Other Half (2020)

I'm no mathematician, but even I know it's axiomatic you're going to be a great dad given the kind of man you are. Just like @Xerlic. Let me echo everyone else's heartfelt congratulations.

And can I just add that bringing beautiful new life into this world is the perfect answer to this abjectly miserable year? I understand it wasn't your intention 9 months ago, but you've nonetheless given everyone in this thread some much-needed joy and hope to cling to. Thank you.

 

"It" referred to the name, not the child. I don't want an unexpected visit from HR.

 

Congrats Rob! I also agree on preferring Forever Simcoe over All Simcoe, but my last can I drank (this week) of All Simcoe was the best one.

 

I'm interested to know where Rob's head is at right now, as both a beer nerd and a new father. The two week point is a critical time, and usually marks the cusp of the longer term state of walking around with the baby strapped to you, openly drinking OH cans at 8am on a weekday, following the initial (and in hindsight incredibly naive) "I forgoeth any alcohol - and all vices - to be the best possible father I can be to my new bundle of joy" phase.

 

Oh, that goes away fast. Really frickin fast. Congrats to @algebeeric_topology Now the fun really begins!

 

I didn't have the energy to basically drink at all the first month, but I only had a week off and slightly lighter schedule to follow. We also didn't have family in the area to offer breaks. So it was tough at times. After our baby started sleeping overnight a good clip, like 6 hours, it was fine, and now I've just learned to live with less energy and do what I need to (still, drinking less probably, but that's because even Saturdays are a 7 o'clock wakeup call). City living is different though, and a friend of mine was constantly out pre COVID with their baby, so YMMV. That said I recommend more single IPAs/pales/pilsners. If I buy OH, I always get one four pack of a double and one pale/single. Otherwise I'll usually regret it.

 

A few notes on recent OH beers....

11 Pounders - Or as I like to call it, Baby Bags. Mini Mylar, if you'd prefer. This might be the best lowish ABV IPA ever, besting Baby Diamonds

All Citra Everything Exp 2 - Interesting spearmint-orange taste. Not bad but I wouldn't get it again. Why can't OG ACE be in my fridge always??

Hop Showers Citra - I was excited for this one. But it's bathing my tongue in apricot more than citrus, and I'm not an apricot fan. Maybe it will improve?

G is for Green - Brownish and flat. Brew misfire? Wife thinks I should ask for my money back. Oh well, shit happens.

 

As a father-to-be in approx 8 weeks I'm most proud that my trolling of this forum for the last seven months is now paying greater dividends than Park Slope Parents (wife's idea) and other friends' advice. Knowing how to manage childcare and OH was really the only great concern. Many congrats on the newborn!

 

I have 4 and 2 year old boys. The first one definitely got deep into the craft game very quickly.

It started with his first trip to Double Windsor at about 4 or 5 days old. CBS for dad. And culminated with him having his first birthday party at Double Windsor (this was back when they opened at 2pm and you could book the space for private parties 12-2pm before open). Would like to point out that HF Susan was on the menu hahah. After the one year mark things get a little harder - kids are walking around and wanting to do shit instead of napping, which makes it not fun for everyone else in the place. So after that it was more restaurant based. No. 2 didn’t get quite the immediate access. A) he spent a couple weeks in NICU; less of a smooth entry so to speak. And B) having 2 kids is just an epic shitshow of a survival fest for the first few months. I will point out that the younger one came with me to OH for @frozyn ’s bachelor party - he must have been 9 or 10 months old.

tl;dr yes in the long run kids will impact your beer stuff, but doesn’t happen immediately. Obviously every child is different so YMMV

PSP has some mental cases in it but it’s worth it / useful overall! Congrats to you both!

Edit - the above probably makes me sound like a tunnel visioned mega nerd. Just to clarify - never took my kids to releases ( @jrnyc no need to call me out the one time you saw me pushing a stroller to a release), etc. It’s more that my wife and I really loved going to places like DW, Covenhoven, Gold Star etc, as well as our go to restaurants before having kids. And it’s just we didn’t want having a baby to mean we had to completely change our lives because of it. So for as long as it wasn’t a nuisance to others, and before the kids started wanting to do their own thing, we kept doing that stuff as much as was possible.

 

too late to edit but first birthday party at gold star, not double windsor

 

I’m also a father to be (March.) Starting to think Other Half maybe putting something in the beer

 

Doesn’t apply to Rob, but for you and (does some quick dhaakon math) maybe @BLazarus22 just, that’s a great point - via lockdown, there are probably about to be A LOT of babies popping out over the next few months. Congrats to you too man!

 

Ah man, the dad-beer talk brings me back. I used to hang with two other dads and our girls when they were all 0-2ish, corralling then while we worked on multiple growlers of Flower Power—back when it was seasonal and mind blowing. It was a great way to give our wives time off together... somehow we scored points for our work.

 

Oh one last thing @algebeeric_topology - on the topic of not wanting/able to drink too much before the feed:

If the baby is being breastfed it’s pretty binary - “oh shit babe. yeah you’re right it probably doesn’t make sense for both of us to get up every time. cool I’ll have a beer”.

Bottle fed though? Then you need to read Sun Tzu’s The Art of War - soon every night will be an arms race to display inebriation levels that mean the other parent can’t in good conscience let you take care of a child, and is forced to concede. Checkmate.

 

I wish I had seen your post before I bought a 4-pack.

Dark and kinda tasteless. It’s not good and I don’t know what I’m gonna do with the other three. That’s what I deserve for not getting Hop Showers I suppose. They only had the Galaxy one at my local so I opted for this instead.

 

Ugh on "locals" not watching Yankees vs the Hollywood Lakers... Go back to where the pizza sucks and you wait in line.

 

my first new dad/craft beer experience was when Beer Table had it's first shop on 7th ave in the slope. I finally understood how to use the Ergo carrier and somehow managed to bring my 8 month old out to meet a friend. Mixing formula powder into a bottle and keeping it from falling onto the ground (and feeding her with it) while sipping some cask rauchbier in the other hand was by far my proudest moment at the time. Now she has an OH sticker on her skateboard. Enjoy the little moments now... cliches become truths sooner than you'd like them to.

yeah... back then I also had no idea how challenging and emotionally draining the breastfeeding thing was going to be. Just gotta be as supportive as possible... pro tip: feed mom as she's feeding baby. Huge points for that.

 

With all this talk of breastfeeding, it suddenly dawned on me why Other Half pumps their beer full of tose. Those manipulative bastards are exploiting an acute vulnerability hardwired in us from our infancy!

Consequently, I'm hereby issuing this call to arms: You new and expectant fathers need to separate your kids from the teat as quickly as possible, lest the next generation has its lowly fate sealed in the cradle just as ours did.