Women-only Beer Tasting? … take THAT testosterone-laden sports bars and chauvinistic man-caves! … I was excited to hear about such an event to be held at Cork and Keg (108 Bartram Oaks Walk – Suite 105 – Fruit Cove – 904.287.4310) on Tuesday (April 3). Carol Lowrey Graham from Brown Distributing was managing the event beginning at 7:00 pm and I wanted to be on time. It was time to show the “world of suits” that females have a definite spot at the brew table!
Feeling ever-so Simone de Beauvoir, I batted my eyes at companion and he kindly agreed to being my … uh … hmmm … DRIVER! (yes, that's the word I was looking for) for the evening. As part of the deal, he said he would much prefer to sequester himself at the nearby Shannon's Irish Pub, located in the same upscale shopping center. Being equal partners, I agreed to this stipulation.
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| Our hostess, Amanda |
Arriving a bit early, we drove around the development and was impressed with the design used for the site layout and architecture. Sadly, the economy has taken its toll on a number of businesses formerly based there, but maintenance is obviously superb and it appears lease management is located right on-site.
In pre-Jax Brew Bitch days, we had driven through this shopping center and noticed Cork and Keg and judging-that-book-by-its-cover, assumed it was a snooty, over-priced heavily wine-centered establishment. Boy howdy, how wrong we were!
Now, as background, let me say the Jax Brew Bitch does like herself some wine – red, mainly – so, I harbor no ill will about wine merchants whatsoever – but, you know – some become a little pretentious, brusquely ringing you (the peasant) up with a smug, stifled chortle at your feeble selection of a $21.99 bottle of wine. Wine has its place – which I believe is slipping a little due to the explosion of the craft beer industry.
There's certainly not near the same excitement around the office water cooler - “Joe, did your hear about the new Merlot from Cali?” - nope, more probably, “Joe, did you hear Bold City/Brewer’s Pizza/Engine 15/Green Room/Intuition/Kickbacks/Mile Marker tapped a new IPA? - it's awesome!”
So, back to the beer-suffrage movement at Cork and Keg – hey, we women can have a say in this industry! .... As I said, we were so wrong in our initial “drive-by” perception of this place.
Companion parked us near the front door and skedaddled over to Shannon's. I entered Cork and Keg and was instantly impressed. Beautiful décor and subtle lighting combine to create the warm, comfortable ambiance of the place. Yes, there is a good selection of notable wines but my field of vision was overtaken by the wall sections filled with beer!
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| Girls Pint Out |
Still being a little early, I was surprised to find the bar was full, shoulder-to-shoulder with women obviously already enjoying the event. I found two spots at the far end of the bar (one being reserved for someone), so I bellied up on the last remaining stool. The empty one next to me was soon occupied by Kelle, who also works at Cork & Keg. She was “off-duty” that evening and I soon was carrying on a conversation with her about Cork and Keg, her work there – and beer! … this gal knows her brews!
Amanda, the experienced and gracious bartender, approached and introduced herself. Sweet, beautiful and friendly, she was the perfect hostess for the evening. Of course, I had already noticed Carol was directing traffic, beer-wise, and I had already given this fellow-Cajun-gal a big southern-Louisiana hug.
