by | November 12, 2012 · 7:43 pm

Meat Waffles

I’ve been spending the past month with my head buried in draught system manuals, online review programs and Randy Mosher’s Tasting Beer in preparation for next Monday. That’s right, I’m taking the plunge and taking the Certified Cicerone test. I fully expect to not pass on my first go, given the success rates of all of my friends who have taken it already, but actually feel incredibly prepared for it.

Work has also been completely insane. I’m up by 5am most mornings, work until 4 or 5pm and then go out for my craft beer and wings group, go to Wades Wines to brush up on my beer style profiles or go home to get those whole five hours of sleep I can before waking up and starting the cycle all over again.

On random nights I take a break from studying to participate in lovely house parties.
Power tank nights with a few of my favorites.
Incredibly accurate slogans.
And what began the title of this post: “I just realized that a waffle maker is the origin of the George Foreman grill.”
Obviously we had to see exactly what my friend meant by this, so he seasoned some buffalo…
Patty-fied and pressed.
Then the ideas kept on flowing.
“Cheese in every nook!”
Topped it off with a fried egg.
Meat waffles topped with cheese and fried egg taste like bubbles floating above you on the night of your wedding.

Your argument is invalid. I’m going to pour another beer and get back to studying.

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by | November 5, 2012 · 9:47 am

The Rehearsal

Last Friday, Brie and Chris were preparing to be joined forever in holy matrimony.
While the bride and groom were busy making the final preparations, Commander Matt, Brew Chief Joe and I were feeling quite stressed out by the pending nuptials and de-stressed at Ladyface Alehouse. We split a gigantic flight of all the Ladyface beers…
…Suicide sweet potato fries…
I also stole a bite from the boys’ mini sliders. We attempted not to overstuff ourselves. I failed.
The rehearsal and rehearsal dinner was held at the Cornell Winery. As soon as (or a while before) the three of us arrived, the vino started flowing.
As did the appetizers. Thick slices of rustic bread were smothered in creamy garlic and topped with sweet balsamic reduction. Salty prosciutto and rich cheeses rounded out the first course, as well as some cold tomato soup-looking dip that I never got a chance to try.
The boys approved of the spread. So handsome.
After everyone had their fill of carbs and dairy and full glasses of wine, the rehearsal began.
Best Man Brew Chief Joe escorted the lovely Amanda down the aisle.
Best of Men Commander of Finance Matt walked down with the beautiful Sarah.
And then came the beautiful bride and her father.
Utter radiance!
They walked through the ceremony with no mishaps and no sprinting away from the altar. Step one – complete.
Sealed with a kiss.
Success! Unfortunately at the wedding the next day neither the bride or groom showed and everyone was left broken-hearted.
Just kidding. They lived happily ever after and went to Maui for their honeymoon.
(Pictured above is the wedding beer – The Last Days of Braun with the newlywed Enegrens in the background!)

Congratulations, Chris and Brie! I couldn’t be happier for the both of you!

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by | October 24, 2012 · 9:20 pm

Blue Dog Beer Tavern

My new job has kept me busier than I ever expected. My new job has also introduced me to new places that serve delicious food and craft beer. Perks! One gem I found this past week – Blue Dog Beer Tavern in Sherman Oaks.
Blue Dog is hidden on a side road next to busy Ventura Blvd with an open, free parking lot. In LA, free parking is priceless!
The decor is dedicated to images of beloved puppies – pictures race across the walls and over the ceiling beams.
THE BEER LIST. They have eight taps, all filled with a wonderful variety of craft brews. I hadn’t tried the Cismontane Nopalito de Trigo before, so the manager was kind enough to give me a sip.
A VERY generous sip! This beer was full of wonderful bubblegum aroma spiced with hints of clove. The flavor was full of sweet and tart prickly pear juice which was in very unique balance with the mustiness from the hefeweizen yeast. I’d definitely order a full pour next time!
BURGER LIST. The second most important thing. I had a hard time deciding, but something spicy was needed to pair with that smooth hefeweizen. On recommendation of the bar manager, I went with the Fire Starter.
One of the top ten burgers I’ve had to date. Perfectly seared and topped with crispy onion strings, deep fried jalapenos, pepperjack cheese and honey chipotle sauce. Every bite made beads of sweat break out across my brow. The fries were also out of this world – crispy without being too greasy, piping hot and seasoned perfectly.

