Farewell Chicago!

So Nathan left a few days ago for Munich, and as sad as it was to see him leave without me, it was a nice opportunity for reflection about our experiences here in Chicago the past 2 months! Living in Chicago has definitely been a crazy experience, and as Nathan and I discussed- we would not change our experience for the world. The reason I love to travel is just this- no matter if you have an entirely blissful experience or not- traveling helps you expand your world view and helps you learn about yourself.

                                                                     (Nathan all packed and headed to Germany- so cute!)
I learned a few things here in Chicago about myself:
I can stand the cold windy weather- with the right clothes of course!
I really enjoy rain boots and umbrellas- I do not think I have ever really needed to use them before.
I can get up really early in the morning and be a productive adult (and go to bed at 10pm).
I get addicted to television and facebook when I am lonely- bad bad bad.

I also learned a few things about Chicago:
What they tell you about the weather is true- it is pretty brutal- but they also tell you that summer is amazing- it seems that the people of Chicago really live for the summer!
The sunshine helps- although it did not show up a lot- I seemed to enjoy the city more on sunny days!
The museums are really awesome- if you get a chance to go- go!
They call soda= pop and the restroom/bathroom= washroom.
Everyone is super nice- they say everyone in the midwest is that way- they seem to take pride in it!
The transportation system is pretty awesome- but it still takes awhile to get around because unlike other big cities I have visited (notably Manhattan and San Francisco) it is spread out and huge!
It is not as scary as other people think- you really have to go to the scary neighborhoods to experience regular violence I guess. Also- lots of normal people do drive cars and there is parking.
The food is great and all- but you have to have a lot of money to dine at the best places in town and there are about 100000 mediocre restaurants to fill your time and your belly if your broke.
If I were to live there a long time I would want to live in the hip area of town- Wicker Park- it has a lot of awesome restaurants, cheap bars and a groovy vibe.
There are probably more Walgreens per capita than any where else in the world- seriously.

Things I miss about home:
Good breakfast tacos
The hippie free spirit mentality- not too many people walking around listening to the Dead and wearing Tie-dye like Boulder or Austin.
Our fun friends- we made some friends but I miss the oldies and goodies.
Letting the cat outside to roll around and enjoy herself- in Chicago she stayed inside our apartment.

                                                                    (My travel companion- she is so cute in her travel bag!)
So- that about wraps it up! So long Chicagoland- if I come back- it will definitely be in the summer!

I am sitting in the Madrid Airport waiting for our final plane to Munich in a few hours!
I AM SO EXCITED! Also- we are headed to Prague for Easter weekend with a lot of the other brewing guys- should be blog worthy so stayed turned!

Food and Beer pairings with Randy Mosher!

As most of you know, I geek out about food pairings! (There is nothing better than eating and drinking something that just goes really well together- when you try it- you will know it!) I was introduced to the  world of food pairings in Boulder, where I was taught the the basics. ( "What grows together goes together", drinks acting as a "second sauce" on a dish, the drink must stand up to body and flavor of dish, the flavor wheel, etc.) Traditionalists might say that any nice dish can be paired with a nice glass of wine- but more recently beer pairing advocates have been giving them a run for their money.

(I paired 5 Rabbits- 5 Vulture- a dark ale brewed with ancho chilis and Native Food's African Peanut Soup)














Nathan bought The Brew Master's Table,by Brooklyn Brewery's own brewmaster Garrett Oliver, before we headed to Chicago. I got so excited when it arrived that I read a lot of it on the flight up here. Oliver is a genius when it comes to this stuff- he is a wealth of information and he has put it all together in one easy to read book. I recommend this to anyone that wants to learn the basics of beer pairing- plus it is fun to read -and good to reference. He highlights a large array of widely known beer styles, then gives an overview of his favorite commercial beers available in those styles, as well as the food he thinks you should eat with them -and why!

Some of his favorite pairings:
Oysters with an Irish Stout
Spicy Mexican food with an aromatic Pale Ale
Duck Confit with a Belgian Abbey Ale
Goat Cheese salad with Belgian Wit beer
Porcinni Risotto with a German Bock

                                                     (Randy Mosher is the guy in the middle teaching about cool stuff- beer pairing!!!)

At the end of the Chicago portion of Nathan's program, they brought in Randy Mosher (legendary brewing author and recent partner at 5 Rabbits Brewing Company in the Chicago area) to teach them about pairing food with beer. Mosher (along with Oliver and many others) believe that beer pairs better with food than wine. Beer has such a wide spectrum of flavors (very bitter to very sweet), colors (light straw to rich black) and textures (a light mouthfeel to rich and creamy) that it can stand up to the wide spectrum of food available. He also mentioned that the CO2 found in beer lends itself to cleansing or "reseting" the palate. Nathan also mentioned that Mosher is working with Ray Daniels to create an authoriative list of beer and food pairings in a new book coming out soon (those of us who cannot learn from the man himself can at least read about it!)

