beer advent: december 11-15

so, i wrote this a few weeks ago and told blogger to publish it for me the day after i wrote it. seems like blogger doesn't follow directions very well. sorry for the delay. i know you all have been waiting on pins and needles to read more about what beers we drank! so without further ado...the treats continue!

every day has been a bit more fun knowing we have a delicious treat to unwrap. i think everyday of the year should be this way - filled with a small treat to make your day just a bit more delicious.

anyway, moving onto days 11-15...

december 11: troegs, hop knife, harvest ale. 
presents like an IPA. light and refreshing.

december 12: terrapin, moo-hoo, chocolate milk stout.
this was delicious! there was just the right amount of chocolate flavor and "fullness" from it being a milk stout. it was wonderful.

december 13: terrapin, wake-n-bake, imperial coffee oatmeal stout.
i think yesterday's and today's are my two favorite beers by terrapin. both were excellent. plus, how can you go wrong with an imperial. coffee. oatmeal. stout? i mean, seriously? it has all the components that make an excellent beer. well, in my opinion anyways.

december 14: firestone walker, union jack, IPA.
decent beer, but not much flavor. first one that i am really disappointed with. [sad face]

december 15: atwater, bourbon barrel aged shaman's, baltic porter.
this beer was awful. i know that baltic porters taste a bit different than regular porters. however, this one was supposed to have bourbon flavor. it didn't. it was supposed to taste like a porter. it didn't. it was sour. it smelled bad. we ended up pouring it down the drain. it was so awful i didn't even take a picture of it.
oh no! two bad beers in a row! i guess that can happen with experimentation. however, the atwater beer we think was just infected or a bad batch. we honestly hope that is not how the beer was meant to taste.

oh well. we are still having fun. ten days left!

cheers!

xoxo,
ks

beer advent: december 6-10

hello friends!

so sorry for the delay in sharing our beer advent. i am way behind, i know. december is such a crazy month! birthdays, christmas, holiday parties, social gatherings. it's so fun, but so busy. i didn't forget, i just didn't get a chance to share with you guys. so without further delay, the next five days of yummy!

december 6: dominion, morning glory, espresso stout.
this style of beer is right up my alley. it is really delicious! the espresso flavor isn't overpowering and was complete with a dry finish.

december 7: highland, king macaplin, double IPA.
malt forward with hoppy finish. very complete and delicious beer. we've had this before and i didn't enjoy it much the first time, but this time i really enjoyed the flavor. perhaps because it's cooler out i liked the heaviness of it more.

december 8: stone, ruination 2.0, double IPA.
it is light and drinkable. it is hop forward, but lacks flavor. it wasn't as impressive as most stone beers are. it could be a good beer for a hot, summer day.

december 9: homebrew by low noon, pumpkin porter. 
excellent beer. great porter flavor complete with pumpkin flavor and natural spices [cinnamon and nutmug]. it is not too sweet. very good beer. nice work, fellas!


december 10: dominion, candi, belgian tripel.
it's a decent beer, just not my favorite style of beer.

this adventure has been fun and introduced us to many new beers. it has been fun to try beers we would have normally picked out. i hope this experiment continues to encourage to branch out of our typical favorite styles and try new ones.

cheers!

xoxo,
ks

beer advent 2015

hello friends!

happy december and welcome holiday season! there is something about the holidays that makes my heart smile. i love christmas cheer, decorations, spirit, music...all of it. this time of year really makes life seem more happy. what with the parties, the socials, community events, and parades. it really is the most wonderful time of the year.

one thing i have always wanted to do is an advent calendar. i've never been sure what to put in it though. i don't want a bunch of useless trinkets. but then i saw a wine advent calendar online. it was a bottle of wine for each day. ONE WHOLE BOTTLE. for 25 days. that is a shit ton of wine. plus, we don't really drink wine, but we definitely drink beer.

so the beer advent was born.

we have 25 days of beer. we decided to do one beer that we'd share each day. we bought the beers, wrapped them up, and numbered them. we tried to choose beers we have not had before. since we've never done this before and it is super awesome and fun, i wanted to share it with you. a quick disclaimer, there will be some beer nerd stuff in these posts. sorry, not sorry. i am not overly nerdy about beer, but to a novice or non beer drinker, it could seem that way. my goal is to blog ever fifth day to share with you the beers we've had and our thoughts on the beer.

so, without further ado, december 1-5....

december 1: aviator, black mamba, oatmeal stout.
we went up to our local bottle shop to celebrate my 2 year seizure free anniversary. so, today's beer was a bit different and special. it was a draft beer and keith and i each had our own beer.
this beer was very good. it is a dry stout with a slightly sweet finish. i enjoyed it a lot, but stouts are my favorite.

december 2: southern tier, 2XIBA, india black ale.
it was smooth and malty, with hop finish. we complemented it with an oreo cupcake [keith got it for me for my anniversary!]. it was a delicious addition to the beer.

december 3: dominion, double D, double IPA.
very smooth for a double IPA with just the right amount of hoppiness. thanks flo for sharing this one with us! it was delicious.

december 4: anchor, merry christmas and happy new year ale (our special ale).
i enjoyed how dark it was. it was overly spicy and had subtle bitter notes. if it weren't for the advent, i probably would not have picked out this beer. i am glad i did.

december 5: dark horse, 4 elf, winter warmer spiced ale.
it is a typical winter spiced beer - dark, with cinnamon and nutmeg spices. it was very good for it's style. i wasn't in the mood for another spiced beer, especially after having one the night prior. i can only handle so many in a season. but this beer was complete with nachos, pizza, and the acc championship. so, i have no reason to complain. 

4 elf and nacho prep.

it has been fun so far. each day it is exciting to unwrap a beer to see what tasty treat awaits us. it has been especially inviting to taste brews that we have not had before. because we are sharing one beer, it has not been overwhelming with the feeling of, "oh gosh, i have to drink more beer? please no."

see you in five days with an update of the next batch!

xoxo,
ks

10 years ago...

10 years ago i was in the midst of planning my 25th birthday outing. i wanted to invite anyone i could to come drink up downtown raleigh. i even invited a special guy that lived in greensboro. he couldn't make it, but we made plans to hang out a few days later. we made plans to go to a hockey game, that at the time, was just a game. little did we know it was our last first date. little did we know it was the beginning of our love story. little did we know it was the beginning of our life together.

once that date began, i knew. i knew he was it. it was over for me. he was my prince. my partner. my dream come true. it's a weird feeling, knowing you're on a date with the person you are going to share your life with.

very weird.

i can't explain all the feelings. i just knew. and people say that all the time,"when you know, you know." there has always been something magical, safe, comforting, and loving about keith. he has always loved me, treated me, and looked at me the way he did on that first date.

our journey has had difficult moments. what relationship hasn't? but all of those are clouded by all the great moments, adventurous moments, and awesome moments. our life together has always been that - a partnership. a life shared, from day one.

i could never imagine a more perfect love.

i could never imagine more laughter. more ridiculousness. more adventures. more happiness. more peace. more dreams.

it has been [almost] ten years since that very first date. our first date was december 20, 2005. and we are going to celebrate the anniversary of our first date the only way we know how....
by going to a hockey game.

xoxo,
ks