The Beer Project - Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg FL

Beer Project Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg FL www.beer-crafts.com

I'm fond of pointing out that great beer is happening everywhere, last year alone saw 350 new breweries opening around the US that is almost a brewery a day, along with this boom are appreciative new audiences, wanting to get out of the house, try something new and support their hometown heroes.  The same holds true for beer and arts festivals we love to see what creative talents are tucked away in our communities, we love try making things for ourselves.

With this mandate in mind the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg Florida created "The Beer Project"  an exploration of the intersections between beer creation, appreciation and the arts.  On thing I really loved about this event, it drew not just on the participation of  professional breweries but there was a whole day devoted to a home-brew competition and arts district gallery crawl, and of course beer crafting presented by yours truly.

Beer Project Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg FL www.beer-crafts.com

I can't rave enough about the three days of events, the fantastic folks I met along the way and the very truly exceptionally good beers I sampled.  Prior to the trip I'd never had a Florida beer and this shouldn't sound like I'm being a snob- there really wasn't a craft beer scene in the sunshine state until 2005 and it wasn't until Cigar City Brewing opened up in 2009 that the whole scene really started to take off.  I get this great info from Gerard Walen's indispensable guide Florida Breweries . If you're headed out this way, grab the book it's a fantastic trip planning guide and he's got a wonderful palate for picking the best beers to sample when you've got a huge list to choose from.

Beer Project Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg FL www.beer-crafts.com

The event kicked off on Thursday night with crafting at the museum and beer tastings by  Tampa Brew Bus and Cigar City.  I finally got to try the award winng Jai Alai which is a deliciously powerful kick in the mouth of citrus and cascade hops- if I didn't know better I'd swear this beer was a Pacific North West IPA with a crisp finish or somewhere else.  The perfect thing to pair with crafting!  We had two projects on deck that evening- Beer Can Bird Houses and Pull Tab Bracelets.  I loved the cans that the sponsors donated, the cool colors and graphics made for darling houses, which some of the gals took to new embellishing heights with fancy roofs and bottle cap interiors.

A huge thanks to the volunteers and awesome MFA staff for helping me out with the crafting.  Not sure how many bracelets they put together that night, from where I was standing it looked like a lot.  They are total pros now so if you need some one on one help, they are your go-to kids.

Beer Project Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg FL www.beer-crafts.com

Friday during the day was free and I took the opportunity to hustle out of town and head up to to the Weeki Watachee Springs and cross "swimming with manatee" off my bucket list. It was truly a breathtaking and humbling adventure.

Beer Project Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg FL www.beer-crafts.com

 I booked the trip through Doo's Amazing Tours and they couldn't have been more accommodating, knowledgeable and fun, plus they are the only company to do paddle boards on the river, which really is the way to go.    Not only did John pick me up at the hotel, he drove 35 minutes in the other direction to grab my river buddy from the tire repair shop where she was stranded with a flat.  Few words can accurately describe the gorgeous clear water or the magic of meeting not one but SEVEN manatee.  Really wish that Florida could do more to protect those rivers and gorgeous creatures from motorized vehicles and pollution, they truly are national treasures. ALSO if I'd known that there were mermaid shows there, we'd have stayed an extra 3 hours.

Beer Project Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg FL www.beer-crafts.com

Back in St. Pete's on Friday night Iheaded over to Green Bench Brewing for their beer release party. This being Florida I went by golf cart a complimentary service from my outstanding hotel The Hollander.

I assumed that everyone in Florida traveled by golf cart but this just isn't true, but they should!

Beer Project Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg FL www.beer-crafts.com

Khris Johnson created two special beers for the Beer Project event based on exhibits and visits to the MFA.  One a light rice beer influenced by the show "My Generation" a look at contemporary art from China, and a killer green chili, agave and corn ale base on the outgoing exhibit of Southwestern art.  Can't tell you how much I loved this second beer- each flavor was on the money and hit the tongue at separate times with warm Hatch's chili up front and a sweet corn finish.  The guys at Green Bench couldn't have been nicer, owner Nathan Stonecipher took me on a tour and it seems like an awesome place to work, with barrel aging room, some very impressive brew kettles and still space for a game of hoops.  Nathan and Khris were around the next day too, judging the home-brew competition at the MFA.

