Actually, this is just a catch-all post for a few odds and ends. I don’t really have any election-specific content, though I suppose I’m asking for votes on a topic below…

A couple of press releases came in for holiday beers: Pike Brewing‘s Auld Aquaintance and Goose Island‘s Bourbon County Stout. Auld Aquaintance is a low (for a holiday ale!) 5%, but I like the sound of the spicing: "subtly seasoned with orange peel, coriander, cinnamon, and nutmeg."

The Bourbon County Stout I’m particularly excited about because it’s going to be available in Oregon for the first time; I’m definitely going to be on the lookout for it. (Hey, an Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels; you know I’d be all over that!)

You’ll notice I said these were press releases, though I’ve yet to run them; truth be told, I’m getting a lot more marketing and press releases lately and I just ran two yesterday. I’ve said I’ll run stuff that people send me (conditionally, of course), but I don’t want to end up being a marketing clearing house.

So I may tone down the press releases a bit, and only run the ones that I find really interesting; or perhaps I’ll create a "Press Releases" section on the site, separate from the main blog entries, and run them all there, because ultimately I do think they offer value. Thoughts? Ideas?

Elsewhere, I’m two weeks out from this month’s Theme Week and looking for a topic. I may do a "Deschutes Brewery Week" because The Abyss is launching that weekend and I’ve got a backlog of reviews to do—including The Dissident, this year’s Hop Trip and this year’s Jubelale.

And don’t expect a Theme Week in December; I’ll be running my fourth(!) annual Beer Advent Calendar every day up to Christmas—that keeps me plenty busy. Plus, it’s the holidays so, you know, vacation and stuff.