This flight is ready for lift-off!
Once in a blue moon, my aimless cruising around the internet really pays off. Case in point: last week, in my daily dose of Facebook e-procrastination I stumbled upon a beer club for women. Apparently, this amazing thing called Barley's Angels exists in chapters across the nation and in a handful of other countries. Despite a culture that mainly associates the exalted beverage with masculinity, groups of ladies are coming together to "get their malty mojo back." And now, a few brew-loving gals have started up Sarasota's own branch of the Angels, dubbed the SmartyPints. I had the privilege of joining the group's inaugural meeting last Sunday at their Darwin's on 4th (1525 4th St., Sarasota 34236) headquarters, and from here on out, I know what I'm doing every second Sunday of the month.
The first meeting was an intimate get-together with just five SmartyPints present, homebrewer Gemma Adel presiding. Gemma's feats in the beer-crafting field include a cumin-spiced guacamole beer, which I hope to sample in this lifetime. We went around the table and introduced ourselves, and as we reviewed the basics of beer tasting it became clear I was among some serious beer enthusiasts. These women used terms like "lacing" to describe the way the foam stuck to the sides of the glass. They held each tasting glass up to the light and expounded on the beer's character at length before even taking one sip.
The original Sarasota SmartyPints. From left, these lovely ladies are Gemma Adel, Lisa Sobota, Kat Dow and Pat Hamm.
Tasting novice that I am, I knew at the very least that we were drinking the good stuff, the entire flight sourced from the Darwin's microbrewery. We started out with the Evolution WetHop, which leaped off the tongue with lemon and peppery spice. While we cleansed our palate, the snacks arrived: truffle fries stacked high as a Jenga tower and heaping baskets of plantain chips. The crispy plantains paired beautifully with our second course, the amber-colored Marron Ale, which warmed my nose with toasty aromas of macadamia as I sipped.
Given the season, our tasting naturally included a pumpkin beer. As we quibbled over whether we discerned more nutmeg over clove, our club received a visit from Jared Barnes, the brewmaster himself -- thus the only boy allowed. But we were glad to have him share the inside scoop on his creative process. He revealed what we were sipping took about 30 pounds of pumpkin, hand-selected from the local farmer's market, to fuel the fermentation. That's a whole lot of gourd. From the Pumpkin Spice we transitioned to the Plaintain Weizenbock, which carried a creamy, almost bubble-gum like aroma, but splashed on the palate with surprising brightness. Our tower of fries quickly toppled once we discovered how nicely the beer cut through the truffle oil.
Finally it was time for dessert. I eyed the glass of Betrayal Russian Imperial Ale with trepidation. It was black as sin and smelled like a Godiva factory set ablaze. Not to mention that it packed a 10 percent ABV punch. I closed my eyes and took a careful swallow, and boy, did I get a pleasant surprise as jammy flavors of dark berries coated my mouth. It didn't take long to set down my fifth empty glass with great satisfaction.
The SmartyPints are reconvening at Darwin's on 4th for another tasting on Sunday, Dec. 9. If you're reading this, girlfriend, you ought to come. Bring your thirst for knowledge, great beer and fine company.
-- Follow the Sarasota SmartyPints on Facebook for updates on tasting, field trips and more. And don't forget to visit the Scenestress while you're there!
