Thursday, September 16, 2010

Week 'O De Hopz

On to a short week from Labor Day, here's the 411 on my tastings. Otherwise known as - Yummy things I put in my mouth starting on Monday ending on Sunday. Smell, drink, repeat.:

Mon. Sept. 6th
@ the Rock in Federal Way with MGD
Drank 2 pints of their Rock Steady Red which is very delicious. Normally don't go for the reds (only when it comes to beer, don't freak out Basil) but this was very smooth, resembling a wheat taste. I liked it a lot.
The Whut? Okay: Randomly ended up all over on Monday. Got a massage in the a.m. which made me feel all drunk like, then ran on a treadmill for 30m. Hilarious. Next time, gym first then a massage. Picked up MGD from SeaTac (yay!) and on the way back (for the 2nd time...) we hit up 99 Bottles for some future beer tastings and had dindin @ the Rock. Very yummy topping secured pizza amidst vacay present giveage and catching up.

I just found out that 99 Bottles is hosting 'style' night every Tuesday so you can taste and learn about the 25+ styles of beer. Sounds awesome and a perfect way to learn loads while meeting fabulous libation drinking folks. I work late every Tuesday. Meh. Totally bummed and bitching about it to MGD & I'm pretty sure the response that I heard was "Hang around me more. Are you too good for beer @ my house now? 'uck's sake, woman." However this is my interpretation of that: "We should hang out on a specific day once a week and do this. It means I'll have to answer less texts, it's better that way. Beer shall be free and flowing. I'll teach you everything I know." hahaha. Or something like that.

Wed. Sept. 8th
Where we be at: 1022 South in Tacoma with MGD, Basil & Rue

Wall of Awesome @ 1022
What we b drankin': Seamstress Union & a Journey to the End of the Night (martini made with Zacaba 23yr old rum, cold press coffee, cayenne & cocoa.)
What a great night: Facebook is not only the bane of my existence (total free time vacuum) but a blessing in many ways. Logged in to see a post made by 1022 South that they are now serving beer again. I just had to give them a little ring a ling to see if Seamstress Union was there. I inquired and dude @ 1022 replies "Is this the girl that always emails me about SU?" Yes, yes it is; now answer the fucking question. So I contacted my fave beer drinking crew to meet up and per usual SOP, the good times began to roll. I thought the SU tasted a bit off. In my mind it was because when the 'lines blew' on these kegs a few weeks ago, the beer has been sitting there the whole time. Does this = badness? I did realize that I am currently kinda over SU (I flew too close to the sun, yay for OCD being all up on my passions and ruining them) and that's why it felt off. Don't despair, more on that later as I will be scribing a farewell letter to SU.

**I am currently too worn out from Brouwer's Hopfest last night to go into the plethora of details as I play catchup for the week, so here's a list of things I remember that will most likely only make sense or inspire a reminiscent laugh from my mates that were present**

Succulent nectarine bribery. Random inflation of growler prices, SE chalkboard proof of life pictures. What does a doctor look like? The allowance of vegetarianism & the denial of funky nail polish. 'Cross table face punching. Natural Harvest collection. Animals vs. Random varietals has nothing to do with eating or not eating meat. Stuck doors. How long is too long to shake a martini and why the F is it so loud? Regardless of breasticle size, this face is a $ maker. "She would like to order this martini, because I want to try it." What upstanding establishment runs out of basil? Next time, BYOBasil. Lit&Libations suddenly had a french immersion, we oui wii.Good fun, as usual.

Thurs. Sept. 9th
Virtual Colorado Beer Tasting Event
As this was a solo mission, I had to take notes and attempt to actually think about the beer I was drinking. Had to happen sometime... be scared. I even went sans lip gloss for the occasion.

