Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I know, I know. American Craft Beer Week is officially over. But, well, I over-bought. I found intriguing beers and filled a shelf in my fridge last week. Now we have to make our way through, tasting, enjoying, and exploring. No complaints from Jake.  And when we were at a restaurant last week, they served their beer with some celery-salt dusted cheese. Okay. I can do that. So I poured the Ovila Abbey Saison and served it with an aged gouda sprinkled with a salt-pepper blend that a friend brought back from Hawaii for me. It was a magnificent combination. Ovila Abbey Saison is part of a series of Belgian-inspired beers brewed by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.in collaboration with the monks at the New Clairvaux Abbey. This unique brew has the tang of mandarin oranges and the kick of black pepper. It's nice! I only wish I had picked up more than one bottle.

If you've been following along this week, you'll know that we've been enjoying some American craft beers. We've tried  - click the name for my tasting notes! - Ommegang's Hennepin , Sea Dog's Wild Blueberry , The Bruery's Tart of Darkness , and Clown Shoes' Luchador en Fuego . To cap off American Craft Beer Week, and to celebrate our kid-free day, we stopped at Peter B's Brewpub   and opted for the tasting flight of five beers. We tasted their Belly Up Blonde Ale, Inclusion Amber Ale, Stout Resistance, Fort Ord Wheat, and Legend of Laguna IPA. While I am not typcially a hop-head, I have to admit that I really enjoyed the Legend of Laguna. It's impressively floral which seems to temper the bitterness. I was tickled to see a soft pretzel on their bar menu. Fun! Of course, I had to order it. It came with a large grain mustard and a spicy cheese sauce. And when Jake mentioned, to our waiter, that the IPA was a littl...

This morning I took the mini-boys blueberry picking at our CSA farm. Click ( here ) to read about that adventure. Needless to say - I have blueberries on my brain. And since Jake stayed home to do homework, I picked up a blueberry beer for him on our way home. Sea Dog Brewing Company 's Wild Blueberry is a wheat beer brewed with wild Maine blueberries. The aroma and flavor is distinct and fruity. Thankfully it smelled - and tasted - like actual blueberries and not some awful artificial version. This was fantastic with just a handful of fresh berries! Now I can get started on whipping up some goodies with the blueberries we pick.

I completely missed one day of trying a new craft beer because we went out to dinner...and I had wine instead. Last night we tried Ommegang 's Hennepin. It's a farmhouse saison. For wine, I'm a pinot girl all the way. I mean, I'll drink other wines, but pinot is my wine of choice. In the realm of beer, I'm quickly realizing that I love saisons! They are effervescent and spicy, fruity and refreshing. Brewery Ommegang, part of the legendary Belgian brewery Duvel Moortgat, opened in 1997 to craft-brew fine Belgian-style ales. Located on a 136-acre farmstead in Cooperstown, New York, I sure am glad I can get my hands on these beers here in California. They are delightful! This hennepin is almost saffron-colored. There are herbal grassy notes followed by slightly sweet with a dry finish. Some beers are shallow. This saison is silky but complex. I am a huge fan! Like I said, I am just a couple of sips away from saying I'm a saison gal all the way. Oh, ...

Here we are on day two of American Craft Beer Week. I decided to try another new-to-us beer: The Bruery 's Tart of Darkness. The Bruery, a boutique craft brewery in Orange County, specializes in experimental and barrel aged beer. They do not filter or pasteurize their beers. And they strive to use unconventional ingredients. Sounds like my kinda brewery. I stared at my choices and every single bottle looked interesting! Their Autumn Maple ( my tasting notes here ) is made with yams and Trade Wind is seasoned with Thai basil. In the end, I opted for their Tart of Darkness. Yep, that's a Stout + Sour Ale.  Gotta be honest, I was thinking about Charles Marlow on the Congo when I bought it. But the ugly reality of imperialism and ivory trading were far from my mind when we poured and tasted this shadowy beer. While it looks a little like carbonated coffee with its dark, ruddy hue. The taste is far more mysterious with a toasty tartness that is complex and compell...

This week - May 12-18th - has been designated as American Craft Beer Week. What does that mean? It means we'll be trying some new-to-us craft beers and enjoying some old favorites. A friend from high school recommended Clown Shoes Beer   out of Massachussetts. It took me awhile to track down a bottle other than Muffin Top, the hoppy IPA they carry at Whole Foods. I'm not a huge hop-head, so I wanted to steer clear of an IPA. I finally found Luchador en Fuego , a Mexican-style Chocolate Stout. [ Luchador is a Lucha libre wrestler.] I've always liked the combination of chocolate + chili. Remember my Drunken Chocolate Pudding ?!? This beer combines chocolate, ancho chili, cinnamon, with vanilla and ages it in a bourbon barrel. The resulting brew is unbelievable. It's bold and malty with nice heat. I was blown away at the first sip. Wow. Thanks for the recommendation, Shannon. I'll be tracking down some other Clown Shoes brews.  We paired the Luch...