Charlotte: Legion Brewing

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

I truly can't believe that Christmas is in a few short days, but my advent calendar doesn't lie. 23 chocolates down, 1 to go!

I'm sorry it's been so quiet on the ole blog lately. Between exams, lots of extra shifts at the olive oil shop (Christmas shoppers out in full force, I tell ya) and holiday happenings it has been a jam-packed December. But I imagine you all feel exactly the same way, so I shan't drone on anymore.

Instead, let me tell you about a brand spankin' new brewery in Charlotte! Legion Brewing opened just last week in Plaza Midwood and I wasted no time dashing and prancing over to check it out.

Fast "facts" --> Legion is open late (until 11pm!) on Sundays which is very rare in Charlotte. This automatically places it in my good graces. The brewery is located in the old Brodt Music Company and the old signs and some instruments were left behind = charming and cozy vibes.

 We ventured to Legion right after a *very close* Panthers game on Sunday (Keep Pounding, yadda yadda) and the brewery was hopping (hops pun intended).

There is a ton of seating and space inside, some carefully placed TVs for sports watching and board games to play, should you get bored of your beers.

As is tradition upon first visits to breweries, flights were in order!

 

We slurped down each and every beer with verve. Hoplights include both of the IPAs, the brown ales and the Cranberry Saison. But I'd drink every beer in that flight, easy peasy. Insider information: if you ask for pretzels at the bar, you shall receive! Free!

Now I probably should apologize for taking a photo in the bathroom at Legion, but it was too cool not to share (and a huge upgrade from most brewery/bar bathrooms). And since ~50% of Charlotte/the world will never get to see the inside of the Women's restroom, here you go...

 

That art deco looking art installation on the wall? Look again - it's the tops of toilet bowls! Cool, huh? 

So there you have it! I'm obviously a big fan of Legion Brewery, the beer and the atmosphere. I can't wait to go back!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year friends! I'm off on a tremendously exciting family vacation on the 26th - I'll be sure to give you a full report in the New Year (hint: it will involve palm trees, macadamia nuts, papayas, and hopefully not contracting Dengue fever).

Cheers!

 

 

Annual Pumpkin Beer Tasting

Happy Halloween my ghoul and goblin friends!

I'm posted up at the olive oil shop for the day (shhh don't tell my boss that I'm blogging on the job) and am hoping to see some folks in costume at the shop to make things festive. I'm also listening to Monster Mash on repeat. Why aren't there more Halloween songs? I need more.

In the spirit of Halloween, I wanted to share last night's festivities with you! This was my 3rd Annual Pumpkin Beer Tasting! It's one of my favorite traditions and I started acquiring this year's crop of pumpkin beers during the unseasonably early month of August. Insider tip: pumpkin beer selection seems to peak in mid-September. Early bird gets the seasonal booze!

To give you an idea, this was last year's pumpkin beer lineup...

 

My personal favorite last year was the Schlafly Pumpkin Ale. The clunker of the group was definitely the Anderson Valley Pinchy Jeek Barl (also, *what* is with that name??). I don't want to say I poured it down the sink but.... well I 100% poured it down the sink.

 

This year's collection had a number of local brews, which I was excited about. Dare I say it -- I think this was the strongest showing yet! 

 

 

My (biased but ultimately correct) ranking of the Pumpkin brews:

1. Cawtawba Brewing King Don's Pumpkin Ale (the crowd favorite!)
2. Cottonwood Pumpkin Ale
3. Shipyard Pumpkinhead (the only beer of the group that actually tasted of *pumpkin* and not pumpkin pie spices - very vegetal - in a good way!)
4. Williamsburg Alewerks Pumpkin Ale (Alma Mater Hail! Rhymes!)
5. Flying Dog The Fear Imperial Pumpkin Ale (at 9.0% ABV there should be Fear indeed)
6. Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale
7. Deep River Pumpkin Pie Porter (not initially very seasoned or pumpkinny but it grew on me)
8. NoDa Brewing Gordgeous
9. Flying Dog The Gourd Standard IPA (a fine beer, but not very *seasonal*)
10. Troeg's Master of Pumpkin (wanted to love it because it had a cork (!!!) but sadly, that just wasn't enough)
11. Harpoon Pumpkin UFO (my scientific and thorough notes for this beer read simply "NO")

And there you have it! I do want to give a special shout-out to the elusive Elysian Brewing Night Owl Pumpkin Ale which I tried several years ago and have very fond memories of.

 

FYI, pumpkin beer tastings go very well with a side of Crispy M&Ms (long live crispy M&Ms!), Sour Patch Kids and popcorn.

 

Any fun Halloween plans? Favorite pumpkin beer? What's your costume this year?!

 



Strikes My Fancy Friday #3

Hello there!

It's Friday! Unfortunately, I'm working at the olive oil shop all weekend, so I am trying to make this Friday an extra perky one to compensate for the lack of an "actual weekend." On the bright side (?) I will get a lot of school work done! Once I stop blogging and catching up on the interwebs, that is.

I hear Anatomy & Physiology calling my name so without further ado... Some of my favorite things from this week!

I should apologize in advance for the large number of vaguely blurry photos in this week's round-up. I have no good explanation, especially since I found out yesterday at my annual physical (and flu shot! GET ONE!) that I have 20/13 vision! That's outstanding, stupendous, and extraordinary vision, in case you didn't know. Please excuse me while I brush my shoulders off and continue to pound carrots (chock full of beta-Carotene for my top-notch eyes).

I will start with perhaps my favorite thing of all time --> this video (When you can't stay awake in class) sent to me by my father last week. I declare this the funniest video on the internet and guarantee it will cheer you up.

Wool socks from Mast General Store in Asheville! My feet (and just myself in general) are always cold so wool socks are my savior in the Winter. It doesn't hurt that they are such festive Christmas colors, either. Too soon?! 



This gigantic salad from Luna's Living Kitchen was much needed after my low-on-veggies/high-on-chocolate weekend. This was their Arugula Harvest salad with red cabbage, spiralized root vegetables, pear, avocado, candied pecans, pumpkin seeds, raisins, maple-mustard vinaigrette and a homemade cashew-basil cheese. I mean, how can you go wrong with that?

Ended my Fall break with beers on the patio at the new NoDa Brewing location. The weather in Charlotte has been lovely for patio-sitting and sipping lately. The Par Four Session IPA and Gordgeous beers are also lovely, in case you were wondering.



I put together this lunch on Wednesday and was way too pleased that everything was green. Avocado toast still remains my favorite weekday lunch item. PS - The Eureka Seeds the Day Organic Bread is delicious. Bonus points for the pun.

 

How are things in your neck of the woods? Any fun plans this weekend?

 

Strikes My Fancy Friday #1

It's Friday!

And time for a little Strikes My Fancy Friday action. I spent an absurd amount of time trying to come up with a clever alliterative title for this post and, I'm sad to report, this was the best I could do.

This will mostly recap my favorite eats and recipes of the week, but I might also throw in some other goings-on just to keep you on your toes.

 

My self-control didn't stand a chance once the pumpkin beers emerged. I'm saving these four until October (promise!) but I may have had this glass of Southern Tier Warlock (which is 10% ABV!!!) at Good Bottle Co. so I could compare it to Southern Tier Pumpking. They had them both on tap - what's a girl to do?! Verdict: they taste remarkably similar despite their totally different colors/styles. I still think they taste like a Yankee Candle. But I also finished this no problem. 

 

I checked out the Charlotte Regional Farmer's Market for the first time last Sunday and bought a carton of peaches. Because it was almost closing time, the farmer loaded me up with extra peaches. So, of course, I had to make peach pie! This recipe from smitten kitchen was fairly easy and resulted in a super flakey crust! Make it before peach season comes to an end!

 

The Coconut flavored La Croix will always have my heart, but this Apple Berry flavor takes a close second! I've been on the hunt for the new flavors (Kiwi Watermelon! Blackberry Cucumber!) but haven't found any yet. 



 

I found this wine at the Charlotte Total Wine (which is truly a magical place) for the reasonable price of $8.99. Two thumbs up from the Sauvignon Blanc lovin gal.

 

Everyone knows you can order 1/2 and 1/2 toppings from places like Domino's and Papa Johns but it had never occurred to me to do so at a local pizza joint! Until this week, that is. Half greek and half sundried tomato pesto made for one whole delicious pizza at Hawthorne's (do you see what I did there?).

 

Forgive me the somewhat unappetizing photo here because I swear this was the most summery and delicious lunch. Avocado toast, local tomatoes and balsamic vinegar and a handful of almonds for some extra protein. And hey, is that another La Croix I see?

 

This is my new favorite greek yogurt. So tropical!

 

This has been my view for the majority of the week. I start classes next Tuesday so I've been catching up on reading and Bachelor in Paradise (I know, I know). But I'm considering it a "pruning of my brain cells" before I build them up again this semester in class. It's science!

 

Anything striking your fancy this week? Foods? Books? Spill!





Cooking Class at Chef Alyssa's Kitchen

Happy Sunday, friends! I hope you're having the perfect mix of productivity and Sunday funday.

As you may have seen in my last post, I just returned from a glorious week at the beach (Harbor Island, to be exact). I'm suffering from a bit of a vacation hangover and thought it might be fun to reminisce about a fun little date night from a few weeks ago!

For my birthday, Torsten signed us up for a cooking class at Chef Alyssa's Kitchen at Atherton Market in Charlotte. I've heard lots about her cooking classes on the interwebs and was very excited to try it out for myself! The classes focus on healthy and approachable meals and they offer classes for every level.

We attended a cooking class centered around local tomatoes (summertime!) that I believe was an "intermediate" class. The class was $65/person and you could BYOB (the best).

We ended up grabbing beers at Good Bottle Co. beforehand instead, but will definitely bring a bottle of wine next time! [Of note: Good Bottle Co. has started carrying pumpkin beers and I can hardly contain myself. I may have already purchased 4 for my October Pumpkin Beer Tasting 2k15 but please don't tell anyone because it's definitely still August...]

 

When we arrived, there was a little appetizer waiting for us and cucumber water to sip on. I need to add cucumber to all of my water! So refreshing. We were also provided with a fancy chef knife, a recipe book that we could take home featuring all of the recipes from the evening, and a cutting board.

 

 

Torsten and I were at a table with another couple who were our cooking buddies for the evening. For the next 2-ish hours we worked together, with instruction from Chef Alyssa, to prepare a 4-course meal!

 

 





 

At one point, we filled local zucchini blossoms with a mixture of ricotta, garlic, parmesan goodness. Apparently, it required the utmost concentration...

 

 

Even though we were cooking for 2 hours (about 4 times longer than I usually spend cooking dinner...) we had a blast learning new techniques and chatting with our table mates.

 

The best part.... EATING! After we had prepared everything, we sat down to taste the fruits of our labors. (This is punny because tomatoes are fruits).

 

 

We made ricotta stuffed zucchini blossoms with tomato jam (tomato jam is a revelation), eggplant involtini with buckwheat groats and tomato sauce, and a caramelized onion tart with a fresh tomato topping. For dessert we had a watermelon tomato sorbet!

 

Everything was so delicious. Many others in attendance needed take home boxes for their leftovers but, needless to say, Torsten and I left our class empty handed and bellies oh-so-full.

 

I'm already eyeing future classes at Chef Alyssa's. Game Day Favorites and Dim Sum are the current front-runners!

 

Have you ever taken a cooking class? What did you make?!



 



Weekend Recap: Hotlanta

As I mentioned in my previous post, I drove down to Decatur, GA Friday evening for a long weekend at home!

We broke up the 4-hour drive with a dinner pit-stop at Bacon Bros. Public House outside of Greenville, SC and BOY oh BOY was it ever delicious. The highlight = Potater Tots - essentially tater tots on steroids with pulled pork and cheese inside. I didn't take a picture because they were scarfed down immediately.

Friday night at midnight was the start of Torsten's birthday so we popped some bubbly.

On Saturday morning we conducted a very scientific experiment pitting South Carolina and California peaches against each other (pun *very much* intended). We were all very relieved that the South Carolina peaches unanimously won. Would have been rather awkward otherwise...

We also checked out a shop called Taps Craft Beers in Decatur. Georgia has silly liquor laws, so Taps can't sell pints of beer, but they DO let you sample from their 40 (!!!) beers on tap and then fill growlers (or growlettes! tiny! cute!) for you to take home. After much deliberation we decided on 2 beers - a Pilsner and an IPA - to take home. 

Growlettes and a rousing game of Boggle made for a stellar stormy afternoon.

Growling for my Growlettes.

As per request from the birthday boy, we had a Fresh Strawberry and Lemon cake Saturday afternoon (with whipped cream, of course).

Saturday evening took us to the Cubs vs. Braves game at Turner field! The Cubs won 4-0 (great success for the Cubs-fan birthday boy) and it wasn't deathly hot out at game-time so it was a win all around. A fresh peach King of Pops during the 4th inning didn't hurt either.

Sunday morning started with this great workout and some tennis before heading to General Muir for brunch. I promise we didn't just eat all weekend.... 

Their Avenue A bagel with shmear, lox, avocado, grapefruit and dill is what dreams are made of.

Sunday afternoon included a walk and some grocery shopping before we were ready for a little happy hour action. With a serious side of the Sunday NYTimes.

Dinner was this delicious Balsamic Grilled Cherry, Blueberry, Goat Cheese, and Candied Hazelnut Salad that may have been followed-up by a tiny scoop of Talenti Sea Salt Caramel gelato to celebrate National Ice Cream Day.

Before hitting the hay, I whipped up a Peach Coffee Cake for my parents to have for breakfast this week. I confirmed Monday morning that the coffee cake was a HIT. Perfect for all of those juicy Georgia (or South Carolina! Just not California) peaches!

Hope you all have a tolerable Monday and don't melt in this heat wave!

Friday Brain Dump

I spent quite a while brainstorming a clever, alliterative title to this post and (obviously) came up empty handed. Thus, I present to you: Friday Brain Dump.

Bookworm
I finished my first "Book of the Week" yesterday thanks to lots of pool time this week. For my inaugural week of this reading challenge I went with a beach-read type book that I knew would be a page turner: Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand. I'm not sure I gained any brain cells with this book but I definitely enjoyed it and had no problem breezing through 400 pages in a week. Next up: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It's a bit shorter which is a good thing because...

Homeward bound
I'm driving home to Atlanta this evening to spend a long weekend with my parents and to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday at the Cubs vs. Braves game. More time with friends and family > reading a really long book so a short and sweet book fit the bill perfectly this week.

Caffeine
I stumbled upon an adorable new coffee shop/bakery/bar/art gallery called The Gallery in South End, Charlotte this week! For locals: it's right next to Craft Tasting Room. It just opened last Saturday but would be a great place for a date, girl's night or to study. They have Stumptown Coffee (from Oregon!) and out-of-this-world looking cakes. I'll definitely be back!

Hops

I spent Thursday evening checking out two breweries that are pseudo new to me (I've been once but over a year ago and they deserved a second look). First up: Sugar Creek Brewery! Not my favorite beers in Charlotte but it wasn't too crowded, they had live music and corn hole and an impressive sandwich menu so I can't complain.

Next up was Old Mecklenburg Brewing, the oldest and largest brewery in Charlotte. The beer garden area was lovely on a cool-ish summer evening. I definitely could have used a brat or pretzel though...

WASPS

There were 3 (yes THREE) wasps in my lil studio apartment in the last 3 days. Needless to say, I'm not very fond of wasps so I've been a bit on edge. I'm newly grateful for my magazine collection, tennis racket, and Swiffer Sweeper for being very useful wasp-killing tools.

Sweat

Today, in an effort to escape my wasp-abode, I did this Tabata workout from the Fitnessista (one of my favorite blogs). It flew by and left me drenched -- success!

And that wraps up this week's edition of Friday Brain Dump!

I hope you all have a delightful weekend -- any fun plans??