Every time I finish a beer tour, they reel me right back in

The end finally fell into sight.

Down to the Elevator Brewery's Masters of Beer Appreciation (a monthly seasonal draft for 12 months, then a mug), I notched off my last brews in my second Winking Lizard beer tour and in the inaugural tour through the cooler at Bob's Bar.
Finish my last draft at the Elevator in May, and my touring was over.

I should have known myself better.

New tours pop up all the time, and in a matter of a week, I'm back witha tally running at Bob's and the WL again.

Bob's unveils its addendum to the World Tour of Beers, with a new 40 selections and the prize of a beer glass with my name engraved ... I'm back in, with five of the 40 cleared away.

I'd ask why I do this to myself, but that was before I noticed an interesting new post on the winking lizard Web site.

The sports bar/beer tour HQ dangled a carrot I've always thought would make a short, sweet look at the world's most complex ales: the Trappist Beer Mini-Tour.

Drink five of their six Trappist offerings in April (no Westvleteren, whose monks disapprove of its sale at American marked up prices, so that's OK) and receive a Trappist glass for the $35 of beer imbibed.

Weak I might be, but for a $1 entry fee and an Orval goblet (WL's locations were allotted different glasses, and one of our Columbus sites drew my most-wanted glass). One more trip, and the little tour is done. With Achel Blonde and Orval marked off, it's a tossup between the four high-octane finalists (Chimay Grand Reserve, Rochefort 8, Westmalle Trippel and Koeningshoeven Quadruple, the only Dutch Trappist brewery left).

This sick beer tour obsession ultimately comes down to rewards; coats, shirts, beer glasses and little points of pride for the kitchen shelf. My beer glass collection swells larger all the time (a Grimbergen chalice came home with me last night from the WL), and more of an relaxation-wear features beer and bar logos than ever before.

I'm not apologizing - there are worse things in life than being a whore for beer goblets.