No, this is not an April Fools joke 
Matt and I stopped into Total Wine this afternoon and happened to see a flyer that say “Beer Class on April16th.” Uh, that’s today!!!! It was only 5:00 so we went home and emailed our friends to see if anyone wanted to join us for a beer “dinner.” Much to our surprise, the birthday boy himself, Kate and Kelsey all said they were up for a party!!!
I had a few kashi crackers to tide me over and we were off.
The Beer Nerd was particularly excited!! Check out Brew + Bake for full professional reviews!
The class was featuring two brands – Shmaltz Brewing Co.’s Coney Island Craft Lagers and the He’Brew line. Heading the tasting was Don Richardson of All Good Brands. DON IS THE MASTERMIND BEHIND THE COTTONWOOD PUMPKIN ALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My favorite beer ever. He actually invented it!! You can imagine how excited I was 🙂
Included in the tasting fee was some munchies – mini hamburger sliders and two kinds of flatbread: spinach feta + bbq chicken (with onions). I loaded up on the spinach feta, as I was pretty hungry.
Along with a little slider
Then came the brews.
First was the He’brew Genesis. It was surprisingly full-bodied for such a light color. It was slightly bitter, but I liked it!
#2 was the He’Brew Messiah Bold. This guy was darker – almost like a bitter New Castle. I loved the chocolate malt, but would have preferred less hops. As Don put it, it wasn’t “Over the top hop” – just enough.
Seconds! (and an onion-free BBQ) This flatbread was SO GOOD. I normally am not the biggest fan of spinachy things (other than spinach!) but I loved this. I think it was the thin crust and fresh taste.
Third was the Coney Island Lager. This was my favorite of the night. It was very mead-like with notes of honey. I really would have blindly called it a honey beer! Loved it – we got a huge bottle.
Fourth: the Coney Island Sword Swallower. This guy was way too bitter for me. Normally I’d drink anything put in front of me, but since I have class in the AM, I tried to consciously not drink too much of what I didn’t love. I think 75% of of this still went down though 😉
#5 was the He’Brew Origin, a pomegranate ale. This one was actually really good, but tasted nothing like POM! I liked its amber notes, and it was almost caramel-y. It had a flavor that I couldn’t put my tongue on. And honestly, it smelled kind of like wet sponge – but in a good way!
Lastly, the Coney Island Blockhead – a 10% alcohol barley wine. This one was really good – except for the alcohol!!!!! I would have preferred it as a lower alcohol beer. The flavor was great – medium bodied and flavorful, but the high alcohol left a burn that I associated with drinking too much and knew to stop sipping! This guy is for the strong at heart ( <— my husband).
We were free to go back for seconds on any of them. I had another taste of the Coney Lager. And maybe another sip or so of a He’Brew. And maybe another flatbread triangle 🙂 (You can see my leftover samples in the back on the right).
What a fun night! Hope Nate got his fill on his b-day. Tomorrow night we’re going to a party at their house to celebrate!!
I only wish there had been a salad there – I was feeling empty for a while, but then the beers settled 😉
Off to bed!
VeggieGirl says
Cute slider and fun night!!
Shannon (The Daily Balance) says
That flatbread looks amazing!!! what a fun night! 😉 How cool that you got to meet the creator of your pumpkin ale!! 😉
Heather says
That looks like so much fun! And what a great way to be spontaneous and enjoy the evening!
That flatbread really does look delicious. Loved reading all of the reviews 😀
Oh She Glows says
Don’t you just love spur of the moment opportunities like that?? So fun. I need to get out more. haha
Kara says
What nice spontaneity!
Amy says
I love beer & beer tastings – that is so much fun. Good reviews, too!
Meg @ Mother Daughter Diet says
Kath I’ve been a daily reader of yours for over a year now. Though I don’t comment often I really enjoy reading. Yours along with EatLikeMe have really changed my eating habits. Over Easter my mom and I got in a long discussion about eating and exercise and I told her more about the two blogs I read and she and I decided to start one together! It’s only a few days old now so I don’t know how long my mom will stick it out….but it’s fun for now.
Kristin @ Iowa Girl Eats says
Love it when fun things like that randomly come across your plate!
