I Reminisce For a Spell, or Shall I Say Think Back

For this edition of the Session, the topic is memories. Sometimes, drinking a specific beer triggers a memory, taking us back to a day we hopefully look upon fondly, in which that beer played an integral role. This isn’t one of those times. This time, a new beer set off a wave of nostalgia. 

It was a long week at work, so I needed a minute to myself before heading home. What better place to take a break than Russian River Brewing in Downtown Santa Rosa. I had a desire to drinking something funky and Belgian. Unfortunately, all the sour funky beers were gone, so I browsed the menu and settled on the one I hadn’t tried before, Defenestration.

Defenestration is a Belgian styled IPA and I immediately thought of Le Freak and Stone’s Cali Belgique. This seems to be a trend right now, funking up your IPA with a Belgian strain, so I wanted to see what Vinnie had to bring to the table. There’s a real piney hop flavor with a yeasty aftertaste, reminiscent of homebrews. Sadly, this beer is kind of bland, I expected something more. While Defenestration is easy to drink with a real sharp finish to the hop flavor, the malt is washed out a bit by the hops flavor up front.

It was during this pint of Defenestration that I began talking to George. George was from the area but heading north to Arcata and was going to miss the local beers we enjoy in Santa Rosa. George reminded me of myself when I was 22. I knew I liked craft beer, but ABV was as important a factor in picking my brew as anything. As George put it, you gotta be cost effective.

While talking to George, I couldn’t help but smile. I remember what it was like to be young and care free. A good beer and a nice buzz were all it took to make it a good day. He had every opportunit to slow down and take life at his own pace, and that’s exactly what he was doing. How could you not appreciate that?

He talked me into joining him for another beer, this time I went in his direction and had the Supplication. While drinking this strong belgian ale, I looked back at my own experiences, and considered that it wasn’t long ago that I was sitting in George’s seat. There were a lot of good times, and I definitely had my share of fun, but it became more apparent, as our conversation continued that that chapter in my life had ended. I don’t say this in a way that should sound sad or even condescending. Life has moved on, and from my perspective, in only good ways. I have a wife that I love and a beautiful daughter. Sure, we were all excited when the topic of the soon to be released Brown Shugga came up, but this was nothing compared to how excited I was that week that Kaleigh had begun walking.

So with that I finished my beer, wished everyone a good weekend and headed home. The memories were nice, but the present is better.

For more Session posts dealing with memories make sure to check out Bathtub Brewery. Thanks for hosting this session, and as usual, you can expect the session on the first friday of every month.