#every drop of shiner is brewed in shiner

[auraeseer]

Nothing like a German-style beer, brewed in Texas, served with Indian food . . .

[narely]

Shiner 1909: When Beer Was Beer

Social Campaign Strategy

Summary: Shiner is an iconic Texas craft beer maker with a growing number of beers under its portfolio. In the last year, they saw unexpected organic growth for the heritage brew inspired by the original Shiner Beer recipe - Shiner 1909. This growth presented itself as an opportunity to rev up Shiner’s reputation outside of Bock and, bring attention to Spoetzl Brewery, where every drop of Shiner gets made. Bakery was tasked with developing a campaign that raises awareness and repositions 1909 as the House Beer across Shiner varietals, as the sub-brand looks to become the top-of-mind Shiner Beer behind Bock.

The challenge: Drive awareness while simultaneously repositioning 1909 as the go-to House Beer of Spoetzl Brewery, and make craft-beer fans excited to drink 1909, despite its lack of extravagant allure and lesser-known status in the Shiner Beer portfolio.

***

After a couple sessions of qualitative research: gathering from journalistic sources, social listening on Twitter and Instagram, and first-hand extraction of Meltwater reports), I noticed a couple of patterns that pointed me to these findings.

Key Findings:

Craft beer fans are nerds. Their passion for flavor and differentiation are the reasons craft beer even exists in the first place.

Hop Fatigue creates choice paralysis. While craft beer drinkers love variety, there is a feeling of fatigue when it comes to hoppy IPAs and their fruity counterparts. It seems like every brewery likes to push out a new Double Hopped IPA or Raspberry Sour every season. These flashy brews continue to be popular, but after a night of drinking one thing rings true for the beer nerd…

There is a need for a sophisticated go-to choice. This is a reasonable beer with a moderate ABV, flavorful, but not shocking to the taste buds. One that says “I know about beer” without having to say you know about beer. It wouldn’t be the beer of choice for a newbie or someone who is trying to prove something.

The Strategy: Highlight 1909's drinkability while tapping into Shiner's current fans who pride themselves in being "in the know."

The Big Idea: When Beer Was Beer

Shiner 1909 is our most humblebrag beer. There's a lot of work that goes into Shiner 1909, more than 100 years of brewing expertise to be exact. But Shiner brewers aren't ones to brag. Ask them how they did it and they'll say "nothing fancy." Just like they've been doing it for the past 100 years.

---------------------------------------------

Credits

Strategy: Narely Martin / Hailey Caldwell

Creative Director: Rodrigo Rothschild

Art Directors: Kerrie Heckle / Alli Durak

Copywriters: Madeline Hescher / Blake Rosas

Account: Alexandra Brazie

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Push

Warnings: noncon sex, oral, mentions of violence, abuse, and death.

This is Lee Bodecker (who is already dark!af) and explicit. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: Your daddy’s in business with the Sheriff but a dirty cop has not limits.

Note: This is my first Lee Bodecker fic. Obviously it’s a dark on so mind the warnings. Lee is just awful. Like what a bastard, the worst!

Hope you enjoy it. Thank you. Love you guys!

Please leave some feedback, like and reblog <3

‘She said "I don't know if I've ever been good enough I'm a little bit rusty, and I think my head is caving in”’

-Push, Matchbox Twenty

🚔

You traced the small crack along the lip of the plate. The dinner set your mother had been so proud of was wearing away. Everything had started to since her death. The farmhouse seemed darker, more desolate amid the sentinel pines, your father's shed more sinister though the childhood tales of what was within had long since been dispelled. The walls shuddered with each gust of late autumn air.

The house was empty but for you. Your brothers were at about their usual business, Arn and Cal at work at yard and Will in his classes, though more likely bumming cigarettes behind the church. Your father had rumbled off in his old Ford pick-up not an hour ago but hadn't given you a reason. He never did and it was better that way. Better you didn't ask questions or speak out of turn. Focus on yourself, in the work that needed to be done as the men bustled in and out of your purview.

You set the plate on the mat to dry, a soapy bubble dripped down the back as you plunged your hand back into the water. You piled the dishes one after the other, scrubbing and scouring. The clink of the thick glass painted with faded petals and the old silverware was thunderous in the chilly kitchen.

You heard an engine, quieter than your father's cantankerous truck. The gravel mulched under the tires and you grabbed a rag to dry your hands as you walked through the front door. You peeked out the window as the cruiser pulled up; the old black and white with its blue and red crown.

Sheriff Bodecker came around maybe once every two weeks. You didn't keep track, you never spoke to him. Your daddy always took him to the shed for a beer and a chat. The uniform took a cut of the profits from your father's sill. The moonshine sold better than the beer sold at the store in town but wasn't allowed on the shelves. the lawman turned his eye for a percentage and the occasional jug of the brew.

You watched the sheriff brace himself against his door and lift himself out of the car. His jacket was zipped up against the impending winter but could barely contain his stomach. He reached into his car and plopped his hat on his head before he slammed the door. His boots were just as loud as his tires as he rounded the vehicle and paced towards your daddy's shed.

He turned back, hands on his hips, and peered across the empty lot. The big blue truck always greeted visitors, not that there were many. You watched the sheriff retreat and as he neared the porch, you let go of the curtain and pressed yourself to the door.

Your brothers and your father were the only people in your life. You minded the house and spent your spare time with one of your mama's old books or a needle and thread. 

The door shook as he knocked. You blinked and slowly turned. You grabbed the handle but didn't pull. He must have known your daddy wasn't there. A fool could guess that.

He banged again and you twisted the knob. Slowly, you pulled the door open just a crack. You looked through with one eye as the sheriff felt around impatiently in his pockets.

"Daddy ain't here," you said quietly.

He tilted his head and grinned. He scoffed and ripped his hand out of his jacket.

"I guessed that. Be a shit officer if I couldn't," he snickered. "Pardon the language, miss."

"I don't know when he'll be back," you said.

"I got time," he checked his watch.

There was a moment of silence as he looked at you. You gulped, uncertain.

"Sorry, we don't get many visitors. Guess I should invite you in… I got coffee? Tea?"

He considered you through the inch between the frame and the door. "You gonna have to open up for that," he said, "you got anything sweet?"

"Some leftover cake from Arn's birthday. It's probably stale." You answered as he placed his hand flat on the door. "It's strawberry cream."

"Mm, you make it yourself?" He asked as his other hand rested on his belt.

"Mama's recipe," you explained.

"Well,” he pushed on the door, "Can I come in then or am I eatin' on the porch?"

You stared at him and slowly stepped back as he put more weight against the door. He dropped his arm as you were flush to the wall and he stepped inside. You looked at his boots as he pulled the door from your grasp and threw it shut behind him. He chuckled as he turned to you again and looked at his feet.

“Not meaning to mess up your floors, miss,” he wiped the treads on the mat.

“It’s fine. My brothers never did care much either,” you waved away his words and retreated, “I’ll get you that cake.”

You went to the kitchen and took the glass lid of the cake dish. That was your mother’s too. The long crack up the side made you want to cry. If she could see how the life she’d left behind had become so distorted. You took a plate from the mat and dried it before you laid it out. You cut a slice from the cake and carefully angled it onto the saucer.

“Should I put the kettle on?” You asked as you looked over your shoulder.

He shrugged out of his jacket and hung it over a chair before he sat. The wood groaned under him. He put his hat on the table decisively.

“You got milk? I had a coffee on the way.” He sat back in the chair and spread his legs wide.

“Milk,” you repeated as you neared and set the plate on the table then grabbed a fork from the drawer. You handed him the silver then went to the fridge, “Should be enough.”

You poured him a glass and put it down beside the plate as he greedily cut a bite out of the sponge with his fork. You went back to the sink and stuck your hands in the tepid water as you fished out the last few bowls and scrubbed them one at a time. You could hear him chewing behind you as the metal hit the porcelain with each bite.

“You really don’t entertain much, do you?” He asked.

“Sheriff?” you pulled the stopped and grabbed the dish towel to dry your hands.

“You know, I go ‘round folks’ houses and the wives, they smile, flip their hair, even excuse themselves to powder up,” he remarked, “And here you are doing your washing. Your back to me and everything.”

“I told my daddy I’d have ‘em done,” you shrugged. “Besides, I wasn’t expecting ya.”

“I rarely announce myself to shiners,” he rolled his eyes, “Must be quite the life, hmm? You cleaning up behind four boys. You look old enough to have a man of your own to worry about.”

“Maybe,” you wrung the dish towel. 

“Most girls your age are outta their daddy’s house and settled down with a babe on their hip. Even two.” He said.

You frowned. “Well, Sheriff Bodecker, are you married?”

He squinted and tilted his head. He smirked and said ‘no’.

“You’re older than me. Maybe you’re the one who’s overdue.”

“Not too old,” he stabbed the last morsel of cake.

You turned away and grabbed a cup and wiped it dry. You went about drying each piece as he sat quietly. You sensed his gaze as you put away the dishes. The tension mounted as you snapped shut the cupboard and he tapped the plate with the fork.

You were relieved when you heard the gravel crunching outside. Your daddy was back. The putter of his old truck was a welcoming sound.

“That should be him,” you said as you went to the table and picked up his plate. 

He set the fork atop it and grabbed your wrist before you could back away. “You take good care of a man.”

You swallowed and resisted the urge to pull away. “Not too many men can take care of themselves,” you uttered.

He laughed and let you go. He stood and you quickly scurried away to dump the plate in the sink. “Probably right,” he said as he took his jacket and pulled it on, “Definitely not in the ways a woman can take care of a man.”

You turned the faucet as the front door clattered. “Sherriff?” You father called down the hall, “You in here?”

“Here, Rhett,” He flipped his hat on and winked at you, “Son of a bitch, I’ve been waiting long enough.”

🚔

There was a cluster of brambles deep in the woods. A carpet of red, orange, and yellow leaves slowly wilted to brown beneath your feet as you climbed through the brush. You clutched your basket in one hand, your fingers cold even inside your gloves as the winter crept nearer with each day. 

You were the old scarf with the uneven edges. The first one you knitted yourself after your mama had shown you how. Your fleece jacket was hand-me-down from Cal, the sleeves were too long and it puffed out from your body when you zipped it, an old oil stain along the left side. Your skirt, your own creation from two of your mama’s, hung to your knees, your stocking barely thick enough to keep out the chill. The heel of your right boot flopped as it threatened to fall off entirely and made the trek all the more treacherous.

You tossed walnuts into your basket every now and then if they weren’t crushed or caked in mud. The trees muffled all noise the deeper you got and the trees loomed darker above. You stopped at the overgrowth of leaves and vines. Blackberries and raspberries hung plump in the last harvest of the season. You preferred the wild berries to the grocers; they were larger and juicier.

You set down your basket as you pushed through the sharp, thin branches and began to pick. You knelt to grab those hidden at the bottom, dumping handfuls atop your collection of walnuts.

You heard a rustle behind you. Subtle, soft. More likely a deer than a bear. You peeked over your shoulder but didn’t give much heed to the disturbance. There was always some creature flitting around in the forest. You tuned back to your work, your gloves dappled with the dark juices of the berries as some were so soft the burst on touch.

The bushes behind you shook and a twig snapped.

“What you doing out here all alone? I thought you were a bear.”

You stood as you recognized the voice. You dropped the berries in your hand into the basket before you turned and clapped off your gloves. “I thought the same of you.” You blanched as you saw his gun in hand. “You hunting out here with that?”

Sheriff Bodecker looked down at his pistol and scoffed. “Maybe,” he looked up as he kept his gun in hand, “How you know about these berries?”

“They’re wild. There for the taking,” you turned back and pushed through the brambles as you plucked berries from the bunch, “Mama used to take us here when we we’re kids.”

“You lookin’ to make another cake?” His boots crushed the leaves and sticks as he neared.

“Conserves; jams,” you answered bluntly as your basket filled with each handful. “Too bad strawberries are all gone for the season.”

You sensed him watching you as you stooped again. He reached down to your basket and took a raspberry. He popped it in his mouth as he straightened. You glanced over, his gun was pointed at the ground but still in hand. He knocked it gently against his leg as if thinking.

“Tart,” he said, “I prefer strawberry. Sweeter.”

“Mmm,” you grumbled as you dug through the bush, “Well, they charge too much down at the grocer for ‘em.”

It was quiet but for you pushing past the bramble and filling your basket. You could hear him breathing above you as he watched, transfixed by your simple ritual.

“Never told me why you’re all the way out here,” you said as you contented yourself with your haul. “Should I be worried? Some criminal out here hiding in the branches?”

“Sitting by the river on my break, as I do,” he shrugged as you lifted your basket. “It’s a far way back to your daddies. My cruiser’s closer. I can take you home.”

“I prefer the walk. Gives me an excuse to be away.” You smiled and made to step past him.

“We can take our time,” he caught your arm.

“Thank you, Sheriff, but I can find my own way back.”

He turned you to him and raised his gun. His eyes searched your face as he pressed the muzzle to your cheek.

“Ain’t much on the first look but after a while, you’re not so bad,” he said as you stiffened, “If you didn’t dress like a matron, you might even be pretty.” His gun fell to the collar of the jacket. “Usually men don’t offer favours to girls who ain’t pretty.”

“Let go of me,” you pleaded softly, “Sheriff…”

He pointed his gun skyward and released you. He holstered the pistol and laughed to himself.

“You go on lift up that skirt and give me a good look. Then I’ll drive you back to your daddy’s. You have my word as an officer of the law.”

“Pardon--”

“Shhh,” his hand lingered on the pistol, playing with the little strap that would snap it into place, “No one needs to know. Just a peek.”

“Sheriff--”

“Girl,” he cleared his throat, “Ya gonna do what I tell you or I’m gonna make you do worse. Now go on.”

He snatched the basket out of your hand and you let out your breath, relieved at least that he no longer had his fingers on his pistol.

“It’s cold out--”

“You argue with your daddy this much? He don’t seem the type to bide it and let me tell you, he seems a lot more tolerant than me.” He took another berry and chewed it, “So lift your skirt and we’ll be on our way.”