I’m VERY thankful to have found this place and will definitely be willing to make the trek out to Sherman Oaks to eat and imbibe every once in a while. The staff, food and beer are all so wonderful, friendly and delicious! After working in beer all day and all week however, I needed a little change.
That oughta do it!
I met up with Barbara, the owner of Magnavino Cellars based out of Oxnard, and got to sample all of these amazing wines. It’s good to keep working your palate through all types of craft. It’s called education, people!

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by | October 17, 2012 · 7:44 pm

Ladies at Ladyface: 17

The harvest season is upon us! For our monthly meeting the ladies of Ladies at Ladyface brought harvest or pumpkin beers along with other delicious edibles for pairings.
We may have gone a little overboard with the bottle selection…
Cyrena brought out something very unique for this night – candy pairings!
We got a list of the different beers and the types of candy they should be paired with.
We each poured samples of the different brews and grabbed a small handful of each candy selection.
Needless to say, we were exceptionally hyped up within the first ten minutes.
Very hyped up.
Sugar-headache hyped up.
The first pairing was Port Brewing High Tide Fresh Hop IPA with sour grapefruit chews. The tang and flavor of the candy really brought out the grapefruit citrus of the fresh hops in the beer. My favorite candy pairing of the night was Weihenstephaner Aventinus and Reeses Pieces. I could explain this one, but I’d rather you just try it.
During the pairings I cleansed my palate with Pliny the Elder. I’d actually ordered this before we all sat down, so this was slowly sipped throughout the evening and also paired wonderfully with all of the citrus candies.
I brought my pumpkin spice donuts to pair with any of the pumpkin beers. Whole wheat and baked. These actually have negative calories so the mass quantities of sugar, beer and other foods are cancelled out. Planning ahead!
Michelle finally caved from all of my begging over the past year and brought back the kraut! Dare I say even better than the last time I had it? We’ve dubbed this “pig kraut” because of the mass amounts of bacon, pulled pork, ribs and kielbasa that reside inside. Lise even made her own bratwurst to go with. Ever had homemade bratwurst? It’s beyond epic. The kraut was such a hit that even the vegetarian of the group had three servings! (She’s a vegetarian except for anything made from pig, apparently.)
Overall it was a long and wonderful night, per usual. We tried many (many, many, many) different beers and got to experience something I’ve never even thought of/heard of: pairing candy and beer.

Our next meeting is December 3rd – Brown bag tasting, white elephant exchange and a look at the new winter menu which will hopefully include short ribs with melted leeks again! If you’re a lady and interested in craft beer, come join us! Any interested men? Find a lady and wait for her at the bar with all of the other men!

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by | October 12, 2012 · 4:37 pm

Boston: Part 3

Lobsta.
The lobsta cookout we had was absolutely incredible and ridiculous.
We started (and ended) the night with seafood. Fresh shrimp and homemade cocktail sauce drizzled with lemon. This was the sweetest, freshest shrimp I’ve ever had the good luck to come by.
The next course was something I’ve absolutely never had before and would never have thought to try. Clam pie. I had some just to be polite and was surprised to find out that I actually enjoyed it! The massive amounts of butter, bread crumbs and bacon topping might be one of the reasons I liked it so.
It was a blustery evening, but luckily the rain had let up for a few hours so we were able to cook outdoors.
It was cold enough that the fireplace spent the evening crackling away in a feeble attempt to thaw my freezing hands. I wasn’t in a sharing mood so everyone else froze.
Then the massacre began. Believe it or not I’d never tried lobster before, excepting some tempura lobster wrapped up in a sushi roll.
For a group of eight, there were twenty lobstas. TWENTY! I wasn’t sure if I would even like lobsta, which was daunting enough in itself. If I hated it could I pull it off acting like I really did enjoy it to be polite?
We removed the bands from the lobsta claws as they tried to remove our fingers at the same time and put them all in a giant pot of boiling water.
To distract ourselves from the horrors that were occurring outside, we poured some zinfandel and shared platitudes of guilt.
Fifteen minutes later, the lobstas entered the kitchen and graced our plates.
This was my expression the entire night as I tried to figure out how to crack, extract and consume the lobsta. It took me about an hour to figure it out, plus a lot of help from those sitting next to me, but believe it or not I actually liked it! I honestly didn’t think I would, and judging by that picture, I’m not sure anyone in the room believed me when I said I did…
We rounded out the meal with fresh apple and cranberry pie. To say I was stuffed is a massive understatement. I fell into a shellfish-induced food coma for another hour before I finally rolled into bed.
Kathy made a baked french toast casserole for breakfast the next morning. Made with fresh challah bread and blueberries, this sweet bread pudding was a perfect lobsta-hangover cure.
Perhaps this will be an addition to my traditional savory bread pudding we make for Christmas! Please note I said addition, not substitution.
Lunch was lobsta rolls made with the six leftover lobstas we were unable to consume the night before. These were much easier to eat and just as, if not more, delicious as regular lobsta! I’d like to add – these New England style hot dog buns with flat sides rock my world. Why are they not made in California??
Commander Matt and I had to book it back to the airport to catch our flight back. We took a detour and stopped by the oldest restaurant in America, Union Oyster House.
We waited for about twenty minutes in order to be able to sit at the original bar. It was well worth the wait.
I got a cup of the clam chowder and a pint of Sam Adams Colonial Ale, brewed specifically for this restaurant. When in Boston, drink as the Bostonians do! Love the local brews!

