I know. You’re sick of reading about it. And hearing about it. I am too, and I’m also sick of talking about it, though not quite enough to not actually stop talking about it.

See, I’ve loved Pokemon for quite some time (though, like a soccer fan who doesn’t insist it’s called “football”, I don’t care about holding down the e key on my iPad until it becomes “Pokémon” each time). I also like the idea of going to a place for a treasure hunt, which is why I love geocaching so much. Of course, Pokemon Go is less Pokemon-meets-geocaching and more Pokemon-meets-Ingress, which is a game I briefly played and then deleted from my phone once I realized exactly how much I was becoming addicted.

Ingress didn’t have Psyducks, though.

That jerk Brendon has a Snorlax!

And so, while I know every #brand everywhere is trying to cash in on this thing that’s orders of magnitude more popular than I expected, we at CBW are legitimately enthralled with catching ’em all, and so I’m not going to let Fake Geek Brands stop me from my appointed mission, which is to ramble on ad nauseum about whatever dumb thing has caught my attention this week.

(I had to take a break from writing to catch a Paras in my living room)

Lest you think beer and ‘mon (a shorthand no one has ever used) don’t mix, consider this: yesterday during my lunch break I was walking through the naval park and Canalside, doused with incense to attract more wild Pokemon while benefitting from the sweet, sweet lure modules every 20 feet or so. And, since I can be described as “oblivious” in the best of times, it was not surprising that the person who said “Really?” had walked up without me noticing.

Hey kids, it’s special guest star Brian Campbell of the Buffalo Beer League!

Whilst I was out catching oh so many Pidgeys (which I immediately transfer to the Professor for one Pidgey Candy, meaning he probably is reselling truckloads of Pidgeys and Rattatas to KFC or something to fund his research) Brian was off doing beer things. You know, staying on message. Ommegang was having an event at Liberty Hound, so he was walking over to get some Hopstate New York. Without getting any Pokemon, for some reason.

So: beer and Pokemon Go can fit together quite nicely. I mean, if you’re the sort who goes to events and festivals you’re already seeking out new places. Liberty Hound is near Pokeground zero in Buffalo; I imagine the Elmwood and Allentown bars are similarly flush. There’s a gym down the street from Resurgence, close to us. As with all things, if you want to mash up two interests, you can.

I mean hell, we’ve pointed out the obvious beer parallel and will be having a Gotta Drink Em All weekend, where proving that you’ve checked in to all our beers on Untappd nets you a free pokebal- er, growler, or $4 off a fill if, like many of us, you’re swimming in the containers already.

Now then. Off to try to grab that Tauros that’s hanging out at the end of my block.