Harvesty goodness coming your way...

*Update ~ removing an event for super secrecy reasons that were revealed @ Parkway last night & adding an event of muy importante-ness*

The time has come for scarves, yay! Oh and my wallet and liver may start a petition demanding that I pick and choose between beer tasting events, and stop trying to attend them all. Here is a list of awesome NW stuff (that I may or may not be at depending on the results of my petition) coming up for Fall:

Wed. Sept. 22nd ~ Parkway Tavern is hosting their 2nd Brewer's Night featuring Boulder Brewing. As of now they are scheduled to throw it down with Mojo (on tap & Randall), Hazed and Infused, and Flashback.
For those toting around a DD, then you can head to...
Wed. Sept. 22nd ~ RedHot is having a 'Farewell to Summer beer and Ice Cream social'. Yes, this means beer floats & I fully intend to pop my beer float cherry on this event. Hope RH knows how special this night should be fore me. Soft music, candle light, etc.
Sept. 24th - 26th ~ Fremont Oktoberfest & Brew-Ha-Ha 5k
Sept. 29th ~ Parkway Tavern. David vs. Goliath event. Schooner Exact & Big Al Brewing vs. Elysian & Pike. The line in the sand has been drawn & my calendar is cleared.

Oct. 1st thru 11th ~ Parkway Tavern & Red Hot will be exclusively featuring taps from Washington breweries during this time period. Can we say epic?
Oct. 1st - 2nd ~ Tacoma Craft Beerfest
Mon. Oct. 11th ~ 5th Tap Night Tacoma
Wed. Oct. 13th ~ Brouwer's Washington Beer Fest (Details TBA. However... beerfest + brouwer's = magic. Go ahead and count me in.)
Oct. 16th & 17th - Pumpkin Beer Fest @ Elysian Brewery in Capital Hill. 30+ pumpkin style ales and mudda effing punkin carvin!!!

To think, I shed a few small tears as August concluded when I imagined all the ale drinking antics and hop-portunities would end along with summer. In this case, I don't mind being wrong.

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. ;)

Week in the Kneez

Been a light week, consumption wise. (perhaps normal for normal people, but light for this off-centered girl if you reference the last few 'weekly' posts)

Wednesday Sept. 1st, 2010

da Where and da Y: @ home. Drinking some Dogfish Head beers I haven't tried before. I was asked for some suggestions and realized I must consume more of their brand in order to give a proper one. 

da Ales: Dogfish Head Midas Touch & DFH Indian Brown Ale. Hold on to your nipples kids, I busted out my "Rate That Beer" pad for this duo. Was still paranoid about Tacoma Pipe & Tobacco dude snatching up all the DFH goodies at MSM deli so I went after work. Got these ales & 2 bottles of World Wide Stout for the low low price of $30. It's expensive to have good taste, alright! I need to start finding sponsorships.

da Assessment:

Started off with the Indian Brown Ale. As you can see on my Rate That Beer sheet, I didn't overly love it. Gave it a 3/5 but I think that has more to do w/ it not being a style I particularly care for. However the quality is there 100%. My notes on the Brown Ale tell me that I found it to be "very toasted tasting. stout/porter like minus the thickness". Drank this ale while cooking. 

In preparation for this tasting, I looked up the appropriate glassware and food pairings for both ales. Since every recommendation was meat based except one, I decided to go with the risotto to accompany my Midas Touch. I took it a vegetarian notch further, made some grilled eggplant toozle. Gonna list the beer sheet qualities 'cause they ended up pretty entertaining for this one:

Label - Goes with my Sofa

Color - Mine for Amber or Copper

Clarity - Sparkles in the Sun

Head - Not worth getting up for. (hahahahaha.... ha. didn't know such thing existed, wonder how Dick's Cream Stout would rate in that category?)

Aroma - Rich enough for fireside

Mouthfeel - Tingly effervescence

Flavor - Sweet like ye olde malt shoppe

Finish - Lingers longer

Notes & Impression - It's Grape!! haha (yes, I actually wrote that) Majorly mellows after it warms up. Less crisp tasting. Could drink only 1 @ a time but it's different & complex. Mouthfeel: goodness. 

'nuff said on both those. Typical Dogfish greatness.

 Saturday Sept. 4th, 2010

Where & w/ Whom: home, but of course chilling with TPG3 (mai roomie) & watching movies

Wut: Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat & Stone Ruination IPA while eating a homemade Mahi Mahi burger and sweet potato

So yeah...: Spent all day running around, ended up with some tasty treats from Trader Joe's and World Beers @ Tacoma Pipe & Tobacco. Started with the Cherry Wheat while cooking dinner. I like to cook with alcohol, sometimes I even add it to what I'm making. ;) Pretty traditional/normal wheat beer as it enters the mouth but !!SHAZAM!! when you swallow. Yes... that's what she said. It's like a maraschino cherry burst in my mouth tube. Very nice for a fruit beer, not overly fruity or syrupy. Smells great and the taste delivers like FedfreakingEx. Highly recommend to try it at least once, it's very different.  

