How dry I've been ... coming to an end, soon.

There hasn’t been much for me to say lately about beer in the sense of my drinking it, and that’s because I haven’t been.

Drinking it, that is.

That’s because I’ve been taking two varieties of pain medication, neither of them suitable for use with alcohol. As I’ve said many times before: As a professional beer drinker, alcohol does damage enough to my innards without compounding the problem by mixing it with pills. It is my responsibility to, well, to be responsible and save those cells for Gravity Head sacrifices and biking trips.

The pain medication came about because of my recent rotator cuff repair surgery. Recovery is going well, and the physical therapy regimen has been successful thus far, and so earlier tonight I availed myself of the loophole conceded me by Dr. Moskal, who said that in deference to professional obligations, a bit of beer here and there while still on the meds would be acceptable.

During my first two visits to work after a 12-day post-surgical holiday, I nipped at a wee few ounces of Schlenkerla Fastenbier (now gone); BarrelHouse Belgian Style Winter Ale and Boss Cox Double Dark IPA; and NABC’s recent lineup additions. Mt. Lee (California Common) and Jasmine the Mastiff (Sweet Stout). Seriously, just an ounce or two of each, and followed by perhaps four ounces of Croupier IPA on Friday night during a quick nibble stop at the Bistro New Albany.

Back to tonight.

To celebrate the conclusion of her first year of graduate school, the wife and I dropped in at Maido Essential Japanese on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville. You’ve read me tout Maido on numerous occasions, so I’ll spare you another (go there, damn it) and say merely that as accompaniment to a “spicy Seoul roll” that included kimchee, a draft pint of Dave Pierce’s seasonal BBC Dank IPA was mighty, mighty fine.

Gotta get off the pills. Soon. Just not enough hops …