Category Archives: Giveaway

InstaLately {+ Giveaway Winner}

Quick update – I’m officially in my new house!
Screen shot 2014-04-24 at 9.52.19 AMThe dishes are in and designing is almost completely done!
Screen shot 2014-04-24 at 9.53.04 AMI’ve even had the chance to do the one thing I’ve been looking forward to since I first signed that loan – beer on my back patio. My life is complete.
Screen shot 2014-04-24 at 9.32.42 AMThe fridge situation is a little dire. This was what it looked like on Saturday…
Screen shot 2014-04-24 at 9.32.55 AMAnd this was two days ago. The leftovers have been consumed, so all I’m left with is beer and chai. Not a bad thing, but I’m thinking it’s about time to go grocery shopping.

And to let you all know, I’m without interwebs. Right now I’m enjoying a bottomless cup of coffee and free wifi at Cranknstein in Old Town Fort Collins and checking email that I haven’t been able to view in days. In exchange for putting up with the sporadacity (that should totally be a real word), and because I forgot to post it in the last blog, here’s the winner of the Bhakti Chai giveaway!
Screen shot 2014-04-24 at 9.22.10 AMCongratulations Kait! I’ve sent you an email so you can claim your goods!
Screen shot 2014-04-24 at 9.32.23 AMSo yes, it’s been hectic and stressful and sporadic, but things are finally settling down. Until those interweb wire thingies get connected in my house, feel free to follow me on Instagram and Twitter for random updates! They mainly are about coffee and beer – the elixirs of life.

I’m off to buy a kitchen table! Yay, adulthood!

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{Giveaway} Believe In Better

On Saturday I was invited down to Denver by fairlife to meet with a group of bloggers at River Power Yoga for some yoga (durr) and a sampling of fairlife milk.
AM4The weather was definitely not on my side. It rained/snowed the entire drive down and I opted to skirt my way around the freeway after it came to a complete stop. Some serious “ommmm” was needed.
AM5We really had no idea what we were in for. I walked into the adorable yoga studio and was met by a group of friendly Denver bloggers and a blast of hot air. Hot yoga? Okey… I guess I have always wanted to try it…
AM6Seeing that I’m not a yogi in any possible way, I was grateful that they had complimentary yoga mats for us to use and take home! And towels for all the beads of sweat that were already starting to build up upon my brow. Yum.
AM7The class started off with a little introduction of the company: fairlife came from a husband and wife team with a vet background, who began dairy farming with the idea of “better”. Better farming, better treatment of the animals and the slogan #believeinbetter.
AM8fairlife is a cold filtered milk with 50% more protein and calcium, and half the sugar of ordinary milk. I was overjoyed to hear that it’s lactose free since I’ve discovered I have an allergy (not that that stops me from loading up on fro-yo or a big pint of Ben and Jerry’s once in a while…oops) and try to avoid milk products as often as possible. After the intro, they let us know exactly what kind of yoga we would be doing that day.
AM9Oh, crap. The entire session was an aerial inspired/partner yoga class. My heart dropped. Visions of my head striking the wood floor and other various forms of serious injury flashed before my eyes. They demonstrated, then split us into groups to give it a try.
AM10Heidi (Run Around Aroo) and Lauren (Me and the Mountains) giving it a try!
AM11Up next was the double plank.
Screen shot 2014-03-23 at 2.57.42 PMMy partners mastered it!
AM12Then we were back to scary aerial poses. I’m not that flexible…
AM13Yeah. Never gonna happen…
AM14I pushed all those gory visions of potential self-maiming from my brain and gave it a shot anyway!
AM15“I’m flying, Jack! I’m flying!”
AM16Okey, let’s try the other arm…
AM18Nope. Bad idea. I might die.
AM19Can I get down now? Thank you, Marissa (Barefoot Colorado), for not letting my head get cracked open on the ground!
AMAfter the yoga session, we all headed out to the lobby for some cool air and samples!
AM2I was able to snag two bottles of the chocolate milk to take home with me. I haven’t had chocolate milk in years and this was like drinking wonderful melted chocolate ice cream. Can’t stop, won’t stop. Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t have grabbed two…
AM20Smoothie samples were passed around and all the bloggers split off into small groups to chat while the icy rain poured down outside.
Screen shot 2014-03-23 at 10.47.08 PMA big group of the girls via Lauren’s Instagram!
AM21I enjoyed the last few minutes of warmth before opening the door into the arctic, bustling to my car and fighting the wet highway back north.
AM22Presents! fairlife spoiled us rotten with the yoga mat, milk samples (I’ve been having chocolate milk nightcaps every night), a sample of their Core Power energy shake, a coupon to go back to River Power Yoga for a free class and a MAGIC BULLET! What a wonderful, thoughtful housewarming gift!
Screen shot 2014-03-23 at 3.17.45 PMHere’s the part I think you guys might enjoy. They’ve offered to give away a Magic Bullet blender to one of my readers!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Note: fairlife provided me with product samples for tasting and a Magic Bullet blender, and is also furnishing a Magic Bullet blender to the contest winner, but I received no other compensation for this review, nor was I pressured to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

