Welcome to 2020 everyone! How was your first week into the New Year? Wild?
Slow? Exciting? I can tell you this, I feel like the new year actually started the second
week of January. Maybe it’s because I had friends in town, I spent time with my family,
and I was just so exhausted from all the holiday shenanigans. Aside from that, I’m ready
to start this year with energy and excitement. These elevating vibes come from our
latest episode of Life Untapped. On episode 4 our main location takes place at Three Punk Ales Brewing Company in Chula Vista, California.
For those who don’t know, I grew up in that city. I feel blessed that the first
episode of the year is in my old stomping grounds. Three Punk Ales is a headbanger,
the brewery has punk rock everything! There’s the music, the cool wall collage with a
bunch of punk rock artist, and the beer. Their top beers also happen to have clever
names such as “Kill the Pour”, an India Pale Ale 6.5% ABV.
Anyway, as I was sitting at the bar I started thinking about all the fun and in depth
conversations I’ve had at breweries. These places have some sort of magic that bring
out meaningful conversations. This brings us to the main topic of today, 5 Things to talk
about at a brewery. I’d recommend watching Life Untapped episode 4 first and then
coming back to this article but either way works.
● Topic 1: Beer
Of course, why would we not talk about beer when we’re at a brewery. This topic
is always fun, especially after you’ve been to a few and can now compare them on their
atmosphere, or scenery and of course on their beers. Like I said before, Three Punk
Ales Brewing Company, nails it all. After filming the show I enjoyed a nice glass of, “La
Flama Blanca,” with Steve Garcia, head of sales at 3PunkAles, as we chit-chatted about
the beer and how it came about. Always fun to learn the history of the place!
Check out the Three Punks Story:
● Topic 2: Food!
After sipping a few beers, I am always the one to ask, “Anyone hungry?” I don’t
know if it’s because I’m Mexican or what, but tacos just always sound good, period.
This is such a great conversation topic at breweries because you’re going to be
hungry after a few beers, am I right? On this episode we take you to “Not Not Tacos,” in
Little Italy in San Diego, California. Sam the Cooking Guy gives tacos a new spin to the
original formula. We all know the basics, tortilla, meat, and cilantro. But Sam turns it up
a notch by adding crushed potato chips or tzatziki sauce, which sounds so good right
now! My ideal taco would have corn tortilla, beans, queso fresco, with mild chile red
sauce to top it off, yum! Point is, next time you start talking about food at a brewery think
of your own cool version of a taco, and don’t forget to name it too.
● Topic 3.3: Competitions
There are many fun competitions out there in the U.S for categories such as,
best cocktails, cutest cat, and fastest peddler. This conversation topic can get a little
heated sometimes, with people disagreeing with the winner or the loser. At the end of
the day though, I hope it does for a great debate. There are three parts in this section,
and were going to start with cocktail competitions. The Eddy Bar in Providence, Rhode
Island has a unique prohibition style showdown of the best gin cocktails. The
competition is tough though, as you might have noticed in this segment, the ingredients
aren’t something you see at your local liquor store everyday. This is why the winner
probably won. It had unique ingredients that set it apart from the runner up. If you think
otherwise, then we might just have to checkout a brewery and discuss this over beer. I must say though, gin has been my favorite spirit for the last few years, which is why this
is a competition I’d be more than happy to attend every year.
And the Winning recipe:
7 dashes of Angostura Bitters
½ oz Bols Orange Curaco
2 oz Bols Genever
Absinthe
¼ oz Demerara Syrup
Part two, animal competitions. I always see a dog or two at breweries, but have
you ever seen cats?
They’re pets too you know and I still have yet to see one. I think we
hardly see them because they’re too busy competing at the Annual All Breed Cat Show
in Cumberland, Rhode Island. This an event i’d love to visit but unfortunately can’t
because I am super allergic to cats. (sad face) For those who have a cute kitty cat they
want to show off this is a competition for you, and of course if you win you can brag all
about it as you sip on your beer at your favorite brewery.
Part three, sport competitions. I know usually men like to discuss sports at the
bar such as NFL, or the NBA Finals, but this next one is a talker for the ladies. I’m
talking about the fastest peddler on the planet. Denise Korenek is competitive, not only
by beating a record that had been set since 1995 but with herself. This part of the show
made my heart happy and motivated me to be better in life. Korenek is the fastest
peddler ever with a shattering record on a bicycle. She’s competitive with herself
because she already had a fast record of 147 mph, but you can tell she’s a go getter
since her latest speed was marked at 183.9 miles! (Wowzers!) The fastest I can ride on
a bike is to the buffet line, that will get me going.
● Topic 4: Art
Art is my go to when it comes to breaking the ice in a conversation. Usually, I’ll
start the conversation with something like this, “Hey did you checkout so and so’s new
piece on Instagram?” For the most part they say no, but then instantly you show them
the IG page and boom, the talk takes off. On Life Untapped E4 we visited Hank
Robinson, engraving artist and owner of Hanro Studios.
needs! )
This segment is a talker. When he says he is willing to make the next out of this world engraving piece, he sure means
it. The fine details he creates for his clients are beautiful. I could literally stare at his art
on IG and talk about what his creative process must have been like, and then sip some
more beer. The most memorable part of this segment was Robinson’s advice, “If you
have a creative thought…Act on it.” Thanks Hank, will do!
We’ll we sure did talk about a lot today. I hope this article helps you if you’re ever
stuck on what to talk about when you meet up with your friends or your first date at a
brewery. If you have any topic ideas you’d like to share DM us on Instagram
@lifeuntapped As I always like to say, with love my friends, cheers till next time!