Beer Project Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg FL www.beer-crafts.com

Saturday was crazy jam packed with more great events- along with the home brew tasting (which was EXCELLENT) I had a table demonstrating how to make beer can fishing lures.  These were a hoot to put together since Florida fish are considerably bigger than the trout I grew up with, fortunately there were lots of nice folks at my table to talk over what would work best on their lures vs. the dainty ones I've made in the past.  The St. Petersburg Tribune has a great recap of the afternoon here. From the museum there was a gallery crawl through the arts district with growlers of local beer to sample along the way and an after party at Three Daughter's Brewing, where Gerard took my favorite picture of the weekend.

Gerard Walen http://www.roadtripsforbeer.com/

 I'm doing a cheek rub with Carol Deckkers who was a huge part of the fest being so much fun and the truly sweet Mary Szaroleta of the MFA.   Can't wait to get out to Florida again as things couldn't have been more fun or perfect and there is a certain approach to life which I highly approve of.

Beer Project Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg FL www.beer-crafts.com

Cool projects from Beer Crafts Fans

Beer advent calender directions

With the holidays coming up its super awesome to see some of the great gift ideas coming together around our favorite craft supply, beer!  I've been getting some great mail lately and seeing other cool gift ideas on the web and am delighted to share photos and projects.  Tim and Devon at Penny's Pints Pittsburgh made this absolutely kick ass beer advent calender .  I love the PVC pipe idea which means I could use it from one year to the next OR every month!  Seriously, why just once a year?  It's a great design and they did a fab job on the instructions, kudos boys!

Beer cards from thebeergeek

Merideth at beergeek.com is a true Renaissance woman, traveler, writer, lover of all things beer- she's sent me some very fab photos of her own creations including these rad cards from empty six pack boxes.

geneva's embossed ornaments

One of my favorite holiday crafts came from Geneva in TN, we met at a book signing this summer in Colorado and she told me about her embossed ornaments.  Such a great idea and who wouldn't want Kenny and Cartman around to make the season just a bit more festive.  I don't quite know how she made the coolness, BUT I've suspicions- expect an embossing tutorial in the near future. AND if you're looking for other great ways to celebrate the season- check out the beer menorah contest on the Schmaltz brewing facebook page, it's a delight and one of the best beers on the planet!

As a holiday gift to you, beer friends- I'm running a discount in my ETSY shop on signed Beer Crafts book, for folks who follow the blog.  Enter HOLIDAYBEERS at check out for $2 off your purchase. Feliz Navidad!

Beer Can Bunting

beer can bunting tutorial www.beer-crafts.com

If you've been anywhere near Pintarest lately or perused a craft magazine you'd know the world is positively festooned with colorful bunting, long streamers and cute decorative pennants and flags. Inexpensive to make and high on the "wow" factor,  paper garlands are popping up everywhere, and like so many other great projects, I knew I needed to put a Beer Crafts spin on them.

beer can bunting at the New Belgium brewery in Ft. Collins

My bunting is designed a super simple crochet pattern, the same that fab fiber artist Bekki Scotto used for making the hats in the Beer Crafts book, and in terms of party decor it's as cheap as it comes- empty beer cans and yarn from my stash.  The only supplies you'll need are pair of scissors, hole punch and a crochet needle.  A six pack (or two) later and your back porch is gonna look styilin- Best part about this craft, aside from the tasty beers you'll try on your way to making it... is it's portability, the banners pack small and if you're using a forgiving yarn, you can leave them out overnight.  I've had a blast this summer traveling to some outstanding bookstores and breweries and my bunting has decorated all the festivities getting just a little bit longer with each stop.

