After some twists, turns, and mis-labeled roads, we finally found Dave tucked inside his (not really) secret hideaway, the beer-cave. First impressions upon entering this realm: somebody likes - I mean really likes beer. Not that there's anything wrong with that. In fact, there's something wonderful about that, because Beer Dave's passion is about so much more than flavor and intoxication (I think?) - it's about a deep and abiding appreciation for, and love of the history of brewing in these parts. Boxes stacked from floor to ceiling in his basement, all filled with full bottles of beverages, vintage coasters proclaiming Bavarian to be "a man's beer," pictures of inundated KY breweries taken by his grandfather during a 1930s ('37, perhaps??) flood, an actual copy of a newspaper article celebrating the repeal of that dastardly legislative act known as Prohibition, Wiedemann patches from the uniforms of the company's delivery truck drivers, and SOoo much more. Since I am slightly less than talented in the photographic arts, you'll just have to wait for the good stuff to be revealed in the book. :) But here's that manly coaster I previously mentioned:
Beer and beer history has been Dave's passion since he started collecting cans as a youth. He's worked in the industry his entire life and shows absolutely no signs of waning interest. His dedication is remarkable, especially for someone like myself, who would fall in the focus-challenged category. This man has A LOT of breweriana, and what was even more impressive was that he had a story to accompany every single piece. Dave spoke about someday building a "brewseum" in his backyard to house and display all his artifacts - while he might've been speaking facetiously, he could curate the pants off that place.