You stared at him. He smirked and licked the dark juice away from his lip. You hands shook as you bent and clumsily felt your skirt. You gathered the hem and stood. You bunched up the fabric around the bottom of the coat and he tutted in satisfaction.

“Turn around for me, girl,” he softly swung the basket, “Bend over so I can get a nice look at you.”

“Sher--”

“I really don’t wanna knock ya around and you don’t want that either,” he warned. “Two seconds. That’s all it will take.”

You gulped as bile burned your throat. You turned, careful not to catch the loose heel of your boot, and held your breath. You bent forward slowly.

“Further,” he ordered. The thin cotton of your underwear stretched across your ass. “Well, you got a much nicer backside than I expected.”

You let out a sharp breath as he pinched your ass and you stood suddenly. You stumbled forward and dropped your skirts. He laughed as you spun to face him. He shoved the basket against your chest. 

“See how easy that was,” he leered at you as you took the basket. “Who you hidin’ that body from? Maybe your daddy’s a selfish man, hmmm? Keeping you from all the men.”

“Can we go?” You muttered as you tried to hide behind the basket.

His blue eyes bore into yours and he shifted on his feet. His hand rubbed the front of his pants as he side stepped you.

“Sure, cruisers ‘round the bend.” He waved you past him and waited. “Come on, you said you wanted to go.”

You walked past him along the trail and he followed, close as his loud breaths filled the air. He pointed you down the path with curt orders and you came into sight of the broad river. His car was parked just off the sideroad that led back to the town. 

His keys jingled as he brushed by you, dragging his hand across your rear as he did. He opened the passenger door and looked at you. You neared and quickly got in, sitting on the long seat within. He closed the door harshly and rounded to the other side. The car dipped with his weight and he shoved the keys in the slot.

“Come here,” he gestured with two fingers, “Closer.”

“What?”

“Put the berries down,” he pointed to the other side of you and you placed the basket on the seat.

“I should be home sooner than later. I gotta start cooking--”

“I’ll get you there,” he grabbed your arm and slid you over the seat. He flipped his hat off and dropped it over the basket. He slung his arm over your shoulders. “Go on, put me in first.”

He gripped the wheel with his other hand and you blinked dumbly. You realised what he meant and pushed the shifted into gear.

“You cold? You’re shivering,” He said as he carefully turned the car, “Just tryna warm you up, girl.”

“I’m fine,” you crossed your arms as he drove at a snail's pace up the dirt road.

“I’m cold,” he gave an exaggerated ‘brrr’, “Do me a favour. Unzip me.”

“What?” You tried to pull away and he bent his arm around your neck, his hand along your chest as your head was nearly on his.

“I’m hard as fuck. You did that. Now take care of it.” He growled. “Get these damn pant unzipped and finish it.”

“Let go--”

“You don’t start listening and I’ll tell you’re daddy what a whore you are. Up in the woods flaunting your ass to the wind.”

You stared down at your stitched skirt. Your mama’s. You only wore her clothes. They were modest. You’d once worn a dress your friend Laverne had given you, more modern, with a shorter skirt. Your daddy belted you until it was ruined.

Your hands trembled as you felt along the Sheriff’s stomach and fumbled beneath. You unbuckled his belt clumsily and found his fly ready to burst. You pushed his zipper down as he groaned and he lifted his arm over the seat. His underwear was tight to his bulging cock.

“Now don’t keep wastin’ my time and take me out,” he snarled.

You pulled the elastic down and he popped out above it. You hesitated as you stared at his throbbing tip.

“I don’t… I don’t know what to do.” You confessed.

“Christ, girl,” he snickered, “Grab it and just… move your hand.”

You shuddered and wrapped your fingers around his cock. It was as thick as the rest of him. You gripped it but still had no idea what to do next.

“Up and down. Like your polishing a shotgun,” he urged, “A nice long barrel.” You bit down and slid your hand along his length. “Tighter,” he gritted through his teeth, “Faster…”

He purred as you played with him. He drove a little faster and steered with one hand as his other hand clawed the back of the seat.

“Fuckin’ don’t know, girl, feels like you know exactly what to you,” he uttered, “Got me close already.”

You stared at the middle of the steering wheel, the silver emblem, and tried not to think about what you were doing. His hand fell to your back and he caressed the back of your coat. He grasped the cloth in his fist as his grunts grew louder and longer.

“Grab that coffee cup,” he demanded, “Go on, you don’t wanna make a mess.”

You took the cup with one hand and popped the top off with your thumb. It flew onto the floor and he hummed.

“Hold it at the tip, before--” He choked on his words and you quickly moved the cup. 

He hit the brake and white ribbons streamed from his cock and laced the rim of the cup and your fingers. White globs slid down the paper and you slowed as a chill went through you. You pulled away your slimy hand and the cup. He took the latter and tossed it out the window and sighed.

“Shit, girl, that was good,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. He wiped his glistening cock before covering himself up and zipping up his pants. “Get cleaned up.” He tossed the cloth on your lap, “Not far from home, now.”

🚔

Your days passed like molasses. Ever since your venture into the forest, your life slowed to an interminable pace. Your thoughts were darkened by the sheriff’s shadow. You scrubbed, scoured, and swept but could not rid yourself of the memory. The scene played over and over in your head. You swore you could feel him still spread across the palm of your hand.

A week after, when he drove up behind the boys on their return from town, you watched through the window in dread. Cal, Arn, and Will hopped out of the truck and greeted the sheriff. The four of them went to the shed where your daddy was, the latter peeked over at the house as he passed.

You were reassured that your brothers were there. The sheriff wouldn’t, really couldn’t, try anything more. You went back to basting the thick chops. As you made to cap your homemade sauce, the back door opened and your daddy looked in from the mud room.

“You bring out some glasses for the lot of us. And put an extra chop on for the sheriff,” your father slurred. He’d already started drinking. “He be joining us tonight.”

He left before you could respond. He usually drank his swill out of old jars and saved your mother’s dishes. You coated another chop in spice and set it with the rest before slipping them in the oven. You washed your hands and counted out five glasses. You hugged them in your arms and stepped into your boots. 

You pushed the screen door open with your elbow and tramped down the steps. You crossed to the shed and kicked the door with your boot. “Daddy,” you called through the wood.

Will slid open the shed door and you stepped inside. You went to the table and placed the glasses down on the old chipped surface. You stood and looked around. Your father filled each with the clear shine from a large jar.

“Isn’t he a bit young?” You said as Will sat back down.

“Not your business, woman,” your daddy spat, “Go back in the house. To your business.”

��Yes, daddy.” You sniffed and looked at Will. He gave an apologetic smile but none of your brothers ever stood up against your daddy.

“Lady not joining us?” Bodecker asked.

“Ha, that girl gets a whiff of this stuff and she’d be on her back. This ain’t no drink for ladies,” your daddy chortled. “About time you tried it. What you been doin’ will all that swill I give ya.”

“Boys at the station like it. I think they’re some of your best customers, ain’t they?” Bodecker countered. “Besides, I been tryna stay clear of the drink.”

“One night won’t hurt,” your daddy coaxed.

You went back to the door and slid it shut behind you as the men continued to chatter. Well, they would at least drink themselves too senseless to bother you much.

🚔

You cleared the table of the empty plates and scraps left by the drunken men. They had been loud and raucous, so much so you’d eaten your dinner at the counter to avoid them. When they finished, they left in a stumble, though the sheriff seemed as steady as ever as he trailed behind. He stopped at the door as he held it and peered back from the mud room at you.

You washed the dishes and put them away. You wiped down the table and fixed the chairs around it. The night was moonless and eerie. The wind wailed and shook each window and door in the house as it seemed to blow right through the walls.

The mud room door clattered again. It had been over an hour since the men returned to the shed. Their voices no longer carried in the air but the shed remained alight from within. You turned as Bodecker closed the door. He carried a tall glass of swill as he stopped in the door frame.

“Lightweights,” he said, “All your men passed out. Think one of ‘em pissed in their pants.”

“You’re drunk,” you said as you kept behind the table.

“Not really. I couldn’t finish mine,” he crossed to the other side of the table and set down the glass, “Why don’t you finish it for me?”

“I don’t drink that stuff,” you said, “Dump it out on the grass.”

“You work so hard. You should have a little fun,” he rounded the table and slid the glass across it as he neared, “Come on. Have a drink.”

“I don’t--” He grabbed you suddenly, wrestled you down into a chair and held you there by your shoulders.

He lifted one hand and felt around his belt. He flicked his holster open and rubbed the pistol with his thumb. 

“Drink it.” You watched his hand on his gun. He slid it out just a little. “Ugly things men do when they drinking. “Playing with guns… sometimes don’t always end up so fun. Don’t think the young one would make it in the hold.”

“No, you--”

“Drink,” he sneered. “It’ll loosen you up.”

You reached for the glass and he nodded. He snapped his holster closed and pulled a chair over to sit in front of you. You put your lips to the edge of the glass and the alcohol stung your nostrils. You tipped it, slowly, and tasted it with a gag. It was vile, stringent, and fiery. He pushed it up with two fingers until you were choking on it. He didn’t let up until the glass was empty and the shine dripped down your chin.

You slammed the glass down and coughed. You touched your throat as your head spun and a warmth nestled in your cheeks. You tried to shake away the haze that washed over you.

“That’s it, girl,” he purred as he leaned forward, “You feel better, don’t you?”

“N-no,” you stammered as you gripped the chair.

“’Daddy’,” he said, “Girl, you had me hard in there… you too old to be callin’ that man, daddy.” He stood and shrugged off his leather jacket, “But you be right to call me daddy.”

“I don’t feel…” Your stomach burned and you tried to stand. You stumbled and he caught you.

“Don’t you get all jumpy on me, girl,” he sat you back down. “You gonna hurt yourself.”

You slumped in the chair and braced your head. You felt terribly dizzy and your inside were alight. You heard a jingle and looked up as Bodecker unzipped his pants. You recalled the day in the car and filled with panic. You stood again and this time staggered, falling onto your knees with a cry.

“Mmm, it’s okay, girl, you can stay down there,” You looked up as he pulled his cock out through the vee of his pants, “Come here.” He grabbed your chin and yanked you forward, “Open up.”

You snapped your mouth shut and tried to wriggle free of his grasp. His other hand came up behind your head and he pulled you close. His fingers spread across your head and he used his other hand to poke his cock against your lips.

“I’ll break that pretty little jaw of yours and tell your pa he did it,” he growled, “Now come on.” You shook your head and he slapped you, hard. He seized you again. “Open!”

Your mouth fell open and your vision blurred as he shoved his cock inside. He forced himself down your throat and you kicked your feet as you grabbed at the front of his pants. He groaned and held his cock at its limit.

“And I thought you were good with your hands,” he pulled back and thrust back in. Your eyes rolled back as they teared up and you choked. “Mmm, much better.”

He started slow at first, though each tilt of his hips was relentless, deep and painful. You struggled to breathe around him and it only seemed to feed his lust. He gripped your head between his hand as he fucked your mouth, the sloppy sounds made your head swim as the slobber leaked down your chin and his shaft.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he pulled out of you suddenly and shoved you away. You fell back onto your ass and wiped your mouth. “You tryna end this night early or something.”

He let out a breath and watched his cock bob before him as he grunted.

“Get up and get your drawers off.” He ordered, “Then I want you like you was in the woods, huh? Skirt up.”

You wavered as you tried to climb to your feet. He caught your errant arm and pulled you up. He spun you and you swayed. He bent and his hands crawled up your skirt as he felt around. He ripped your underwear down and let them rest at your ankles. He turned you to the chair and pushed you forward. You fell and caught yourself against the seat. He threw your skirt up and bared your ass.

Your legs quaked as he pressed his hand between your legs and felt around. He rubbed your cunt as you squeezed him with your thighs. He pinched you and drew away.

“You don’t wanna make this harder than it needs to be girl,” he sneered, “You’re in no state for that.”

He stepped closer and bent over you. His arm wrapped around your middle as he felt around below you with his other hand. He caught the tip of his cock and guided it to your cunt. He pushed it along your folds, sliding it up and down until he found your entrance. You whimpered and pushed back against him, too weak to break free.

“You fight and it’ll hurt more,” he grunted as he pushed his tip into you and you yelped. “Fuck, you’re tight.” Another inch and he stopped as he took a breath, “Holy hell, girl, you really weren’t lying. You ain’t been touched.” 

He growled and inhaled the scent of your hair as his hand gripped the chair next to yours. He thrust into you in a single tilt and you exclaimed as he stretched your walls. You reached to the back of the chair and latched onto the crossbar as you tried not to sob.

He stood, slowly and pushed deeper into you as he grabbed your hip. His other hand kneaded your ass as he began to rock. His groans were as steady as his motion as he dipped in and out of you. He curled his fingers and dug his nails into your flesh as he panted, his stomach bouncing against your ass.

“Be as loud as you want, girl,” he barked, “No one gonna hear you.”

He rutted into as the chair shifted below you. He kept a hand on your hip as his other trailed up to your shoulder and he arched your back. His zipper bit into your flesh as he sped up, slapping against you harder and harder as you whined louder and louder. It hurt terribly and your entire being thrummed with an unknown sensation. 

You closed your eyes as your vision swirled and your arms shook. He pulled you back so you stood against him, your back curved as he hammered into you. You were on tiptoes as he didn’t let up and turned you against the table. Your fingertips brushed the top as you reached out blindly and his hand stretched across your neck as he forced your head back against his shoulder.

“I’m gonna cum, girl,” he hissed, “You fucking whore. You’re going to make me cu--”

He grunted and his hips spasmed as a warmth seeped into you. He gave several, final snaps of his hip and slowed. He fell forward with you bent beneath him against the table. Your legs were limp as he crushed you with his weight. His heart pounded through his chest and he gasped for breath. 

You sniffed and pushed back against him. You were suffocating. You needed him off of you. You needed him out of you. 