This Saturday, August 24th  I'll land in Cincinnati for even more crafty fun at the Christian Moerline Tap Room, and  Cincinnati Arts Center and Arnold's Bar on the 26th, you'll know me when you see me, I'll be the girl with a beer in one hand and bunting in the other- and say, beer can bunting looks perfect for yarn bombing... maybe some of my extra fun Cincy pals will want to join in that fun too!  Looking forward to crafting it up with some fine local beers- I know there will be some MadTree Brewing cans getting added to the chain for sure.

Beer Can Bunting DIY tutorial #shasta #vintagetrailer www.beer-crafts.com

Below are my directions for making bunting and if you're ANYWHERE near Humbolt county this Wed. you absolutely must go meet Bekki and the kids at SCRAP- they'll be having a fab evening of making, and of course THERE WILL BE BEER.

If you're new to crochet there are some pretty great tutorials on youtube this one has a whole bunch of stitches in one video

Supplies:

can opener

size H (5mm) crochet hook

paper hole punch

scissors

one skein worsted weight yarn or medium weight scrap yarn from stash

beer can

How to: 

1. Crack open your favorite can of beer and empty it (my favorite method for this is pouring it into my mouth). Rinse can with water and let dry.

2.  Pry off pull tab and save for another craft project

3. Using a can opener on the OUTSIDE of your lid remove the top to your can.

how to cut a can for bunting www.beer-crafts.com

4. With your scissors cut down the length of your can through the UPC label area

5. Cut your can horizontally to remove the bottom and trim off top beveled rim of can too so you are left with a flat panel, this is your flag- many beers have two images on the can and you can cut this in half or maybe you want a long wide flag... I've also cut some into long triangle pennant shapes, there's no wrong way to shape this.  You will want to round all your corners off slightly so the edges don't poke through your crochet work

6. With your hole punch make holes around your can about 1/4 inch from the edge, make sure you have holes in each corner and spread the rest in between about an inch apart.

7. Using your crochet hook sl st into your top right corner hole of can panel and ch3 (counts as 1 dc), dc 2 into the same hole, dc into the next hole and all following holes until you get to the next corner, dc 5 into the left corner and repeat your work around the can, working 3 dc into holes along straight edge and 5 dc into corners until you arrive back at the start.  Work 2 more dc into the starting corner, sl st into the second ch of the ch 3 and tie off.

8. Make as many of the flags as you'd like, go nuts, use up all your old yarn, go try some fancy new beers, you'll probably want about a dozen flags to kick this off, but it's really up to you

9. To connect the flags you'll be making a big long crochet chain- you can work these in a larger needle if you'd like and even even work on a bulkier yarn. I wanted to make sure I had a nice long tail to tie each end off with so I chain stitched about 18 inches then worked my chain across the top stitches of the flags spacing the flags about 18 inches apart.  I knew I wanted to make my flags cover some big distance so they are fairly well spaced, they'd look pretty darn cute if you spaced them closer together too.

I'd love to see how your bunting comes out, send pics and I'll post them on the blog.

Party Time with Beer Crafts

Beer Crafts bling www.beer-crafts.com

Holy smokes the Beer Crafts summer tour is just about to happen, the family and I are packing up the vintage 1963 Shasta travel trailer, lots of craft supplies and a few special beers to share with friends.  Our route will have us following the Oregon Trail, but backward and making lots of stops at breweries and pubs along the way, checking out the local flavor. Once we hit Colorado there will be some major crafting getting thrown down with the first stop being an epic progressive pub crawl and night of making with the Denver Craft Ninjas. These good time gals get together once a month and make fab projects like seed bombs, tea towels, and my forever favorite- sugar skulls .Yes, these are my kind of people especially since they do their meet ups in bars!

While crafting in pubs sounds ideal, combining our two favorite things- there are a couple things I try keep in mind... can the project be completed in a short period of time?  I'm a notorious starter, nothing is more fun than jumping into a new thing, but I also relish the sweet victory of completion, for a night out crafting, I look for easy things to make which craft up quick like tiaras and bracelets.

Is it KISS? K eep I t S imple S tupid ?  For me, bar crafting involves not too many tools and accessories, Crafting for and with a crowd is easiest if there isn't too much equipment involved, that said, I really do travel with a dozen glue guns and multiple sets of scissors, even to the bank. I also check ahead with my bar friends about glitter, some folks have a bizarre aversion to it, personally I'm down with extra sparkle any time but there is a weird stigma there so I try to show some respect.

a crafty tiara www.beer-crafts.com

Another thing I like to think about with group craft projects is the fun factor, is there room for self expression, are friends going to learn a new skill that they'll share and do other things with, is it going to be cool for novice crafters and old pros?  Finding a balance can be tricky but my favorite nights are the ones where I'm getting schooled by my friends, they've taken a whole new approach to the supplies and made something I'd never even envisioned. There is also something fab about making things as a group, either a larger piece to share or a craft to gift or trade.  These evenings and afternoons aren't always about the end result, but really the process- hanging out with friends, making new awesome people and enjoying ourselves.  I'm so, SO looking forward to this journey and of course all the great beers we'll be sampling along the way.

For a complete list of Colorado events in July, check out the link here or my events page and this great article written by Denver Post blogger Josie Klemaier .  And to give you just a taster of what a Beer Crafts event feels like- I've enclosed some of my favorite pics from the book launch party.

Shawn Bowman with book photographers Laura Sams and Rob Sams

Brandy's Tiara www.beer-crafts.com

kids craft too www.beer-crafts.com

www.beer-crafts.com

There were exotic snacks

My friends rocked the craft table

Make a Father's Day Beer Trophy

Beer Can Trophy www.beer-crafts.com

Three cheers for the guy who brought you into this world.  Raise a can to salute the man who taught you all about belching, belly scratching and the importance of keeping a couple frosty ones in the fridge.  Is there any better way to salute a guy than with an awesome trophy of his favorite brand? I think not! Beer can awards are ridiculously easy to make- you'll need an old trophy, get that at the thrift store, don't use one of his, that might not go over too well! You'll also need 2-3 empty cans or a six pack if you're making an epic tower and glue sticks and a glue gun. You might look too for extra parts to embellish the trophy.  A small urn turned upside-down makes a great pedestal and  tiny beer cans from doll house sets look good in trophy statue hands.  I like to combine parts from different trophies to get extra height and bling.

To Make:

Step One: Open a beer, Dad's favorite brand.  My pop drinks Heineken, so I decided to make him a trophy using Iron City instead because the can was pretty freakin cool. I washed out the can after I finished it off and set it upside down to dry, afterward I pried off the pull tab using my fingers.

Step Two: Deconstruct the trophy.  There is probably a small nut at the base which needs to be unscrewed.  The nut is most likely attached to a rod that goes through the entire trophy.  Pull this out and save it for another project then go ahead and take the other pieces apart.

Hipster Trophy details

Step Three:  Re-assemble trophy.  Another easy peasy thing, find the parts you like best and stack them up gluing each layer with a glue gun.  This is the fastest method for putting it together but not super durable so you'll want to be careful carrying it around.  You can try another glue for stronger bond, like Gorilla Glue, and you can fill your cans with sand to make them more stable BUT your trophy will get super heavy that way and can make a huge mess if it comes apart- Personally I stick just with the glue gun but there is lots of room for experimentation with this craft.

You can add caps to this too or go all out and have a fresh engraving made for the base letting dad know he's #1 in your book!

Pin One On

Magic Hat Pincushion www.beer-crafts.com

With Mother's Day just around the corner, I wanted to put up an easy and fun gift tutorial from my new book which is entirely practical and features Mom's favorite beer. If your mom is anything like me, there are probably a couple cool looking cans sitting in her recycling bin right now just waiting to be upcycled.  If not, you should go pick up her brand of choice and pour her a cold one.  You could drink this beer yourself, but remember, this is the woman who gave you life, carried you around for nine month, wiped your runny nose, made sure you were wearing sensible shoes and gave you your good looks.  Seriously, you should buy her a beer.

