The First Round is on Me

Creating a blog about beer seems pretty natural considering my heritage. I was born in Wisconsin, once the beating heart of the American brewing industry. I grew up in the small town of Chippewa Falls, home of Leinenkugel's Brewery. Both my maternal grandfather and my paternal great-great-grandmother were Millers. Plus, my great-grandfather, Vernon Holliday, was a bootlegger of corn liquor during prohibition in Southern Minnesota. Mix all of these ingredients together and you have me, Cody Holliday.

A couple of additional things to know about me:

• I recently married my absolutely amazing and equally beautiful wife last November
• As of today, I have enjoyed a total of 332 different beers. You can follow my continuing explorations by adding me on Untappd.
• I am pursuing my certification as a Cicerone® (beer expert), starting with becoming a Certified Beer Server (to be a central focus of this blog)
• I have nerd tendencies with a focus on video games, superheroes, and the Walking Dead (all of these will most likely sneak their way into this blog)

My passion for beer has really been intertwined with my career in politics. In 2011, I was working as a legislative assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. This was the same year that the "Surly Bill" was introduced and passed allowing breweries to serve their product directly to the consumer, resulting in a large number of new taprooms opening across the state. It was this piece of legislation that introduced me to the complex, and often ridiculous, laws that govern the production, sales, and consumption of liquor. Since then, I have explored the growing craft beer movement that has gained a strong foothold in my neighborhood of Northeast Minneapolis.

I am going to try to focus my posts on beer and the politics surrounding the liquor industry, but don't be surprised if you also find a random post about the next installment in the Assassin's Creed franchise.

Cheers!