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.