Since this week is the Thanksgiving holiday (at least, here in the U.S.), and I didn’t do Theme Week last week, I decided to combine the two and do something a little different: I’m going to be blogging this week about the stuff I’m thankful for as it relates to beer and this blog.

The first thing I’m thankful for is beer blogging and more specifically, The Brew Site. What started out five years ago as nothing so much as a collision of hobbies (beer and homebrewing, blogging and writing, web development and tinkering with software) has become so much more and has been rewarding in ways I wouldn’t have imagined when I started, including:

• I’m plugged in to a fantastic community of beer bloggers and writers. If there’s a nicer online community of folks, I’d be hard-pressed to find it; and it’s in this spirit that we have collaborative efforts like The Session, and how I’m lucky enough to have yet another blogging gig with the Hop Press.
• I get to drink and review beer—for free. I was amazed when I received my first beer sample, and while this is old-hat practice for established beer writers and journalists, for a blogger it’s a paradigm shift. It might be politically incorrect to admit this, but I love getting these samples and having the opportunity to write about them.
• Great readers. I think this goes without saying; sometimes blogging can be a lonely activity without feedback. But I get good comments to the blog and emails from readers with questions (even if those questions are really directed to someone else).
• I’m considered “media” and get some of the associated perks. Like the media pass and entry I received to the Oregon Brewers Festival a couple of years back, as well as invitations to beer events (that 99% of the time I can’t make it to). (Like the beer samples, it may be politically incorrect to admit that.)

So I’m very thankful for blogging, and the great “beer community” behind this blog.