Ramblings

Readers are hereby warned. This is a sampling of thoughts today. Nothing in-depth.

Yesterday, I went to Beer Under Glass, which is a beer fest at Garfield Park Conservatory here in Chicago. I believe it’s also a fundraiser for the conservatory, but I’m not totally positive. I hope so; it’s a pretty cool place. And, frankly, the best of it’s kind I’ve attended. The space to spread out makes it decidedly more comfortable, and the venue was gorgeous and educational. Just my kind of thing.

I have two draft posts ready to go, almost. They’ve been ready to go for well over a week. Unfortunately, one needs FILM photos, of all things, scanned in and the other just needs Bill and I to discuss it and we’ve not made time.… Continue reading →

Rosa’s Avocado Mousse

Read this quick little post about a weirdly delicious dessert, then consider moseying on over here to my giveaway that closes in about 7 hours. No one’s entered yet, so your odds are really good. So good it might be worth coming all the way to Chicago for. If you like beer & want to learn to make it.

Awhile back, Bill mentioned that his mother, Rosa, used to make an avocado pie when he was growing up, and that it might be his favorite dessert of all time.

Me, I was like, “Pie… made from… avocados? Really?”

Turns out, yes, really. And it’s really good. Even when, like me, you forget to make the crust fairly regularly and turn it into mousse instead. It’s good either way, but it’s best when you have a crowd to feed it to.… Continue reading →

A Horrifying Homebrew – Part II & Giveaway

This is a continuation of the last post, A Horrifying Homebrew – Part I, which left off with me asking “What in the world happened?” to cause my vile-tasting beer.

I was really at a loss, I have to admit, after Rob and my off-flavors class seemed to agree that my issue wasn’t infection. Indeed, at the class, “infection” was presented as a single flavor. Since I don’t know a ton about brewing, and my microbiology classes are far behind me, I wondered if it meant that only a few bacteria could live in beer, and they all produce a similar flavor profile.

Twitter to the rescue. I tell you guys what, Twitter has been a huge help to me as I learn more and more about beer1.… Continue reading →

A Horrifying Homebrew – Part I

For the longest time, I didn’t have a lot of interest in homebrewing, despite the fact a large number of my friends homebrew. And, as I make more friends who are into beer, that proportion is going up.

At some point long ago, my friend Rob (of the attractive cuff) shared with me a link for a peach-blueberry lager and asked if I wanted to brew that with him. I, frankly, am ALL OVER peaches and blueberries and beer, so the answer was an instant and immediate yes. We had to modify the plan a bit, but we ended up with a shared 10 gallons of peach beer, blueberry beer and peach-blueberry blended beer. They were pretty darn tasty, but 5 gallons of beer is a great deal of beer for one beer drinker.… Continue reading →

Speakeasy Booze

The correct answer, as far as I’m concerned, when someone invites me to a free beer event is always a resounding yes. Always. So when Jeremy of SubBeerBia asked me if I wanted to attend the Chicago launch party for Speakeasy Ales and Lagers as his guest? You KNOW I was all over it. I hadn’t even heard of the brand before that moment and I was all over it.

I’m sure no one is surprised by this.

So, Speakeasy Ales and Lagers. I didn’t know a darn thing about them, except their name, until I got there. I tend to like to be surprised. This probably makes me the complete opposite of your average blogger who gets an invitation to a launch of a brand they know nothing about.… Continue reading →