Hangin' with Tiiu and Steve....

And so Tiiu gets her glass. I didn't realize it but Tiiu has long coveted
my HopCat (Detroit craft beer bar) Shaker Pint glass. Why? Because
no one covets a Shaker Pint. It's the most basic bar glass ever. But she
did. And why? She and hubby Steve are Detroit fans (yes, they exist)
but they also have a black cat. All the pieces were dropping into place
now. I had two of them so yeah, of course, no problem sharing one.

This is the story of a patio meeting at a craft beer brewery in Brantford. Now with that reveal, you're likely thinking, "Well, that's not exactly revolutionary, is it? People meet on patios all that time." And they do... or at least did. Until 2020. The year that changed the rules about, well, everything. How you socialize. Hell, should you even socialize?

As Ontario enters Phase 3 (with regards to opening more and more public facilities during the pandemic), a lot of us are still treading very, very carefully.

I have not been on a public patio since February 2020. Neither have my met-for-the-first-time friends, Tiiu and Steve (@SteveTiiu), who, like me, are very big Vegas fans and regular YouTube Vegas vloggers (okay, that part's not like me - just a Vegas drinker). In fact, the last time any of us was on a patio was February 2020 in Vegas. Three of us and not one has seen a public patio in five months. Mostly because they've been shut down. Here and in America. And around the world. Pretty much everywhere.

Tiiu, myself and Steve at our first social outing since February. We hit
the patio at Mash Paddle Brewing last weekend. Despite the fact the pair
lives just five minutes away, they had never been there. Turned out
Steve's a bit of a hophead just like me while Tiiu opted for the milder
styles. Who drank what? Well, you gotta read on and I'll get to that...

Apparently, there's a nasty little bug going on. I think I saw it mentioned in passing a couple of times on the internet. Corona-something. Maybe it was Heineken-something. Can't recall.

Anyway, before we continue, lemme explain how we all got together on a sunny and sizzling hot Sunday. A month or so ago, I posted a beer picture using that HopCat (Detroit location) shaker pint glass seen in the top picture. It's a fall-back glass I use when I don't have a branded glass for the brewery that made the beer. Tiiu commented on the picture, saying how much she loved the glass and was wishing she had one. I didn't know what the attraction was but said, hey, I have two if you want one. Turns out she very much did.

Going to Mash Paddle Brewing in Brantford was the first time
Steve, Tiiu and myself had engaged in a social outing since the
Coronavirus shit hit the fan back in March. Actually, make that
mid-February when we were all in Vegas, though in different
locations. The couple loves the strip while I am now a Fremont
Street kind of guy. I'll lure them Downtown somehow some way
but as a digital marketer, Steve might already know it's the best!

Long story short, Tiiu has a black cat that looks identical to the one on the glass. In fact, the cat appears at the cartoon beginning of their travel vlog. (Search Tiiu & Steve on YouTube.) There you go. So some time back in mid-June, she suggested a meet-up at a local Brantford brewery, suggesting Bell City, Mash Paddle or Steel Wheel. Either of the last two, I replied as I've been to Bell City many times. Steel Wheel took itself out of the equation as reservations are needed for their patio and they were booked up so Mash Paddle it was. In the end, we were all pretty happy with the choice. For me, a new brewery that was unfamiliar. For them, just five minutes from their house. Win-win.

So we connected on Sunday afternoon (July 26th). First off, what a cool couple. Super genuine. Like me, plenty of Vegas stories to share and between us three, just easy, fun and lively conversation all afternoon about our favourite travel destination. Fantastic for a first outing in five months, especially with new friends. (*Scottish brogue* Take that, ya wee shitty virus thingy!)

The beers that were available to us on the
patio. Steve and I both opted to drink the
Citranatti Bengal Session IPA as our first,
followed by the Vancouver Maneuver IPA
second. Tiiu went with the I Don't Practise
Sangria Boysenberry Blonde Ale as her
starter followed by a Bixel's Lager. We all
very much enjoyed our selections. Perfect.

