Brewery Curling at Land Grant

After a dry, mild winter, I’ve been quietly saying recently I wouldn’t mind one more decent snowfall. Remarkably, despite a forecast that didn't predict as such, we woke up on Daylight Savings Time Sunday to a couple inches of beautiful snow.

This was timely, as we still had one winter-specific activity on our calendar before we officially enter spring: brewery curling at Land Grant. 

The reservations were hard to come by, as we’ve had this booked for seemingly months. Each reservation comes with a heated outdoor igloo. Upon arrival, we were taken to ours and given a scorecard for our family’s game. After discussion, we determined the fairest teams would be boys (me and my son) versus girls (my wife and two daughters).

After acquainting ourselves with the rules, we stepped onto the ice for a quick warmup to get the feel for the game. It proved to be harder than any of us anticipated to expend the right amount of force to ensure the small keg slides across the ice and stops within the circle on the other end of the rink.

The girls started off fast with an early lead, as the boys couldn’t find the proper touch. My son was especially reckless with his initial tosses to say the least. 

A break was requested after the fourth round (you play ten) for a possible snack. I obliged by picking up a pound of waffle fries from the Ray Ray's Hog Pit food truck on site.

​We were soon back at it. My youngest daughter, who’s never seen a french fry she didn’t like, was shuffling back and forth from the igloo and the rink, shoveling fries into her mouth as we played.

The boys settled in and by the end of the game had taken a four-point lead to clinch the victory. My wife and oldest daughter - certainly the most competitive members of my family - were disappointed if not outright salty (and not from the fries) by the outcome.

This late in the season, you may have to wait until next winter for a round of brewery curling, but I highly recommend it. Land Grant with its outdoor beer garden is certainly a destination and one that is incredibly family friendly. We’ve taken our kids there several times, as there’s always activities, music, sports, or some combination available.

-Steven Michalovich, Regular Contributor