Taboo?

As a child, I was that little girl who was almost permanently attached to my father’s lap.  It was while sitting on his lap that I would see him enjoy a mysterious drink that no one else in the house would drink…except for him and his friends. Beer. As a child anything that was strictly for adults immediately became tempting and so of course the daddy’s girl  in me found a way to get what I wanted…I would cajole and bargain with my father to allow me at least one sip. Naturally I found it bitter and disgusting and was happy to be restricted from drinking it save for occasionally for when my curiosity would get the better of me and I would bargain for another sip.

When I reached legal drinking age, I again found that beer was out of my reach.  You see, where I come from, girls who drink beer were/are nothing far from taboo, something about questionable feminine standards and morals. I happily stayed away from beer opting for fruity peachy drinks even though at the back of my mind I was curious about beer.  It was only when with trusted company that I would quaff an ice cold beer.

As an adult living in one of the wine capitals of the world, wine and champagne have become my drinks of choice. Occasionally I dabble in whiskey and on rarer occasions…beer. The kilojoule load and the fact that it makes me feel fuller than sitting at buffet meal have ensured that I will probably never become a full time beer guzzler. Yet strangely enough and for the longest time, I have harbored a curiosity to taste what according to the advert is a dark smooth velvety liquid (Castle Milk Stout).  As an adult that cares less about conforming to narrow-minded ideas of femininity and as head strong as I am, I had never had the guts to confidently order, buy and drink Milk Stout. Not in the company of those I trust and not even on my own.   I bargained with myself that whenever I in the mood for beer, I could have any beer of my choice save for Milk Stout.

A month ago I went to my first beer festival. There were various international brands that had been brewed especially for the event. How ironic it was that while browsing the sample list of beers available, I spotted the locally brewed Castle Milk Stout.  Finally, the perfect opportunity for me to taste that dark and mysterious beer! As it turned out, I was not the only one among my friends who was Stout curious.

We raised our glasses; toasted to new adventures quaffed it down.

I was pleasantly surprised at its subtle sweetness I thoroughly enjoyed the taste of malt. It was also almost coffee like.  I couldn’t believe how full of flavours it was.  

As a female I have many moulds to fit into. Some are very important to fit into but some, such as which drinks make me a lady…outdated and irrelevant.