Four days. Wow. To be honest, I meant to do at least a handful of blog posts between when I last wrote something on here and now, but other wedding chores have been taking higher priority on my to-do list. And before you say, “But Doug, surely writing entertaining-yet-informative blog posts for your silly wedding website is crucial to the success of this upcoming weekend,” save your breath. I already tried that approach, and it ended with Kay emailing me a list of things to do, none of which involved writing this blog post. So, consider this one of my last acts of pre-marriage rebellion. That, and I have been leaving the dish towel on the counter.

Speaking of wedding chores, there was one task I really did enjoy: picking out the beers for the reception. Overwhelmed by the possibilities, I consulted my good friend and beer connoisseur Colin, who writes about beer at BeerForLunch.net. My only stipulation was that I wanted to keep the beer offerings limited to Virginia breweries. What follows is the selection that Colin and I came up with.

Devil’s Backbone Vienna Lager (Roseland, VA) – If you find yourself confused as to what to drink when you first arrive at the reception, this would be a good place to start. If you find yourself confused when you first arrive at the reception, you might be James Stockdale. 4.9% ABV.

Port City Optimal Wit (Alexandria, VA) – This beer actually just won the gold medal for Belgian-style witbier at the Great American Beer Festival this past weekend in Denver. Optimal Wit is like Blue Moon, but with a soul. 5% ABV.

Legend Brown Ale (Richmond, VA) – I drank a lot of this when Kay and I lived in Richmond, and it was a big hit when I took some back to Lexington, KY a few years ago. If you enjoy Newcastle Brown Ale, you’ll like this even better. 6% ABV.

Parkway Brewing Get Bent Mountain IPA (Salem, VA) – Colin bought a six-pack of this on our way to the bachelor party back in August, and it was really good. At 7.2% ABV, it is a good choice if you want to get bent just as fast as possible.

Williamsburg Alewerks Pumpkin Ale (Williamsburg, VA) – For two months, this beer was my white whale. I searched every beer retailer I could find, but no one had this beer in stock, let alone three cases. Then, a few weeks ago, I called Total Wine on a whim and they had some in stock. I bought three cases and got a six-pack for the apartment. Do you like pumpkin pie? Do you like beer? You are in luck. 7.3% ABV.

For you non-beer drinkers, Kay has selected four wines (two whites, two reds) that she regularly gets from Trader Joe’s. To be fair, Trader Joe’s has really good wine. But wine is nowhere near as fun to write about, think about, or drink as beer is.

From here on out, count on at least one blog post per day as we approach the big day. I’ll write more later, once I find a fun .gif for the number 3.

– Doug