Chattering-Magpie-blog
21st Amendment Brewery.
As a self-proclaimed aficionado of beer, I couldn’t pass up a visit to 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco, located just a couple blocks from the AT&T Stadium, home of the SF Giants. We visited this micro-brewery and cafe on Wed Jul 2, our last full day in SF.
Every year they bring their unique Watermelon Wheat to the Oregon Brewer’s Fest, but of course they had several other offerings to taste.
South Park Blonde
Blonde Ale
5.1% alcohol
17 IBUs
Light, bright, fizzy. Fairly long finish for a low-hopped beer. Good balance, refreshing, no one taste dominates.
Watermelon Wheat
Fruited Wheat Beer
5.0% alcohol
17 IBUs
Pretty shade of cloudy yellow. Good summer grilling beer with enough acid to cut the fat of a hotdog or burger. Taster presentation “cheats” by adding a watermelon wedge to the glass. Slightly bitter aftertaste. Perennial favorite at the Brewer’s Festival.
Amendment Pale Ale
Pale Ale
5.5% alcohol
28 IBUs
Golden amber in color. Malt springs to the forefront at first taste,followed by a low lingering undertone of hops. Pretty sweet for a pale ale.
Schweick’s English Mild
English Style Mild Bitter
4.2% alcohol
11 IBUs
Less carbonation than other offerings. Pleasantly creamy mouth-feel. A little on the malty side for an English mild bitter. Only the malt lingers, otherwise not much of an aftertaste.
Motor Oil
Dark Amber Ale/Strong Ale
7.8% alcohol
38 IBUs
Very malty, with enough hops for balance, similar to Paulaner Salvatore. Color is somewhere between dirty and clean motor oil with an initially creamy mouth-feel.
Darkness
Dark Lager
4.8% alcohol
30 IBUs
Smokin’! The color of the sunset through the smoke of California wildfires. Very pleasant, flavorful with smokey overtones, not as heavy a beer as the color suggests.
Pomegranate Cider
Cider
6.5% alcohol
This fruit fermentation is made by Two Rivers Cider Company of Sacramento CA.
Aroma of pomegranate, the combined flavors of apple and pomegranate. A good palette cleanser before moving on to more beer.
Chattering-Magpie-blog
Diet starts tomorrow.
We had our friends Anne & Todd to dinner last night. Notice I did not say for dinner because that would suggest cannibalism. Which we do not do. But we did talk about. Whom we would eat and who would taste bad. It was that kind of evening.
Todd went duck hunting earlier this year, so he had a couple ducks for E to roast. Plus we had some duck breasts that one of my cousins gave us that needed to get eaten.
E wrapped the whole ducks in pancetta and stuffed them with pear. After roasting them, he finished them off with a cherry jam glaze. The breasts he marinated in sherry, then pounded them flat and breaded them before pan-frying them. He added mushrooms and cream to the sherry and pan drippings to make the sauce.
For dessert I made apple crisp and whipped cream flavored with Calvados.
Everything was so delicious, I was sucking duck meat off the bones. We all ate too much and polished off a couple bottles of wine. We didn’t even get to the blueberry dessert wine Anne & Todd had brought.
There’s always tomorrow for a diet.
Chattering-Magpie-blog
Good Eats.
You can learn a lot from watching the Food Channel on TV. For example, I learned how to turn red wine white (add ammonia – but don’t drink). The latest thing I learned is to crack eggs by tapping them on a flat surface, no on a sharp edge. That way you don’t get a bunch of shell pieces.
Chattering-Magpie-blog
The cobbler's children.
And the cookie maker’s husband has no cookies.
All those cookies I make I give away, and keep none for ourselves. I had quite the hankering for krumkake. Even though I was on my third beer (or perhaps because), I whipped up a batch of batter and cooked up about half of it. And ate about half of that. E had one.
Chattering-Magpie-blog
Too busy being delicious.
My dad makes the best fudge and he sent me some for Christmas. I have his recipe. I’ve made it, but it’s hard work stirring the fudge and trying to time it so you get it out of the pan before it hardens.
Most people’s fudge creamy and sweet. Too sweet. Like diabetes sweet. My dad’s fudge has a firm texture and body (when I make it I like to barely overcook it so that it’s even harder). The flavor is more chocolate than sugar – we always use Ghirardeli®.
That stuff is like crack for me.
Chattering-Magpie-blog
Midway through the cookie marathon.
I need a break. Only one day into the post-Thanksgiving three-day Christmas cookie marathon and already I’m beat. Maybe it’s because I was up until midnight on Turkey Day mixing up dough that had to be chilled overnight and still I woke up at 6am today.
