Homebrew, Ebay and Avoiding the Rain

We walked into Kidsgrove again today.  Yogi wanted some more bits and pieces from the Jolly Brewer Brew shop and we needed some coke to drink our homemade brews with :0).  The forecast has been threatening heavy rain today, so we donned our waterproof coats and tried to get there and back before the heavens opened.  It's quite a walk from Red Bull Services, but I'd taken my 'ol lady trolley with me so wasn't too worried as I can pull a 13kg gas bottle a mile in the snow in that thing so getting stuff home wouldn't be a problem. 

 

Graham, the owner of the shop, who we have got to know quite well over the last couple of days was again pleased to see us.  He does know his stuff, that's for sure, the back room of his shop is filled to the brim with home brew in various stages of production! 

He had been sampling a new beer he was making when we arrived and was slightly pink in the cheek and burpy lol. This also made him incredibly chatty and entertaining....:0). He has been brewing himself for 17 years and likes to check out all the products he sells personally.  He also keeps samples for customers to try before they buy, which is why I ended up with a bottle of Amaretto essence!!!  

The whole shop is filled from floor to ceiling with products for making your own brews. From, beer, cider and wine making kits to fermentation buckets, siphons and a load of other stuff I didn't have a clue about, am sure Graham would have loved to wax lyrical about them if I had asked but my head was still spinning from my Amaretto sample lol

Yogi managed to get 3 out of 5 of the flavours he wanted, plus Vodka essence for a Vodka drinking friend of ours plus the impulse Amaretto buy for me :0). All that for under £15!!  

Pleased with our purchases we climbed the hill up to Home Bargains, which is a bit like B&M Bargains and got the dog some dentastix and 3 1L glass bottles for Yogs Alcoholic creations.  Surprisingly we were still dry at this point, because by this time the sky looked so heavy it would burst into torrents of rain in any second. 

Next stop was Tescos for cola and fresh greens, so back down the hill we go to fill the 'ol lady trolley with fizzy liquid, still dry and already planning the rest of the afternoon. That's another good thing about Kidsgrove, it's downhill on the way back. 

Tescos negotiated with no drama, apart from a last minute dash for cheesy bread for lunch we carried on down the hill to the canal.  Trolley by this time is full to bursting point bless her and is very heavy, I managed half way back before Yog took pity on me and took over.  I love my trolley, she is like a tardis on the inside, a little bit frayed around the edges but aren't we all.  

Still dry, we arrived home just in time for the heavens to open. Could not have worked it better if we had tried. Cheesy Bread, cheese rolls and a cuppa were on the agenda big time. 

After lunch Yogi commandeered the kitchen and went into production mode so I took the opportunity to get some listings ready for Ebay, more on that tomorrow.