It's been a stay-cation actually as we did not travel this year. If we had gone to Cedar Key (great place) we would have sat on the patio and read, waiting for the Tiki bar to open at 4:00. We would have also had some fantatsic seafood chowder at Tony's restaurant but.....we stayed home.
The good part of that was saving some cash as we had some unfortunate events occur on the forefront of vacay. Our pump in the above-ground drain field died which means - a new pump needed to be installed for $800. Nice. But, if you have lots of trees near your property then an above-ground drain field is what you will be faced with.
Then, poor Kobe stepped on something sharp at the local park - this resulted in a quick visit to the vet before they closed and extra medications. Poor little guy can't catch a break.
Good stuff is, we did a lot of what we would have done anyway at Cedar Key. We sat on the patio and read, sampled some new beers and ciders, smoked a brisket, went shooting one day, took a motorcycle ride another day...played and ate and drank and read!
The cider throw down was between Woodchuck Amber and Angry Orchard Crisp Apple. I liked them both but I prefered the Woodchuck overall. My other favorites are Woodpecker and Bulmers. We loved the Bulmers when we visited Ireland.
Some of the beers and ales we tried were Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan and Laughing Skull amber ale.
The pecan beer was fantastic - VERY good. The skull ale we sipped and tossed down the sink. Hey, if you like the light ales maybe you would have enjoyed this one but we didn't.
Also in competition during the tasting week were Saison Dupont Belgian Farmhouse Ale and Ommegang Hennepin Farmhouse Saison
Pumpkin Ale from Buffalo Bill's Brewery and Milk Stout.
All that made me tired so I will tell you about the brisket next time. Previously I cooked one in the oven and it was tender and moist. Very good stuff. This time Doug smoked it over a 4 hour period. It was amazingly delicious!
I also have some nice photos of some rural walkabouts we did......It's been great. Reading, relaxing....
See ya later!
What a pain in the 'aspidistra' - however, glad your staycation went well thanks to food and beer and COMPANY!!! Poor Kobe :o(
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I like Angry Orchard Ginger or Elderflower. The Woodchuck seasonal releases are really good too. Both are easy to find, at least here. Would love to have tried everything you guys enjoyed this week! I'm trying to convince my hubby to take me to a new craft beer pub in the area. They have an apple maple mead on tap right now!
ReplyDeleteGlad you included a Saison. I love these but they can be dangerous.
ReplyDeleteI pick Angry Orchard! I have one in my fridge right now.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to your pics on the walkabouts!