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The Dailies

Today is the last day to enter for the grande finale of the giveaway!
AMFor serious. No more after this one! You guys have till 6pm MST! Check out this link and comment away!
am2I gotta be honest… There hasn’t been anything too exciting over here this past weekend. The dailies – work… archery…
amBreakfast via Love and Olive Oil – avocado toast (THIS recipe for the bread) with goat cheese and red pepper flakes. I read this post and immediately went into the kitchen and made it minutes later. Absofrigginlutely delicious!
AM1Pairing beer with housemade ranch popcorn. Delicious.
am3German pancakes with blueberry compote for Sunday pancakes. Also delicious.
am4Work, work, work.
am5Feeling binge-y.
am6Feeling regret-y.
am7And yesterday’s work, work, work. Yup. Nothing too out there or enthralling.

But then…
Screen shot 2014-03-03 at 11.26.31 PMI got this awesome e-mail last night! I’ll be attending the Craft Brewers Conference this year in Denver as media! I went to the CBC in 2012 with Enegren Brewing Company and can’t wait to go this year in my {new} home state!

So yes, it’s been quiet on this front, but things are really starting to pick up and get crazy! Go and enter the giveaway for the Craft Beer for the Homebrewer before it’s too late, and I’ll be back with the winners and more thrilling things on Thursday!

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Lessons and Obsessions: 2 {GIVEAWAY}

The giveaway is at the end of the post. This is me hoping you’ll read through because you’re super interested in the minute details of my super exciting life… Yes? Right? Halloo??

Obsession:
amChia Kombucha.
am6I just “happen” to end up near a Whole Foods almost every day…
AM10And I can’t stop buying these!!!
am23I even purposely avoided Whole Foods today, but found more at a local grocery store that’s closer to my current house. Can someone please direct me towards a good Kombucha kit? Save my wallet? PLEASE??

Lesson:
AM11Cars should be washed more than once every nine months. And when one decides to wash said car, one should make sure that it’s not supposed to snow the next day. Something like that might negate said car wash.

Obsession:
am9This sauce. I first purchased it in California at the farmers’ market four years ago and made recurring purchases almost every month. (I tried to recreate it once after I decided it was “too expensive” and ended up massively regretting that decision.)
AM3I found it at We Olive in Ventura (after scouring the same farmers’ market for Lourdes’s stand) this past visit to Cali and started slathering it on EVERYTHING.
am17Last night, the jar ran out. I panicked and ran to Instagram to let everyone know how woeful and distraught I was, as normal people would.
Screen shot 2014-02-25 at 5.46.19 PMLuckily, just before I imploded from stress and depression, Lourdes Gourmet contacted me via Twitter and saved the day with a coupon! Ricardo (who runs the social media for Lourdes Gourmet) and I are besties now. Just so you know.

Lesson:
AM12If you have an entire Saturday off (which hasn’t happened since I was hired, minus the vacation Saturday last week) and you’re hoping to be productive, don’t go visit friends on what you later find out that it’s “National Margarita Day”. Instead, go visit friends on “National Margarita Day” and plan on having an awesome time, laughing your ass off, playing “pimps and hoes” and not going to bed until 3am. Errands can always be pushed back one day. Even laundry. Perfume works wonders on dirty clothes. Sorry for that, coworkers…

Obsession:
am5My new house!!! The shingles are on, the plumbing is in and the electrical is almost done!
am4I enjoy my mountain view while I still can, before the house next door goes up.
AM9You can’t tell here, but I’m doing a mirror selfie in my new bathroom. If I had a mirror, it’d look like this:
am2Except there wouldn’t be a bowl of towels or weird yellow paint on the walls. And I wouldn’t be doing a selfie because it’s shameful and everyone hates them…
am3But if I were doing a selfie (which I would never do, or admit), I’d be sure to show off this other obsession – my new Ladyface tank I got on my trip! I’ve worn it around way too much already.)

