AntSaint

Blog Update: Coming Soon

What is this? From now on, occasionally I'll note posts I'm working on and planning to publish. This way you're getting some heads-up on content that may be of interest to you — plus it motivates me to get on the stick and get some more goram writing done.

Working on/Coming soon

• Food & Drink: Chocolate Porter homebrew
• Writing: "Process" for writers (or, "Screw inspiration. Success is about process.")
• Food & Drink: Red Ale homebrew
• Journal: Riches. Fame. Renown. And a little something else
• Food & Drink: Cookbook review

These will be coming out in the next few weeks. (If I'm really smart, I'll even remember to update this post with links as I publish each piece.)

What do you want to hear about?

Oakshire Brewing Release: Spring Seasonal O’Dark:30 Cascadian Dark Ale

Oakshire Brewing is one of my favorite breweries. To see them hopping on a new style of beer is sweet beyond description, and I can't wait to try some O'Dark:30!

The word from the brewery

Oakshire Brewing Company of Eugene, Oregon will release their newest Seasonal Beer, O’Dark:30, a Cascadian Dark Ale, Friday, March 5.

Black IPA - Cascadian Dark Ale

This Spring Seasonal is of a style that has been known as a Black IPA for both it’s color and significant hop bitterness, flavor and aroma. However, the style is now being called Cascadian Dark Ale, paying respect to the pioneering brewers in the Northwest and solving a contradiction between the words Black and Pale in the Black India Pale Ale style name.

“The challenge with designing a beer like this is balance,” explains Brewmaster Matt Van Wyk. “The challenge is creating a black color with only a hint of roast and chocolate flavors while still letting the Pacific Northwest hops shine through. We think we’ve come up with something that all beer fans will enjoy.”

And what of the unique name? “O'Dark:30 is that time of morning that is so early and so dark that the actual time is irrelevant" According to Jeff Althouse, Founder of Oakshire brewing, “It's a unique and fun name that honors the many brewers, including ours, who often wake up early to start the brew day."

O’Dark:30 (6.3%abv, 70 IBUs)will be available throughout Oregon in both draft and 22 oz bottles. Brewmaster Matt Van Wyk will be on hand at The Beer Stein Wednesday, March 10 from 6-8pm to give patrons a sample of their new beer. They will also be in Portland on Friday, March 12th at 5PM at The Eastburn and Monday, March 15th at Belmont Station to debut this beer. O’Dark:30 will also be featured at the Spring Beer and Wine Festival on April 1st and 2nd in Portland.

March 5-6: Eugene Irish Cultural Festival

Two days of Irish music, culture and more! Eugene Irish Cultural Festival »

Featuring Ireland's finest youngest traditional Irish music group, Téada (Téada means "strings" in Irish and is pronounced tay-DAH):

• Oisín Mac Diarmada (fiddle)
• Paul Finn (button accordion)
• Damien Stenson (flute)
• Seán McElwain (bouzouki/guitar)
• Tristan Rosenstock (bodhrán)

Evening Concert

Téada performs at 8 p.m., Friday, March 5, at Beall Concert Hall, University of Oregon.

Daytime Festival

10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturday, March 6, Sheldon High School, Eugene, Oregon

More details at the festival's new website: www.eugeneirishfest.org. Learn about events, submit for volunteering, register for workshops and more:

• Téada Workshops: Fiddle, Guitar, Bodhrán, Flute and About Irish Music
• Other Music Workshops: Uillean Pipes, Intro to Tin Whistle, Intro to Irish Music on Fiddle
• Performers: Sheldon Dublinairs & Sheldon Choir, Murray Irish Dancers, Tonn Nua, Harp Circle, Eliot Grasso & Glen Waddell, Danielson/Muennich/Naylor/Schwall, Ceili Mhor, and others to be announced
• Dance Workshops: Ceili (Téada playing music), History & Styles of Irish Dance, Irish Dance Workshop
• Art Workshops: Basket Weaving, Calligraphy (Irish Font), Drawing Celtic Knots
• Irish Language: Intro, The Next Level, How the Irish Invented Slang
• History Presentations: Easter Rising, Dry Stone Masonry in Ireland
• Sports: History and Rules of Hurling, Hurling Match
• Family Activities: Crafts and activities for all ages that helps you learn more about Ireland and Irish culture
• Sessions: Two Irish jam sessions
• Vendors: Irish Festival T-Shirts, Performer's CDs, Celtic Fantasy, Deliberate Innocence Books, Hurling Teams and others to be announced
• Food and Drink: Alpine Catering will sell excellent authentic Irish food in the Cafeteria, and Espresso On The Move will sell excellent coffee, lattes, espresso drinks, tea, hot chocolate and baked goods in the courtyard

Questions or ideas? info@eugeneirishfest.org or www.eugeneirishfest.org

Waking World Eugene

Part of why I moved to this part of the Pacific Northwest is the temperate winter. Rain? That's fine — in exchange for breathing without my lungs freezing, I'll gladly wrap myself in fleece and breathable rainwear.

Besides, the rain makes things green, adding color to the drab days and reminding me that there is green here now, and there is more green to come.

