DBOP'S PAD

LITTLE ONE GETTING BIGGER

2008-07-19T14:07:00.012-06:00

Lil Bop has been losing teeth left and right. She has lost 5 now. I think by Christmas, these will have grown in.

During the summer, we find a number of different camps to put her in while Mrs. Bop and I are stuck at our jobs. The first camp she went to was at the zoo. One day after camp, we decided to fly her kite for the first time. She was very excited.

It was a hot day, so after the kite flying, we went to the fountains in the park to cool off. She would stop in the middle, and when the water jets fired, she would take off running and screaming. It was very entertaining for me.

The camp she is currently in is an outdoor activities camp. They get a day each week of hiking, biking, canoing, climbing, and kayaking. Hiking is done on a trail at a nearby creek. Biking is done in the parking lot of her school and they are teaching her to ride a two-wheeler. The canoing and kayaking (and swimming) are down at a nearby reservoir. They are taught how to behave in a canoe, what to do when it tips, and how to enter and exit. They are by themselves in kayaks and have to paddle on their own. Lil Bop says she enjoys the kayaking. The climbing is done at a rock climbing wall at a park. Two weeks in a row now, when she comes home from climbing, she looks like Dbop at Halloween, circa 1984. She's a mess.

She is definitely getting older and into more girly things. She has an alter ego named Molly when she gets her hair curled. It takes some effort, but every once in a while we get a nice picture of her.

But, being a Bop child, we usually get something like this:

WARNING: LONG POST WITH GRAPHIC PICTURES!

2008-07-19T13:03:00.014-06:00

SPRING BREAK AND THE REPERCUSSIONS:

A lot has happened in the months since I last posted. Biggest Occurrence: I had knee surgery. For Lil Bop's spring break from school, we went to Rico to ski and spend time with family. We weren't sure how much we would ski until we finished the first day. Mrs. Bop and Lil Bop had such a good time that they decided to ski every day possible. I, on the other hand, let my over-confidence on the slopes make the decision for me. But, a couple of hours before that decision, Mrs. Bop and I were having a great time.

Towards the end of the day, we were on a run and I thought I could bomb through a crowd of people on the mountain and get by quickly. I lost control while in the crowd and instead of hitting the girl in front of me, I took a dive. My ski did not release when it should have and my knee twisted all over the place. After the huge puff of snow died down, the rest of the group convened around me on my hands and knees with my forehead in the snow and my teeth clinched. Mrs. Bop asked if I was okay and with my sharp reply of NO, she knew I needed a moment. However, the good Samaritan that needs to help others to feel good about themselves would not leave me alone. Do you need help? Should I call ski patrol? What's wrong? Do you want my knee brace? What can I do? SHUT THE F UP! After I answered no to 20 questions, you would think this guy got the hint that I would evaluate my situation without his help. After what felt like forever to me, he finally left me alone. He did however call ski patrol when he left. Later, I would appreciate that very much. After my decision to walk down, the rest of the group skied on. After I had descended about 100ft, ski patrol showed up. I got to ride on the back (not in the basket) of a snow mobile, which was pretty cool. I got a ride to the car and that was the end of it. So I thought. I was expecting a week, maybe two, with a sore knee, and life would return to normal. After a month of constant aching, I decided it was time to see a doctor. By the time I saw him, it had been long enough to not get an MRI. With only the physical examination, the doctor told me I had torn my ACL. I could have lived the rest of my life without getting it fixed, but I would not be able to ski anymore or do anything that requires a pivoting move. So on June 12, I had ACL reconstruction surgery. It was pretty cool. The doctor went into my knee, drilled a hole in both leg bones and patched in a cadaver ligament. Over the next six months, my body will bring blood flow to the area and the ligament will be grown over with new tissue. So this is me, ready to be operated on.