We finally got the rental car returned…just in time to get a text from American Airlines saying our flight had been delayed. Three times. Our evening was spent at the airport bars enjoying a few local beers and watching as each delay was extended.
When they finally began boarding the plane the ticket checker insisted that everyone make sure their carry-ons were to the designated size. This poor woman got her suitcase to fit…
…and then spent the next twenty minutes attempting to remove it from its confines. We slipped quietly on board for a sleepless flight back to Los Angeles.

I went to my first day at my new job with two hours of sleep, a brutal cold that still hasn’t departed and credit fraud, but I wouldn’t trade the trip for anything! Except maybe a longer visit…

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by | October 4, 2012 · 5:37 pm

Boston: Part 2

I came back from Boston with a nasty cold and credit card fraud, so forgive the delay. Let’s get back to reminiscing about happier times.

Thursday night we attended the dress rehearsal of Commander Matt’s good friends, Matt and Kristen. The rehearsal dinner that followed took place as the sun set on a wonderfully chilly evening.
The happy group met at a country club after to wine, dine and celebrate.
I was very pleased to see these heaters while shaking in my knee-length dress. The cocktail(s) may have helped warm me as well.
I sampled a little of everything – from lasagna to sole, goat cheese and butternut sqaush risotto to chicken piccata and fresh mozzarella and tomatoes drizzled with balsamic reduction. As usual, I pawned off the leftovers to the people around me.

The wedding went off beautifully despite the downpour and the reception that followed was ridiculously fun and one of the best nights I’ve had. For privacy purposes (and the fact that I didn’t take my camera to either), pictures have been omitted.

On Saturday morning we drove over to Marion – an adorable little town off the edge of Buzzard’s Bay.
The Enegren parental unit took us out on their boat during the short reprieve from rain.
We watched the end of a sailing race! No, wait, this was before the beginning…
This was DEFINITELY either the end or the beginning. Although it may have been the middle… I’m not trained enough to follow.
When you don’t understand something, grab a local beer. That always makes everything make sense. Or just passes the time while you wait for a race to start and/or finish.
I only slightly froze. They had 100+ degree temps over in California, so I was loving the chill!
After the extremely confusing race, we raced back into the bay and moored the boat while Mama Enegren made a fancy lunch.
I absolutely adored the ride in. All of the original houses from the 1800s line the shore, looking like postcard pictures.
We started off with piping hot clam chowda. With the temperature hovering around 60 degrees and a drizzle beginning to come in, this was a welcomed sight, and so delicious! There’s just something about having clam chowda on the east coast that just makes life feel right.
Homemade chicken salad sammiches rounded out the meal. I tried not to finish mine since we had a lobsta cookout coming later that night and I wanted to be ravenous!
We got a lift in to the yacht club, disembarked and perused through the old building, gazing at the history that lined the walls and cabinets.
I couldn’t have asked for a nicer welcome to Marion. Plus, I still had the lobsta cookout to look forward to!
Coming soon!

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by | September 28, 2012 · 12:48 pm

Boston: Part 1

On Wednesday I took off for Boston to attend a wedding. We decided to start our vacation a little early and take some gifts to the good folks at The Chive before catching the red eye.
Of course it was beer, what else would you expect me to take?
Okey fine, oatmeal stout brownies topped with caramelized bacon may have made an appearance too…
Patty, John, Megan, Alex, Emily and Elliot were kind enough to take some time out of their workday to try out the new seasonal beers we’d brought from Enegren.
The beautiful ladies of The Berry and I enjoying some Foliage Pale Ale. And brownies. With bacon on top. Did I mention those yet? We hung out tasting beer for about an hour and then headed off to prep for our flight out.
Beer is prep. LOVE the pour on this – the fill line is completely ignored and no head remains after the faucet was submerged in the glass. Delicious.

