Sauerkraut and Brussel Sprouts!
Oh, what an activity-filled summer and fall we’ve had here at GA-CCRi! Count on us to have fun in a variety of different ways. We’ve had dinners and drinks downtown, we’ve sampled a new brewery, and seen a total eclipse of the sun. Our book club is still going strong (Joseph promises to bring homemade sourdough bread to the next meeting!), and our Trivia Team continues its long streak of being undefeated in all of central Virginia!
THURSPOSIUM at REASON BEER
CYCLING
Once again, The GA-CCRi Cyclones participated in the annual Boys and Girls Club Cycling Challenge held on September 17th. The routes ranged from the eight-mile Family Ride to rides varying from 25, 50, 75 and 100 miles. All of which varied in degrees of grueling climbs and scenic vistas, but always rewarding.
2017 OKTOBERFEST
In late September, GA-CCRI friends and family got together under the picnic shelter in Pen Park for potluck and delicious grilled treats. Our master brewers unleashed a variety of delectable home brews for us to sample and appraise. In keeping with Oktoberfest tradition, we feasted on brats and sauerkraut (among many other items), both of which went well with the brews we tasted. Jake K offered up a stout he called Despa-stout-o (5.2% ABV). His description: ” It’s the stout you can’t get out of your head. It’s the stout that sounds better when Justin Bieber sings the chorus. It’s the stout that will make you go just a little bit more…slowly… brewed with lactose sugar, Extra Dark Crystal grains, Fawcett Pale Chocolate Malt, and Dark malt syrup. It’s great as an ice cream topping!” Jake also brought in an American Amber Ale (5.5% ABV) that he described as “Pale ale malt and medium caramel malt create the rich, copper color. Bitterness is balanced to match the the malt character. Baby, you don’t need dollar bills to have fun tonight, you’ll love Cheap Thrills.” Regular brewer and resident epicurean Joseph Featherston brought two submissions. One was a 6.5% ABV German Bock simply named “My First Lager”. The other offering was a 6.5% Amber Ale that was brewed with real maple syrup called Maple Leaf Ale. Finally, our Master Brewer and Clown Prince of Ale, Hunter Provyn returned with a crowd favorite, his Yorkshire Stingo, a medium-bodied English ale with subtle oak and sour flavors. The ballot box was filled with carefully considered votes, the results were tallied, and the winners were:
#1: Hunter Provyn’s “Yorkshire Stingo”
#2: Jake Kenneally’s “Despa-stout-o”
#3: Joseph Featherston’s Maple Leaf Ale”
#4: Joseph Featherston’s “My First Lager”
#5: Jake Kenneally’s “Cheap Thrills”
Congratulations to the participants–we enjoy the sudsy fruits of your labors!
Here are some memorable moments from this year’s event:
