The Heather Ale was very much like Mead with the gentle aroma of the Heather flowers and a sweat, almost honey like, flavor. It was a mere 5% brew, and was fairly light in body.The Gooseberry was mild with a slight tartness, obviously from the berries, but not over powering with fruit. It was also a mere 5% brew and was also light bodied and would be good in warm weather.
The Elderberry Black was rich and full of roasted grain, much like a good porter or stout. The Elderberry flavor was subtle and actually reminded me of my own Cranberry Stout. This beer however was 6.5%. This is the right kind of beer for cold weather!
Last, but not least, the Spruce Ale. This was to be served at room temperature, which wasn’t a problem because it sat out while we sampled the other three. It was similar to a barley wine, but with the definite influence from the spruce and pine sprigs that were used in place of hops. This brew packed a wallop weighing in at an impressive 7.5%. One was enough for us!
Well with that under our belts, and some time to rest after dinner and drink, it was time to head to the club. The kids took me to one of their favorite clubs “Boschkapp”. The name refers to the slapping down of the bill of a baseball cap onto the unsuspecting victim, usually a friend that you are joking around with. As we approached the door, with proper ID in hand (hey, they could ask for mine!), we noticed that it was their 30th anniversary. This meant that anyone over 30 was allowed in free! Hey, my lucky night! Now it is important to note that the Door Man was used to his routine, you approach and hand him your ID, he inspects it for authenticity, pats you down and allows entry. I approach (I put my ID back in my pocket feeling pretty confident that they would notice that I’m slightly over 30), he holds his hand out expecting to be handed my ID, I merely raise my arms to allow him to pat me down. At this point he looks up and his facial expression reveals his enlightenment. He and I both laugh and he completes the routine and allows me to enter.
Once inside we move to the back bar so that we can find a seat. Where we can look around and enjoy the view and the music. The music was surprisingly recognizable, mixing rock and pop tunes from 30 years ago to the present, and to my son’s surprise I knew a quite a few of the new tunes! We met up with one of my son’s buddies, a Sergeant from his old Unit the 69th Chemical Company. He was going to be heading back to Iraq on Monday, so we shared some laughs and drank some beers, and toasted to his safe return (Of course our designated driver drank only Coca-cola because driving is an even more serious business over here!).
Oh yea, I almost forgot, It seems that a few folks that were in line behind us when we first entered the establishment were somewhat impressed with the fact that I didn’t need to pay to enter (they obviously didn’t read the sign that officially declared this “Old Man” night!). They seemed to be following us around, trying to catch our eye with smiles, as if they wanted to find out just who we were! We could only imagine what must have going through their minds: Why did he get in free? It seemed like he and the door were joking with each other, could this old guy be the owner? Is he someone famous? It’s too funny how some people can so easily allow themselves to be misled merely by not paying attention to all the details. We laughed about it on the way home. It proved to be a very enjoyable evening.
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