june state beer challenge 2012 - days 1-2

It's day three of the June State Beer Challenge and already I have consumed and cooked with some delicious Texas craft beer. Let's go day-by-day shall we?

Day 1
The Place: Swift's Attic
Beer: (512) Wit

Swift's Attic, one of the newest in the gastropub scene, didn't even come across my radar when it had opened. Luckilly, Meggie found this place via nerdy online research. I won't go into gory details on the place, but I will say this;

Crispy. Duck. Wings. These perfectly glazed and crispy duck wings will bring out your true inner K-9 as you bite and gnaw at everything, including the bone.

Braised pork cheek

Trout, leek and fennel broth, sun-dried tomato topenade

Going to this place inspired me to cook that night. No WAY was I going to sit back and eat take-out after eating a lunch like this. Tuna and mussels = the making for a great meal.

That my friends would be Adelbert's Rambler Ale, a Belgian style blonde ale that was perfect for steaming my mussels and creating a flavorful butter sauce. Watch out for the recipe in a future post. Trust me when I say it was absolutely divine.

Tuna Tartare Salsa/Salad

Day 2
The Place: Thirsty Planet Brewery
The Beer(s): All Thirsty Planet beers
 - Clarification: I did not have a full serving of the Buckethead IPA, knowing I would probably want one later in the month.

Saturday is an epic day in Austin where Austinites have the pleasure of being able to visit and tour the many wonderful breweries Austin has to offer. This Saturday I had the pleasure of working BEHIND the bar at Thirsty Planet and pouring all of their delicious beers. They had their flagship beers plus the Jittery Monk (a Belgian style dubbel infused with coffee), the Not So Red Ale (an attempt at a hoppy red, turned out more of a hoppy amber), and a special home brew competition winning recipe called the Skittish Scottish (a traditional Scottish ale).

It was absolutely wonderful being behind the bar serving everybody. Even though I didn't make the beer, it still brought a smile to my face being able to provide people with what I love, and that's beer. Beer is such a communal beverage, bringing people together in a relaxed environment allowing people to sit back and truly enjoy each other's company, and Thirsty Planet is a great place to do just that.