6:30p New Belgium Fat Tire in a can-can: Cracked that puppy open @ go time, love the sound. From the (very aesthetically pleasing) can, I found Fat Tire to taste a bit lighter in the can than drinking it from the bottle. Very caramel tasting, perhaps from all that wind powered goodness New Belgium harnesses?
 6:57p Boulder BC Hazed & Infused Double Dry Hop: Paired with a thin crust margherita pizza. A dark amber color in the glass, very carbonated and fizzy. Borderline IPA face making but with a light sweet finish. Very good IPA for this girl, entirely drinkable and enjoyable. I super likey.
(stopped keeping track of time, was downing 2 beers an hour watching the 1st NFL game of the season)
New Belgium Ranger IPA: Love the label. Nice pop graphic goodness. Set it out to warm it up a bit. Nice and lacy; just the way your mother likes it. Very strong but light feel inside my face. Smooth in the beginning, pretty bitter finish. 70 IBU's in this puppy, a bit too much for me to enjoy a lot of.
Great Divide Raspberry Ale: Very crisp. Floral. Light. A muy bonita cerveza. Fuschia colored in the glass, makes me feel I'm drinking out of rose colored glasses. Yeah.... crack myself up.


So all in all, a fun event. Even though I didn't blog about my ales at the time of consumption, it was fun knowing fellow beer geeks around the globe were doing the exact same thing I was. Yay for solidarity!

Wknd of 10th - 12th
The much anticipated Brouwer's Hopfest in Fremont!! What a great place (some say the best bar in America) to try some ales & chill out for a few days. Glad they didn't start making us pay rent, although those couches were MIGHTY comfy.
Where: Schooner Exact Tasting Room & Brouwer's Cafe
Who: MGD & Me
What we drank:
Wee Heavy
Hopvine
Schooner Exact
Wee Heavy
Gallant Maiden Hefweizen
Brouwer's Cafe
Midnight Sun Sun Hop Dog Double Wheat
Black Raven Dry Hopped Trickster firkin
(Winner of the weekend!)
Naked City Ace in the Hole
Ram Black Sheep cask
Walking Man Homo Erectus
Double Mountain Molten Lava
Dogfish Head Burton Baton
Southern Tier Unearthly
All paired with some cheese plate goodness, mahi mahi & kangaroo steak. No, I'm not kidding & yes I did try it. Remind me not to do that again. No meat no mo, especially the kind that tastes like cow that ate a fish.
(Please insert one Iron Girl to make our day perfect for a threesome, yay Shanna! Great way to start out a day)
Bottleworks 
 Silver City WhooPass DIPA
Pliny the Elder
Greenflash Imperial IPA
Weisen Edel Weisse
(& bought a whole host of brews to try @ home)
2nd Round @ Brouwers
Fremont Interurban
Hales Harvest Cask
Iron Horse Chinook Firkin
Skagit Dry Hopped Copperhead
Anthem Hops Cider
Double Mountain Molten Lave
Left Hand Twin Sisters
New Belgium Belgo
Thornbridge Hall Jaipur

Cheers!
Wow... what a list but it was over 2 days and 3 people made the effort (and we discovered sampler sizes, thank goodness) so we tasted everything in a fairly efficient manner and even turned a newbie back to the dark side, the IPA side. Left with some interesting parting gifts, one ale even left 2 little hop leaves in my mouth. That was super exciting after the initial "uh... what the F is that??!!" They are currently drying on my desk, will flower press them later. That's not a joke. I'll probably ghetto laminate them.

Our view of the world that day. Magic!
That's the week for you, it's been a busy one ale-wise but they all seem to be that way lately... weird. So many fun events, so little time. For any of you who are concerned about the amount I consume, please be comforted in the fact that I exercise almost every day of the week and stick to a (mostly) super healthy vegetarian diet. Still young and having fun, wouldn't have it any other way right now.




Signing out w/ a "Congrats!" to Black Raven Trickster. Will be journeying to the Black Raven Brewery soon. Here is a quote on your behalf.
"Who cares how time advances? I am drinking ale today."  
Edgar Allan Poe

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