Lesson:
AM14Sauteing grated butternut squash smells like sushi. Weird.
am16If you’re making Jenna’s latest recipe for Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Risotto and you’re really hungry and want to be fed in less than two and a half hours, don’t sub in short grained sprouted brown rice (no matter how healthy it is). If you can wait and want to be healthy ‘n stuff, definitely sub it in. A delicious pain in the ass dish.
am18And no matter what you make, be sure to top it with crazy amounts of goat cheese. Because goat cheese is delicious.

Obsession:
am7These. I found them while I was at the grocery store with my bro, convinced (haha, yeah, like he needed to be convinced) him to buy the pack and then proceeded to steal one. I guarantee you if I’d purchased the pack, I would’ve consumed them all within half an hour. No joke.

Lesson:
AM13Kobe Sushi in Loveland makes their brown rice with black beans. That’s all.

Which brings me to my last obsession, and the giveaway!
am19Books in the mail! Back to Butter is the creation of my friend Molly from Apricot Lane Farms and her mother. I’ve tried Molly’s food at the farm before. It is beyond epic. I’ll be in my kitchen until further notice.
am15The copies finally arrived in the mail – thanks Dennis! I have three more of these babies to give away to my amazing readers!
am22Gratuitous photography of my photography in said book. I’m still ridiculously proud.
am21Here’s the deets: All of you who commented on the last giveaway are still entered to win one of the new copies! As a bonus and because I think you’re all amazing and love you so very much, you can be entered up to two more times (more means in addition to those other entries from the last giveaway, in case you were unsure)!!!

How to enter: Leave a comment on this blog post letting me know your favorite food and beer pairing. Be specific! Make sure you leave a valid e-mail so I can contact you if you win!

For a second entry: Follow me on Twitter! Leave a comment on this blog post telling me you followed! (If you already follow, leave a comment letting me know)

For a third entry: Tweet about the giveaway on Twitter and link this blog post (and @ me so I can add an entry for you)!

For a fourth entry: Follow me on Facebook and leave a comment on this blog post telling me so! (If you already follow, leave a comment letting me know)

For a fifth entry: Follow me on Instagram and leave a comment on this blog post letting me know! (If you already follow, leave a comment letting me know)

You get up to FIVE entries for this one! Open to U.S. residents only (so sorry, my other followers. Shipping be cray cray) . This giveaway will run through next Tuesday, March 4th at 6pm MST. I’ll randomly select two winners and contact you by e-mail!

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Memory Lane (plus Giveaway Winners!)