Surgery was cool. I was at the surgery center (not the hospital) for all of 3 hours. I was scheduled for 8:45 am, showed up at 8 for paperwork, and was back at my house by 11am. They did not have me count backwards when they knocked me out. Instead, the anesthesiologist said "I'm turning on the sleepy juice", and my eyes fluttered and I was out. I don't think I would have been able to say "ten" in the time it took me to fall asleep. It was almost instant. While the doctor was working on my knee, he took pictures. I think it's cool; I have quality assurance photos from my knee surgery. I have more, but these illustrate what was fixed:

1. Torn ACL

2. Doc's probe in holes drilled in leg bones

3. Cadaver ligament in place

I stayed off of my feet for a week. When I went to the doctor for a follow up, he said the only way to get off crutches was to get off crutches. That day when I got home, I set them down and haven't used them since. I have physical therapy once a week with a list of exercises that I do twice a day. I have to practice walking correctly and reestablish my range of motion. It's a lot of effort, but to be released for sports activities in time to ski next season, I have to get it done. Here is what my knee looks like now. He did not have to cut me wide open to work. I have a bunch of holes with one small scar. Eventually, the swelling will go down and my knee cap will be visible again.

Two weeks after my injury, this is the only way I was skiing:

DID I MENTION MY KID IS A ROCKSTAR?

2008-04-20T07:30:00.008-06:00

Lil Bop = Rockstar, v. 2.0: This Saturday was to be a day of Dbop fishing solo. Nice quiet day with no distractions except where to be a trout slayer. As I moved around the house in the morning, Lil Bop woke up and asked me where I was going. After she found out I was going fishing, she wanted to go. So, it became a father-daughter bonding trip. We started the day with breakfast burritos and a drive up Clear Creek Canyon. We stopped a few times to fish Clear Creek, but neither of us was having any luck. It was tough to find a good spot where both of us could fish near each other. After a tough start, I decided to head for the Blue River Inlet to Lake Dillon. A friend of mine recommends the spot, and now so do I. It had plenty of good spots that we could fish near each other and plenty of fish. I caught two small trout, while Lil Bop made history with her first catch. She did all the work. The only things Dad did were to get her rod ready and tell her where to cast. Otherwise, she cast, hooked, and reeled in her first fish all by herself.

SNOW IS COOL. REALLY COOL. COLD?

2008-02-15T19:34:00.005-07:00

Part of the reason the Bops are in Colorado is that this here Bop likes the cold. I spent too many summers outside in south Texas to want to endure it anymore. I haven't posted anything recently because since Christmas, Lil Bop has had ski lessons every Saturday. That means every Saturday, I have gotten up at 4:45 am so the Bops will be ready to roll at 6 am so that Lil Bop will make it to class by 8:30. This Saturday is the first since Christmas that I get to sleep in. It hasn't been entirely torture. I do like to ski. The first time I had skied in almost two years was fun. Mrs. Bop managed to capture one of my finer moments.

I got myself caught in some waist deep powder. But, I was to be avenged. A couple of weeks later, Lil Bop had been kickin' butt in her lessons. One day after we picked her up, she wanted to show us that they had been going in the half pipe and that she could do it. Mrs. Bop and I were hesitant, but Mrs. Bop decided to capture the whole thing on video for posterity. All I have to say is that MY KID IS A ROCKSTAR. So's my wife.

TOTEM POLE TOUR '08

2008-02-15T19:13:00.007-07:00

I know that we live in a part of the country that has some people that think a little freer than others. One of them happens to be my neighbor. But these are some interesting pieces of art to have in your front yard. I've noticed these poles throughout the neighborhood since we moved. So to cure some cabin fever today, Lil bop and I went for a walk. I knew of four, but found a fifth during our travels.

BAH HUMBUG

2008-01-22T19:22:00.001-07:00

There'll be more when I'm not feeling lazy.

COLORADO CHRISTMAS

2007-12-09T08:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we participated in a tradition very new to the Bops. We cut down our own Christmas tree. For $20 (awesome), the Colorado Forest Service will let you go into certain areas that need thinning and cut down trees no larger than 6" round and no taller than 15'. The permit is a mirror tag and if you carefully follow the directions on the back, it folds into an ornament (ugly as sin). So we followed some friends to the cutting area, had a small lunch once we parked, and proceeded to hunt down the Bop's Christmas Tree 2007. After 45 minutes of looking uphill of the car, we ended up downhill of the car and found our tree in 5 minutes. Mrs. Bop's "I want to help" was helping decide on the tree, and being the historian for this expedition. Once the tree was decided on, I set to work on falling this behemoth of a tree.

The picture is a little deceiving. It took a little longer to cut it down because I was on the side of a very steep hill. But with a little perseverance, I had the family tree down and was hauling it to the car for transport to the Bop House.