Wagon wheels and the infamous Wild Turkey bourbon balls are done. I make nine batches of bourbon balls at one go. Usually I do it in sprints of three triple batches, but this time I mixed all the ingredients together at once. It worked out pretty good, thanks to a huge white plastic bucket that E tells me is actually a cake carrier. Whatever.
I’m working with a lot of powdered sugar and everything is rolled into balls. Result is my palms are incredibly dried out.
Chattering-Magpie-blog
The big shopping.
We just got back from the annual pre-Thanksgiving Fred Meyer shopping. Spend $100 get a free turkey. Oh you bet we can spend $100. I buy all my ingredients for the post-Thanksgiving cookie marathon. Even with using all the newspaper coupons, the bottle return tickets and my reward coupons, we spent over $100.
Mmm, free turkey.
Chattering-Magpie-blog
Too many beers, so little time.
I definitely overdid it last year, so this year I resolved to take it easy, not set any personal records for number of beers tasted. This year I only tasted 27 beers compared to last year’s 29 beers. Plus a couple repeats.
The novelty feature of the festival was not a beer, but the mugs. They featured color change mugs that changed to blue or pink when filled with cold beer. I got a blue one, but it made the beer look green, which creeped me out. I switched to a clear mug in short order.
This year paid more attention to the pilsners and was duly rewarded. I missed out on a few beers I wanted to taste. There’s always next year.
Beers I tasted, over the course of three days (I’m worn out):
7/27/07
Alameda Brewhouse
Portland OR
El Torero Organic IPA
American IPA
7.1% alcohol
98 IBUs
Beautiful amber color with a flowery hoppy aroma. Lightly carbonated with complex flavors. Hoppy but not bitter, lingers gently on the underside (surprising!) of the tongue.
Butte Creek Brewing
Chico CA
Organic Pilsner
Pilsner
4.2% alcohol
27 IBUs
My first taster of the festival. Lightly fizzy, bright, more hoppy than I expected from a pilsner. Bitterness lingers on the top palate and side of tongue, gradually dropping off.
Klamath Basin Brewing
Klamath Falls
Crater Lake Golden Ale
Extra Golden Ale
6.2% alcohol
36 IBUs
Malty, dropping off quickly to leave a lingering hoppiness. Rounded mouth feel. Okay, but not my fave.
Laurelwood
Portland OR
PNW Pils
Strong Pilsner
8% alcohol
40 IBUs
A dangerous beer at 8%. Initial fizz segues to a smooth creamy mouth feel. Hops dance in the middle. This pils is entertaining and goes down easy, but can mess you up in a hurry – like your ex-girlfriend.
Ninkasi Brewing
Eugene Or
Believer
Double Red Ale
7% alcohol
65 IBUs
Deep brown color, flavorful and malty, blended with a generous handful of hops. Has a barnyard aroma – in a good way.
Old Market Pub & Brewing
Portland OR
A Midsummers White
Belgian Wit
5.5% alcohol
14.5 IBUs
Less body and flavor than other wits I’ve had. Pleasant carbonation fills the mouth then fades quickly to a long lingering ghost of an aftertaste. Citrus and spice are very subtle.
Snipes Mountain Brewery
Sunnyside WA
India Pale Ale
IPA
6.3% alcohol
58 IBUs
Good fizz and gentle hops at the front of the mouth slowly expand to fill the oral cavity. More hoppy bitterness than the IBUs would indicate.
7/28/07
Bear Republic
Healdsburg CA
Racer X
Double IPA
9.8% alcohol
110 IBUs
Hoptastic aroma and a gorgeous reddish amber color. The first mouthful of hops goes straight to the back of the tongue where it remains for a good long time. Mildly carbonated and full of hoppy flavor without being overly bitter.
Bison Brewing
Berkeley CA
Organic Chocolate Stout
Dry Foreign Style Stout
25 IBUs
Even carbonation takes hold of the tongue. Judicious blending of hops keeps this rich dark stout from being too heavy. Malty chocolate lingers in the back of the mouth.
BJ’s Brewhouse
Portland OR
C’est Bon Blonde
Belgian Blonde
6.5% alcohol
22 IBUs
Sweet to my taste, a little cloying, in fact. Didn’t much care for it.
Collaborator
Portland OR
Rawkin Bock
Bock
7% alcohol
35 IBUs
Initial mouthful is a good balance of hops and malt. Malty finish without being cloying. Beautiful reddish amber in color.
