Posts tagged ‘brew’

December 15th, 2012

Semi-Wordless Saturday

by Tiff

How’s your Saturday so far?  Mine’s good.  I’m waiting for my breakfast to digest a little before I head out for a run.  Thought it’s probably going to to take me so long to get dressed, bundled, and geared up, I could probably go ahead and get to it.  Nevertheless, here’s a semi-wordless post before I head out the door.

I started the day with a workout.  I was overjoyed at my pullup success, but Kevin was less than impressed.  (For those wondering, the link is to the “I’m a big kid now!” Pullups commercial on YouTube.)

convo

Yesterday afternoon, I met up with colleagues for an office bowling session.  I managed to ignore the free burgers, wings, etc. and stuck to my standard indulgence.  Beer.

bowl

After work, I picked up Kevin and swung by the beer shop.  They were sadly out of the extremely rare beer we tried to fetch, they had another less rare but still highly coveted option (limit 1 per person).

 beer    coldmtn

We headed home for dinner and a date with the fireplace.  I had a mug cake, and Kevin had a lap cat.

mug   cat   kitty

Okay… time to finish up first breakfast and get moving.  Those 4 miles aren’t going to run themselves.

breakfast

Happy Saturday!

September 13th, 2012

Oktoberfest Fun

by Tiff

I’m not sure what’s worse.  I was in my pajamas, sitting on my couch, and watching a movie I didn’t really want to watch by 6:45 last night.  Then – I got a craving for Cold Stone ice cream, so I considered actually getting semi-dressed in my grubby state to get some all by my lonesome.  Hmmm… maybe it doesn’t matter which is worse since my lazy self settled for cereal… and watched the rest of that terrible movie.

movie

Book = Not Bad; Movie = Don’t Bother

Other than Cold Stone, ya know what else I’ve been in the mood for lately?  Beer.  (shocker)  To specify – oktoberfest beer.

Fall is my favorite beer season. Back in the day, beer couldn’t be brewed in summer months due to the heat. I guess yeast likes air conditioning, or at least it doesn’t go so crazy in controlled temperatures.  Some batches were brewed in the spring and then stored until fall, which was done with makeshift refrigeration or just brewing with higher alcohol contents. We all know these beers as oktoberfests, aka marzens.

 

Oktoberfests are typically full-bodied but not overly hoppy or bitter.  They have moderate alcohol content, a copper-brown color, and a light, lacy head. In short – they’re awesome.  So far I’ve sampled three Oktoberfest beers this year.

beer

I tried these two last weekend, and I highly recommend both. The Foothills Oktoberfest was my favorite, but not by much. The Olde Hickory Oktoberfest seemed less traditional because it had a punch of extra hoppy flavor, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing!

oktoberfest

The third beer I had, on the other hand, really was a bad thing.  I tried Carolina Brewery’s Oktoberfest, and I was very glad I only had a sample.  This one was light in color, and it lacked the traditional malty goodness.

  • What’s your favorite beer season?
August 24th, 2012

Birthdays n’ Brews

by Tiff

Thanks for all the sweet birthday wishes yesterday.  It really helped make the day special.  Although I had to work on my birthday, it still turned out to be a pretty good one.

I started off with a quick run in the morning.  Since I’m coming off an injury, I’d like to say I’m slowly building up my mileage, but that’d be a lie.  I’ve actually just been sticking to 2-mile jogs.  I may try for 3 miles next week, but I’ll just have to cross that bridge when I get there.

WIAW 033

After my run, I had my first Vega One shake (my first Vega product ever, actually).  I was impressed.  It was tasty, and the texture did not disappoint.  Vega sent this single-serve packet for me to try, and I’ll admit that I will certainly consider a future purchase.  According to Vega’s website:

Good for your body and the planet, Vega One Nutritional Shake is the clean, plant-based choice to fuel your healthy, active lifestyle—without compromise. Made from natural, whole food ingredients, Vega One is a convenient, all-in-one, supplement, packed with: 50% daily intake of vitamins and minerals, 15g protein, 6g fibre, 1.5g omega-3, antioxidants, probiotics, and greens.

Formulated by Brendan Brazier, professional Ironman triathlete and bestselling author on performance nutrition, Vega One is free from dairy, gluten and soy, and contains no added sugar, artificial flavours, colours or sweeteners.