“We ain’t done yet,” he hooked his arm around you and pulled you back to sit on his lap as he fell into the chair. “You got two minutes to get me hard again or you can clean me up with your mouth.”

[thiswasinevitableid]

For the meet ugly prompts, 15 and/or 21 for ot4?

Here you go! I went with 15: I step out of the bathroom and right into the middle of a bar fight and you punch me accidentally so I punch back on instinct. There's no sex scene, but quite a bit of talk about sex.

Duck’s taken a few hits in his life. He’s not expecting one when he steps from the bathroom of Tarkensian’s General Store and Lunch Counter, but that’s what he gets, sharp and hard in the eye.

“Fuck” He yelps, swinging his fist out to keep whoever the fuck is pissed at him from doing it again. He misses, catching sight of a tall government suit as his momentum spins him into the wall.

At the gunshots, he drops to the floor.

“Goddamn it.” His attacker sprints towards the front of the store. Another shot, squealing tires, banging doors. By the time he’s made a cautious journey to the cash register to make sure Leo is okay, the man who punched him is arguing with another suit in front of a Dusenberg with bullet holes in the right front tire.

“I told you to never discharge your weapon unless absolutely necessary.” All six feet of mr quick fists is staring down at his partner.

“They were getting away!”

“Necessary means life or death, Agent Roberts; if we tracked them once, we can track them again, and stopping them today is not worth the life of the civilians in that store. Or anywhere else.”

“Who gives a damn if some hill-billys take a hit, this is government business-”

“That’s enough.” The taller man’s voice sharpens, “Protecting the people down here is why we’re doing this in the first place. If you can’t get that through your skull, you’re asking for a one way ticket back to the tiny police force they pulled you from.”

The shorter man rips his badge from his pocket, bouncing it off the other’s chest, “Save yourself the fucking trouble, I fucking quit.” With that he stomps down the dusty road towards the only hotel in town.

Duck and Leo, who’ve been watching the exchange like it’s a picture show, pivot to setting knocked cans and scattered boxes right as the remaining agent steps through the door. He stands, waiting for them to look his way and clearing his throat to speed them along.

“I, um, I apologize, Mr. Tarkesian. I only meant to question those two men in a friendly way, but the moment they saw my badge one threw a haymaker. Which leads me to assume they are bootleggers, a conclusion I was deferring until I could speak to them. That’s neither here nor there. Are you alright? Are your customers?”

“All in one piece, sir. Your partner ended a sack of flour, but nothin’ else.” Leo tilts his head at the pile of white dust, “though you gave Duck here a hell of a shiner.”

“Oh my lord.” The man puts a hand over his mouth when he sees Duck’s face, “I’m sorry. You stepped out of the washroom right when I tried to stop the younger brother.”

“S’okay. Not, uh, not the worst thing to ever happen to me at dinner time.” Duck would rather not get involved in whatever the hell is going on here.

“No, it’s not.” The man runs a hand over his slick-backed black hair, “will you let me buy you dinner as an apology? Or at least some ice for your eye?” The chagrin is unusual from a government man in this part of the country, and Duck can think of worse evenings than letting a handsome face pay for his meal.

“You buy me dinner” he tilts his head at the lunch counter, “I won’t be sore about bein’ sore.”

The man smiles, “That seems fair. Mr. Tarkesian, if you’re able to write up a bill for the damaged goods I’ll...well, I’ll do my best to get you paid back for it. Have someone drop it off at Amnesty Lodge for Agent Stern.”

“Will do.” Leo nods, then adds, “Duck, ask Pigeon for some ice on the house for that eye.”

Once their orders are in and Duck’s eye is chilling, the agent sets a thoughtful hand on his hat where it’s resting on the counter.

“I really am sorry.”

“Not the first time someone’s slugged me. Definitely the hardest, though. So, uh, guess that’s somethin.”

“If it’s any consolation, my hand sympathizes with your eye.” He holds up his right hand, bruises blooming on the knuckles. Duck holds out the ice but the agent shakes his head, “it’s my own fault for not opting for a more efficient way of apprehending those men.”

“Take it you’re here tryin to bust some moonshiners?”

“Yes. As you might imagine, it hasn’t led to the best reception.” He tilts his head towards the quartet of men scowling at them from down the counter.

“Doubt your partner helped with that any.”

“You don’t know the half of it. One of those men who wants the respect for his badge but doesn’t give a damn about earning it.” He sighs as Pigeon sets their sandwiches in front of them, “Nevermind. I shouldn’t complain about a fellow agent. Um. What do you do here in Kepler?”

“Arborist for every town in the county. The bigwigs at city hall realized any money they saved lettin me go when things got bad wouldn’t make up for what would happen if trees took out houses or the brush got too high and made it easy for the whole damn town square to burn to the ground.”

“Sounds like they’re lucky to have you.”

“Yep.”

They eat in silence, evening sun searing their backs through the windows.

“I’m, um, well I was going to say I’m usually better at conversation than this. But it’s been so long since I did any talking that wasn’t part of an investigation or government business I’ve forgotten how to be charming. Or even interesting.”

“Buyin a fella dinner is pretty charming.”

“No, it’s just the decent thing to do.”

“Take the compliment city boy.”

The agent raises an eyebrow and Duck prepares to be hit again for disrespect. Then Stern laughs, soft and tired, before sending a Clark Gable caliber smile his way, “It’s nice to be talked to like a person instead of a suit.”

Duck shifts on the stool to more easily enjoy the way blue eyes glint when he says, “Even easier if you told me your name.”

------------------------------------------------------

“Well, Joe, this is me.” Duck gestures to the house that’s been in the Newton family since it was built. He’s the last one left in town, so the faded paint and sturdy foundation are all his.

The agent regards the house with the same cool curiosity he’s applied to everything else they’ve encountered tonight. It’s only when his gaze lands on Duck that it takes on a new dimension, friendly and almost innocent in it’s hope.

“You, uh, feel like joinin’ me for some coffee? Wouldn’t wanna interfere with government business by keepin you.” He teases.

Joe is already joining him on the porch, “Roberts probably reported on our earlier altercation. I’ll have better luck keeping Agent Hayes from shouting my ear off if I give him until tomorrow to cool off.”

Duck gets the lights on as Joe hangs his hat and jacket by the door. He opens the cabinet, searching for clean glasses and mugs, spotting the bottle of bourbon that was there long before prohibition started right when the taller man steps behind him.

“Uh, any chance I can convince you that’s a bottle of vinegar or somethin’?”

“No. It doesn’t matter, though.” Since Duck’s hands are full, Joe closes the cabinet, “I don’t give a damn if people drink. I don’t care if someone wants to brew up moonshine in their yard or run a bar. What I care about is how this whole mess has made it easier for mobs to flourish, for normal people to get caught in the crossfire of a corrupt police force and ruthless criminals.” The sofa creaks as he sits down, “I’m not in Kepler because I think it’s some cesspool; I’m here because I know a major bootlegging ring has a leg here, and that the people who benefit from it won’t be the people who get arrested in my investigation casts to small a net.”

Duck keeps his mouth shut; he could tell Joe just how much Kepler’s changed since a certain family got their hands on it. But he’s not sure what else he’d reveal without even meaning to.

Even exhausted, Joe manages to look handsome when he adds, “All that’s to say, I wouldn’t mind a drop of that bottle in my coffee.”

The longer he sits on the couch with his coffee cup, the more relaxed Joe turns. He also doesn’t move when Duck scoots closer, and soon their legs and hands keep bumping each other.

“Do you know Amnesty Lodge?”

“Yep. Few of my friends work there, it’s full of good folks.”

“I agree. I, um, the only other person in town who’ll talk to me like I’m a human works there. Barclay’s one of the few people who doesn’t seem scared of me. Or, he did at the beginning. Now, well, some days I’m almost convinced he’s happy to see me.” A secretive blush dusts his cheeks, “I’m sorry, I get rambly after ten p.m. It’s just nice to have someone to talk to about him.”

Duck happens to be privy to what a man in love with Barclay Cobb looks like. So he keeps some gentleness in his tone when he teases, “City boy likes his men a little country?”

“Barclay is from San Francisco.” Joe looks up from his nails, bringing them almost nose to nose.

“That don’t answer the question.”

“Maybe this will.” Joe drops backwards onto the cushions, taking Duck with him courtesy of a kiss and not letting him up until dawn.

-------------------------------------------------

Practically everyone in Kepler has a job on the side, some legal and others not. Duck considers himself lucky that his is all pleasure with a chaser of business.

He let’s himself into what could generously be called a shack, the ragged exterior giving way to walls of beautiful drawings and a floor that’s more paper than wood. Seated in the far corner at a three-legged desk is a tall, skinny man with pale hair and red spectacles. Kepler’s Van Gogh of Vice, Indrid Cold.

At Duck’s footsteps he turns, angular cheeks and sharp nose a bit sunburnt but smile putting that star (and any other) to shame.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite model.” He stands, undershirt and denim pants hanging off him as he gathers Duck into a kiss. Then he pulls back, concerned, “goodness, what happened to your eye?”

“Hey, sugar.” Duck kisses his chin, “Got caught up in some trouble at Leo’s. Nothin to worry about. What am I today?”

“A brush salesman. Go put on that jacket, the rest of your clothing will do just fine.”

It’s the same routine every time; Indrid sketches Duck in some poor replica of a costume (a policeman, a boxer, a salesman), then instructs him to strip down to some level of undress. If it’s a weekend, Indrid will ask if he can sketch Duck for more complex drawings, some nude and some not, rather than the Tijuana Bibles that help line his threadbare pockets.

He always pays Duck for his time, even though Duck points out that, as his boyfriend, he can see him naked and hard any time for free.

They talk about birds and work, about going to the city sometime soon for a real night out, until Indrid instructs him to remove his shirt.

“My, my, what did you get up to last night?” Indrid traces a finger around the hickey on Duck’s lower belly.

Duck tells him, letting Indrid scoldingly nibble his collarbone as punishment for not inviting him to join.

“I’ve given Agent Stern a wide berth, so it is reassuring to know he’s a decent sort. Though someone really ought to inform him that Barclay shares his feelings.”

“Yeah. Barclay.” Duck chuckles, “they’re two grown men, if they can’t figure out they wanna fuck, I ain’t gonna hold their hands and drag ‘em into bed. Uh, wait, fuck-”

“I got both your intended meaning and the double one. Now kindly remove your trousers and lay on the bed.”

“Any specific pose?”

“Whichever one allows me to be in you the quickest.”

“You’re the boss, sugar.”

-----------------------------------------------------

“He did what?” Barclay thunks the last crate into the back of Indrid’s car.

“Dearest, I know you’re attached to Joseph, but Duck did nothing wrong by sleeping with him-”

“That’s not what I meant.” The cook sets the bags atop the clinking crates, “Duck can’t lie. Him fucking around with Joseph could end really badly.”

“Duck doesn’t know about this” Indrid closes the car, fidgets with the key.

“Yeah, which means he doesn’t know what things to hide. Joseph is smart, Duck could say something totally innocent and give him a clue.”

Indrid rubs his forehead, “We can discuss it further when I get back from this run.”

Barclay mumbles, “okay.” Then Indrid is being lovingly crushed in a hug as his boyfriend speaks into his shoulder, “Sorry I snapped. I get so fucking nervous when you do this.”

“That makes two of us. But I didn’t come by my nickname for nothing. I slip by as quietly as a moth in the dark.”

“But what if the cops lay a trap? Or some other family wants in on Leeshon’s territory and decides to hijack you? Or-”

“Leave the what-ifs to me, dearest. I’ll be back in two days. I promise.”

When Indrid is no more than a shadow on the backroad, Barclay trudges back to the Lodge. He hates this, hates the men who put him in this position, hates the feds who sniff around like dogs waiting to bite, hates how one of the two men who can stop his heart with his smile is also one who could throw him in jail.

The instant he sees Joseph in his usual corner seat, that all evaporates. He knows the agent originally used the Lodge restaurant as a place to eavesdrop. When he’s here these days, it’s solely for Barclay’s cooking and attention. Barclay will give him as much of both as he desires, feed him full of it in hopes of delaying the inevitable. So when the chairs are up and it’s only Joseph leaning on the counter asking if Barclay will join him for a slice of pie, the cook sits on the stool beside him, leaning in as close as he dares, and tries not to think of the future.

---------------------------------------------------

“Mr. Cold?”

“I’m on the back porch.” Indrid calls, cleaning up his paints as Joseph rounds the house, his pristine shirt, shoes, and hair making Indrid feel a rare bust of self-consciousness at his dishevelment. He stands, brushing off his pants, “how can I assist you?”

“By letting me take a look inside your home. I’ve heard rumors that you deal in items that are only bought in back rooms and I need to see if they’re true. I don’t have a warrant, and I’ll get one if I have to, but then I’ll have to bring other kinds of law enforcement with me who might, um, might....look, you’re important to Duck; I don’t want this to escalate any more than it has to.”

Indrid grins, waving him inside, “Say no more. I do believe there’s been a misunderstanding. Your mind, on account of your profession, went straight to bootlegging. I deal in something a bit different” He flips open a briefcase and gets the pleasure of watching Joseph Sten blush.

“It’s not the kind of art I’d sell if I had my choice, but I have a talent for rendering all manner of lewd acts on paper. Owners of bowling alleys and hunting clubs pay decently enough for them.”

“I, um, I see.” Joseph picks up one booklet, flipping through it, “I must admit these are more realistic than the ones I've encountered in the past.”

“I use models whenever possible in both these and my other work” he gestures to the non-explicit paintings on the wall, “in fact, you know two of my preferred muses.”

“Duck” Joseph’s thumb runs tenderly over the illustration.

“Indeed. And this one…” he holds up a second book, “is based on Barclay.”

“Good lord.”

“That’s the general consensus on that part of his body.” Indrid places both booklets safely in their spots, “does that satisfy your curiosity?”

“Yes.” Joseph runs a hand over his hair, “very much. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Cold.”

“Of course. And by all means, call me Indrid. Should you ever be interested in modeling...” he let's Stern feel the full force of his appreciative gaze, "do let me know."

