Happy Happy Belated Birthday to Me!!

So, I turned 30 waaay back in January. It came, and it went. What can I say? I was lucky to have dinner at the Wild Onion Pub in Lake Barrington (across the street from my neurologist actually) for my birthday. Let me tell you, that was one AMAZING dinner, so good in fact I am writing about it two months later!

I have been trying to get to the Wild Onion for a long time, because I love the Onion’s brews (If you don’t live in the area, you are missing out). I love the Summer Wit, Hop Slayer (it might be my favorite), and I just could not wait to try more. I hadn’t really even thought about the food aspect of it to be honest.

But the food. Omigod! The FOOD! We had the sausage appetizer, a plate of sausages grilled and served with sauerkraut and Hop Slayer mustard. AMAZING. I don’t know what they did to get those sausages, where they got them, or if they made them themselves, but they were amazing, and have launched a subsequent bratwurst binge in my house (that is a euphemism). Both of our entrees were fantastic, and we even ordered dessert (something which I never, ever do) where we shared a slice of euphoria inducing bourbon pecan pie (and then promptly ordered a second slice). If you don’t care about beer (why are you reading my blog?) you will LOVE the Wild Onion. End of story.

BUT, if you like beer, even a little bit… this place will blow your mind and make your taste buds extremely happy. The Onion Brewery makes some very awesome beer (I am repeating myself I know). I had Drago, which was incredible. It is a Russian Imperial Stout (one of my favorite beers) and this would be one I would hand to somebody to make them fall in love with this sort of beer… and then immediately take it back so I could finish it myself.

Of course I also had a Hops Slayer Double IPA

I do give this one out as a gift, because it is so good. Seriously, good.

There are a lot of other beers, seasonal and year-round, that I want to try; and of course there is the sausage plate… so I think I need to go back, maybe when I go for my next neurologist appointment, or this weekend, and next... Who wants to come with me?

PS Do you want to see what I am drinking? Send me a friend request on Untappd, I am hoppybeergirl. You could send one to Blake too… he is addicted to Untappd. 

My Take on Take The Black Stout

I have not hidden the fact that I am very much a fan of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, I even like the HBO version of it, now that I can say that I haven’t read (or reread as it were) the books in several years. I LOVE the books.

 It of course is natural that I would get all crazy when Ommegang announced the beer series they are making inspired by A Game of Thrones. I have now made my wonderful husband stand in line to purchase both the Iron Throne Ale and the Take the Black Stout  (did I mention how wonderful he is?). Of course, I am also a beer fanatic so I have been torn on whether or not to open the beer and drink it, or to cellar it and stare fondly at it imagining what it would taste like.

Eventually Blake had enough of my indecisiveness and grabbed a bottle of Take the Black Stout for us to crack open for International Stout Day, and to help celebrate some very positive news from my neurologist. I may have “over” documented the pouring of the beer, but like I said, it was a big deal to me.

The Take the Black Stout has an extremely rich coffee smell; Blake called it “Omigod good” smell (I think this should become a technical term). It was a gorgeous dark stout, which one would expect from a Take the Black Stout. The malt flavor is so strong, but there is also an even balance with the hops. This is not a weak beer in any flavor area.

 It was a wonderful dark stout, and I look forward to having our second bottle in the future.