Rick lost his first tooth today(/yesterday). I went out and got the crispest tener I could find (I'm waiting for Pete to complain, but inflation, man). Where do you stand on the various American demigods (Easter Bunny, Santa, Tooth Fairy, etc.)? I've always tried non-denial denials.
What I mean is, I never really confirm or deny. I don't really want to perpetuate these things, or straight out lie to them just to elicit good behavior, but I also don't want to deny them the childhood whimsy of it. I just usually shrug and ask them what they think.
It's been forever ago, but Runner daughter figured things out at a young age and was smart enough to continue to play along
Same with my kids. It felt silly that we went through the charade for another 8-10 years with both kids, but my wife did not want to stop the traditions until the kids were out of the house.
I carried on a correspondence between my daughter and the tooth fairy for a couple of years. She figured it out somewhere along the way, but let it continue to play out.
We're probably a little more towards the "promoting whimsy" side, but not much. There's no real active promotion, but I suppose we've mentioned them from time to time and don't discourage leaving out carrots for the Easter bunny, etc.
Our kids have actively tried to catch said demigods via video cameras and such. We've done our part to have the demigods outsmart the kids, sometimes even leaving notes wishing them better luck next time.
Tomorrow, we are going to drive up to Fargo to see my son and his girl. We are going to make one last trip to Fargo Brewing Company. They are shutting their doors at the end of the month. Also shutting down recently are Fergus Falls Brewing and Revelation (Hallock, MN). Miller Coors announced they are closing the Leinenkugel Brewery in Chippewa Falls and moving production to Milwaukee. The craft brewing world is crazy right now. I don't think demand is dropping much, but I think the industry got a bit overgrown and there is some contraction needed on the producer side for small breweries to become profitable. I am pretty close to our local brewery and have some behind the scenes insight on the challenges these guys face. Most breweries are pivoting one of two ways. Either they go "all in" on distribution or they are dropping distribution and going "all in" on creating a great tap room experience. Our local joint dropped the distribution and secured a brew pub license, which allows them to add wine and liquor. They are now essentially a restaurant/bar that makes their own beer versus a brewery that offers food. Tough times, and it is a bummer to see some cool people having their dreams crushed. I am wondering if we will see a similar scenario play out with the craft distillery craze.
My employer used to include a case of Leinie's with every supercomputer shipped until the gubmint told them to stop (I think it fell under bribery rules). The brewery was still part of tours when visiting the Chippewa Falls manufacturing facility, along with the computer history museum in the city. I won a lemon float during my tour by winning the impromptu quiz at the end.
I won a bottle opener back in the day for answering a question correctly on the tour. I hadn't had Leinie's in forever, but its still a shame they are closing the place.
I think you got the better prize though the cats appreciate the float whenever I find it again.
Heh, yeah, probably, although it was one of those crappy plastic ones where the edge that grabs the cap wore off within like 6 months.
I’m sure it’s no coincidence the plant is closing just after the expiration of a three year contract brewery workers negotiated to resolve their first strike in 36 years.
We are both enjoying Athletic Brewing's offerings . She likes the Run Wild IPA. We both switched to NA two years ago .
I'm surprised how many restaurants out here now carry them. Also surprised how few places in MN are offering anything other than Heineken Nil or Bud Zero. Haven't yet seen Surly's offering anywhere Outlook Good. Might have to snag some this next week oncet back in Prince'istan.
Personally I like the Sam Adams Just the Haze with a squeeze of lime.
Lagunitas has a good one.
I had some of that last night and agree. The Sierra Nevada Trail Pass series is solid, too, as is Niala from Summit. Lots of good options out there these days, although I do find myself craving them less and less.
I've had the opposite experience in MN. Most restaurants I've been to have had NA offerings. Even breweries are stocking or making na beer or hop water. I've had the Athletic stuff all over the place. Also there is marigold which only sells NA or THC products.
Even out here in outstate MN we are seeing more and more places offer an increased selection of NA beers, wines and cocktails. It is an trend that is picking up steam.
Effing Boomers!
I'll admit to having never tried one.
We took a trip to Fargo yesterday to visit Fargo Brewing one last time. We stopped by Drekker/Brewhalla afterwards for the first time. They definitely had more energy going on in the joint. Drekker made their mark with some pretty cool sour beers and that helped launch them into a big player in the craft beer scene. I like a lot of Fargo Brewing beers, but unfortunately they had a few missteps that really hurt them financially. I was told that Drekker is being distributed to 36 states and a handful of other countries. They seem to be thriving with both distribution and having a kick butt destination tap room/event center.