Showing posts with label Beer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beer. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Summit Brewery


What trip to the Midwest would be complete without sampling some local brew? Ever the organization pro that she is, Mitch scheduled a tour of Summit brewery for her husband and me while she put in a few hours of work in the morning. We were sad to leave her behind, but happy to drink at 10:30 in the morning. To Summit Brewery we go!

These machines fill the kegs, a little over one per second.


This is the giant fridge where all the beer is stored. It's about the size of a large barn, and they trusted us enough to let us wander around for a few minutes.




Can I have just a few extra minutes? Check on me in an hour.



The conveyer belt that leads to labels and packaging.


They don't bottle during the tours, so we didn't get the chance to do our Laverne and Shirley bit.




Our terrific volunteer tour guide, who said he works for beer.


The copper vats where every batch begins.



In the fermentation room.


In front of the mash vats.

On to tasting! My fave was the oatmeal stout, of course. (Do check out their website, it's terrific! www.summitbrewing.com)






Prost!

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Cider Speakeasy

It's not often that I get to find the super secret drinking spots in the area, but sometimes you're with the right person with the intel. Unfortunately, no names or photos, since my big mouth and I don't want to be the ones to spoil it. But I still have to share in the excitement.

The evening started with dinner at Barley and Hops, where I enjoyed the lovely Le Merle, a Belgian style with tropical fruit notes. Not my usual pick, but I thought I'd go out of the box a bit from my favorite Death and Taxes, which will one day have a post all of its own.


Next was ice skating, and with no falls! I want to say I'm improving on my technique, but I still seem to prioritize going fast over looking graceful. Is it weird that I found satisfaction in skating faster than all the little kids there? Or just a sign that I'm ridiculously competitive?

On to the speakeasy. This secret spot is by invite only, and involves knowing the top secret code to a gated entry (which I hope I never learn because I would immediately shout it from the rooftops so all my friends could go). I was lucky enough to be in the company of one of the invited friends, so we rolled in for a pint as things were winding down.

The owner let us in, poured us some ciders and we chatted with his buddies beside a charming backdrop of fermenting tanks. Ever notice how the problems of the world manage to easily be solved over a few pints? We sat in a heated tent under the stars, debating if we should play Boggle, pool or backgammon. We chose stars.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm not fancy, and I'm the last person in the world to keep secrets. But for one night, it was nice to do both.