Carol is phenomenal! … dedicated and knowledgeable, she is the best. Here are the brews of which she shared and educated us that evening (descriptions from breweries):
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| Cigar City's Tropical Heat Wave |
Cigar City Brewing Tropical Heatwave
American Wheat Ale, hazy light gold in color. The use of New Zealand hop varietal, Kohatu, creates a pleasant passion fruit expression in the aroma. The flavor opens with a clean floral bitterness and then has a tropical fruit bitterness that resembles passion fruit with underlying hints of pine. Overall, a refreshing, sessionable wheat ale with a wave of hop flavor to beat the Summer heat. Made for WBMF 88.5 FM – a listener-supported community radio that celebrates cultural diversity and is committed to equality, peace and economic justice. It has been serving Tampa since 1979 and is celebrating the 31st Anniversary of the WMNF Tropical Heatwave – 5% ABV
Left Hand Brewing Company Milk Stout
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| Left Hand Brewing Co. Milk Stout |
Milk sugar in your stout is like cream in your coffee. This full bodied sweet stout is dark and delicious. America's great milk stout will change your perception about what a stout can be. An English style cream stout, the milk sugar feeds the yeast to create a creamy mouth-feel with hints of chocolate and coffee. - 5.5% ABV and 25 IBUs
Cigar City Brewing Maduro Brown Ale
Maduro is a Northern English-style brown ale with some American affectations. Maduro is higher in alcohol than the common English brown ale and features flaked oats in the malt bill which imparts a silky body and works to mesh the roasted, toasted and chocolate components together in Maduro's complex malt profile. Caramel, toffee, chocolate and hints of espresso are all on display in this complex but approachable brown ale. The end result is a remarkably full-flavored and sessionable brown ale which pairs well with roasted meat, sweet chocolate-based desserts and mild to medium cigars. 5.5% ABV
Peak Organic Brewing Company IPA
This unique India Pale Ale features our favorite hope – Simcoe, Amarillo and Nugget. A generous Amarillo and Simcoe dry hop provide for an assertive, hop-forward nose and front palate. We don't use traditional bittering hops in our IPA, providing nothing but stimulating citrus and floral characteristics. Suggested food pairings include spicy foods, pesto, smoked meats, mild cheddar or mild blue cheese and gorgonzola. 7.2% ABV and 76 IBUs
Peak Organic Brewing Company Hop Noir Black IPA
Hop Noir is a delectable Black IPA, dripping with piney, aromatic Centennial hops. The malt base is dark and rich, anchored by organic black malt. This provides a strong foundation for the extravagant kettle hopping and dry-hopping that this beer experiences. Suggested food pairings include Brie, grilled vegetables, lamb shank and pungent cheeses. 8.2% ABV and 98 IBUs
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| Beer Ice Cream Float |
Shipyard Brewing Company “Smashed Blueberry”
A hybrid between a Porter and a Scotch Ale. This ber has a rich mouth-feel and a body of complex intensity. Upfront, there are noted of coffee and chocolate beautifully accentuated by the aroma of blueberries. The finish features a delicate balance of sweet fruit and dry hops. Pairs well with glazed dick, ribs, BBQ, chocolate and blueberry desserts – or try in a “smashed float” (JBB Note: We DID! … a cup of vanilla ice cream with Shipyard Smashed Blueberry – most decidedly decadent yummers! ) 9.0% ABV
B Nektar Meadery Wildberry Pyment
A “Pyment” (pie-ment)is a mead made with grapes. This one is made with clover honey, shiraz grape juice and natural wildberry concentrate. It is full bodied and semi-sweet. Makes a great sangria or try it over ice as a spritzer. This is B Nektar's most popular mead. 14% ABV
B Nektar Meadery Orange Blossom
Our orange blossom mead is made from the honey of orange and other citrus trees and is aged on American oak. The flavor and bouquet will transport you to warm climates, where citrus groves stretch on for miles and miles. This mead will continue to mature wonderfully in your cellar. 14% ABV
Everything was so good – and undoubtedly, the “Fellowship of the Females” contributed to the positive perception of all the offerings presented by Carol.
After an hour, I texted companion and learned he had just left Shannon's and was resting comfortably on one of the benches arranged around the development. I insisted he come in and he reluctantly agreed, first confirming he would be able to sit somewhere so as not to interrupt the event. Cork and Keg has high-top tables, sofa and love seat combos for their customers, so I told him to get his be-hind in there at once!
I HAD to run up to him to see his first reaction upon entering – and it was priceless! … his open-mouthed staring was reminiscent of the night we met – but now, nearly 20 years later, it was focused on the wide selection of fine and in some cases, rare, craft beer. By the way, I do take pleasure in the fact that after two decades, I still have that same effect on him – don't know why – maybe, I constantly surprise him with my antics!
He jumped to the bar and asked Amanda which of the Terrapin brews she had cold in the cooler behind the bar. I heard a whimper (or was it a gurgle?) come from him as the list she verbally provided finally got down to Wake-N-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout! …. STOP! .. . speak nary another word! … selection made!
Terrapin describes the Wake-N-Bake:
“Black as night, this coffee stout is thick, rich and full of real coffee flavor. Brewed with the Terrapin Wake-n-Bake coffee blend created by Terrapin & Jittery Joe’s Coffee. The high content alcohol of these beers make them perfect for cellaring…hide them away and pull one out for a special event 2-3 years later.