After struggling to move the tree to the car, we had to document our conquest. Our friends took a picture for posterity.

The tree in the background makes ours look a little bigger than it really is. It ended up being around 7' tall, perfect fit for the Bop House. The next day, we had it set up and lit. No ornaments on it in this picture; maybe that will make it to a post in the future.

HOUSE IN OCEANSIDE

2007-12-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

I've lived in many places during my life. The first place I have a memory of is my family's house in Oceanside, CA. We lived there while my dad was stationed at Camp Pendleton. I remember going to the beach during the summers and playing in the back yard. I have very fuzzy memories of this house because we moved from here when I was four.

WHERE I'VE LIVED

2007-12-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

My brother Jack Army has gone to many places during his career, and that made me think about where I've been in my life. So, I'll start with where I'm living now. The Bop's just recently moved across town into a house. This is the first time Mrs. Bop or I have lived in our own house. It's been apartments or duplexes up until now. It's a nice feeling not having to worry about being or hearing the elephants upstairs. Lil Bop can jump and dance in the house without care (sort of -- we have hardwood floors) and she finally has a yard to play in. The funny part is I live on Cherry St. now.

XTERRA

2007-11-11T13:14:00.000-07:00

The Xterra goes on most adventures we have in Colorado. So, invariably, it makes it into the pictures of our trips. This is from our trip to Burnt Deckers.

FISHIN'

2007-11-10T13:14:00.000-07:00

I had to do the birthday present shopping for Lil Bop's birthday. Mrs. Bop was having a very busy time then, so it was left to Dbop. Lil Bop got from us Legos (cool), a video game (cooler), and her very own Barbie fishing pole (SWEEEET). Fast forward a couple of weeks, and it was time to put Barbie to the test. Lil Bop had a day off from school, so I decided to take the day off with her. It seemed like a perfect day for fishing. We tried three different spots along the South Platte River, had a picnic lunch; it was a great day. We didn't catch anything, not even a bite. Lil Bop said she had a lot of fun. I had a blast. I had a great day teaching her to fish. We worked on casting and reeling and she picked it up very quickly. Even though we didn't catch any fish, it was a great day with my daughter.

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS

2007-10-28T09:15:00.000-06:00

Mrs. Bop received the news she passed the Bar exam in early October. As a retirement present to me, we went to Steamboat Springs to visit some friends for the weekend. We went on a short hike to Fish Creek Falls. These are the falls on the Coors beer can.

The weather turned nasty while we were visiting. We were there for the first snow of the season. I am glad to be in a place that has all four seasons.

LIL BOP'S BIRTHDAY

2007-10-28T09:11:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Lil Bop's 6th birthday at the Butterfly Pavilion. This place was very cool. They had a girl come to the party room and show bugs to the kids. They were much more interested than the parents. After the bugs, we went into a huge atrium that took me back to Texas. Apparently, butterflies like hot and humid weather. I thought I had given that up when we left Texas. We got to see many beautiful and interesting butterflies and moths. We had some friends come down from Steamboat for her party, and afterward, we all went out to dinner. Lil Bop wore her favorite of the presents to dinner.

FALL FOLIAGE

2007-10-28T09:10:00.000-06:00

We went on a drive to view the aspens changing a couple of weekends ago. We drove the Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway. The views were spectacular. The drive started in Estes Park and ended in Blackhawk. We started the day by walking around Estes Park. While waiting for a crosswalk light to change, we saw the most interesting sign.

After driving for 2 hours, the Bops needed a break. Mrs. Bop was kind enough to take a picture of Lil Bop and I in front of a changing aspen grove.

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

2007-10-27T08:30:00.000-06:00

We left Rico on Sunday. Yes, the holiday weekend lasts until Monday, but I like to rest from my vacations before going back to work. It takes 5-6 hours to get from Rico back to Denver. We stopped about a half hour into our trip for this.

The big nipple in the background is Mt. Sneffels. I climbed it. That's awesome. Once we were back on the road, the "get home now" mentality set in. And that's what we did. One bathroom break and 5 hours later, we were resting comfortably in our home. I think Lil Bop's self-portrait during the ride says it all.

GO BACK TO CALIFORNIA!

