Spoiler alert … today may have been my favorite beer day so far during the #DrinkAndDropChallenge. But you’re not allowed to scroll ahead and … who am I kidding? Go ahead and skip to the end if you want. I mean, this isn’t Russia, is it Danny?
Okay, if you’re still reading and didn’t skip ahead, thank you. Today was another pretty excellent day. New massive and fancy fridge installed in the kitchen, impromptu date with the most beautiful woman in the world, beer at one of my favorite breweries, delicious dinner with the fam, and capped it off with movie night downstairs (we finally got around to watching Bohemian Rhapsody, which is really well done. And makes me want to listen to Queen a lot more.)
- Breakfast. broken record … more Fiber One bars for me. I know it’s mundane to have the same, small, simple thing every day. But I like them, they are low calorie, and they get me through to lunch. That’s usually all I’m looking for in a breakfast treat.
- Lunch. We tried a new Mexican joint near the house today. I got the Speedy Gonzales, mostly because I love that Looney Tunes character. But I was also thinking, it’s a smaller meal and is likely less caloric than the #11 I’d usually get. (Does anyone else notice that the #11 is the same at every Mexican joint on the planet? Burrito, enchilada, taco, rice, beans. The other combos may change, but good ole #11 stays the same. Once again, I digress.) The food was fine, the company was F-I-N-E fine. Yeah – I got to each lunch with my wife, which is an other-worldly treat.
- Dinner. Instant Pot pulled pork, plus a lighter version of cole slaw, and some waffle fries in the AirFryer … it really wasn’t an unhealthy dinner either. The pork and fries were awesome. The cole slaw – not so much. All in all, it was a pretty successful day.
And Now for the Beer
We snuck over to Variant for a few half pints. (Pro tip – they don’t do flights on Fridays … can get to be too hectic with the crowds. But they will give half-pours which serves the same purpose.) I thought three sounded like a reasonable number, but I really could have ordered about a dozen more. SO GOOD. Beers below are listed front-to-back in the picture above.
- Tangerine Milkshake Street. It’s a Milkshake IPA (not for the lactose-intolerant.) But this one is brewed with tangerines and vanilla. I didn’t get much vanilla out of it, but the tangerines add a freshness that I wasn’t expecting. This is a fantastic beer.
- Conditional Love. So very imaginative. It starts as a biere de garde. And they aged it in red wine barrels with … peaches. So, you have the traditional feel and taste of a biere de garde, with some added warmth and depth from the red wine, and a sweetness from the peaches. You just have to try it!
- International Taste Station. It’s an Imperial Stout brewed with maple, vanilla, and coffee. This is … ridiculous.
That’s all for today. I’ll finish with one thought. #DrinkLocal. I’ve said it before – Russ has said it a lot. DRINK LOCAL. There’s just something special about rolling into the local brewery for a pint.
