I recently emailed our bier drinking idol Larry Hawthorne of The Beer Drinker's Guide to Munich fame. He did return my email, and I feel honored once again to be speaking with the esteemed one. While his response was very long, I include some of it below, edited for brevity (I know, it is still very long). This does give some insight into what could lie ahead of us if we perfect our bier consumption activities.
Hey, Chugger,
I've been remiss with my correspondence. I apologize for not getting back to you. Still around and generally traveling a lot. Not much to Munich, of course, in the past year or most of 2019 for that matter. I was getting serious about an 8th edition of the BDG2M, but I let it slip another year and then along came Covid. ...
If things open up again next year I'll get moving on an update. This time there will be a Kindle edition and a limited print run. ... But, I like to do it, so there is still an eighth edition in me somewhere. I've been retired from my day job for some 16 years now and have dabbled in different things. ...
We are still very active with the adult LEGO community (damn, that almost sounds pornographic) and regularly attend LEGO builders and designers conventions in Australia (January) and Chicago (June) each year. ... we travel around the US half the time and the rest is a lot of travel in Europe (Prague is our landing spot as Eliska is Czech and we have an apartment there). ...
...
It would be great to meet up with you guys sometime. Cannot believe how long it's been and you've walked in my footsteps and occasionally I've walked in yours (tried to leave a copy for your next visit with the folks running Shakespears there in Munich around the corner from the Hauptbahnhof). I think Barleyman and Paulaner Girl live in the San Diego area? We're often in Hemet, high desert area of Inland Empire area there in SoCal. We've got a place there. Might try to meet them if they're available sometime over at Stone in Escondido and have a few bitter ales if they're interested. ROADTRIP ! ! !
As it is, we're in Hawaii and have been here since early February. We were coming through here from our Australia trip in January to stay for a month or two, as we usually do. But the Covid got worse and we decided to stay right here and ride it out. ... We're domiciled in Henderson, NV (Las Vegas) as you probably know. Essentially it was for tax reasons but it's really on wheels there. ... we're looking elsewhere to relocate, maybe Nashville area in Tennessee. I love bluegrass and play banjo, fiddle and guitar, so in my old age I'm really getting into jamming the music.
Meanwhile, all the best to you guys. I always thought you and your gang were hilarious in the things you do and the way you approach the wonderful art of drinking beer. Lots of it. I mean that IS what it's all about, as you were all able to break the code first. I think it might have been around the third edition that you guys became early adopters of The BDG2M. You left me a positive review on Amazon once that more or less said, "he gets it". You were alluding to the fact that it was all about the immersion in the culture and the beer and that there was nothing to be self-conscious about, just because it was a hell of a lot of fun. There was a time when even the title of the book, "The Beer Drinker's Guide" felt risky. I mean, not exactly the Great American Novel, that one. But it WAS the perfect title, and you guys confirmed it for me. That really made a difference to me, believe it or not. Because, you know, I actually was thinking I do get it but I need someone else to agree with the conclusion. And you guys did, even to the point of spinning off your own tour businesses for a while.
All the best, Keith (Chugger) and regards to the whole
gang. I look forward to us meeting sometime and lifting a few Maß.
Prosit!
Larry
