Friday, September 4, 2015

A Quest

Well, I'll tell you something, this is no longer a vacation...it's a quest. It's a quest for fun!

~~ Clark Griswold, “Vacation”

This happened today.

I am currently on a quest. A quest for Zombie Dust.

Zombie Dust is a Pale Ale made by 3 Floyds Brewing Co. in Munster, Indiana. Munster is a little over an hour away from us, but finding Zombie Dust is like pulling teeth. For whatever reason, it has become an elusive and much sought-after brew. It really is quite tasty and smooth, but I think its lack of availability has made it even more desirable. We’ve found a few places around town that carry it (including Corby’s Irish Pub, which has it ON TAP...you can get pitchers of the stuff!), but it’s hard to find as a carry-out.

I scored a 6-pack the other day. The guy had one left in back and got it for me. I felt like I’d found the Holy Grail! Ken suggested that I try a package store in a little town just south of us (where I grew up, as a matter of fact) that carries a lot of craft beers. I called them up shortly after they opened today.

Me: Hi, do you happen to have any Zombie Dust on hand?
Woman: Yes, we do. One per person.
Me: COOL! Can you hang onto one for me? I’ll be right down!
Woman: Sure.

So I hop in the car and get down there. As soon as I walked in, there was a guy with a little yappy dog on a leash, and the dog starting barking at me. It really startled me! I said, “Sorry, puppy!” and started looking around. What a selection! I’m going to start shopping there once in a while. I found the 3 Floyds section, but didn’t see any Zombie Dust. I finally saw the clerk and said, “I’m the one who called about the Zombie Dust.” At this point, I almost felt like I was making a drug deal. She nodded and took a bottle out of the 6-pack behind the counter. She scanned it and I thought, “Hmm, guess they charge by the bottle and she’ll ring the whole thing up that way.”

I handed her a twenty and she made change. She said something like, “Seventeen-fifty,” and I thought, “Gosh, that’s pricey for a 6-pack, but I’m just happy to find another one.” She put the change into my hand and then put the bottle in a little tiny paper bag.
My lonely little Zombie Dust
I looked at it. “Oh. I only get one?” She said, “Yep. We get one case a month, so we only sell singles.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, and said, “Okay!”

Do you think maybe she could have told me on the phone that “one” meant one bottle, not one 6-pack? How often do people buy single beers anymore? Isn’t the smallest standard either a 4- or 6-pack? Or at least a larger bottle? I drove a little over ten miles for a single bottle of Zombie Dust. I’m still cracking up about it!

As I got into my car and gently laid my lone bottle of Zombie Dust on the seat, I looked over and saw her leaning out the door to watch me. The whole thing was a rather hills-have-eyes encounter, and I wondered what she thought of me. Why did I seem odd to her, enough so that she had to look out to watch me? Small towns are weird.

So my quest continues. I don’t know if I’ll be able to find more Zombie Dust, but for now I have seven Preciouses.

I just don’t want to go to another small town to find it.

3 comments:

  1. 3 floyds is awesome!

    my friend bestest kelly used to live right by there- they have great food too!

    will you save your lone soldier like people do with billy beer, or sip it slowly whilst watching the flora and fauna of nutwood????

    xxalainaxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's in the fridge now. I will probably share it with Ken, because I'm nice that way. :D

      Delete
  2. Had a good laugh over your Quest! Let's drink your precious right now!

    ReplyDelete

I'm funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you?