by | March 12, 2012 · 4:35 pm

BIG Changes!!!

HECTICITY – noun: an accumulation of hectic situations. That has been my life lately. I told you guys that crazy things were happening and now I can officially let you know what those crazy things are.

I interviewed at Wolf Creek a few weeks ago. I interviewed at Stone Brewing last week.

Today, I accepted a job offer to be assistant brewer at Wolf Creek Restaurant and Brewering Company in Valencia!
Wolf Creek will be moving from a 10 bbl system up to 30 bbl, and I’ll be joining them in upping current production as well as moving to the new brewery! On top of that comes everything to do with “playing brewery” – cleaning, mashing, transferring, cell counts, pilot brews, more cleaning, tasting, cleaning, cleaning… Ecstatic doesn’t even begin to explain how happy I am right now. I start on Wednesday with my first brew early in the morning! Since it’s my first day, I’ll attempt to take pictures and document, but I make no promises.

This calls for celebration – the best way I know how.
Beer. Duh.

I’ll be recapping the rest of my San Diego trip tomorrey. For now, time to crack open something fancy!

Don’t forget to enter the growler giveaway! It ends Wednesday and there are still 5 (possibly only4)  growlers left to be spoken for!

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by | March 9, 2012 · 4:39 pm

San Diego Again!

I had an interview in San Diego yesterday and it was getting to be around lunchtime. I figured that I should probably enter this interview with a full stomach to level my head. Enter: Stone Brewing. Again! I can never get enough of either this place, or San Diego in general!
My pops ordered the Oaked Arrogant Bastard. He graciously let me steal a few sips. I love how the oak chips slightly mellow out the bitter bite of hops without really diminishing the wonderful, mouth-puckering IBUs.
Both the beer list and the food menu were quite slim because they’re in the midst of an expansion. A new building will be going up behind the current one, and all the bottling/production will go in there so that more fermentors can fit into the current building.
Luckily, we were able to find a few things to consume, small menu aside. The prime rib melt – so far the best thing I’ve eaten at Stone.
Mushroom pillows – so far my least favorite thing from Stone. The mushrooms had released all the water while cooking and made for a sloppy mess. I like mushrooms at times… This was not one of them.
My mumsie got the duck tacos – sweet barbecued duck topped with fresh tomatoes, onions and sprouts, served alongside spiced rice, beans and corn salsa.
For dessert we split the orange chiffon cheesecake. This was like eating delicious air! Incredibly light, creamy, not too sweet with a perfectly crumbly crust.
After fooding, I had the interview and we cruised down to San Diego for the William Fitzsimmons concert in Little Italy.
A few pictures of that will come later! First, we had to stop by my favorite bar in town: Craft & Commerce.
Both Michael Skubic from Hess Brewing and Jeremy Moynier from Stone Brewing recommended the Up In Smoke. I had to try it.
This is a very, very smoky/scotchy drink! I’ve always been afraid of bastardizing beer, but I’m glad I got this! The sweetness and carbonation of Allagash Curieux along with the tang of the lime juice balance the smoky scotch, with big cubes of ice to mellow the blunt alcohol. This baby is a slow sipper! The real question now is what beer cocktail to try next?
After Craft & Commerce, we sallied over to Anthology and spent the night being lulled into mellow, happy oblivion by William Fitzsimmons.

I needed this vacation. Happy sigh.

Don’t forget to enter my growler giveaway! It ends on Wednesday, March 14th!!!

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by | March 7, 2012 · 8:49 pm

Injuries and Insanity

It’s been a crazy month. I’m sorry, I’ll catch you all up on Monday night, I promise! In addition to packing my room and house, getting smacked in the face with the leg of a 200+ pound couch, pulling a muscle in my leg that makes me walk with a limp and attempting to study for my Cicerone test, I went into North Hollywood to record some ADR for the short film I did so we can start submitting it to festivals.
Luckily, I didn’t have to drive all the way down to Orange for this one. Fancy microphone and a cardboard box with a pillow. DONE! Great to see Scott, my director, for the first time in over a year. Far too long, sir!

I then went home, spent the rest of the day packing, spent all of yesterday packing, spent all of today packing and injuring myself, and sat down to enjoy a Woodcut No. 5 Quadrupel by Odell Brewing. First, I would like to proclaim my complete adoration for Odell. One of my all-time favorite breweries. However…
Worst. Beer. Ever. I’m hoping I got a bad bottle, or that it’s just been sitting too long in my fridge and turned, but this was the worst beer I’ve ever tried. The nose is relatively pleasant – full of cherry and dried currant, there was no carbonation (the cork was wedged in so tightly that I needed my much stronger roommate to help me remove it) and after the first awkwardly sweet sip, a lingering bitter funk remained on the back of my tongue, and grew even more awful with time. I dumped out the ridiculously expensive bottle and poured myself a Little Sumpin Sumpin by Lagunitas. Much better.

