Fascinating (?) flotsam from H&D

The Best Time to Plant a Tree

4/22/2014

My grandfather always said that the best time to plant a tree is today and twenty years ago. Here's how H&D started the week.

Gitte showed up on Saturday to do some heavy lifting in the side yard. (She also delivered us life-saving curry yesterday.)

And then, here was Earth Day 2014 at the Horse & Dragon:

Trees! Hooray! 3 ginko bilobas to one day shade the Horse & Dragon Brewing Company's parking lot!

We had the perfect crew here working on this:

Before we even got to the digging, we borrowed Kim's truck. A word to the wise: beware of telling people starting a business that you own a truck...

Shannon provided some landscaping expertise:

Best sunhats ever?

They function pretty well as a beer shade, too -- "Use the cone, avoid the skunk!" might be our beer festival mantra.

TimCo channeling agricultural practices seen in Vietnam 15 years ago.

Shannon giving thirsty spring pansies a drink, too.

Be happy here, gingko trees!

Kyle and John at work on their brainchild.

Bike Tree -- just too awesome.

Bike on out here and have a great, tasty, fresh craft beer with us! Make every day Earth Day.

Twenty years from now let's reconvene in the shade here and be grateful that we chose the best time to plant a tree.

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BEER!

If it were up to me, I would promise all y’all a grand opening on May 1. Of course, it’s not up to me, since APPARENTLY I am not very discerning [read: I like all beer] and the beer professors I work with get veto power if there’s anything off about what we’re hoping to offer you all for opening. But so far, so good.

Since I can’t promise an opening date (quite) yet, I’ll just report that “we” just kegged Horse & Dragon’s first beer.

It received the highest accolade I’ve ever heard Linsey give of one of her brews: “It’s a good beer.” For those of you who think this sounds like faint praise, let me tell you that this is a woman who was disappointed with a test IPA she made (“I don’t really get the strength of the aroma I was going for.”) that I’m still craving months later.

And just when you think yesterday couldn’t get any better, you run home at lunch to tear down the Christmas lights and find this, which really is a miracle:

Nice job, Ma Nature. (Dead leaves I didn’t rake up last fall, I see you. I’m choosing to term you “protective mulch”.)

Elsewhere around the Horse & Dragon, here’s the start to our barrel aging program, conveyed home this week from our friends at Rocky Mountain Spirits in Denver in the trusty Co van. (This is glam transport, we know – but that thing has carted everything from 8-year-olds’ soccer teams to dorm room contents to table saws. And now whiskey barrels. I love it.)

Sage has a healthy suspicion of all processes brewing and is often throwing one or the other of us this look.

There are a couple more beers to keg (and then a couple more to brew) before Linsey & Tim head off to the Craft Brewers’ Conference in Denver next week.

On another (related) topic, may we just note again how craft beer brings people together? I realize this is not news to anyone who frequents taprooms and craft bars, but it’s so apparent and great that I have to comment on it. I love the craft beer community. Monday night we met these two at Equinox’s taproom (we might have been the people who gabbed until Justin & Tyler gently kicked us out) and then saw them again last night at The Mayor of Old Town during Funkwerks’s tap takeover.

They are on a beercation from Minnesota and are the nicest folks – and they love craft beer. They are on the crest of the wave in the Twin Cities in terms of asking for and expecting great tasting, well-cared for beer in their local haunts. I believe today they are headed Verboten’s & Grimm’s way, and then on down to Longmont & Boulder (heads up, 300 Suns and Left Hand). Avery is on their list, too, so Kelley, if by some chance you’re reading this, give them a big welcome.) At any rate, a shout out to Karen & Dan, and happy Colorado beer pilgrimage to you! I hope it rejuvenates you to conquer the rest of the school year with your 8th- and 9th-graders, Dan.

If you weren’t convinced about the power of craft beer to unite and make good times happen, here’s one last shot from Tap and Handle of Samantha & Reena.

The latter is just here from Japan for 2 weeks on a veterinary medicine rotation and Sam – with some help from FoCo’s awesome local craft breweries and bars – is convincing her of the beauty and deliciousness of craft beer. Good work.

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The Best Time to Plant a Tree

BEER!

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