Culinary Adventures with Camilla

We've been waiting and waiting for Fieldwork Brewing to open their Monterey location. They finally got all their inspections done and beer was trucked in on Friday. Pouring began on Saturday. So, on Sunday, Jake and I ran over there for a quick flight before dinner. Fieldwork Brewing is a craft brewery that started in Berkeley and has taprooms in Napa, Sacramento, and San Mateo. And, now, they have an outpost here. It's a funky location - sandwiched in between Peet's Coffee and the historic Cooper-Molera Adobe - with an equally funky vibe. Think industrial steel mixed with twinkle lights. Jake claimed the wooden rocking chair right near the fire pit; my chair didn't rock. And our boys camped out at the metal table in the corner, noshing on their snacks from Trader Joe's. About that, Fieldwork doesn't have a food menu, so they welcome outside food. I do wonder if they'll eventually have food available to order...or maybe partner with a loca...

On our way off the mountain earlier in the week, I noticed a sign near the California-Nevada stateline. It read: "40 Craft Beers on Draft." Ummm...heck yeah. So, when timing worked out after another day near the summit of Mt. Rose, we stopped at the sign. I actually had no idea what the name of the business actually was. Turns out it's the Mellow Fellow at King's Beach. The boys objected strenuously as we pulled into the parking lot. "Mom," they whined, "we can't drink beer. Do we have to stop here?" Yes, look at the line below '40 Craft Beers.' Sausages! Along with the ridiculous variety (read number-that-sets my-little beer-loving-heart-aflutter) of beers on tap, they also had local sausages. Game sausages. I was bummed that the last elk sausage was taken by the customer before us. But we were still able to get venison and pheasant sausages from Village Meats and Mountain Valley Meats. The boys' take on the sausag...

Another beer I selected for our 10-day camping trip -  Ass Kisser Ale 's Strawberry Wit - I picked because the label is pink! I'll admit it. Well, that's what drew my eye to it initially. Then I read the label descriptions and I was sold. About the Brewery Ass Kisser Ales is a family-owned craft beer brand that has partnered with Mendocino Brewing Company in Ukiah. Ass Kisser make small batch hand-crafted ales in traditional styles with trendsetting tastes. In the Bottle This beer was the perfect pour on a hot summer's day. It's got a white, foamy head and the cloudy beer looks like sun-dried hay. Its light yeasty aroma complements the zest of coriander and the sweetness of summer strawberries. On Our Plates I actually didn't pair this with any food. We took it with us, down the banks of the Van Duizen River. We sipped and the boys splashed before dinner time.

When I was prepping for our 10-day camping trip, I picked up a couple of brews from breweries that were along our route. While I would have loved to pick up the beers en route , that's not always possible with two wild boys in tow. We'll do a brewery tour one of these days! One of the beers I selected: Anderson Valley Brewing Company 's Bourbon Barrel Stout. All three of those words make me smile. Bourbon. Barrel. Stout. About the Brewery Founded in 1987, the Anderson Valley Brewing Company has grown from a 10-barrel brewhouse to a 30-barrel facility whose large photo-voltaic array (AKA solar panels) provides nearly half of the brewery's electrical needs. They are a five time Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP) winner - from 2005, 2004, 2003, 2001, and 2000. WRAP recognizes California businesses for their outstanding waste reduction efforts. The brewery recycles all of its plastic wrap, paper, metal, glass, cardboard and plastic bottles. Additionally, their o...

Iron Fist Brewing Company is a family owned brewery located in Vista, California. I picked up a bottle of their Spice of Life when we went camping a couple of weeks ago. I loved the unique - read potent, almost aggressive - flavors of bitter orange peel, coriander, and grains of paradise. Definitely spicy. Definitely strong. We loved it! Cheers! While we were eating roasted sausages - I was camping, remember? - with this, if we were at home, I would pair it with some spicy chicken curry. Next time...

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 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...

When I saw this at Whole Foods this evening, I was mesmerized. First, the label was pink - I rarely see that on a beer; second, it's a Saison - more on that later; and third, it's from Bison Brewing .  I drink, and enjoy, anything from Bison. Anything. Their honey-basil ale is a perennial favorite. And I always wait anxiously for the holidays when I can track down their gingerbread beer. The first word that comes to mind when I tried Saison de Wench: haunting.  Named for The Beer Wench , Ashley Routson, Saison de Wench starts with a perfumey aroma of rose petals. It's not heady, old-lady. It's subtly floral, but unmistakable. It's goes down smooth and then more earthy notes emerge. And it finishes with a bite of lemongrass that lingers on the palate. Haunting. Jake and I battled over the bottle. I probably should have opened two.  Here are the brewing specs...for the geeks. Farmhouse Ale Brewed with Botanicals ABV: 6.0% IBUs: 20 Hops*:...