Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Cork Poppers Go for the Suds!

What? No wine but beer?


It's Oktoberfest! So Cork Poppers decided to give the wine a rest and go to the hop. Or, more precisely, the hops! (And a little dancing in the kitchen!)


Everyone was suitably dressed for the occasion. Lots of orange and Roger outdid himself!


OK -- unlike the wine posts, no photos of bottles. Instead, interspersed with a few photos of the day, the beers we tried and a few comments.


We did this in flights -- light to dark (like wine), starting with four. They were Michigan Brewing Company's "German Style Wheat" -- a local brew where every batch will be different. It felt watery to me and roasted to Meredith. Next was Sapporo, a Japanese beer available in most places. Barb felt it more refined and many wanted second tastes of this one. Beer 3 was Warsteimer, a German bottled beer that had more malt and was slightly more bitter than the first. The fourth was Dundee Bewing Company's "Original Honey Brown," brewed with pure clover honey. This was my favorite of the lightest beers.


There were three medium flights. Erdinger Oktoberfest is a German beer that I liked very much. By the end of the day it was my favorite. (Manufactured by Erdinger Weissbrau). Charlotte Bewing Company Red Eye (local) had a coffee tone. Someone asked someone else "Why do you like it," and they replied, Ït has flavor." "But," Meredith acknowledged, "Not good flavor." Anne, agreed it had "more bad flavor."

(You can tell how sophisticated we are in our assessments.)

We also had Hofbrau Munchen Hof Duncel, whicih was on the darker side. Not my favorite.


And at the end, four darks.


Here's where we separated the woman from the men. Most of the women were not fans of the darks. We had Eaglemonk Delta Porter (local). I wrote "Not as bad as I thought it would be" and someone responded, Ït didn't make me puke either." But Cheryl (who loves dark) said it was her favorite so far.

Michigan Brewing Company (local) Chocolate Stout was way too strong. "Beer that tries too hard," I wrote. Then we had "The Winey Bastard"which was aged in Pinot Noir Oak Barrels and was from Frankenmuth (regional). It wasn't as strong as expected and I liked it, but Rick felt it was kind of desserty.

Each pour was probably between 2-3 oz. in small cups. Every couple was to bring 48 oz. of one beer and some brought more than one. And of course, we had our usual cheeses, crackers and breads with it. Rick outdid himself with this one. (He is now officially on notice to have this for all harvest meals.)


And yes, there were a lot of smiles!


When all was said and done, we moved upstairs to Barb's lovely fall table! (She even let us take home the centerpieces.)


Keeping with the German/Oktoberfest theme (though not all beer was German), clever place cards.


Our dinner included brats and saurkraut, applesauce, cabbage and what was left of Rick's gorgeous bread. I wish I'd taken a picture of my dessert, an Altkuchen Berliner cake (Berlin apple cake) which was more like a tart than a cake. Here's one of a left over piece from the first burned crust batch that kind of collapsed after being in tin foil in the fridge!


And here I must extol the pleasures of blogging. Many of you know Jean of Delightful Repast (and if you don't, you should because she posts marvelous recipes with very good instructions each week). I was stumped on this one (which was not Jean's recipe) -- I didn't have the right size pan, for one thing and the first one I made (which I sort of burned), I read the directions wrong and put ALL the sugar in the sweet crust rather than half there and half sprinkled on top. (I did sprinkle, as I realized that before going in the oven -- which made it over-sugared.)


I was confused on baking times, especially so I emailed wonderful Jean and she sent me back a great email that helped me solve boatloads of problems, including her recommendations that might vary from the recipe a bit (this recipe was not one of hers).


All I can say is Danke, Jean!


These flowers really belong to you!

31 comments:

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

The ONLY beer worth drinking is stout. It can't get too bold for me. The rest of it tastes like goat pi$$ in my opinion. Of course, that's why I never drink. I did enjoy your Oktoberfest and Barb's place cards. They were out of this world. You poppers really know how to pull out all the stops when it comes to eating!

Valerie-Jael said...

Fun post! I must confess that I don't like beer, and don't think I have ever drunk more than a swallow when I couldn't avoid it....And in spite of living here, I have never been to any of the beer festivals or the famous 'Oktober Fest'. But your party looks fun, and you evidently all enjoyed your beer tasting and that bread decoration looks fabulous. Love those clever place cards, too. Hugs, Valerie

Julia @ Vintage with Laces said...

It sounds like you had fun tasting all those beers. I only drink beer in summer when it's hot. I prefer wheat beer and predominantly drink it mixed with Sprite. In Germany this is called a "Radler" in the South and "Alsterwasser" in North Germany. It's very refreshing. I've never been to the Oktoberfest. Too many people for me in one place.
I hope you're doing well, Jeanie.
xo Julia

eileeninmd said...

Hello, what fun your own version of an Oktoberfest. I do enjoy beer once in awhile. The bread looks fantastic, Rick did a wonderful job. The food and apple cake sound yummy too. The place cards are cute. Great photos.
Have a happy Wednesday!

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

Some meals beg for a beer - sausage on a bun with fried onions for example. Beer is more a summer thing - we like Bud Light Lime by the pool. I also like an ice cold Stella. Husband prefers the darkish beers and likes anything with a "widget" in it to make it frothy. Great post, Jeanie and I love all of your discerning comments about the beers tried. -Jenn

Preppy Empty Nester said...

Jeanie... you and your friends have entirely too much fun. I always walk away with a smile.

Joanne Huffman said...

As always, thanks for being included in the party.

