Looking after the shop once her mother left to get linens meant the beer she had made was ruin. As much as it hurt Barley to do so, the idea of having the right equipment to play with was enough to lighten the burden of throwing it out and cleaning everything with nothing to show for it.
Once she got her hooves on her brewing kit, she set out to make a new batch, this time with a more careful eye and even a bit of dare now that she had her mother's approval. She was thrill with each step, and her patience was infinite when coming to the long heating times, and cooling downs, and while the smell seemed to bother the rest, she found she could almost tell where the fire needed to be turned down or up. The only time she found herself her patience running thin was the long fermenting times, apparently even non-alcoholic beer still needed it.
She found other things to do, tho. From drawing bottle labels to reading up in ways to add flavors or refining the beer. By the time her first batch was ready for bottling and drinking, she found herself nervous. What if she didn't like this new drink? She had tried to so many already.
She bottle the golden liquid and cap all the bottles but one. Having no more things to do to stall the tasting, she debated whenever to drink from the bottle or tipped it into a mug. She read somewhere that tasting were down on pudgy rounded glasses, but she didn't have any of those. With a final berating of her indecision, she dumped the beer into her favorite mug, glad to see that the beer was all bubbly as it was suppose to.
Taking a sip, her ears perked up at the bitter flavor, and swallowing, she found the after taste to be strong. Barley kept taking little sips, finally bringing out her book and writing down her thoughts on the flavor until she found her mug was completely empty. It surprised her. She almost never finish a drink she made, and yet she was starting to eye the other bottles.
She knew there was an alcoholic version, and knew she couldn't have it, but she wanted to. After all the virgin versions of drinks she had tried, she found one that almost tempted her to break the rules again. Almost. She did learn her lesson, tho.
Opening a second bottle, she found her thoughts turning towards ways to make it lighter or stronger flavor, to add maybe a fruity after taste, like lemon or apples! She read about adding other type of flowers, she would have to talk to her uncle, Honeysuckle. Her mind kept buzzing away until the second bottle was empty. If she kept this pace, she'll have to make another batch soon, and thought of that thrill her.
Showing some restrained, she recalled promising Sunny and Ikebana some, and Pink would certainly want to try it too! Packing up the rest of the bottles, but one, in her saddle bags, she put the excluded one on the counter with a little note to her mama before running out of the house. As she trotted off to find her friends, she never been more excited about anything in her short little life before. Was this what Kit felt about cooking? Or her mama about baking?
She had watched documentary on breweries, perhaps she could open one of those! She could sell the product to restaurants, and maybe Pink would like to sell it at her bar!
Barley nearly let out a high pitched squeak of happiness as she realize her purpose!
