To take off on my Brother’s theme today I ended up doing an “Accidental Share” this weekend, and it felt really good. This story has a weird origin. My wife was in the garden and couldn’t get our irrigation working. This is not a new development as our pressurized irrigation water from the canal out back seems to be about as reliable as my brother sending me a New Glarus, Enigma or that Schlafly Stout he had saved for me for the last 4 months. Truth is it goes in and out, but the bubbler behind the house was running full bore, so it was a bit of a puzzle.
Adding to the curiosity was the fact that all our other hoses were working. So the thought of a bust in the line somewhere that would cost us a couple hundred played around my brain. That’s a lot of Whiskey! Well, unbeknown to me she had called the President of our Irrigation Board to come over and help “unravel” the mystery of the non-working faucet. So as I’m tromping around the yard in my slippers and sweatshorts, here comes Jeff, our neighbor and Irrigation Board President…
We go together to inspect the offending faucet and begin to try to get it working and hypothesize what might be the issue. We opened the valve several times and nothin’. We inspected the ground both around the faucet and the line leading to it, and nothin’, dry as an old bone. Then I thought I would try removing the hose, and immediately was greeted by a spray of water all over my legs and shorts. Turns out that my wife had a kink in the hose that she didn’t know about.
Well as we chuckled about the “fix” we just came up with I herded Jeff into my garage where I keep my beer bunker. Some of you might know Jeff, or at least know of him through his Nephew Marvin, Marvin Kinney. Marvin frequents the blog and is a home brewer trying to start up a brewery all his own. Marvin had begun Jeff’s indoctrination into the world of good beer, and like many of us Jeff is starting on the lighter hoppier side of the spectrum. He said he had some Widmer “Drifter” Pale Ale and really liked it. So I pulled out a couple of Ranger IPAs from New Belgium from my bunker and told him to give these a try. After a bit of conversation he took off up the hill to his place.
I remember feeling really good about introducing someone to good beer. Jeff and I had always been friendly enough, but really weren’t what I would consider friends. Neighbors to be sure but it really ended there. Funny thing was when we began to talk about Beer and home Brewing there was an instant connection. I invited him and his wife down some time and we could crack into the whiskey vault! But I said he might want to walk down for that one.
-Don
Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
There’s nothing better than sharing a good beer/whiskey with a good friend…and spreading the goodness of great beer! Way to go, Don!
It felt really good Rob, and this was a first for me. Oh, sure I have shared a sip of brew, or split a bottle, but this was the first time I gave beer away to someone who was just beginning their journey. I hope we have the opportunity to do it again, maybe over a pint or two.
Actually, my doctor and I recently got in a conversation about beer and told me he loves wheat beer; when I told them there was a brewery within 10 miles of his office that makes highly rated wheat beers (High Point, Butler NJ) he was amazed and shocked because he never heard of it. Next time I had an appointment I brought him a six pack; it felt really good and I don’t think he’ll be a craft beer convert but at least he’s aware that there’s more out there than Bud/Miller/Coors.
I’m guessing he was drinking Bud Lite Wheat beer. My understanding is it is swill, but it tastes a bit different than their normal swill. I hope the High Point opens his eyes a bit. Good job Rob!
This is what your brother should have done Friday.
Good point Zac. Had he shared instead of hoarded he would have felt better Saturday! 🙂
With each post, I quickly learn how Don is the best brother. I was nice enough to ship Jim some 4 Roses Oak chips and did I get a personal thank you note in the mail…..noooo.
Thanks for spreading the word Don. Jim, thanks for being a hoarding drunk.
The Man speaks the truth! However, Jim is the funny one. 😉
No problem, John.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I see a crippled child that needs kicking… 🙂
Okay, for the record, I PERSONALLY DELIVERED Enigma to your house, at which time I photographed your son’s wedding for you AND you never sent me the tripod I accidentally left at your house. Who’s the bad brother now?
Plus, I told you there was no chance in hell I’d send you any Schlafly’s, because they don’t survive long enough in my presence to make it into a box!!
Don, I’d trade you some Schlafly…but you don’t get any good beers in Idaho. 😉
Alas Zac, you are correct. No good beers here. Nota one. Nope not one.
See how you are? You are yin and yang personified. I thought Kathy sent that tripod back? I’ll make sure it gets into the mail in the next week or two. I really thought she had already sent it back. Hope I can still find it. I will also send you at that time your Chrismas present that I have been holding onto for the last 6 months. And you brought one 1, uno, un, bottle of Enigma to my house. How many did you have your wife mule home for you in the other direction? 6, 8, 10? You could have brought a couple more. Then also you keep telling me of the nectar of the gods Schafly Stout, and nothing here…crickets. I know you are capable of better self control than what you are exhibiting. You choose to drink it all! Finally, thank you very much for the wedding photos. That was really nice. THERE!
First off, I brought two Enigmas, one of which we drank at Brewforia with the gang and the other of which you recently shared with the same gang (perhaps just different members).
And my wife schlepped no beer home, just two kids all by herself, as I was off in Idaho to photograph your boy’s wedding and escort our mother from Milwaukee to Idaho and back. That poor woman!
Ok, you only brought 1. The other was a spotted cow that got lost at Brewforia. You brought a Two hearted too, which was good, not amazing. SO i’m not saying that you didn’t bring anything, just kept most of the good stuff for yourself…oh, and you can thank me for keeping your tripod, as it freed up space to bring home more great beers when you left Wisconsin. And don’t try to tell me you didn’t because you already told me you did. 😉
I like the term “whisky vault” . unfortunatley mine came with a revolving door.
Truth be known Whiskey sieve might be a more accurate characterization.