La Table De Nana said...

You all know how to have a great time!Kudos..Got Lisette's List:)

Victoria Zigler said...

Sounds like you all had a great time, as usual. I love when things are kept to a theme like that.

Jeanie said...

The comment below was actually from Shoreacres but I accidentally deleted the original when I was trying to delete spam.

As you know, Dixie Rose never would accept such treatment. I showed her the sort of magic that we could make, but she wasn't interested -- at all!

There's that bag again -- so great. I hope your Halloween was great, too.

Olka said...

Wow, you had a really great time! I would like to try a lot of german beers, I think wheatbeer is the best tyoe :) I like it the most. I have well stocked beer store nearby my home, they sell craft beers mostly! But I would like to go to Germany to celebrate Octoberfest. I think we'll be able to do this next year :)

Rita C at Panoply said...

Rick's bread is a piece of art! And I love bread...but beer is not something I like. It sure was fun, though reading all your comments on the reviews of each round. Roger's outfit - hilarious. The place cards - spot on. The menu - perfect. The comradery - absolutely priceless.

Linda @ A La Carte said...

What fun to do the beer tasting. I'm a light blond beer lover! Oh that bread was gorgeous! The table was fun and the tart sounds yummy. I'll go check out Jean's blog! Hugs!

Arti said...

You know I'm not a drinker, but looking at Rick's pastry makes me feel an onset of hunger pangs. Now I must get out and find something to quench it. :)

The French Hutch said...

I know a good time was had by all Jeanie. I'm not a beer drinker but my husband would have been a happy camper tasting all of these. I would have been happy tasting all of those delicious delights! I love the lovely table setting.........

My name is Erika. said...

Wow, that is quite the cork poppers night. People really got into the theme, didn't they? But that only makes it more fun. And Rick's bread was just amazing. :) As was the table. Other than the beer tastings which sounds like there was no clear winner, the night looks like an awful lot of fun and good friend time. :) Hugs-Erika

Joyful said...

I've never been to an Oktoberfest celebration. It does look like your set goes all out to celebrate all events. It also looks like you had a lot of fun.

Pam Richardson said...

What a fun group of friends to celebrate with! The menu sounds delicious! Enjoyed seeing your Octoberfest, Jeanie!

Lynne said...

I love it when you do your Cork Poppers posts . . .
This Beer event looks like so much fun.
I just don’t get beer . . . the bubbles sit in my tummy and keep bubbling!
I am no fun, am I . . .
I would enjoy the fun though so I would be a good sport!
And Rick’s bread would put me over the moon!

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

FUN FUN FUN! Y'all really know how to PARTAY! teeeheee....the holidays are here and you are working it, Jeanie! Love to you!

Bella Rum said...

I'm not big on dark beer, but I could do some real damage to Rick's bread. It is beautiful and I know it was delicious. Yummo!

Mary@mydogsmygardenandmary said...


I am not a beer drinker, but the party looks like you all had a wonderful time. The tables were amazing and what lovely center pieces. I would say that a good time was had by all. Thanks for sharing.

Hugs,
Mary

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

This is Phil's kind of cork popper night! He loves beer, especially the dark ones and the hoppy ones! He enjoying trying beer from several different breweries when we were in Asheville. I enjoyed smelling them as they all had distinct smells! Rick's bread is beautiful! He could open a bread shot if he wanted a second career! The food all sounds wonderful. I'm a total German girl so love brats and suaerkraut. The dessert sounds delicious too - I'm a sucker for anything with apples!

Marilyn Miller said...

You do have fun at your gatherings, even if it was beer this time. Did you know some tea shops serve flights of tea? Ha! Loved the colorful table and the food sounds delicious, even the apple cake.

AnnMarie aka Vintage Junkie aka NaNa said...

You always have so much fun at your tastings! Can I come sometime but not taste?:-) I can't drink alcohol at all but I want to have fun!

Ricki Treleaven said...

It looks like you are part of a very fun group! Did you prefer the beer gathering? I love how everything's decorated, and I love seeing everyone's smiles. After the week I've had it's nice seeing people finding joy with each other!

Tracy said...

Oh, such FUN with the Oktoberfest theme, Jeanie!! That's one funky apron Roger has on... haha! So interesting to se/hear about the beers you tried. We've had the Sapporo Japanese beer at a restaurant and really liked it--it paired great with sushi. We enjoy beer a lot and trying new-to-us types. There is a lot of micro-breweries here locally and it's fun to try. Beer just does seem to go with certain food, you know. Like pizza, of course, but also Indian AND Thai food...And, of course, some great sausage with mash and a beer--oh yes! WOW... Rick's wheat sheaf bread is magnificent!! Pity about your cake...but is sounds VERY good. LOVE your Poppers posts...You guys really know how to party! :))) ((HUGS))

Tammie Lee said...

wow wow wow
what a party
colorful and full of goodies
and learning
and sharing
so fun
that bread does look heavenly

Polly said...

Wow, what a great evening you had. The only time I drink beer is with lemonade, we call it shandy. I like that apple cake, I like things that are slightly burned, I think it adds to the flavour! Rick’s bread is amazing. The place settings were a wonderful idea. I hope your lip is improving Jeanie.

Angelsdoor * Penny said...

Now that's what I call a party, Jeannie! Thank you for sharing with us. The photos are just beautiful, as are you.
Thank you so much for your kind words and visit.
blessings,
Penny

Katie Mansfield said...

What a fun party idea. We may have to try this with our friends. The pretzel creations are just too cute.

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