2007-10-27T08:04:00.000-06:00

The Telluride Film Festival happens over Labor Day weekend. Mrs. Bop (AKA - Celeb Gossip Hound) wanted to go into town to look for any celebrities. During the gondola ride into town, we listened to some ladies complain about how this festival is so unlike the rest of them. You have to wait in line with the rest of the "people" and you can't just flash your backstage ho pass and walk in. I had the toughest time not saying anything. Once in town, we strolled along, checking everything out. From the obviously out of place Californians to the mountain hippies to everyday schmoes, the town had some interesting visitors. But, alas, our search was in vain. No celebs. We saw someone being interviewed, but if you don't recognize them, are they a celebrity? The gondola ride back to the car was equally exciting. We listened to two ladies discuss how great Daniel Day Lewis is and how the tribute was wonderful and how her husband actually edited the film. BARF! Mrs. Bop and I had a nice day enjoying each others company. However, during our tour of the town, I found my true calling.

Someday. Someday.

IT'S YOUR HOME!

2007-10-27T07:02:00.000-06:00

It's mighty nice to walk into the house with out bustin' your ass on the ice during winter. So says Mrs. Bop. This is the hole the Xterra sleeps in, for now. It's a luxury for one we can afford right now. One of these days, the Xterra is going to have to share.

LIL BOP'S PHOTO SCHOOL

2007-10-27T07:01:00.000-06:00

So, as I said before, the camera was a huge hit. She loves taking pictures of anything at anytime. She was lucky enough to catch the elusive pre-coffee Dbop.

More photos to follow as the artist completes her works.

BEAR CREEK FALLS HIKE

2007-10-09T20:23:00.000-06:00

So the next day, we all went to Telluride for a relaxing day in town and a short hike. Our short hike was actually 5 miles round trip. The reward for such a long hike the day after climbing a 14er was sharing some beautiful Colorado nature with my family. We parked at Mountain Village and took the gondola into Telluride. From the bottom of the gondola, it's a quarter mile walk to the trailhead to Bear Creek Preserve. Two and a half miles in, two and a half miles out. The hike in was not without its trials and tribulations. Lil Bop tends to jump, skip, and do anything but pay attention to where she is going. Needless to say, this means that Doc Bop had to put in an appearance.

Once we were bandaged and ready for more hiking, we made our way to a wonderful waterfall at the end of the trail. We made this hike 5 years ago when visiting from San Antonio. Mrs. Bop enjoyed it this time much (MUCH) more than 5 years ago.

We finished this hike, spent a little time in town, and returned to Rico to have dinner and celebrate Lil Bop's birthday. We did it a couple of weeks early because Ma-in-law was visiting. Lil Bop received as gifts a nice sweater, long johns, and a digital camera. The camera was a huge hit.

FISH OUTTA WATER!

2007-10-03T19:43:00.000-06:00

After climbing Mt. Sneffels, Gman and I rested in Ouray (soaking sore feet in a freezing stream--much needed). Mrs. Bop, Lil Bop, and the Ma-in-law went to Durango to do some shopping and we all met up at the house in Rico after lunch. So after climbing a 14er, how to relax? How about a little fishin? Gman and the Ma-in-law watched Lil Bop while Mrs. Bop and I headed down to the Dolores River which runs right through town. After walking around a bit, I settled on fishing upstream from a small bridge to a neighborhood. As we moved closer to the bridge, we found a friend.

Wish he was mine. He was very friendly, but five minutes later, he was gone. I wanted to fish just to relax and unwind for a litte bit before dinner. I wasn't expecting to catch anything. But, after two or three casts, I had one on the line.

The wife was so impressed. I'm a stud.
So, 13 day tally: 4 lakes, 1 river, 3 fish, 1 hangover, 1 concert, 1 mountain.

LABOR DAY WEEKEND

2007-09-29T09:05:00.000-06:00

Labor Day weekend started a little early for us. Wednesday after work, the Bops packed up the Xterra, and we were off to Ouray, a small town about 50 miles by car from Telluride, but only about 10 miles away on a straight line. We arrived in Ouray at about 11 PM, went straight to bed, and got up at 5 AM the next day. We started our weekend in Ouray because my mother-in-law's husband (we'll call him Gman) and I were attempting to climb the 14er Mt. Sneffels. I had never climbed anything this high. Gman had hired a guide for the climb, which after talking to the guide, was not entirely necessary, but worth the money for us. After some discussion on the ride to the trailhead, we ended up going up the "moderate" route. This route started with a nice hike along a snowmelt creek on the way to a saddle. This shows the view east from the saddle.

