A little over 6 months ago, ithinkaboutbeer.com became a reality. I had been thinking about starting a beer blog for a while, but there were already so many blogs. What could I add? My girlfriend continued to urge me to start one. The final deciding factor came when I scheduled my Certified Cicerone test. I thought a blog with regular reviews would allow me to hone my tasting skills and allow me to translate my thoughts into words. I also thought writing some educational pieces would provide some added purpose to my studying. Largely, I was writing this blog for myself. If a few people stumbled onto it, all the better.
Well, 6 months later I’ve had a lot of blog related fun and adventures while reaching more people than I thought I could.
Here are few of the statistical highlights:
Over 7300 views from 5 continents (Penguins apparently don’t like beer blogs, which would explain why I don’t have any views from Antarctica).
Top 5 countries:
1. United States
2. Canada
3. Belgium – The one I’m most proud of
4. United Kingdom
5. Netherlands
Oddest views: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Mongolia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Pakistan, Vietnam.
Country I’d never heard of before this blog: Seychelles (It’s an African country made up of a series of islands north of Madagascar, if you were curious).
Things I got to do because of ithinkaboutbeer.com:
Meet Frank Boon of Brouwerij Boon and tour his brewery.
Meet Marc-Antoine De Mees of Brasserie de Brunehaut and tour his brewery.
Meet British Columbia beer blogger HeavyCF of the “leapbeer” blog.
My first beer exchange (with leapbeer).
My first solicited review with samples in the mail (will be up soon).
Personal Beer Highlights:
Passed my Certified Cicerone® exam.
Passed my MBAA Beer Steward exam.
Traveled to Belgium.
Had a lot of fun writing this blog.
It’s been a short 6 months. I’m looking forward to many new projects in the next 6 months. I still need to post the remaining articles about my trip to Belgium, including: Boon and Chimay. I want to go through and do a heavy edit on a few older articles that have proven to be very popular with the search engines. Mostly, I want to continue growing my blog with fun and informative information that is welcoming to people of all levels of beer knowledge and passion. Early on, I decided ithinkaboutbeer.com would be a place that was friendly and welcoming, and that would avoid the more cynical and negative side of the beer blog world.
Here’s to another great 6 months and beyond! I hope you stick around for the journey. And please, feel free to participate with comments and questions!
Cheers!
-I think about beer
20 thoughts on “Six Months and Counting!”
I will raise a pint to 6 more months of great blogging! To the future!
Thanks!
Well done ITAB! Keep up the great work!
Cheers!
G-LO
Thank you! I’m glad you like my work.
Congrats! I can attest that your pieces have been very informative and fun to read. I look forward to another six months!
Thanks! I hope the next 6 months also has more blog collaborations. We all might as well imitate breweries, while we’re at it.
Congrats. Keep it coming.
Thanks! I’ll definitely have a more goodies coming in the next 6 and beyond!
Glad you’re here! Keep ’em coming. I know you’ve still got some Belgium stories coming… 😉
You know it. Names will be changed to protect the innocent.
Always a great read. Congrats on the exams and the results. Keep ’em coming! Cheers
Thanks! I’ll certainly keep them coming!
congrats on 6 months which I think may be the most difficult. They say your serious after the first year. I am weeks away from my 3 year anniversary and have thought of quitting atleast that many times.
Thanks for the kind words. And congrats on almost 3 years. You run much bigger operation than I do! That’s a lot of blogging.
Congrats on your 6 months! I’ve definitely learned a few things from you. Keep it up!