Somehow the summer has slipped from my grasp. Shadows spread more quickly each evening. Leaves scrape their crisp crunchy husks across the sidewalks, dragged by ever-cooling autumnal winds.

The Darkness is coming, denizens.

Fall is always a querulous time of year for me. I love the turning of the trees and the crispness of a beautiful, sunny October morning. However, I detest the encroachment of darkness and chill upon my evenings. Also, fall is the liaison between my favorite season and the season I abhor.

I decided, therefore, that something needed to be done to help ease me into the doldrums of winter. Plus, I’m being pulled in about a million different directions at the moment and it’s really starting to wear me down. What better way to alleviate some of the stress than to decide to take on one more project?

Therefore, I’m officially announcing that tomorrow will mark the beginning of Darktober. (Seems that I like making a special event out of this particular month of the year, eh?)

Seems that I have been quite the busy little beer collector of late. After visiting two different stores that had amazing and reasonably priced beer selections (two things that are incredibly difficult to find in the area in which I live), I ended up with several new single beers…to go along with the plethora of beers already in the refrigerator. And, of course my beer preferences tend to lean as dark as my soul.

How, then, could I manage to get this surplus of dark beer under control in a fun way that would encourage inebriation and a chance to pretend to know what I’m talking about? Say it with me…

DARKTOBER.

The rules are simple. I’ve set up a spreadsheet (I love spreadsheets), to help me track all the different beers I have right now. I’ve organized them thematically (I’ll explain the themes at the beginning of each new week), with two additional themes set at the end of each week: Every Friday will be dedicated to an Octoberfest/pumpkin-themed beer, and every Saturday will be dedicated to a stout. Oh, and Sundays will be beer-free, because…well, because Loba’s liver needs a break every now and then.

I’m actually incredibly excited about this adventure. While there are some beers that I have already tried and am including simply because I think they’re wonderful and would like to share those feelings with you, many of the beers are ones that I have never had before. So this is going to be a learning experience as well! Bonus!

Also, it’s another way to encourage me to get back to blogging here at the lair. I’m hoping that some of the many projects that are currently pressing down upon me will ease up soon and I’ll be able to blog more regularly about some of the more pensive topics that have been banging around in my brain. Until then, however, enjoy a beer review or two on me 😉