HOGSWINE

We headed out of the house around 1 pm with high hopes and a backpack full of sustenance. Josh grabbed a few knives, because you never know; and I took a bag filled with bags for gathering the gallons of morels we knew we would find.

By the time we reached the snow line it felt right to crack open the beer from Laht Neppur. I desperately needed inner strength to climb up the hills and their Oatmeal Porter provided me with this in Popeye-esque quantities. Unfortunately, our first spot was a failure so my brother and I drove down the mountain a few miles to find some private property.

The new spot looked promising enough, but even after trekking to the top of the ridge and encountering nothing but moss and pinecones for hours we decided to call it a day. The day for hunting mushrooms had ended, of course, but beer and the promise of some good wine later in the evening were enough for me to be satisfied with the trip. After this long day of tramping up and down hillsides I fully endorse the drinking of a hearty red wine. Only one wine is on my mind right now and that wine is K Vintners 2005 Motor City Kitty. I had a taste of this stuff last weekend and keep vowing to find myself a bottle as soon as my cough is gone. That night is tonight.