So there’s a quick update on why I’ve been so sporadic in posting! Packing, injuries and more packing do not make for exciting blogs. Lucky for me (and for your viewing pleasure), I’m heading down to San Diego tomorrey to enjoy William Fitzsimmons in concert and visit a few breweries!

While you wait for the SD recap, go enter my growler giveaway! If you’re going to be in the Ventura/Los Angeles area anytime soon, enter to win a free growler! FREEEEEEEE!

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by | March 5, 2012 · 9:24 am

Growler Giveaway!

Before that however…

The weather in California has been absolutely beautiful lately! I tend to say that a lot, but that’s because it’s beautiful a lot. Yesterday, my dad and I dropped my mom off at LAX and took the coast back up to enjoy the view of the gorgeous beach. Soon enough, we got hungry and stopped by a little restaurant called Thai Dishes and Sushi Bar in Malibu. Two of my favorite foods together!
We decided to sit in the back courtyard to enjoy the sunshine. This place is right on the Pacific Coast Highway, but you’d never know it once you’re surrounded by the flowers, palm trees and gurgling fountains.
This place makes you feel like you’re spending a day at the beach. And if you’re not too lazy, you can cross the PCH and be at the beach. I fall on the lazy side of the scale, so I just consumed foods.
Thai tea! The perfect drink (besides beer, obviously) for cooling down on a warm day.
Tom Kha Gai – creamy, spicy coconut soup filled with chicken, mushrooms, lemongrass and galanga root.
And sushi! We split the Dragon Roll – tempura shrimp, cucumber, avocado and mixed crab topped with eel and more avocado.
Pad Thai – this picture is not edited in any way. That is the color of the pad thai we got. Not quite sure what artificial coloring we consumed, but it was delicious artificial food coloring!

Now for the part you all scrolled down to see – a giveaway! Here’s the deal: I purchased a crapload of growlers in which to bottle-condition my first beer, Dos Beckis. Because of certain circumstances (I’m doing what always drives me nuts when I read other blogs and keeping this a secret until things are official, just in case plans fall through) I’m moving out of my current living space which has LOTS of storage space into a smaller space where I won’t be able to house all of these growlers. Therefore, I’m giving away SIX Ladyface growlers, ONE Karl Strauss growler and ONE Island Brewing Company growler. These growlers are EMPTY, clean, and in great condition.
These decorative bottles are perfect for filling with water and flowers, using as a paperweight, decorating your shelves, or even filling with beer from the designated brewery stamped across the glass (If you are 21 or older, of course)! Here are the rules:
1. You must be 18 or older to enter this giveaway.
2. You must be able to travel to the northern Los Angeles County/Ventura County area to pick up the growler by May 19th. There will be no shipping cuz I’m poor and stuff.
3. I can’t think of a third rule.
How to enter:
1. (For beer lovers) Leave a comment below describing your current favorite beer, including its aroma/flavor profiles (if you’re 21 or older, since you obviously have never tasted beer if you’re not yet 21…) and which growler you’d like to receive.
2. (For those whose eyes haven’t been opened to the magic of craft beer/those under 21) Leave a comment below explaining why you’re entering a giveaway for a growler that traditionally holds beer. If you plan on doing something creative with it, let me know!
Extra entries:
1. “Like” me on Facebook and leave a comment below telling me that you did.
2. Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment below telling me that you did.
3. Add me as a friend on Untappd and leave a comment below telling me that you did.

I’ll randomly select eight winners on Wednesday, March 14th, assuming at least eight people enter, and send them the info about where to pick up their winnings!

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by | February 28, 2012 · 9:04 pm

Wolf Creek Restaurant & Brewing Company

Yes, I realize that I have, indeed, done a post on this place before. However, that was the restaurant in Calabasas. Today I got an invite to the original Wolf Creek in Santa Clarita – where the brewery is!
The brewery is hidden away in a little strip mall between Starbucks and Rite Aid. You’d never know that beer genius was being conducted in this building.
I got straight to work and grabbed a taster of the Midnight Howl Black IPA before my tour.
As of now, this is my favorite of their beers. Deliciously hoppy with an overtone of bitter coffee rounding out the end.
When sitting at the bar, you gaze through the glass windows and doors directly into the ten barrel brewery, watching the entire process from start to finish (if you are patient enough to sit there for quite a few hours)…
They currently have a copper system, but are looking to upgrade to a larger system, and building, within the next few months to keep up with demand.
The brewery contains the 10 bbl mash tun, lauter tank, a few fermenters and four serving tanks that are full with the high demand brews like Golden Eagle Ale and their Howlin’ Hefeweizen. While it looks like a tight space, Rob, the brewmaster, and his brother have no issue turning out consistent beer with the equipment that has been with them from the beginning of Wolf Creek – 15 years!
Allie and I decided that it was extremely important to taste test all of the beers, and a lot of food, to make sure that our first visit wasn’t a fluke. Quality control.
These. Are. Awesome. “Rings and Thorns” – Ale-battered onions and jalapeno slices, served with a spicy chipotle ketchup and a cooling ranch in case it gets too hot for you. We devoured almost the entire bag.
The Vaquero sammich – sliced steak with grilled asparagus, fried onion strings, cilantro pesto, sliced tomatoes and goat cheese on top of fresh ciabatta. I’ve had this before and needed to do more quality control. It’s still as heavenly as I recall.

