Unemployed!

Well, it’s done!
amI am officially unemployed! To celebrate I took myself out to Pedalers Fork for a little breakfast pampering and awesome coffee.
am2It is an absolutely GORGEOUS day, made even better by the fact that I am now one gigantic step closer to moving to Colorado! I sold my bed last night to someone on Craigslist (and lived to tell about it, which is a bonus), and walking into that almost-empty room made it seem real. I’m actually doing this!
am1I am excited beyond belief and also terrified. So terrified that I figured a little comfort food should be in order.
am3Fried egg sammich with ham and roasted potatoes on the side, basking in the warm glow of the sun shining through the skylights. Bliss.
am4And the most amazing coffee in the world by 10 Speed Coffee. I’ll miss them. I suppose I’ll have to get my delicious coffee fix from Cranknstein from now on 😀

For now, I’m off to pick up some Custom Pie and head over to the lovely Janelle’s house for a Vertical Epic series tasting, pizza, kraut and most of my Ladies of Ladyface. Happy Friday!

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You Say Goodbye…

Now begins the final week of my employment in California! It’s a crazy thought, but I am so excited to get to my land of craft beer, flannel shirts and snowcapped mountains. I began my farewells last week.
amI started off at Story Tavern in Burbank with a Tarte Noir from Eagle Rock Brewery, and my friend from long ago, Yousef.
am11Blonde Becki, Jackson, Yousef, Lexie and Jess. We were on the internet series lonelygirl15 waaaaay back in 2007.
am10…which continued for a few years. Yousef was even kind enough to host/care for me on my 21st birthday. He stuck with me that night after a visit to Saddle Ranch, blue motorcycles and hiking around Hollywood. That’s the sign of a true friend.
am1Up next were my two favorite girlies. Janelle, Avery and I stopped by LAB Brewing to redeem a Living Social coupon and binge.
am2Augh, I’m going to miss these beauties so much!
am3I ordered the braised short ribs with mashed potatoes and was not disappointed at all. Fall-apart tender, dressed with a rich gravy on top of a soft bed of potatoes. I ate one of these rounds and got a box for the rest so I could enjoy even more.
am4Janelle showed me up by going healthy and got the sesame crusted seared ahi. I stole a bite and now have my sights set on recreating this.
am5I boxed half of my meal just so I would have space for this – peanut butter white chocolate puff pastry. This may be my favorite dessert of all time. Rich and thick chocolatey peanut butter filling cut by sweet vanilla ice cream and given a boost of antioxidants with fresh berries. Yeah, that’s how that works. We ended our evening with an Abyss clone that Janelle and her hubby aged in a barrel for four months. To. Die. For.
am7I also had some hello/goodbyes as well. I went to Island Brewing for a growler fill, got a wrist band slapped on my arm by a very generous friend at the brewery and went down to the Surf ‘n Suds beer festival that was happening across the railroad tracks. I finally got to meet Joseph, the new assistant brewer at Wolf Creek Brewery! Something tells me he has a slightly easier time hoisting the 55lb bags of grain into the mill than I did.
am8I finally finished the long trek up north to Santa Barbara and was greeted by Mangria – wine with orange liquer added and coming in at 20%. I sipped, wrinkled my nose and poured myself a glass of Jubilee Ale a la Island Brewing instead.
am9My boys! Matt and Grayson were my big brothers in college and took wonderful care of me and my roommates when we were freshman. They were also the bad influences, but they cared for us after those influences, and that’s what counts.
am6And we’ll end this with another hello! This is my new bow, yet to be named. She’ll be getting new limbs soon (they’re 35lbs right now and I pull 26lbs at the moment), and then will be making the trek cross country with me! I love her. I love her so.

And now I’m going to pour myself a Mission Street Brown Ale, serve up some lentil soup that’s been stewing away in the crockpot all day and fully soak in and appreciate my last few days as a California resident.

Life. Is. Good.

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Two Weeks Notice

My life has been turned upside down. The past few months have been incredibly difficult for me, even though I’ve kept it light on the blog.

In the last few months I found out that someone I once considered a good friend was the exact opposite. Suddenly, I was no longer welcome into one of my favorite places where I’d enjoyed spending almost every day learning, helping, building. Because of this situation, I also lost my best friend, my appetite for over a week (disastrous for a food blogger) and way too much weight. Needless to say, it’s been a little rough.
amI booked a trip to Colorado for a quick escape when all of this went down.
am1I flew in over the mountains as the sun gently set, sipping on my complimentary gin and tonic and contemplating life.
am8The first morning I was greeted with a green monsta and one of the most amazing views available to man. The parentals and I decided to start off healthy since we had the Gnarly Barley beer festival to attend.
am2#42 Poblano Stout by Big Choice Brewing out of my old hometown, Broomfield. This was my favorite of the day.
am3I was pleasantly tipsy thanks to the altitude and the wide varieties of tasters we got to try, and we ended up leaving at the perfect time.
am4The storm wreaked havoc on the remaining hours of the festival. Tents were destroyed, tornado warnings blared and I enjoyed the torrential downpour from inside a cozy restaurant, eating deep fried food and sipping pale ale on nitro.

