Me and Sean drove (well, he drove) to Joshua Tree's Cottonwood Campgrounds last Saturday afternoon and meet up with our friends Adam and Marla. We set-up our awesome new tent and then took off go explore. Little did I know the plans that Sean and Adam had which was to perch up on some rocks and have a few beers while socializing and well, hi jinks ensue. Adam gets a huge splinter in his leg, they try to throw rocks off the cliff, etc. It was so beautiful there, and sharing some beers with friends is always a good time.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Wurstkuche on a Monday
No, I am not intentionally going to foodie-places on Mondays, it's just a coincidence. Rooney's lovely girlfriend Ali "Pretty Face" Winston had planned another surprise attack for his birthday weekend, which was a trip to Wurstkuche in LA. I was very excited to go to a new place, especially since the yelp reviews were so good. Hooray for almost no traffic at 7pm driving from Orange! Off to a good start. As we waited for the rest of the group in the small front ordering room, the smell of fries was almost too much to bear in anticipation. I ordered the Alligator, Pork and Smoked Andouille Sausage with hot peppers and onions. Oddly enough, Rooney ordered the exact same thing and I had no idea! Sean ordered the Austin Blues (spicy pork) and the Louisiana Hot Link (which was hot and spicy beef and pork). We also got a large (it wasn't really that large) fries with the truffle oil and chipotle aioli and chipotle ketchup. My Alligator was soo good, and since I watch the food network way too much I new that Alligator is not gamey but mild lean meat so it wasn't really that brave of me to get it. The fries are to die for, probably fried four times because they were just that crispy. For drinks I got the Van De Keizer Belgian strong ale (at 10%ABV) which was oddly sweet and really not what I wanted to go with the meal. Sean got the St. Bernardus ABT 12 (which I was going to get but not wanting to get two of the same) which is a Belgian quadruple 10.5%ABV taste of loveliness. I knew I should've ordered the La Chouffe! We had way too much fun writing on the tables, as you can tell from the pictures, and I will be back. I just wish it wasn't in LA! I stole all the pictures from my talented friend Ali Winston. You should go look at her blog and subscribe to it!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Taco Asylum on a Monday
Taco Asylum was a must for me. The owners of Haven Gastropub opened Taco Asylum not that long ago and I even have a friend who started working in the kitchen. I love LOVE Haven Gastropub. I have been there probably more than 10 times and I will go back again and again. The food is amazing and the beer draft list is always good. They always manage to have something new I haven't tried yet on the list. I went to Taco Asylum with my sister who's boyfriend worked in the kitchen of Haven and has been dying to go to Taco Asylum. It was awesome. A little dead in terms of crowd but it was 4pm on a Monday so what can you expect? I tried the Ghost Chili Pork Taco, Short Ribs Taco, Pork Belly Taco and Mushroom Taco. The Ghost Chili Taco was really really hot. I needed an extra beer to wash it down but it was a good burn. It had pork cracklings on top with the chili strings. The pork belly taco had a Banh Mi type toppings with the carrots and onion and cilantro which was the perfect compliment to the pork belly which was a little salty and matched really well with the sweet carrots. The short ribs taco was amazing. The pickled onions and crumbled cheese and salsa verde was my favorite. The mushroom taco was good as well. It had a lovely earthy smell that reminds me of the truffle oil that I put on my potatoes. The fried chickpeas was a nice touch. The chips were good as well, which was to be expected since Haven's known for their chips as an appetizer. What a lovely Monday. Not to mention that I had an awesome Craftsman Hefe and Humboldt Brown beer with an O'Haras Stout and Oscar Blues Gubna. Tastes of them at least. I will be back!
Black Diamond Brewing Company: Peak XV - Imperial Porter: Review
I haven't heard much of Black Diamond Brewing Company from Concord, CA. I have seen their Rampage IPA which I found to be very grapefruit-y. I did pick-up their Peak XV Imperial Porter which had an intriguing bottle design at BevMo.
