>To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it!
>Thank you, Charlie Chaplin.
First things first, yes, I ran the 5k. I finished it, ran the entire way without stopping or walking, and I did it in under 40 minutes. Those were my personal goals. My trash-talking son beat me by roughly 8 minutes. My body is still sore, but I have to admit it was a LOT of fun, and I plan on doing more. Big thanks to the family for encouraging me, pushing me, and tolerating my gripes after the fact, and a big thank you to our dear friend Tonnya who ran with me and set a pace faster than I would have… which is exactly what I needed.
On to beer…
The Ale and the Witch is awesome. I highly recommend it to anyone in St. Pete, either living here or visiting. Brett (the owner) has put together a really great place for the craft beer lover, tucked away just enough to avoid a regular intrusion of Ed Hardy-wearing jack-wagons who might stumble by looking for the highest alcohol beer they can find so they can high-five their buddies wearing 2-sizes-too-small tshirts and then asking why there’s no Mic Ultra. 32 taps of pure awesome. And five minutes from home. I love it.
It has been interesting to watch the HopSlam release activity around the country. I listened to Mike and Phil at United We Drink discuss the scarcity and hype and difficulty acquiring it on their side of the state, while here in St. Pete its readily available in multiple places. And while Total Wine is carrying it for $19.99 a six-pack (same as South Florida, it seems), my personal favorite place of Rollin’ Oats has it for $15.99. Still expensive, but interesting that the price is so drastically different. It’s a phenomenal beer, mind you. Rumor has it you can also find it on tap in a few places around town.
Ratebeer.com has released its 2011 “Best” list, and once again, the Stout is king. That irritates me. I love a good Imperial Stout as much as the next person, but there are a disproportionate number of them in the top 25, in my not-so-humble opinion. That said, it was great to see Florida – and Tampa Bay in particular – getting some serious props in the listings. No “beer culture” my ass!
Beer for the Daddy 
>Face it, Sean: you love a good Imperial Stout more than the next person.Seriously, though, I share your irritation on their over-representation on the "Best" list. It's ridiculous to have a best list that spans beer types, in my opinion. Each is unique, and having best lists within styles makes more sense.Congratulations on running the 5K!