I was surprised by the number of beers that they brew and the number on tap. Eight were available to sample. Our tour included four each so Angie and I each picked four different ones so we'd be able to try them all. The Black Berry Gose (a sour beer) was my favorite. Ange really liked the Nitro Coffee porter which tasted like an espresso martini. They also served some savory snacks of sausages, soft pretzels and mustard which went perfectly with the beer.
After our samples, we had a brewery tour with the co-owner. He had come to Honduras in the mid 2000's to stay for about a month and do some diving. Almost twenty years later, he's still here, bought land and built a brewery.
In addition to explaining the normal process of making beer, he also highlighted some of the challenges of making beer on an island. Getting the grains is one of the biggest challenges since barley isn't grown on the island. And ordering direct from suppliers around the world has all kinds of complications including Honduras customs. He ended up having to work through a distributor in Atlanta where the shipments already have some level of vetting which aids in the customs process. Although Honduras still taxes his goods. And he also has to pay taxes when ordering through his Atlanta distributor. And a typical order could take five weeks to reach the brewery with all the customs checkpoints. Water is easy as he has built a sufficient well.
After our tour, we headed back to the ship. We were ready for a relaxing pool day. The Carnival Jubilee (and all Carnival Excel class ships) have an area called Loft 19. This is a special private pool deck. We're staying in a cabin that provides access to this area. We found chairs that were mostly shaded and just enjoyed some relative quiet. We did get into the whirlpool however it was a tad hotter than we would have liked. It was still very relaxing and I may have napped. We stayed there until 6 PM when we departed Roatan.
Back at the cabin we got ready for dinner. The menu at the main dining room looked good again. I had jambalaya fettuccine along with an herb stuffing portobello mushroom. I had also ordered a shrimp cocktail so I could put extra into the jambalaya. Both very tasty. No dessert.
After dinner we headed to Pig & Anchor bar to see Ivana. We had a cocktail and listened to the Backyard Band. They are listed in the daily activities as a "country band". And they do start their sets with country songs. And then diverge into other genres. Two nights ago it was Motown. Last night it was the psychedelic era with some Jefferson Airplane. A very enjoyable band. It was time to head back to the cabin.
Today we're in Costa Maya and will be staying on the ship, curating our own sea day. Probably more time in Loft 19 and if we need a cooler pool, the Serenity area is justone deck some. Neither area should be crowded today. At least until the masses come back to the ship after their tours.
For dinner tonight we'll be taking a cooking class in the Carnival Kitchen called Mission Masala Tiger. We'll be making our own Indian themed dinner!! It's one of our favorite cuisines. And the ship's executive chef and sous chef are both from India which is usually a good sign for the quality of the Indian food onboard. More on that tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment