Dear diary, today is the 25th day of isolation at home, and the keg of homebrew I started on day 1 is almost ready to be tapped. And to think they called me mad at the LHBS for buying so much malted barley!
Fortunately, I have been working out of a home office for many years, so was able to transition to a locked down lifestyle easier than most. With my fully stocked basement bar and a few kegs on tap, I am taking a vacation from the world outside.
I have missed my regular visits to nuzzle at the draught taps of our many fine craft breweries, but I have kept up on social interaction by hosting a series of virtual pub nights over FaceTime and WebEx with my regular group of drinking companions, all from the isolated comfort of our respective homes.
Deliveries from Amazon and Safeway have kept me securely ensconced at home, but the most appreciated delivery I receive every week is from the hardworking staff at Chestermere’s very own Township 24 Brewing, whose taproom is tragically closed during the ongoing pandemic.
I can still recall the Chestermere of decades past, when the only beer on tap was Bud Light in the old pre-fire Chestermere Landing, and I cannot bear the thought of returning to that bleak and beerless desert, so I am doing my part to keep our beloved local tap room and brewery in operation, and I encourage every other Chestermerian to support our local small business, or they may not be here much longer.
Those readers in Strathmore are lucky enough to have Origin Malting & Brewing as a neighbour. Although the tap rooms are closed, the fine folks at Origin are delivering their crafty wares in Strathmore, just like Township 24 is delivering in Chestermere. Help keep the suds flowing and their staff employed by contacting them today for home delivery.
I finished up my two growlers of the T24 Meridian Black Lager within a few days, so had plenty of time for spelunking through the dusty and forgotten corners of the wine cellar, even finding a few gems.
There were the typical single malts left over from Robbie Burns Day, but I was planning another virtual pub night via FaceTime, and wanted to win the bragging rights for most impressive quaran-tini recipe. Imagine my delight when I found an unopened bottle of Brennivín, a clear and unsweetened schnapps that has been the signature spirit of Iceland since 1935, when they threw off the shackles of a 20-year prohibition.
Those familiar with the Scandinavian tongues will recognize the name as burning wine, so named for the ancient distillation technique used by merchant seamen to dehydrate wines in order to fit more below decks in the age of sail, then re-adding water after reaching the destination.
Brennivín is distilled from fermented grains or potato mash, and then flavoured with caraway seeds, classifying it as an aquavit, which I remember all too well from attending a Danish wedding last year.
Fortunately, I found another aquavit from the Newfoundland Distillery way at the back of the cellar, so immediately set upon a taste test, to see if the hooch of one rocky island was better than another.
All of my virtual drinking companions that were connected via FaceTime were suitably impressed by my discovery of not one, but two aquavit spirits from different cold and rocky islands in the middle of the Atlantic, so I spun many tales about the strong flavours imparted by the caraway seeds, and how it would pair delightfully with charcoal-grilled meats or pickled herring.
For those not familiar with the aquavit family of spirits, they hail from the Nordic countries, and were brought to the New World by Scandinavian immigrants in the early 1900s. An aquavit is basically a neutral spirit like vodka that has been infused with herbs, typically resulting in strong flavours of caraway, coriander, cumin, and many others.
I might not pull them out every day, but aquavit is a delightful distraction from the monotony of the same 4 walls while in isolation, and will definitely tide me over until the next fresh and frosty craft beer delivery right to my front door. Help your local brewer through these trying times by ordering today!
