Quarantine Diaries XXXXVI
Wednesday May 13th 2020
We took a little trip up to Georgetown, a small town just north of Austin, on Wednesday as part of another writing project, and finding ourselves in the area, decided to hang out for the evening. We’ve spent a fair bit of time in Georgetown, ambling round its pretty main square, paddling in the Blue Hole pool and hiking the banks of the San Gabriel River, imbibing the friendly, local vibe and gorgeous Hill Country scenery. Georgetown is usually busy with tourists at this time of year, strolling the square and visiting its many local wine bars as a first or final stop on their Texas vineyard tours. For once, we were the only visitors, and although I expect that, like everywhere else that’s tourism-dependent, Georgetown has been hit hard by lockdown, local folks seemed in good spirits as they distance-drank along the pavement (sidewalk). This was certainly the busiest social environment we’ve been in since all this started but people remained respectfully spread out, aided no doubt by the fact that street-drinking is in fact legal within the confines of the square – a factor that could certainly assist social distancing with a wider rollout. We treated ourselves to fantastic pizza at our favourite local restaurant, 600 Degrees, and the highlight of our evening was watching a brilliantly well-organised distanced open-mic night with performers set up in a truck bed and the microphone disinfected between performers. This was a really local event and the feeling of community and camaraderie was as heart-warming as the talented performances. This was the first live music we’ve seen in well over three months, and my little heart positively soared with joy. I can’t say that I don’t feel guilty as we begin to slowly enjoy some real-world amenities when so many people are still in full lockdown, but hopefully little initiatives like this are providing hope and inspiration to others for a safe and positive transition period.
Thirsty Planet Thirsty Goat Amber Lager
I love Amber Lager and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I know it’s not cool or trendy, and lots of beer-people consider it a bit of a generic drink, but for me it is the quintessential anytime-beer, meaning it’s light and refreshing enough for hot days, full and malty enough for cold days, and low ABV enough to drink at any time of day. Oh, and I love the taste. Sorry-not-sorry. Thirsty Planet’s Thirsty Goat has been my go-to Amber since we arrived in the city – I’m even (occasionally) allowed 6-packs of it! It’s on the bolder and slightly more boozy side, full of meaty malty goodness but still light enough that I can put away pint after pint of it. And I did. Again, sorry-not-sorry.
Craft Beer Amethyst 