Christmas Eve cold

I'm nursing quite a cold right now. It started yesterday morning and got worse throughout the day. Unfortunately I'm in the middle of moving (and that's unfortunate for more than just the reason that I'm doing it with a cold) and had to pack and move stuff all day today. I finally got home and collapsed around 5 o'clock. I could remember being sick around this time last year and writing about it so I just looked through my posts and saw it was actually New Years eve eve, and now here I am sick on Christmas Eve. I guess the good news is that my family doesn't celebrate the holiday so at least I'm not missing out on any family time. The bad news is that my boyfriend does celebrate and so his home - in Iowa - with his family and I'm literally all alone in his house right now. I've decided there's nothing lonlier than a Jewish person who lives alone and is sick on Christmas Eve. At least if I felt good I could go out and grab some Chinese food with friends like I usually do.

I'm not writing this to complain, though (I can see the look of disbelief you're shooting me right now, given how this has started). I'm writing because I'm thinking of the good beers I want to be drinking. I'm friends with so many beer people on Twitter and Facebook that seeing how much fun everyone is having is making my speedy recovery seem that much more necessary. I know tomorrow night Devil's Den is featuring the '09 and '10 Mad Elf. I wonder if I'll be up for making it to that. And then Sunday I'm supposed to go to the World Cafe Live Winterfest Beer Tasting (which I attended last year and wrote about here).

Too many good things coming up for me to play host to this cold. With that, I'm off to take more medicine and maybe even tuck myself in for the night. Let me know your suggestions for my first drink post-cold.

Holiday Cheer and beer

I can't believe that Friday is Christmas Eve. I can't believe that next Friday is New Year's Eve! Where did 2010 go?

What is an already busy time of year has turned even more so. First, I'm moving. I have to be out of my apartment by next Monday (less than a week!) as I'm leaving for Iowa on Tuesday (to spend New Years with my boyfriend and his friends, one bright spot in what is sure to be a stressful couple of weeks) and won't be back until after January 1.

Second, my sister gave birth to her first son - and the first grandchild in my immediate family - 10 weeks early. Luckily, he's doing great and she is, too. But it was a crazy time as they were trying to decide when to deliver her.

Luckily I have great friends and family and they're keeping me sane. I also have great taste in beer (if I do say so myself) and those beers have played no small part in getting me through these days. Not as a crutch, mind you, just as a reward at the end of a long day.

I had the great joy of drinking Victory's Dark Intrigue over the weekend. It was so tasty and perfect on a very cold winter's (well, at the time it was still technically fall) night. I've also gotten to enjoy De Ranke Pere Noel, which I loved, and the always-great Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre.

I hope your preparations for the holiday season have been as tasty as mine - minus the stress!

Bella Vista Night at Brady's American Pub

This Thursday, December 16th is Bella Vista Night at Brady's American Pub in Feasterville. From 7 - 9 pm you can get special prices on Maduro Brown, Holiday Cheer and Obovoid on draft and Either, Or, Three French Hens, and Yulesmith in bottles. You'll also get free glassware.

Bella Vista is a specialty beer distributor in South Philly. They have some of the best (read: my favorite) beers including those from Ballast Point, The Bruery, Bavarian Barbarian, Sixpoint, Gritty's, and Cigar City.

Winterfest Beer Tasting at World Cafe Live

'Tis the season ... for beer fests. And one of the best is being held at World Cafe Live on Sunday, December 26. Perfect timing for those that need a break from family and egg nog.

The event runs from 12 - 4 pm and features winter seasonal brews from both local and national breweries. You'll get to sample stouts, porters, and winter seasonals from breweries like Flying Dog, Left Hand, Dogfish Head, Corsendonk, Sly Fox, Flying Fish, The Bruery and many more (over 30 breweries will be represented!). Finger foods will be served and live entertainment will be provided. And don't worry about missing the game - the Eagles will be on!

I've been to this event in the past and can tell you they do a great of keeping the number of attendees down so that you're not standing in endless lines; to that end, tickets, which cost $45, are limited and can be purchased by clicking here.

