You Meet the Nicest Folks...

You meet some of the nicest people at places where good beer is served.

Tap Time offers $5.50 flights on Fridays, so it's a perfect opportunity to sample some good beer, maybe find a new favorite and shoot the breeze with regulars like Harry and Heather.

But it also offers a chance to meet new folks.

Tom and Donna Collins, for example, will be making OIB their new home, and along with their friends Mike and Dale, they decided to stop in to OIB's favorite gathering place.

They currently call a tight-knit community area just outside of Pittsburgh their home, and were down for a quick visit. They made the mistake of sitting near me, and being me, I struck up a conversation with them.

I'm glad I did, for if I hadn't, I'd have never learned about their families, their occupations and some of their (mis) adventures, like Tom's "Snowdrift Story."

Or how Dale, a guy with a degree in nuclear medicine, became a homebrewer.

Or how Mike manages to look 20 years younger than he is.

Or how a youthful Donna snapped her curtains closed when a "stalker" drove by her house. That she wound up marrying him is just incidental.

Most importantly, new friends were being made. And all because we shared a predilection for good beer.

Sure, you can drink alone at home for less money.

But you only meet people you already know.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, but you've probably heard--or been part of-- all their "Snowdrift Stories."

And a misguided attempt to plow your vehicle through a block-long, seven-foot high pile of snow does have a touch of magic in it.