Stop the beer world! I want to get on!

Here I am at 8:30 a.m. on April 29th and it’s 31 degrees. Cold enough to snow in late April? Come on!

Okay, I got that off my chest.

Now I’m beginning work for the day doing final edits for my beer book, that never-ending beer book that I undertook in October, 2013 and is still not out yet!

Okay, I got THAT off my chest.

Medusa in a Glass, the best place for a woman who has snakes for hair

Medusa in a Glass, the best place for a woman who has snakes for hair

Big exhale. So I handed in my manuscript on January 2d, 2015. Do you know how many changes in the craft beer scene have occurred since then? A LOT.

Nate Sanborn of Rising Tide. They've expanded their tasting room

Nate Sanborn of Rising Tide. They’ve expanded their tasting room

For instance, there are the brewery name changes: I’nfiniti has become Liquid Riot, Square Tail has become Airline. Any others in Maine?

In Vermont, The Crop Bistro has become Idyltime. Not sure that’s the correct spelling, but I’m determined to write this blog post without consulting Google. (Yes, I’m now one of those people who speak to my smart phone: “OK Google, gimme gotcha information, recipes, breweries, the secret to life!”)

The first edition of What's Brewing. Will the title be the same? Stay tuned!

The first edition of What’s Brewing. Will the title be the same? Stay tuned!

Then there are the changes in laws surrounding craft beer. Like the one that happened recently where the City of Portland will now require taprooms to pay a special license to serve food, intending to give some balance to the brewpubs that pay licensing fees in order to comply with restaurant laws.

There are other changes, too, which means I have editor’s notes like, “this brewery is now open. Update?” Yes, I know it’s now open. And hallelujah! And congratulations! And I just asked Google to spell Hallelujah and now some dude named Jeff Buckley is singing it to me on  Youtube. I like the Leonard Cohen version, myself.

Sigh. Thanks for listening. I’ll stop complaining now. And I’ll get back to my beer book, which is due out in July, 2016. I’m happy to have been a chronicler of this explosive craft beer scene, not just in Maine, but all over New England.

If you have the secret of life, email me at kateconewrites@gmail.com.

Oh, and this Jeff Buckley is doing a great job with Hallelujah, by the way.

And here’s a treat: a link to an Eater Maine article on the latest taprooms to visit in Maine.

Essential Guide to Maine Brewery Tasting Rooms, April 2016

Kate Cone

About Kate Cone

Kate Cone has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, is a freelance writer and the author of "What's Brewing in New England: A Guide to Brewpubs and Microbreweries," published by Downeast Publications in 1997 and completely updated in 2016. She has been a foodie since age 8, when her dad taught her how to make coffee and an omelet, lifelong skills for happy eating.