Kraut!

Rick had a long weekend, so we took it easy. It was really really nice to spend a day or two not up to my elbows in food preparation. So what did we do? Drink beer of course! We went to the Handle Bar on Sunday afternoon.

I immediately texted Delina when I saw this. Who would have guessed there was gluten-free beer?

As always, there were a lot of great options. Rick had the Drake's 1500 Pale Ale. Has a fantastic lemony nose, small bubbles so very champagne-like, smooth and crispy, with lemon and mild pine notes in the hops. I had the Knee Deep Midnight Hoppiness, a double black IPA with 9.5 ABV and over 100 IBUs. Good dark malt flavor that's more than balanced by the hops, which were piney and resiny.

For our second beers, Rick had  the Fullers ESB. It tasted pretty sweet to me (compared to the IPAs), but Rick said it was delicately balanced by the hops. It had a rich mahogany appearance, floral nose, and Rick compared the malt taste to butterscotch. ABV 5.9. RB 96. Very drinkable session beer.

I had the Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA, touted (by Esquire mag) as the best IPA in America. I dunno if I'd go that far, but it was an excellent example. Light amber in color, very flowery nose, crisp citrusy hop profile. Overall very floral in character; I said it was like drinking flowers.

Meanwhile... back at the ranch. Rick and Catherine should be winding up their trip soon. Catherine sent us some pix from the road. This pic is actually from her last trip, but it's a great shot of the car tent they are staying in part of the time.

This is the Portland farmer's market they went to.

Of course, we have to have more pics of vegetables! These carrots are lovely

After several days of drinking and lounging about, I was ready to tackle food again, so today I made sauerkraut. I put in two huge cabbages from the farm, plus most of a little one that hadn't headed up well. I also added some onions and hot peppers. I'll add some garlic also, but I haven't shelled it yet. That's my next task after I post this update. So after I cut up all the veg, I mixed in the salt (3 TBS to 5 lbs cabbage) and let it wilt a bit. Then I put a plate on top and weighted it with a ziploc full of salty water (so if it leaks it won't dilute the brine). Note for next time: the only plate that fits is the salad plate from the good china! I tied a towel over the top with a bit of twine, and I'll check it every couple of days.