From the saddle, we climbed across a talus (larger boulders) field, and then up the south ridge to the summit. The climb up was not that rough, but it is not a route that we as inexperienced climbers would have chosen. The popular route up Mt. Sneffels is up the east side which is all scree (lots of small pebbles---SUCKS), then up a talus field, through a crack, and a short climb to the summit. The route we used was fantastic. It was an experience that we would not have enjoyed without our guide. It combined a nice hike with a cool climb ending in the same spot as those struggling up the scree field. When we got home, I checked the internet. The only other mountain I had summited was Divide Mountain, on the eastern border of Glacier National Park. Divide Mountain is only 8900 feet. Climbing a 14er did make me realize that while it's nice on top, and the experience great, it's not something I am going to race around Colorado doing every weekend.

MY SPIRITUALITY

2007-09-26T20:10:00.001-06:00

I lived in Denver years ago when I was young and dumb (not so young anymore). When I got here, I found myself in a place I loved and working a job I hated. With immaturity running high, and money running low, after 2 and a half years I left and went back to San Antonio. 10 years later, I've returned with my beautiful wife and daughter. I love everything the mountains have to offer. I like to ski, hike, fish, camp, look at, and do just about anything in the mountains. The time I was away was spent figuring out how to get back. I knew when I left that I wasn't done here. Once I was married and a father, this spent some time on the back burner. But, through hard work and diligence (some groveling too), Mrs. Bop agreed moving to Denver might be a good idea. We've been here a little over 6 months, and the best thing I have found is how much I enjoy sharing the mountains with my daughter. She is very much a 6 year old little girl. Princesses, pretty things, painted nails, fancy dresses -- she loves them all. But every once in a while, I make her do something with me in the mountains and she has a great time. Me too.

MY MICHELLE

2007-09-25T19:31:00.000-06:00

So after taking a day off of work and drinking and fishing with friends, I had to pick up Mrs. Bop and Lil Bop at the airport at the butt crack of dawn. They landed at 7 AM. Hey, cheap flights are at weird times. Anyway, we all had an early start, Lil Bop had a back to school tea party with her best friend from school around lunch time, and we ended the night with a Beatles concert at Red Rocks. That's right, the Beatles--live--in concert. SWEEEET!

Yes, that is the Beatles tribute band down there. They recreated the Beatles show at Red Rocks from 1964. It was awesome. We went despite all our other travels because Lil Bop's teacher played the Beatles in class for the kids occasionally. When she came home singing "Eight Day A Week", it brought up an old memory of mine. My mom, who was a teenager during the Beatles invasion, said it was weird hearing her 12 year old son singing the Beatles while doing Saturday chores. Mrs. Bop and I thought it would be a good first concert for Lil Bop. She had a good time, but Mrs. Bop and I were wiped out.

So, 8 Day tally: 4 lakes, 2 fish, 1 hangover, 1 concert.

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS 8/24/07

2007-09-09T08:06:00.000-06:00

After struggling through four days of work (I took Friday off), I took off to Steamboat Thursday night to meet up with some friends. We drank a little that night, and after some grocery shopping in the morning, we finally did some fishing. We went up on top of Rabbit Ears Pass and fished Dumont Lake. We parked about 200 feet from the lake, walked to the first spot we hit water and started fishing. After a while (with no bites), we decided to move around the lake. After two hours and a good hike, we were right back where we started. It was pretty windy and there was lots of grass in the water along the banks. The first spot we fished was blocked from the wind by trees and had a nice drop off close to the edge. It ended up being the best spot on the shore. I had my first catch in Colorado followed about an hour later with my second.

So, 7 day tally: 4 lakes, 2 fish, 1 hangover.

