Daniel Willrich

I spent most of my early drinking years consuming cheap beer, because let’s face it, the beer budget easily trumps the champagne taste. Don’t get me wrong, the Beast, as we affectionately called it, did the trick for a poor college student. Then, in my 4th year of college, I was fortunate enough to go on a study abroad trip to Rome.  You might think a semester in Rome would lead one to an affinity for wine.  Not in this case. My classmates and I discovered The Fox Pub, an Irish pub in the middle of historic Rome.  Choices were Guinness and Heineken, and both were more affordable than the best US domestics, especially during the hour of power.  This is where the love affair with dark beers, and eventually, good craft beer began.