The agent leaves in more of a hurry than he arrived. Indrid closes the door, slumps against and says to the dust specks, “that was too close.”

He reiterates this point to Barclay in the evening, who agrees with him that, as much as Joseph means to him and Duck, when Indrid returns from this run they’ll talk with Mama about how to get the agent out of the Lodge and, ideally, the town. They finish their conversation right as three members of the Leeshon family arrive, electing to travel north along with their goods for some “official business.” Apparently, word of the The Moth as a skilled driver is spreading, the implications of which are keeping Indrid up at night.

He stoops and smiles for the men with menacing shapes under their coats, blows a final kiss to Barclay, and speeds off into the night.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

“Is everything alright?” Joseph hovers over Duck’s shoulder, his eyes locked onto Barclay.

“‘Drid does these trips to sell his stuff, and he ain’t back yet. Ain’t called either of us, which is mighty strange. Usually he lets us know when he’s headin home.”

“And I tried the motel where he usually stays on his last night back down. They haven’t seen him.” Barclay wipes the same spot of table for the fiftieth time, “Duck’s truck is busted and Mama’s got the one we use for Lodge business, so we can’t go look for him ourselves.”

“We could take my car.” Joseph offers without hesitation, “if you know his usual route, we can at least rule out a wreck.”

Barclay shudders; he doesn’t want to think about Indrid, caged and lifeless in twisted metal. He wants to think about it so little that he does the most foolish thing possible; he decides to give a federal agent a guided tour of their bootlegging route.

Soon, they’re creeping along the winding backroad, Barclay navigating from the front seat while Duck bounces his leg in the back. The longer they drive, the more somber the expression from the man beside him.

“Indrid’s the Moth, isn’t he?” Joseph murmurs.

“Hate to say it Joe, but you’re so outta bounds you ain’t even in...the...game” he catches Barclay’s eyes in the mirror, “oh you gotta be fuckin kiddin me.”

“Wish I was” Barclay locks his hands in his lap, “Started about six months ago. Leeshon and his mob decided Kepler was a good spot to stage some of their smuggling. They went to the lodge first; Mama told ‘em hell no, told ‘em to get gone, and they threatened to shoot her then and there to burn the whole place and everyone in it. I stepped in, offered to do it. I was so fucking bad at the driving I almost got caught. Indrid offered to help to keep me safe and keep them from going after the Lodge.” He glances at Joseph, “we’re just trying to protect our family.”

“I don’t doubt it. But you haven’t exactly put me in an easy position. I had a hunch after I was in Indrid’s house; the faint smell of alcohol on certain bags, the regular trips along the exact same route. I just...I was hoping I was wrong.”

“You know damn well ‘Drid ain’t a threat to anyone.”

“He’s aiding the mob”

“To protect us--ohfuck” Barclay’s door is open before Joseph even stops the car. At the crossroads before them are two cars, each riddled with bullet holes. The one on the right, back half full of shattered bottles, is Indrid’s.

“No!” Barclay dodges the other bodies, Duck right behind him, and wrenches the driver-side door open. There’s bullets in the seat, but no body.

“Rival family, I can tell by the rings. They must have ambushed them.” Joseph stares down at one of the bodies by the second car.

“We gotta find him, he might still be, there-” Duck grabs Barclay’s arm, pointing towards the brush, “someone dragged themself that way.”

Duck leads the scramble through the foliage, following signs Barclay can’t see until they reach scuffed shoes on long legs.

“‘Drid, fuck, fuck, c’mon sugar talk to me.” Duck is on his knees, guiding the unconscious man into his arms.

“He’s breathing.” Barclay runs his hands over Indrid’s body, looking for broken bones. Finds one on his left leg, making his boyfriend groan in pain.

“You’re gonna be okay, we’ll get you home.” There’s a clanking noise from the direction they came, “I like Joe an awful lot, but if we gotta steal his car I will.”

Indrid manages to smile with dry lips, “I tried so hard to get back. Hard to crawl on a broken leg after playing dead for as long as it took everyone who’d been shot to finish dying. I just...can we...I want to go home.”

“You clear a path, I’ll carry him.” Barclay scoops Indrid up, follows Duck back towards the car as he snaps and pushes at brush.

“Thank the lord.” Joseph opens the back door of the car, “here, he can lay down. We’ll take him to the doctor right away.”

Duck stays in the back, Indrid’s head in his lap, petting his hair and whispering to him as Joseph turns the car towards town.

“You realize I have to report the shoot out.”

Barclay never takes his eyes off Indrid, “Do what you have to. Just don’t expect a warm welcome back.”

----------------------------------------------------

“....no, Agent Hayes, there were no survivors of the shoot-out.”

“Any records on the cars?”

“Only one. The other didn’t have plates.” Joseph keeps his breathing even as his boss mulls over his report.

“Alright. I won’t send a second man down, but if this escalates I expect you to alert me at once.”

“Understood, sir.” He hangs up, relieved, and steps into the hall of the Lodge. There’s not much spring in his step, since he doesn’t dare show his face in the restaurant.

Then there’s a lot of spring as he’s yanked through a door. Before he can raise a fist, calloused hands cup his cheeks and a beard prickles his skin as Barclay pins him to the wall in a kiss.

“Did, did you hear the callmmpph” He holds tight to Barclays shoulders as the cook manhandles him towards bed.

“Yep, had Aubrey eavesdrop on you.” Duck grins from his spot on Indrid’s comfy sickbed, “you gonna tell us why you covered our asses?”

“Barclay may have to release him for that.” Indrid pats the space next to Duck and the cook let’s Joseph drop into it.

“Arresting Indrid would have put the whole Lodge in danger and done nothing to stop the mobs vying for power on this bootlegging route. It’s the better call to let people think you’re dead for a time and see if I can catch Leeshon as he’s sniffing around for a new driver. And, um, I, I couldn’t hurt you. Any of you. You’ve made me happier than I’ve been in years and I, I just want to help you protect the town.”

“Aww, knew you were soft deep-down, city boy.” Duck kisses his cheek.

“I never did get to thank you for your role in saving my life. Come here.” Indrid crooks his finger and Joseph leans in, expecting a kiss on the cheek. He gets one full on the lips, Indrid humming when he brushes their tongues together. He purrs when they part, “after all, if you’re staying in town, I intend to join my boyfriends in their admiration of you.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

“Wonderful. Iin that case, perhaps you’ll model for me.”

“Only if you buy me dinner.”

“Hey, I had to get punched to get dinner.” Duck teases.

“Let me go get it started.” Barclay winks, “don’t get into too much trouble until I get back.”

[nickgerlich]

Hold My Beer...

I have been a fan of beer for many years, long before I could even...um...legally consume it. It was back in 1974 that a cousin got me started collecting beer cans, which was a hobby that arose in the Midwest, and soon spread around the world. I was only 15, but suddenly I found myself knowing more about beer than the alcoholic who spent Saturday night in the drunk tank.

It’s OK. Really. I was helping document America’s brewing history. S’all good, man.

And it gets even better in that I am writing a feature story for Route Magazine about breweries along the Route 66 corridor. I get to combine my passions for the old road with beer. Words are flowing (and foaming) like a hearty IPA streaming out of a tap.

Today, there are 7000 breweries in operation in the USA, and that number could swell to 9000 in the next few years, if federal permit applications are any indication. Never before have there been so many breweries here. Not even close.

The previous domestic brewing apex was in 1873, with 4131 breweries. Consolidation and closures saw that number dwindle to 1179 before Prohibition became law in 1920. By the time of its repeal in 1933, only a handful of breweries were still in business, and only because they had adapted to selling ice and soft drinks. The industry had been decimated, and had to rise from the ashes.

The industry did recover and quickly, peaking at 703 breweries during the height of the Great Depression. I guess drinking took away some of the pain. But the industry then rapidly slipped into consolidation, and by the late 1970s, there were only 89 left.

My growing beer can collection took a hit, because brands started disappearing, and the number of items to collect shrank. The focus of the hobby shifted to finding the old ones, which were buried in dumps or found when buildings were demolished. Turns out that carpenters liked to stay hydrated on the job, but had to get rid of the evidence. They simply dropped the empties between wall studs.

But I digress.

One of my featured breweries is Six Car Pub & Brewery in Downtown Amarillo, which opened in May 2018. It sits only a couple hundred feet off Route 66, and is part of not only the brewing renaissance, but also the downtown revitalization efforts.

As co-owner and Operations Manager Colin Cummings told me, Amarillo is a “young” town when it comes to craft brewing. While the resurgence has been going on for more than 20 years, it is only now starting to get traction in town. There are only three other breweries here in a metro of 270,000 (Long Wooden Spoon, Pondaseta, and Big Texan).

This creates challenges when trying to appeal to neophyte beer drinkers accustomed to the mass-produced swill...sorry, my bias may be showing...from AB InBev and MillerCoors. To that end, they have had to educate many local beer drinkers, introducing them to house-brewed styles they would find to be similar to, although a hell of a lot tastier, than what they normally drink.

Thus, as Brewmaster Grant James told me, their Canoodle, a light lager, has proven to be exceptionally popular. Cummings also mentioned their Oktoberfest, which is a dark lager little different from Texas favorite Shiner Bock. Alas, that one is only a seasonal offering.

If anything, the explosion of new breweries in the US has helped raise our beer IQ. Just because it’s from a craft brewery doesn’t automatically make it good, but there are now thousands of hand-crafted brews that stand head and shoulders above the mass market.

Craft beer now accounts for 12.7% of the industry by volume, and 23% of the $111.4 billion market. That’s significant, because craft beers tend to cost more than mass-market beers, but it shows that a growing number of consumers are willing to pay for quality product.

And never mind that many of these craft breweries are now canning their beers, thanks to revolutions in canning lines that make it fairly inexpensive for even small breweries to make their beers available in convenient packaging. The beer can collector in me has gone crazy trying to keep up with the thousands...and I mean thousands...of new collectibles.

I suppose the American beer industry has come full circle now, and beyond. Most people look to Germany for their beer leadership. With 1300 breweries for 82.8 million people, that comes out to one brewery for every 63,692 people. The US, though, with 328 million people, can now boast a brewery for every 46, 857 people. Take that, Germany. No offense to my friends there, but we’re kinda rockin’ this thing now. I raise my glass, like I’ve been doing for 45 years. But now more than ever.

Dr “Prost!” Gerlich

Audio: https://soundcloud.com/nickgerlich/hold-my-beer

[vampir3bait]

Dollar store ceramics shatter into a million pieces. It was why one always wore shoes in a Hall household. Despite how many times Cassius pushed a twelve dollar vacuum cleaner across the carpet it failed to pick up the shards that hid in the manilla shag carpeting and there was rarely a pair of tweezers around to remove them.

A small plaque that had “Hope” machine pressed onto it’s surface was hurled toward’s Cassius’s head but found a new target with the wall in front of him. The aim of a drunk was never accurate when not in close range. The sound rattled in Cassius’s ears. It didn’t matter how many plates, glasses, bottles, or framed photos were broken in front of or at the boy he never got used to sharp notes that pierced the air. They made Cassius shudder every single time and today was no different as he felt every hair on his body stand on end. Cassius preferred the muffled thumps of someone stumbling into a table or falling out of bed those sounds were safe.

“Fifteen dollars for a fucking gym shirt? Who do they think they are?” Joe spat at Cassius. “Do you have fifteen dollars for a fucking gym shirt? Because I don’t have fifteen dollars to give to my whore’s kid. Fucking faggot doesn’t even run, does he?” Joe said as Cassius began picking up the piecea of inspirational memorabilia that littered the floor. He knew better than to speak to the man. His breath made the claustrophobic apartment reek of rum and instigating anything with him would lead to a fight. That’s all he wanted to do. Fight, fight, fight and his mother already had a mighty dark shiner from last night and besides she was passed out in the bedroom. Cassius wasn’t looking to make himself victim number two.

“I said do you have fifteen fucking dollars for a gym shirt?” Joe repeated himself before kicking Cassius in the back and making every piece of glass fall from the boy’s hands. A piece pierced his finger and Cassius sucked the digit into his mouth before a drop could form. He could taste iron as he rose to his feet and turned to face the man.

“No, I don’t fucking have fifteen dollars. Where the fuck would I get fifteen dollars?” Cassius spat back at the man before pushing by him to get at his backpack which had been riffled through and strewn across the table by his mother’s boyfriend. His snooping had been the cause of the argument. The man dug through his shit like he always did and found the form asking for money. Cassius wasn’t even going to bring it up to them. He knew they wouldn’t give him a dime.

Cassius was shoving his assignments and binders and pencils back into his worn out messenger bag and was ready to leave when Joe came around again.

“So I’m buying you a fucking gym shirt then?” Joe said as he shoved Cassius again. The pencil in his hand snapped and Cassius was seeing red. The man had hardly been in his life for a season and he was already shaping up to be one of the worst future exes. Cassius held back the anger brewing inside him. He knew better than to engage. If he swung Joe would only swing back harder and the man had 100 pounds and 5 inches on him. Cassius knew he wouldn’t stand a chance so he knew it was better to take the pushes and the shoves and drunken nonsense.

Cassius had everything crumpled in his bag and slung over his shoulder before he faced the grotesque beast again. “No, you fucking drunk. No one’s fucking buying a damn gym shirt. I’m dropping out. You don’t have to fucking buy me shit,” he told the man as he made a dash for the door and out of it before Joe could grab him and punish him for having a mouth like that.

Once the door was slammed in his face Cassius changed his sprint into a speed walk as he made his way down the stairwell and out of the apartment complex as he worked on keeping his cool. Joe wouldn’t follow him. Last time he chased after Cassius in the afternoon the cops got called and he wouldn’t make that mistake twice though Cassius was too scared to look behind his shoulder to check.  

Cassius walked for nearly an hour before finally settling in at the train station to borrow the free wifi they had there. He sat on the ground by an outlet as he charged his phone and pulled up one of the various apps to talk to a screen name.

