Update on the Salsa, GABF, and Burgers

So I know it's been a bit since I mentioned my salsa entry and such; my bad.  So the Habanero Peach Sour Ale Salsa unfortunately didn't win the salsa competition; I guess I should've just jazzed up my tried and true usual.  Oh well, that was boring, and I seem to have created a new salsa that was unique as well as tasty!

On a side note, GABF was a great success!  My group focused primarily on the Pacific Coast as well as the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions.  Of course my first stop was the Eel River Brewing Co. out of Fortuna, CA.  They make one of my all time favorite beers, "Triple Exultation", and of course by the time I'd made it to their booth last year, they were out of it!  This "Old Ale" weighs in at 9.7% so it's not exactly one that you can take down 2 at a time.  Sorry I don't have more details on it, but all I can is that it's damn good; if you can find it, do yourself a favor and buy a 6er of it!

Since one of my best friends just moved to VT, we had to hit up the ONLY VT brewery there; Magic Hat.  Now, the one thing that came to mind was that the state to lead the NATION with breweries per capita only sent one brewery to the country's biggest beer festival?  Really?  Oh well, I had some of their #9 Not Quite Pale Ale which was a nice drink.  I know I know, I don't have much to say about these 2; sorry, I was busy chatting and tasting beer!  One other noteworthy brewery was Destihl out of Normal and Champagne, IL; they are doing quite a bit with lactobacillus and brettanomyces that's for sure.  They had a sour stout, a framboise lambic (no, not Lindeman's), a really nice Berliner Weisse, and a few other sours on tap. If you like sours or just an adventurous beer, check them out.

Just a side note; if you're in Boulder, and are looking for a great burger and an even better Belgian beer list; make sure to stop at Rueben's Burger Bistro.  It's a bike themed burger joint, but it's not your grease-pit type of place.  Your big Belgian beers come out with style appropriate glassware, and the burger selection is great!    My parents were in town and they (Jenny included) craved a good burger.  Since we would normally hit up the Walnut Brewery, we all desired something different.  I recommended Rueben's and all were happy; especially me when this Trappistes Rochefort 6 was placed before me.  Nice pour with a thin head that moved along fairly quickly.  This is a nice Belgian dark with a raisin/prune taste and a slight hint of chocolate. The mouthfeel was light that was held up by the moderate carbonation.  If you're new to Belgian beers and are a bit timid of the big/heavy orange peel/coriander tripels/quads, give this a try!  Have a look at the pics below for details...