleaning and drinking a 25 oz Long Trail Imperial Porter (995).  That was my sole beer for that day.  Saturday morning I woke up and drank a Bethlehem Brew Works Rude Elf Reserve (996) while making breakfast for the in-laws, because what else am I going to drink while making breakfast?  The in-laws came, we had a nice Manhattan/Christmas-y day, and I drank a Harpoon Winter Warmer (997) with dinner.  In-laws left and I drank a Weyerbacher Merry Monks (998) while waiting for my dad to arrive in from Arizona.  My dad got in to my apartment around 12:30 in the morning and we split a 25 oz bottle of Dogfish Head's Miles Davis Bitches Brew (999).  It was delicious.

Jesus had his 40 days in the desert.  I had my Sunday, December 19th 2010.  Normally, not drinking a beer till 5 PM would be no big deal.  I mean that's all I had to do.  Just don't drink a beer till 5.  My dad and I wanted to watch the Cardinals/Panthers game, so we headed on over to Half Court at 1 to watch the game.  I don't know if you've ever gone to a sports bar and NOT bought a beer, but man, let me tell you, it's tough.  So halfway through the 2nd, my dad wants to get lunch.  He asks if there's any good sandwich places to eat at.  Of course there is.  And of course it's Bierkraft.  So we go to Bierkraft for lunch and I can't get a beer there.  Difficulty level of going to Bierkraft and not getting a beer > difficulty leve of going to a sports bar and not getting a beer.  So we eat our sandwiches and then head over to another sports bar to finish watching the game.  Still can't get a beer.  Finally, FINALLY, the game ends around 4 and we decide to head over to the Gate to secure ourselves a table for the two or three people I expect to show to this thing.  You know what's EXTREMELY difficult to do?  Sit at the Gate for an hour while your dad and your wife each drink a 21st Amendment Fireside Chat while your wife goes on and on about how it's much better on draft than from a can and not be able to taste it or buy a beer.

I want to first state that I did not call the Gate and tell them about drinking my 1000th beer there on that date.  I didn't drop in, didn't e-mail them, didn't message them on facebook, or do anything else to let them know about this event.  So we're sitting at the Gate, just me, my dad, and Liz, killing some time before 5 when I seriously expect maybe two or three people to show up, when Liz looks up at the chalkboard with the draft listings and sees this....

To be EPICALLY continued.....