Diamond Knot Brewing Co
Mukilteo WA
Industrial IPA
IPA
8.2% alcohol
80 IBUs
Tasty, hoppy with a touch of malt, not overly bitter. Strong but not too strong. Well balanced. Distinct from other IPAs at the festival. Drops off to a subtle finish.
Flying Fish Brewing
Cherry Hill NJ
Bourbon Barrel Abbey Dubbel
Belgian Style Dubbel
7% alcohol
18 IBUs
Extraordinarily sweet, this is a sipping beer, not a chugging beer. So infused with bourbon flavor, it needs its own chaser. A novelty beer I really couldn’t drink by itself, I think it could pair well with a rare steak. And a cigar.
Golden Valley Brewing
McMinneville OR
Red Thistle Quercus
ESB
5.8% alcohol
38 IBUs
Grapey, winey flavor right off the bat. A little sweet, gentled by a hint of hops. Complex. Probably would go well with a pasta-marinara dish.
Green Flash Brewing Co
Vista CA
West Coast IPA
IPA
7% alcohol
95 IBUs
Happy hoppy beer to please any Oregon hophead. Strong, fragrant and flowery. Good carbonation. Well balanced with just a touch of malt to keep it from being too bitter. Perfectly balanced, say Gene and Gary. Right up there with the best of the IPAs.
Michigan Brewing Co
Webberville MI
Celis White
Belgian Wit
3.9% alcohol
16 IBUs
This is a wit I can get behind. Citrusy notes over spicy undertones. Best served chilled.
Oregon Trail Brewery
Corvallis OR
Oregon Trail Wit
Belgian Hefeweizen
5.1% alcohol
27 IBUs
Meatier than a witbier, fades off quickly to a long lingering hoppy finish. Not quite what I was looking for in my quest for Belgian witbiers.
Russian River Brewing
Santa Rosa CA
Pliny the Elder
Double IPA
8% alcohol
92 IBUs
A perennial favorite. This year’s offering has a lower IBUs than in previous years, but still comes through with a flowery aroma. A strong initial hit of carbonation. Dry but not arid, hoppy but not overly bitter.
Stone Brewing
Escondido CA
07/07/07 Vertical Epic
Farmhouse Ale
8.9% alcohol
25 IBUs
This is a beer with a lot going on. Malt and coriander citrus intertwine. Good initial carbonation. A little too sweet for my taste. Lingering malty finish. A beer for the fireside. Or the cloisters.
7/29/07
Alaskan Brewing Co
Junean AK
Alaskan IPA
IPA
6.2% alcohol
55 IBUs
Fragrant, flowery aroma. Mildly hopped, a pleasant alternative to the big-hopped IPAs. Good carbonation with an unexpected hint of fruitiness. Subtle, unobtrusive aftertaste on the underside of the tongue.
Four + Brewing Co
Salt Lake City UT
Wildfire
Organic Extra Pale Ale
4.3% alcohol
40 IBUs
Beautiful golden color. Dry, thin hops at the start, finishes almost like an IPA. Takes hold of the underside of the tongue and doesn’t let go.
Siletz
Siletz OR
Spruce Ale
5.3% alcohol
35 IBUs
Ever drink a spruce tree? Many parts are potable. A palate cleansing novelty beer with a mild curious bitterness overlaying malty sweetness . Not as “piney” as I remember from brewfests past.
Sprecher
Glendale WA
Mai Bock
Blonde Bock
6% alcohol
24 IBUs
Simultaneously bitter and malty. Complex flavors concentrate under the sides of the tongue, dropping off to maltiness.
Standing Stone Brewing
Ashland OR
Standing Stone Double IPA
Double IPA
95 IBUs
Surprisingly malty for an IPA. Persistent sweetness overlays the hops even through a lingering finish. Eventually leaves the expected hoppy aftertaste.
Stone Brewery
Escondido CA
Stone IPA
IPA
A solid IPA with its own distinct hoppy flavor. Dry lingering finish on the sides of the tongue.
Victory Brewing Co
Downingtown PA
Prima Pils
Pilsner
5.3% alcohol
42 IBUs
Bright and fizzy. Fills the mouth with just enough hops to be interesting. Hops linger on the middle of the tongue for a long timc after swallowing. A great refreshing beer for a hot summer’s day.
Widmer Brothers Brewing
Portland OR
Noggin Grog
Imperial Wit
9% alcohol
25 IBUs
Darker, sweeter and bigger than the ordinary witbier. Sweetness is the overwhelming impression, in fact. Almost meaty in body. Better suited to winter drinking.
Chattering-Magpie-blog
Calling all oatmeal cookie recipes.
