Monday, November 20, 2006

We’ve found our perfect job

As any of our regular readers (meaning our moms, other family members, and friends who we harass to read) know, there are two things that are true: 1. I am a blogger; and 2. Doug loves beer.

No only do I blog, updating a few times a week, I research blogging, specifically how blogs are used in public relations and mass communication. Want to know about bloggers as opinion leaders? Ask me, that was my thesis. I won’t claim to be the end-all, be-all of blogging, but I know more than the average bear. Virtual communities, opinion change and blogs spark my imagination.

As for Doug, he is not the typical beer drinker. He is a beer connoisseur. Want to know the difference between a stout and an IPA? Ask him. With Doug, it’s not just about the drinking of the beer, it’s about the experience. This is why he became a homebrewer. His stuff is good, better than many of the commercial beers available in Texas. One reason is his curiosity about beer – he’s always reading brewing magazines and you never know when he’ll suggest a day trip to the Spoetzl brewery (Shiner beers) or some brewpub. Last Sunday we drove to Blanco to tour the Real Ale brewery. This tour was unusual as they allowed Doug to climb on the catwalk and see how the whole process worked. Doug thought this was real cool. His only disappointment – the tasting room was out of Fireman’s 4, one of his favorite brews.

Other things that are true: we like to travel, we like to go to festivals, we like to tour wineries and we like to attend and throw parties. This is why when we saw this article, we knew we had found our perfect job. What could be better suited for us than to travel across the country, going to festivals, touring breweries, sampling beer and then blogging about it?

Starwood Hotels, the company behind the Four Points by Sheraton hotel, is looking for a Chief Beer Officer. They want someone to travel, sample craft beers, represent the hotel, promote the hotel’s Best Brew program and then blog about. How cool would that be? We’ve already talked about creating a blog, and then maybe a book, about Texas brewing. Might as well expand that nationally and get paid to do it. We’re hoping that Starwood will like idea of couple blog team. If anyone has an “in” at Starwood, put in a good word for us.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a match made in Heaven!!!

Auntie M.

libby said...

Hi Dara & Doug,

Just came across your blog while looking for beer connoisseurs in Austin. I work for a beer here in town and I was wondering if I could interview you either over the phone or in person. Strictly beer talk - it sounds like you know your brews.

If you're open to an interview, just e-mail me at libbyanderson7@gmail.com. I'm sorry for contacting you out of the blue...

Thanks,
Libby