10 Miler? Nailed it! And Cocktails.

Sorry it has been so long! I'm neglecting all of you! Work has been crazy, and I have some other things cooking that required my attention. Anyway, my last post I mentioned I had a 10-mile race on Saturday. I wasn't really prepared for a run that long. But I amazed myself, yet again! 9:36 pace, and no walking! I AM A BEAST!

Ok, not really. That isn't THAT impressive, but it was quite a bit better than I was expecting, so I'm happy with it. Pictures aren't up from the race yet, so I don't have any great shots of me about ready to die. I have this one from right after I crossed the finish line, though, so there's that. Not my best angle, but what do you expect after 10 miles?

That night, The Hubs took me to Chicago q, where I devoured hush puppies and kobe brisket. And about 4 Templeton Rye cocktails. The Champlain Sour, to be exact. Here is a pic:

Looks nice, right? It tasted more like THIS. And boy, were they stiff! EXACTLY what I needed after 10 miles. Can't go beer 100% of the time. A girl has to get her rye fix in from time to time.

A Crushed Growler for a Crushing Defeat

I've only just now recovered enough from that crushing loss my beloved Pacers suffered Wednesday evening to review the growler I crushed while watching the game. Paul George had a very Reggie Miller-esque performance on a last second 3-pointer. I almost pooped my pants. That can be seen here:

MmmmmHmmmPaulGeorge

And if you don't know what I mean by "Reggie Miller-esque", please refer to this. That's 8 points in 9 seconds to beat the Knicks in the playoffs. BOOM BABY! I just dropped some classic Pacers history on that A!

But the Pacers lost Wednesday night. By 1 point. In overtime. So I sulked and couldn't go on with my life yesterday. Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration. And then the Blackhawks screwed the pooch last night, and I just couldn't deal. Until now.

So, during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, I cracked open a growler of The Grotto, an Extra Pale Ale from Half Acre Beer Company in Chicago. I picked up the growler the previous day, when I made a special trip to Half Acre for the Galactic Double Daisy Cutter, a rare release that sold out in about 6 hours. But that's an entirely different post.

Just look at it. It's glorious.

Back to The Grotto. First off, HOORAY for sessionable beer! I can't be drinking something heavy and high in alcohol content while I'm jumping up and yelling obscenities at the TV during an important game (actually, I CAN, but you don't want to see it). The Grotto is 4.5% ABV, with a pretty yellow color. Poured out of the growler, it had a slight head, maybe 1/4". Hops were certainly present, but not hostile. Not overly sweet but with nice, fruity tones. Maybe a hint of orange? Grapefruit? Slightly bitter, and oh-so-crisp. Overall, a very tasty pale. Again, not a beer that completely knocked my socks off, but I was certainly very pleased with it. Half Acre never seems to disappoint, that's for sure. If you like APAs, I would certainly recommend trying this one. It was lovely.

In other news, I have a 10-miler tomorrow. TEN MILES. I am not prepared for this in any way, and I just downed loaded fries and a chocolate shake. Why do I do this to myself?

Half Acre Beer Company - Chicago, IL

Extra Pale Ale, 4.0%

Beer Delivery Day!

One of my favorite days of the month! Yes, that's right - I get beer shipped monthly. I get 3 each of 4 different brews. Each shipment features two beers from two different breweries, many of which are very small and likely not found where I live. I've been getting this shipment since January. So far, nothing has completely blown me away (although last month there was a really great Pale Ale that I only got one of, Hubs swiped the other two). Here's a rundown of the latest shipment, to be reviewed soon.

Fist off, we have our selection from Ale Asylum out of Madison, Wisconsin. I have actually heard of this brewery, and have heard great things about the Hopalicious, so I'm excited to try it. Who am I kidding? I'm excited to try anything. Hopalicious is an APA, and is supposed to have a bold hop flavor, without insane amounts of bitterness. Caramel and citrus notes. Very excited to dig into this one. Bedlam is a Belgian IPA and is a seasonal beer with a higher alcohol content (7.5% ABV). Citrus, mango, and spices with smooth rich malts. Sounds freaking delightful. 

Our second featured brewery is Erie Brewing Company from Erie, Pennsylvania. Derailed Black Cherry Ale - could love it or hate it. Hubs doesn't like cherry, so I'll get my grubby paws on all three of these, I'm sure. Supposed to be slightly tart with caramel malts. It won "Most Unique" (not sure if that's good or bad?) at Brewski Festival and a Bronze Medal at the Great American Beer Festival. The Railbender Ale is a Scottish Style Ale (which I loooooove, generally speaking). This is Erie's flagship beer, sweet with a deep malt flavor. It won a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival. 

The delivery always comes with fact sheets for the breweries and beers, and 2 recipes. Sometimes they use the beer IN the recipe, sometimes they are just supposed to compliment each other. Pretty fun to get after it and try new things.

Anyone try any of these beers yet? Would love to hear your thoughts. I will be tasting them soon, I'm sure. 

Homeslice and Hefeweizen

See, I told you beer posts would be forthcoming. I may be a lot of things, but a liar is not one of them!

I don't have pictures to accompany this particular food and drink experience, which is something I will almost always have. However, after traveling all day, my phone was dead. We went on a quick weekend getaway to Baltimore, MD. For the most part, this trip was to visit some dear friends who moved out there from Chicagoland about two years ago. It was also to go see and bet on the ponies at The Preakness.

The whole experience was awesome. I was a little surprised that the facility is kind of like going to the infield at the Indy 500. If you have been to The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, you know exactly what I mean. But I had a blast watching the races and placing some bets. I even won a few, although I'm still kicking myself for not boxing that trifecta that would have made me an extremely happy lady.

I don't want to talk about it...

Moving on, we came home yesterday and after a somewhat early lunch prior to flying home, and running into horrendous Sunday afternoon traffic on LSD (that's Lake Shore Drive, there were no drivers tripping balls that I'm aware of), we were ready for some eats and a beer. Or three. There is a new pizza joint in the hood called Homeslice that we've been wanting to try (it was nice pie - this isn't a food review blog, so while I will do some of that, I'm trying to keep it to a minimum). They have outdoor seating and the weather was gorgeous, so off we went. The owners are from the northwest so I was hoping for awesome craft beer selection. The selection was drinkable, but not amazing.

Hubs and I both settled for a Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen. A pretty golden-yellow color in the glass, it was refreshing and light, which is what I wanted when I ordered it. This was not the day for heavy and dark beverages. The flavors were nothing outrageous or distinct, but it tasted pretty much exactly as a hefeweizen should.. A hint of spice/pepper in the smell and taste, and pinch of citrus when you sip. My first glass (which was not a hefeweizen glass) came with an orange, which went fine with the beer. My second came with nothing, while Hubs had a lemon slice with his. I actually preferred the lemon with this particular beer, even though I didn't get one. Boohoo. It was a mild beer, with the slightest bitterness. At 4.9% ABV, it certainly wouldn't be a bad choice to go long with on a warm day. And you know how I love a beer I can go long on. Well, you don't, actually. But you'll soon learn.

Overall, just a basic hefeweizen that they didn't get too fancy with, which is often times a good thing. It was exactly what I wanted, and exactly what I was expecting.

Widmer Brothers Brewing - Portland, OR
Hefeweizen, 4.9% ABV

Welcome!

After years of taking in as many delicious brews as I can, I decided it was time to start documenting things. So, let's start this off with a little introduction, shall we?

I'm a 30-something living in Chicago (yes, actually IN Chicago, not in the 'burbs). I love my amazing life with my man-child husband and kick-ass dog.

This is Dudley, AKA The Duds. He's a basset mix with an attitude, and a slightly deformed leg that he sometimes drags and will probably result in an expensive surgery somewhere down the road, but I don't care. He's the best ever, and I'm sure he'll be making regular appearances on this blog. 

Now to the most important part: the beer. I guess most people would describe me as a "beer snob". I don't really like that phrase. Snob? It has such a negative connotation. I know I don't like snobby people, generally speaking. I consider myself more of a beer enthusiast. People like different things. If you enjoy that watered-down stuff, that's your thing. Cool - I'm not going refuse friendship over it, although I do feel you're missing out on some really amazing things. Just don't expect me to share a pitcher or a bucket with you. 

Just because you prefer Coke over Tab doesn't make you a cola snob, right? 

Anyway...I'm just putting this blog out there to share my wonderful beer experiences with the masses. No, our tastes may not be the same, but maybe you'll read about something you've never tried, and broaden your horizons. I don't love every beer I try, but I'm not afraid to try everything. On any given day, my fridge looks kind of like this:

Some of those are repeats. Some I've never tried. There's even one in there that's been labeled "World's Best Beer". Props to you if you can pick that one out. I'll tell you that story soon, I promise. I don't want to blow my wad, though, so be patient friends. I will be providing a beer post soon.

And if you feel the need, please follow me on Twitter! Bagrant33!