Fun in the sun

Who could've guessed we'd have three 80 degree days in a row at the Oregon coast.  We even managed to get sunburnt.  Great long weekend, and another short work week ahead. 

Yay summer!

Beach Sunset

This may be the first time in my life I've walked on an Oregon beach when there hasn't been any wind.  Really pleasant.

Belgian Dinner Recap

Rather than trying to "live" blog the dinner I just enjoyed myself and figured I could write something up afterward. Here we go:

• Favorite food/beer pairing: Original Sin tart Belgian Quad by Laurelwood brewing paired with veal something-or-other and Brussels sprouts.
• Favorite beer: While all the beer was good, I think after all the different items the one I would happily drink all day long on a warm summer day is the "Imp" Belgian Single by Block 15/Lickspigot. Super tasty, simple, and refreshing.
• Overall impression: Another great event, as usual. Service was impeccable, food and beer pairings were great, and the group of folks partaking all seemed to have a great time.

If you ever happen to be in town when one of these infrequent gatherings happen, you should really try to participate, they're great fun.

Being Belgian Beer Dinner

Time for another one already!

American Farmhouse

Our American Farmhouse ale, reviewed earlier has recently received some pretty cool accolades:

• First place at the 31st annual Oregon Homebrew Festival in the "Saison" subcategory (16C) of the BJCP "Belgian and French Ale" category. This qualifies us (for the third time) to send this beer to the Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing next spring.
• Second place in the 5th annual "Alechemist Challenge" specifically dedicated to the American Farmhouse style. First place would've had us brewing the beer at Block 15 Brewing here in town, but at least we got to take part in a kick-ass free party and a $50 gift certificate to Corvallis Brewing Supply for our efforts.

This is the first time we'd ever brewed this style, and came up with the recipe simply and quickly based on what we thought might be good. It turned out way better than we could've hoped and we'll be making a ton more of this beer in the future, it's super yummy and damn easy to drink. I wish I had one right now.

OK, bragging session over. Happy brewing!