I’ve had some great days in my life. Our wedding day–wherein I made an honest man of the long-suffering Jeff–is up there. So is the day I passed the Bar, the day I graduated from college, the day I realized I was born to be a teacher…and heck, the day I was born was pretty cool, even if I don’t quite remember it. (Although I hear that I was all set to pop out and then, at some point, decided to chillax in my mom’s birth canal for 1/2 a day. This set off a lifelong habit of mine to just sort of stop in the middle of things and not finish them.)

I must confess though, that two weeks ago I received an email that made my DAY. Made my WEEK. You see, those of us who blog do so with the hope that people read the stuff. I just type in the words, hit “save” and hope that the gerbils that run the internet get it out there. You never know who, if anyone, will read. So it was delightful to get an email from the Operations Manager/Marketing god from Short’s Brewery, asking me to write about their newly branded beer and saying he reads my stuff. !!!!! That anyone from Short’s even knew that I breathed oxygen was awesome and getting to write about the unveiling of their new beer was just like the hop on top of the mug.

Now I’m not bragging on myself here, but there’s more to the story. Matt Drake, aforementioned guru/ops manager/god of marketing, told me that he actually quoted me in the presence of Joe Short himself and Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head. What, was Moses there too?!?! Holy Toledo, dude!

(Although, I’m a little sad that Sam didn’t immediately drop what he was doing, jet off to Ann Arbor and set me up with a TV show about beer, but you know, these things take time. Just in case he’s reading, I’d suggest the tile: Beer Wench & the Beer Mensch for my friend ET Crowe and me, respectively. Or perhaps Teacher & the Wench? At any rate, she is way more photogenic than me so she’d have to be the “face” of it)

Oh, wait, I was here to write about the beer, right? Sorry about that! We girls get a little ga ga over Sam. Anyway, the beer was the beer formerly known as Hangin’ Frank (t.b.f.k.a.h.f. for those in the know), now rebranded as ControversiALE. This is a kick butt name because, as you might recall, there were some controversies about the original label and name of this beer. I don’t want to revisit those controversies here, except to again say that I disagree. I’m just glad that the beer is still being produced and is still as nummy as always.

Between an American Pale Ale and an IPA, the ControversiALE weighs in at 6.55%ABV. It still has the strong, citrusy hop presence in the aroma and taste. The hops do not overwhelm the beer, as there is still a nice, toasty grain taste. The finish is hoppy and lingering. In other words, same great taste, brand new name!

I forgot to ask Matt when this beer will be bottled, but I have a feeling we won’t have to wait long. Meantime, keep your fingers crossed for a TLC beer show! (I mean, come on, they have 87 shows about repossessing cars and pawn shops…I think a little ET & Patti would be a welcome respite :))

As an aside, I’d like to thank everyone who thoughtfully commented on my last article about sexism & beer. Like most things, it is a complex issue and one that I hope to explore at some future time.