Socially Distanced Birthday Beer
Not Your Grandmother’s Cheesecake Boysenberry Cheesecake Sour Ale - Tall Tales Brewing, Parsonsburg, MD
I’m a big believer in birthdays. A little bit of extra attention one day a year can go a long way, especially in a time like this. It’s one of the few childlike wonders I’m still trying to hold onto because boy do they fade fast. I mean it’s hard enough as it is to get a big group of friends together because everyone’s either working, or with their significant other, or just plain busy and that doesn’t even account for the fact that we’re in the midst of a pandemic. Our lives have been so drastically turned upside down, and there’s no real end in sight. But you know what? Effort can still be made at a distance. Specifically, at least 6 feet of distance.
Raza has made an appearance on my blog before, and he’s gonna be featured again today because his birthday was last week! Luckily enough, his birthday is super easy to remember because it’s on Cinco de Mayo. I reached out to him on the day and asked if he wanted to share a beer in his driveway over the weekend, which he happily agreed to. He’s still working, which is great, but he’s working from home and the feeling of being cooped up builds exponentially. I asked him what he’d be up for and if he was feeling adventurous or not. He said he’d been enjoying sours recently, so I drove out to my local beer store and picked up this new Boysenberry Cheesecake Sour Ale from Tall Tales Brewing - don’t worry, I ordered it ahead of time and did a curb-side pick-up because I didn’t want to linger in the store #SocialDistance. With all the festivals I’ve been to, I was surprised I’d never had anything by them (that I could remember) and based on my love of cheesecake my excitement was driven through the roof. So without further adieu, let’s get into it!
Raza’s first sip: “it tastes like Fanta grape soda”. My first sip: “holy sh*t you’re right!”. I couldn’t agree more with Raza. It was certainly sour, but I damn near had a flashback to 7th grade lunch at Westland Middle School. As far as I remember, that was the last time I had a grape Fanta. Now look at me! All growed up and drinking alcoholic grape Fanta. The best thing about this beer is that it didn’t stagger or stumble. There was no shift in flavor, no “ooh now I can taste that hint”. I didn’t have to figure it out. It didn’t play around at all. I appreciate that because you just have to accept it or not, and I certainly accepted it. The one thing I wished for was a bit more of a cheesecake flavor…It was there, but I wasn’t getting too much of it. I’m glad that I’ve gotten more into sours because the last few that I’ve had have been incredibly enjoyable, and I’m adding this one to the list. The second time through I had the exact same experience. Consistency is always a welcomed trait for a beer. Also this color is stunning. Wish I could’ve seen the sunlight through it.
We spent most of our time together just catching up, trying to keep things as normal as we could, but things aren’t normal. Accepting that has been a weird challenge; one that hasn’t presented too much difficulty but rather awkwardness. We kept our distance no matter how much I wanted to give him a hug or a handshake. We powered through the awkwardness and talked for about an hour and a half. Something we talked about was how it feels like hobbies are disappearing. It seems almost impossible to have something to simply enjoy these days - everything needs to be a money maker or needs to be productive. There isn’t really anything productive about drinking beer and writing about it, but I personally find it fun, relaxing, and even motivating. I think we need that now more than ever. This is probably just my own exaggerated perception, but it’s one I feel strong enough to share. Dedicating time to something that provides pure enjoyment with no presence of stress is such a powerful feeling. To me, it’s almost a feeling of full control. I don’t have to do this blog, I WANT to. It’s purely a hobby. I have no time frames, deadlines, requirements...It’s just something to do that I’m willing to dedicate a little bit of time and money to. If you can, I suggest you find the same because it’s a pure joy to have. Not everything needs to be “productive”. If you want to get into craft beer, this isn’t a bad one to start with! It tastes more like soda than beer, but it’s got a fun sweet ‘n sour twist to it that you’ll find to be straightforward. Kind of a contradiction to say a twist will be straightforward, but try it out and you’ll see what I mean. Hopefully Raza and I can celebrate his birthday for real next year. Lord knows we could all use some extra attention.
Hope everyone out there is staying safe, healthy, and sane. Cheers!