Social media can be fun, informative, and inspiring, of course. But it can also be overwhelming, negative, and frustrating. Sometimes, you just need to put the phone down and enjoy a beer with some friends.
Thankfully, one of mine, beer blogger Peter McKerry, recently decided to enforce this idea with a social-media-free bottle share. He set up shop in the back of Caps & Taps, a bottle store run by our friends Phill and Steph Palgrave-Elliott, and the rules were simple: you brought some beers to share, and your phone stayed in your pocket. Break the second rule, and your phone gets locked in a box until the share ends. Peter also asked everyone attending to make a donation to local food bank The Trussell Trust, raising £100 in the process.
Instead of scrambling to tweet or Instagram each thrilling beer, I turned my focus to the beer itself as it was poured and the conversation that flowed as a result. And wouldn't you know it, a feeling of deep relaxation washed over me. Of course, I cheated a bit with my camera, taking this photo that will be tweeted and posted to Facebook. Please don't tell Peter.