So take off that sweater Aunt Mary knitted for you and come celebrate the end of fruit cake season. Happy holidays!

Randall the Enamel Animal at Tria

So I'll admit - I've read before of the famed Dogfish Head invention Randall the Enamel Animal and didn't really give it much thought (thoughts like "what is this Randall the Enamel Animal?" and "why should I care about this Randall character?" ran briefly through my mind, but it didn't go much further than that). But then the email came from Tria that I would have the chance to taste Burton Baton after it had run through Randall, and I decided I needed to know more about it.

Here's what I found.

The first Randall was built in 2002 in response to a beer showdown between west and east coast brewers called The Lupulin Slam. Although DFH originally thought they would just build the one, beer lovers and other brewers asked for a Randall of their own; today Randalls are being used as far away as New Zealand, Italy, Switzerland, and Japan.

The latest Randall - Randall 3.0 - debuted in September 2010. This is a new double barrel model that was built to reduce foam. Randall is a filter that you connect to the tap of your favorite beer. You fill the chamber with hops, and as the beer runs through the chamber, the alcohol in the beer takes the flavor from the hop oils and puts it in the beer. The result - an intensely hop flavored and smelling beer.

All of which explains why I'll be at Tria this Thursday, December 2 for the Burton Baton. The Burton Baton, in case you don't know, is a blend of an English Style Old Ale and an Imperial IPA. Both batches are brewed and fermented separately, then blended together and aged for a month in an oak tank. Sounds (and is) awesome, which is why I can't wait to try the Randall-ized version. It's sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Make sure to get there early, if you plan on coming. Event starts at 5 and the beer is sure to go fast. You'll also have the chance to meet Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head, from 5:30 - 6:30.

Cheers!

Varga Bar Calendar Release Party

I'm not sure how things go for you, but every time I go in to Varga Bar with my boyfriend he can't stop looking at the paintings and pictures of the Varga girls. So much so that I actually did a photo shoot with the amazing Celeste Guiliano as a birthday present for him (and no, I'm not posting my pictures on this site! But I will tell you that he loved them).

Celeste and her wonderful team did what they do best - taking women and making them look just like Varga girls - for the Varga Bar 2011 calendar. And you get to reap the benefits. Next Wednesday, December 8 is the release party at Varga Bar. Drink specials and complimentary hors d'oeuvres start at 9 pm. There will also be a one-hour, complimentary open bar sometime during the night.

If seeing the models in the calendar isn't enough for you, you're in luck. Each of the girls will be introduced throughout the night, and they'll also be available for calendar signings.

So guys, bring your Sharpies. And girls, maybe you'll be inspired to do a photo shoot of your own.

For this I give thanks

It's a couple of days past the holiday, but that doesn't mean the thanks have to stop. I had a great holiday, full of good food, laughs, family, and friends. There was plenty of turkey, potatoes, green bean casserole, pies, cakes - and of course, beer.

A few weeks before the holiday my Aunt, at whose house we always celebrate the holiday, had a health scare. Well, a bit more than a scare but everything is going to be fine. And there are a few things that are happening in my life that could lead (and have led) me in to crying fits. Then I take a few minutes and realize just how fortunate I am and how good I really have it, and so I've decided to share those things I'm most thankful for.

I'm thankful for an amazing support system - my parents, my siblings, my extended family, my friends, new and old. I honestly don't know what I'd do without them.

I'm thankful for my health - because without that, everything else would be so much harder.

I'm thankful for all opportunities in front of me - I may not be exactly where I want to be and I may not know exactly where I'm going, but I do know, based on everything I've been through in the past, that I'll appreciate and trust in the journey.

There are so many other things I'm thankful for - music; books; beer; a cloudless blue sky; a dark, starry night; movies; wine; new foods to try; my car; the Phillies; a warm bed on a cold night - so many things that are such a part of our daily living that we take it for granted. I'm going to try not to do that. I'm really going to try and show thanks, in some small way, every day for the incredible people and things that surround me. Your life may not always be what you expect it to be but that doesn't mean it's not exactly what it's supposed to be.