Monday, January 28, 2008

The Abyss Hoarder speaks!

Deschutes Abyss Imperial Stout (available at BELLA- at least for a little while longer!)
***read all the way to the end for VERY IMPORTANT NEWS!
It used to be that the 'b' word was the best thing you could be called if you were a business woman with some savvy and cajones! And while I bask in the glow of my latest compliment, may I offer my thank-yous
(ala Oscar) and say that I could not have reached this point without all of you...

1. The people who relish living in Baker County!
I had a little idea a couple of decades ago and I tried it first at the center of the universe (McMinnville, OR) until I found, or was found by, Baker City. This has been the most incredibly fun place to build a business and serve a community. I've worked hard for you and you've made it SO worth the effort!

2. The good brothers at P&E-
Goodness knows we've not always viewed the world from the same spyglasses but it is a true pleasure doing business with you and I love knowing that my little baby BELLA has been very good to you too! (and thanks for looking at my blog, Ryan! maybe I'll write more often!)

3. Chris- long ago of the good ship Admiralty and more recently the man who makes sure my Abyss, Hop Trip and Hop Henge are tucked away safely to the good brothers. Many thanks indeed, I think we'll have to talk about upping the allocation on your next visit aye?

***Other great news from Deschutes is now in the cold case as well. The Green Lakes Organic Ale has been a long time coming project as Deschutes brewers searched for the perfect organic barleys to blend with 2 malts and 6 varieties of hops. The wild part 0f the story is that after it received green lites for making "green" (sustainable) beers, they had to crank through 20,000 batches to meet the National Organic Program standards. Talk about working long and diligently (and jumping thru lots'o'hoops) to make a beer without shame! In the glass, the beer has a nice amber color and the bright fresh (green!) flavors make you forget all about the four foot tall snow berms in the middle of Main Street and yearn for spring flowers and single track.
There's a new porter in town, and we've got Kina to thank for it (as well as the two brothers!)
It's got a clever name, Monkey Face Porter, and what a body!
The Cascade Lakes Brewery is in Redmond, just minutes north (or at least it was before the traffic thing happened) of the home of Deschutes Brewery in Bend. While Black Butte Porter has long been a favorite, I must admit that I have found a new love. This beer is fabulous!

At first glance, we were amazed by the color differential- look at the top of the stem on the glasses - Hoo Ahh! And while I've spent decades trying to convince wine drinkers that "color doesn't matter in Pinot noir" it says a serious sumthin' about a Porter.
The Monkey Face (named for the famous climb at Smith Rocks) has a wonderfully smooth mouth feel and really great weight in the finish. There is no sharp or bitter edge at the end, just silky layers of chocolate malt. As Sarah said, "it's so complete" and everything seems to be in such perfect balance that we ended up discussing it like it was a well aged Barbaresco.
Anyways, all is well at planet BELLA. We had a fabulous holiday season, have recovered nicely in January and are preparing for the NYC shows and Valentines Day (wait til you taste the Pink Champagne and Cherries Jubilee Truffles this year - oh my!)
And now for the VERY IMPORTANT NEWS!
We knew you wouldn't want to miss out knowing "the place to be" on February 1st.
The Haines Elementary School Chile Feed from 5 'til 7 pm.
We've got tickets for the dinner ($4 adult, $3 children over 6) as well as raffle tickets at BELLA. Stop in and buy a couple of raffle tickets even if you can't join us there for the dinner, you don't have to attend to win the raffle and tickets are just $2 each.
We are tickled to be able to help the Haines Elementary School this year with a $500 donation for new play equipment (hopefully a year-round climbing wall) and our staff and their families will all be at the Chile Feed to show support and chow down.
So.... the other really important note is that
BELLA will be closing at 5pm on Friday, February 1st
so that our staff can all be there for the Chile Feed this year. We are glad to be here for you from 7 am 'til 7 pm, 7 days a week everyday except Christmas and the Haines Chile Feed!



1 comment:

Andi (RrlScrapGal) said...

You are the BEST!!! Thank you so much for your generous support of our itty bitty school out in Haines!

My husband (Dick Sexton) is going to be making a batch of 'hot' chili for Friday night... not sure if it will be grass fed beef or grass fed lamb... but a tasty surprise nonetheless!

ps.. You must blog more often! It's always fun to read your stories...

Travel safely...and again, thank you thank you thank you!