How big is your beer cellar?

There are, in English, purportedly no two words more beautiful than "cellar door." As a recovering academic and former English teacher, I still never quite understood. Until I heard about beer cellars, that is.

Most beers, being perishable goods, aren't really designed to hang around for a someday pour. The hops start to fade and the quality degrades. "Born on" dates and such (remember 2009?).

While home brew and other freshly bottled beers peak in flavor 2-3 months, others (not unlike most people I know) mature with age, improving over time in character and complexity. Particularly barrel-aged versions, barleywines, lambics, Imperial Stouts (and so on).

Admittedly, I've not had the restraint foresight to cellar my beer. Although I suppose it's only a step away from waiting months on end for homebrew that'll be drinkable roundabout August (when a beet porter is unlikely going to be my top seasonal beer pick).

Tara Tolliver Shortt: A Lady Who Loves Beer

A lady whose love of beer is matched by her unapologetic love of bourbon and baseball (Braves and Phillies, thank you very much), this daytime Dental Assistant has found a second home among her rounds of the Atlanta breweries, both inside and outside the perimeter.

This is Tara, and she loves beer.

Caylee Betts: A Lady Who Loves Beer

With a love for good food, good design, and good drinking, this Seattle-based, small-business owner loves helping craft breweries, boutique wineries, and independently owned/operated restaurants grow their brands. When she's not hard at work doodling and designing, you can find her drinking with fellow members of her adult beer-league kickball team, and enthusiastically documenting the local food, wine, spirits and craft beer in Seattle.

This is Caylee Betts, and she loves beer.

{Ladies Who Love Beer} quotables

We're taking a break from our regular Friday feature for a collection of my favorite {LadiesWhoLoveBeer} quotables from March and April. Meet me back here next Friday for our regularly scheduled programming. Cheers!

Erin Lundmark -- Alpharetta, GA

"I like the camaraderie of the beer culture. I haven't personally experienced any camaraderie on the commercial side, but the homebrew community has been fabulous with their support of our start up. And I like seeing the larger craft breweries work together on beers."

Amy Penrose: A Lady Who Loves Beer

With a love for oysters, the Adirondack Mountains, and her #1 drinking buddy (and soon to be husband) Jason, this "craft beer girl" takes full advantage of the budding beer scene and is only a stone's throw from my own hometown (who knew!?), residing in Rochester, NY with her fiancé and their black lab Ruckus.

This is Amy Penrose, and she loves beer.

An update {April}

Source: cartoonistgroup.com via Karen on Pinterest

Everything here has been blooming hard, or trying to for the last few weeks. It seems we've finally moved past the sweep-the-pollen-off-the-floors stage of Spring, and the warmer days have made it much more appealing to spend hours standing around a kettle full of would-be beer (I can think of much more terrible ways to spend an afternoon, chilly or otherwise).

It's been a while since I posted an update on the goings on this side of the screen, so I thought I'd take a moment to catch you up before this update turns into a novel on me (picture heavy post, please be patient while it loads).

Paula Nix: A Lady Who Loves Beer

We continue today with our regular focus on women and beer, but would like to preface this week's feature by sending along the thoughts and prayers of the Atlanta beer community (and the community at large) to those who were injured, killed, and directly affected by the explosions at the Boston Marathon. We raise our voices, our prayers, our thoughts (and yes, likely a glass or two) to the surgeons, doctors, friends, families, and first responders who ran (and continue to run) toward the chaos, and who continue daily to support and help heal each other as we search for answers. 

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{Ladies Who Love Beer} Paula Nix

A woman whose love of beer has evolved along side her husband's home brew, this lady has a passion for converting people to the world of craft beer. When she's not homeschooling her three kids, enjoying her "makeshift beer garden with friends," and soaking up the good drink (and good eats) of her local beer haunts, this pastor's wife can be found enjoying the good company of her husband (and best friend) in their Woodstock home. 

Paula Nix and her husband Spencer. Photo credit Jennifer Carter.