Unhelpful Brewing Assistant

Posted by Lauren

After work I drove to Kyle’s apartment and attempted to quickly post about my tempo run. Too bad I can run faster than I can type… I promised him I would help brew beer, but by the time I clicked ‘submit’ and showered, he already had the grains in a boiling pot of water.

I looked over the instructions and realized just how complicated this was going to be.

Honestly, I was little help to the master brewer but I did learn a few things along the way:

• The boiling grains smell fantastic!!
• This brew had 4 types of hops, each one gave off the bitter aroma of beer, but they were all quite different from each other < < doesn’t really make sense, but it does.
• Stirring the giant pot makes you feel sort of like a witch with her cauldron
• Brewing beer intensifies the desire to drink beer!

Kyle and I made a deal – he would make our pasta dinner and I would trek the 5 blocks to Willows Market (60 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park) to pick up a 6-pack. While I’ve driven by the market many times and have heard about their fabulous focaccia bread, this was my first time stepping foot in the store. For all you SLO peeps, it reminded me of Sidewalk Market & Deli (oh godmother sandwich, I miss you) on steroids.

I picked up Deschutes Brewery‘s Inversion I.P.A. “Named after a clouds-beneath-your-feet weather phenomena, Inversion is a big, bold, hop-front, India Pale Ale with a surprisingly subtle subtext. Centennial and Cascade hops provide a tart, citrus greeting, while Carastan and crystal malts soften the edges.”

Their website even offers a homebrew recipe to mimic their award-winning, 6.8%-er. I was instantly a fan of this beer. Smooth, hoppy, undertones of grapefruit – how refreshing. Side note to Katie: Ever been to their brewpub in Portland’s Pearl district?

Dinner was tasty and totally hit the spot. Pasta, veggies, black beans, marinara, spinach, and a little cream of corn. I enjoyed my plate with a side of So You Think You Can Dance and was somewhat surprised with the judges reaction to Melanie & Sasha. I liked it, but woah, they REALLY liked it.

After dinner we transferred the brew to this carboy…

No not that… this!

It will stay there for ~2 weeks, he/we will bottle, and then ~2 weeks later they are all mine MUAHAHA just kidding.

Long Commute = Starbucks!

I’m still flying high off of the Starbucks gift card from Kerry and Fran (a birthday present) and treated myself to a green tea misto with sugar-free vanilla and a petite vanilla scone. I decided to drive in to work early today which is good for two reasons:

1. I had a lot of morning stuff to finish
2. Now I can leave early to start baking!! 4 types of Boo Radley’s Cupcakes will be coming out of the oven tonight!

Question: What’s your favorite brewpub?

There’s one in St. Louis I’m dying to go to, but on our next trip to the Midwest, we fly to Chicago! Phooey.

Question: Favorite Starbucks treat? Anyone tried their cake pops?

I attempted to when they first came out (during a free promotion) but I missed the promotion by one day! When the guy said it wasn’t free, I turned my heel and walked out cake pop-less.

-Lauren