Notoberfest Success

So, the BeerandNosh Notoberfest was a total success! Nearly 200 people flooded into Mars Bar and wandered around collecting various foodie treats such as Ryan Farr’s famous Chicharrones (passed around in a big bowl by someone chanting “converts all vegetarians” which really made me laugh) and some of Steve’s coveted Ollalieberry Sour by Valley Brewing.

But what I really want to tell you about is the Humphrey Slocombe ice cream treats served by yours truly and the Man Behind the Genius, affectionately known as Jake.

Photo courtesy of Jesse of BeerandNosh:

I want to point out that the ice cream pictured above was not my finest scooping moment. Can you tell how much ice cream scooping I've done in my life? Not enough, apparently. After this sad jagged little scoop, the experts reminded me that I have to rinse the scooper before EVERY scoop. Right, got it.

Jake and I feverishly served up the following goodies:

Brandy Barrel Aged “Collaborative Evil” Ice Cream

Sour Pomegranate Beer and Coconut Sherbet

Luna Blanca Ice Cream made with Orange and Coriander

Honey Ice Cream with Wort Syrup

Root Beer Ice Cream Floats with Valley Brew Skullsplitter Root Beer

Russian Imperial Stout Ice Cream Floats with Bourbon Barrel Russian Imperial Stout

Russian Imperial Stout Ice Cream Floats with Whipped Crème Fraiche and Iced Coffee

Double IPA Shortbread (the hoppiest cookie that ever hopped)

Prosciutto Ice Cream Sandwiches in Boccolone Lard Shortbread Cookies

Jake’s Chex Mix with Gruyere and Black Pepper

Jake used to be a pastry chef so he has had LOTS of experience making ice cream and the man can seriously turn anything into ice cream. Each time he brought out a new tub of his custom creations, I immediately seized a spoonful and thought "no, this is my favorite!" In the end, I think I narrowed my favorite down to either the sour pomegranate beer and coconut sherbet or the honey ice cream with swirls of sticky, sweet wort syrup (provided by Valley Brewing, of course). The sour pomegranate and coconut sherbet was amazing--it tasted like sour beer meets coconut milk, but Jake didn't even use any coconut milk to acheive such an intense flavor--he made his own by cooking down large amounts of dessicated coconut!

When I asked Jake about naming his shop, he said it was a play upon Mr. Humphrey and Mrs. Slocombe from a 1970's BBC Comedy called Are You Being Served. He is the sweetest guy you will ever meet, and man, does he mean business when it comes to ice cream. Bold, intense and complex flavors, or, as Jake likes to say, Ice Cream with Attitude. He tells me he likes to do combination flavors. I agree--who likes a one dimensional flavor of ice cream?!

I cannot quantify how much beer and ice cream I consumed while simultaneously scooping up ice cream cones and assembling floats. If you saw me behind the tiki bar, I almost always had either a spoonful of ice cream or some Ollaliberry Sour in my left hand while assembling floats with my right hand. This combo was h-e-a-v-e-n-l-y…until I discovered that there really is a limit to how much beer and ice cream one can consume before it starts creating a foamy monsoon in your tummy. Luckily, even with the plethora of meat items, I did manage to snag a delicious Mariquita Farms salad with organic greens with roasted squash, apples, and beets and a pomegranate vinaigrette.

Great American Beer Festival: Denver, Colorado

According to my last posting date, I'm just ONE day shy of a 3-month hiatus! Three. Months. That's not really "falling into a hole", is it? It's more like a deep, dark abyss. Or abandonment even. I don't know how that happened! And for that, I am sorry. I do know that there have been weddings, a 5-year college reunion, trips to Sonoma and Napa (more to come about that later), weddings, Supper Club, food festivals in the City, Sonoma County, and Oakland, sailing on the bay, hosting of the Beer and Cheese club, and friends visiting from out of town. Oh, and work. And work. And more work--it's hard being a lawyer! (I have to admit that staring at a computer screen for 8-10 hours a day at work really kills the desire to come home and write more on my computer). But, in any case, I'm back. I've missed you!

I just returned from Denver for the Great American Beer Festival. It's a huge annual festival held in the Denver Convention Center that features over 450 breweries from around the country and over 2,000 beers. One foot in the door overlooking the endless aisles of beer stands in that massive convention center and your liver should be running to hide in the closet, shaking from fear.

Since I love sour beer, I volunteered to pour for my new friend, Ron, of Cascade Brewing Company from Portland, Oregon. They make belgian-style sours that are often fruit forward and always tart and delicious--my ideal beer.


Photos courtesy of my friend, Jesse Friedman, of Beer and Nosh, Thanks, Jesse! Also, congrats to him for getting nominated for the Best Beer Blog of the 2009 Foodbuzz Blog Awards!

Cascade brought along 5 sour beers (from left to right):

1) Kriek ale--made with 4 types of cherries;
2) Sang Royale--a double kriek (or double cherry) fermented with 110 pounds of Northwest cherries and aged in port barrels for about 6 months;
3) The Vine--a blend of soured Triple, Blonde Quad and Golden ales refermented with freshly pressed white wine grapes;
4) Apricot ale--a sour with over 8 months of lactic fermentation and oak barrel aging and then the addition of perfectly ripened Northwestern apricots that ferment for an additional 3 months;
5) The unmarked bottle: Vlad the Impaler--wood aged Blonde Quadruppel with about 11% ABV and contains no fruit!
Vlad the Impaler was my favorite...but I wouldn't kick any of 'em out of bed, if you know what I mean. The festival was so much fun--I did get a chance to try a few beers and found the most amazing Cranberry Lambic from New Glarus Brewing Company. I also got to spend some quality time with my dear friend, Chelsea, which was really nice. I can't wait to go again next year! Oh, and more to come later on some Denver foodie!

Speaking of beer, next Saturday (October 10) Jesse/Beer and Nosh is hosting a Notoberfest evening at Mars Bar involving Ice cream + Beer +Meat. Indulge in custom beer-infused ice cream by Humphrey Slocombe, beers by Valley Brewing Company and specialty meats by Ryan Farr and the 4505 meats team. You know I am sold on the ice cream and beer part, so I decided to help out with serving. Get your ticket and come on down and see us!!