WE GOT AN XTERRA

2007-09-06T18:56:00.000-06:00

We moved to a place where it snows on my house. SWEEEET. I've lived here before and was lucky enough to learn how to drive in the snow in other people's cars. Mrs. Bop grew up in South Texas where it has snowed once in the last twenty years. She's learning to drive in the snow in our cars. She was handling it like a champ before I was able to join her here in Denver. But to facilitate her getting around town and to preserve my sanity, we bought a 4WD vehicle. This was purely for her and Lil Bop to be safe when tooling around town in the snow. WINK-WINK, NUDGE-NUDGE. WE LIVE NEAR THE MOUNTAINS. This picture is from March when we bought it. The first place we went for a hike was at Red Rocks State Park and I thought this made a good picture.

GUANELLA PASS 8/18/07

2007-09-03T20:31:00.000-06:00

I heard about fishing the Square Top Lakes above Guanella Pass purely by chance. But I took the information and ran with it. I've known for a couple of weeks that Mrs. Bop and Lil Bop were going to visit friends in San Antonio. So after dropping them off at the airport, I hightail it to Georgetown (about an hour west of Denver). I meet up with a buddy coming down from Steamboat Springs, and we drive over the pass. The pass is about 11,600 feet. The Square Top Lakes are about 2 1/2 miles from the pass and 1000 feet above it. We went over the pass and set up camp at about 8000 feet. We get back in the truck and head up for some afternoon fishing. Back at the pass, it looked like we were going to get some rain. So we settled for fishing a little pond next to the pass. The rain cleared and we decided to push for the Square Tops. The hike ended up longer than either of us expected but was well worth the work. We made it to the lower lake (about 12,600 feet) and fished it for about an hour and half. We didn't have a strike, didn't see a ripple, nothing. But check out the view.

The next day, we wanted to hike less and fish more. So we drove about 30 minuts to the Blue River inlet on Lake Dillon started to fish. By our second casts, we were getting pounded by big ole elephant rain drops. We walk out and my buddy decides to head for home. Since the family is away and I-70 already looked thick, I took the scenic route home. As I went over Hoosier Pass on my way to Fairplay, down in the valley I spot a nice little stream. I keep driving towards the town of Alma, and on the outskirts, I see a lake with state property signs all over it. I pulled over and fished for 2 1/2 hours. So, 2 days, 3 lakes, 0 fish. I still had a good time.

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

2007-09-03T12:00:00.000-06:00

For those wondering what I have been up to, here is an update for the past two weeks: I've driven 1100+ miles, hiked 40+ miles, climbed a 14er, fished four lakes and a river -- caught 9 fish (6 big enough to keep), went to a concert, rubbed elbows with the film industry, and had a blast every minute. More info coming.

DENVER ROCKS

2007-05-13T21:36:00.000-06:00

5:00 in the evening, we're in the living room, doing nothing. "Let's go for a walk." An hour later, this is our view. That's freakin' awesome. At the same time, I got to take Mrs. Bop and Lil Bop back to a previous picture spot.

Same place, less snow. Great picture.

DISAPPOINTMENT

2007-05-03T20:43:00.000-06:00

Years ago, I went out to visit Pike National Forest near Deckers, Colorado. My friend Mike and I hiked most of the day looking for a campsite we had been to before. After some hard work, we found it, and I have this picture. The huge rock behind skinny young me is sheep mountain. The land was lush and green and you could forget you were 40 minutes from the city. Fast forward 10 years and wanting to impress Mrs. Bop and Lil Bop, we go to Deckers for a hike. I didn't check it out on the internet or ask some locals, I went solely based on a memory of that hike with my friend. And this is what we found:

That is Sheep Mountain behind Lil Bop and Me. About 3 years ago, this place burnt to the ground. I was so excited to show the family a cool place in the national forest and all I got was sticks. We spent all of maybe an hour out there. I was so disappointed but learned a lesson. Check it out before you go. Hopefully, the next hike will be better.

LITTLE BOP IN THE MOUNTAINS

2007-05-02T20:44:00.000-06:00

So my family and I recently moved to Denver. I had lived here before and convinced Mrs. Bop to move here. Partly because I missed the mountains, and partly to live close enough to have my child love them too. This picture was taken at Lookout Mountain, near Buffalo Bill's Grave. I was alone with Little Bop so it was a "stand here, don't move(fall), picture, run and grab her. Came out great.

What's that smell?

2007-04-26T19:34:00.000-06:00

WATCH OUT! SOMETHIN'S BREWIN'!