Unfortunately we were too stuffed to take advantage of their two-for-one dessert special of the day. I am ashamed of missing out on that.
Thanks to Rob for giving us the tour and letting us try your amazing brews and foods! I’ll be back for that dessert special. And the beer. And the onion rings. And the sammich. And probably to try every other item on the menu…

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by | February 26, 2012 · 7:00 am

Another Day at Sofrita

It’s official. It’s been official for over a year now – I am obsessed with Sofrita. This little gem of a restaurant in the middle of Fountain Hills has been my home for each show that we’ve done here. For fail-safe foods, coffee and drinks, I simply wander across the street from the booth and am greeted by the lovely owners and employees, who all know me by name.
This pic is from one of the first times I visited the place. Cozy, cozy!
After half a day sweating it out in the heat of the booth, I grabbed a cranberry chicken salad sammich. The hours slowly ticked by…
After closing the booth for the day, we traipsed back across the street to enjoy dinner in the sunset.
Saturdays at shows are my favorite days. The booth is all set up, we don’t have to worry about breakdown and we get a full day with no worries except where to get our next meal.
The restaurant was still getting their bearings after a day being stuffed to the brim with art show enthusiasts, hence the fancy plastic cup that contained my margarita.
After perusing the menu, I asked Angel for his recommendation and was greeted by this delicious pork pernil – slow roasted pork covered in a rich tomato sauce, seasoned with garlic and oregano with a side of spiced yellow rice.
For dessert I snuck a bite off of what our dinner guests ordered – a sponge cake topped with flan and wine-poached peaches, drizzled with a caramel sauce. Lucky for our guests I was so full that I didn’t attempt to make a grab for more. I’m thinking dinner tonight might just be a selection of all their desserts!

Today’s the last day of the show which means a long night of breaking down the tent, hopefully followed by, you guessed it, sangria at Sofrita!

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by | February 23, 2012 · 9:36 pm

Back to Fountain Hills

After seven hours on the road, I’m back in Fountain Hills, Arizona again!
We got to set up during a warm sunset and then retired to Sofrita for dinner and to rehydrate.
I ordered a vegetable tamale and a chicken tamale which came with a healthy dose of sour cream and salsa. I’ve never been a fan of tamales until I tried these at Sofrita last time I was in town – so happy to see that they’re still on the menu!
And of course rehydration was necessary! The memory of their red berry sangria was dancing through my head the entire drive out. I knew I had to order one!
A close up of the fresh cranberries, apples, strawberries and other deliciousness.

Tomorrey promises beautiful weather and tons of food options – my favorite kind of day! Fry bread, sushi, barbecue, smoked turkey legs… Decisions, decisions…

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by | February 21, 2012 · 1:32 pm

Ladies at Ladyface: 9

Last night was our monthly meeting of Ladies at Ladyface: The Fermentables and Comestibles Education and Tippling Society. On the agenda – beer and chocolate pairings!
I absolutely love spicy chocolate. I also love IPAs. I also love how IPAs make spicy chocolate seem even spicier!
(Photo credit to Stacey P.) We brought along some fiery chocolate from my favorite little chocolate shop in Ventura, Trufflehounds, to pair with Ballast Point Sculpin IPA (an AMAZING IPA, by the way!). The bitterness of the hops amplify the spice of the chocolate by tenfold, so if you like spice, you’ll love this combo! For those attendees who don’t enjoy the pain of spice as much as I do, I brought La Trappe Quadrupel. The creamy maltiness of this beer still allows you to relish the spice in the chocolate, but also acts as a mellowing agent after the first sip. The majority of the ladies seemed to prefer the quad pairing over the IPA.
I began the night with Ladyface’s Blind Ambition, which I haven’t ordered in over a year but was feeling nostalgic for.  This was a flashback to the first time I tried it – a nice floral aroma, hints of malty sweetness and a clean, crisp ending. I also got a taster of the cask of the week, Beer Pancakes – Russian Lullaby Imperial Stout with maple syrup and vanilla beans. The vanilla aroma really emanates from the beer, even in a taster glass, while the maple hides right beneath it, finishing the beer with an extra layer of smooth, sugary goodness. This beer is like a delicious, boozy chocolate milkshake. Love!