Then the similarities started popping up left, right and centre. The last time we were all there - them on the strip, me at the Downtown Grand just off Fremont Street - was mid-February, as mentioned. I was there for my annual Vegas Birthday Week. So, too, was Steve. My birthday is February 14th. So, too, is Steve's. My next trip was booked for a March 16 arrival before Vegas - and all of Nevada -was shut down by Governor Steve Sisolak. Theirs was booked for that exact same day - first day of March Break.

"Without saying anything to each other, we both knew the trip would be cancelled by the middle of the previous week," Tiiu noted. I told them that I was still in it right up until that Friday. Both Vegas Value Vlogger, Mark (@pennys4vegas) out of London and I were resolute about our trips. By mid-Friday, I was ready to throw in the towel but confessed to them, I was waiting for Mark to pull that trigger first. He finally did and I immediately followed suit. No way I was droppin' trou' first, I chuckled.

But I had a Mark story for them from my Birthday Week. We met for the first time on February 9 at Banger Brewing on Fremont. Mark had some Group-on offer for the place so we split a taster flight to start (with pints to follow.) But because Mark's a Bud drinker, I started him with their Coffee Kolsch figuring it would be mild enough while I opted for their spicy El Hefe Hefeweizen. Mark quickly blanched at the Kolsch so I suggested he try my El Hefe. Now that he genuinely liked so we simply switched beers. After each of us had actually drank some of our own.

A very cool Mash Paddle pint glass (none available in the
retail) behind my Hog and 2cent "Scientific Fact" Bud-
themed facemask. The mask is great but that Citranatti
Bengal Session IPA was even better on a sunny, hot day!

"Can you imagine doing that now?" I laughed.

Tiiu is a health care professional (I don't really know who reads these so that's as much as I'll say) and she felt safe going to the patio. I found that in itself reassuring. Granted, Mash Paddle did it right. There was only three groups of us, at least 15 feet apart. As for indoor seating? One table and it was just 10 feet back from the wide open garage door. You arrived wearing a facemask (or no go) and were only allowed to take it off while drinking. Stand up to stretch your legs or go to the washroom, mask back on. When I arrived, (Steve and Tiiu were already there) the guy at the front asked for my full name, writing it beside Steve and Tiiu's.

I didn't know why but Steve explained, "In case someone there turns up having the virus, they have call us for contact tracing." Meaning, of course, we'd all need tests, too. And since both Tiiu and I have been essential workers since it all began, as much as I'm sure we'd both enjoy 14 days off, we'd prefer that wasn't the reason. (Although, in my case, there have been days... just sayin'...)

Inside seating? Yup. One table distanced from the patio by
about 20 feet. I tell you Mash Paddle hit all the right safety
notes when they opened things up to the public. Again, as I
said, if Tiiu, a medical health professional, felt safe there,
well, then Steve and I felt safe there. Good to have a pro!

Okay, so Tiiu and Steve are travel vloggers who just so happen to have a number of Vegas posts because, let's face it, it's a helluva lot more interesting than, say, Butte, Montana. I don't really gamble but I constantly plug into Vegas vlogs, which get guaranteed likes and subscribers because... Vegas!

Their vlog, Tiiu And Steve Hit The Road, (featuring that aforementioned black cat in cartoon form) is always a fun ride but when I clicked on it, I realized two things. One, I wasn't even a subscriber (don't panic - meet subscriber #295!) and two, way back in April, Steve had called me out to do the Three-Shot Challenge. Liquor and I have a hate-hate relationship so I deferred. But I do (now) remember Steve's challenge. I was one of the very few non-Vegas-vloggers nominated, I suspect. And I assumed I was already a subscriber because their vlogs kept showing up on my "recommended" You-Tube list.

But vlogging Vegas is not for slackers (such as myself), they noted. It's a lot of work, a lot of filming and a lot of editing. "We're kind of perfectionists," Steve admitted so yeah, they don't just slap stuff together and say, "Finished!"

