Beer Tasting Party

This past year my husband and his friend started brewing their own beer.  They have hopes of some day opening a tap room attached to a small brewery.  In the meantime, they have lots and lots of friends eager to taste the latest that Top Rung Brewing has to offer.

The turnout was great with about 40 friends and family stopping by to give their feedback.

Since this was an open house style, we wanted the flow to be casual but informative.  When guests entered, they were given a beer tasting glass (aka 8oz mason jar) with six feedback forms to be turned in.

Because Casey and Jason had been brewing up a storm, we had a lot of beer for everyone to try.  Six types of beer to be exact:  Hosechaser Blonde, Irons IPA, Smashed Pumpkin', "no name" vanilla porter, Box Alarm Amber and Good Jake CDA.  The fun started in the diningroom with three stations set up.

The buckets were from our local party store, in red of course.  Each station was labeled with the name of the beer and a short description as well as the alcohol by volume, IBUs and OGs info.

Burlap under the buckets turned out to be a great idea. They absorbs the moisture/sweat from the buckets.

Jason's girlfriend, Morgan was able to re-furbish these old six-pack boxes to use at each station.  She used a little spray paint and stickers from local craft store. We asked guests to return their feedback forms in these boxes.  They worked perfectly!

Next on the list was a little food. 

The most popular food was by far the Stoltz family rice casserole.  Unfortunately, since I didn't know it was going to be such a big hit, I didn't take any pictures.  But I will add the recipe at the very end of the post.


Good food, family and friends....what could be better? 

We really got lucky on the weather.  The day of the beer tasting it was literally, the nicest day of the week.  We were able to have a few more beers outside and a fire going.

The "no name" vanilla porter is on the sweeter side, we suggested folks eat a piece of Snickers or Brownies while sipping.  It definitely changes the taste of the beer and is a different idea for some people.  We were excited to see people try it and like the combination!

We also added a few bowls of jelly beans.  We don't have any scientific facts regarding this, but we've heard it is considered a palette cleanser for beer tasting.  Not sure if it's true or not, but a few jelly beans never hurt anyone.

Having such supportive friends and family is so important to Casey and Jason.  They were overwhelmed by the positive feedback they received and were inspired to keep on brewing.  Stay tuned for future beer tasting events.

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As promised, here is the "S" Family recipe:


Rice Casserole1 large onion, chopped fine
1 cup rice
2 cups chicken broth
1tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup butter or margarine

Melt butter and add onion, cook until onion is clear and soft. Add rice, salt, sugar, and raisins. Pour into baking dish and add chicken broth. Cover and bake at 350. Usually done after 1 hour.

Hoppy Birthday

My husband has recently taken up the hobby of home beer brewing.  While trying to plan a special getaway for his 40th Birthday, I came across the Bend Brew Bus.  This was the perfect opportunity to incorporate his new found hobby and a weekend away. 


Touring breweries would be way more fun with friends, right?

Our first stop was the Bendistillery This wasn't part of the tour, but since we were childless why not check out everything.  The coffee vodka was by far my favorite - so delicious!



Next back to the hotel to meet up with our tour guide.  Our first stop was the Boneyard Beer The history behind the name of their brewery is because every piece of the brewery was previously someone else's junk.  It was great to see the little guy doing such an amazing job.  My favorite beer was the Femme Fatale, sadly this is a seasonal beer.  They even have a Girl Beer!  It's slightly rose tinted with a few champagne bubbles.

Next on to the big guys - Deschutes Brewery  This is pretty much a full scale operation in my book.  They started out with their little public house in downtown Bend (which is still there).  They are now a full scale operation shipping to almost all 50 states. 

Since it was Casey's birthday, they had a special hat to wear

Sorry the picture is a little dark, I wasn't camera ready when they presented his hat to him.  He was a great sport.  It wasn't until later, after seeing the pictures, he said he didn't realize how big the hat actually was.  Hee Hee.

Ever see fresh hops??  I must say this is an acquired smell.  I am impressed by the delicate texture of these little gems and the power they control.

I won't try to explain what each of these do, it was a lot of information.  I did catch that these containers are all one piece.  They were built, shipped to Bend and the brewery was built around them.  Yes, they go several feet below the floor.  I'm going to say 20 feet, but I could be making that up.


The final stop on our tour was to the McMenamin's St. Francis School This was a great tour because they gave us a lot of the history behind the building.  If you every go to McMenamin's, take a look around at all the amazing artwork. 

Here's a picture of their brewery

Here's a picture of they're cooler.  Wish I would have captured a picture of all their kegs of beer, there were A LOT.

I will definitely return to McMenamin's and sit back to enjoy all the decor.

I must say, this was a great weekend.  We had some relaxing adult time, tried lots of new things.  we all decided we need to make a return trip when the weather is warmer.  Stay tuned for future adventures to Bend.

Happy Birthday Casey!!!