Monday, March 13, 2017

Suds and Snow in the Sierras

This past January we went up to Tahoe.  Seeing as I'm not a winter sports guy I don't go to Tahoe very often. Maggie hadn't ever been and a bunch of friends were renting a house in Tahoma so we joined the party.  We got really lucky that the biggest storm in years just happened to dump hella snow a couple days before we got there and then the weather was gorgeous the entire time we were up there.

On our way up, we stopped at Fifty-Fifty Brewing in Northstar Village for lunch and some delicious crisp beers.  Their beers reminded me a lot of Maine Beer Company due to the crisp and bright flavors.  I'm guessing they have a great water supply either a spring or snow melt.  You can really taste the difference between breweries that use fresh water and those that are stuck with municipal supplies.  We each got a flight of 5 beers.  Maggie stayed on the lighter side ranging from a golden ale to pale ales while I started hoppy and ended dark and brooding with 3 IPAs, a porter, and a stout aged in a Cognac Barrel.  I was a little apprehensive about ordering a barrel aged stout because the last few ones that I had tasted more than root beer than stout.  The waiter talked me into it because apparently the brewery is known for their barrel aged stouts.  Maggie loved all of her choices and there wasn't much sharing.  I found the ale brewed with lemongrass to be interesting but much more of a summer beer than an its 30 degrees outside and I need something to warm me up sort of beer.  The session IPA reminded me of Sculpin's Mango Even Keel so much it was uncanny.  The Rye IPA was delicious.  The porter was one of the best porters I've had in a long time with lots of vanilla and coffee notes.  The stout was by far the best barrel aged beer I've ever had.  Maybe its the Cognac barrel instead of the usual bourbon or maybe they have a superior technique.  I'm not sure but either way its damn good.  The Cognac isn't over powering it still tastes like a stout but with subtle notes that seemed just outside of my grasp.  The only bad part of the experience was the pulled pork in our nachos was a little too sweet and we probably should have gone with the chicken because everything else in the nachos was just what we needed.

When we got to the cabin the power was out.  This was back in January when the big storms were rolling through California.  In order to help warm us up we had an impromptu whiskey tasting.  I brought Hudson Manhattan Rye Whiskey and my friends brought 4 Roses small batch bourbon, Templeton Rye, and Basil Hayden.  The Hudson was my favorite.  It was more smooth than the rest and the flavors are on point.  The Basil Hayden and 4 Roses were also very good.  The Templeton Rye was too harsh for me.  I can't tell you too much about the night but there was a glow in the dark puzzle and lots of beers involved.

The next day we went snowshoeing in Sugar Pine State Park.  We rented snow shoes and poles for $11 for half a day at a nearby rental place.  Parking in the park was $5.  This was a great value day.  The day started overcast but as we tromped through the powder the sky opened into a brilliant blue.  Snowshoeing is a great way to enjoy the beauty that is Tahoe.  Its not as easy as walking but its a hell of a lot easier than walking in deep snow.  Its a good work out especially with the falling and getting up part.  Thats just extra exercise and laughter.  Nothing wrong with that...

On our way back home to the Bay we stopped at Kingvale to do some sledding.  It cost $10 to park and then $10 each to sled.  I always think of sledding as being just for kids and it looks kind of blah but in reality it's terrifying!  I have no problem riding down a hill at 40mph on a bike but a sled just goes where it wants to go and any attempt to lean or steer results in an uncontrolled spin. Actually, sledding made me realize that its for kids because they heal faster and their spines are made of elastic.  There was a short slope with lane dividers and a longer one without.  As you may know its nearly impossible to steer a sled so the open one added extra adrenaline because at any moment my 230lbs could plow into some kid.  Good thing we all signed waivers before we were allowed on the slopes.  The two lower slopes were pretty busy so we wandered up the hill and found 3rd slope with divided lanes that we had pretty much to ourselves and a hispanic family a few lanes over.  We didn't get injured and we had a blast.

We were famished after sledding so we stopped for burgers in Auburn at the Auburn Ale House.  I have been through the upper portion of Auburn with all of its fast food joints numerous times but I didn't know there was a quaint little old town.  The Ale House had the best burger I've had in a long, long time.  It was cooked to perfection (medium rare) with just the right amount of juiciness and bacon.  We both had burgers.  I went with a stout on nitro and she had a golden ale we both enjoyed our beers but we were pretty much over drinking by the end of the weekend.  Since it is in the heart of gold country all of the beers are named after the gold rush.

