FINALLY!

Several years ago (summer 2000) while working for 3 weeks in Missoula, Montana, I discovered a beer called Fat Tire. I found out it was brewed in Fort Collins, Colorado, but unfortunately, it was not available in Minnesota. In 2003, Husband (then Boyfriend) and I went to Colorado together and toured New Belgium Brewery, where Fat Tire and other beers are made, and I was even more impressed. New Belgium is an employee-owned brewery, and also practices sustainable operations. Perhaps most impressive is that it was the first wind-powered brewery in the United States, and does lots of other cool energy-saving things you can read about here.

Anyway, while there we took the brewery tour and then also sat down to take a beer tour, where we could try a bunch of different brews. Husband even found one he rather liked (and he's no beer drinker, trust me). We asked when we could find New Belgium beers in Minnesota, and were told they were not currently shipping east of the Missouri River. So I resigned myself to the fact that I could only enjoy this, my favorite beer, while visiting the western states. Until now.

Lastnight when I got home from work, Husband was headed out the door to "run some errands." He told me to get a cooler ready to bring to our volleyball game. Huh? Again, the man does not like beer, and we never bring a cooler to volleyball. I was confused.

He returned home short time later, and in the back of his truck...was...this:



HOLY COW! I did a dance right there in the street. Twelve 22-oz bottles of Fat Tire! But I was still confused. Did he have a friend ship it? How did he get it? My friends, New Belgium has brought Fat Tire back to Minnesota. They were apparently here years ago, because the bottle says "Commemorative Return to the Twin Cities. We're glad to be back." Husband saw a feature about it on the news at 6PM, and was out the door by 6:30. How nice of him!

And how nice to have Fat Tire in my own backyard!