Not all of yesterday’s beverages were so healthy.

I met Kevin and a couple friends out for happy hour after work.  I was drinking Samuel Adams Boston Lager (since it was on special that night), and then Samuel Adams promo peeps came in with a contest.

pics 004

It wasn’t a drinking contest; it was a test of strength.  Their “Raise the Stein” competition includes holding a large (maybe 32 oz?) glass mug filled with water out in front of you (as pictured) for as long as you can.  I held it for 2 min 7 sec.  Maybe I could have gone longer, but I spilled a little at the end, which put me out of the running.

pics 010pics 016

But hey – I still won!  That’s $20 gift card to the bar, and the promo guy let me keep my stein since it was my bday.  I could have gone to the city’s finals in order to win tickets to our local Oktoberfest and be entered to win a trip to the real deal in Munich.  However, I was informed that I’d be competing against ladies much larger than myself who held their mugs well over 3 minutes.  I decided to quit while I was ahead.

pics 017

More birthday fun ensues today, and I can’t wait.  Happy Friday!

 

  • Ever competed in a crazy contest?  A bar contest?  Did you win?
June 15th, 2012

Crafty Ain’t Me

by Tiff

Happy Friday!  I have today off due to summer hours, so I’m enjoying my coffee at my own pace instead of rushing around like a crazy woman.  I will make it to the gym today… eventually.  Spin class isn’t until 9:30, but I’ll probably get there early to get in some serious (and seriously needed) ab work.

I know lots of you may or may not be into crafts, especially those found on Pinterest.  Well I found a couple pelmet board tutorials and thought I’d give them a go.  Hmmm… the only place they’re going is the trash.

guest bedroom           craftyfail

Sigh… I actually found a shirt that describes me, but I cannot seem to find it again online to share with you.  It said something along the lines of:

The only crafts I get into are craft beers.

Yup – that sums it up.  Speaking of which, Kevin and I had a nice time with craft beers last night.  We went to the National Whitewater Center with two of our friends for an outdoor concert.  (I almost expected to see Jen there.)

 kevbeer

The place was packed!  Then again, how could it not be?  It was a great evening, and they serve craft beer.  What’s not to love?  I had my local standard, Old Mecklenburg Copper, but I also tried sips of Foothills Hoppiyum and New Belgium Shift.  Okay – I’ve tried both of those before, but it’s always good to re-fresh your tastebuds.  ;)

sunset

Got any fun weekend plans?  Been to many/any concerts yet this summer?

April 24th, 2012

Mother Earth Weeping Willow Wit

by Tiff

On Saturday, I tried a new beer, Mother Earth Weeping Willow Wit.  A few weeks ago, Kevin went to the beer shop without me.  (He should know better.)  To make it up to me, he brought home this little surprise.

mother earth 008

I don’t loooooove wit beers, but seeing how Saturday was hot, sunny, and all-around perfect wit weather, I gave it a go.  FYI: Mother Earth Brewing is from North Carolina, and this particular beer has 5% ABV.

mother earth 010

My Thoughts:

Appearance: not just golden; downright yellow – no head, but significant carbonation

Smell: not much aroma; light

Taste: upfront lemon; a little yeast on the way down; lingering dough and spice (pepper or coriander)

Mouthfeel: very light and spritzy – the carbonation tingles a little on the tongue

Overall: very refreshing; I like it, though I’m in no hurry to buy it again.

mother earth 012

Wit Beers:

Wit beers often taste of spice, citrus, and yeast.  They are commonly referred to as “white beers,” and are also commonly served with lemon.  (I find that fruit takes away from the beer, so I always request mine without… or give my Dos X lime to Kevin.)  They often have a cloudy appearance due to lack of filtration, but Weeping Willow Wit looked pretty clear.

The term “wheat beer” refers to weiss and wit styles.  Weissbiers are German, and witbiers are Belgian.  There are some subtle differences; for example, brewers generally filter weissbiers (many of which are hefeweizens).  Brewers originally crafted witbiers without hops, and according to Mother Earth Brewing, brewmasters have been brewing this style of beer for over 400 years.  I think they might be onto something here…

 

  • Are you a wit fan?  If so, got a favorite?
  • Do you prefer to drink locally, or is that not much of a concern?