Last November -- one year ago this month -- my wife Katie and I decided to start a beer blog.

We were casually exploring Minnesota's vast craft beer scene at the time, drinking and -- like so many Millennials -- posting photos of what we were drinking to social media. Along the way, we found ourselves adventuring to places we probably wouldn't have otherwise -- brewery destinations like Annandale, Buffalo, and Fergus Falls, Minnesota. We were meeting wonderfully warm people and drinking incredibly tasty beer and the thought crossed our minds, "Why not turn this into a blog? With our backgrounds in photography, journalism and social media, why not be more than just casual drinkers and actually document and share our experiences?"

So in November 2017 we kicked off a beer blog under the alliteration Ale Adventures.

To be honest, we're kind of amazed at the opportunities we've had and the memories we've made in the year since. Some highlights include our first brewery tour at Third Street Brewing in Cold Spring...

...our first brewery open (Hop & Barrel in Hudson, WI)...

...an invite to become brand ambassadors for Hop Passport...

...our first craft cider festival...

...and -- certainly not least of all -- our summer trip abroad where we explored the beer scenes in Iceland, Ireland, London and Paris.

We've gained over 5,000 followers on social media and been invited to write as contributors to PorchDrinking.com and Running Tap. It's amazing to us, really, how such a simple idea has turned into so much more. Our beer blog as encouraged us to travel more, allowed us to meet wonderful people, and -- believe it or not -- been really good for our marriage. Our beer blog came out of a difficult time for Katie and me and gave us something to do and invest our time and energies in together.

All that to say, we think we have a lot to celebrate this month -- even if it is something as silly as a beer blog. Feel free to read more about our adventures and follow along at our blog!

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