I was excited to try a new brewing company and a new porter. It has a rich smooth texture with a very dark color. Floral notes of caramel and nutty smells. I am a huge HUGE fan of cacao nibs. I use them in baking all the time and I was wondering why the hell no one has used them in beer yet since it brings the flavor of dark chocolate and a nutty-ness that's unique to cacao nibs. Good for Black Diamond for using it in their porter. The vanilla bean flavor is obvious. I like the idea of having local beers, just because the money goes in to my neighbors pocket not some corporate jackal. Concord is not super local since they are in Northern California but I count anything in California as local to me. My friend Adam and his dog Chloe modeled in my photos for everyone. I would also like to note that the reviews on BeerAdvocate.com are particularly harsh regarding this beer. I liked it. Maybe they just don't know what cacao nibs taste and smell like so they can't apprechiate it? Giving this beer a C rating? Really? The same rating that Coors has? Come on, people. Seriously. What the hell.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Firestone Walker Double Jack IPA and Rouge Juniper Pale Ale Review
First, the Firestone Walker Double Jack IPA. Smells like a good and bitey IPA which doesn’t disappoint. It doesn’t particularly stand out, but that might be because I love IPAs and I have them all the time. It has a nice malty undertone which mellows out the beer from being overly hoppy. I am told this is Firestone’s first Imperial IPA. It drinks smooth for being 9.5% ABV which makes it a very nice treat for a weeknight. The color is a nice middle gold with a white head, which dissipates quickly when swirled around due to the high ABV. I think I detect a hint of tangerine in there? I would definitely drink this again, and again and again.
Secondly, I love me some Rouge beer. Thirdly, I heard that they also make whiskey which my boyfriend Sean was so excited to see when we were visiting my sister in Seattle. Turns out, they make Rouge Dead Guy Whisky which obviously comes from the Rouge Dead Guy Ale that they make. It won an award in 2008, which explains why it’s so good. Ok, back to the beer. The Juniper Pale Ale is milder pale ale which has 5.2%ABV with a nice light gold color that is foggy with goodness. The beer obviously has Juniper Berries in it, but it’s not over-powering. It’s nicely carbonated with a light finish of slight-hoppyness. It’s an easy-to-drink beer with personality.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
The Bruery Provisions Series Review
I love The Bruery. They are unique and innovative. Oh, did I mention their brewery is located about 10 minutes from my house? I have to say I noticed the Bruery Provisions store before I went to the brewery location but I already knew about them. That being said, the Provisions store is located in Old Towne Orange which is 5 minutes from my house, and how I love riding my bike down for a tasting on the weekends.
I also am a fan of them on facebook, read their blogs and recently had a keg of Sasion De Lente for my boyfriend’s birthday party which was a huge hit.
Since I have been a fan, I have heard of a few Provisions Series beers I haven’t had the pleasure of trying and I had the chance to taste and buy some bottles on March 1st 2011. I bought 2 bottles of Old Richland (I have had this one before and since I am an IPA girl I love it), one of the Gunga Galunga, one of The Workman’s Friend and 1 of the Lokal Red (which is just good beer but not part of the Provisions Series).
Premiere: Light colored for being barrel aged with a nice flavors of honey and citrus. Not your standard honey but the expensive organic stuff. Some caramel undertones but no real burnt sugar tastes to it. Seriously I can't believe its 10.4%ABV. No wonder they sold out of these bottles. I would have liked to buy one since they said it can be aged nicely but at least I got to try it! Me and my dear friend Michael Rooney (referred to affectionately as Rooney) agree that it could be sipped and savored almost like a smooth scotch – which might be the bourbon flavor talkin. This was Sean’s favorite.
Gunga Galunga: I seriously hope they thought of Caddyshack when they named this beer, and that it’s not just some crazy coincidence. Much to my surprise, there is such a thing as a Galunga root which has a ginger flavor. Apparently “it’s been said that when mixed with lime it can have an afrodesiac effect and possibly even cause some hallucinations” according to Wikipedia. I don’t think the beer caused any hallucinations for me but hey, it’s interesting none-the-less. It’s a dark, dark beer with smells like coconut even though I don't think they have any in it. It has a little ginger taste but spicy in general. Being thai inspired it hits the mark with its earthiness. It was also made with 100% brettanomyces which again, required a trip to Wikipedia for me to learn that it’s a non-spore forming yeast that tones of great breweries already use. At 7.7%ABV not only is it interesting but it’s educational!
The Workman’s Friend: Imperial porter smells like melted chocolate onto your campfire without being too smoky. Even has a hint of graham cracker and toasted marshmallow. Really nice rich smooth texture which makes it for a nice, laid-back sipping kind-of beer. It forces you to slow down and smell the childhood camping experience. Made like comfort food at 7.5%ABV makes a very good friend at the end of a very hard work day. As an HR Manager, we have lots of those.
Old Richland: I've had this before but I do love it. Nice deep brown color and bitter hippy floral smells. It’s their barley wine spin that I am happy that they went in the direction of hoppy rather than sweet. Nothing ruins beer more than being too sweet. It hits you with a 9%ABV but it’s super easy to drink.
Cuadruple: It’s dark but lighter in texture due to being Belgian. The sour/sweet agave taste and dark malted color hides the ABV of 10% very well. Nicely carbonated and lovely. This was Rooney’s favorite. He thinks it made him look classy.
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