My first ever brewfest was totally awesome. The only disappointment was that I didn't get to try as many different beers as I would have liked. Apparently 4 hours isn't enough sampling time for someone who is a very slow drinker and lightweight like me. They practically had to kick us out and I wished I had kept better track of the time.
Everything tasted pretty good, although once inebriated I think it's harder to be a good judge. I took a few sporadic notes, not really rating anything thoroughly.
Stone - Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout - very syrupy, better than their smoked porter or imperial
Dupont - Farmhouse Ale - interesting
Sun Up - Hefeweizen - grapefruity
Sun Up - Red Ale - citrus tones
Dogfish - Sah'tea - curious
Dogfish - Palo Santo Marron - nice and dark
San Tan - Strawberry Wit - not at all subtle strawberry flavor
Papago - Coconut Joe - coffee overpowered any coconut in there
One of the highlights was a quick chat with the brewer for Sun Up Brewing/Sonora Brewhouse one of my favorite local eats. We were able to complement him on the recent excellent small batch Triple Blonde, and his consistently good Midnight Porter.
Thanks so much to Draft Magazine for creating the best PBS benefit I've heard of, and thanks to PBS for providing well researched science and political coverage like Nova, the News Hour, and Frontline.
Draft Magazine Craft Brewing Festival 2009
Finished The Difference Engine
This is the first book I've read in the "alternative history" or "steampunk" genre. I enjoyed it of course, because it's Gibson, and I love his style of mystery where nothing gets answered. Not having read anything by Sterling before, I can't say how much of the style was his. The description of the Central Statistics Bureau had a scifi quality to it, despite being in London in 1885. I discovered how little I know about late 19th century English history. I ended up looking up a lot of articles on wikipedia about people mentioned in the book. I loved the description of London falling into anarchy, it just builds and builds into an almost dream.
Nut Crusted Pork Piccatta
4 pork chops
1 cup chopped nuts (should have a large percentage of either pecans or almonds, plus whatever else is available thrown in: brazil, macadamia, walnuts, pine nuts)
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
enough olive oil to fill the frying pan about 1/4 inch deep
heat oil very high
add salt and pepper to nut mixture in one bowl
put flour in a separate bowl
beat eggs in a third bowl
dip pork chops so they are covered first in flour, then eggs, then nuts
fry in pan using a splatter screen
Piccatta topping ingredients:
juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon parsley chopped
3 heaping teaspoons capers
1 teaspoon caper juice
dash garlic salt
dash pepper
mix topping ingredients together and heat
spoon on top of the pork chops
Porter Sampling No. 5
| Brewery | Name | Location | Short Description | Rating |
| Prescott Brewing Co | Raven Maniac Stout | Prescott, AZ | Yummy | 94 |
| Prescott Brewing Co | Petrified Porter | Prescott, AZ | Flavorful, Rich | 94 |
| Lost Coast Brewery | Eight-Ball Stout | Eureka, CA | Hoppy, Flavorful | 89 |
| Left Coast Brewery | Black Magic Stout | Eureka, CA | Hoppy, Decent | 86 |
| Samuel Smith | Oatmeal Stout | England | Rich, Tasty | 94 |
| Avery Brewing Co. | The Czar Imperial Stout | Boulder, CO | Strong Alcohol 11.73%, Hoppy, Heavy | 89 |
| Rogue Ales | Imperial Stout | Newport, OR | Strong Alcohol 11%, Hoppy, Too Bitter | 85 |
| Brouwerij Sterkens | Hoogstraten Poorter | Meer, Belgium | Wine-Like, more dark ale than porter, Smooth | 90 |
| Port Brewing Co. | Old Viscosity Ale | San Marcos, CA | Thick, Molasses flavor, strange tasting Hops | 90 |
| Stone Brewing Company | Stone Imperial Russian Stout | Escondido, CA | 10.8%, Thick, Rich | 91 |
See Also:
Porter Sampling No. 4
Porter Sampling No. 3
Porter Sampling No. 2
Porter Sampling No. 1
Finished The Selfish Gene
I'm not sure exactly why, but, while reading the book, I was reminded of a print we had up in our family room when I was a kid. It's Dwarf Caiman and False Coral Snake (from The Insects of Suriname, 1719) by the botanical artist, Maria Sibylla Merian. 
Yummy New Potatoes
18-24 small new red potatoes quartered
6 cloves garlic chopped
1 small onion chopped
2-3 tablespoons rosemary chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
Coat bottom of casserole dish with half of the oil
Add remaining ingredients
Drizzle with the rest of the oil
Mix
Bake 30-40 min at 450 until edges are crispy/slightly browned
Pea Soup
16 ounce dried split pea package (cleaned and washed)
8 cups/64 oz chicken broth
1 bunch very small carrots chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion chopped
1.5 tablespoons garlic minced
1 teaspoon hot madras curry powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 jalapeno
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
dash of cayenne pepper
melt butter
sweat onion, garlic, salt, pepper
add peas, broth, carrots
bring to a boil
add jalapeno, cayenne, and curry powders
reduce heat to a simmer
cook 1 hour
let cool
add 2 handfuls of ice to help speed along cooling
blend until smooth
(This is my alteration of Alton Brown's recipe that was recommended by Aaron)
Finished After Dark
I like the fact that this book didn't have the foreshadowing that seemed to heavy in both Kafka on the Shore and The Wind Up Bird Chronicle. But, it was also a lot shorter, and I would have liked it to go on for longer.
I would have liked to learn more about Kaoru and her past. I loved the scene between her and the pimp. I would like to know what continued to happen later between them. Overall, it was quite enjoyable and I'm now fully hooked on Murakami and plan to read all the rest of his books.
Here is a great review of After Dark:
http://quarterlyconversation.com/after-dark-by-haruki-murakami-review
Finished The Omnivore's Dilemma
The breadth of what Pollan covered in The Omnivore's Dilemma really amazed and impressed me. I didn't expect a natural history to delve into such detailed analysis. I learned more than I ever would have imagined about modern agriculture in the U.S. and the food industry. I think everyone should read this book. I even felt the urge to write to the president and plead him to read it (I haven't yet).
A bit of warning though, at times I was overcome by hopelessness and anger that nothing can be changed. I'd compare this strange combination of awe and anger with how I felt watching An Inconvenient Truth, Fahrenheit 911, and Sicko. Yes, it is somewhat sensationalistic, but, it is also good investigative reporting and well researched.
If you want to eat healthy, and also be aware of the sociopolitical and environmental impacts of what you eat, I recommend you read this book. Pollan fully imparts the importance of sustainability to our future. If you don't already have a backyard garden, you will want your own, or, at the very least, you'll be looking into CSAs and farmer's markets.
Oran's Butternut Squash Yumminess
1 very large butternut squash cubed (or 2 small)
1 medium onion chopped
2 cups chardonnay
1/3 cup cream
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon white pepper
4 cloves garlic diced
4-6 sage leaves chopped
3 tablespoons butter
Add squash, onion and butter to pot and cook over medium heat for a few minutes. Add the wine, chicken bouillon, pepper, sage, and garlic. Simmer until the squash is very soft. Stir in cream and serve.