Once you've drained the can, it's time to get crafting. The following are a list of supplies you'll need to complete the craft:

Supplies:

Beer can

Can opener

1 cup small rocks

Small amount stuffing or fiberfill (enough to fill the can, plus a generous handful)

Scissors

8 x 8-inch piece of fabric

Hot glue gun

12 inches of any width grosgrain ribbon, for trim

Rickrack, buttons, or sequins for embellishing

How To:

Open up the can of beer and drain it quickly.

Pry off pull tab and save for another project

Use the can opener to remove the top from the can. Rinse and dry the can, being mindful of the cut edges.

Fill the can about halfway with small rocks.

Fill the remainder of the can with stuffing, leaving about 2 inches of stuffing coming out of the top of the can. Set aside an extra handful of stuffing for the last step.

Cut a 7-inch circle from the fabric.

Cut 1/2-inch slits in fabric every inch all the way around the fabric circle.

Hot glue the edge of the fabric to the outside of the can. The slits you cut will help ease the fabric tension, but you’ll also want to let the fabric fold onto itself in creases as you glue it down.

stuffing a beer can pincushion www.beer-crafts.com

When you get halfway around the can, insert the rest of the stuffing.

Finish gluing the fabric around the can.

Put a bead of hot glue around the seam where the fabric meets the can, then place the ribbon on top of the glue beads.

Embellish the pincushion ribbon with rickrack, buttons, or sequins

For 39 other cool crafts like this, check out my new book Beer Crafts available now for pre-order and on the shelves May 14th.

Book Launch Party

sun hat

Wow- after over a year of hard work and lots and lots of beer the book is a done deal and ready to hit the shelves .  I couldn't be more stoked and can't wait to celebrate with the friends who helped make it happen.  Laura and Rob Sams did an amazing job with the photography and the folks at Andrews McMeel hit the ball out of the park with awesome design, layout, editing and the million other things it takes to make a book happen.  Matt Newell came up with the patterns and a great website. I think it's fair to say we've blazed a new trail in craft publications, a unique path that leads from the fridge to the craft room, along the way we sampled some kick ass beer.  So come join me in toasting the best in sustainable crafting the one that "involves you to open a beer" as my daughter might say.  We're partying down at The Beer Bunker on May 18th 2pm. 7918 Stark St. in Portland.  I'll be bringing some snacks and a whole lot of craft supplies and there will be a limited supply of tasting trays too.

A Stout Idea

Guinness cupcakes from beer-crafts.com

My first experience baking with beer was in 1996 when I was the pastry cook at Q's  restaurant  in Boulder Colorado.  This was early days in the craft beer revolution and folks were just beginning to experiment with beer styles and production, the idea of adding beer to food, beyond boiled beans and steamed clams, wasn't that common.  I made a German chocolate stout cake with porter cream cheese frosting and it was pretty darn good.  The cake was a little on the dense side but super, super moist and paired beautifully with the chocolate, as you might expect. For St. Patrick's Day this year I wanted to revisit the recipe, and made a few changes.  Rather than using a typical sour cream in the mix I used Mexican crema, it has a slightly sweeter flavor and whips lighter into the batter.

I also went with an Amaretto butter cream which was a sweet compliment to the warm barley taste of the cupcake.  There are a number of great recipes for this frosting, and I especially like this one on the blog Life Tastes Good.

Since I'm all about re-purposing my empties, I was eager to productively use the cans which went into making the desserts.  Easy peasy.  If you've never deconstructed a can before, it's pretty simple once you learn the tricks.  Some folks will use heavy gloves and tin snips, but I find that totally over the top, once you get the lid off, cans cut like butter.  I've got a pair of old scissors I use for all my can trimming and I always make sure to trash my scraps since the smaller bits might hurt if you stepped on them.

cupcake liners by beer-crafts.com

Step one:

Open a beer and find a good receptacle  for the contents.  This is usually my mouth, but this time you'll need the beer for the batter, so you should set it aside for baking time.

