Two great things that taste great together

Volunteering and beer. They go together like peanut butter and jelly. Like cheese and crackers. Seriously!

I'm involved with this fantastic non-profit, volunteer run organization called One Brick and last night, after a couple hours of bagging groceries (a much better workout than you might think!), I was sooooooo ready for a nice cold beer. After every event, we adjourn to a nearby restaurant or pub for some grub and libation, and last night we visited the Firehouse Grill and Brewery. I hadn't been there since the place first opened, and hadn't been particularly impressed on that visit, but figured hey, it's a brewpub, and I'm famished! I had their Red Ale and have to say, it was quite delish! It had a little spicy flava and went with my BBQ pork pizza nicely. Cheers!

Coming up on Friday, not only is it leap day, it's also BEER FRIDAY! We heart Devil's Canyon, but watch out for that Habanero Brew- it's not for the weak.

Here's your "duh" moment for the day: chicks do dig beer and finally somebody recognizes! Thank you, Mr. Beaumont- spread the word!!

Big Tahoe Weekend

I just got home from what may well be my last Tahoe trip for awhile, and I'm happy to report it was a fun and successful trip! We spent Saturday at Squaw, which had never been a favorite destination of mine, but I've been twice this season. Thanks to Seth for inadvertently pushing me to try some "blue runs" that I never would have tried otherwise (why are some blues at Squaw the equivalent of black diamonds at other resorts??). On Sunday we went to Northstar, whose lift ticket prices have gone up astronomically! Holy cow- $76?!? Anyway, due in part to Saturday's adventure, I wound up skiing my very first black diamond run. Yay me!! (Immediately thereafter, I was taken out by a teenager on a snowboard, but that is another story... LOL)

OK then, so on to the important stuff: the beer.

We stayed in Truckee and I was really rather disappointed with the beer selections at the restaurants we visited. I hear there's a casino in King's Beach (or thereabouts) that has over 100 beers (yeehaw!) but we didn't quite make it to that area. Instead I had to settle for Tahoe Red, a Lake Tahoe area staple. I can't find a website for the brewer or really much info at all on it. I know there USED to be a brewpub down near Incline Village, but that it's long gone, and I don't even know if it's the right one.

The upside, though: I discovered Florian's Fine Wines and Specialty Foods. Not only do they have a very nice wine selection, they have a number of great beers! I walked out with a big bottle of Black Sheep Ale and a sixer of Deschutes Jubelale, one of the last two the store had in stock. I had tried the Jubelale at Kirkwood earlier in the season yet had not been able to find it down here in my area- I highly recommend this tasty, belly warming seasonal ale! The Black Sheep was quite tasty as well- crisp, dry, very "British" tasting. I will be picking up the Black Sheep again for sure.

Tequila + Running= who knew?

Who in their right mind would think that running the morning after a margarita binge would actually result in a "personal best" distance? I certainly didn't. After one of Michael's experimental margs then 1.5 with dinner, I wasn't pretty. Yet I managed to make it to run club at 8:30 this morning and ran 5 miles for the first time in my life! Maybe tequila is a previously untapped fuel source? Maybe I was just trying to run that icky feeling in the pit of my stomach away? It's a mystery, at least to me.

Anyway, no new beers to report on. However, I thought I'd bring out one of the yummy beers I tried in South America back in October. Antares is a brewery and brew pub in the Palermo Viejo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. We didn't make it to the brewery, but I scored one of their Scotch Ales at a restaurant elsewhere in BA. WOW! I normally don't get excited about Scotch Ales but I managed to drink the entire 22 oz. bottle at lunch on our first day in town.

Super Fat Tuesday

Super Fat Tuesday is now one for the books, and it looks like nearly everything and anyone I voted for lost. *sigh*

But on the upside, I got to have some yummy New Orleans style grub and beer last night! San Jose is blessed to have a wonderful little New Orleans joint called the Poor House Bistro. In honor of the big day, they had a crawfish boil, king cake, and a Meters tribute band called the Montegos. M had a BBQ shrimp po'boy for dinner, I had some jambalaya, and each had a pint of Abita TurboDog. YUM! Out on the patio, where the band was playing, we noticed that they also had Dixie Blackened Voodoo in bottles, so I had to have one of those as well (thank goodness they are up and running again, post-Katrina!!). M decided to try Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot Ale, which I can't say I cared for. I guess after the smoothness of the Turbodog and the Voodoo, the bittersweet taste of the barleywine style ale just didn't work for me.

Regardless, good beer, good food, good music... all that was missing was the parades!

Hairy Eyeballs

OMG that was one incredible Super Bowl game! I can't remember the last time the Super Bowl was actually a competitive, close game. I was screaming my head off, trying to avoid spilling my beer as I jumped up and down! (and where were all the beer ads? nobody but Budweiser had any ad budget this year??)

As previously reported, I tried three beers during the game (see previous post). Of the 3, the Mendocino Brewing Imperial IPA was my favorite. It was a flavorful winter beer- the kind that gives you a nice warm feeling inside. :-) The Hairy Eyeball lived up to its name- most people who tasted it made a "wow- that is indeed hairy" kind of face. I didn't dislike it, but it is far from my favorite Lagunitas brew. The Sacramento Brewing Red Horse is a solid middle ground between the other two. Sort of a "work horse" beer (pardon the pun)- solid, not too light, not too heavy, nice and smooth, the kind of beer you have with dinner.

Super Bowl Sunday

The Super Bowl wouldn't be the Super Bowl without beer. And beer ads. Lots of beer ads. Mostly for (yawn) Budweiser or Miller beers.

I was thinking perhaps I should try to do something clever, like a New York vs. a Boston beer, but unfortunately, I can't think of any New York beers. I know, I'm sure there are plenty out there, but living on the opposite coast, I just can't think of any! And of course the only Boston beer I can think of is Sam Adams (my husband loves the Sam Adams Black Lager). So sorry, no "beer bowl" at our house.

Instead, we're planning to take a "hodgepodge" of beers to a friend's bowl viewing party, some of which we have yet to try: Sacramento Brewing's Red Horse Ale, Lagunitas' The Hairy Eyeball Ale, and Mendocino Brewing's Imperial IPA winter seasonal. I'll have to report in on the latter two after the game... what are YOU drinking today?

P.S. Being a Colts fan, it is in my DNA to cheer against the Patriots today. Having Little Bro Eli QB against them gives me something to cheer FOR!

First February Friday = Beer!

Welcome to the first post to Chicks Dig Beer. As mentioned in the "about" section, this was the brainchild of Julie and Amy at a beer festival in San Mateo, California. It took awhile to get going, but at long last, a beer blog for women!

Since the idea was conceived, I've been paying more attention to the beers I've tried, taking notes and even photos sometimes. Unfortunately, I don't have notes on most of the beers I tried on my South American honeymoon, but I *do* have some photos and will post them at some point.

For my first post, I'm going to talk about tonight's "beer du jour": Rogue "Santa's Private Reserve Ale" from Newport, Oregon's Rogue Ales. It's a seasonal (duh) that I didn't get to try initially because my husband DRANK IT ALL! LOL Luckily I found one last bottle on clearance at BevMo, and am enjoying it right now. It's a hoppy, dark brown ale, very smooth... almost TOO smooth! I tend to like my beers with a little more "bite", but I definitely cannot complain.