Dry hopping with the girls

Today about 13 of us gal-pals went to Redhook Brewery in Woodinville, WA, for a tasting tour and lunch. We did it to celebrate someone's birthday, we did it to enjoy each other's company and we did it for the beer.

I must admit that I'm not a beer person. I had my share in college although I couldn't tell you what kind of beer it was. It came out of a keg and it was tasty, especially if the music was loud and the guys were cute. (And they did get cuter with each additional beer.) I also had an obnoxious boyfriend, but he became more palatable as the party wore on.

Now that I've established myself as a beer lightweight, I have to tell you that this tour was a blast. We learned about hops and barley in their natural state and watched the beer being made in state-of-the-art facilities. We watched the bottling operation and I had to fight to urge to sing the "Laverne and Shirley" song out loud. Not that anyone would have heard me, because that room was LOUD. I assumed the workers were wearing earplugs, but then I realized they had Nirvana blasting in there, so now I'm not sure. We learned technical terms like "dry hop," which made us giggle like schoolgirls learning about our periods.

I also discovered that I DO like beer. Not just any beer but the darkest beer they served us, Blackhook Porter, which was rich, slightly toasty (as I was at that point) and had a light coffee flavor. As my friend Meri admiringly stated, "You could have this as a meal."

I wonder if they would make a caffeinated version for me, so I could have it for breakfast. Marketers, anyone?