Fisherman's Brew in the Gutter

Bowling and beer (*sigh*) what a happy combo! Last night One Woman got to hang out with members of the eminent two piano / two percussion quartet, Yarn/Wire (Ian Antonio, Laura Barger, Russell Greenberg, and Jacob Rhodebeck) and other musically inclined friends for a night of bowling at The Gutter. (This was preceded by a day of culinary decadence with a brilliant rhetorician and collector of recipes, KSP, to Ippudo and Momofuku Milk Bar!!!--One Woman, having too much fun, as usual). Yarn/Wire not only knows their David Lang and Bartok; they also have a deep understanding of the beauties of the malty hoppy beverage that One Woman loves so.

The Gutter -- The little divey bowling alley has a nice selection of mostly domestic beers on tap (Troegs, Chelsea, Sixpoint were among them), as well as a handful of special bottled conditioned beers from Rogue and Brooklyn. One Woman decided on the Fisherman's Brew from Cape Ann Brewing Co. It's an American Amber Ale at a lightly hopped and malty 5.5 ABV and 30 IBUs. With a really nice toasty smell, it made me think of toasted honey graham bread. The smell and the taste are really nicely integrated too. Not a bombshell or anything, but a really great beer to sip on and chant some incantations to the yeasty gods for good bowling luck.

Musical Pairing: Yarny/Wiry (click on the link to listen). Performed by the members of Yarn/Wire, composed by Mei Fang Lin, a young and amazingly talented composer with superwoman ears. If my bowling chops were this amazing, the pins would be defying time and gravity.

So, dear readers, this One Woman's chronicles of life, love, and beauty seen through the lenses of beer comes to a close at one month. Life calls, and this blog is going to enter a new phase of twice weekly publication. Thank you for your warm support, and I hope you'll keep reading! (Never hesitate to send beer).

Back to Beer: Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Boont Amber Ale

One Woman liked this Beer so much she mistook it for her own baby?!

After an evening of apple cider (that didn't finish too badly--it ended with "drunken" apple cider muffins for breakfast), back to beer feels so good, especially when it's Anderson Valley's Boont Amber Ale.

Brewed in Boonvile, California, Boont is the best known beer from the Anderson Valley Brewing Company. What's cool about this modern brewery (est. 1987) is that they grow hops on their estate (see pics here).

Quickly--stats: 5.8% ABV, and 15 IBUs. From a purely numerical level, this translates to a beer that's just a tad sweet, and not super hoppy at all.

Boont has very gentle carbonation, that allows for a very soft encounter. In terms of flavor, it has a hint of caramel... or was it persimmon with light brown sugar? Dissection, or over analyzing doesn't seem right for this lovely, curvy beer. Boont Amber Ale is so well-rounded! Suddenly, it's not about the malt in relation to the hops, and the nose and the mouth. It's about the chemistry that happened to make this ale that feels so right. As for color, the amber is jewel like, and so pretty. I could have just stared and admired it for a long time, had I not been overcome by the urge to quench my beer thirst with this beauty.

One Woman enjoyed her Boont with Chef Dre's crazy good legendary empanadas and fried green plantains, blessed with the company of poet SR, and a fiddler/photographer CS, who I credit with the genius idea behind today's photo.

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Did you know that the weird animal on the Anderson Valley Brewing Company's label that looks like a bear with antlers is "not a bear," but "a beer"? (Um. Okay, Stoners) Anderson Valley also has its own language that locals developed in the 19th century called Boontling.

Musical pairing of the evening: Jack O' the Clock. Good ol' Americana--quirky, weird, amnesiac folk of found sounds and ballads.