One of the great joys of being a Beer Journalist is meeting people you never dreamed would cross your path.

It was November 2007, and Eric Fiedler had just read a story about a professor at Granada University in Spain. He was intrigued.

The Holiday season is filled with rushed preparations - setting the menu for parties and dinners, shopping for the little ones, decorating, and baking. Still, you have to stop long enough to eat, but may not want to spend precious hours on the basics.

No one shares holiday cheer better than Philadelphia beer writer Don Russell, who celebrates the season with his newest book, Christmas Beer: The Cheeriest, Tastiest, and Most Unusual Holiday Beers.

On my first trip to London, England, I was intrigued by the ingredients of a Panini sandwich that caught my eye in a local, organic corner deli. Labeled as Rocket and Cheese, I chose this item, delighting in the mystery ingredient: rocket.

Crisp garden vegetables and festive rotini with tantalizing Lakeland Dressing is a refreshing addition to the buffet table, whether celebrating an autumn holiday or enjoying a Sunday afternoon with friends.

Marinated lamb in a sauce of zesty herbs makes a grand bake with a wonderful twist. Sleeman Original Dark Ale is that secret ingredient - the key to culinary success.

An introduction to farmhouse ales is a liberating experience for those who live by the rules of endless possibilities.

The porch boards are slightly worn, with knotholes big enough to suck a teacup Yorkie into the bowels of hell. As the warm weather begins to wane, impatient winds moan through the grand oaks like a somber hymn, mourning those buried at nearby Glen Spey Cemetery.

In the spirit of ancient tradition, let us celebrate Halloween to honor the past – those lost cultures who respected the chasm between life and death, the thin line that holds us by a moment’s breath.