Beer and Bike Tour

Posted on October 30, 2013 by melsmosaic

Being in San Francisco doesn’t mean you’re only near wine country. You are also around some good craft breweries. I came across a tour that was worth checking out — Small-Group Craft Brews and Bike Tour. You get to taste local stuff, check out some of the city ‘on foot’ and attempt to burn some of what you enjoyed with exercise. Can’t go wrong, right?

So you get to the tour office and get quickly fitted for your bike. The small tour is max of 8 people, we had 6. As we were leaving, one of the best parts was seeing the tour guide’s helmet — a hockey helmet! He said he just couldn’t find a bike helmet that really worked for him so this was best. Loved it!

So our first stop was 21st Amendment. It was a about a 5 minute ride from the start/office. The tour included one free beer and this is where we got it. I took some quick sips of a couple before deciding on the 5 South (this is a different beer, so mine was a different color/look).

Then we had about a 10-15 minute bike ride. Next stop was ‘just’ a bar that tapped local brews (all of CA), Zeitgeist. The staff was a bit arrogant and we only found out when we arrived that they only take cash. After snapping a picture of the board, I also was told you can’t take pictures after the sign just said no phones. I took that as no using phones to talk. Anyway, I went for the Baby Daddy. Nice beer. Good and bad on the bar, though. We went outside to the patio to enjoy our brews. You can smoke at this place…and you can smoke anything…

To get to the next stop we had a very fun 20+ minute bike ride getting to see more of the city. The we arrived at Cerveceria de Mateveza. Great place to try a flight. Opted for the Yerba IPA, Morpho, Local Honey and Spring Bloom Single. All were very good but it was the end of the tour and all were starting to blend.

We then got to ride back to the office and most was downhill. It was a 30+ minute effort but very relaxing. Fun day in San Francisco!

From CO to MD

Posted on October 29, 2013 by melsmosaic

I visited the breweries in Colorado then went less than a hour north of Washington, DC to check about another great beer producer’s house of heaven. This time it was Flying Dog. Now, did you know they started in Colorado and moved to Maryland to grow/expand/make people around here even happier? Oh, ok, maybe that last part wasn’t the true strategy but I don’t hear any complaints.

So when considering checking out the Flying Dog Brewery, pull out next year’s calendar. They have a several month wait list/lead booking time. I lucked out because I was going alone and was able to snag a spot from a cancellation. So, if you want to go that route, contact them a day or so before you’d be interested in checking it out. They only do tours Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

You get there, get carded, get your nice bracelet.

Pay $5 and get a great glass that you keep (this is jumping ahead as it has delicious fluid in it). Then the tour begins.

You get the scoop on the entire history, from the founder, the owner, the random tidbits, the alcohol, drugs, prison time, name, etc. Neat stuff. The hallway depicts all of this. There are more paintings that the camera didn’t quite pick up.

You continue into the beer processing area and learn about all steps of the brewing process, from when water and hops might initially collide, how they determine each brew (what goes into each one), when/how long it’s in vats, how the bottling process works and the final ‘boxing’/putting it in cases or kegging so we can enjoy it.

When the tour was done, we headed to the bar where we could pick whatever we wanted. For $5, we got 5 samples. Big samples. I had the staple, Raging Bitch. Went with the White Wheat. I tried the rarities — Orchard Ale. Then some of the seasonals, which were hit or miss. There were love/hates in the tour group as we discussed them. The seasonals I tried were this beer and wine funky thing (can’t remember the name) — interesting. One glass would be all I’d want and then the awesome Dogtoberfest Marzen.

Great place, great tour, great beer. Check it out when you’re in the area.

And the beer goes on…

Posted on October 25, 2013 by melsmosaic

Had to continue enjoying the local brews while in Ft. Collins. One must take in as much as possible when not at home. So I took one for the team…

Brewery 5: Odell Brewing Company. Sample — $4! For 6 tastes! This is another one with the whole (unfortunate) issue of 5 oz pours, 6 beers, 5,000 ft elevation… This was my first stop of the day. Hey, I was fresh right. I had to be so careful and drink responsibly in the sense that there was more to come. My total favorite was Levity with several close runner ups.

Brewery 6: Fort Collins Brewery. Good name considering where I was. I found another chili beer here. After sampling a few I ended with this amazing smoky beer, that was that chili one — Mesquite Chili Lime Ale, part of their Out of the Ashes Smoke Beer Series. Not describable in words. Go to the store to find it, or better yet, just head out there to have some (limited edition though, so hurry)!

Brewery 7: New Belgium Brewing Company. This is one of my favorites! Went on the brewery several years ago and the twirly slide at the end if priceless! This time I just went to sample. So many options, so little time. Many new Lips of Faith to try, other random stuff to sample. It was packed that it was tough to even move. I just had sips of some new stuff then finished with my favorite Fat Tire. Oh happy day.

