One evening before going to work a huge mistake was made. Teenage children were allowed to go to the store with Grand parents, un-escorted by any other adults and given the debit card. What do they return with? Bags of snacks and junk food, a board game “Battle of the Sexes”, and an $80 store receipt. My niece then informs me:
C: We are so playing this tonight.
Me: Board games really?
C: Yes and you’re having fun.
Me: I don’t like fun
C: You’re playing and you’re having fun. Its mandatory fun night.
Me: (in a 2-year-old bratty voice) I don’t want to have fun, mandatory fun sucks! and commence to stick my tongue out.
C: sticks out her tongue in reply and commences putting snacks together.

I figure if I’m being made to have fun at least I can enjoy a beer to go with it. I crack open a Schlafly Coffee Raspberry Stout. This beer brewed by Schlafly in conjunction with Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Company, a local St. Louis roaster, and Schnucks market an area grocery chain. This beer pours black and thick with very little head. The coffee and oatmeal are in the aroma. The beer has a wonderful coffer flavor and a great thickness from the oatmeal. My only complaint was no raspberry. There was a tartness from them. I could recognize it from my own raspberry beers. Just not enough raspberry flavor to blend with the astringent coffee. Don’t get me wrong this was not a bad beer. Had it said coffee stout on the label I would have loved it. I just would have liked to see more of a showing from the raspberry. The beer was later paired with a help yourself selection of Swedish Fish, Sour Skittles, Raisinets, Gumi Bears, and popcorn. Which also ended up being my dinner before work. It truly did pair well with the Sour Skittles.

As for mandatory fun night. Round 1 pitted my wife and niece VS. my son and myself. Round 1 Men. Round 2 started the same with a midway showing of my mother-in-law and brother, no not together. Round 2 Girls. Round 3 was to be the tie breaker it was a tough fought battle but in the end, oh yea you guessed it Round 3 Men! That’s right boys rule and girls drool. I looked at my niece as I left for work and taunted “That will teach you to make me have mandatory fun.”.