I can’t do it. He wanted to beat the shit out of me over a gym shirt. I haven’t even been in high school a week. I’m already failing all my classes.

I’m done. I can’t keep going on.

The messages left Cassius’s fingers at lightning speed and Cassius didn’t even have a second to breathe before he was notified that his friend on the other side was typing a response back to talk Cassius off the edge until the train station closed for the night.

[goodspiritsnewsat]

GSN Review: Shiner 1909 Heritage Lager

GSN Review: Shiner 1909 Heritage Lager

This autumn, the independent, family-owned makers of the iconic Shiner Bock, announced a new beer honoring their 112-year history. Shiner 1909 is a small-batch lager brewed with heritage ingredients celebrating the history, endurance, and Texas heritage of the Spoetzl Brewery. Every drop of Shiner beer is brewed and bottled in Shiner, Texas at the same brewery founded in 1909 by a group of Czech…

[vogeltalksrving]

Every drop of Shiner is brewed in Shiner

[johnboothus]

Everything You Need to Know About Ranch Water (and Why Everyones Drinking It)

“When I think of people from West Texas, I think of this kind of no-frills, get-the-job-done attitude. And that’s very much the spirit of Ranch Water,” says Katie Beal Brown, a native Texan and founder of Lone River Beverage Company.

In terms of ingredients, the cool mix of tequila, lime, and Topo Chico is as Texan as the Whataburger Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit is Mexican. But it’s in the Lone Star State and not south of the border that the simple cocktail known as Ranch Water has become a cultural icon.

Texas natives, particularly those in the west and south of the state, have enjoyed the humble take on the highball for decades. But only in the last 10 years has the one-time ranch-worker refresher found statewide success, equally at home in dive bars, cocktail lounges, and music festivals. Now, it’s starting to sweep the nation.

In the past five months, Google searches for the term “ranch water” spiked to an unprecedented high. Browse #ranchwater on Instagram, too, and you’ll just as likely find posts from North Carolina, Maryland, and Utah, as you will from the Great State of Texas. With a flurry of canned versions hitting supermarket and liquor store shelves, the Ranch Water craze shows no sign of slowing.

Like most drinks trends, it’s impossible to pinpoint one event that brought on this success. Instead, the rise of Ranch Water is a combined tale of cultural identity, iconic brands, and good ol’-fashioned marketing.

What Is Ranch Water?

Behind every iconic drink lies a tale as opaque as a freezing cold bottle of bubbly mineral water. And Ranch Water is no different.

We will likely never know if a wild-haired 1960s rancher did indeed first concoct the drink, as local lore suggests. Nor will we know if he was inspired by the “spirit” of said drink to follow the West Texas stars and trek a lonely 50 miles from Fort Davis to Marathon before falling asleep under a piñon tree.

The other common tale for Ranch Water’s beginning seems much more plausible. “It was a way for ranchers to have a happy hour,” says Taylor Samuels, owner of Dallas-based Mexican spirits bar Las Almas Rotas. “They’re out riding the fence line all day, making repairs, and checking on cattle. Ranch Water was the refreshment for the ride at the end.”

In such a situation, simplicity is key. Sure, the ranchers could have cracked open a Shiner Bock. But would that have been as refreshing as taking a swig from a bottle Topo Chico, topping with a splash of tequila, and squeezing in a zesty lime?

Almost certainly not.

The who’s and where’s of how the drink got its evocative name are also murky. Some attribute it to Kevin Williamson, chef and owner of Austin’s Ranch 616. Others link it to The Gage Hotel in Marathon, Texas, which first put the cocktail on its menu in 2010. By this point, however, Ranch Water was well known enough in West Texas that locals had been ordering it by name at the hotel’s bar for some time.

How Has Ranch Water Become So Popular?

It’s taken a decade since the Gage Hotel first added the cocktail to its menu to arrive at the current-day Ranch Water craze. How we got here is once again largely based on speculation.

Nico Martini, Dallas-based author of “Texas Cocktails,” says industry events and bartender culture both played a role in spreading the drink across the country. “Thousands of industry people come to Texas every January to go to the San Antonio Cocktail Conference (SACC). They experience Ranch Water here then take it back home,” Martini says. “Texas also has a massive presence at Tales of the Cocktail,” he adds.

It’s easy to imagine swathes of New York and Los Angeles bartenders returning home from these events and eagerly sharing their latest discovery. While tequila, lime, and soda is by no means a novel combination, when made with a regionally specific mineral water you have the perfect build for a geeky, insider cocktail. “All those New York bartenders going down to SACC, drinking the hell out of Ranch Waters, then going back home and not being able to get Topo — it becomes a challenge,” Martini says.

The drink’s mysterious moniker only adds to the allure. Ranch Water sounds infinitely cooler than tequila, lime, and soda. (See also: Cuba Libre and Moscow Mule.) Once again, there’s also insider appeal because there’s no way of knowing from the name alone what Ranch Water contains. Instead, you need to be au fait with the latest drinking trends.

The Topo Factor

At this point, we can no longer ignore the bubbly, mineral-rich elephant in the room: Topo Chico. Bottled near Monterrey, Mexico, since 1895, Topo Chico built up a loyal following in Texas because of the state’s close culinary ties to Mexico. Speak to any Ranch Water aficionado and they’ll tell you there’s simply no substitute for Topo Chico.

Despite operating under capacity restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic, Dallas-based JAXON Texas Kitchen and Beer Garden sold 1,800 Ranch Waters last month. “It’s gotten to the point where I’m trying to buy pallets of Topo Chico versus ordering by the case,” says Alexander Fletcher, JAXON’s beverage director.

Outside of Texas, bartenders likely still struggle to buy Topo Chico by the pallet-load. But the “challenge” to get their hands on it (as Martini describes it) at least subsided in 2016, when the brand was acquired by Coca-Cola.

“Suddenly the distribution was just so much larger,” says Andy Arrington of Texas-based wine and spirits distributor Victory Wine Group. “Ranch Water has really benefited from that.”

Beyond regional connections, there’s good reason for using Topo Chico in Ranch Water. Las Almas Rotas’s Samuels says the water’s high mineral content provides a natural partner for peppery, earthy tequila, allowing the spirit to shine rather than overpowering it. And as all Ranch Water diehards will attest, Topo Chico’s turbo-charged effervescence provides the final piece of the puzzle.

“When you open a bottle of Topo Chico, you can leave it out overnight at room temperature and the next day it’s still going to have strong bubbles because of the carbonation that’s been pumped into it,” says Racheal Buie, Topo Chico’s brand development specialist for Houston.

Buie, of course, has a horse in this race. But she’s been a fan of Topo Chico for over a decade and started drinking the water long before she worked for the brand. “I’ve literally been able to witness Topo Chico go from 75 cents a bottle to being sold for $5 in fine dining places,” Buie says. “I really think the surge in popularity of Ranch Water is coupled with Topo Chico’s success over the years. As a Texan, a Topo employee, and a lover of Ranch Water, it’s an exciting time.”

Enter: Ranch Water Hard Seltzer

Whether a sign of Ranch Water’s success or a possible contributor to its recent popularity, the drink entered a new era these past 12 months when multiple canned versions hit the market.

Lone River Beverage Company debuted its Ranch Water Hard Seltzer in May 2020. After learning the legend of the “wild-haired rancher” and realizing it took place in the same area as her grandparent’s ranch, founder Brown felt there was an opportunity to tell that story to a wider audience and give people a taste of West Texas. The fact Ranch Water also lends itself to the wellness trend that’s seen hard seltzer surge in recent years also made it the perfect fit, Brown says.

Like many other hard seltzers, Lone River’s Ranch Water uses a brewed-malt rather than spirit base. The brand is currently only available in Texas and Tennessee, though expansion is on the horizon, Brown says.

For those looking to sample a tequila-based version on a national level, Cutwater Spirits launched its own Tequila Soda in March 2020. Flavored with a hint of natural lime, it’s a canned carbon copy of Ranch Water — in all but name, at least.

“[I]t’s important to clearly communicate that we use real tequila to make a signature cocktail known by many as ‘Ranch Water’ but known by all as ‘Tequila Soda,’” says Yuseff Cherney, Cutwater Spirits’ co-founder and master distiller.

Depending on how much Ranch Water’s popularity continues to grow, the decision to drop the iconic name may or may not prove savvy. To borrow (or butcher) a famous Shakespeare soliloquy: What’s in a name? That which we call Ranch Water by any other name would surely taste as refreshing and delicious.

But would that same drink be so damn popular?

The article Everything You Need to Know About Ranch Water (and Why Everyone’s Drinking It) appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/what-is-ranch-water-recipe/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ranch-water-and-why-everyones-drinking-it

[wineanddinosaur]

Everything You Need to Know About Ranch Water (and Why Everyone’s Drinking It)

“When I think of people from West Texas, I think of this kind of no-frills, get-the-job-done attitude. And that’s very much the spirit of Ranch Water,” says Katie Beal Brown, a native Texan and founder of Lone River Beverage Company.

In terms of ingredients, the cool mix of tequila, lime, and Topo Chico is as Texan as the Whataburger Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit is Mexican. But it’s in the Lone Star State and not south of the border that the simple cocktail known as Ranch Water has become a cultural icon.

Texas natives, particularly those in the west and south of the state, have enjoyed the humble take on the highball for decades. But only in the last 10 years has the one-time ranch-worker refresher found statewide success, equally at home in dive bars, cocktail lounges, and music festivals. Now, it’s starting to sweep the nation.

In the past five months, Google searches for the term “ranch water” spiked to an unprecedented high. Browse #ranchwater on Instagram, too, and you’ll just as likely find posts from North Carolina, Maryland, and Utah, as you will from the Great State of Texas. With a flurry of canned versions hitting supermarket and liquor store shelves, the Ranch Water craze shows no sign of slowing.

Like most drinks trends, it’s impossible to pinpoint one event that brought on this success. Instead, the rise of Ranch Water is a combined tale of cultural identity, iconic brands, and good ol’-fashioned marketing.

What Is Ranch Water?

Behind every iconic drink lies a tale as opaque as a freezing cold bottle of bubbly mineral water. And Ranch Water is no different.

We will likely never know if a wild-haired 1960s rancher did indeed first concoct the drink, as local lore suggests. Nor will we know if he was inspired by the “spirit” of said drink to follow the West Texas stars and trek a lonely 50 miles from Fort Davis to Marathon before falling asleep under a piñon tree.

The other common tale for Ranch Water’s beginning seems much more plausible. “It was a way for ranchers to have a happy hour,” says Taylor Samuels, owner of Dallas-based Mexican spirits bar Las Almas Rotas. “They’re out riding the fence line all day, making repairs, and checking on cattle. Ranch Water was the refreshment for the ride at the end.”

In such a situation, simplicity is key. Sure, the ranchers could have cracked open a Shiner Bock. But would that have been as refreshing as taking a swig from a bottle Topo Chico, topping with a splash of tequila, and squeezing in a zesty lime?

Almost certainly not.

The who’s and where’s of how the drink got its evocative name are also murky. Some attribute it to Kevin Williamson, chef and owner of Austin’s Ranch 616. Others link it to The Gage Hotel in Marathon, Texas, which first put the cocktail on its menu in 2010. By this point, however, Ranch Water was well known enough in West Texas that locals had been ordering it by name at the hotel’s bar for some time.

How Has Ranch Water Become So Popular?

It’s taken a decade since the Gage Hotel first added the cocktail to its menu to arrive at the current-day Ranch Water craze. How we got here is once again largely based on speculation.

Nico Martini, Dallas-based author of “Texas Cocktails,” says industry events and bartender culture both played a role in spreading the drink across the country. “Thousands of industry people come to Texas every January to go to the San Antonio Cocktail Conference (SACC). They experience Ranch Water here then take it back home,” Martini says. “Texas also has a massive presence at Tales of the Cocktail,” he adds.

It’s easy to imagine swathes of New York and Los Angeles bartenders returning home from these events and eagerly sharing their latest discovery. While tequila, lime, and soda is by no means a novel combination, when made with a regionally specific mineral water you have the perfect build for a geeky, insider cocktail. “All those New York bartenders going down to SACC, drinking the hell out of Ranch Waters, then going back home and not being able to get Topo — it becomes a challenge,” Martini says.

The drink’s mysterious moniker only adds to the allure. Ranch Water sounds infinitely cooler than tequila, lime, and soda. (See also: Cuba Libre and Moscow Mule.) Once again, there’s also insider appeal because there’s no way of knowing from the name alone what Ranch Water contains. Instead, you need to be au fait with the latest drinking trends.

The Topo Factor

At this point, we can no longer ignore the bubbly, mineral-rich elephant in the room: Topo Chico. Bottled near Monterrey, Mexico, since 1895, Topo Chico built up a loyal following in Texas because of the state’s close culinary ties to Mexico. Speak to any Ranch Water aficionado and they’ll tell you there’s simply no substitute for Topo Chico.

Despite operating under capacity restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic, Dallas-based JAXON Texas Kitchen and Beer Garden sold 1,800 Ranch Waters last month. “It’s gotten to the point where I’m trying to buy pallets of Topo Chico versus ordering by the case,” says Alexander Fletcher, JAXON’s beverage director.

Outside of Texas, bartenders likely still struggle to buy Topo Chico by the pallet-load. But the “challenge” to get their hands on it (as Martini describes it) at least subsided in 2016, when the brand was acquired by Coca-Cola.

“Suddenly the distribution was just so much larger,” says Andy Arrington of Texas-based wine and spirits distributor Victory Wine Group. “Ranch Water has really benefited from that.”

Beyond regional connections, there’s good reason for using Topo Chico in Ranch Water. Las Almas Rotas’s Samuels says the water’s high mineral content provides a natural partner for peppery, earthy tequila, allowing the spirit to shine rather than overpowering it. And as all Ranch Water diehards will attest, Topo Chico’s turbo-charged effervescence provides the final piece of the puzzle.

“When you open a bottle of Topo Chico, you can leave it out overnight at room temperature and the next day it’s still going to have strong bubbles because of the carbonation that’s been pumped into it,” says Racheal Buie, Topo Chico’s brand development specialist for Houston.

