So the other day I had to run by the local homebrew store to pick up a few things. My 5yr old daughter commented that she would like to come. She has accompanied me on several occasions before but it usually takes longer when I take her because she wants to look at everything. She likes to pretend she is shopping for her secret lab (because of the burners and flasks they stock on the shelves). I'm more of a get in, get what you need and get out kind of guy. But since I didn't have a lot going on that day and my wife needed to get some shopping done, I agreed to take both of my daughters. On our way the girls mentioned they were hungry. I thought to myself, "Great, Why didn't you say so 5 min ago before we left the house?". Then it dawned on me, they're crafty kids. My 5r old immediately spoke up, "There's a McDonald's on the way".. I can't stand McDonalds for various reasons that I'll save for a later date. I opted to take a different route that I knew didn't have a McDevils on the way.Instead, we went to a little place I knew the kids would have fun and had decent food. The girls were having a good time but we had to cut it short and get moving. After all, it would have only taken me 45 minutes by myself and we were already an hour into the trip and hadn't even gotten to the brewstore. When we got there they were very bus as Saturdays usually are. Thankfully I had placed my order online and was able to get in and out. While in line I noticed a guy giving one of the employees a champange-looking bottle. Knowing the guy at the store is not a champange drinker, I asked what it was. He remarked that it was a limited shipment of an english double-fermented apple cider (11% ABV). My ears perked up and I asked where I could get a bottle. He said there was only one store in all of Austin that sold it and that I could get it there the following Tuesday. On the way out I happened to see him again and asked him to remind me of the name. He reached into the backseat, pulled out a bottle, and said Merry Christmas. My timing truly was great this day, thanks to my girls. I'm holding the bottle until Christmas evening. Should help bring a little Christmas cheer!
The next day we had a big brew-a-thon. Several members of my homebrew group got together to brew a Belgian Dubbel. Once the primary fermentation is done, we will be taking our beer down to
JesterKing Brewery and they will age it in one of their barrels. In a few months, we'll go back and tap it and hold a BBQ or cookout of some kind. Below is a pic of a friends system as we were brewing. His is a 30 gal (1bbl) system. One day I hope to have something this nice.
On a separate note, I saw something yesterday that restored a little bit of my faith in parents today. I was in a local store and I happen to notice a child around the age of 4 or 5 talking back to their mother and throwing a fit. The mother reached out and belted the child across the arm with her open hand. The child immediately stopped screaming and throwing a fit. It was nice to see a parent who knows that sometimes a good smack is all it takes to straighten a situation out. The child was not hurt and I even saw them a little while later, a few isles over, and they were giggling. They're ego wasn't damaged, they aren't throwing a fit, and who knows, this child might even grow up with some manners and respect for others. It drives me crazy that parents today do not dicipline, teach right from wrong, or even take responsibility for their children and their actions. Many are too wrapped up in FaceBook or some other aspect of their lives to pay attention to their children. It was nice to see a good old fashioned swat, in public, no less.
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