Rinse your can and let it dry upside down.

With a can opener on the OUTSIDE of your can, remove the top lid.  Save your pull tab for another fantastic craft project.

Step two:

With scissors make a vertical cut straight down your can to the very bottom.  Having this slit will help you get the cupcake back out out of the can when it's eatin time.

Step three:

Cut a horizontal line around the can just above the word Guinness and place a paper cupcake liner inside.  Make your batter and pour all the way to the top of the paper liners, put into oven and bake according to the recipe.  While the cupcakes are cooking you can make the frosting and toppers.  This step was pretty simple too, I trimmed the harp shape from the top part of the beer can and put a daub of hot glue on the back attaching it to a bamboo skewer.

Put on your favorite Pogues album and enjoy your treats- Happy St. Pats!

Guinness Stout Cupcakes

1 can Guiness

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs 3/4 mexican crema (can substitute with sour cream)

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 

2 cups sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray paper liners with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the stout, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla.

3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until thoroughly incorporated. Add in the crema and mix until combined.

4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, and baking soda. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into beer mix. Your batter might look thin but the eggs will make it rise nicely, no worries!

5. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until risen and center is cooked.  Cool on wire rack completely before frosting

Colorado Reconnaissance Mission

Flight of Fab from Rengade

Last week was a big mile stone, my beloved step-dad, Bob turned 70 and I used the occasion to sneak off to Colorado for a family celebration AND to lay the groundwork for an awesome Beer Craft summer tour.

The beer scene in the west is mindbogglingly huge, in four days I was barely able to visit a fraction of the breweries on my "must see" list. Each of the places I manged to squeeze in was unique with own cool vibe and the beers were pretty kick ass.  The craft scene in Denver has exploded too and I manged to find a couple great spots to shop within walking distance of the breweries and at Fancy Tiger Crafts, a needle felted lamb kit I couldn't live without.  Damn if this city isn't Beer Crafter utopia.

Hutch and Spoon

Day one of my trip had me lunching at Breckenridge Brewery a Denver institution since 1992, I sampled a Christmas Ale which perfectly off set my lamb strip spinach salad.  For happy hour I met up with a friend at Renegade Brewing in the Santa Fe Arts District. Of all the beers we sampled the Sunday Morning coffee infused strong ale was my favorite, super crisp and light, the kind of flavors normally blended with a stout worked refreshingly well in this lighter bodied beer.  Tucked in between the galleries, around the corner from Renegade is the delightful sewing studio and knit lounge, Fabric Bliss where I stocked up on a couple skeins of chunky yarn. Further down Santa Fe is Stranahan's Whiskey Bar which along with being a killer distillery had an amazing selection of local beers.  I wound up the evening helping pour wine at Hutch and Spoon.  Usually open for breakfast and lunch, the cafe was hosting an evening art opening. Owner  Tracy Zimmer and I have been friends since grade school and it was a hoot to hang out with him behind the counter swapping stories during the reception.  If you find yourself on Larimer St.  it's definitely worth a stop with a decent wine and beer selection and arguably the best grilled cheese sandwiches in the Rockies.

Banjo Billy

I took Saturday off from crazy adventures for a little family time and last minute birthday crafting, though we did managed to sneak off to Apple Jack Liquors for emergency beer supplies and wow, what a treat huge selection of local and imported beers, lots and lots to choose from.  If you like to preview the beers before you head over, check out their website, great catalog of what's in stock.

For Bob's birthday on Sunday we headed over to Pints Pub where we met up with his car club cronies for lunch before a tour around Denver on Banjo Billy's bus.  Looking like something straight out of the Beverly Hillbillies, the bus offers historical and beer trips around Denver and Boulder.  They've taken out many of the old seats and added couches arm chairs and even a saddle, lined with tapestries and Christmas lights, the bus feels like a comfy cabin hide-away on wheels and was the perfect way to travel around town with 25 of your favorite friends.