I had an amazing five days in California seeing wonderful friends! I must say, I miss the 80 degree weather while sitting on the patio at Ladyface and the gorgeous sunsets from the beachfront hotel room in Oxnard, but it is so nice to be home in Colorado. I really do feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be. Now for a picture-heavy recap of the trip, plus the winners of the Craft Beer for the Homebrewer book giveaway!
am11Remember how I said that me as a 27 year old wouldn’t be skipping workouts? I may have lied to both you and myself and taken the rest of the trip off. Oops.
am13Story Tavern in Downtown Burbank on a beautiful patio with even better temperatures and amazing beer. It was a rough start to the trip.
amBirthday breakfast at the hotel! A half serving of Eggs Benedict and copious amounts of horrible hotel coffee.
AM2CUSTOM MELT to see my favorites Thomas and Phil! I was headed to the beach so I got some sammiches to go and sat around catching up with these two wonderful men.
AM1I may have also tasted some of Enegren’s beer that I can’t get way out here in Colorado. Sniff.
AM3Nothing Bundt Cake! I picked up a red velvet bundlet as my birthday cake and did a happy dance out the door.
AM4No, we didn’t actually stay here, seeing that it’s abandoned and decrepit, but I had to swing by and say hello to one of my favorite formally-local hotels.
AM5Once I got to the actual hotel, I scarfed down my Custom Melt sammich of choice – the Crispy Chicken: Thomas style. Fried chicken smothered in buffalo sauce and topped with carrots and celery in a creamy heaven sauce. My arteries were aching and it was so worth it.
AM6A slow stroll on the beach followed by a relaxing sun-bath on the lifeguard stand.
AM7Just because I’m artistic and stuff.
AM8I hit the hotel hot tub to warm up and then sat out on the back deck to enjoy the sunset.
AM9Blissed out.
AM10Overpriced hotel salmon and cous cous for birthday dinner.
AM12Sunrise the next morning.
AM32Overwhelming beauty.
AM33Okey, I am definitely missing this right now.
AM13Lunch with my other favorites at Ladyface Alehouse in Agoura. The weather was to die for.
AM15Beautiful mother and daughter!
AM14And so very stylish, Avery! Now please stop chewing on Becki’s sunglasses…
AM16I had to. I always have to. The mac ‘n cheese with bacon and jalapeno is too good to turn down, especially paired with the Ladyface IPA.
AM17After saying farewell to Janelle and Avery, I went out to the mall to pick up some gelato and say hi to my friends who run the place, then enjoyed a walk through the farmers market.
AM18Year round strawberries! It’s killing me to look at this.
AM19Yet another stop on the food list. Andria’s Seafood at the Ventura Harbor.
AM39And another sunset. You bored yet? Too bad.
AM24Another sunrise that will never get old (to me).
AM20I enjoyed a leisurely walk in Downtown Ventura and then drove up the coast to visit more of my favorite people who work at/own one of my favorite breweries. We had to visit The Spot for burgers and shakes while we waited for the brewery doors to open.
AM21Island Brewing Company!
AM34I enjoyed the Avocado Honey Ale with the ocean in the background. A perfect way to spend a Hallmark holiday.
AM35Oh, I miss the ambiance of this place. They’re expanding to the space next door soon, and Mark was kind enough to give me a tour, which basically was him opening a door to a HUGE empty space and telling me to look while pointing out where the gigantic walk-in and canning station will be. Awesome.
AM22Valentine’s Day flowers and sunsets make for a happy Becki.
AM23Once I was back at the hotel I poured myself a Black Market Hefeweizen (all the beer consumed on this trip was beer that I can only find in California, for obvious reasons), and visited the pool for a swim.
AM36More sunsets.
AM37Never enough sunsets.
AM38Sunsets with best friends.
AM40Trying to be artistic again and forgetting to drink my Trader Joe’s Mission Street Anniversary Ale (which is only $2.99!!!). Luckily we have a Trader Joe’s opening here in Fort Collins soon! I missed it so much!
AM41Okey, enough with the art.
AM42The final sunset on the beach. Le sigh.
AM25On Saturday afternoon I drove up to the Burbank area so I could catch my flight early on Sunday and checked into this awesome hotel. What a view!
AM26Golden Road was visited. 2020 IPA and Berliner Weisse with woodruff syrup was had. Fried artichokes were consumed. The hotel was visited and slept in.
AM27Bright and early Sunday morning, I was sitting back on the plane with my face pressed against the glass, trying to will myself not to cave and move back.
AM28Oh, Lord, why?
AM29Once I landed, I had to go and check on the progress of my new house! It was 63 degrees outside and the bathtubs were installed! I breathed in the fresh Colorado air and felt right once again.
AM30The wind picked up last night, followed by an unexpected downpour. I opened up this Enegren Brewing 2nd Anniversary Dopplesticke that I’ve had aging in my cellar since right before I moved and sat by the fire enjoying the company of my wonderful family.
AM41What a glorious trip it was.

Okay, you guys ready for the winners of the book? I assigned all of you entry numbers (you could get up to four), and did a random number generator online. The winners are…..
AMCourtney L. and Aaron C.!!!! I’ve sent you both e-mails to let you know! As for the rest of you…
IT’S NOT OVER YET!!!!!
The publisher has offered up THREE more copies for me to give away! If you didn’t win, your name is going into the next giveaway! As soon as I receive those copies, I’ll put up an extension to the giveaway and three more of you will get this book for free. If you can’t wait until then, here’s a link to buy the book:
Craft Beer for the Homebrewer: Recipes From America’s Top Brewmasters

Happy Monday to everyone!

