Sauced

Winter Beer Tasting at Ivar’s

10 Northwest seasonals will be on sample.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Nov 10, 2010 at 03:07PM 0 Comments

Winter beers make us happy.

I’m sorry to report that the Fall Cider Celebration at Ivar’s Salmon House is all sold out. Consider instead the Northwest Winter Beer Tasting. That Happens Tuesday, November 16 at the salmon house’s absurdly named sister restaurant, Ivar’s Acres of Clams.

Tickets are $20. In exchange for this sum you receive five tokens—each good for a beer—and access to “light” appetizers.

Ten winter beers will be on sample, hailing from such breweries as Hale’s, Fremont Brewing, Schooner Exact—all from Seattle—and Ninkasi, based in Eugene, Oregon.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tastings and Classes, Beer, Drinking Events

Mistralkitchen, A Lot of Champagne, And You

Five hours of sparkler sipping begins at 5pm tonight.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Nov 01, 2010 at 01:21PM 0 Comments

About 30 sparkling wines will be popped at Mistralkitchen’s informal tasting.

An informal five-hour champagne party is happening tonight at MistralKitchen beginning at 5pm.

You pay $100 to get in, and then you eat stuff—oysters, crudo, pork belly, cheeses, charcuterie, vegetarian whatnot—while sampling from about 30 sparkling wines. It’s not a table-to-table sort of tasting, the staff is just going to be pouring different champers all night long (plus some sparkling wines—remember only wines made in the Champagne region of France can be called champagne).

What will you taste? Mistral is popping about 30 different sparklers. Among them is a 2003 L. Aubry Fils Le Nombre d’Or Campanae Veteres Vites Brut; a 2005 Soter Brut Rose from the Willamette Valley; a NV Gaston Chiquet Cuvée de Reserve Brut; a NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne…and so forth.

Add a Comment »

Tags: South Lake Union, Tastings and Classes, Wine Tastings, Sparkling Wine

Free Scrappy’s Bitters Tasting at 12th and Olive

Try some local concoctions this Thursday on Capitol Hill.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Oct 13, 2010 at 02:47PM 0 Comments

Sample Scrappy’s Bitters tomorrow, October 14, at 12th and Olive wine shop.

If you drink a lot of cocktails locally, chances are you’ve consumed Scrappy’s Bitters, a Seattle-based concoction company owned by bartenders Miles Thomas of the Hideout and Chris Bollenbacher of Serafina and Cicchetti.

And if you don’t drink a lot of cocktails, or are trying to drink fewer, or maybe just have a stomachache, then you really must try bitters and soda at home or at the bar. It’s a lightly alcoholic, refresing drink that still qualifies as an adult beverage.

This Thursday, October 14, 12th and Olive wine shop on Capitol Hill will host a free Scrappy’s Bitters tasting from 5 to 8pm. (12th and Olive stocks Scrappy’s for $15.99).

Flavors you can sample are chocolate, grapefruit, orange, celery, lavender, and cardamom.

Side note: Did you know they sell Angostura Bitters at Safeway? True story. I saw some at the Safeway on Madison and 23rd.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tastings and Classes, Capitol Hill, Bitters, Free Stuff

Full Sail Beer and Cheese Pairing at Urbane

Five dishes for $17, no reservations required.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jul 29, 2010 at 09:53AM 0 Comments

Beer and cheese, an easy pair.

On August 27, Urbane is throwing a beer and cheese party from 5 to 9pm, and it’s a pretty good deal: For $17, you get five cheese-based dishes paired with beers from Full Sail Brewery, an Oregon craft brewer whose expertly balanced ESB is a fridge staple chez moi.

No need to make reservations with Urbane or arrive on time, just show up between 5 and 9 and start sampling.

A thought on beer pairings: I love beer—with pizza, with spicy food, with nachos, on it’s own—but if we’re really talking palate talk, I have experienced few beer pairings that came close to a really good wine pairing. I’m not saying it can’t be done, I’m saying it’s difficult to do. Cheese, however, is an exception. Cheese and beer make for easy pairing, as any Belgian will tell you.

A thought on wine versus beer when pairing cheese at home: I like to think about where my cheese came from. Wisconsin and Vermont are beer-making meccas, and Wisconsin and Vermont cheddars tastes great with beer.

If the cheese is St Marcellin from the Rhone region of France, however, it’s Chateauneuf du Pape o’clock. Though, come to think of it, St Marcellin would probably taste pretty good with beer….

Have fun at the party.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tastings and Classes, Beer, Cheese, Craft Brewing

Riedel Rep Leads Glassware Class at Purple Cafe

Attend the July 15 seminar and walk away for four vessels from the Vinum collection.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jun 29, 2010 at 01:03PM 2 Comments

Those of us who love to geek out on libations also tend to find ourselves fascinated with the rituals that surround drinking cultures. Thus we like to attend seminars like this one: from 6:30 to 8pm on July 15 at Purple Cafe and Wine Bar in Bellevue, Joel Simon of Riedel Crystal will be teaching a glassware seminar that also includes a wine tasting and “light appetizers,” per the class description. (Guess they won’t be serving Purple’s baked brie, ain’t nothing light about that little plate of heaven.)

Here’s the stupid part (stupid awesome, I mean): The class costs $85, but it includes a set of Vinum glasses—one designed for Bordeaux, one for Burgundy, one for Montrachet and a fourth for Sauvignon Blanc. As an aspiring collector of Riedel and other glassware, I can tell you that this is less than these glasses would cost you retail, even without the class and wine tasting thrown in.

So I’m going to go ahead and recommend this seminar highly. Call 206-838-3853 to sign up.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tastings and Classes, Wine, Wine Tastings, Purple Cafe and Wine Bar, Reidel

Learn to Read Restaurant Wine Lists

Cool $15 class from 12th and Olive wine shop.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on May 11, 2010 at 11:27AM 0 Comments

Pay Steven Brown, owner of 12th And Olive, $15 and he’ll teach you how to read a wine list. Not scan a wine list until you recognize a bottle you’ve had before, but really read a wine list. He’ll teach you to read a wine list the way your dreamy high school lit teacher Mr Walsh taught you to read Shakespeare. Remember how he taught you to find all those juicy bits of political satire, all those subtle puns? It’s like that.

Imagine actually enjoying the process of working with a sommelier and a wine list to pick wines that truly compliment your meal. That’s what this class is about.

The seminar is on Thursday, May 13 from 5 to 7pm at 12th and Olive. Call store to reserve.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tastings and Classes, Wine

Happy Places: Malt and Vine

Beer geeks and oenophiles find common ground in a Redmond strip mall.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Apr 22, 2010 at 12:11PM 0 Comments

The Place Malt and Vine
The Deal A low-key Redmond retailer that caters to beer geeks and oenophiles alike.
Manager’s Pick Store manager Clint Scriven is stoked about Terrasaurus, the new shitake mushroom-brewed stout from SoDo craft brewer Epic.
Our pick Firestone Walker Solace, an unfiltered summer ale
The scoop Beer tastings are held every Friday evening beginning at 5:30. There are also special cask pours. Malt and Vine ships by the bottle and also stocks kegs. See website for details or inquire within.

Seattle has great wines stores, and it has great beer stores. But Redmond has a great beer and wine store. It’s called Malt and Vine and it is not the sort of emporium that takes advantage of every bit of square footage. It is quite sparse, in fact. Clean and down to earth, Malt and Vine is the booze retail equivalent of a cold washcloth on your feverish forehead—soothing, relaxing, in possession of the ability to slow you down.

In the front half of Malt and Vine, where the beer is stored, there is a scattering of tables. Behind this is a bar with a line of taps and a chalkboard menu detailing the revolving selection on beers and wines by the glass. Do you see what I am saying here when I say there is a bar? I am saying that you can drink in the store. I love the idea of coming out to buy a few bottles and then pausing over a pint of German pilsner or a California cab before returning to the real world.

In the back is a small but well-curated wine section with an emphasis on Washington. I was sort of expecting a perfunctory selection—that’s usually what you get at beer shops—but I was instead impressed with the thoughtful choices at Malt and Vine. Lucky Redmond.

[ Photo source ]

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tastings and Classes, Wine, Beer, Booze Boutiques, Happy Places, Redmond

Reminder: Bitters Class at Cicchetti this Saturday, March 27

A few spaces remain for tomorrow’s cocktail course.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Mar 26, 2010 at 11:09AM 0 Comments

Busy weekend for boozers! Taste Washington, the Washington Beer Commission’s Cask Festival, and a bitters class at Cicchetti, part of a series of classes at the Eastlake restaurant.

The one-hour-and-a-half session begins at 3pm and will be cotaught by head barman Chris Bollenbacher and bartender Mathias Sanders. Besides being a big-time smartypants and a very nice guy, Bollenbacher is also a bitters savant—but we’ve been through all that before.

At Saturday’s class he’ll get into the history of bitters and show you how to incorporate them into drinks, a very important skill for any aspiring home bartender.

I contacted the restaurant this morning and they confirmed that there are still a few places left.

The class is $45.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Cocktails, Tastings and Classes, Eastlake, Seattle Bartenders, Bitters

Are You Ready for Hard Liver?

Brouwer’s Annual barley wine festival this Saturday, March 20.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Mar 18, 2010 at 10:03AM 1 Comments

Brouwer’s Cafe opens its big Belgian doors at 11am this Saturday, March 20 for the Hard Liver Festival, an annual tasting of barley wines. The festival lasts until there is no more barley wine to drink. What is a barley wine? It’s a really strong ale.

Three-ounce pours will go for $2, 6oz pours for $4, and 12oz pours for $6. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to attend, but I’m told the place fills up fast, so get there early.

A reminder about barley wines: they are boozey. Like, 8 to 12 percent ABV boozey. So just to be safe expect to get twice as drunk as you do drinking other beers, and plan accordingly. Full list of barley wines to be served is here.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tastings and Classes, Beer, Fremont, Barley Wine, Festivals

March 27: Taste Washington Seminars

The once-a-year wine classes are not to be missed, but one is already sold out. Get your tickets now.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Mar 11, 2010 at 12:51PM 0 Comments

Taste Washington is just three weeks away and as I did last year, I’m going to heartily recommend you sign up for one of the seminars on Saturday.

Sunday’s Grand Tasting is great, but the seminars are fascinating and intimate, and will focus your tasting skills before you begin the sip-and-spit marathon at Qwest field. The food pairing seminar with Tom Douglas has already sold out, sadness, but there are a couple of others that sound good.

I like, in particular, the concept of Icons of Tomorrow: the Proving Grounds. The class explores which wines will be: “the next Cayuse Vineyards, Col Solare, Leonetti Cellar, or Woodward Canyon.” Grand Reve, a very fruitful collaboration of talented Washington growers and blenders (with a tasting room in Kirkland), will be there. And Efeste will be on hand to rock everyone out with its Big Papa Cab, as will Gramercy Cellars and its syrah knockout, the 2007 John Lewis.

Icons of Tomorrow is $40 and runs from 1:45 to 3pm on Saturday, March 27. All seminars are held at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center. Sign up here.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tastings and Classes, Wine Tastings, Taste Washington, Washington Wines

Cocktail Classes at Serafina

Learn all about exotic brandies, Manhattans, and bitters. Plus: snacks!

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jan 13, 2010 at 12:00PM 0 Comments

When Chris Bollenbacher was in college he applied for a job at a local wine store. The owner asked him: “if you could have lunch with one person alive or dead, who would it be?” “Galileo,” Bollenbacher replied.

I think that says a lot about the bar manager at Serafina. He’s a chemist, a teacher, a distiller, a historian…lots of stuff. Like Galileo. And he can tell you, in his gentle and deliberate way, about the historical significance of any spirit that you might point to behind the bar.

Like the Drinking Lessons series that Michael Hebb is running over at the Sorrento, Bollenbacher’s Cocktail Tastings are well-worth your hard-earned cash. Plus they include snacks.

All classes cost $45. The next one takes place on Saturday, January 30th at 3pm and explores exotic brandies. On Saturday, February 27th, also at 3pm, learn the history and technique behind the Manhattan. Finally, on March 27th at 3pm, Bollenbacher—who has partnered with Miles Thomas (Tavern Law, Toulouse Petit) in a line of bitters called Scrappy’s —will teach students how to make and use bitters for better cocktails. Call 206.323.0807 for reservations.

Photo Source

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tastings and Classes, Eastlake, Local Spirits