Cleanse: Day 1

Beans and tomatoes w/ balsamic drizzle

Alarms for meals set.
Green tea and bottled water ready.
Measurements and weight recorded.
It was now time to get on with Day 1.
After chugging the morning fiber drink like a warm can of PBR, I started off the morning with a Chocolate MRS (meal replacement shake).  Knowing that those would be the most calories I would get all day, I cherished the richness.  Water and more water went down the hatch as a gallon each day is required.  Every few hours I had some premeasured fruits and vegetables, green tea, and more and more water.  A packet of Spark helped me get through the day without coffee.  As long as I had a warm mug of green tea, I didn't seem to miss the coffee.  Well, at least not yet.  Hardest part of the day was looking at that tasty block of cheese in the fridge and choosing green beans instead.  Tomorrow my morning starts off with a much needed workout.  Bring on Day 2.

The Cleansing of a Brewer

Every sixth months I find myself needing a kick in the keister to get my good habits back in line.  With a tumultuous start to my school year, I haven't been working on my beer fitness since summer.  Let me rephrase that.  I have been working on the beer part no problem, just not the fitness.  So what was this brewgirl to do?
Enter the Advocare 10 Day Herbal Cleanse.
Even though this was only part of the 24 Day Challenge, I knew that I only had time to start small.  With Winter Beer Fest season almost upon us, I couldn't commit to abstaining from beer for much longer than a week...for research purposes, of course.  The results that I hear from people completing the cleanse are amazing.  Besides that, getting rid of all the toxins and resetting my metabolism was beyond over due.  But at what cost?  I was having to say good bye to my favorite cajun tots and other pub food, my addiction to cheese, my need for coffee, and my beloved beer.  What was going to happen to me?  When I shared my plan with close friends, most just looked at me in bewilderment.  Me without coffee was enough to scare anybody away.  Needless to say, I went full throttle and dove right in.  After the supplements were ordered, the 10 days without a beer event scheduled, all that was left was to psych myself up.

The Night Before Binge
With my start date for the challenge to be November 13, I gorged on everything forbidden on the 12th.  Copious amounts of cheese, bread, and coffee made their way into my belly.  Not a scrap of leftover Halloween candy was spared.  I washed it all down with a beer of course.  In between the moments of feasting, I made my way to my favorite grocery store to get the goods for my 10 days.  Fresh fruits, veggies, free range chicken, unsalted and unroasted nuts, oatmeal, and brown rice filled my cart.  Of course, I tortured myself by going down the beer aisle.  Mentally making my list of beers to try after I completed the challenge, I quickly went through the checkout in order to get home and get cooking.  A fridge full of portioned out meals for the next three days prepared and the last drops of beer in my pint, I headed to sleep as Day 1 was just a few short hours away.

Top Pumpkin Picks

The Great Pumpkin Beer Festival, GPBF to those in the know, was this past weekend at the Elysian Brewing production facility.  Boasting 40 some beers over the course of three days, along with gourds upon gourds for the carving, this ninth annual event signified the kick off of harvest beer season.  Being my fourth beer event in that many days, I mustered up enough energy, and a few willing beerfriends, to spend the unseasonably warm afternoon together.  Here are my faves from the fest.

Alaskan Brewing: Pumpkin Porter
While I went for this one initially because it was so close to my coveted seat in the sun, I went back for a second sample because it was THAT good.  Smooth and rich, the smoky notes of the Porter melded well with the pumpkin spice.

Fremont Brewing: Pumpkin B-Bomb
Thanks to a certain someone that has gotten me into barrel aged beers, I was excited to see what Fremont did with their Abominable Winter Ale in a Heaven Hill barrel.  The result was a 9.5% ABV sipper that would pair well with stormy nights by a fire.

North Peak Brewing: Hooligan
It is obviously expected that a hophead, such as myself, might gravitate towards an IPA, even at an exclusively all pumpkin beer fest.  So, that is what I did.  Other imbibers didn't necessarily enjoy this one, as it didn't have that sweet savory taste other pumpkin beers had.  I, however, loved it.  Chocked full of hops from Michigan, this IPA was just what I needed.

Elysian Brewing: Punkuccino Coffee Pumpkin Ale
Arriving right when the fest opened at noon after a drive from Eastern Washington, this beer lover was needing some coffee.  Without hesitation, my first taste at GPBF was this coffee/pumpkin combo.  Pumpkin added all throughout the brewing process, along with my favorite Stumptown Coffee, made this one my favorite of the day.

Harmon Brewmaster's Dinner 2013

Given the close proximity of the Harmon Brewery to my humble abode, I rarely find myself there these days.  A well timed email invitation and a willing beerfriend to accompany, I made plans to visit my first Harmon Brewmaster's Dinner.  Five courses with five new-to-me beers promised to be an intriguing event.  Familiar faces and friendly conversation only sweetened the deal.

Course #1: St. Helens Anniversary IPA
While my "go to" Harmon beer has been their Pt. Defiance IPA, it isn't necessarily my favorite.  I tend to check out their seasonal and cask offerings.  I have to be honest, I was a bit leery to try this first sip.  Pleasantly surprised by this moderately malty yet adequately bitter IPA, I enjoyed sip after sip of the Citra and Simcoe notes in this hidden 7.5% ABV.  It was gone before I knew it, and little did I realize, that would become the theme of the night.

Course #2:  Oatmeal Pale Ale
An Autumn favorite I tend to lean towards when the days get shorter is an Oatmeal Stout.  The creaminess of the oatmeal paired with the roastiness of the grain is a winning combination.  This Oatmeal Pale threw me off a bit.  The same creaminess was there, yet the roastiness wasn't.  While that was expected, my taste buds wanted a crisp pale at the sight of this straw colored pint, not a smooth creamy one.  But don't worry, a plan was made to try this OPA once again in order to fully assess its palate worthiness.

Course #3:  North Cascades IPA

The impression that the St. Helens IPA left had me intrigued to see if those Harmon brewers could impress this hophead once again.  A Pro Am selection created by a home brewer, this IPA seemed a bit too malty for my taste.  You see, I like IPAs that just kind of slap me upside the head with a big old helping of lupulin.  The rest of the table enjoyed this beer while I eyed the upcoming promise of an Imperial Red.

Course #4:  Fall Ball Red
Wow.  Even a day later, I can't get this beer out of my head.  Like a first date gone absolutely right, I find myself wondering when I will see this Imperial Red again.  It is hard to focus.  I can't think straight.  I find myself checking taplists around town to see where I might run into it.  The depth and complexity was beyond compare.  A hint of cinnamon and harvest pumpkin amongst the perfectly malted red provided an incredible seasonally perfect ale.  Before I knew it, my glass was empty.  I scanned the table and helped myself to others.  Who would have thought that those components would make such a great brew?  I'm running out of adjectives.  Bottom line:  get some.

Course #5:  Pumpkin Spice Blonde
Seated at a table of Harmon dinner regulars, the buzz was about where the hop ice cream went.  Apparently in years past, the final course was a hop vanilla ice cream paired with a worthy beer.  This year, a sessionable Pumpkin Spice Blonde was paired with praline vanilla ice cream.  When the snifter of my final beer came out, I took a quick whiff and a sip and well, I wasn't that blown away.  After coming off of that Imperial Red high (did I mention I finished off others' samples too?), I was hoping for more.  Then, the ice cream came out.  Silence fell over our table as everyone took a bite of ice cream and followed it with a sip of this blonde.  Reactions were unanimous.  This pairing was the best of the night.  Creamy praline with delicate pumpkin was, without a doubt, perfect.  Again, I finished my beer before everyone else.  The ice cream was long gone too.  And let's not forget, I don't really like sweets.

Rediscovering an old standby can yield surprising results.  Harmon Brewery, you are once again on my radar.  Well done.