It's finally starting to feel like December. Last week it got up to 80. Granted, it was windy, but come on guys, make up your mind! I moved the mead into the garage to make room for the tree and here I'm thinking I'm going to have to move everything back. A rainy Saturday morning in San Antonio. Fifty degrees and a good time to knock out the Christmas cards. Which reminds me, I need to pick up stamps.
Cleaning up the yard and driveway has been on my 'To do' list for a few weeks now. The acorns are all over the place and need to be raked up. The other day I actually skidded while trying to back out. It's hard to get good traction with crushed acorns covering the driveway.
I know! I can delegate some jobs to my kids! If they get out of bed, I can get them to help out. Don't laugh, it could happen.
Back in October I attended a meeting of Cervoceros, the local home brew club. In previous outings I'd attended a screening of a local film highlighting the growing brew pub industry. The club was making an Octoberfest beer from scratch and I wanted to see their technique. As soon as I walked up the drive, a shout went out; 'It's the mead guy!'
Well, if you must have a nickname, that one isn't so bad. Fast forward to the first week of November. My Dad and I attended a brew fest where we got to sample and judge a whole lot of up and coming beer makers. I would say it was a great marketing and networking event, because that led to what happened next.
A new brew pub called Weathered Souls opened last week and I sat in on a Cervoceros meeting. After that I got to talk with the brew master and discuss shop. I even got to pitch my idea for a mead tasting, which he was pretty receptive to. The next day I wrote a letter to the president of the club thanking him for inviting me and proposing I hold a tasting for the club and people interested in mead. The short of it is I will be holding a tasting some time in January in a location to be determined with several brew pub owners in attendance. Networking can be fun, but now I have to write a speech. I have an idea of where I want to go. I also have a pretty good idea who the audience will be: Professionals and craft beer enthusiasts.
This is a step in the right direction. Hopefully I can work with one of these guys and get something going. That to me is a great Christmas gift: New chapter, a fresh start, an exciting beginning. This is stuff I can look forward to.
Cleaning up the yard and driveway has been on my 'To do' list for a few weeks now. The acorns are all over the place and need to be raked up. The other day I actually skidded while trying to back out. It's hard to get good traction with crushed acorns covering the driveway.
I know! I can delegate some jobs to my kids! If they get out of bed, I can get them to help out. Don't laugh, it could happen.
Back in October I attended a meeting of Cervoceros, the local home brew club. In previous outings I'd attended a screening of a local film highlighting the growing brew pub industry. The club was making an Octoberfest beer from scratch and I wanted to see their technique. As soon as I walked up the drive, a shout went out; 'It's the mead guy!'
Well, if you must have a nickname, that one isn't so bad. Fast forward to the first week of November. My Dad and I attended a brew fest where we got to sample and judge a whole lot of up and coming beer makers. I would say it was a great marketing and networking event, because that led to what happened next.
A new brew pub called Weathered Souls opened last week and I sat in on a Cervoceros meeting. After that I got to talk with the brew master and discuss shop. I even got to pitch my idea for a mead tasting, which he was pretty receptive to. The next day I wrote a letter to the president of the club thanking him for inviting me and proposing I hold a tasting for the club and people interested in mead. The short of it is I will be holding a tasting some time in January in a location to be determined with several brew pub owners in attendance. Networking can be fun, but now I have to write a speech. I have an idea of where I want to go. I also have a pretty good idea who the audience will be: Professionals and craft beer enthusiasts.
This is a step in the right direction. Hopefully I can work with one of these guys and get something going. That to me is a great Christmas gift: New chapter, a fresh start, an exciting beginning. This is stuff I can look forward to.