If you ever receive an email from my University account, you’ll notice next to my name it reads, “Doctoral Candidate in blah blah blabbity blah”. At one time, I thought it would be cool to obtain my PhD, but it was really a reason for me to return to my Old Kentucky Home. Through the courses, the papers, and the professors, who I either loved or hated with a fiery passion, my disdain for researching and writing journal articles increased. I grew to loathe the culture (faculty maybe?) and dragged my feet. Hell, I’m still dragging (I’m taking a week off to write at the end of the month, thankfully), but I’ll finish the damn thing just to make people I loath (faculty maybe?) add Dr. to my name.
One non-asshole faculty member (Gohmann is included in this group as well, maybe Horine. Maybe.) works just down the road at the University of Kentucky and loves craft beer just as much as I do. Jeff Rice, or Dr. Fabulous if you are his wife, is a professor of Writing Rhetoric and Digital Media at UK. Jeff also masterminds two blogs: Some nerdy one and then one about beer. The reason I am bringing Jeff up is because he is hosting Craft Beer Writing: Beer, the Digital, and the Craft Culture on February 15th in Lexington. Oh, and it’s FREE! You just have to pre-register. Thats right, I said free BEER conference!
Via Jeff, “We expect over 200 people….this is likely the only event of its kind…and event that promotes not just the product, beer, but also the writing and ideas that help bring that product to market, showcase its history, demonstrate how social media and the Internet affect taste and choice, explain how beer archives are important…”.
You should make a weekend of it though, no really you should. Jeff’s wife, Jenny, said everyone is welcome to come over after the conference for Jacks Pizza and those little cocktail wienies. No shoes on the carpet though. Friday night, Against the Grain will be having an event at the Beer Trappe while Country Boy Brewing will be hosting the conference speakers and guests in the evening. Then, when you actually go to the conference you get a chance to listen to one of the most well known brewers/authors in the craft beer industry, Brooklyn Brewing Company’s Garret Oliver. Oh yea, Roger Baylor of NABC fame will be there as well holding two presentations entitled: “The Art of Trading Beer” & “I’m a Beer Geek and I’m OK With That”.
Not to make Jeff’s head any bigger than it already is, but this is a BIG deal for Kentucky. To have this caliber of speakers/writers in our state and people are coming from all-across the United States to attend is pretty significant. This is an opportunity to showcase craft beer in Kentucky, which we are now seeing as a rising market.
This Sunday, we will be interviewing Jeff on our Podcast, but as a teaser, here are some interesting facts about him.
- Jeff Rice is originally from Miami, FL. This is apparent by his natural looking bronze skin.
- Jeff Rice served in the Army. He still holds the Ft. Bragg record for vertical jump.
- Jeff Rice loves Russian River, but not as much as the movie, A River Runs Through It.
- Jeff Rice uses big words to confuse people and then snickers behind their back.
- Jeff Rice is 6’6″.
- Jeff Rice used to work in the jewelry industry. At one point, he threatened to punch Tom Shane in the face over his idiotic commercials.