The red eye was cramped, hot and nearly impossible to sleep on. I had about two hours of shut eye before we landed in Boston at 6:30am.  After finding the rental car, we took off into downtown for breakfast.
We found this gem after three unsuccessful attempts to find non-chain restaurants that had unassuming names but turned out to be Dunkin Donuts. The Dunkin is big on this side of the country.
Anytime I see bread pudding, I must order it.
Grilled cheesy bread pudding topped with a fried egg and tomato compote. Holy deliciousness. The sweetness of the compote combined with a perfectly runny yolk that cascaded over thick slices of bread pudding studded with generous doses of cheddar made for a VERY happy girl, exhaustion aside.
We walked around the city for a few more hours and visited the Holocaust memorial.
The tattooed numbers of the estimated eleven million who were killed are etched into the glass towers and show up when steam rises through the grates below. These towers are shocking and beautiful at the same time.
We visited the old cobbled streets lined with the original pubs.
I’m ridiculously touristy and not ashamed!
THIS without a doubt was my favorite part of the city. On my Facebook I asked for recommendations of places to visit while in the city. Don is a bartender at Stoddard’s Fine Food and Ale, and suggested I check the restaurant out. Stoddard’s serves FIVE cask ales. I read the word “casks” and immediately wrote it into the schedule.
They have twenty beers of draught. Don was kind enough to let us sample a few of them.
These, however, are the reason we showed up.
I asked Don for his cask recommendations and he put these two beauties in front of me. Wachusset Black Shack Porter and BBC Steele Rail Pale Ale. Absolutely stunning. Cellar temperature and smooth nitro-like carbonation thanks to the sparkler. Utter contentment.
A huge thank you to Don for the wonderful recommendation, helping us out and treating us to some absolutely delicious beers.

Stay tuned for Boston: Part 2… Whenever I have another quiet few moments to write that down. For now – off to the wedding!

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by | September 22, 2012 · 10:33 pm

Whole Wheat Sugarless Banana Cake Bread

Exciting news all around: I’m back to baking! I’ve missed having the time and the creativity to whip up some deliciousness in the kitchen, so I’m going overboard with it now.

But first: Friday was my last day at Wolf Creek as assistant brewer. While I had a wonderful few months there hauling grain, scrubbing out mash tuns, brewing delicious beer and having some awesome bragging rights, I truly missed being able to connect with those drinking the beer and being able to explain to them why the beer they were tasting had that citrus or banana aroma, or how adding the hops earlier in the boil makes the beer more bitter, or urging them to visit all the local craft breweries that Southern California boasts to expand their horizons and open their minds and steins to the beauty of the beer. That was a ridiculously long sentence.

A few weeks ago I was at Enegren during the middle of the day when a group happened to swing by. There were beer distributors in this group – something I’ve been wanting to do for the past two years. I asked how they got into distribution, they asked me if I was interested and told me they were looking to hire a craft beer specialist and I had an interview the following week. Beginning October 1st I’ll be working with this distribution company and eventually/hopefully bringing the awesomeness of local craft beer to bars and restaurants in SoCal.

NOW back to baking! I’ve recently begun a new workout regime AND eating healthy. I was perusing the interwebs for banana bread that had no sugar, made a recipe that totally flopped, decided to make modifications and came up with this cake bread.

Don’t be scared: There’s no artificial sugar here and as long as you’re not expecting traditional buttery, extremely sweet banana bread, you’ll survive.
[gmc_recipe 5614]

The riper the bananas, the better. I had a craving for banana bread and just couldn’t wait.
Hydrate ’em!
Drain ’em! Chop ’em!
Mash ’em!
Add ’em!
Stir the raisin bits into the dry ingredients.
Pour the banana mixture on top of the dry ingredients.
Stir until just combined. Do not overstir or you’ll get tough, unfluffy bread cake! That would be disastrous.
Spread into a pre-greased pan. You could probably put this in a loaf pan as well, but the baking time will vary.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let sit for 5-10 minutes, or as long as you can hold out before slicing and diving in face first.
Again, my disclaimer: This is NOT your traditional sweet banana bread! It’s mildly sweet with little bursts of sweet sunshine from the rehydrated raisins, dense and chewy. I’ve been having a square of this with the rest of my healthy breakfast every morning.

Enjoy!