Buie, of course, has a horse in this race. But she’s been a fan of Topo Chico for over a decade and started drinking the water long before she worked for the brand. “I’ve literally been able to witness Topo Chico go from 75 cents a bottle to being sold for $5 in fine dining places,” Buie says. “I really think the surge in popularity of Ranch Water is coupled with Topo Chico’s success over the years. As a Texan, a Topo employee, and a lover of Ranch Water, it’s an exciting time.”

Enter: Ranch Water Hard Seltzer

Whether a sign of Ranch Water’s success or a possible contributor to its recent popularity, the drink entered a new era these past 12 months when multiple canned versions hit the market.

Lone River Beverage Company debuted its Ranch Water Hard Seltzer in May 2020. After learning the legend of the “wild-haired rancher” and realizing it took place in the same area as her grandparent’s ranch, founder Brown felt there was an opportunity to tell that story to a wider audience and give people a taste of West Texas. The fact Ranch Water also lends itself to the wellness trend that’s seen hard seltzer surge in recent years also made it the perfect fit, Brown says.

Like many other hard seltzers, Lone River’s Ranch Water uses a brewed-malt rather than spirit base. The brand is currently only available in Texas and Tennessee, though expansion is on the horizon, Brown says.

For those looking to sample a tequila-based version on a national level, Cutwater Spirits launched its own Tequila Soda in March 2020. Flavored with a hint of natural lime, it’s a canned carbon copy of Ranch Water — in all but name, at least.

“[I]t’s important to clearly communicate that we use real tequila to make a signature cocktail known by many as ‘Ranch Water’ but known by all as ‘Tequila Soda,’” says Yuseff Cherney, Cutwater Spirits’ co-founder and master distiller.

Depending on how much Ranch Water’s popularity continues to grow, the decision to drop the iconic name may or may not prove savvy. To borrow (or butcher) a famous Shakespeare soliloquy: What’s in a name? That which we call Ranch Water by any other name would surely taste as refreshing and delicious.

But would that same drink be so damn popular?

The article Everything You Need to Know About Ranch Water (and Why Everyone’s Drinking It) appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/what-is-ranch-water-recipe/

[isaiahrippinus]

Everything You Need to Know About Ranch Water (and Why Everyone’s Drinking It)

“When I think of people from West Texas, I think of this kind of no-frills, get-the-job-done attitude. And that’s very much the spirit of Ranch Water,” says Katie Beal Brown, a native Texan and founder of Lone River Beverage Company.

In terms of ingredients, the cool mix of tequila, lime, and Topo Chico is as Texan as the Whataburger Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit is Mexican. But it’s in the Lone Star State and not south of the border that the simple cocktail known as Ranch Water has become a cultural icon.

Texas natives, particularly those in the west and south of the state, have enjoyed the humble take on the highball for decades. But only in the last 10 years has the one-time ranch-worker refresher found statewide success, equally at home in dive bars, cocktail lounges, and music festivals. Now, it’s starting to sweep the nation.

In the past five months, Google searches for the term “ranch water” spiked to an unprecedented high. Browse #ranchwater on Instagram, too, and you’ll just as likely find posts from North Carolina, Maryland, and Utah, as you will from the Great State of Texas. With a flurry of canned versions hitting supermarket and liquor store shelves, the Ranch Water craze shows no sign of slowing.

Like most drinks trends, it’s impossible to pinpoint one event that brought on this success. Instead, the rise of Ranch Water is a combined tale of cultural identity, iconic brands, and good ol’-fashioned marketing.

What Is Ranch Water?

Behind every iconic drink lies a tale as opaque as a freezing cold bottle of bubbly mineral water. And Ranch Water is no different.

We will likely never know if a wild-haired 1960s rancher did indeed first concoct the drink, as local lore suggests. Nor will we know if he was inspired by the “spirit” of said drink to follow the West Texas stars and trek a lonely 50 miles from Fort Davis to Marathon before falling asleep under a piñon tree.

The other common tale for Ranch Water’s beginning seems much more plausible. “It was a way for ranchers to have a happy hour,” says Taylor Samuels, owner of Dallas-based Mexican spirits bar Las Almas Rotas. “They’re out riding the fence line all day, making repairs, and checking on cattle. Ranch Water was the refreshment for the ride at the end.”

In such a situation, simplicity is key. Sure, the ranchers could have cracked open a Shiner Bock. But would that have been as refreshing as taking a swig from a bottle Topo Chico, topping with a splash of tequila, and squeezing in a zesty lime?

Almost certainly not.

The who’s and where’s of how the drink got its evocative name are also murky. Some attribute it to Kevin Williamson, chef and owner of Austin’s Ranch 616. Others link it to The Gage Hotel in Marathon, Texas, which first put the cocktail on its menu in 2010. By this point, however, Ranch Water was well known enough in West Texas that locals had been ordering it by name at the hotel’s bar for some time.

How Has Ranch Water Become So Popular?

It’s taken a decade since the Gage Hotel first added the cocktail to its menu to arrive at the current-day Ranch Water craze. How we got here is once again largely based on speculation.

Nico Martini, Dallas-based author of “Texas Cocktails,” says industry events and bartender culture both played a role in spreading the drink across the country. “Thousands of industry people come to Texas every January to go to the San Antonio Cocktail Conference (SACC). They experience Ranch Water here then take it back home,” Martini says. “Texas also has a massive presence at Tales of the Cocktail,” he adds.

It’s easy to imagine swathes of New York and Los Angeles bartenders returning home from these events and eagerly sharing their latest discovery. While tequila, lime, and soda is by no means a novel combination, when made with a regionally specific mineral water you have the perfect build for a geeky, insider cocktail. “All those New York bartenders going down to SACC, drinking the hell out of Ranch Waters, then going back home and not being able to get Topo — it becomes a challenge,” Martini says.

The drink’s mysterious moniker only adds to the allure. Ranch Water sounds infinitely cooler than tequila, lime, and soda. (See also: Cuba Libre and Moscow Mule.) Once again, there’s also insider appeal because there’s no way of knowing from the name alone what Ranch Water contains. Instead, you need to be au fait with the latest drinking trends.

The Topo Factor

At this point, we can no longer ignore the bubbly, mineral-rich elephant in the room: Topo Chico. Bottled near Monterrey, Mexico, since 1895, Topo Chico built up a loyal following in Texas because of the state’s close culinary ties to Mexico. Speak to any Ranch Water aficionado and they’ll tell you there’s simply no substitute for Topo Chico.

Despite operating under capacity restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic, Dallas-based JAXON Texas Kitchen and Beer Garden sold 1,800 Ranch Waters last month. “It’s gotten to the point where I’m trying to buy pallets of Topo Chico versus ordering by the case,” says Alexander Fletcher, JAXON’s beverage director.

Outside of Texas, bartenders likely still struggle to buy Topo Chico by the pallet-load. But the “challenge” to get their hands on it (as Martini describes it) at least subsided in 2016, when the brand was acquired by Coca-Cola.

“Suddenly the distribution was just so much larger,” says Andy Arrington of Texas-based wine and spirits distributor Victory Wine Group. “Ranch Water has really benefited from that.”

Beyond regional connections, there’s good reason for using Topo Chico in Ranch Water. Las Almas Rotas’s Samuels says the water’s high mineral content provides a natural partner for peppery, earthy tequila, allowing the spirit to shine rather than overpowering it. And as all Ranch Water diehards will attest, Topo Chico’s turbo-charged effervescence provides the final piece of the puzzle.

“When you open a bottle of Topo Chico, you can leave it out overnight at room temperature and the next day it’s still going to have strong bubbles because of the carbonation that’s been pumped into it,” says Racheal Buie, Topo Chico’s brand development specialist for Houston.

Buie, of course, has a horse in this race. But she’s been a fan of Topo Chico for over a decade and started drinking the water long before she worked for the brand. “I’ve literally been able to witness Topo Chico go from 75 cents a bottle to being sold for $5 in fine dining places,” Buie says. “I really think the surge in popularity of Ranch Water is coupled with Topo Chico’s success over the years. As a Texan, a Topo employee, and a lover of Ranch Water, it’s an exciting time.”

Enter: Ranch Water Hard Seltzer

Whether a sign of Ranch Water’s success or a possible contributor to its recent popularity, the drink entered a new era these past 12 months when multiple canned versions hit the market.

Lone River Beverage Company debuted its Ranch Water Hard Seltzer in May 2020. After learning the legend of the “wild-haired rancher” and realizing it took place in the same area as her grandparent’s ranch, founder Brown felt there was an opportunity to tell that story to a wider audience and give people a taste of West Texas. The fact Ranch Water also lends itself to the wellness trend that’s seen hard seltzer surge in recent years also made it the perfect fit, Brown says.

Like many other hard seltzers, Lone River’s Ranch Water uses a brewed-malt rather than spirit base. The brand is currently only available in Texas and Tennessee, though expansion is on the horizon, Brown says.

For those looking to sample a tequila-based version on a national level, Cutwater Spirits launched its own Tequila Soda in March 2020. Flavored with a hint of natural lime, it’s a canned carbon copy of Ranch Water — in all but name, at least.

“[I]t’s important to clearly communicate that we use real tequila to make a signature cocktail known by many as ‘Ranch Water’ but known by all as ‘Tequila Soda,’” says Yuseff Cherney, Cutwater Spirits’ co-founder and master distiller.

Depending on how much Ranch Water’s popularity continues to grow, the decision to drop the iconic name may or may not prove savvy. To borrow (or butcher) a famous Shakespeare soliloquy: What’s in a name? That which we call Ranch Water by any other name would surely taste as refreshing and delicious.

But would that same drink be so damn popular?

The article Everything You Need to Know About Ranch Water (and Why Everyone’s Drinking It) appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/what-is-ranch-water-recipe/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/625806126701805568

[middletuna7-blog]

How To Get Rid Of Those Dark Circles Under Your Eyes

Our skin is technically our body’s largest organ, but it can often feel like it has a mind of its own! And like it or not, the way your skin looks can have a dramatic impact on your overall appearance. And there’s no better example of this effect than the dark puffiness that forms under your eyes. Even if you feel perfectly fine, those pesky dark circles can make you look tired, worn out, or even sick!

Luckily there are a lot of simple ways to get rid of those dark under-eye circles, instead of simply concealing them with creams or makup! And if you’re lucky, it may even be possible to prevent them entirely! To help in the fight against dark, puffy bags, I’ve put together a list of some of the best and easiest remedies for keeping your under-eye area looking healthy. And I’ll be sharing that list with you today! :-)

 <![CDATA[.player-position padding-left:0px !important; padding-right:0px !important; padding-bottom:0px !important; .copy padding: 12px !important; font-weight: 700; font-size: 15px !important; ]]>

I decided against singling out just one remedy, because everyone’s skin is different. Having more options gives you a better chance of finding the one that works best for your particular skin type! So give these remedies a try, and say hello to brighter, healthier-looking eyes!

1. Cucumbers

Using cucumber slices on your eyes is a classic treatment for a reason! Cucumbers have natural astringent properties that can shrink blood vessels and help reduce puffiness and inflammation. Just place a thin slice of cucumber over each of your closed eyelids, and leave them there for at least 15 minutes. It’s an effective way to brighten up the skin around your eyes, and it’s very relaxing too!

Another option is to grate a cucumber and press the grated pieces between clean gauze. Use this as a compress over your eyes.

Related: 15 Quick And Easy Home Remedies For Itchy, Red Eyes

2. Potatoes

Starchy potatoes also have anti-inflammatory properties that can help get rid of under-eye bags. Start by peeling and grating a raw potato. Pound the potato with a mortar and pestle (or the bottom of a drinking glass) until it forms a poultice. Apply it to your eyes and leave on for 15 minutes.

3. Extra Pillows

If you’re waking up with dark circles or bags under your eyes every morning, you may be retaining fluid under your eyes during the night. An easy way to prevent fluid from pooling there is to prop your head up with an extra pillow or two during sleep.

4. Nasal Spray

Sometimes dark circles are actually “allergy shiners,” a condition caused by nasal congestion that resembles a black eye. Use an over-the-counter saline spray to help clear out congestion. You can also use a neti pot filled with a solution of 2 cups of warm water and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Both options can help clear congestion and reduce the “shiner” effect.

5. Tea Bags

Tea bags contains tannins that can be very effective for reducing swelling and dark circles. Plus, the moisture from the tea bags helps rehydrate and brighten the skin around your eyes! Brew two bags of green or black tea, then allow the tea bags to cool in your fridge. Once they are cool, place a tea bag over each eye and leave them there for about 15 minutes.

6. Cold Compress

Any sort of cold compress can help constrict the blood vessels around your eyes and reduce the appearance of under-eye puffiness. Two easy options for cold compresses are a bag of frozen peas or chilled teaspoons. Lie down with your head propped up by pillows, and place the compress(es) over your eyes. Rest there for at least 10 minutes, then gently pat your eyes dry.

7. Milk

Milk has a lightening effect on skin that can be very helpful when dealing with dark circles under your eyes. Apply milk with a cotton ball to the skin around your eyes. Leave it to dry for about 30 minutes, then gently rinse the milk off with warm water.

8. Egg & Lemon

Egg has a tightening effect on skin, and lemon juice has lightening and brightening effects. When combined, they make a great revitalizing eye treatment! Mix one egg white with 3-5 drops of lemon juice. Soak two cotton balls in the egg and lemon mixture, then squeeze out any excess liquid. Place the damp cotton balls over your eyes and rest for about 10 minutes. Wash the residue off with warm water, then rinse clean with cold water.

9. Avocado Cream

Dark circles can make the fine lines underneath your eyes more pronounced. Avocado can nourish that skin and give it a fuller and more lively appearance! Combine 5 drops of almond oil with 3 slices of avocado to form a mash, then dab it on the skin underneath your eyes. Leave it on for 5 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

10. Almond Paste

Almonds are rich in vitamin E, which helps skin retain moisture and elasticity. You can take advantage of these effects by making a homemade almond paste treatment. Start by soaking a few almonds in water overnight, then in the morning, grind the soaked almonds into a paste. Add a few drops of milk to the mixture and apply it to the skin under your eyes for about 10 minutes. Rinse with cool water.