Small Selection of Single Malts at Pints Pub

Since we'd booked the bus for a private tour we were able to bring snacks and beer along too, which just added to the merriment.  We ended up back at Pints which has the largest single malt and whiskey selection outside the UK and lovely, lovely cask conditioned ales which they brew on the premises.

Barrel Aging at Avery

After sleeping in on Monday, I was back in research mode, though this time a bit north of Denver to see what trouble we could get into further up the range.  !st stop was Avery Brewing.  Making great beer since 1993, Avery is a must stop for any brew tourist, I highly recommend Ellie's Brown Ale and the 3 Point 7 Milk Stout.  Things are pretty exciting at Avery these days, they've just purchased 5.6 acres of land north of Boulder and will be opening  a new brewery in 2014.

For lunch we moseyed over to Boulder Beer Company this was a cool homecoming for me, this was the first craft beer I'd tried, way back in1991 when I waited tables at Walnut Brewery and we served the Buffalo Gold.

Solar Powered Electric Bikes

A couple things I love about this brewery, aside from the great beers and lentil soup, they've got a set of community tools to work on your bike right outside the front door and if you've left your bike behind completely, you can rent a solar powered electric one.  Super efficient and green friendly, plus the roomy basket in front has space for a growler and all your craft supplies.

The last two stops on our adventure were at Oskar Blues, both the original brewery up in Lyons and the much larger Tasty Weasel location in Longmont.  Wow, wow, wow, great beers, super nice folks, good vibes and so cool to see how craft beer can be made with care in a big facility.  Our tour guide Rudy was super friendly and knowledgeable giving us a great run down on how the different beers get made.  I was super impressed by the tower of cans waiting to go out to distribution, all that delicious craft potential, it staggers the mind.

My folks and I wound the evening down at Yak and Yeti in Arvada.  This   Indian Nepalese restaurant and brewpub is to die for, I absolutely love the food garlic cheese naan, chicken masala and this amazing carrot custard for dessert- but what makes this place stand out is the fabulous beers they are making on site to match the menu, unbelievable, Jalapeno Ale, Chai Cream Stout, Himalayan IPA, these guys know how to rock it, the staff is all super sweet.  If you get the chance catch them on the weekend for the all you can eat buffet, a gut bursting value.

Knitting Lounge at the Airport

After four days of royal and debaucherous treatment it was time to head home and Denver had one last surprise for me.  On the skyway bridge between the central terminal and "A" concourse, the Denver Handmade Alliance has on display featured craft pieces from artists around the city.  Along with the lovely exhibits was a knitting and crochet lounge where craft addicts can chill between flights and hook a few stitches.  Such a welcoming space, I couldn't help but add a couple rows and curse that fact that my plane was actually on time.  Oh Denver, you've been good to me!

Out of hibernation

xmas-beer-768x1024

Baby its cold outside, and when we’re talking about chilled frosty ones- I’d like to be thinking about the beer in my glass and not the six inches of ice gluing the wipers to the windshield of my car.

Like any civilized mammal, I hunker down and hibernate when the days start getting shorter.  A few things will draw me out of the craft cave though like the need for food, toilet paper and the siren’s call of beefy holiday beers and winter stouts that roll out at my favorite bars this time of year.

Foraging for sustenance at my neighborhood bodega, I was rewarded with a huge selection of cool new winter cans.  I couldn’t resist picking up a Hopwork’s Abominable Winter Ale, weighing in at a bombastic 10.4% , this beer has a rich caramel flavor and crisp finish giving it an “exceptional” title from Beer Advocate and outstanding rating of 92.  I’d order it no matter what the packaging, but the darling yet ferocious yeti stole my crafter’s heart.

Faster than you can say “Jack Frost” I’d poked  holes in my cans, made them cute-as-a-button hats and stuffed them with bird seed for the little starlings who live in my back yard.  The yeti feeders were a true feast for the eyes and he birds were beyond delighted with their easy buffet.  I went to bed that night with a warm heart, knowing that once again our lives had been greatly improved by an awesome beer.