All good things must come to an end. I eventually had to get on a plane and come back east. I do have a brewery tour scheduled at Flying Dog soon. Looking forward to that!

I’m in a Colorado State of Beer

Posted on October 24, 2013 by melsmosaic

I had Billy’s Joel New York State of Mind rolling through my head so couldn’t think of a better title for the post. So, after visiting wine country in Oregon, I headed a time zone east and a couple states south to check out Ft. Collins, Colorado. I had my fix of wine so hit the breweries this time.

The problem when you go to breweries (proper) is that there are too many choices. Sometimes overwhelming. I tried to do samplers at most of them when possible. The other problem with beer? *NOTE — I am not dismissing beer, turning it down, or crossing it off my list at all! Just making travel notes for future reference. Unlike wine where you can spit, that’s not really an option with beer. Proceed with caution. And jumping three days forward, my hosts mentioned that when they moved to Colorado they noticed the beer hit them much more quickly (than when at sea level) for awhile. Thanks! You couldn’t have told me that when I got here? I wasn’t going to say anything…

Anyway….

Brewery 1: Black Bottle Brewery. Too many, way too many, beers to pick from. I honestly can’t remember which one I finally opted for to enjoy over dinner, but it was good! Some of the beer names are great, Social Insecurity being my favorite.

Brewery 2: Cooper Smith’s Pub & Brewing. Great place to both enjoy some great food and beer. I had a sip of several before deciding what to have. I do remember one that had the name ‘chili’ in it. You could taste that green chili in there — it wasn’t necessarily hot but you knew it was there.

Brewery 3: Pateros Creek Brewing Company. It’s a little bit hidden, so you have to know where to find it. They apparently have great social events in the evening, FYI, if you’re a local. It’s a small place, but nice brews. I happened to get there right before a downpour so spent a little bit of time there chatting with the beermaster. Aside from that conversation, I think I found that CO, or at least Ft. Collins, has a like of chilis, because they also had a beer with some kick. Hmmm… They also make gluten free beer. I have several friends who would be thrilled.

Brewery 4: Equinox Brewing Company. Sampling flight = 6 beers in 5 oz. pours at 5,000 ft. elevation. That’s where that whole idea/thought of no spitting/dump bucket REALLY came into play. I loved the (light) IPA. I say light as in I didn’t feel like I was bouncing off the walls, on a trampoline or on those OLD SCHOOL pogo sticks. Just a nice amount of hops. There was a red on there, too. Dang! The weekend I was there, the Great American Beer Festival happened to be in town (Denver, close enough) and many brewers were near the bar so I shared my sampler with them and it was very interesting getting their feedback/comment/sipping notes on the beer.

More to come…

Three weeks, three people, three new tastes

Posted on September 12, 2013 by melsmosaic

Good things come in threes, right? So I’ve met some great people over the past few weeks and all of them have introduced me to some new drinks, all in different ‘categories’ — liquor, beer, wine. Great way to keep the mind and palette active. Wanted to share them so more people can learn about them (or nod and say — oh yeah, I’ve been loving that for ages, glad she’s finally caught on).

#1 — Gin & Tonic, the wonderful G&T, with cucumber vs. lime. The important part about this concoction is that you MUST muddle the cukes to release the juice, you need good gin (everybody does have their favorite — mine is Bombay Sapphire but I will never turn down a host who provides Hendrick’s) and apparently if you don’t use Q tonic, why bother making it? The things you learn. There are apparently some measurements to this drink which could/would not be revealed…

#2: Westmalle Trappist Ale Tripel. It was the kickoff to college football. Great Belgian beer to enjoy while sitting on the couch watching sports for many hours. This stuff is potent — 9.5% alcohol! It’s good to be watching football because you don’t want to drive for awhile and the food you eat while being sedentary for hours on end soaks up that percentage. My friend served it in the appropriate glass to which you fill to the 33cl line.

#3: Bloem Red. Amazing wine from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Since I’m headed there next year I want all the ‘amuse-bouche’ I can get. It had a light-medium body with fruit and spice. Was enjoying this over Labor Day weekend and it was served with just that perfect chill for a red that made it even better. It’s a blend of about 65/35 Syrah/Mourvedre.

May these inspire you for the weekend to come.

Beer-scotti

Posted on August 10, 2013 by melsmosaic

Yes, oh, yes. You read it right. Why stick with the norm? I love making biscotti, but when opportunity knocks, find the bottle opener! I have my monthly supper club tomorrow and the theme is Texas. I was debating what to make and after some deep thought I remembered that a beer I love is right out of that state. The name — Shiner Bock. So (I feel like Alton Brown here), time to get to the lab. I’d made one beer-scotti before, but it’d been awhile, so I had to get the juices (aka beer) flowing.