Some of the pairings Randy Mosher brought with him to class:
-Key lime pie and Brooklyn Brewery's Sorachi Ace (Nates personal favorite)
-Funky blue cheese with a aromatic Saison Rue (pictured below)
-Gruere cheese with a nutty brown ale

After reading some of this literature, learning from others and testing out my own palate: I have come up with a few basic recommendations myself:
-Chocolate cake and a Frambiose
-Spicy curried mussels and IPA
-Omelets or Salmon (brunch food) with Hefeweizen
-Pork tenderloin with Kriek

The best thing about pairings is that there really is not a right or wrong answer- you can follow the guidelines but at the end of the day, everyone has their own preferences! So- go out, buy some beers and experiment for yourself! (Start with cheeses- they are great for beer pairings.)

Abita and Chilam Balam

One of the best things about working with actual Chicago natives for me is hearing their recommendations about where to eat and drink. So when my friend at work told me she was going to her favorite restaurant that weekend, I had to inquire and I was excited to find out it was located just down the street from our apartment. It is a little basement place called Chilam Balam (I had walked by it probably 20 times and would of never noticed it). It is a little Mexican food place that specializes in using fresh and sustainable ingredients in tapas and small plates. It is BYOB (so many places are in Chicago- it is crazy), so we went to Binny's (an awesome liquor store similar to Spec's) and got a few six packs. I went with the intention of finding Abita's Strawberry Lager. Abita is a brewery out of Louisiana- their Strawberry Lager is one of my favorite beers. It tastes like Betty Crocker strawberry flavored cake to me- subtle strawberry with a bread-like sweet finish. It is refreshing and delicious- it goes fast so hurry to the closest store and get it before it is gone!

Above: Abita Strawberry Lager; Below: Chicken flautas at Chilam Balam

Anyway, we walked to Chilam Balam with our beers- got on the 45 min wait list. (We waited upstairs at a local Irish Pub- which was a fun time in itself). Once we sat, our very friendly server told us about the rotating menu and got us a ice bucket for our beers. We had (in this order) the chips and guacamole, mushroom empanadas, chicken flautas and lastly, the lamb barbacoa.  It came out hot, quick and nicely plated. The guacamole was fresh, the empanadas were soft and warm, the flautas perfectly crispy and the barbacoa surprisingly lean. The food was truly delicious and the service was fantastic. Yet, it seemed that for the size of the plates it was very over priced- even with high quality ingredients. I left hungry! (That never happens where I come from-maybe coming from Texas, I just expect large portions of good Mexican food for little money.) In conclusion, I can definitely see why Chicago natives love this place- it is cozy and authentic. But for us- it was just a reminder of how much I love/miss Texas Mexican food- such a tease!

Michigan Ave and Beyond!

So last weekend, I was set on doing the tourist route in downtown Chicago- it did not turn out exactly I had planned but it was definitely a great time and we got some exercise!

On Saturday, we started out at the Shedd Aquarium- where the line was of about 300 people. It did not occur to me that is was Spring Break and all the other tourists in the city were as enthusiastic as I was. Therefore, we took a rain check and will try to go back on a weekday before we leave! We have heard really great things about the aquarium- and if the line to get in says anything-I guess it lives up to its reputation. Instead, we walked along the a path by the water- it was nice enough outside and I could not help but to imagine how fun and beautiful the view could be in the summer!


We then walked around downtown- stopped in for a bloody mary, got lost walking around and finally found Cloud Gate and Millenium Park. We took some tourist pictures of ourselves in front of the "bean"- as seen on facebook. We watched the ice skaters and had a few laughs.

We then walked down Michigan Ave to the "Magnificent Mile"- it is a lovely walk. There are some really nice buildings around the river and if you have money to spend (which we do not), all the high end shops are located here.

Here is a picture of me in front of a quote at the ABC- WGN Tribune Tower. I liked it.

We then headed back down to the Willis Tower- formerly the Sears Tower. There was a 2 hour wait to get to the rooftop and we were getting tired so once again, we thought we might come back later.

Moral of the story: do not complain that is sucks to work weekends- during the week it is easier to see and do everything without lines and crowds.

To end the day, we headed to Haymarket Brewing on our way home. We had some beers and relaxed. Nathan had their half-bock, which seemed pretty tasty. I tried their Wit beer and was not overly impressed so I had a wit from Crazy Mountain Brewing in Colorado next- they had a great selection of beers from around the country as well as the beer brewed on site. They are known for their events and group meetings so it seems we missed out on the Sausage and Beer festival that was going on in the front bar (it was sold out when we got there- my cholesterol and liver are grateful I am sure). They also have a drinking and writing club that meets there every week. (Seems like a great opportunity to meet people and be inspired creatively.)They seemed very busy so obviously they are doing something right- maybe I was just too tired to jump on the band wagon.

What has been going on.....