Courtney (The Hungry Yogini) says
What a fun impromptu partayyyy! Love it!!
Angie says
What a fun night!!
Hangry Pants says
haha – I love how you had to qualify it as NOT a joke! It looks like such fun and I am glad you found some onionless flatbread.
Run Sarah says
Sounds like a fun night! The spinach flatbread looks so yummy 🙂
Lisa says
Talk about thirsty Thursday! 😉 Looks like everyone had a fun, tasty time.
Sarah (lovINmytummy) says
Maybe you should take some of the sponge brew to the Sponge Bob party!
Elizabeth says
I love stumbling across a fun afternoon/evening. Fun! Happy birthday Nate! 🙂
Jane B. says
SO fun!
Bec says
sounds like a great night!
Meg says
Looks like a fun time! Happy B-day to Nate.
Michelle Hisae says
What a fun impromptu outing! You all always seem to have fun together. Night!
Mara @ What's For Dinner? says
What a fun night! I love when impromptu plans work out!! I love the He’Brews!
Sharon says
Hahah, what a blast!
Christine says
That looks like so much fun!! I never knew those existed!! My boyfriend loves having the chance to taste different beers, I should see if there is anything like that in my area (probably not, NJ stinks!)!
Erika says
Wow, that sounds like so much fun! Sometimes spontaneity can be the best 🙂
Those flatbread triangles look delicious!
Marisa (trim the fat) says
What a fun night! I love last minute get togethers:)
Alisa - Frugal Foodie says
Beer tasting, what a fun birthday!
Darrell says
Haha, I love it. Those flat breads look delish too! Sounds like a fun night.
Adi (oatonomy.com - repaired!) says
Looks like you had a fun time! I’m not a beer fan, but that tiny little burger was awfully cute looking 🙂
Alison says
What a fun night. I absolutely love that turquoise necklace you’re wearing!
Marissa says
Those little glasses are so freaking cute!
skinnyrunner.com says
what cute pictures, looks like a lot of fun!
Tyler (Raspberry Runner) says
a beer class?! that sounds that so much fun! and the munchies look good, too 🙂
sue says
wow what a fun way to spend the evening…and great reviews of the beers!
MaryBe says
It’s amazing how much you and Kelsey look alike in that top pic!
Foodie (Fab and Delicious Food) says
Looks like fun!
Whitney says
Who cares if it had a lot of alcohol! You’re still young, and you only live once 😉
Lauren says
Fun! I’ve always wanted to do a beer tasting, and these sound yummy. The He’Brew Messiah Bold sounds especially good b/c New Castle is one of my all time favorites.
The sliders are adorable! I have a sliders recipe that I’ve been meaning to make.
Elina says
Wet sponge, but in a good way? 😉
Looks like a fun night! I’m not that much of a beer drinker (I really prefer wine) but my husband would have looooved something like this. I guess I’d just concentrate on the flatbreads 🙂
K says
Can’t really beat pizza and beer! Yours sounds much better than the typical $5 Hot ‘n Ready and Bud Light college special 😉
JENNA says
spur of the moment adventures are so much fun! 🙂 It looks like a blast!
Kath says
Meg @ Mother Daughter Diet,
Thanks for your comment!
Sarah (lovINmytummy),
LOL!
Alison ,
Thanks! It’s by Bead For Life (http://www.beadforlife.org/) made from recycled paper by Ugandan women!
Kath
Jess says
I think I would have loved this beer class. Those glasses are so cute!
erin says
you have no idea how much I love knowing someone else that publicly denounces onions. =)
Erin says
I def would have liked that Sword Swallower one. Is it bad that I think that flatbread pizza looks fantastic?
Melissa Komadina says
Hey Kath! This is Melissa from Shmaltz Brewing, I actually just finished reading Matt’s Brew and Bake review of the SAME tasting and so I loved reading yr take on the event. Glad you enjoyed our beers, I really like Coney Island Lager as well since it’s tasty but also pretty mellow alcohol-wise. Thanks for the review and take care!
Kath says
Melissa ,
Thanks for your comment!! We loved the beers 🙂
Kath