First up is Anchor's California Lager. This marks the fourth Anchor beer I've had so far this month, and they've all been quality brews. This pale-orange lager smells just like your standard canned college lagers, but the beautiful color, lingering foamy head, and floral/cereal taste notes really set it apart. This would make an excellent conversion beer, if you have friends that don't like the more nuanced taste of craft beer. I'm still not a big fan of lagers, but I could see myself packing these along on a float trip or a weekend camping adventure. I award this one a C+.
My next beer for the evening is Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA, which is the beer that came in my Black Friday gift bag from Craft Beer Cellar. This beer pours a beautiful amber color with velvety, yet minimal head and a powerful pine-needle nose, which makes me think of hot summer porch-drinking and Christmas cheer at the same time! This beer also manages to have a very balanced flavor profile- it's not quite as bitter as many other IPAs, which definitely makes it more accessible. This may just be my favorite Deschutes brew, and I give it an A-.
I mentioned above that there are some good things going on in my life, and that's very true. Final grades for the semester were posted yesterday, and I finished the semester with one A and four Bs to net a 3.2 semester GPA. When combined with my previous (and abysmal) Meramec GPA (from my previous semester there, in Spring 2011), I have an almost-decent cumulative GPA, which will only go up after the coming semesters. I'm almost done buying Christmas gifts for my loved ones, and am really looking forward to surprising two of my closest friends with their presents. Aaaaand, I got to wear my favorite new shirt today!
I also got to go on a brief shopping trip with my mom today, which also involved me packing up some clothes I don't need anymore to donate them to charity! It's important to take the time to help those who are less fortunate all year round, but especially during the holiday season. Those who don't have as many financial resources as others really struggle during the winter, when heating bills and petrol prices are high, and coats, hats, and other winter necessities can often cause families to choose between staying warm and eating supper. The commercialization of the holiday season can also take a toll on those who don't have a family with whom to spend the season.
Fortunately, there are a few things you can do if you'd like to help out! If you're in the Saint Louis area, some establishments choose to adopt one (or more) of the Post-Dispatch's 100 Neediest Cases families. In fact, my favorite neighborhood bar has done so this year. If you would like to donate much needed supplies, you can find some info on the families The Royale has adopted at this Facebook event. They're having a gift-wrapping party this coming Sunday, the 21st, but you can drop gifts off all week long. I'm planning on stopping in on Thursday with some gift cards.
You can also volunteer to be a bell-ringer for the Salvation Army, or spend part of your Christmas Day volunteering at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter.
If you're stumped for volunteer ideas during the rest of the year, I have a few for you as well! Find a cause that's important to you and then turn that into a volunteering opportunity. You could organize a canned food drive at your school or office, volunteer at an animal shelter, or (as I plan to do this coming year), volunteer at a hospital or clinic. If you're a frequent Amazon shopper, like I am, by logging in at http://smile.amazon.com, you can designate a charity which will receive .5% of all qualifying purchases you make on Amazon!
Welp, that does it for this post. I'll have another post up tomorrow evening, and it'll probably be a late one- but it'll be worth it because I'll be recapping a bottle share I'm attending!
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