Mmmm Moose Drool

Wow, so I have been totally horrible about posting, but thanks to my Big reminding me, I am back! I generally do nothing but work and by the time I get home I am far too tired to bake but even after a long day of scrubbing I'm never too tired for a beer. Today's beer is Moose Drool from Big Sky Brewing Company in Missoula, Montana, that I picked up at Harry & David. I for sure bought it off name alone, and truth be told, I wouldn't have known how to describe a brown ale. And it was surprisingly good, despite its thought provoking name. This American brown ale has a nice nuttiness to it, and the hops give a almost caramely finish to it... The description of a desert beer, but not super sweet I promise! I would probably give it a B, I was happy to drink it but wasn't dying to pop the next top!
Also: since it's unusual Reds month at work, I'll also suggest a less widely known red wine. Today's is Grenache! I spent about an hour pumping it from barrels to tank today and so it was only fair at the end of shift to get to taste the fruits, well grapes, of my labor.. Hahaha. It is one of our winemakers favorite wines, especially in the summer, and I have to agree, it truly is delicious!! It is on the lighter side and people often debate whether to serve it chilled or room temp. But I can easily say either way it would be Equally as satisfying!!

Well as it is almost 11 it is far past my bedtime! Have a great day! And leave me suggestions for my next beer!!

Lagers, and Pilsners, and Porters, Oh My!

Today was just a wonderful day all around!! Wednesdays are always a little crazy for me because as most people are preparing for their relaxing weekend, I prepare for a crazy weekend at work... Not crazy in a bad way, I welcome the distraction from my ever so busy lifestyle of baking and thinking about beer. But today I was lucky enough to spend lots of time with my wonderful family, starting with lunch and shopping with my mom, aunt, and darling cousin Caitlin. And since nothing works up my appetite for beer like a long day of shopping, my mom and I headed off to Southern Oregon Brewery!

As I mentioned last week, SOB is swiftly becoming my favorite microbrewery, so finally we made it to their taproom! When you pull up to this unassuming warehouse,You would not expect such beautiful brews to come from here! Alas, you enter the cozy little taproom, that has only one small menu on the wall, and a large window that looks out into the brewing floor process. So, my mom and I both ordered a sampler of they're current beers, including Na Zadravi (the Czech Pilsner), The Pin-Up Porter, my favorite Gold Digger (the northwest lager), the Pale Ale, the Nice Rack! IPA, and the Bloodshed Red.


















The only one missing was their winter seasonal Bah Humbug, but you can bet I'll be in there for that release!

Then to finish off the night, I decided to go with a chocolate cupcake dipped in chocolate ganache and sprinkles, with a dollop of mint buttercream! As mint chocolate is my aunt's favorite I knew that these had to be made for tonight's after dinner treat!! And I have to say myself, pretty delicious. And the sprinkles made them so fun!




















Much love friends.

Blue Moon, You Saw Me Standing Alone....

Well after a long day of dentists, failed cupcakes, and ridiculous meltdowns, my mother surprised me with a six-pack of Blue Moon: Summer Honey Wheat!! What a great gift for me.

Blue Moon is definitely one of my favorite beers, I mean the classic can just about only be had with a slice of orange, and it is heaven! BUT much to my surprise this honey wheat seasonal one is amazing!!! When I first think honey wheat all I can think of is a strong wheat taste with a super sweet honey finish. However, the flavors are subtle and blend so well together! The honey is muted and not over powering and same with the wheat, which is great for me especially because I am not a huge lover of a strong wheat flavor! Mmmm I give this two big thumbs up, and highly recommend anyone reading this to try it, like right now!!!




Also; on my last post I received one of the hardest questions I have ever been asked, thanks Spencer fam! Hahaha So I Have been racking my brain, but still need time. Soon I will have a post just for you guys of my top beers!

Love.

An Easy End to a Tough Day

Well this is only a quick drop in my opinion on an old time fave, Lost Coast's irreplaceable Great White. After a tough day at work getting yelled at and soaked in beer a minimum of 3 times I guarantee that there is very few things better than coming home to find that you have a Great White left over in the fridge!! I honestly don't think I could ever get sick of it. It is the perfect medium beer I can think of. Plus it had already reminded me of my beautiful big, Dominique and he lovely boyfriend, Justin, because when it comes to him anything shark related (big SJ shark fan, duh gotta support the best) or of course plastic flask related, reminds me of them! When minutes later I got a lovely picture of Justin enjoying my house warming present to them:





Hahahaha. My favorite. Still waiting for the next one of Dom!!!

Well that pretty much wraps up my thoughts of tonight. Miss you dear friends!!