11. Cottage Cheese

Put a small amount of cottage cheese on two cotton pads. Place them over your closed eyelids for 15 minutes before bedtime. Come morning, your eyes will look hydrated and well-rested!

12. Beauty Sleep

The most important thing you can do to reduce dark circles is to get enough sleep! Lack of sleep causes skin to look pale and washed out, causing your blood vessels to appear even more pronounced. Make sure you’re getting at least 7-8 hours of “beauty sleep!”

13. Eat Healthy

Just as your diet affects your health and weight, it affects your skin too! The better your diet, the better your skin will look. To reduce dark circles and under-eye bags, make sure you’re eating plenty of vitamins C, E, and K, as well as iron and folic acid. You can find these nutrients in all kinds of foods, including citrus, berries, leafy greens, nuts, avocado, and green tea!

How do you deal with dark circles under your eyes? Do you simply conceal with makeup, or do you use a home remedy?

Source: https://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/13-remedies-for-dark-circles-under-eyes

[markclutch2-blog]

How To Get Rid Of Those Dark Circles Under Your Eyes

Our skin is technically our body’s largest organ, but it can often feel like it has a mind of its own! And like it or not, the way your skin looks can have a dramatic impact on your overall appearance. And there’s no better example of this effect than the dark puffiness that forms under your eyes. Even if you feel perfectly fine, those pesky dark circles can make you look tired, worn out, or even sick!

Luckily there are a lot of simple ways to get rid of those dark under-eye circles, instead of simply concealing them with creams or makup! And if you’re lucky, it may even be possible to prevent them entirely! To help in the fight against dark, puffy bags, I’ve put together a list of some of the best and easiest remedies for keeping your under-eye area looking healthy. And I’ll be sharing that list with you today! :-)

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I decided against singling out just one remedy, because everyone’s skin is different. Having more options gives you a better chance of finding the one that works best for your particular skin type! So give these remedies a try, and say hello to brighter, healthier-looking eyes!

1. Cucumbers

Using cucumber slices on your eyes is a classic treatment for a reason! Cucumbers have natural astringent properties that can shrink blood vessels and help reduce puffiness and inflammation. Just place a thin slice of cucumber over each of your closed eyelids, and leave them there for at least 15 minutes. It’s an effective way to brighten up the skin around your eyes, and it’s very relaxing too!

Another option is to grate a cucumber and press the grated pieces between clean gauze. Use this as a compress over your eyes.

Related: 15 Quick And Easy Home Remedies For Itchy, Red Eyes

2. Potatoes

Starchy potatoes also have anti-inflammatory properties that can help get rid of under-eye bags. Start by peeling and grating a raw potato. Pound the potato with a mortar and pestle (or the bottom of a drinking glass) until it forms a poultice. Apply it to your eyes and leave on for 15 minutes.

3. Extra Pillows

If you’re waking up with dark circles or bags under your eyes every morning, you may be retaining fluid under your eyes during the night. An easy way to prevent fluid from pooling there is to prop your head up with an extra pillow or two during sleep.

4. Nasal Spray

Sometimes dark circles are actually “allergy shiners,” a condition caused by nasal congestion that resembles a black eye. Use an over-the-counter saline spray to help clear out congestion. You can also use a neti pot filled with a solution of 2 cups of warm water and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Both options can help clear congestion and reduce the “shiner” effect.

5. Tea Bags

Tea bags contains tannins that can be very effective for reducing swelling and dark circles. Plus, the moisture from the tea bags helps rehydrate and brighten the skin around your eyes! Brew two bags of green or black tea, then allow the tea bags to cool in your fridge. Once they are cool, place a tea bag over each eye and leave them there for about 15 minutes.

6. Cold Compress

Any sort of cold compress can help constrict the blood vessels around your eyes and reduce the appearance of under-eye puffiness. Two easy options for cold compresses are a bag of frozen peas or chilled teaspoons. Lie down with your head propped up by pillows, and place the compress(es) over your eyes. Rest there for at least 10 minutes, then gently pat your eyes dry.

7. Milk

Milk has a lightening effect on skin that can be very helpful when dealing with dark circles under your eyes. Apply milk with a cotton ball to the skin around your eyes. Leave it to dry for about 30 minutes, then gently rinse the milk off with warm water.

8. Egg & Lemon

Egg has a tightening effect on skin, and lemon juice has lightening and brightening effects. When combined, they make a great revitalizing eye treatment! Mix one egg white with 3-5 drops of lemon juice. Soak two cotton balls in the egg and lemon mixture, then squeeze out any excess liquid. Place the damp cotton balls over your eyes and rest for about 10 minutes. Wash the residue off with warm water, then rinse clean with cold water.

9. Avocado Cream

Dark circles can make the fine lines underneath your eyes more pronounced. Avocado can nourish that skin and give it a fuller and more lively appearance! Combine 5 drops of almond oil with 3 slices of avocado to form a mash, then dab it on the skin underneath your eyes. Leave it on for 5 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

10. Almond Paste

Almonds are rich in vitamin E, which helps skin retain moisture and elasticity. You can take advantage of these effects by making a homemade almond paste treatment. Start by soaking a few almonds in water overnight, then in the morning, grind the soaked almonds into a paste. Add a few drops of milk to the mixture and apply it to the skin under your eyes for about 10 minutes. Rinse with cool water.

11. Cottage Cheese

Put a small amount of cottage cheese on two cotton pads. Place them over your closed eyelids for 15 minutes before bedtime. Come morning, your eyes will look hydrated and well-rested!

12. Beauty Sleep

The most important thing you can do to reduce dark circles is to get enough sleep! Lack of sleep causes skin to look pale and washed out, causing your blood vessels to appear even more pronounced. Make sure you’re getting at least 7-8 hours of “beauty sleep!”

13. Eat Healthy

Just as your diet affects your health and weight, it affects your skin too! The better your diet, the better your skin will look. To reduce dark circles and under-eye bags, make sure you’re eating plenty of vitamins C, E, and K, as well as iron and folic acid. You can find these nutrients in all kinds of foods, including citrus, berries, leafy greens, nuts, avocado, and green tea!

How do you deal with dark circles under your eyes? Do you simply conceal with makeup, or do you use a home remedy?

Source: https://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/13-remedies-for-dark-circles-under-eyes

[catknitmom-blog]

