Tuesday, March 20, 2018

A Little Irish

I had a "craic" St Paddy's Day weekend. 
(Craic — An Irish word meaning a good time/fun). 




My youngest daughter treated me to a great pub lunch. She then fulfilled one of the requests I've made a number of times; she took me to check out the new mico-brewery in town, Bootleg Brew Co

I love beer! And I love trying new varieties. Never let it be said of me (proud Newfie girl that I am) that I let a nearby beer go untried and untested. 


We began by ordering that days "board" of brew samples. 



At 63 years of age and being a Newfie girl, I have a few pints under my belt! My tipple of choice is usually a rich, amber ale changing up to a more crisp variety in the summer. But being an exemplary mother and role model, I made the sacrifice to drink the darker beers and be satisfied with just a taste of the lighter ones. With the breakdown info close at hand, Libby tried the East Coast pale ale, the Squiffy Boy IPA and the Winter Ale. I tried the Winter Warmer spiced ale (which was quite lovely), the Fighting Irish red ale, an okay ale, and the Flanker smoked porter.

Fish burps are so ladylike!
I would never willingly throw out a drink that I'd paid for myself, so in spite of the "interesting" flavor of the Flanker smoked porter, I soldiered through. But trying to drink it without making a face was difficult. It smelled very smokey indeed -- not a huge problem. But past that first taste of smoke is the taste of smoked fish -- not a problem on a bread board with a good cheese and a few pickles or olives; but in a beer? Subsequent tastes did not improve. So, I drank my wee glass down quickly and was rewarded with an unpleasant series of "smoked mackerel" burps! 
"Moderately bitter, tropical
fruit & mango flavors".

One has to get the taste of smoked fish out of one's mouth, n'est pas? 

So, I choose to treat myself to a favorite from Libby's three. I bought myself a pint of 'Squiffy Boy' (Squif·fy - slightly drunk). I mean, who wouldn't want to try something with a name like that! It was quite delicious and satisfying. Yummy!



The happiness you see is
not JUST because of the
beer! I swear! 
Squiffy Boy lived up to it's name. After the first 3 wee glasses and my rescue pint, I could just slightly feel the effects of the drink. So, being a responsible adult (and still in my sacrificial role model mode), I decided perhaps a walk was in order. One of the entrances to my usual Glenmill Inn Pond walk was not far away. So, I took an hour and walked round the pond enjoying the 5 pm quiet and solitude.


The remainder of my evening was spent with my ole pal Netflix. My daughter Libby, on the other hand, being younger and having more stamina, went out with friends 'on the lash' (On the lash — to go out drinking.). When I called her Sunday, I wasn't all that surprised to hear her 'olagonin'! (Olagonin'— Moaning/Complaining). 

Ahhhh! The follies of youth!

(Stay tuned for more posts of my craic weekend.)



6 comments:

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe said...

I never liked the taste of beer and am more of a wino. My adult children like beer, talk about beer and make beer. I live near a little town of three blocks that have, in the past few years, opened up six breweries. The town is “hopping” with tourists from all over the country. It seems beer is the “in thing”. Enjoy!

Jack Tyler said...

Never been much of a drinker myself, maybe because I grew up with an alcoholic in the house, but I must say that while serving on Guam, I went "boonie-stomping" (hiking in the jungle) with a couple of friends. I got terribly dehydrated, and we emerged on a beach where some of our friends were having a party - it's a small island. One of them handed me a Miller Hi-Life, and I have to say that that was the most delicious drink I've ever had!

But smoked mackerel beer? Good Lord, the guy probably puts ketchup on his ice cream, too!

Jeanie said...

You have a great daughter! I love a good pub, too, although some of the beer these days is a little too fruity for my taste! I like a good lager, I think best. Nothing too intense! Sounds like a most wonderful day.

Susan said...

I prefer dark beers but I wouldn't be impressed by mackerel flavour. Was your walk rather more meandering than you intended as a result of the Squiffey?

Kay G. said...

Guess what? My son writes for The Beer Connoisseur Magazine! Funny thing, I can't stand beer and we never had it around our house since Richard has celiac disease and couldn't have it! (There are gluten free beers out there now though.) I love the sound of a good pub though, it is really the food that I like! :-)

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

Glad you had a great time with your daughter ! Sounds like fun but I agree about the follies of youth...thankfully we are now older and wiser.

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