Now I Ain't Sayin' She A Gold Digger....

Happy Friday Everyone, to me, Fridays are not as much weekends as they are long days at work, but that's ok. Today was especially long, as it was one of our busiest nights at the bar BUT we got to listen to the beautiful voice of Miss Karen Lovely.. if you are interested in blues music, look her up she is so talented!
Alsoo, today was made even better when our beer distributor came to the winery to deliver our kegs, he found me in the tasting room and handed me a bottle of my favorite beer because I had been raving about it to him the night before!! What a wonderful gift!
Since he shared this bottle with me, I am now sharing it with you. And this one, I will tell you, you need to run not walk to go out and find this, especial because at least for now, it is only a seasonal i believe, but it is the Southern Oregon Brewery - Gold Digger, and it is DELICIOUS. Southern Oregon Brewery is quickly becoming my favorite brewery, and luckily for me it is located just 15 minutes from my new home, in the lovely town of Medford, Oregon. I love just about everything they produce, from the Pale Ale to the Pin-Up Porter, and I am sure you will be hearing much more about them. BUT the focus of today is the Gold Digger, their Northwest Lager. This is the perfect summer beer, and is light, refreshing, crisp, lightly citrusy and literally tastes like liquid gold. YUM. and even better, it comes in 22 oz bottles, the fun lasts way longer than a regular can! :)

And to top it all off, I got a picture of my handsome man, Dookie, enjoying the blanket that I made for him and my love, Kristina. I miss them so much!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope that I get to go down and visit all of my Chico loves, and then down to San Diego, to See my Big and stop in manteca on the way down! Dream Big right?!

PS I get my new mixer tomorrow. I couldn't be more excited!!!!!!

Lemons and Blackberries

Cupcake of the day:

- vanilla almond cupcakes with a blackberry preserve filling and lemon buttercream frosting.

mmmm, delicious. I have been trying to make lemon cupcakes or frosting for a long time now, but never really had the right ingredients at the right nome. but today, it was my goal. While out running errands, we finally made it to a new baking shop, where i would love to buy out and take up residence...AMAZING. well anyways, i found a wonderful new recipe book, with awesome cupcake ideas, i didn't even know where to start, including savory cupcakes, like pizza, CORNDOG, and my fave: bloody mary (happening this weekend). So while reading my new inspiration book, i realized, no more messing around, it was time for the standing mixer of my dreams, and my lovely mother said she'd split it with me! so off we went on a mission. and guess what... MY PERFECT MIXER a RED - profession series 600 kitchen aid mixer available at macy*s, but of course just my luck, on presale, so i have to wait until wednesday, so even though i hated doing it, i waited... see you saturday love of my life.

anyways, we got home and it was time to bake so I thought, I will try this pink lemonade cupcake.... UMMMM it failed, so miserably... i couldn't even take a picture just straight to the trash.. but with no raspberries left, I went for an old favorite, my vanilla almond cupcake. Not often do i find the will to redo something once i have failed, but cupcakes are my new favorite. hahah. 

well, it is time to indulge in Dance Moms... Quality Television!

new beer tomorrow! tonight it is back to blonde bombshell for the night! love to whoever reads this.

Summer in a Can

Well, I know I promised a baking lesson, but that failed. I woke up this morning, with full intent on baking until it was time for work, up until I realized that I had left a good majority of bakin products at my aunts house. Hrrrumph. BUT on the other hand I said I would tell you when you need to run out to the store to buy a beer, welp I found it.
I'll start with a little history on this one.... a few weeks ago I was down in the bay area visiting the other half, Michelle Fortune, With whom I went into the city to cheer on our beloved Giants. Our first stop before the game was the bar, 21st amendment, but only after a long argument as to what that amendment stood for, but thanks to my geeky historical side (and jeopardy) I won that bet. What is the end of the prohibition. ANYYYWAYS... Back to the beer. The bartender told us about the watermelon beer they are known for, I know sounds kinda gross, actually it is delicious, and who knew they actually sell six packs of them, in cans, at the store!!! For me it's fred meyer, which carries a crazy amount of microbrews, but for reals folks, go out and try this. It's 21st Amendment brewery, and it's the Hell or High Watermelon. Sorry Oregon this one is brewed in Minnesota but it's so worth it! The best description is summer in a can, but it's a smooth wheat beer, that's slightly sweetened with watermelon, super refreshing and light. Mmmmm, not gonna lie, the perfect after work gift to myself!!






And a beautiful can to boot!!

Well, now I am off to feed my food network addiction and get inspiration for tomorrow.

Next Lesson: lemon blueberry cupcakes! Oh and I'm learning how to make my own pickles....