Now that Hurricane Shandy … I mean, Hurricane Sandy is behind us, we see the aftermath and it is not pretty.

Two years later, the compulsion overtook me. Hungry Planet: What the World Eats stood on the shelf at my local bookshop, tempting me with what lived within the covers.

Hulmeville Inn Owner/Proprietor Jeff Lavin has been called: the patron saint of the Bucks County beer scene.

How savvy are you in a beer bar? As a woman who writes about beer, I have grown to be passionate about the subject. Sometimes I am embarrassed by my own enthusiasm, because I catch myself being … well … the epitome of the Beer Fox.

This was to be a honey-drenched day. Not honey-drenched in a sticky, cloying way, but in a more refined form - judging mead at Valhalla, the Meading of Life,

The Meilgaard Flavor Wheel, developed by Morten Meilgaard in the 1970s, has long been considered the beer flavor analysis standard by the European Brewing Convention, the American Society of Brewing Chemists, and the Master Brewers Association of the Americas.

How do people become so aware of taste, aroma, style, appearance, texture, kinesthetics, and a host of other qualities that they qualify to judge at these world class competitions? Are there born tasters?

Seven months after taking, and not passing, the Certified Cicerone Exam, I was still licking my wounds. Did I have the right stuff to hold the distinction of Certified Cicerone?

As the sun lowered over Miami to touch the horizon, the air was awash with the rich scent of burgers, brats, and hummus. “I have something I want you to write about,” said my friend from Chicago. My ears perked up.

Beer judges are tasked with the job of tasting beer. Tough job, to say the least!