Draught Diversions is the catchall label for mini-rants, think-pieces, and posts that don\u2019t just focus on one beer here at The Tap Takeover. We hope you don\u2019t grow too weary of the alcohol alliterative names we use\u2026<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
This post has been brewing for a few months, probably at least as far back as May 2022, when The Tap Takeover celebrated its Fifth Anniversary<\/b><\/a>. I\u2019m referring to The Tap Takeover going on an indefinite hiatus. I don\u2019t know how long that hiatus will be because life gets in the way of the plans we make for ourselves.<\/p>\n When I started the Tap Takeover back in 2017, I wasn\u2019t sure what the long term goal was, other than a hobby with a professional mindset, if that makes sense. I started it with the thought that since I wrote about the books I enjoyed for so many years (SFFWorld<\/strong><\/a>, Tor.com<\/a><\/strong>, SFSignal<\/strong><\/a>, as well as my personal blog<\/strong><\/a>) I figured I\u2019d take a stab at writing about the beers I enjoy. On the one hand, writing this blog turned into an educational exercise as I learned more about beer in general, more about why I like certain beers and not others. On the other hand I met a lot of really cool people and feel as if I\u2019ve become more connected in the independent beer scene, especially in New Jersey.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve briefly considered monetizing the site somehow, but usually dismissed those thoughts very quickly. At times, I thought maybe I\u2019d parlay this blog into some kind of paid writing assignments about beer, but that hasn\u2019t quite formed despite some attempts.<\/p>\n I won\u2019t say maintaining the blog has become a chore, but there is time and effort that goes into writing, formatting, and generating the content. I\u2019ve maintained a pretty consistent schedule, I haven\u2019t missed publishing at least one post per week (226 reviews and 178 Draught Diversions) since launching in 2017, and often two posts per week. I\u2019ve been reading blogs for long enough to know for my own personal enjoyment, if there\u2019s not consistent, timely content, then I stop giving attention to that blog\/outlet.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll admit that I put pressure on myself with this blog. I\u2019m the owner, lead editor, whatever you call it and I\u2019m not affiliated with any other media outlet or brewery. Building out those monthly six packs of new beers every month, sure it was fun consuming those beers, but it wasn\u2019t always easy to come up with six \u201cnew to me beers\u201d beers or new beers for the Summer \/ Oktoberfest \/ Christmas seasonally themed six packs. I found myself going out of my way to find something new I hadn\u2019t ever drank just to ensure I was able to have a review or fill a monthly six pack and that the content I was posting was new to this blog. I\u2019d pass up a 4-pack or 6-pack beer I enjoyed in the past in favor of a new beer when determining what to buy in order to have content for this blog based on my personal budget. Again, that\u2019s pressure only from myself to keep to the standards I set early on with this blog. This post is by no means a plea for sympathy, just a rationalization of the state of things.<\/p>\n Have my priorities changed since launching the Triple T? A little bit, sure. I\u2019ve moved up in my career, have been focusing once again (although not as diligently) on fictional writing as well as renewed attention to the book reviewing I\u2019ve been doing for the better part of the last 20 years. If I\u2019m writing a piece for the Tap Takeover, then that\u2019s time I\u2019m not doing something else like attempting to spin my own stories.<\/p>\n Also, unlike the book reviews I write where the majority of the books I review are provided to me by publishers, 95% of the beers I\u2019ve reviewed or featured were beers I purchased. The other 5% were gifts or beer exchanges. Sure, I\u2019d be buying and drinking beer regardless, but like I said previously, I\u2019d go out of my way to get something new to me rather than grabbing an old favorite to buy. That\u2019s good in many ways because trying new things is fun, right? I\u2019m just adding another layer to what goes into publishing a beer blog that maintains a weekly schedule of new content.<\/p>\n Plus, sometimes and more often lately, I just want to drink a beer, enjoy it, and not overanalyze what\u2019s in the can or my glass and write a review about it. There\u2019s only so much one can say about one stout vs. another and I\u2019ve felt myself getting repetitive in my reviews more frequently so I just need a break from this little monster I\u2019ve created. I also sometimes feel like I\u2019m shouting into a vacuum with this blog.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve enjoyed keeping this active for the last 5 and a half years, I really have. I\u2019ll still be filling my fridge with beer, visiting breweries, spending time thinking about beer, but more relaxed and less formally, if you will.<\/p>\n In the end, I\u2019m not sure what\u2019s next for The Tap Takeover<\/strong>. When or if I\u2019ll return from hiatus, but maybe I\u2019ll run into some of you at a brewery or some other beer event in the future.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll still be checking into untappd (RobHB)<\/a><\/strong>, posting on Instagram (robhbed<\/strong>)<\/a> (usually one beer per week as well as some bookish posts), taking part in the dumpster fire that is currently twitter as RobHBedford<\/strong><\/a>, as well as facebook<\/a><\/strong>. Connect with me there if you haven\u2019t already and say hi.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll close this post by\u00a0 saying thank you to everybody who has been reading my barely coherent ramblings about beer for the past five and half years and\u00a0 chatting up with me online or in meatspace.<\/p>\n Cheers and enjoy your beer responsibly!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"TemporarilyClosed_cropped\"](\"https:\/\/thetaptakeover.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/temporarilyclosed_cropped.png?w=450&h=450\")
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