Sitting there, I finalized my decision that I’ve been contemplating for over two years. I’m moving to Colorado.

This morning I put in my two weeks notice at my job. My last full day in California will be August 23rd and then I’ll be journeying cross country in my Wheezy little car and embarking on an amazing adventure called life. The initiation into this new life will be a trip to Munich, Amsterdam AND Scotland!
am7Breakfast at my new favorite place – Rainbow Restaurant in Fort Collins. Pumpkin bread french toast with rum butter and caramelized bananas. The appetite has returned.
am5Celebration with Consecration. And now, to pack up my entire life and go back to where I belong, wearing jeans and flannel in the mecca of craft beer!

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Figueroa Mountain Brewing Tasting Room

Figueroa Mountain opened up a tasting room and brewery in Santa Barbara in the beginning of June!
am13Figueroa Mountain’s new tasting room is located at 137 Anacapa Street in Santa Barbara, California. Off the beaten path and with plenty of parking. Hooray times two!
am6The first thing you get to see when you walk in is the shiny new 7bbl system (a la Premier Stainless) and a handful of 15bbl fermentors. The headbrewer A.J. Stoll is there at least two times a week, brewing up some experimentals for the onsite tasting room.
amThey have all the regulars on tap…
am5…plus a few specialties.
am3Since I’ve had all the regulars (multiple times), I went for a new one.
am2Irish Stout. Rich and chocolately with a crisp and dry finish.
am1Happiness in a taster glass. Can’t wait to try this on nitro!
am7The tasting room is bright and open with cool ocean breeze wafting through the patio.
am9Alas, if I didn’t have to drive, I could’ve relaxed here all day, breathing in the fresh ocean air.
am10And once all the taps are filled, I WILL be here all day, breathing in the fresh ocean air. And with a designated driver!
am8I will also be stocking up on new fashionable accessories.
am11I can honestly say that Figueroa Mountain is one of my favorite California breweries (adding to a relatively long list, but when I love a brewery, I take pride in repping them), and I can’t wait to be back!

Happy humpday! I’m off to Colorado for the Gnarly Barley Fest tomorrey!

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Citrus Classic Balloon Festival

I hosted yet another beer dinner on Saturday – this time at the Citrus Classic Balloon Festival in Santa Paula.
amSkywriters greeting the thousand of attendees!
am1
am2My company sponsored the festival and I got to set up the pairings, host and eat!
am3Blue Moon was the welcome beer.
am4Pork belly sliders paired with Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale.
am5Rosemary chicken flatbread with Karl Strauss Red Trolley.
am6Short ribs with risotto cake and Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale.
am8Flourless chocolate cake with Rodenbach Grand Cru.
am7This is Samantha Harvey of Sam ‘n Ash! If you recall, she was playing EVERYTHING at the Banjo and Fiddle Fest! I had to get a picture to send to Brew Chief Joe for proof.
am9As the sun began to set, the balloons began to rise.
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am11
am12
am14
am13A delicious and magical evening! I love my job.