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Craft Beer for the Homebrewer {GIVEAWAY}

A few months ago I was contacted by a publisher who’d seen some photos of mine and wanted to put them in a book about clone recipes for homebrewers. Um, okey!
AMYesterday I saw a tweet by the Beertographer (check out his photos, by the way. Absolutely beautiful beer porn) that his copies had just arrived. I lamented back in a tweet.
Screen shot 2014-02-07 at 8.24.02 AMSeconds after I posted that, a knock came at the door.
AM1“Didja hear dat?”
AM2“What dat? Who dat?”
AM3Well, my sweet Barleywhine, that’s called a book. It’s got about 40ish recipes from a bunch of high profile breweries.
AM7Cigar City, which I haven’t yet had a chance to visit or try.
AM9Rogue Ales, which I’ve been fortunate enough to taste, but not visit. Yet.
AM8Stone Brewing which I’ve visited, tasted, taken a test at, fallen in love with…
AM10The Bruery, which I’ve visited, tasted, re-taken a test at (rawr) and fallen in love with…
AM4And also a handful of smaller breweries like Funkwerks!
AM5Sorry, I still can’t get over seeing my name in another published book. Insert smiley face here.
AM6And there’s Andy who now works at New Belgium! Good to see some friends in this book!
AMAnd now it’s YOUR turn to get your hands on one of these! I’m giving away two copies to two lucky readers! I know I’ve got a LOT of lurkers and not many commenters, but you’re gonna hafta come out of your shells if you want one of these books. Your e-mails are private to everyone but me, so relax, don’t worry, have a homebrew. Wait, I mean relax, don’t worry and comment away.

How to enter: Leave a comment on this blog post letting me know your favorite brewery and favorite beer that they produce! Make sure you leave a valid e-mail so I can contact you if you win!

For a second entry: Follow me on Twitter! Leave a comment on this blog post telling me you followed! (If you already follow, leave a comment letting me know)

For a third entry: Follow me on Facebook and leave a comment on this blog post telling me so! (If you already follow, leave a comment letting me know)

For a fourth (and final) entry: Follow me on Instagram and leave a comment on this blog post letting me know! (If you already follow, leave a comment letting me know)

You get up to FOUR entries for this one! Open to U.S. residents only. This giveaway will run through next Friday, February 14th at 6pm MST. I’ll randomly select two winners and contact you by e-mail!

Happy homebrewing and happy Friday!!!

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Link N Hops Giveaway!

Hey everyone! In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t live in California anymore, but I know I have tons of beer-loving readers who do. Link N Hops was one of those magical places that I never actually was lucky enough to visit, but it was always one that I wanted to go to: 18 different types of meat-lovers sausages, 6 types of vegan sausages and a long and beautiful list of beers featuring both from the US and overseas.
linkLink N Hops is having an Oktoberfest THIS WEEKEND and has generously offered to give me two free tickets (each with a +1 attached so you can bring a buddy) to readers who are over 21 years of age and will be in the Atwater Village area this weekend. Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below and I’ll be choosing those two lucky winners on October 18th around 12pm. You will be required to show ID at the door to receive your tickets. You will receive tickets to only one of the two sessions.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

More details are featured below. Check it out and good luck!!!

LINK N HOPS OKTOBERFEST!

Saturday and Sunday, October 19th and 20th, from 1 pm-5 pm each day

Join us for our first annual Oktoberfest as we celebrate the fall
season with craft beer and great food for two days in a row in Atwater
Village!

Sip on a variety of seasonal specialty beers by four amazing Southern
California breweries and munch on a savory sausage with Belgian fries.
Enjoy the cooler fall weather of Los Angeles at Atwater Village’s own
sausage and craft beer spot, Link N Hops.

Each brewery will feature Oktoberfest- or Fall-inspired specialty
beers like Pumpkin and amber ales. The breweries involved include
Bootleggers, Hangar 24, New Belgium, and Golden Road.

The Link N Hops Oktoberfest is all about promoting local craft beer
and delicious quality food with a variety of options including vegan
and gluten free.

A $27 ticket gets you six tasters of 6 ounces each, plus a food
option, which includes a sausage sandwich plus fries (one day per
ticket).

A $20 ticket gets you six tasters of 6 ounces each (no food, one day
per ticket).

There will also be a classic car show in the parking lot of Link N
Hops on Saturday, October 19th – More info on that HERE.

PRE-PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Buy today! Prices go up to $37 and $30 respectively at the door.

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