Florida Spring Break

Despite only being April, it was hot as balls inside of the tasting room, which is on a balcony overlooking the brewery floor. It's probably got to do with all of the mashing, grinding, fermentation, straining, lautering, boiling and cooling. All of that stuff is hard work, and it takes a lot to get those raw products turned into the cool refreshing beer that you are drinking right now. Yeah, I know that you are drinking and surfing. Hell, I'm drinking right now while I'm writing this. I in no way wish to promote excessive drinking, but in order to fully understand my writing style, it is recommended that you have a couple before logging on to pookon.com and reading my stories. Trust me, this stuff makes a whole lot more sense if you're slightly to moderately inebriated. Just don't tell your mom or my mom. They'd be pissed if they knew our little secret. Keep it on the down low.

My Dad had a sweet little house down in Melbourne. It's in a quiet little neighborhood and about 7 miles West of the beach. It's only 2 bedrooms, but since it was just my Dad and his wife and their little dog too, they had plenty of space to live. It's just the right size.

I make it my goal to sample local beer every time that I go somewhere new, and this year was no exception. When I found out that the Florida Brewing Company brews their beer in Melbourne, I knew that I had to go to the brewery to check it out. They have a tasting room there, and you are allowed to sample the beers and then purchase your favorites to take home, but there is no brewery tour. Thanks to Miller, Sprecher and Lakefront, I have been on enough brewery tours to know the beer making process, but I still asked my Dad Mike for a mini tour. He worked at the Miller Brewery in Milwaukee for like 10 years in the 90's doing automation and computer stuff, but he still knew plenty about the process to give a well guided and informative tour. If I hadn't known any better, I would have assumed that he worked there. It's too bad that the other people who were gathered in the tasting area didn't stop to listen to him. That would've been real freakin' sweet.

I used to make fun of my Dad because his best friend is his dog Percy, but ever since I got Gordon, I call him my BFF (best friend forever). I now can understand that even though it's always a one-way conversation, dogs and cats really can be a man's best friend.

BJ had given my Dad some of the eggs from his chickens, and my Dad kept them in the refrigerator next to the normal size eggs from the grocery store. I've got a college degree, and even I would have never figured that little chickens make little eggs. That realm of thinking is reserved for rocket scientists and child prodigies. Even though the little eggs look like they wouldn't produce enough yolk for a decent omelet, these future baby chickens really packed quite a punch when we cracked them into the skillet. My Dad made some kickass omelets out of these eggs, and I still maintain that no one on the world cooks a better breakfast than my Dad. He's just the best.