Done!

I don’t quite know how to start this without sounding my year of drinking only one beer is a big deal, but I am officially drinking  beverages other than and including PBR.

The past year ended up to be everything I have expected and thanks to my personal commitment and more importantly the support from my friends who often thought that drinking PBR for a year was the most ridiculous thing, I was able to pull it off. At the end of it, looking back I have accomplished everything I set to mind to.

First, I was able to keep in touch with all my friends back home and everywhere else around the world. Second, I had an opportunity to document my life for my second year living in New York. Third, as inconvenient as it was at times, I got to write, which I enjoyed at times and at times I had to rush through especially during February and March. And finally, next time, someone asks to tell them something interesting about myself, I’ll have something pretty great to say.

When it comes to things that I didn’t intend to accomplish, few come to mind. One, this experiment often ignited conversations with friends and strangers that almost always turned out to be great. Next, by drinking PBR
only, I know I have saved quite a bit of money. A 12 pack of Pabst goes for just under 10 dollars, at the same time when a six pack of Dale’s Pale Ale or any other microbrew can run you about the same. And let’s not forget about for profit alcohol serving establishments, where I probably saved myself a lot of cash at times even resorting to a glass of water whilst everyone around was drinking other beverages.

When it comes to my relationship with the beer and a spark of excitement that came every time I saw a Pabst sign on a window, I definitely appreciated the taste and the cultural importance that this beer from Milwaukee came to signify. I don’t forsee shaking off the feeling that came with this memorable red and blue logo though.

It has been a great year in my life that I shall remember forever, but at this point, 888 Pabst Blue Ribbons later, I am ready to move forward and enjoy other drafts and mixed beverages to their fullest.

Everyone, thank you for reading the blog and your continued support!

Week 52 (One Full Year) – 21; Total – 888

PBR Sold in Russian Grocery Store in Brooklyn

The Trip – Part III

Next one on the list was no other city than the current russia’s capital – the mighty Moscow.  We arrived in Moscow via air on Rossiya Airlines. One hour flight from St. Petersburg proved to be uneventful. We were lucky to be picked up from the airport by my uncle, who proudly pulled up to the front entrance in his 2009 Hyundai SUV. We took a highway to get to his place. And my adult first impression of Moscow was nothing like imagined. Highways, cars, and big box stores on the outskirts of the city reminded me more of Denver suburbs than a lively European metropolis.

Week 51 – 18; Total – 867

Red Hook Garage Door

Week 50 – 18; Total – 849

At US Open

Week 49 – 13; Total – 831

Down to the St. Petersburg Metro (Courtesy of the Pearl)

The Trip – Part II

Next up on the schedule was one of my home – Russia, or as select few of my American born acquaintances like to refer as Mother Russia.

After an afternoon in the charming Helsinki, we took a Russian run ferry through more of the Baltic Sea into St. Petersburg (also known as Leningrad and Petrograd at one or the other point of its short history as the city).

White Nights of St. Pete

Naturally, my first contact with the Russian culture came on the ferry.

Week 47 – 20; Total – 818

Tallinn

Week 46 – 18; Total – 798

Halls of Hermitage

The Unexpected

When I was going through pros and cons of the PBR experiment exactly one year ago, one of the things I thought I would surely miss  was all the free adult beverages that would come at the corporate happy hours. However, something quite unbelievable has happened this past Friday. It was not the fact that everyone at the firm had an effective day off, nor it was the fact that the guest speaker that the management has been so secretive about was not so humble Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno.