I started brewing beer with a friend about two years ago. Last November, he decided to bail on the endeavor and I kept going. Since then I've brewed several beers and, of course, I think all are great beers - because I brewed them myself.
And truly, all are 'drinkable', most are gone, and only a couple were what I would call very tasty. The rest were not unpleasant efforts but not something I would actually buy in a market or restaurant. (That said, I've paid a hefty sum for some bottles in the market that weren't that good, either so, there!)
Anyway, one of my recent brews was good enough - at least in my mind - that I entered it into the Orange County Fair Home Brew Competition.
No, I didn't win, but it was fun to make something that I wasn't embarrassed to share with people I didn't know. Note to home brewers - most of your friends will be so impressed with the fact that you pour out a beer that you brewed yourself that they'll love it even when you don't.
Today, the OC Fair held a lunch for participants and judges in the competition and announced the winners, many who brought ample quantities of their award winning brews to share. Talk about fun!
Now, I tasted some pretty good brews today. I met some really cool people. I tasted a yummy sandwich. I had a great time.
I'd like to say I remember the names of everyone I talked with... there was Ian Akerson who won first place for his Imperial IPA. This was the category I entered mine into and there's no question that I have some work to do. Ian was also gracious enough to give me a few pointers on my own brew.
I also tasted some fantastic European style beers brewed by Todd Yenche - winner of 4 first place awards.
I did get into line to taste the Best In Show Baltic Porter, brewed by Jonathan Gunther but he ran out about 3 people before I could get a sample... by the amazed eyes and smiles of those who did get samples, it was clear that this was a damn fine brew... sorry I missed it.
Back at our table - heck, I don't remember all the names... there was Rich... Ian... Brian... anyway, doesn't matter at this point... but what does matter is we had some really great conversation about our collectively favorite beverages and foods to go along with them. It was a good time all around.
I'm going to enter again next year - an award would be cool - but the people are all there to have a good time and I was caught up in it joyfully!
To those of you who at the table who take the time to read this, thank you. I had a great time meeting you; wish I remembered all of your names and hope to run into you again soon.
To see a list of the winners, click here:
http://www.ocfair.com/competitions/pdf/results/10_homemade_beer_results.pdf
Cheers!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Dinner in Santa Barbara...
Last night, my youngest daughter, Jamie and I drove to Santa Barbara with our Honda Odyssey filled with a mattress, computer desk, clothes, etc to move my oldest daughter, Michelle into her new apartment. One of Michelle's roommates met us at the door and soon after Michelle arrived with another friend. The van was unloaded very quickly and food became the top item on our to do list. We invited Michelle's roommate; her other friend left for work.
We went to Ruth's Chris Steak House at the La Cumbre Plaza and have a fantastic evening. For one, I was in the company of three very bright young ladies who, we learned later, had garnered quite a bit of attention from the males working at the restaurant.
We were greeted by manager Kris and our very attentive and friendly server, Nicole. Upon request, Chris was gracious enough to waive the corkage fee for the 2006 Denner Ditch Digger that we brought along. Hospitable folks indeed!
Rather than order separate dinners, we decided to get several items and share. This way, we could sample a variety of flavors and not walk out completely stuffed - easy to do here because the portions are very generous and the food so tasty that it's hard to stop eating it!
We started with the shoestring potatoes... a nice crunchy beginning to go with the first pour of the Ditch Digger - a fabulous wine, by the way - one that is filled with spicy, peppery, and dark fruit on the nose... tastes amazingly smooth just out of the bottle, then wham! - boysenberries and heck... I don't know... the wine simply explodes and seethes with flavors so mouth watering, almost Gothic, flavors of dark chocolate, pepper, mocha, and boysenberry pie!
Oh, back to the food.
We shared the seared ahi tuna - so tender and flavorful in a nice bed of ginger sauce... so refreshing... and a side note: the wine didn't back down for a second.
All the while, Nicole mentioned that we were the fun table and the one that the male servers wished they had. Imagine me, two of my daughters and one of their friends... and I was completely enchanted listening to the three of them converse - oh yeah, I chimed in now and then but they have such incredible imaginations and were smiling all around... this is what great meals are made of.... the food is the soundtrack to the conversation!
Three of us ordered salads, with Jamie declaring that she would just help with what we couldn't finish... smart move. These are man-sized salads with plenty of garden fare along with some nice touches around the fringe with miniature onion rings, or even Cajun spiced pecans. Yummy!
Then came a single - what looked like 20oz - rib eye steak and the mushroom caps. I challenge anyone to pair something like this with a big bold and elegant red from Paso Robles, such as the Denner Ditch Digger, and not moan in ecstacy! Unless you really need to, there's no reason to buy steaks for every person (NFL players and others who burn calories on a sub-atomic level excepted) - each bite goes a long way. The taste is incredible... for lack of a more explosive term... culinary bliss-ness!
The grand finale? Two desserts - Chocolate Explosion (not on the menu) - an indescribable chocolate cake oozing melted dark chocolate, decorated with caramel and vanilla ice cream.... heck, I hope I remembered it well enough... then the Cheesecake... one of the best I've ever tasted... so creamy... and with a raspberry drizzle... drizzle... drizzle... (okay, it's nine a.m. the following day and I'm ready to go back already... )
Alas, the wine was gone... the dessert half gone... the smiles still there, the conversation still there, and a wonderful sense of.... wow! What a fantastic way to celebrate or even just hang with family and friends. Yeah, it's about the food, but it's more about the people.
After dropping Michelle and Arielle off at their new apartment, Jamie and I drove back to Los Angeles and got home at midnight... and that was it... lights out... sweet dreams...
And here I am writing about it.
Thank you Kris, Nicole, and Ruth's Chris for a fantastic evening.
You rock!
Cheers :)
We went to Ruth's Chris Steak House at the La Cumbre Plaza and have a fantastic evening. For one, I was in the company of three very bright young ladies who, we learned later, had garnered quite a bit of attention from the males working at the restaurant.
We were greeted by manager Kris and our very attentive and friendly server, Nicole. Upon request, Chris was gracious enough to waive the corkage fee for the 2006 Denner Ditch Digger that we brought along. Hospitable folks indeed!
Rather than order separate dinners, we decided to get several items and share. This way, we could sample a variety of flavors and not walk out completely stuffed - easy to do here because the portions are very generous and the food so tasty that it's hard to stop eating it!
We started with the shoestring potatoes... a nice crunchy beginning to go with the first pour of the Ditch Digger - a fabulous wine, by the way - one that is filled with spicy, peppery, and dark fruit on the nose... tastes amazingly smooth just out of the bottle, then wham! - boysenberries and heck... I don't know... the wine simply explodes and seethes with flavors so mouth watering, almost Gothic, flavors of dark chocolate, pepper, mocha, and boysenberry pie!
Oh, back to the food.
We shared the seared ahi tuna - so tender and flavorful in a nice bed of ginger sauce... so refreshing... and a side note: the wine didn't back down for a second.
All the while, Nicole mentioned that we were the fun table and the one that the male servers wished they had. Imagine me, two of my daughters and one of their friends... and I was completely enchanted listening to the three of them converse - oh yeah, I chimed in now and then but they have such incredible imaginations and were smiling all around... this is what great meals are made of.... the food is the soundtrack to the conversation!
Three of us ordered salads, with Jamie declaring that she would just help with what we couldn't finish... smart move. These are man-sized salads with plenty of garden fare along with some nice touches around the fringe with miniature onion rings, or even Cajun spiced pecans. Yummy!
Then came a single - what looked like 20oz - rib eye steak and the mushroom caps. I challenge anyone to pair something like this with a big bold and elegant red from Paso Robles, such as the Denner Ditch Digger, and not moan in ecstacy! Unless you really need to, there's no reason to buy steaks for every person (NFL players and others who burn calories on a sub-atomic level excepted) - each bite goes a long way. The taste is incredible... for lack of a more explosive term... culinary bliss-ness!
The grand finale? Two desserts - Chocolate Explosion (not on the menu) - an indescribable chocolate cake oozing melted dark chocolate, decorated with caramel and vanilla ice cream.... heck, I hope I remembered it well enough... then the Cheesecake... one of the best I've ever tasted... so creamy... and with a raspberry drizzle... drizzle... drizzle... (okay, it's nine a.m. the following day and I'm ready to go back already... )
Alas, the wine was gone... the dessert half gone... the smiles still there, the conversation still there, and a wonderful sense of.... wow! What a fantastic way to celebrate or even just hang with family and friends. Yeah, it's about the food, but it's more about the people.
After dropping Michelle and Arielle off at their new apartment, Jamie and I drove back to Los Angeles and got home at midnight... and that was it... lights out... sweet dreams...
And here I am writing about it.
Thank you Kris, Nicole, and Ruth's Chris for a fantastic evening.
You rock!
Cheers :)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
A really cool wine store in San Clemente, CA
On Monday, I left my daughters off in downtown San Clemente while I aimlessly strolled around looking for a place to just kick back.... this is when I happened upon the San Clemente Wine Company.
The San Clemente Wine Company is a small store with a wonderful variety of wines and an assortment of cheeses. In the back is a tasting bar and they offer several tasting options, each selected by one of the very hospitable and kind folks who work there. The wines are organized by varietal and priced very reasonably; especially for a small botique wine store.
Even the tasting prices are fairly modest - right around the $10 range for a flight of 4 tastes - give or take depending on the wines in each flight. Flights can also be 'customized' to your liking if you see something in particular that appeals to you. That said, I encourage you to just 'go with it' and enjoy what they have to offer because, based on my experience on this mellow Monday, the people here are quite adept at coming up with flights that are sure to arouse your taste buds and appeal to your senses.
As for me, I had the good fortune of tasting the 2008 Charles Smith Velvet Devil Merlot, the 2008 High Note Malbec, the 2007 Layer Cake Primitivo, and the 2006 J. Rickards Alexander Valley Zinfandel. Sure this is a bold set of wines for an afternoon tasting, but the flavors were wonderful and diverse. Even the Layer Cake and J. Rickards presented a diversified cultivation of the Zinfandel grape that left me wanting more, more more!
The downtown San Clemente area is a great place to walk around, dine, and enjoy great wine thanks to the San Clemente Wine Company. I will definitely make this one of my regular stops when I'm in the area.... heck, it's actually worth a special trip. Hang out, strike up some great and friendly conversations with others who also love wine, and bask in the mellow and enticing flavors emanating from each glass.
You can find them at http://www.scwinecompany.com/ or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?profile=1&id=113285644765.
Cheers!
The San Clemente Wine Company is a small store with a wonderful variety of wines and an assortment of cheeses. In the back is a tasting bar and they offer several tasting options, each selected by one of the very hospitable and kind folks who work there. The wines are organized by varietal and priced very reasonably; especially for a small botique wine store.
Even the tasting prices are fairly modest - right around the $10 range for a flight of 4 tastes - give or take depending on the wines in each flight. Flights can also be 'customized' to your liking if you see something in particular that appeals to you. That said, I encourage you to just 'go with it' and enjoy what they have to offer because, based on my experience on this mellow Monday, the people here are quite adept at coming up with flights that are sure to arouse your taste buds and appeal to your senses.
As for me, I had the good fortune of tasting the 2008 Charles Smith Velvet Devil Merlot, the 2008 High Note Malbec, the 2007 Layer Cake Primitivo, and the 2006 J. Rickards Alexander Valley Zinfandel. Sure this is a bold set of wines for an afternoon tasting, but the flavors were wonderful and diverse. Even the Layer Cake and J. Rickards presented a diversified cultivation of the Zinfandel grape that left me wanting more, more more!
The downtown San Clemente area is a great place to walk around, dine, and enjoy great wine thanks to the San Clemente Wine Company. I will definitely make this one of my regular stops when I'm in the area.... heck, it's actually worth a special trip. Hang out, strike up some great and friendly conversations with others who also love wine, and bask in the mellow and enticing flavors emanating from each glass.
You can find them at http://www.scwinecompany.com/ or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?profile=1&id=113285644765.
Cheers!
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