The highest quality liquor store in my area doesn't just sell alcohol. They have several events each month including tastings where you can pay an average of ten dollars to sample all sorts of unusual beers or wines. I look forward to the day each month when the events schedule hits my inbox. Melissa and I attend every tasting we can. On the surface of it, you get what amounts to "all you can drink" beer for an affordable price. That's only one of the reasons why we go. After all, beer does help my meds work better but too much would kill my liver even without my pain pills.
Why take the risk? It isn't just for the pleasant numbness despite how I may talk. First of all, I have very expensive taste in beer especially relative to what most of my fellow Americans call beer. To the tasting crowd, that stuff is "beer" at best. What we drink is an altogether different beast with exotic flavors, textures and aromas. The practical effect of this comes in a few parts. First of all, I like going to the tastings to get an idea of what I might want to purchase on my own. A six-pack of good beer will last me at least a month. I don't treat beer like soda or water. A glass of it is something to savor over the course of an evening. Without the chance to taste these beers at an affordable price, I'd never have the guts to splurge on any.
I do not believe that I could swill enough good beer to get drunk the way I swilled "beer" back in college. The tastes are so strong that it would be unpleasant to overindulge. These beers are like those gourmet foods I see on TV that come on plates the size of drink coasters for the same reason. You aren't meant to fill up on those fine meals. That's what pizza and cheeseburgers are for. Likewise, fine beer is not refreshing. It isn't meant to quench a thirst and it might be one of the last things you'd want to drink on a hot day.
Therefore, I don't have to worry about killing my liver the same way I would at a college party. In any case, the beer isn't the only attraction for me. I'm sure I've mentioned that I have serious problems dealing with crowds. Drinking beer makes it tolerable and even pleasant to be around crowds. The tastings are my one real chance to get out of the house for a real social event. I can be my old self chatting with total strangers instead of tripping over words to close friends. Better yet, these people cease to be strangers after we meet at a few tastings.
These are casual friendships without the burden of knowing deep dark secrets about each other. We talk mostly about beer. What sorts of beer do we have in common? I don't like IPAs (India Pale Ale) because of the bitter and hoppy taste. Therefore, I don't want IPA drinkers to have my opinion color their enjoyment of what might be a fine IPA. On the other hand, someone who loves Belgian Abbey ale, English Old Ale and other dark/relatively sweet beers is someone whose recommendation I will trust.
I come home from these events feeling relaxed. Often, I experience brief periods of not feeling pain. I'm not a doctor so I can't tell you what the risks involved are. I just know that my doctors trust me not to make myself sicker. It's a good thing because I'd regret missing these events.
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