It has been a long couple of weeks. I have been busy with work, and I only now could shave off a couple of days to visit my girlfriend who lives quite a while away from me. After a couple of hours of walking through the local shops, buying things we needed, my girlfriend decided it was time for a beer. A local brewery joined forces with another brewery, Capital Craft and Mad Giant Brewery, to brew what they call the The Capital DIPA, or double IPA.
Capital Craft is known for their seasonal brews. This beer is nothing different. This double IPA is brewed in preparation for the local annual beer festival that will only happen in a couple of weeks. But the beer is already out of stock. I could not get the beer on tap because it was out of stock! There were only bottles left.
But I am glad that I could at least sample the beer. And even more special is that I could enjoy and appreciate it with my girlfriend, who has herself begun to appreciate craft beers!
Since meeting my girlfriend a couple of years ago, and living with her in her home town, we have scouted the various breweries and pubs that pour and serve a good pint.
Capital Craft has since then become one of our all-time favourite pubs to visit. Their beer menu is longer than their food menu. They always present us with the most delicious beers, fresh from the respective breweries.
This time around, as I noted, I enjoyed their seasonal brew which has become so scarce since its release a couple of months ago.
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It pours a beautifully golden colour; it just looks fresh as the bottle says. The head is beautifully white, leaving ample lacing on the glass as you drink it.
The double IPA packs a punch with more than 7% ABV. The citrusy and hoppy flavour hits your nose as you sip slowly from this powerful beer. It remains seriously fresh even though the high-ish ABV.
Usually, these beers present a strong and heavy caramel flavour, but this beer did not have caramel notes. It has too many floral notes and remains extremely fresh.
While having this heavy beer, we needed some salty snacks to counter the beers. Capital Craft has some of the best chips or fries out there. Even though the plate looks small, with the heavy beers it does fill your stomach! But after having a beer or two, you do not think all that rational and your mind screams for another plate of chips.
Enjoying the chips/fries, we could not help but think about the reunion, the meeting of our souls after spending so much time apart. That something like a beer could help us enjoy this reunion is characteristic of our relationship. Underneath the old trees, we enjoyed cold beers and plates of chips/fries, and some good conversation.
But just like the glass predicted, we needed to call the waiter and we had to order more beers, something different though. I ordered a beer that I reviewed earlier this year, one of my favourite beers. And once again, we just reminisced about better times, about how privileged we are to live in such a beautiful country, to have access to such nice food and beer. Where in this world can you get all of this for the price of next to nothing? It is not about wanting more, but all about appreciating the small things in life, and appreciating them to the fullest.
I hope that you have someone with who you can share a beer, good food, and good company. Life is short and we need to enjoy it to the fullest.
For now, happy drinking beer, and stay safe!
All of the beer musings are my own, and only my own, albeit inspired by the beers that I drank! The photographs are also my own, taken with my iPhone.