Quarantine Diaries XXIV
Tuesday April 21st 2020
Quarantine, we are told, is just a matter of time. All we have to do is play by the rules and wait it out. But time is, even back in the real world, a quixotic, intangible measure full of contradiction (hence my pathological lateness – ha). Days pass like something between the eternal yawn of the school holidays and the impatient claustrophobic panic of being stuck in a lift awaiting rescue. Oh dear god how much longer?! The upending of the world that has, in fact, lasted a mere five weeks feels like an eternity. Has time actually slowed, and the world somehow moved into Dog Years? And if so then why, for me at least, is time still a limited, finite resource? Somehow, there never seems to be enough of it for me to do any of the Fun Learning Activities I had earmarked. I don’t have time to make rice crispie cakes, never mind sourdough, as hours seem to disappear in the blink of an eye. How to account for this? Is my poor time management to blame, or is this a sneaky quarantine fib – something else that we simply cannot control, even down to our own perception of it? Oh, look how much time you’ll have for self-improvement being forced to stay in the house, but actually once you’ve done all your work or chores with nothing to look forward to after, all you feel like doing is collapsing in front of the TV with a beer? Not to mention the additional hours dedicated to contacting the many family and friends forced to isolate alone, plus all the extra admin related to dealing with quarantine itself. With nowhere to go, why in the hell am I still constantly rushing around? I am envious of and confused by in equal measures everyone who says they have nothing to do and those who are perfecting impressive new household skills while I appear to exist inside a groundhog-day of ridiculously hectic non-achievement. If all we have to do is wait, where has all the time gone?
Austin Beerworks Incognito Cowgirl DIPA
As soon as we heard that ABW had a new DIPA out, we were, of course, on it straight away. Travelling through ATX’s corona-cleared highways is an eerie experience, as anyone who has battled through our regular traffic-hell will attest to, but Tuesday was a beautiful evening and we took in some grand views and a stunning sunset on our beer-run. We also took the opportunity to stop in at Velvet Taco and pick up an order of killer crazy-fusion cuisine that never fails to make us both smile. The Incognito Cowgirl is a most interesting collaboration with Barth-Haas hop group, and has a firm, dry texture with peppery pineapple and bitter, slightly sharp finish that paired magnificently with our sweet, juicy tacos, particularly the maple-tastic chicken and waffle. 2020 seems to be the year of the dry-hazy-IPA, a development I am happy to welcome, and the Incogito Cowgirl is on-trend and experimental in equal measures. The punchy bitterness may not be for everyone but I am happy to have a 4-pack in my quarantine beerfridge!
Craft Beer Amethyst 