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by | September 18, 2012 · 6:00 pm

Ladies at Ladyface: 16

This month’s Ladies at Ladyface: The Fermentables and Comestibles Education and Tippling Society meeting came at the perfect time for me. The past few weeks have put me in a wonderful tailspin and all I wanted and needed was a good beer, delicious foods and a night with a bunch of fellow beer-geek ladies.
We had a beautiful view sitting outside on the patio, drinking up the last rays of sunlight that streamed through the screens on the warm end-of-summer day.
That view was okay too.
Janelle brought a loaf of spent grain bread she’d made using the remnants of an imperial stout and black IPA. The bread was soft, dense, chewy and had a subtle sweetness that tasted like more. I grabbed the recipe from her – look for it in an upcoming blog! I feel a baking binge about to occur.
Speaking of Janelle – she brought little Avery to join as well. She’s getting so big!!! I caught this picture right before she completely zonked out at the table. Avery is fitting right in with our group.
It was Oktoberfest/German beer night! Everyone brought a German-style beer and a little info or history about that style or beer.
Cyrena brought out an alestake – Alewives (women brewers/pub owners back in the middle ages) would hang a pole with brush attached to the end would hang over their doors to signify where the brewery was.
They were also sometimes called witches for their “potions” they brewed. Add that the the broom above the door and you’ve got a Grimm Brothers’ tale in the making!
I’d ordered a Blind Ambition amber before I’d seen the array of beers on the table and pretty much stuck to this glass with a few 1/2 ounce tasters of the German beers here and there.
Franziskaner Weissbier – my second favorite weissbier to date next to Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier. I’ll miss the heat of summer only for the memories of sipping these sweet, musty wheat beers tinged with hints of banana and bubble gum.
To balance out the booze I ordered Mary’s Farm Chicken from Ladyface’s new fall menu – ale-brined and roasted chicken with potato puree, glazed cipolline mushrooms, oyster mushrooms and natural ale juice. Drool. Delicate, bursting with flavor and falling off the bone. I’ll be finishing the other half of this tonight. Hooray for take-home boxes!

I ended the evening by splitting the bread pudding with Janelle, but was too busy shoveling it down my gullet to take a picture. It was awesome. That’s all you need to know.

Another successful meeting with the ladies! Next month will be all things pumpkin – pumpkin beer, baked pumpkin goods, pumpkin everything. It’s tradition to overdose on everything pumpkin in the month of October – get cliche and stereotypical and join in on the fun!

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by | September 12, 2012 · 6:40 pm

Foods on the Road

Last Thursday I got a last minute call to help out Ora Tamir with an art show up in Mountain View. Recalling all of the delicious foods on the way up, I readily agreed. That and the fact that I wanted to help my former boss out. There was that too.
The Firestone Taproom in Buellton was our first stop! I went for one of their beers that is only served in the taproom – Unfiltered Double Barrel Ale that’s 100% oak fermented.
This beer was out of this world. Most oaked beers I’ve tried before have been pretty high in alcohol, so it was interesting to try one at 5% ABV. The aroma and flavor of oak was powerful without being overwhelming, and balanced with a sweet, clean malt. I’m honestly disappointed they don’t serve this outside of the taproom. Oh well, I guess that means more road trips up to try it!
I ordered a big, greasy burger topped with cheddar, caramelized onions, bacon and chipotle mayo and demolished the entire thing. No regrets.
We stayed in the beautiful Domain Hotel again. I did have to do a little studying while I was up there. Big bummer, but I buckled down and learned everything about the history and profile of Oktoberfest/Marzen/Vienna beers.
Breakfast in Mountain View consisted of freshly baked asiago bagels smothered in cream cheese. Super healthy, but again, no regrets.
One of Ora’s future customers. Absolutely precious.
We stopped at Seaside Cafe and Bakery in Shell Beach on the way home and got a veggie scramble with thick wedges of roasted potatoes and crispy bacon…
…and I got the turkey and brie sammich on housemade french bread smothered with fresh pesto. This was a half order and I couldn’t finish it. It was a workout just to figure out how to consume it as it was. Jaws may have been unhinged.

I also had a chance to swing by Island Brewing Company on the way down and pick up a few of their bourbon barrel-aged beers!
Somewhat pricey, but completely worth it! I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for them to put their World Beer Cup winning Starry Night Stout into a bourbon barrel! Hint, hint…

It was great to be back on the road and be a gypsy again, even if only for a short time. There are some HUGE changes going on in my life, hence the lack of consistent posting, but I’ll be updating you on that soon enough!

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