GREAT WIN tonight and I brought back a 12 pack of New Glarus Moon Man from beyond the cheese curtain! Ice cold and delicious!
Last day of vacation should I drive to Wisconsin? I think I wasted my check though. Can't believe I can just Walk 15 minutes and get hash filled joints with 2g flower in a state weed is not even technically legal. Legalize it already you're just making the immigrants you hate rich. Can someone loan me money for a business vehtu ?
At a conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I am at my second brew pub of the evening within walking distance of the conference hotel. Enjoying an "okay" American Brown ale. Good, not great The first brewpub was less than great, but seemed to have better food. Something sounding like aerobics (probably line dancing) is happening in the other room. I have ventured into check, and don't think I will. There are at least three more brewoubs within stumbling distance, including Founders and a New Holland brewing. I am trying to get a decent sized group to go to New Holland tomorrow. Dragon's Milk for the win!
And now at Pyramid Scheme, one of the coolest bars in Grand Rapids. Pinball (about 20 machines), great artwork, decent beer, playing good music (...and a Taylor Swift dance party in the "venue" in the back! I have NOT ventured back there. That would be way too creepy!). They actually seem to have a pretty eclectic mix of bands that play here.
Heading back to the hotel and stopped at little confusing dive bar and "enjoying" a Stroh's. Haven't had one since I was probably 17. It is not any better than it was then. It was $3.25 (turns out at the brew pub all their beers were $3.00 a pint! Didn't know that until I closed out the tab).
I grew up having the occasional Stroh’s or Bell’s with friends, especially during road trips around the Midwest. Bell’s has always been the one people go for when looking for something local and decent, though I have had some pretty questionable brown ales at different small breweries. The vibe at those little places can make up for mediocre beer if the crowd and music are on point. Honestly, there was a time when I relied too much on drinking as a social thing and needed a hard reset. I ended up looking into Abbeycare Group clinics after a mate recommended them for their supportive approach and different therapy options. If anyone’s finding the drinking a bit more than just fun lately, reaching out somewhere like that can really help.
Having a delicious Bonfire Brown Ale from Saugatuk Brewing, but having it at the combined reception and bar at my hotel outside it Detroit. It is pretty funny. The reception desk is a half circle and the last 10 feet or so of the semi-circle is a 7 seat bar with three taps and a Nespresso machine. The reception attendant checks you and then pours your beer! She also runs the little sundry shop at the other end of the semi-circle for those late night Pringles and Coke Zero (and ice cream) cravings, and the inevitable Alka Seltzer. That's service for you.
Starbucks French Roast (home brewed) with Carmel Oat Milk creamer. THERE! Why Starbucks? Because it was CHEAPER than Folgers.
I see you posted these deliciousness pictures at 8:15 am? Are you in Ireland or just getting an early morning jump on day drinking?
I figured a response was coming. Maybe I've ever been in an actual Starbucks restaurant a dozen times in my life, none in the last 8-10 years. Are they corporate shitheads? Yes, but I've never understood why a barista or a burger flipper deserves wages approaching a welder's. A couple of months ago I had some fasting blood work. Afterward I did something I rarely do, go to the local pancake house and order a Belgian waffle with peach compote (everyone hates peaches, except me). My coffee, which was filled 3 times, was $4. I seethed to myself FOUR FREAKING BUCKS!!! On top of that the service was indifferent, but I left a decent enough tip. The food was good & the coffee excellent, but I won't be returning any time soon. Let the burden of providing a living wage to baristas fall to those being served and support local independent businesses. Starbucks French Roast 40oz. $14.98 (sale regularly $20.98) Folgers Black Silk Dark Roast 40.3oz. $22.48
“Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol made $95.8 million in 2024, while the median barista at the company made just $14,674, according to the AFL-CIO. The CEO-to-worker pay ratio of 6,666-to-1 is the largest among all S&P 500 companies.”
Corporate shitheads. Niccol would have raked in more from any stock option he was granted if the stock hadn't gone down the crapper the last few years. Also urban baristas make more than $14k a year, some a lot more. I'm all for someone working full time making more than $14k a year. I don't believe boycotting ground coffee in the store will support baristas on the picket line like boycotting grapes or lettuce supported the UFW. Your mileage may vary.