Hunter One Shot

The rag in my right hand slapped against the hood of my Ford Escape as I washed the dried bugs from the hood and front bumper. It was a hot day in the August heat of Texas reaching close to 100 degrees and above 90% humidity. Sweat was dripping down my skin and saturating my thin green cotton tank top and cut off shorts as I ran the soapy rag over the small SUV. I stood up to stretch arching my back when I heard the thumping rock bass of a classic rock song from the 80's caught my attention, and I glanced over to the vacuum cleaners in front of the washing bay where I was parked. A '67 black Impala with Kansas license plates was parked less than 20 feet away from me with the front doors open and the stereo blasting over the roar of the vacuum. The chrome was polished and the black paint job was well waxed and freshly washed. It was the epitome of American made classic car and I admired the detail as it was obviously well cared for. Next to the passenger door, I noticed long legs and a very fine masculine ass swinging to the beat of the song. As he kneeled on the front seat to reach across, I saw he was wearing rugged brown leather hiking boots. I didn't want to be caught gawking, so I quickly turned back to washing my car. Since I happen to like the classic Def Leppard song playing, I started swinging my hips and dancing to the beat and singing "Pour Some Sugar on Me". I was really getting into the music as I washed my car when I suddenly noticed the man with the Impala had finished and was staring at me as he leaned against the trunk. His long legs were crossed at the ankles and his well muscled arms were crossed over his t-shirt clad broad chest. I couldn't help but slide my eyes up his body taking in the narrow waist, tight abs, well defined shoulders and thick neck. His chin was a little scruffy like it had been at least two days since a razor had touched it. His full lips were stretched into a huge smile of white teeth as he watched me and his jaw was square with a little dimple in the center of his chin. I couldn't see the color of his eyes behind the dark sunglasses perched on his nose and his hair was a darker blonde color pushed off his forehead with gel. I shot him a flirty smile back since he was very attractive, and I didn't mind the audience since I was enjoying to music. I went back to washing my Escape. When I heard the car wash sprayer turn on I looked up over the top of my car, and I saw the tall man rinsing the side I had already washed. "Thanks." I said. "No, problem. Since I enjoyed your dancing to my music, I thought I'd help you finish so I could introduce myself." His voice was a deep baritone that sent a shiver down my spine. We finished washing my Escape together. I poured the soapy bucket into the drain and rinsed the rag in the sprayer. Shutting off the water, the man turned around and held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Dean." "Nice to meet you. I'm Rachel." I smiled up at Dean since he was about six inches taller than me and took his large hand into my smaller one. He was very sexy and appeared to be in his mid-thirties. Goosebumps traveled up my arm when I felt his fingers softly stroke my sensitive palm. His bright white smile widened and crinkles formed in the corners of his eyes at my physical response to his touch. His eyes followed my tongue as I nervously licked the sweat on my upper lip. "I've got some beer on ice in the trunk if you would like a cold drink." Dean offered. "You know exactly what a woman needs, don't you, Dean?" I teased back enjoying flirting with this gorgeous man. "Absolutely." He replied with a laugh and turned to pop the trunk of the Impala reaching inside and grabbing two longneck bottles of Shiner Bock from a beat up old metal green cooler. I caught a glimpse of a complex design in white paint on the inside trunk before Dean closed it. Opening both bottles, Dean walked over and handed me a bottle. Taking a long draw of the ice cold beer I swallowed the crisp dark flavor with a hum of pleasure. "Awesome." As I lowered the bottle I noticed Dean watching a drop of sweat slide down my neck into the low cleavage of my tank top. "Enjoying the view?" "Yeah. Hot girl in more ways than one is my favorite view." Dean said as he raised his eyes to mine and they began to burn with green fire. I felt my face flush in response to his appraisal. I watched his throat and the muscles in his neck as he tipped up his own bottle taking a long drink. I resisted the urge to run my palm down his well defined chest but my eyes must have betrayed me because Dean leaned towards me to whisper, "Want to get out of here and get to know each other some place a little more private?" "I have a better idea." I whispered back coyly. I tipped the bottle up and downed the cold brew. As I flipped the bottle into the trash, I asked, "If you want to follow me, I'll take you to my favorite place to cool off." Without waiting to see if he was going to follow me, I turned and hopped into my Escape and turned the key. I pulled out of the car wash bay and took a right onto the black top road. I smiled as heard the deep growl of the Impala following me. Heading towards my brother's ranch for 15 minutes, I turned off the highway onto one of the back ranch dirt roads and bumped over the cattle guard between the barbed wire fencing. We drove down to the edge of the 40 acre lake in the back pasture. As I turned off the engine, the Impala pulled next to my Escape and the engine turned off with a rev. I dropped the keys into the console and stepped out into the Texas heat. Whistling appreciatively under his breath, Dean stepped out of the car and said, "Awesome." He walked around the front of the car to stand next to me looking out across the lake. The water was clear enough to see the rocky bottom and the small minnows swimming just under the surface. There was a small island of rocks near the center with a few mesquite trees along the shores. An earthen dam surrounded the lake on one side where the lake had been dug out providing a very private setting. "Welcome to the Rocking R ranch, Dean. This is my favorite spot and the best place to spend a hot afternoon." I waved my hand towards the lake. "Feel like a swim?" "Absolutely. I've got some cut-offs in the trunk." Dean answered. "Oh, you don't need those." I smiled wickedly as I pulled my tank top off and dropped my shorts down my legs. Dean's eyes went wide as he realized that I was stripping right there and then smiled and unbuckled his belt before pulling off his t-shirt revealing a perfectly formed chest and tight abs. Without any embarrassment I took off my matching lace bra and panties and stood proudly letting Dean look his fill. As his jeans and briefs hit the ground, I glanced down to see the impressive erection he was sporting. Before he could untie his hiking boots, I kicked out of my tennis shoes. "Race you to the island!" I said as I took off for the water and dove long and low into the lake. I heard a guffaw of laughter at my playfulness and before long there was a splash behind me. Setting out with long strokes, Dean quickly caught up to me and passed me to reach the rocks first. I reached the island just a second behind him. On the side we reached, there was a sheer drop below the water so we held the rocks while we caught our breath treading water. "I win." Dean said laughing. "What do I get as a prize?" I wrapped both arms around his neck so he had to keep one hand on the rock to keep us from going under the water. Pressing my body to his, I kissed him. He slid his free arm around my waist and arched my back into him so I could feel his naked skin from my shoulders to my feet. Tilting his head slightly he ran his tongue along my lips asking for permission to enter which I granted so our mouths could blend together completely. Using my tongue to trace every texture from the serrated edges of his teeth and the soft inside of his lips, I lost all sense of the world around me but my intense focus on the man in my arms. I felt Dean's hand move up my spine, and he buried his hand in my long hair holding my head as he plundered my mouth as thoroughly as I was exploring his. The intense explosion of passion between us was quickly unquenchable, and we were fighting to get closer without drowning. Breaking apart and breathing harshly, Dean quickly pushed up onto the small rock island and lifted me up effortlessly into his arms. He maneuvered me so that I was lying on my back with him leaning over me. He leaned down and rested his thigh between mine and continued to kiss me till nothing existed except him to me. Breaking contact, Dean pushed up onto his elbows to look down into my eyes. The sun was directly behind his head giving him a halo like look and almost all of the green was swallowed up with his blown pupils. "Damn! Rachel, you are so hot." Dean's voice was deeper and rougher as he tried to catch his breath. "Want to continue this back on shore so I can get a condom?" "Absolutely, cowboy." I smiled up at him stroking my hand down his slick damp shoulders and arms. Dean stood quickly and held out his hand to pull me up off the rocks. As I stood, I flowed into his arms again and moved my hand onto the back of his head pulling him down to merge my mouth to his for more deep wet kisses. I could feel the sun's warmth all over my body intensifying the sensations I was experiencing with Dean. All my focus began to pool into my lower abdomen and between my legs. Dean's hand slid up my rib cage to caress my breast causing a shiver to run down my spine making my knees weak. Placing my palms on his pectorals I gently pushed back gaining some distance between our bodies to draw a deep breath. Without a word I spun on my heel and dove into the lake setting out as fast as possible for the shore where my Escape and the Impala were parked. Again, I heard a splash behind me as Dean entered the lake swimming as quickly as I was. He made it to the shore first and I left the water a few seconds behind him. I stood admiring his body in the bright sunshine as he walked to the trunk of the Impala. There wasn't a single imperfection on that gorgeous body from his muscular calves, lean waist, rounded butt, and broad shoulders. Dean pulled a red and black plaid blanket from the trunk and spread it out between our cars. His eyes were burning with desire and he slowly held out his hand beckoning me to him. As if I was being pulled by an invisible rope, I walked toward him slowly giving an extra sway to my hips. I moved into his arms and he lowered us to the blanket covered ground. I was burning for him already, "I feel empty Dean. Fill me, please." I begged. Leaning up and rolling onto his side, he picked up a small foil packet and rolled the condom onto his engorged cock. It was as beautiful as the rest of his body, thick, rounded, and long enough to guarantee absolute pleasure to a woman. Trailing his hand up from my ankle to the center of my core, Dean moaned when he felt how wet and ready I was for him. "Jeez, Rachel, you are so beautiful and perfect." He lightly circle my clit drawing out gasps of pleasure from my lips. Increasing the pressure, he eased his long finger into me causing my hips to jerk towards his hand. "Easy baby, we're almost there." Adding another long finger, I gasped as he stretched me causing another wave of moisture to pool from my core as he watched my face for every reactions he was drawing out of me. My hands instinctively clinched on his shoulder digging my nails into him causing him to groan. "That's it, I can't wait another second." Dean rolled between my thighs and fitted his latex covered cock into my sensitive core. I melted around him as the stretching sensation made waves of ecstasy travel all over my body. I moaned as Dean fitted his mouth to my lips and mimicked the motion of his rocking hips with his tongue. Wrapping my arms tightly around his back and raising my knees to take him as deep as I could, I tried to hold onto the only thing in my reality at that moment, Dean. As I moaned into his mouth, he started moving faster hitting my sweet spot deep inside with every thrust. Unconsciously my nails dug into his butt cheeks and we began to be climb the pinnacle of ecstasy. Raising my hips, I met Dean's thrusts pushing us both towards climax faster and faster. I broke away from his amazing mouth gasping for oxygen and buried my face into the junction of his neck and shoulder. Dean was pushing up on his arms and every muscle was tensed with the strength of our mutual physical need. Just when I thought I couldn't contain his powerful strokes, I climaxed with a yell and bit down on the tendons of his neck where my mouth was. Right then, Dean threw back his head and gave a loud shout as he strained in finding his own release and poured into the condom. After jerking three powerful times, he collapse onto me, and I savored his weight cradled on my pelvis as we both gasped for air. After several long minutes, our breathing returned to almost normal. Dean stirred, "I'm crushing you." He moved to roll onto his side, but I held on him which made him smile. When his cock softened and eased from from my body, I let go of my tight grip on his shoulders letting him roll to lay beside me. He peeled off the condom and rolled to his side facing me resting his head on his hand. "Wow, that was incredible, Rachel." With my eyes closed I smiled, "Yeah, cowboy, that was a hell of a ride." Dean laid back and laughed loud and long. "I sure am glad I needed to wash the Impala today." Dean said as his laughing slowed down. The sun felt wonderful on my naked skin, so I lifted my arms above my head with a deep sigh. I was more relaxed than I had been my entire life thanks to the gorgeous man beside me. "I needed this so much, thank you." I said as I stretched fully on the blanket. "Really? Glad to be of service. Give me a call anytime you need to expend some tension." Dean said as he turned to face me again. "You weren't the only one feeling stressed. Baby, I should be thanking you." "Your welcome, cowboy." Goosebumps starting on my arms and legs and I shivered from the water and sweat drying on my skin. Seeing my shiver, Dean wrapped his long arms around me and turned me into his chest. It was like having my own heating blanket. "You are so warm. Does you internal heater always stay on." I teased and he chuckled. "Baby, you are the hot one, not me." He said against the top of my hair and pulled the blanket to cover me. We laid wrapped in each other's arms for about ten minutes savoring the euphoric aftermath before Dean's stomach made a loud growl causing me to giggle. "Someone's hungry." "What can I say, man can't live by sex alone." Dean gave me a squeeze and kissed my forehead. "The least I can do is buy you dinner for sharing your private lake with me." "Is that your way of asking me out, cowboy?" I said against his chest giggling a little at the absurdity of the situation since I just had sex with a man I met only a few hours ago. "Well...yeah." He said a little sheepishly. Until his stomach made another loud growl, causing us to laugh again. "Dinner is definitely needed." We got up and while Dean put the blanket back in the trunk, I opened the hatch on my Escape and opened my gym bag which had a complete change of clean clothes. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean open a beat up duffle bag and pull out clean clothes of his own. After I dressed, I walked down to the shore and gathered up our abandoned clothes. Separating them, I handed Dean his and laid mine in the hatch. "What are you hungry for?" I asked. Dean gave me a pointed look as his gaze slowly traveled from my shoes up my body to my eyes, "Besides what you already gave me? Can I get seconds later?" I playfully punched his arm which he grabbed and pulled me into a gentle hug. "You probably know a good local place since I'm not from around here, so how about you surprise me?" "You like barbecue?" I asked. "Awesome. I haven't had good Texas barbecue in years." He answered. "Then, I know the perfect place. It's only about two miles up the highway." With a small feeling of disappointment, I stepped out of Dean's arms and climbed into my Escape. He followed me again off the ranch and onto the highway to C&J's which had the best brisket in town. We had a wonderful dinner and talked for hours about all kinds of things that we had in common: classic rock music, driving on long road trips, even our love of the classic Three Stooges. Leaving the restaurant after it had gotten dark, Dean walked with me over to my Escape. Neither of us wanted this day to end, so the silence stretched between us for several minutes before Dean said, "I better get back to my brother at the hotel. He's probably wondering where I've been all day." "Me too. Kyle, my older brother, is a little over-protective and I'm surprised he hasn't tried to text or call me yet." Just as I finished saying that my phone vibrated so I pulled it out of my pocket and checked the message. Sure enough, Kyle was asking where the hell I was. "I better get going." "Yeah, me too." Dean leaned down towards me looking deep into my eyes. Just as I was drowning in Dean's apple green eyes, a large shiny black SUV with black tinted windows came squealing into the parking lot. It screeched to a stopped just in front of us, and four very large men jumped out. Dean immediately stepped in front of me and pushed me behind his wide back. Every muscle I could see outlined in his tight shirt was tensed and he widened his stance as the men approach. "Winchester. I've waited a long time to take you on." The first man spoke in growl that didn't sound quite human, and I noticed that his eyes were black as crude oil. Since my brother Kyle and I were hunters, I recognized the eyes of a demon and the name Dean Winchester was familiar too. "Let's get it on, you demon son of a bitch." Dean snarled in return as he slipped a wicked looking silver bone handle knife from the back waistband of his belted jeans. "Rachel, get in your car and get the hell out of here." Dean said without taking his eyes off the four men advancing on us. Oh, I don't think the lady should leave. Severn and Legion get the woman, Falkirk and I will take care of Winchester." The demonic leader barked orders to his companions. Two of the demons began to flank Dean and I before I could take one step towards my car. I spun till I was back to back with Dean and prepared to defend myself. Even with all the self defense and martial arts courses I had taken, there was no defense against their unnatural speed, and I was quickly rendered unconscious from a right hook to my jaw from one of the huge demons. As I fell into blackness, my last sight was Dean lying prone on the asphalt with blood dripping from a gash on his forehead next to my smashed phone. My last thought was how stupid Kyle was going to think I was because I left my weapons in the Escape and spent the day with Dean unarmed.

[lauriecgarcia]

How To Get Rid Of Those Dark Circles Under Your Eyes

Our skin is technically our body’s largest organ, but it can often feel like it has a mind of its own! And like it or not, the way your skin looks can have a dramatic impact on your overall appearance. And there’s no better example of this effect than the dark puffiness that forms under your eyes. Even if you feel perfectly fine, those pesky dark circles can make you look tired, worn out, or even sick!

Luckily there are a lot of simple ways to get rid of those dark under-eye circles, instead of simply concealing them with creams or makup! And if you’re lucky, it may even be possible to prevent them entirely! To help in the fight against dark, puffy bags, I’ve put together a list of some of the best and easiest remedies for keeping your under-eye area looking healthy. And I’ll be sharing that list with you today! :-)

I decided against singling out just one remedy, because everyone’s skin is different. Having more options gives you a better chance of finding the one that works best for your particular skin type! So give these remedies a try, and say hello to brighter, healthier-looking eyes!

13 Easy Remedies For Dark Circles Under Your Eyes

1. Cucumbers

Using cucumber slices on your eyes is a classic treatment for a reason! Cucumbers have natural astringent properties that can shrink blood vessels and help reduce puffiness and inflammation. Just place a thin slice of cucumber over each of your closed eyelids, and leave them there for at least 15 minutes. It’s an effective way to brighten up the skin around your eyes, and it’s very relaxing too!

Another option is to grate a cucumber and press the grated pieces between clean gauze. Use this as a compress over your eyes.

Related: 15 Quick And Easy Home Remedies For Itchy, Red Eyes

2. Potatoes

Starchy potatoes also have anti-inflammatory properties that can help get rid of under-eye bags. Start by peeling and grating a raw potato. Pound the potato with a mortar and pestle (or the bottom of a drinking glass) until it forms a poultice. Apply it to your eyes and leave on for 15 minutes.

3. Extra Pillows

If you’re waking up with dark circles or bags under your eyes every morning, you may be retaining fluid under your eyes during the night. An easy way to prevent fluid from pooling there is to prop your head up with an extra pillow or two during sleep.

4. Nasal Spray

Sometimes dark circles are actually “allergy shiners,” a condition caused by nasal congestion that resembles a black eye. Use an over-the-counter saline spray to help clear out congestion. You can also use a neti pot filled with a solution of 2 cups of warm water and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Both options can help clear congestion and reduce the “shiner” effect.

5. Tea Bags

Tea bags contains tannins that can be very effective for reducing swelling and dark circles. Plus, the moisture from the tea bags helps rehydrate and brighten the skin around your eyes! Brew two bags of green or black tea, then allow the tea bags to cool in your fridge. Once they are cool, place a tea bag over each eye and leave them there for about 15 minutes.

6. Cold Compress

Any sort of cold compress can help constrict the blood vessels around your eyes and reduce the appearance of under-eye puffiness. Two easy options for cold compresses are a bag of frozen peas or chilled teaspoons. Lie down with your head propped up by pillows, and place the compress(es) over your eyes. Rest there for at least 10 minutes, then gently pat your eyes dry.

7. Milk

Milk has a lightening effect on skin that can be very helpful when dealing with dark circles under your eyes. Apply milk with a cotton ball to the skin around your eyes. Leave it to dry for about 30 minutes, then gently rinse the milk off with warm water.

8. Egg & Lemon

Egg has a tightening effect on skin, and lemon juice has lightening and brightening effects. When combined, they make a great revitalizing eye treatment! Mix one egg white with 3-5 drops of lemon juice. Soak two cotton balls in the egg and lemon mixture, then squeeze out any excess liquid. Place the damp cotton balls over your eyes and rest for about 10 minutes. Wash the residue off with warm water, then rinse clean with cold water.

9. Avocado Cream

Dark circles can make the fine lines underneath your eyes more pronounced. Avocado can nourish that skin and give it a fuller and more lively appearance! Combine 5 drops of almond oil with 3 slices of avocado to form a mash, then dab it on the skin underneath your eyes. Leave it on for 5 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

10. Almond Paste

Almonds are rich in vitamin E, which helps skin retain moisture and elasticity. You can take advantage of these effects by making a homemade almond paste treatment. Start by soaking a few almonds in water overnight, then in the morning, grind the soaked almonds into a paste. Add a few drops of milk to the mixture and apply it to the skin under your eyes for about 10 minutes. Rinse with cool water.

11. Cottage Cheese

Put a small amount of cottage cheese on two cotton pads. Place them over your closed eyelids for 15 minutes before bedtime. Come morning, your eyes will look hydrated and well-rested!

12. Beauty Sleep

The most important thing you can do to reduce dark circles is to get enough sleep! Lack of sleep causes skin to look pale and washed out, causing your blood vessels to appear even more pronounced. Make sure you’re getting at least 7-8 hours of “beauty sleep!”

13. Eat Healthy

Just as your diet affects your health and weight, it affects your skin too! The better your diet, the better your skin will look. To reduce dark circles and under-eye bags, make sure you’re eating plenty of vitamins C, E, and K, as well as iron and folic acid. You can find these nutrients in all kinds of foods, including citrus, berries, leafy greens, nuts, avocado, and green tea!

How do you deal with dark circles under your eyes? Do you simply conceal with makeup, or do you use a home remedy?

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8302119 https://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/13-remedies-for-dark-circles-under-eyes from The Top Cleaner https://thetopcleaner.tumblr.com/post/180583472667

[ethellopez]

Shiner Beers Ram Shiner Beers was born and bred in the heart of Texas. Since 190...

Shiner Beers Ram Shiner Beers was born and bred in the heart of Texas. Since 1909, every drop of their award-winning beer has been brewed at the Spoetzel Brewery in the small town of Shiner. A hometow

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Shiner Beers Ram Shiner Beers was born and bred in the heart of Texas. Since 190… was originally published on Jump In Shirt