In addition to just generally being great people, Uncle Tyler and Aunt Sara are exceptionally generous, creative, and talented gift-givers. Between Sara's art (the animal quilts, the Restaurant's ABCs book) and Ty's cooking, we're pretty spoiled. Last year for Christmas we got a cute card that said, "Christmas is Served!" along with a promise to come down and cook us a 5 course meal (with wine pairings) in our own home. When the event actually happened, it turned into a 7+ course meal and was one of the most amazing culinary experiences I've ever had... even being pregnant and not able to fully partake of the wine pairings! This year, much to our delight, we got a "Christmas is Served... again!" card. Upping the ante from last year, this year the card promised a several-course dinner with BEER pairings, courtesy of the Dickinhans Brewing Co. -- an as-yet-unformed joint venture between Caleb Dickinson and Tyler Hansen. Back before we got married -- maybe before we were even engaged -- my dad had suggested "Dickinhans" as a possible hybrid last name for us. We passed, but Ty and Sara resurrected the name. Caleb even got a fancy beer mug with the Dickinhans Brewing Co. logo as another Christmas present!
A few weeks ago, Tyler came down from Vail for DBC's inaugural brewing (a molasses porter that has not yet been named... suggestions?). The beer went through its primary and secondary fermentations, and then this Sunday it was ready to be bottled. Ty couldn't be here since he had to work. (Although he had just come down to give us another generous cooking gift... donating his time and skill to help prepare 7 or so different dishes for the 150 or so people who attended Mazie's preschool's annual fundraiser on Saturday night. Such a great brother.) So Caleb took on the bottling himself. Well, not totally by himself -- Mazie volunteered to help. She was apparently a great helper, and when they were done she came racing upstairs to tell me that Caleb had let her taste the beer, "and I liked it!!" She was very excited, adding, "When I'm like 4 or 5 I can have a whole cup!" I suggested that 4 or 5 might still be a little young, and that she might need to wait a little longer. "Like when I'm in college?" I told her that yes, when she's in college she can have a whole cup of beer.
The next morning, I was getting breakfast ready and Mazie asked if she could watch TV. This isn't something we let her do a lot... a Dora here, part of the "Cats" musical there... but the request is becoming more and more common, making me think we need to cut back even more. So I told her, "Honey, watching TV isn't something we do all the time, just every now and then." To which she replied, "Just like drinking beer for me."
Later, she announced that she was "going to go check on my beer," and marched into the laundry room where the bottles are being stored.
So thanks a lot, Ty and Sara. The Dickinhans Brewing Company... brewing tomorrow's beer and beer connoisseurs since 2012.
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