ABV: 8.6%
IBU’s: 50
O.G.: 20.8
Malt: 2- Row Pale Malt, Flaked Oats, Flaked Barley, Chocolate Malt, Black Malt & Roasted Barley
Hops: Chinook, Northern Brewer
Coffee: Premium blend of Costa Rican, Guatemalan, & Zimbabwe : Premium blend of Costa Rican, Guatemalan, & Zimbabwe
Without a doubt, this is companion's favorite – and is certainly one of mine. The smooth and robust coffee flavor mixed with the oats, barley and malts gives it that sweet taste which is so mesmerizing. A great end-of-your-prowl selection – I suggest having a nice dinner and follow up with a Wake-N-Bake for dessert!
I was still sluggin' – I mean, sampling, all the fine brews Carol was slingin' about – but by the time companion had finished his Wake-N-Bake, the event had drawn to a close. I brought Kelle over to meet companion since her husband is also a Texas A&M grad. She told us she was going home to quickly grab him (Brad) and come back up since they live just a few blocks away from Cork and Keg.
While she was away, companion and I decided to split Lagunitas Brewing Company's The Censored (aka The Kronic) Rich Copper Ale.
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| Lagunitas "Censored" |
Lagunitas Brewing Company's website says of the Kro.... uh, The Censored: “The original name of this original ale was originally derived from an origin so heinous that we cannot reveal its aboriginal orogeny. Sorry. Actually, it's an easy drinking malty Copper Ale that goes easy on the hops. Whatever. 6.75% ABV” - I noticed a toast and honey accent on this medium bodied ale. I love it and the story behind its name!
No sooner than we had procured The Censored, Kelle and Brad walked in. Brad and companion introduced themselves and there began a long discussion about Texas A&M, where they used to live (although separated in time by a couple of decades, amazingly had lived on the same floor of the same dorm), and the impact the Aggies move from the Big12 conference to the Southeastern Conference will have on tradition – you know, the stuff guys like to talk about.
Funny, Brad told him he too felt he would be “in the way” if he violated the “man-ban” requirement, so was planning on staying home all evening. Kelle and I left companion and Brad tellin' “Ol' Ag” stories and settled ourselves at one of the several outside tables in front of Cork and Keg.
After “the boys” had sufficiently supplied each other with tales from the Dixie Chicken (link below), a landmark in College Station, they came outside to join us. “The Chicken”, as all Aggies refer to the place, has been around a LONG time, even earlier than when companion went there (*wink*) and he has told me of “the old days” when the menu consisted basically of Lone Star Longnecks, giant dill pickles and crackers. Bar activities included dominoes and … drinkin' ...
Happy to continue on this sidetrack, companion told me he used to get the best burgers at a place called DSP which stood for Dead-Solid-Perfect. - a house converted into a burger joint on the northwest side of the Aggie campus. He remembers on certain Fridays, he would pick up a DSP burger to go and an announcement board would indicate a performer was appearing there later in the evening who had the same last name as the name on the personalized license plate of the late-model maroon Mercedes parked in the dorm's parking lot. (easy to spot he said amidst the old pickups and dented sedans). The last name was “Lovett” (Lyle being the first name, by the way). He never met him or heard him perform (too busy chasin' skirt, I believe) – but the legend of DSP lives on.
In speaking with Kelle and Brad, we learned of their background and the amazing story of how they relocated their family from Texas. We are excited we have met this beer-centric couple! … great family and outgoing, they are quite popular with the crowd at Cork and Keg!
The event was a smashing success! … what a tremendous evening! … it was difficult pulling ourselves away from Kelle & Brad and the rest of the fine folks we met, but it WAS, unfortunately, a school night. My early feminist-like attraction to the women-only tasting had evaporated in the mix of hops and malts, so I gladly accepted companion's gentlemanly gesture of opening my door and making sure I was safely buckled in. Besides, “the Age of Chivalry has no end” and more significantly, there remains a “little princess” in all of us grown-up girls.
My heartfelt appreciation to Carol Lowrey Graham from Brown Distributing, Amanda from Cork and Keg, Kelle and Brad for providing a most memorable … and perfect ... Jax Brew Bitch evening!
To view photos from the tasting at The Cork & Keg, visit the link below ...
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