So the title makes no sense yet it makes perfect sense. The brew day was originally intended to be a birthday treat for myself. Ever since we had our little girl these days are much harder to come by, not that I mind since I love every waking moment with my daughter. Anyway as the plans progress my cousin from the Philly area was looking for a fall getaway and Florida was a great fit. It also worked out well since I was already planning on taking some time off from work.
As Jon first got into town I immediately took him on a whirl wind tour of Tampa beer spots. The main focus was on Cigar City Brewing. We got there just in time to grab a couple samples then go on the tour. It's kind of sad that this was my first tour I took there. They really offer a great service to their patrons. Five dollars gets you a branded pint glass to keep filled with your choice of delicious beer. Be sure to consume your beer and hold on to the glass by mid tour. That's when they bring you to the back and give you a taste right from the fermenter! The day we were they had a fresh batch of Humidor Series IPA sitting on the cedar spirals. This was an eye opener for Jon since he normally is not a hop driven beer drinker. His preference is to malt and roast, but I think now he may dip into IPA land every now and again.
The brew day was set for the very next day. It started out like any other brew day for me. Pull out all the gear, fire up the HLT and mill some grains. As mentioned in my last post this was a huge beer. I needed to use both my 10 gallon and 5 gallon mash tuns. For Jon it was good timing since he just got to see the big boy equipment that does the same thing. He of course was on vacation mode and snuck in the house every once in a while to catch a nap or read a brewing book. Then he'd pop back out and quiz me on where I was in the process and ask why I wasn't dressed like a monk (he really digs Belgian beers). During the day there were your typical injury's like hot stainless on fresh skin, nothing out of the ordinary for a hobby like this. There was extra low gravity wort with out the means to make another traditional beer. Thinking on the fly all while kicked back enjoying the day. Overall I was happy with the day and the potential of the beer(s).
That evening my brother came over and we all headed to Orlando to do a little lobby hopping with drinks an dinner around the Disney parks. This is something that is a bit out of my comfort zone, being a Floridian that doesn't care much for crowds and manufactured fun. But all in all it was a fun night. Then for Jon's last day we tried a compromise of Busch Gardens to give him a theme park fix and try to work on his coaster issues. The day was not wasted since there really is a lot to see and do there without the coasters. You can even revert to childhood and ride the bumper cars, but this time with years of defensive driving and road rage under your belt!!!