I started by combining 12oz of Shiner (1 bottle) and about 1 cup of dried cranberries in a pot on the stove to have the cranberries get nice and drunk. Oh, sorry, absorb all the liquid. I kept it at medium heat for about 20 or so minutes.

Once that was done, I let them cool for a bit (and sampled a few…very good!…keep away from children, unless you need them to fall asleep).

Next I was trying to decide what flavors to use as accents. Do I want this to be savory or sweet? I chose to do a bit of both. I opted for rosemary and cinnamon. So, here I go with all these ingredients, and of the the staples of my normal recipe…

Flour, sugar, baking powder & soda, salt, cinnamon, rosemary, egg yolk, vanilla, (more) Shiner, drunk cranberries, walnuts.

Dough ready, make it into two logs, throw it into the over at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

When the first part is done, take it out and slice it. I use a pizza cutter. Makes it so easy. Samples required at this point. WOW! WOW! For the second baking, I just turn the oven off and throw it back in there. I don’t time it, I know it will work perfectly because I’m not picky on the crunchiness, softness, etc. of the biscotti. If you are wondering, the recipe called for 10 minutes at 325 degrees.

I am so excited to take this to supper club tomorrow. So, to summarize…pass me another. Make that a biscotti this time.

Japan #4: Beer…a button away

Posted on July 12, 2013 by melsmosaic

It’s Friday, the weekend is only hours away. So what better to do than loop back to the Japan trip theme and talk about BEER??? T minus 4 hours until Happy Hour.

There are beers around the world and I was looking forward to having true Japanese beer while in the country of origin. But the best thing I found while there were beer machines. What is that you ask? You want a Coke, Sprite, Mountain Dew? You go find that machine and throw in a couple bills and voila. Over in Japan…OH, you can do the same thing for beer. HEAVEN! You can tell they aren’t as strict on the drinking (age) as we are.

Also want to highlight a couple of the beers I enjoyed, overall. There is the ‘normal’ Sapporo, which I only had once. I also only saw it on tap one time. Otherwise I looked for the ones we don’t get here or I haven’t tried. Pictures below (Asahi is the one also available in the machine).

Crab Feast!

Posted on June 24, 2013 by melsmosaic

Maryland, summer, hot temps, that means it’s time for crabs!! Had the pleasure of wandering down the street to one of the local crab restaurants for a 2-hour feast of all-you-can-eat crabs the other night. And, go Groupon (and the restaurant) — they had a special a week or so ago for 2 for $40. Can’t beat that. Let the fun begin.

All the essentials are brought to the table — mallets, knifes, paper towels, buckets, beer. Why can’t that last one be included?

(note: this is not Bud, but good stuff, Fat Tire)

Next, the sides of coleslaw, corn and fries. That corn was good! This is all tempting us before the essentials arrive!

Finally…ahh…here they are. Heaven. Sometimes I think you actually burn more calories than you take in when eating crabs because of how hard you work to get the meat but it’s well worth it. Though these were small-medium size, the meat was good! Couldn’t ask for much more on a Saturday night.

Beauty is in the Eyes of the Beerholder

Posted on April 18, 2013 by melsmosaic

Source: craftbeer.com

You learn something new everyday! Yesterday I learned about Malbec World Day. Today it’s about a beer observance. As such, so many country songs are going through my head right now:

Zac Brown’s Toes with the great lyrics of “…cold beer in my hand, life is good today…”

Toby Keith’s I Love this Bar “I love this bar, it’s my kind of place… ”

Garth Brooks’ Beer Run “B-double E-double R-U-N…”

Back on topic, did you know that May 13-19 is American Craft Beer Week? WHOA! Mark your calendars, set a reminder, start planning. Bars, taps, pints, bottles, here we come.

Upper 80s Makes it Beer:Thirty

Posted on April 11, 2013 by melsmosaic

Washington, DC (April 10, 2013) — Upper 80s, early April…last week we had sub-freezing temps at night and wanted to sit by the fire. If we have this weather now, what’s it going to be like in July and August?

With the warm temps, it was high time for post-work happy hour, aka beer:thirty, outside. A great place to take advantage of the beautiful weather is in Cleveland Park at the Cleveland Park Bar & Grill. Roof top deck, happy hour specials, TVs, good atmosphere and Metro accessible.

They have a great variety of beer on tap (though of course the really good stuff isn’t on special, but there could be worse things in life). I sacrificed and had some Fat Tire and Magic Hat #9. On the other side of the table was Blue Moon. My friend and I just sat there for what felt like ages relaxing and enjoying the perfection of weather.

Figuratively the glass was more than half full, literally –‘Bartender…next round.’