Sep 17, 2013 2 min read

What a life: sampling beer and getting paid for it.

The only gig better – to me, anyway – involves sampling food.

Hold on. I’ve done that, too.

It would seem that I do have the best job around.

Indeed, coordinating this special Oktoberfest edition of Living in Washington County magazine was a labor of love.

The idea to dedicate an entire magazine to the celebration of beer was floated during a brainstorming session with staffer Karen Mansfield, who shares my appreciation for artisan beer.

We agreed, not only are craft beers propagating in the marketplace, events also are being centered around tastings, prompting us to take an in-depth look at all things brewed.

Just a half-hour away in Wheeling, W.Va., the Good Zoo at Oglebay Resort and Conference Center is the site of the Good Zoo Brew. Held every June for the past four years, the event features more than 70 craft beers and has become one of the zoo’s biggest fundraisers.

A little farther away, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad hosts Ales on Rails beer-tasting excursions. A two-hour train ride through Cuyahoga Valley National Park includes an introduction to five different craft beers.

I’ve participated in both, and decided that I have a lot more to learn about artisan beer.

In appreciation of the magazine staff’s hard work – hey, it’s rough visiting breweries and bars – I baked cookies.

Made with beer – and pretzels, of course.

You can find the recipe on the Observer-Reporter’s food blog, news bites, at observer-reporter.com. Click on Lifestyles, Food and news bites.

Cheers.