Yanked off their Facebook page, here's a Mash
Paddle server having some fun at the brewery in
the pre-COVID days. Turns out the brewery has
been around for five years. I gotta admit - that
really surprised me. Well, I know where they are
now so they'll likely see me (and Steve and Tiiu)
again. It was a great afternoon of talking and fun!

But it was hilarious to hear that when they review their footage, there's a whole lot of "Oh, right, that's where we were. That's what we ate. That's what we drank." I suspect that is the case for many, if not ALL Vegas vloggers. I don't even vlog and my first two days of every week-long visit is a blur of slamming down fantastic American craft beer. By Day Three, my body's like, "Simmer down there, Hoss. You ain't 25 anymore." So I post pictures on Twitter that remind me during those bleary-eyed, foggy "Dafuq did I do yesterday?" mornings with my coffee. So far I haven't embarrassed myself but well, that takes a lot for me. Perhaps waking up in jail, missing a kidney or something.

It was interesting because Tiiu and Steve have always stayed on the Vegas strip as had I for my first 13 trips. That said, I am a recent but fiercely loyal convert to the scene in Downtown Vegas on Fremont Street because, well, it's just old-school Vegas nuts down there. But I think they may check out Fremont soon. Steve has mobility issues (wonky knees) so he boots around on a rented scooter. So many Vegas vlogs have been Fremont-centric recently, featuring prominent You-Tubers such as Hog and 2cent, Pennys4Vegas, Ace of Vegas, super-host Richard Wilk and Little Miss Hot Mess Express herself, Cinamon Hall, (I so have to party with this lady) that it's slowly becoming a desired destination.

I've circled the table where Tiiu, Steve and I enjoyed some
wobbly-pops last Sunday on a sizzling hot day. Trust me, those
beers went down mighty fine. Great little brewery, fantastic
company and well, you gotta start Phase Three somewhere, eh?

I suggested with the proximity of the hotel-casinos (less than a hundred feet apart, rather than miles on the strip) that they would love it there. Less walking for Tiiu, less scooting for Steve.

Okay, this is a beer blog so let's get that down for prosperity. Each of us had two beers. Like me, Steve is a hophead who loves his Lagunitas IPA. Being 100% owned by Heineken, there's plenty of that on tap in Vegas. So we both started with their session IPA, Citranatti Bengal. But when our friend Justin (@J_NO_LIFE) from Langley, B.C. (not a real place) saw Vancouver Maneuver IPA, well, he was pretty insistent we try that, as well. "Somebody has to try the Vancouver Maneuver for me," Justin said, "(Because) 6.6%, that's how we roll!!" I posted my pictures when I got home but, Justin, I am happy to report that's exactly what we had and it was damn solid. Unfortunately, it was also completely sold out at their retail. Tiiu prefers the maltier styles so she opted for the I Don't Practise Sangria, a boysenberry-infused Blonde Ale.

Cheers to all of our friends missing Las Vegas right now!
We will get back some day. Steve, Tiiu and myself are so
hoping for October but mine and Steve's Birthday Week
in February 2021 may be a little more realistic, I think.

She followed with their flagship beer, Bixel's Lager, which has a very strong following among the locals.

Okay, so Tiiu and I talked about meeting mid-June. Why did it take until the end of July until we finally did connect? Life. Work. A long-awaited visit from my son, David. Name it. So how did we eventually get together? Funny story. Turns out we were watching Colorado's coolest cat, Eric (@AceofVegas) livestream interview Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (yes, it's a real place!) couple Tamara and Gord (@VegasBestIdeas) about whether Canadians could go back to Vegas. Turn out we absolutely can but they actually did. On Canada Day, no less! But every livestream has a live chat section off to the right and hey, Tiiu reminded me about getting together. So we did. The next day. Gawd bless YouTube. So there you go. We'll be doing it again at a Hamilton brewery in the near-future but until then Scooby Doo Gang, that's it, that's all and I am outta here! As always, I remain...