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Golden Road Pairing Dinner

Last night the wonderful folks at Tuning Fork in Studio City had a beer pairing dinner with Golden Road brews. I was (yet again) lucky enough to be able to help design the pairings and host the event.
am1Five dishes and five brews. I had to mentally prepare my stomach, and I had boxes ready to pack whatever I couldn’t finish to take home.
am“It’s a Great Time to Be Alive!” – the official title of the evening. And it is. It really is.
AM5Tuning Fork is a newer restaurant located on Ventura Place with a rustic wood bar and family-style picnic tables. Owners Joseph and Martin man the helm, while Chef Jay works his brilliance in the kitchen. The staff is possibly the friendliest I’ve come across in a long time, and all the customers are instantly welcomed as close friends.
AM3Six beers on tap and almost 40 bottled beers! The selection there is mind-boggling.
am2The tables were set, carafes were filled with water, empty dump buckets prepared…
AM4Golden Road flannel was repped. We were set.
AM7We started off the evening with a full pour of Cabrillo Kölsch to welcome everyone in.
AM16It was a full house. They ended up having to close the restaurant completely to accommodate everyone who was calling for seats!
AM8I stuck with small pours and even smaller sips since I was being all responsible and stuff. The first pairing was the Cabrillo Kölsch with applewood smoked bacon mac ‘n cheese pops.
AM9Mac ‘n cheese deep fried. Anything deep fried is a win, but these were beyond delicious. Sturdy yet full of creamy cheese and tender pieces of smoky bacon, wrapped in a crust of fried perfection. The clean finish and high carbonation of the Kölsch whisked away the richness as soon as the beer touched the tongue.
AM10The second course was spicy Veracruz seafood ceviche with Hefeweizen. The sweet citrus in the beer marries perfectly with the acidity of the lemon and lime juice used in the ceviche without overwhelming the delicate fish. The final bite of brutal spice was calmed by the smooth wheat in the brew.
AM11IPA braised short ribs on quinoa cake and swiss chard paired with Point the Way IPA. Rich and fall-apart tender short ribs covered in thick gravy are balanced with a gently hoppy IPA that slice through that richness while subtle notes of caramel match with the caramelized meat. And quinoa and swiss chard makes it healthy. That’s how this works.
AM12Chef Jay brought out a palate cleanser immediately after – tangy sweet sorbet to scrub away any lingering hop bitterness or fattiness from the rich cuts of meat.
AM14Jerk spice mole chicken with coconut rice and plantains paired with Wolf Among Weeds IPA. Tropical notes of pineapple in the beer tie in perfectly with the Caribbean-style dish, while rich mole sauce satisfies all the senses. I only had a few bites of this dish and packed it up with the intention of having it for breakfast this morning. Which I did. It has banana, therefore it is breakfast.
AM15The finale of the evening was a traditional English trifle with layers of fresh berries, vanilla custard and sweet crumbly goodness, paired with It’s Not Always Sunny In LA black IPA. Intense bitterness with hints of roast tames the sweetness of the trifle and makes each spoonful even more decadent, yet less filling at the same time. I put this picture up and immediately went to the fridge to finish off the leftovers from last night. Consuming it now – true story.
AM13Rob from Golden Road explained the background of the beers, Chef Jay introduced the dishes and I explained the purpose of why we’d paired which beer with which dish. Education was studded throughout giveaways by the two owners, Joseph and Martin, and the crowds were rowdy and happy.

I have to say, this was the most successful pairing dinner I’ve had to date! I can’t wait for the next one!

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The Brewery at Abigaile

You know what needs to occur every single Monday? Nights with friends and visits to new (to me) breweries. It definitely helps keep me balanced after the stress of the start of the work week.
am8I drove into LA and visited some friends for a nice de-stressing post-Monday dinner before we headed out to the brewery. Above is tofu with crumbled pork curry and sauteed shrimp with green bell peppers…
am9As well as chicken curry stocked with potatoes and carrots. Un-pictured – cabbage and some kind of black fungus that looks like ears (?!?!). I had a sampling of everything along with a Black Market Hefeweizen, and after we scrubbed the kitchen, we headed south. Far south. Hermosa south.
amThe Brewery at Abigaile is a beautiful rustic space overlooking the pier and ocean. I’ll have to go back during the day so I can get some pictures of the amazing view. Since we’d stuffed ourselves already with a home-cooked meal, we stuck to beer and dessert.
am15 beers on tap. Flights were ordered all around.
am3From bottom to top – Orange Blossom Blonde, Analog Amber, Polyrhythm Pale, Black Mass Porter and Sugar Daddy Belgian strong. Not a single bad one in the bunch. My favorites were the porter and the orange blossom, surprisingly enough. Super roasty and light and refreshing. It’s all about balance.
am4We also may have ordered the soft serve ice cream to share. With bacon caramel. Bacon. Caramel. This place was created for me!
am5BACON. CARAMEL! Complete bliss. Afterwards we strolled to the end of the pier, checked out the rolling waves under the full moon and capped off the evening with one more beer on da pier: for the birthday boy!
am6One more beer EACH and bottled water for our lovely DD. Happy birthday, Mike!

Now I have some exciting news – I’m going to Munich and Amsterdam in September!!! Any and all recommendations of must-sees are more than welcomed. Take note: I will NOT be there during Oktoberfest, so recommending that would just be cruel and painful. Happy Humpday!

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What I Really Eat

When I’m not shoving my face with work dinners and delicious local foods, I tend to keep the menu pretty tame. This was everything I consumed yesterday – please keep in mind that my kitchen is out of commission because of re-tiling and I’ve only had access to a microwave for the past week. Sad face.
am1/4 cup of oatmeal combined with 1/2 cup of water, microwaved for a minute with a pinch of Truvia added. Whee. Two huge cups of un-photographed coffee – WHEE!!!
am1That kept me stuffed for about an hour, then I went for the big guns – an apple. And this, my friends, is why I don’t show you my daily eats. They’re depressing and dull.
am2Those gigantic cups of coffee just weren’t quite enough caffeine, so I got my favorite tea in the entire world, jasmine green, to give me an extra boost of energy.
am3More computer and menu design for works, so I microwaved (ugh) a handful of frozen broccoli florets and two Trader Joe’s precooked turkey meatballs. I felt painfully stuffed after this menial dish. Honestly, this is how I eat. I’ll have a handful of food, be stuffed for about an hour and have to eat again. I believe I’m known as a “grazer”. I eat CONSTANTLY.
am4Lemon ginger tea was up for my post lunch snack, since I have no accessibility to a stove for my preferred edamame fix.
am6And the finale – my big meal of the day was kindly handcrafted for me by one of my best friends, Janelle. Seared ahi tuna, chiffoned zucchini salad with tomatoes, parmesan cheese, green onions and basil from her own garden, tossed in white balsamic. Oh Janelle, how I adore you, your perfect little girl and your cooking.
am5We topped this exquisite meal off with Mirassou Pinot Noir – one of the first red wines that I ever tried and appreciated.

