This was a nice surprise: a tip I sent in a few weeks ago made it onto the Brutal Hammer at the hands of the esteemed Dylan. I would argue that the crowler (not growler, crowler) does have one very specific benefit, which is that I sometimes visit breweries in other cities when I’m traveling and want to take something home, but a growler would go flat before I got there. Anyway, go read the article and decide for yourself.

Dylan linked to my most recent piece on Knee-Jerk, which made me realize that I never advertised it myself! It went up on St. Patrick’s Day, which was appropriate as the subject is drinking alone. It is, as always, a pleasure to appear there and to work with Casey Bye. I missed the sensible promotion period because I was on my way to Quebec City for a long weekend, where I found a great little brewery which I explored in the company of some friends.

Lastly, it’s nearly Marathon Monday here in Boston. It has been my favorite day in this city for as long as I’ve lived here, and obviously has layered meanings for all of us. This year my dear friend Kate, whom I have known for over 25 years, is running her second race for Dana Farber. She has a lot of reasons to undertake this grueling challenge (and to overcome last year’s mid-race injury and this year’s mid-training burst appendix), and I am humbled and touched that one of them is in memory of my father. She has met her fundraising goal, but if anyone wants to contribute more to finding a cure for cancer, please visit her fundraising page. Or just go tell her she’s awesome. I’ll be waiting at the finish line on Monday to give her a hug, and I’ll tell her again myself.