Monday, October 31, 2016

Tamayo Family Vineyards

A little while back we visited Tamayo Family Vineyards in Brentwood.  We had gone to Brentwood to pick Cherries last June.  If you haven't gone to a U-pick Cherry orchard I highly recommend it.  You get a bucket and there are ladders near most of the trees but you can just pick them without the ladder.  We had planned on spending the afternoon picking.  We didn't really know how many cherries there would be but when we got there the trees were dripping with cherries. After picking 9lbs of cherries in about 30 minutes we had some time to go wine tasting.  (If this is a retelling of an older post I apologize.  I could have sworn I already wrote this entry but I can't find it.)  

So we went to google and yelp.  I had originally thought we were a lot closer to Livermore and since I've never been wine tasting there I was a little disappointed to see that we were about an hour away.  We found two wineries in the immediate area.  

The first one Hannah Nicole Winery was not our jam. If you like sweet wines you might like these, but if you like sweet wines you will probably be more satisfied by wines from less expensive retailers as the tasting fee was $10 for 5 pours and the reds were in the $30-$50 range.  We were less than impressed by their wines.  However it did seem like a happening spot as the winery was pretty full of people and there was some sort of live music happening on the grounds.

Tamayo Family Vineyards

Maggie found another winery about a mile away called Tamayo Family Vineyards.  They do tastings by appointment only so we were lucky to get a last minute tasting.  It is run by the husband and wife team of Jeff and Sara Tamayo.  As we drove up the driveway there was a winery in a barn on the right and an impressive house further up on the left. So we drove to the quaint barn which didn't have any parking or people which of course was the wrong place.  The Spanish styled estate has been in their family for generations and is a beautiful piece of property with a fountain, elegant stonework, and terra cotta roof.  We definitely felt out of place with our cherry picking clothes on but Sara met us out front and put our worries at ease with a glass of their lovely Bailey Viognier which is super floral and reasonably priced at $24.  

She then took us on a short tour of the vineyard, bee hives, chicken coop (because Maggie is obsessed with chickens), and the grounds where they have weddings and events.  Jeff joined us as we sat on their porch to taste some reds and munch on cheese and crackers.  Jeff had just come back from the East Coast (he arrived while we were walking on the grounds) and even though he was probably jet lagged he graciously joined us.  He even showed us their wine collection which has a dining table in the middle of the room for special events.  I smiled and nodded at the French wine's that he has since I don't really know much about old world wines other than generalities.  He had some older California offerings like Jordan and Chateau Montelena that made the wine nerd in me very happy.  Come to think of it, I feel like they did more to try to sell us on having a wedding/event there than trying to sell us wine, but when the wine is as good as there wine is they don't have to try to sell it.  They just have to open the bottle.

We loved their Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir and the estate grown CANA.  The 2008 Pinot was dark and silky with sour cherry and earth notes accented by a touch of cola.  This sells on their website for $32 but is on sale for $16!  

The 2007 CANA is a red blend of Petite Sirah, Syrah, Mourvedre, Malbec, Carigagne, Alicante Bouschet, Tinta Cao, and Viognier.  Since it is a 2007 it has had plenty of time to mellow out the tannins from the bolder grapes in the bunch.  The wine exhibits dark berry aromas with hints of spices and layers of mocha and vanilla.  It has a medium to full body and soft mouthfeel.  The CANA retails for $30 on their website but is also currently on sale for half off!  All the prices of their wines are more than reasonable and those two being on sale is truly amazing!  

We also bought a jar of honey that their son makes from the bees on their property.  Its delicious. 

Lagunitas Night Time Ale

Autumn is finally kicking into gear here in the Bay Area.  The leaves are changing color and the temperature is dropping.  Time for some nice dark beers to warm our bellies while the rain pitter patters on the roof tops and the fire crackles in the fireplace.  Well we don't have a fireplace but the yule log channel can't be too far away...

I digress, last night I had the Lagunitas Night Time Ale.  Sometimes Lagunitas really hits the nail on the head, this is one of those times.  You get those coffee and chocolate notes that usually comes with a porter or stout and then there is  the 71 IBU from the hops which provides some bitterness but also some floral notes as well.  It comes in a 22 oz bomber and at 8% ABV that is enough for me these days.  I know some people will see that 8% and be turned off by it but I really couldn't detect the alcohol as far as taste goes.  So its a good offering to the night time ruckus and as always there is a fun bit of nonsense on the bottle which Lagunitas is known for and I always appreciate.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Ballast Point's Flavored IPAs


Grapefruit Sculpin:

Watermelon Dorado:

Pineapple Sculpin:

Friday, June 7, 2013

Knee Deep Brewing Company Citra Extra Pale Ale




Monday, December 24, 2012

Local Wines for the Holidays

This is my December column from the Marinscope Newspapers











Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Great Gift Idea - review




Now for the reviews:






