Sweet Baby Jesus!

Beer: Sweet Baby Jesus Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter
Store:The Virginia Wine Experience (Fredericksburg, Va)
Cost: ???

Once upon a time, I thought I only liked really light beers; recently, though, I've found that darker = more flavor. Besides, most cheap, nasty beer is light (not to say all light beers are nasty), so there has to be something going on with the darker beers. This beer is like a party in your mouth. It's sweet and bitter all at once. As soon as you pick it up, you automatically get the smell of sweet peanut butter. You first experience a bitter cocoa taste with the beer, followed up by the sweet peanut butter. It is a very strong taste, but reminds me of a dark chocolate, alcoholic Reese Cup. It's not something for everyone, and it didn't really mesh with the barbeque I had earlier with it. This is a late evening beer to enjoy with a vanilla dessert.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Brews and Vines of NC

It's about damn time I had a post about alcohol again, huh?

One of the things I love about going out of town is enjoying local brews and wines. And I've been known to be able to sniff out a local winery or  brew pub better than any one else. While we were pn vacation (more to come on that later), I made sure to check out some. So, where did we go?

Outer Banks Brewing Station -I have always been curious as to how this place was. Our food was awesome-Nick got a bratwurst sandwich, and I got the fish platter. Our seats over looked the brewery, and I enjoyed a Nitwit (Wit (White) is Belgium’s answer to Hefeweizen. It’s light, hazy, refreshing, ale brewed with a portion of un-malted wheat. Ours is fermented with Forbidden Fruit (a special strain of reserve yeast from the famous Hoegaarden brewery), and spiced with a subtle lacing of Coriander and Bitter Orange. (4.5% abv.)) Nick had the Stormy Roses Stout (Inky black & creamy-smooth dry-ish Irish styled stout is brewed with Scottish Golden Promise malts and Chilean dark crystal & chocolate malts which lend a smokey, black licorice note! Perfect for watching passing summer storms… (6.6% abv)) and later a Lemongrass Wheat Ale (A zesty golden hefeweizen infused with a potent smack of Lemongrass. The flavor is crisp, tart and refreshing – World Beer Cup Silver Medal winner!! (5.2% abv.)) We both really enjoyed our beers-lived up to expectations!

**Beer Descriptions taken from www.obbrewing.com.***

Trio- Last year we found this awesome little shop. They used to do a special tasting of NC wines, but alas, not so much this year. BUT, they do have wine vending machines in which you can get a taste, half a glass or a full glass of wine. I had seen these before, but hadn't had the opportunity to give them a try. It's really easy to use. In this case, we went up to the bar, turned over our credit card (just like if you were starting a tab), got plastic card that kept track of our purchases, and swiped that at each machine we used. We tried to stick to NC wines, but when I came across a wine associated with Dave Mathews, I had to indulge. The white was good, but I really enjoyed the red. It was a red both people who like red and those that don't typically enjoy it. We walked away with a bottle of white for a friend, a bottle of red for ourselves, and two wine glasses.

Sanctuary Vineyards- We passed this vineyard on our way down, and, had we had more time, I would have loved to go back and do a tour/tasting. As luck would have it, they had a tasting set up in one of the gift shops we went in. (I knew there was a reason I wanted to go in there!) They had a huuuuuuge selection of wines, but since Nick and I tend more towards the dryer wines, we stuck with tasting a handful (seriously, about 6 wines) of those. While I enjoyed Shipwreck (Syrah and Mourvedre blend)  and Wild Pony (Chardonnay/Riesling blend, we walked away with a bottle of Morton (A surprisingly elegant, yet buyer friendly, blend of our winemaker’s choice red wines. Syrah, Tempranillo, Tannat, Aglianico and Cabernet Sauvignon have been carefully blended, giving flavors of blackberry, black cherry and spice with subtle sweetness and oak.)

***Wine description from www.sanctuaryvineyards.com ***

Full Moon Cafe and Grill- I found this place by accident in a tourist book. We decided to head over for lunch on our way out of the OuterBanks, partially out of convenience and partially because it was a lit cheaper for lunch. Nick got the tuna (steak) sandwich-which was amazing-and I got the Roanoke Shrimp Melt, which was pretty darn good. To accompany our meals, I had the Lost Colony Ale (A northern English style of ale. Walnut-colored with a sweet malty taste, plus caramel, coffee and molasses flavors from the imported British malts.5% alcohol by volume (abv)), and Nick had some red ale that i cant find on the website. Both were awesome, and if we had had room in the car for a growler, one of them would have come home with us.

***Beer description from www.thefullmooncafe.com. ***

Boardwalk Winery- We found this place down at Broadway on the Beach in Myrtle Beach. All the grapes are local to North and South Carolina, and the  wines are made there at their storefront. WE each tasted 7 wines for $4 and ended purchasing a bottle of wine. Too bad we didn't have this coupon I found on the website for a free souvenir glass if you purchase a tasting and a bottle of wine. Oops. lesson learned: in the age of smart phones, always go to a store/restaurant/attraction's website before finalizing your purchase to see if there are any deals you can hop on. Most of their wines tended more on the sweeter side-lots of fruit wines-but we did come home with a bottle of Endless Summer Semi-Dry (Endless Summer is sure to please the masses. This is our top selling blend. With it's wonderful blend of Mango & Peach wine, each bottle promises to bring back those feelings of long summer days...and nights! 12% Alcohol.)

***Once again, wine description from www.boardwalkwinery.com.*** 

One place I had hoped to hit up, but we never got the chance to, was Silver Coast Winery. Hopefully, we'll make it there next year. 

Not only did we enjoy some awesome drinks, but we came home with a lot more glassware...Now, to find a home for each of them. 

Gaycation 2012- Gatlinburg, TN

Who decides to go on vacation in Gatlingburg, TN, as a biracial couple and bring along two gay outlets, one of which is also biracial? Apparently, we do. What were we thinking? All joking aside, we did have a fabulous time, despite a few peculiar looks. Our friend's father has a time share down in Gatlinburg, find he was kind enough to let us use it for an extended weekend. The condo was lovely-except that it was two bedrooms for four couples. Oops. The hubster and I ended up sleeping on an air in the living room. Not exactly a romantic retreat, but the worst part was the bathroom arrangements. While there were two bathrooms, one was accessed through the master bathroom, while the other could be accessed through both the second bedrooms and the front hall. Somehow, though, we ended up not being able to into the hall side of it in the morning, and the master bedroom couple was not yet up, restricting access to that bathroom. Needless to say, both the hubster and I nearly had a few accidents trying to make it down to the bathroom.

We left on Wednesday, July 11, once the hubster was done with school and I had taken Pilates. The trip took about 8 hours to get down there, and really wasn't that bad. Our travel mates had gotten down there a about 2 hours before us, so they were settled in, and waiting for us with drinks in hand.

Thursday was our big wine tasting day. There are several wineries in the area, and we ended up doing two different trails. The first was right in the area where we were staying: Hillside Winery (loved it, fabulous sommelier), Apple Barn Winery (fun sommelier, wine was too sweet for me), and Mountain Valley Winery (horrible sommelier, pretty good wine). We got a complimentary wine glass for hitting up all three, and all the tastings were free. Then we drove into Gatlingburg proper for the Grapes, Grains, and Brews trail. The firt winery we visitc was Smoky Mountain Winery, which had decent yet over priced wine, but the most horrible tasting experience due to the lack of personality on the part of the sommelier. From there we visited Sugarland Cellars, who kicked us out. Granted, he was just doing his job, but he completely misinterpreted what was going on. The hubster was fighting a nasty sinus infection, and had fallen asleep in the car. The sommelier took this comment to mean he was drunk, and state law prohibits him from serving visibly drunk patrons. From there we walked down to Bootleggers Winery, which was too sweet for me, and then entered my favorite of them all, Ole Smoky Moonshine. The moonshine was awesome, but even better was our taster. She seemed to be off in noman's land, which made it convenient for all 6 of us to fit in and taste there. She said she was relinquished out there because she "doesn't play well with others," but she was perfect for us. The last stop on the tour was Smoky Mountain Brewery, which was enough to complete what as needed to get our free tshirt, but nothing that super excited any of us.

Friday was supposed to be our big hang by the pool day, but, unfortunately, the weather had other plans.  We decided the outlets were a better alternative. The hubster and I demonstrated a great amount of restraint; however, I had a $30 J. Crew gift card burning a hole in my pocket. I walked away with a long sleeve button down shirt, a pair of shorts, a pair of capris, a 3/4 length tshirt, and a thick Henley for the hubs...all on clearance, with my 15% teacher discount, totaling $60 before the giftcard. I was happy as a lark.

Before dinner, the hubster and I ventured out on our own back to Gatlinburg to visit Cooter's and the Star Car Museum. Not my first choice, but we did have a lot of fun, especially being able to go off by ourselves.

Saturday was white water rafting day. We ventured down the Pigeon River, which allegedly has class 3 and 4 rapids. I was very nervous at first-I had never been on something like this-but, I really enjoyed myself. I felt like most of it was rather tame. And no one fell into the water! A few of us almost fell into the boat itself a few times, but otherwise, we were pretty balanced.

The best part about the vacation, though, was being able to go down to the pool and relax in the hot tub every night, drinks in hand. Makes me seriously considering getting a hot tub put in at the house....

Sunday was time to say good bye, and after a good ole fashioned breakfast at Cracker Barrel, we hit the road. Somehow, the drive home took less time but seemed a whole lot longer....I think it was just the anticipation of finally getting in my own bed!

Vacation Recap 3: Boston, MA

After a fabulous Breakfast at Colby's in Portsmouth, we bid farewell to Courtney and headed down towards Boston.

Colby's, Portsmouth, NH

 We finally found a hockey store for the hubster, got in a fight with a non functioning parking meter, and went to a horrible wax museum in Salem. (I was so disappointed.)

Pretty soon, the great city of Boston lay before us. Our plan was to take the rental car back to the rental desk at the airport, then take the subway back to our hotel. The one problem: I was hangry without even knowing it. I was light headed and faint feeling, trying to figure out how to get from point A to point B. it was not pretty. Poor hubster tried to deal with me as best as possible, but I was rough. We stayed at Boston Common Hotel and Conference Center in the Back Bay area of Boston. Our accommodations were great, very convenient, and the staff was fantastic to work with.

After a quick nap and some snacks to subside the hangriness, we ventured out to find dinner and steak out our spots for the dress rehearsal of the Boston Pops 4th of July spectacular. We found dinner at Cheers. In Boston, there are two different Cheers restaurants. We were lucky enough to go to the one that inspired the show. It was originally known by another name, but after it inspired the show, they renamed it. We both got burgers, but I had had enough beer for a while, so I embraced a glass of wine with dinner. 

 The esplanade where the concert was being held was only about a 5 minute walk from the restaurant. I realized that I gravely misunderstood what I had read online about the concert. Turns out, most of what I had read was pertaining just to the oval, not the entire esplanade. We were not able to get seats in the oval, which was fine, and we didn't need to get there quite so early to get good seats in the esplanade. We were near a sound tower and had a great view of a TV screen. The concert was great-I was most impressed and excited by the 1812 overture. Jennifer Hudson was amazing, but I could have done without the 70s sing along and the cast from Mamma Mia! left something to be desired.

Not a bad view

Who can refuse a cheesy self-portrait?

The next morning we headed down to Quincy Market, and the followed the Freedom Trail to see some of the historical sites. It was a bit sobering to visit those on the birthday of our country.

Good Ole Benjamin Franklin

Paul Revere's Grave

Revere House

Old North Church

John Hancock's Grave

We ended our evening with dinner at McGreevy's, the first American sports bar (although not originally of that name) and now owned by a member of the Dropkick Murphy's. It was good and fun. From there, we walked back to the Esplanade to catch some of the fireworks. We left as stormy weather seemed to be approaching, and realized we could see some of the fireworks from our hotel. For the most part, the weather held out for those people out on the Esplanade, but I was thankful not to have to walk back to the hotel in the rain.

The next morning, we were out of the hotel early, and off to catch our flight home. No issues there, and we were back home by lunch time. It was a fabulous trip, but I am so thankful to be home in time to throw together a quick 30th birthday party, and repack to go on Gaycation 2012.

Vacation Recap 2: Portsmouth, NH

On Sunday, July 1, I was lucky enough to sleep just a little later than the previous night. I got up, showered, dressed, went to get breakfast, called my parents to check on the puppies, and finally roused the hubster out of bed. We finally got started heading down to visit our friend Courtney in Portsmouth, NH.

Portsmouth is only about 30-40 minutes from Kennebunkport, but we decided to take the scenic route and take our time getting down there. The hubster, as an avid watcher of "Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives," was on the look out for the Maine Diner, which was right along. It was also only about 10AM, and while I had already had an english muffin, I wasn't really ready for lunch. The hubster, on the other hand, hadn't eaten anything at all and was quite ravenous. So we stopped, and I took this as the opportunity to get a real, authentic Maine lobster roll. And it was delicious.

Lobster Roll, Maine Dinner, Rte 1, Maine

From there, we continued on down Rte 1, stopping at a few kitschy gift shops and the Outlets in Kittery, ME. The hubster was on a quest for a real, brick and mortar hockey store, but none we looked up online either seemed to exist or be open. It was depressing. About 4PM, we pulled up in Portsmouth, NH, just in time for Courtney to get off work. At her suggestion, we went straight to Portsmouth Brewery and Pub for a pre-dinner drink. We scooted home (literally) from there for a delicious dinner of smoked ribs.

Courtney, scooting on home. We had to follow in the car.

The next day we had great dreams of touring Portsmouth Brewery as well as Smuttynose Brewery, but alas, they were both closed. We had to make do with puttering around town, enjoying Brunch at the Friendly Toast, and then touring Redhook Brewery later in the afternoon.

The Friendly Toast-An Absolutely Quirky Diner

Bottling at Redhook Brewery

The hubster, tasting some  fine Red Hook Beer

 We had some time to kill before Courtney's boyfriend got off work, so we hit up the beaches. I knew the coast line was so rocky, but I had the hardest time wrapping my head about it when I actually experienced the ocean with more rocks rather than sand. And it made for some great photos.

So many rocks!

So there is some sand...

Cuteness...

Umm...How do we get back?

 And, of course, we had to go back to Portsmouth Brewery for one more beer before dinner. 

A Trinity of Beers

Vacation Recap1: Kennebunkport, ME

A dear friend I work with came to me with exciting news last August: she was getting married...in Maine! Her family is from that area, and her mother offered to take care of all the details, so my friend said, sure, why not. I had never been up to New England, so I was excited to make this trip our vacation for the summer.

We left on Friday, June 29. After much hemming and hawing over how to get to the airport, we decided it would be easiest to drive up ourselves and leave it in economy parking. BEST DECISION EVER. As it turns out, things were crazy for my family, so it was much more convenient for everyone. Not to mention, $44 was not too bad for 6 days. We flew into Boston, MA, and went straight to the rental counter. We rented with Enterprise, and I had absolutely no complaints about the service at all.

An hour and a half later, we were checking into our motel. We stayed at the Lodge at Kennebunk, which was about 30 minutes outside of where the wedding was in Kennebunkport. I found the motel through Expedia, and I must say, I was quite happy, with our accommodations. First of all, I like it when I can honor a local business instead of a chain. The rooms were cute and clean, the bathrooms were a bit dated, but fully functional. There was also a small refrigerator and freezer in the room.  And my small, I don't mean a mini fridge or something you would seem in a dorm room. It was more like a full sized fridge that had been minimally shrunk to fit in a condo or motor home.There was no central air, but a window A/C unit. I later found out that this was pretty typical of some older places up there. The weather was cool, so we didn't turn it on...until we woke up hot in the middle of the night. Oops. The hotel also included continental breakfast and a pool, so there was little to complain about.

After getting ourselves settled in, we ventured down to Kennebunkport. The town is ridiculously cute-looks like something out of a post card. We spent most of our time hanging out by the river, visiting the little (tourist) shops. I am pleased to say the only money we spent, though, was on toiletry items we couldn't bring on the plane.

Kennebunkport, ME

From there, we headed on to the rehearsal dinner. The wedding was being held at a house that over looks the beach, with the ceremony on the back deck of the house. The entire setting was gorgeous. 

The beaches by the wedding location

Hi, Hubster!

Add caption

 

And what else do you have for dinner at a wedding rehearsal in Maine? Lobster. It was the first time I had cracked and peeled my own, but it was so delicious. Poor hubby couldn't enjoy it, though-he's allergic.

The next morning, I woke up bright and early with the first crack of dawn. There was, of course, a window that faced East in our room, and lucky for me, I was on that side of the bed. After  waiting about 2 hours for the hubster to get up, I called Federal Jacks Restaurant and Brewery to see if they were doing tours.  We had visited the giftshop yesterday, and we were already familiar with one or two of their beers, so we were hopeful to get a tour. No such luck. We did, however, go there for lunch, and got some delicious food and a beer sampler.

Lots o' Beer

The hubster and I-he hates pictures

From there, we headed back to motel's pool and then got ready for the wedding. The wedding was a fabulous time. Both the bride and groom are artists, and they made all the glass pieces on the tables. The setting was absolutely picturesque. The bride was gorgeous and we had an absolute blast. 

Beautiful.

Man, that water was cold.

Did I mention there was Karaoke?

The Hubster looks a little happier here.

We were some dancin' fools.

 By the end of the evening, we were exhausted. It was a beautiful night-we were so happy to be able to share it with our friends. At the same time, we were also ready to move on to the next phase of our trip: Portsmouth, NH.