Now for the Stone Ruination IPA. I'm drinking it right now as I type this. I could probably type up 10 more blog posts in the time it will take me to finish this and y'all know I'm a wordy bitch. I think TPG3 said it best when I shuddered and handed her the glass to try: "Uhhhhh. It raised my arm hair!!!" Or maybe I said it best when I took a drink, had to lay my head down on our coffee table and announce "Owie, it hurts my face." Yeah, you could put your weed in there, that's how skunky it is. Total classic IPA face making. 1/4 of a pint down... guess I'm going to be up awhile trying to knock it back. I will not let this beer be the ruination of me, but the 100+ IBUs make it a hefty challenge. Good thing I'm stubborn.

Sunday Sept. 5th
Locale: Bumbershoot beer garden with TPG3 & Blainal
Ale: Redhook Longhammer IPA & a swallow of Budweiser Lime
Okay all that I am going to say is that Budweiser Lime tastes like a port-a-potty smells. That beer is so white trash it should have a little wife beater beer koozie.

An ode... to all thangs Dogfish Head.

Sup bitches, happy Labor Day Weekend. Two things have prompted me to scribe this post:

1. I was recently asked for some suggestions/recommendations on Dogfish Head beer to drink and sell.
2. I'm planning a beer/fancy dinner pairing party where I will need approx. 10 different ales to go with each course.

So in contemplating DFH beer I realized that I have mostly only tried their seasonal and special release beers. Granted, I am on an overall mission to try everything they offer and produce, this makes it a little difficult to plan in advance. So I'm sure you are just as curious as I am to see the Dogfish Head Release Schedule. I hope it brings ease to your mind, life and ale consumption journey; like it has for mine. Lucky me, I was only halfway through making a super elaborate, color coded, itemized spreadsheet of release dates when I found this handy link. My hard work = irrelevant, yet still worthwhile. I do what I do for YOU!

The link is amazing in all of it's Dogheaded full color glory but to lay it out all quick like, here is what's coming up. Fuck it, I just love making lists. Starting w/ zee current month. Since I love charts and lists of ALL kinds, here is a key to the symbols you may see:

* - I have tasted
! - If I were married, my relationship w/ this beer could be considered an affair. That's how much I lurv it.
# - Seasonal
~ - Occasional (this better not mean: don't get your hops up, we'll consider releasing it when we damn well feel like it)

Sept - Punkin Ale*# & Pangea~
Oct - Punkin Ale*# & Olde School Barleywine~ (hawt damn!! ABV 15%) & Squall IPA~
***Just so you know, as I'm typing this... I'm getting super stoked. It's my virgin year as a DFH lover so there is much I have not tried!! Okay, back to business.***
Nov - Chicory Stout# & Burton Baton~ & WORLD WIDE STOUT*!~ (I have 2 bottles in my fridge on super hoard status. It's okay to be a bit green eyed over it's ABV 18% goodness) & My Antonia~
Dec - Chicory Stout# & 120 Minute IPA*!~ (Oh dear heavens, please let it be so! I'm jonesing since SIB and my mouth had been denied since the August batch was FOILED! I need something to make Black & Tans with, a Dirty Ho can only hold the flame for so long against a 40 Proof Heaven & Hell) & Fort~

Jan - Nada. So I hope you stocked up on some of the above awesome in a bottle or can hit up a year round ale.
Feb - Red and White~
Mar - Aprihop*!# & Burton Baton~ & Black and Blue*!~  (delicious fruit beer!!) & Squall IPA~
April - Aprihop*!# & Immort Ale~ (looooove this name) & My Antonia~
May -A whole month devoted to... 120 Minute IPA*!~
June - Festina Peche*# & Sah'Tea*~
July - Festina Peche*# & Burton Baton~ & Theobroma*~
Aug - 120 Minute IPA*!~ (not this year unfortunately, quality control was off. why ya gotta tease me right after SIB guys? damn.) & Chateau Jiahu~

2 big thank yous to hand out award show style. 1st thank you goes to MGD for coming to SIB all three days over 4th of July weekend, and especially for getting up ass early when hungover from day uno & dos. We made it to the special Dogfish Head pour by 1p, despite our 'loitering' line start & a trip to get more glasses. A day/wknd that for sure changed my approach to beer drinking forever. It's great to be #1, eh! Foam fingers for next time. Our view from the front of line:

2nd thank you goes to Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. You guys are amazing. A small op built from the ground up with off-centered people producing amazing and unique brews. I am a fan for life, come heaven or hell; and I've made sure that everyone around me knows that. You are so awesome, I would even buy a $40 beach towel from you. Just so I can wrap myself up in your logo and enjoy all that it is... all over my body. Kudos, you are the reason people plan vacations around beer. Delaware... here I come.

You've caused me to save bottle caps. You've made me soak and peel labels. Okay in all fairness someone did that for me & I have helpers w/ the bottle cap collection too but you've created a monster. You've been worth every second of my time, and the time of those who indulge my DFH fetish; as far as I'm concerned

Oh
     and
             one
                      last
                              thing...

If anyone feels like buying me a present, here is #1 on my list:
It can be found on the DFH website.
Holy mutual love of DFH & Steampunk.
Just in case you want to know what time your IPA
is coming. Happeh sigh.

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