So- it has been a little while since I have posted anything on the blog. After 5 weeks of cold Chicago life, I can definitely say we have settled in and life has become well- predictable- once again. Nathan has gotten into a regular school and study routine and I have gotten used to my job and getting up at 5:30 in the morning to get there on time! ( If you know me well- you know that I am not great at waking up early, so this has been a challenge and I am proud to say I can actually do it!) While I am making money, and Nathan is learning a lot- we do miss home and are getting excited to set off again and experience something different in Munich. (It is a sunny 43 degrees outside today- which helps with the home sickness and cold windy blues).

Enough of that- anyway- last weekend got a little crazy fun! Last Friday, I met Nathan and some of his friends for drinks and food at Goose Island for lunch. Then they toured Revolution Brewing Company, I met them for a few pints and then we headed back to the "Beer Stube" (the small bar at the brewing school) afterwards. Nathan and I then went home early and ate greasy cheeseburgers from Five Guys because I had to get up at 5:30 and go to work Saturday.

The next afternoon, we went to the Brewhaha Chicagoland beer festival in Bridgeport (the old Irish neighborhood south of the loop). There, we indulged in laughs with his friends, tasters of many local companies and an amazing view of the city. I  was not blown away with any one company in particular. (Honestly, I think my extrovert self was finally getting some "party" time and the beer took a back seat to chatting with people.) After making fun of the security guard - to his face -and peeing in the parking lot because there were not enough bathrooms, we headed to a little placed called Maria's.

This is one of those awesome places that is totally off the radar (we would of never found it but the locals in the group lead us there). It was a quaint old place in the middle of a residential area with a beer store in front and a bar in back. It was cozy, quaint and they made a really good classic cocktail with Bulliet Rye. We should of stopped there but after a few more drinks, and a few more deep conversations (I love em), we headed in a cab to a huge Irish pub downtown. (I wish for the life is me I could remember more of the experience- much less the name of the place). Anyway- I remember it being huge- with multiple levels and it being very authentic. It was great! All in all, it was a long crazy day but we were safe in bed passed out by 9pm! Of course, we paid with headaches and laziness on Sunday, but we did some quality bonding with some of Nathan's beer friends and it was definitely a fun time. Lastly, we ended the weekend but some amazing Thai food at Thai Palace close to our apartment. Nathan got this incredible spicy catfish red curry recommended by our server, and I some fried wontons and chicken soup- the best way to cure any hangover!

Mid- week we took a break from work and school and made it uptown to Hopleaf- a brewpub that specializes in Belgian beers and Belgian pub cuisine. They have a great draft selection and great atmosphere. We had their signature dish- mussels and frites- and a salmon salad. The mussel serving was huge (I think it was a bit under salted) and the salmon salad was a bit strange- but it was definitely worth the trip and I would recommend it for any beer drinker in Chicago.

Sadly- my phone was on the outs during this entire weekend so I did not get any good pictures- I had to borrow them from the internet. It is finally back in action- thank god- and I will be taking many more pictures this upcoming weekend as we finally head downtown and make it to all the Chicagoland tourist attractions. Nathan flies to Munich on the 23rd and I will be there soon after him, so we are running out of time!

New Glarus Brewing

Siebel took Nathan and his colleagues to Wisconsin to tour Briess Malting facility a few weeks ago via bus. The trip was complete only after they stopped before the Wisconsin border and Nathan bought some aged cheddar and 80 bucks worth of New Glarus Beer!

 The New Glarus Brewing Company was founded in 1993 by Deborah Carey (making her the first woman in the United States to found and operate a brewery) and her husband Dan Carey.They are known for their well balanced "session"beers and fruit beers- winning numerous awards! Dan was the valedictorian at Siebel Academy in 1987 (hopefully Nathan will follow in his footsteps) after studying brewing and food science at UC Davis in California. He then interned in Munich and worked for Anheuser-Busch before opening the brewery. 

We had heard great things about these beers and after trying them, I can truly say they live up to their reputation. I love fruit beers, so I knew I would be in for a treat!  The slightly sour Serendipity "an experimental fruit ale" was a bit too tart for Nathan's taste, but I enjoyed the tart cherry and cranberry flavors that paired with apple fruit sweetness. Both this beer and the Raspberry Tart I mentioned in an earlier post were perfect in carbonation and body- they danced lightly on your tongue and did not leave a syrup like residue which I have experienced with other fruit ales in the past. The Spotted Cow- their most lucrative creation for good reason- is also amazing. The Spotted Cow is a light and refreshing cloudy farmhouse ale brewed with corn. It is incredibly light and drinkable with a full malty flavor. We also really enjoyed the Two Women- a crisp classic country lager and the Honey Bock- truly the best Bock I have ever tasted! 

All of the beers we tried were great - their carbonation, head retention and aroma are examples of perfection (there are too many to bore you with details about all of them). They are a great example of well balanced beer that leaves you satisfied yet craving more....too bad they have made a point to only distribute in Wisconsin. If you ever head to Chicago or Madison stop by the brewery- I hear it is a beautiful magical little place on the top of a hill!