Tag Archives: Sadie Rose

OC Beer and Wine Week Kick Off Party

OC Beer and Wine Week is a special event where restaurants offer prix fix menus that pair a dish with the appropriate glass of wine or beer.  Many restaurants offer these special menus at more affordable prices so everyone can try something new with the right wine/beer pairing.

The Englishman and I attended the OC Beer and Wine week kick off party where the wine was a flowin’ and the beer pours were plenty.  Held at the District in Irvine, the party had various beer and wine stations across the District promenade where you could have up to 8 beer or wine pours of your choice.  Restaurants from the District and other vendors provided nourishment to go along with the beverages.

When we arrived we were given nice OC Beer and Wine week commemorative glasses and a wine opener along with our punch card for our 8 free pours.  As in true fashion, the Englishman headed straight for the beer and I went straight for the wine.

I started with the Reserve Estate Zinfandel from Hammersky Vineyards and loved the smoothness of this wine.  It had no weird aftertaste which was a bonus in my book.

The Englishman started with the Shocktop Pumpkin Ale, which he enjoyed although he said was quite “syrupy-sweet.”  And while it was a good beer, it didn’t hold a candle to the Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale we have at home.

For round 2, I went with the Veedercrest Cabernet Sauvignon, which wasn’t nearly as nice as the Hammersky Zinfandel.  I ended up pouring some of it out because the flavor was just off.

The Englishman’s second round was a beer from Laguintas, which wasn’t his favorite either.  So round two left us feeling a bit disappointed.

We decided to venture to the other section of the promenade where we were pleasantly surprised to see my aunt handing out loaves of Sadie Rose bread (she works with the company) so we chatted with her and my uncle while quickly scrounging loaves to take home with us.  And for the record, Sadie Rose has quite delicious bread that can be found at many restaurants so be sure to check them out.

By this point, I had decided to slow on my wine consumption as I was our driver for the evening, but the Englishman decided to spend some time over at the Noble Ale Works stand and ended up trying almost all of their beers.  He thought they were the strongest of all the beers that were offered, but didn’t think they were too bad overall.

Overall it was a great night!  We got to try some new beer and wine, catch up with family, and came home with 3 freshly baked loaves of bread.  Quite the successful evening if you ask me.

OC Beer and Wine Week is running until October 8th!  Be sure to check it out!