Park it right there mister!

It's been a hot minute since I enjoyed a pint at the Parkway Tavern, so there was very little arm twisting involved in getting me to stop by last night. To my shock and awe, it happened to be Double IPA night. 2nd day of the 2nd month... why WOULDN'T it be Double IPA night @ Parkway? Oh, that's right... because nobody told me therefore it shall not exist! Parkway, can I come have some of your awesome tomato/gorgonzola/basil soup next time you bust it out and handle all of your event PR? Seriously guys... cereal.

What was meant to be one pint (Russian River Damnation, woot!), turned into dos (2010 Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barley Wine), which also included a free schooner from bartender Nick (Hair of the Dog) as well as another schooner poured by the owners of Bremerton's Der Blokken Brewery (Sacred Hop Double IPA).

Which is all fine and dandy but it kinda created some overflow into the rest of my evening when I started off wanting to just have one pint and a few laughs with a friend. Oh well... had some new beers and hung out with friends old and new. Plus I got the skinny on some upcoming Parkway events that are Sharpie worthy in the Calender O' the Pissed LiBEERian. Check it out:

2/14 - Tap Night Tacoma (Parkway will have the Big Al Hop Villain Black IPA)

& also on 2/14 (Valentine's Day for you knuckleheads who don't know)...

2/14 - Parkway will have a slough of chocolate beers

2/16 - New Belgium Brewer's Night

3/2 - Silver City Brewer's Night

3/29 - Ninkasi Brewer's Night

And according to the taps under the 'Next On Tap' sign, we'll be seeing some Big Al's Winter Warmer osoon, plus something about the Younger coming... Ohhhhhhhh.

needing someone to warm up my winter...

the pissed liBEERian

Photo Credits to MGD & myself

things i do for no good reason...

Are listed here:
1. run. i want to be a runner, but don't want to have to run all the time in order to become one.
2. have the inclination to do/attend every beer related activity possible.

So that brings us to the events of my upcoming evening.
A: 1st 2010 NFL Season game. Vikings vs. Saints. Football season gives me super giddy feeling that resonates all the way down to my tight end.
2: Make zucchini bread w/ the large squash on my counter, courtesy of being mom'd by Basil.
G: Participate in the (1st ever) Virtual Colorado Beer Tasting. Yay!

Do I care about Colorado? Not particularly. Capital building is all shiny like.
Do they make any of my 'must have' beers and therefore giving me a reason to drink them? No.
Do I want to eventually attend the Great American Beer Festival they host there every year? Oh hellz yes.

It does however give me a cause to try some new ales and styles I have not before, effing magical. Plus it gives me a fun beer blog related activity to do at the same time as other peeps who feel the need to spread the good word about beer. Ahhhh-sum. Will be drinking Colorado brewed beer while perfecting my culinary skills by attempting to create a healthy version of my fave sweet loaf & enjoying the beginning of pigskin season... sign. me. up. Sounds like a bomb diggity night to me!

Here's the lineup...
New Belgium Fat Tire (in a can, which I have never had before. plus my taste in beer is changing, will be fun to do a review of FT)
New Belgium Ranger IPA
Great Divide Wild Raspberry Ale
Boulder Beer Company Hazed and Infused Dry Hopped Ale (first Colorado brewery ever opened)

Essentially how this Virtual Beer Tasting dealy works is: You buy ales made by any Colorado Brewery, the event starts at 6:30p (our time). You start tasting and reviewing on blogging sites, Facebook, Twitter etc as a collective. I'm thinking this might be a perfect combo with my football watching. Will blog later about my thoughts, opinions and whether or not this was all worth my time. ;)

retALE therapy

I have learned a very valuable lesson about myself today. I have always known that shopping gave me a little happy in the way of "yay, goodies!!", ie retail therapy. Feeling a little down... go buy something new & shiny, works like a charm. I didn't have any need to be cheered up as I perused the stores in Lakewood Town Center, I had legit reasons to be in that area. Bought some new workout pants, a yoga mat to prevent myself from eventually contracting herpes from the ones that All Star lets you borrow and a super cute new dress for the next PBF (private beer fest). The last 'super cute new dress' I wore at PBF seemed to lead to fun places, so... why not?

So clothes and yoga stuff, blah blah blah; was heading up 56th, on the way back home from a Trader Joe's run, and decided to swing into Tacoma Pipe & Tobacco. I actually had a list of items to get on the next beer run because some cool seasonals have been released and the Oskar Blues virtual beer tasting is in less than a week (more on that later).

Check out the awesomeness that I acquired!! Fuck me, even the beer guy at TP&T commented on my great/random selection. So did this guy who pulled up in my driveway as I was unloading groceries. He was trying to sell me some steak. Weird, right? I asked him "Could we cut this short & both get on with our days if I told you right now that I'm a vegetarian?". Yeah, okay, BYE! Haha.

Anywho... from left to right here's the 411. (plan to add more info on each later as I try them)

World Beers @ Tacoma Pipe & Tobacco

-Southern Tier Pumking Ale

-Southern Tier Creme Brulee Stout (had at Brouwer's and it was uh-maze-ing)

-Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat

-Great Divide Wild Raspberry Ale (saving for CO Virtual Beer Taste)

-New Belgium Fat Tire (had a million times, first time out of a can, also saving for Virtual BT)

-New Belgium Ranger IPA (Virtual BT)

Trader Joe's

-Stone Ruination IPA (Don't believe I've had before. Missing MGD (who loves Stone, that arrogant bastard) & wanted an IPA to try tonight after I run a bazillion miles @ the gym.  I'm worried about caving in and drinking one of my DFHead WWStout's that are being hoarded in the back of my fridge)

-Mosen Cleto Spanish red wine (not super into Spanish wine but look closely @ the bottle. All those speckled flecks are sand. This thing is freaking coated in SAND. A must buy, too cool!)

So what does this all have to do with retail therapy, you might be asking yourself. As I selected my beers ever so carefully and bs'ed with the store clerk for a hot minute about Tacoma Craft BF & my selection of ales; my mood started to lift and lift. I spent $28+ on 6 beers, left the place practically whistling & skipping out to my car. Which happens to be sporting some super sweet new 'local' swag, might I add.

Best high eva!! I made myself laugh at how damn happy I was. Maybe it's being devoid of ale for most of the week? Perhaps having less people to talk 'beer' with? 'Cept it has to be said that, Basil (JoLyn, not sure why we are calling her Basil but it was mutually agreed upon), you are totally getting into it and I DIG that about you. ;) Whatever it is, it's good. Real Real Good.

2 vital (okay, totally random and unimportant) things to note so you understand my full state of mind on the drive home from Tacoma P&T:

1. Was listening to Lady Gag's "Bad Romance" which still contains some of my much hearted lyrics ever. "I want your love, I don't wanna be friends. When it comes to love if it's not rough it isn't fun."

2. Saw a child's toy doll naked, face down on the side of the road. It freaked me the hell out but then I realized "Hey, it could be worse. It could be face up with those creepy eyelids that open when it sits up." Sick.

Signing off with an amazing quote I read recently in my travels:

Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world -Kaiser Wilhelen

(If I can find a man who feels that way about this girl, magic.)

yours, pissed liBEERian