I finished the night with a homebrew saison a la my roommate General Bird, and Sharknado. Screen shot 2013-07-18 at 9.29.44 PMI am an absolute nerd and would chainsaw my way out of a shark to proclaim that. There is no better way to end the week than with a so-bad-it’s-good SyFy film.

Cheers!

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Ladies at Ladyface: Farewell JJ!

This has been a week of goodbyes – sad, necessary and at the same time very freeing and joyful. JJ’s farewell was of the latter.
AM8Beautiful JJ is one of the founding members of Ladies at Ladyface, and has decided to embark upon a new adventure up in Oregon. She’s leaving everything comfortable and familiar in order to explore a new world of beer and open up either a brewpub, bottle shop or something equally thrilling!
AM1She had the perfect farewell weather: a nice mid-70s temperature followed by a slight chill once the sun set. With all the changes going on in my life lately, I decided to stick with something comforting and familiar.
AMPicture City Porter and mac ‘n cheese with bacon and jalepeños.
AM0Are you tired of seeing these pictures every time I visit Ladyface? Too bad. Deal with it.
AM4The evening consisted of beers from Oregon, cakes, awesome shot glasses and a special allowance of men for the first (second technically after we allowed Janelle’s hubby in 5 days after Avery was born) time since JJ wanted to have all of her friends there for a final huzzah!
AM5“Good luck making delicious beer for the world to enjoy! We won’t be the same without you… Probably much better off, but not the same.” She has the best friends 🙂
AM6Awesome shot glasses. I have the mustache smiling at me on my desk as I type.
AM9Das mini boot.
am15Das mini red cup.
AM11JJ brought Cyrena a final farewell homebrew. Keychain flask included. We had a nice debate about open containers with this one…
AM10Courtney brought her happy hour glass and got a beautiful pour of the back-on-tap Red Rye.
AM2I moved on to Cataclysm Oatmeal IPA on nitro to pair with my dessert binges.
AM12Chocolate Porter Torte. Comfort food.
AM13Caramel Crème Brûlée.
AM14Just a necessity of life. Simple as that.
Screen shot 2013-07-16 at 7.53.47 AMHonestly, I think this was one of my favorite Ladies at Ladyface meetings – nothing like celebrating a new chapter in life! Only things missing: Michelle and my mumsie. We’ll have to fix that soon.

Farewell JJ! And happy birthday! We’ll miss you until we have our field trip to your new digs!

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Angel City Brewery

Fridays are always a half day for me at work. They also normally consist of some sort of beer consumption. Last Friday we had a field trip day and were introduced to the good people at Angel City Brewery in downtown LA.
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am1Angel City Brewery is located in the Arts District and covered with random and sometimes awkward works of art.
am2We escaped the balmy heat and filed into the breezy brewery and tasting room to watch a quick little slideshow and hear about the history.
am7Then it was tasting time!
am5They started us off with their two flagship beers.
am4Angelino IPA and Eureka! Wit, respectively. After these little samples, they gave us drink tickets and sent us to the tasting room.
am9I got mini pours of almost all the beers. Their Berliner Weisse was one of my favorites – dry and tart without being overly sour, and extremely sessionable at 3.3%ABV.
am8
am10The Schwarzbier is also incredibly solid – nice and roasty with a clean finish.
am11Dieter Foerstner is the head brewer and kindly poured us tastes and discussed the different processes he goes through with every beer. White Nite is one of the more interesting ones – a “golden stout” which is gold in color with the roasty flavors of a stout due to the addition of coffee beans and cacao nibs in secondary. That beer was the favorite amongst the group.

Unfortunately we got too busy to attend a brewery tour. I’ll just have to go back AGAIN and try more beer AGAIN and get the official tour. Ugh.
am14Saturday consisted of my new tradition – archery! I’m actually going to be buying my bow next week! Pictures and declarations of adoration to come.
am15It was also the first birthday of little Avery! I can’t believe how big she’s gotten!!! And that hair!

I’m off to enjoy the last few hours of freedom before going back into a long work week. Happy Sunday!

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