Every Monday at work my department has a staff meeting. We take turns bringing the treats. For the boys, that means a box of donuts, Nutrigrain bars (for me), some juice and maybe some bananas.
I bring home-baked treats. I have my pride in my mad baking skilz to uphold.
I promised the boys I would bring oatmeal raisin cookies this time. I found a recipe in my mother’s old Betty Crocker cookbook. I baked the cookies, but frankly they weren’t what I wanted. They are very cakey and fall apart easily. I wanted something more chewy and dense, oatmeal and raisins held together with a little cookie, not a cookie with a little oatmeal and raisins inside.
Do you have a good recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies that you can recommend? Please email it to me, if you do.
Chattering-Magpie-blog
Spring forward, drink beer.
We went to the Spring Beer and Wine Fest at the Convention Center yesterday. I tasted 16 (!) beers. I’m paying for it with a throbbing head now, but boy it was sure fun. Good thing I stayed away from the wine and liquor. Oh, I lie, I did taste a spruce gin, hazelnut espresso-flavored 40 proof vodka, hot pepper vodka and a just plain regular vodka.
The band
Amadan
Portland OR
Celtic punk in the mode of the Pogues. High energy with an edge of bitterness, like the beer like. Is that a didgereedoo I hear? I look up. Yes! Leading into another high energy song. Makes me feel young and old at the same time. I like my beer like my women: frosty and bitter.
The beers
Roots Brewing Co
Portland OR
Woody IPA
IPA
6% alcohol
73 IBUs
Great stuff. Rounded mouth feel. Not over hopped. Pleasant bitterness on the sides of the tongue, toward the back of the mouth.
Roots Brewing Co
Portland OR
Excalibur Stout
IPA
7% alcohol
48 IBUs
Goes over the tongue well. Mildly sweet, chocolaty and smoky. Everything a stout should be, E says.
Alpine Brewing
Oroville WA
Pilsner
pilsner
5.2% alcohol
34 IBUs
Bohemian-style. Refreshing, flavorful, a good balance of malt and hops.
Alpine Brewing
Oroville WA
Weizen-bock
wheat bock
6.8% alcohol
12 IBUs
Bavarian-style. Flowery, smooth, different from the American wheat beers. Well-rounded.
Mad River Brewing Co
Humboldt CA
Steelhead Extra Pale Ale
pale ale
Refreshing, smooth, slightly malty, with an even, velvety mouth feel. Nice flavor.
Salmon Creek Brewery
Vancouver WA
Scottish Ale
Scottish ale
5% alcohol
27 IBUs
Slightly malty at first, hops follow on the aftertaste.
Boundary Bay Brewing Co
Bellingham WA
Bellingham Blonde
ale
5.2% alcohol
Light-bodied, with a pleasant flavor that falls off quickly. A little flat at the end, but the low-key aftertaste lingers.
Astoria Brewing Co
Astoria OR
Poopdeck Porter
porter
6.5% alcohol
34 IBUs
A surprising initial taste of bitterness keeps this porter from being too cloying.
New Belgium Brewing Co
Fort Collins Wit
Mothership Wit
Witbier
4.8% alcohol
Certified Organic. Flowery and fragrant, spicy with hints of orange. Light and refreshing. This is my favorite style of beer.
Bridgeport
Portland OR
Beertown Brown Ale
Brown ale
5.2% alcohol
Malty at first, sliding off to a secondary flavor I can’t quite identify.
Silver Moon Brewing
Bend OR
Panty Dropper IPA
IPA
5.6% alcohol
82 IBUs
How can you resist a name like Panty Dropper? Darker in color than I expected from an IPA. Hops give it flavor as much as bitterness.
Kona Brewing
Kona HI
Long Board Lager
lager
5.4% alcohol
25 IBUs
Bright, crisp, as good as or even better than any lager I’ve tasted. This has flavor. Lightly hopped, it finishes with malty sweetness.
Big Sky Brewing Co
Missoula MT
Big Sky IPA
IPA
5% alcohol
Sharp hop flavor that finishes quickly. Good flavor.
Big Sky Brewing Co
Missoula MT
Moose Drool
Brown ale
4.1% alcohol
Mild, mellow, malty. Very low key, hardly any carbonation. Much better on draft than in the bottle.
Stone Brewing
San Diego CA
Arrogant Bastard Ale
Strong ale
7.2% alcohol
(secret) IBUs
Hoppy and malty and refreshing all at once. A kick in the pants.
Walking Man
Stevenson
Homo Erectus
IPA
8.2% alcohol
Plenty hoppy, well balanced, more of an imperial IPA.
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