We had a full house of ladies, with other pairings like C7 (homemade cashew brittle with cumin, cinnamon, chocolate and three other “C”s) with a homebrewed pale ale, homemade spicy peanut brittle drizzled with 67% dark chocolate paired with Ladyface IPA, dark chocolate sprinkled with lavender salt paired with Ladyface’s smoky Midnight Special scotch ale on nitro, and a handful of others. I was too busy enjoying myself to get more pictures, so here are a few random ones from my weekend.
Sweet potato tater tots at Lazy Dog Cafe.
Spicy buffalo sauce chicken nuggets, also from Lazy Dog Cafe.
Grilled pizzeti with goat cheese, prosciutto, fresh basil and garlic with a red wine sangria from Roman Holiday.
Random sighting in my town. CHIVE ON!

Tonight, I head back to Ladyface for yet ANOTHER off flavor tasting. Wish me and my poor taste buds luck.

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by | February 17, 2012 · 11:32 pm

The LAB Brewing Company

I’ve been to the LAB Brewing Company (which stands for Live Art Brewing – beer, food, music and art) many, many times with the EBC crew, but never had a chance to take pictures (mainly because we’d go for dinner and drinks after EBC closed). When I received an invite from Alan and Roger the brewmaster for a personal tour and beer tasting (during DAYLIGHT hours), I agreed immediately.
The LAB Brewing Company opened in Agoura Hills November 1st of last year.
The bar area of the LAB looks directly into the brewery which is encased behind glass doors, allowing patrons to watch the brewing process as they sip the outcome.
The beer selection here is incredible! Thirty-two taps, heavy on the IPAs (yay!), and rounded out with nothing but craft beer.
The main dining room features a stage where musicians and deejays play on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
The covered patio is quaint and cozy, with a fireplace in the corner and heaters placed throughout to keep the Californians warm when the temperature dips below seventy degrees on a winter’s eve.
Now to the important stuff – beer and foods! I grabbed a sampler of all the beers they make – Bad Influence IPA, Take Her Home Tripel, Cold Fusion Java, Big Ass Red and LAB XPA. Bad Influence IPA was my favorite of their available beers – a zesty citrus and floral aroma with an extreme bite (93 IBUs and 7.5% ABV). HOWEVER, I was given a sneak preview of the After Midnight Moo Milk Stout straight from the fermentor and fell head over heels! Hints of sweetness, smooth and creamy – I believe they said it was going on the nitro tap? I should probably go back and check, just to make sure, right?
Alan, Roger and I split an order of the house fries with bleu cheese and garlic. These shoestring fries came out sizzling hot, with potent bleu cheese melting into every crevice. They were perfectly crispy with a light dusting of fresh garlic that melded harmoniously with the cheese.
The polenta came out next – crispy on the outside, delicate and moist on the inside, and drizzled with fresh pesto and marinara sauce. I’m not well-versed on polenta, but from what I tasted, this one’s a winner! If you want more, I consider that a good thing. I wanted more.
BACON IN A CUP!!! This was actually a little disappointing – candied bacon. There was barely a hint of sugar to any of the bacon strips, and it needed to be baked a little longer to crisp up. Didn’t matter though – it was still bacon, therefore I still ate it.
After feasting, I got a tour of the brewery. It’s incredibly tight quarters, especially considering that these are 15 barrel tanks, but they’ve made great use of the small space provided.
Three of the fermentation tanks are out in full view in the center of the dining room, while the milk stout was relaxing in this one in the middle of the brewery.
These fermentors lead straight to the taps, delivering the freshest beer possible.
There are murals across the entire restaurant – this is an artist’s rendition of Roger Bott, the brewmaster. Let’s compare, shall we?
THE RESEMBLANCE IS UNCANNY!!! Time to go blonde, Roger?

I think a separate post detailing the epicness that is the LAB burger will be coming up shortly… I’m feeling hungry again…

The LAB Brewing Company
30105 Agoura Road
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Open 7 days a week, 11am-close

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by | February 15, 2012 · 7:35 pm

Let’s Get Lost

I needed to vacate the house today for a few hours, so I grabbed my lovely camera and went exploring.
I tried my hardest to get lost – not an easy thing to do considering I’ve lived in this area for almost ten years.
I didn’t succeed. Instead, I settled for the beautiful golden hour and watched the sun set next to a lake.
The national park was calling out to be photographed as well. I obliged.
Definitely didn’t get lost, but I enjoyed rocking out to my music as I cruised the side streets and weaved through the outskirts of town.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have the rest of a triple chocolate brownie birthday cake to finish off. It hurts so good!

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