The green is coming — fast.

During February, Eugene usually gets a couple of days of sunshine and warmth. I like to think it's a way to remind us that there's more to living here than rain, low gray clouds, and early darkness. This past week has brought such days. As I've been biking to and from work, signs of green to come, signs of spring, have been popping up more and more.

This past weekend was sunny and refreshing. Trees are in bloom; my wife is plotting out seeds for the garden. The days are longer.

Western Oregon is waking up.

I can't deny the way it makes me smile, and even the way it makes my eyes a little misty. Ten years later and I still love the winters here, the hints of spring that crop up just when the days seemed darkest and shortest.

There's a green vibrant world on the way, and it wakes up inside of me new dreams, lively ideas, and brighter days.

P.S. — Not long after writing this, the rain returned to Eugene. I put a hat on my head and rain jacket on my dog, and went for a walk. I'm still content.

Homebrewing Cider

2008 and 2009 Crisp Hard Apple Cider

First Cider: 2008

In 2008, Jodie and I decided we wanted to try our hands at making cider. Before you get any images in your head of me taste-testing different apple varieties, pressing apples, etc., though, I must remind — I'm lazy. Really lazy.

Lazy Brewer's Yummy Cider

I also live in the Willamette Valley, where apple trees, orchards and farmers markets abound. Instead of doing a full-on press, we instead purchase pressed cider from local farms. We find cider that is either unpasteurized or as lightly pasteurized as possible, and have had great success turning this apple cider into hard cider.

Making Cider-Making an Annual Autumn Tradition

We've made our Crisp Apple Cider for 2008 and 2009. As we tweak and refine the recipe, we're also making this an annual tradition. We make a 5-gallon batch of cider in October, bottle it in December and age it for at least 9 months. Come September — when homebrew supplies may be dwindling after a summer's brewing hiatus — the leaves turn and we have something crisp and clean to toast the new autumn with.

Here are our last 2 batches of cider, including ingredients and process. The 2009 batch has been especially tasty right out of the carboy — can't wait to find out what it's like after a year's bottle conditioning!

2008 Crisp Hard Apple Cider

The information below pretty much just reflects the sparse notes I took on this cider. 2009's batch has much more detail.

"Brewed": Oct. 11, 2008

Bottled: Dec. 13, 2008

Oct. 11, 2008
Purchased a Wyeast Cider yeast and Campden tablets from Home Fermenter Center, Eugene. Went to Lone Pine Farms and purchased 6 gallons of UV pasteurized fresh cider that originated from a farm in Salem.

Added 1 Campden tablet to each gallon of cider. We left cider in jugs, and placed them in garage for 24 hours, to allow ample time for Campdens to work (knocking out other yeasts, bacteria, etc.).

About 28-30 hours, prepped 5-gallon carboy, pitched yeast, and poured in all cider until carboy was nearly full. This resulted in us having most of the sixth gallon for our enjoyment.

Put on small blowoff hose and set carboy near pellet stove, where temperature would remain more constant. Temperature has been between 60-68F.

Notes from "Brew"

• Did not measure OG
• Fermentation kicked off quickly, which surprised me given that I had read many brewers say that their cider needed a few days to get going. We've had very healthy fermentation, and today (10/20) fermentation is still healthy. Two-week mark may be about time to rack over to bucket and/or bottle.
• Color is very pretty, and has become lighter/more pale over time, probably as more sugars are consumed and yeast begins to fall out of solution - clarity from settling?
• Chose mead yeast over wine yeast to go for a more sweet cider, instead of the dryness that usually comes from a wine yeast.
• 10/23 - fermentation still going pretty strong; will check again at 3-week mark

Notes and Research from 10/11/08

• Chemical preservatives are a no, such as sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate
• Is it pasteurized? If so, “cold pasteurized” cider will have better flavor than heat
• Yeast champagne yeast will yield dry; ask Jim at Home Fermenter Center about different wine yeasts – maybe opt for one that yields a semi-sweet, semi-dry?
• Irish moss for clarity?
• No boil. Cold pitch after Campden tablets drop

We aged this cider for nearly a year, occasionally opening a bottle and tasting for, ahem, quality control. The character of the cider flavor changed dramatically, gradually gaining more complexity and depth of flavor.

2009 Crisp Hard Apple Cider

For the 2009 batch, I took far more detailed notes. We also made some changes from the previous year. We used a different yeast, for starters. We also added honey, pasteurized/sanitized in a solution to about 180ºF for ~10 minutes. These changes have added much more flavor, even as of bottling.

• Brew Date: Oct. 20, 2009
• Initial Gravity Reading (O.G.): 1.074
• Bottling Date: Dec. 2, 2009
• Final Gravity Reading (F.G.): 1.000
• Alcohol: ~10%

Ingredients

• 5 gallons apple cider, Thistledown Farm, Junction City, Oregon
• 5 campden tablets (one for each gallon jug)
• 3 c. raw honey (purchased from Home Fermenter Center)
• 1 packet Lalvin EC-1118 Yeast
• @bottling: 3/4 c. corn sugar + 1 pt. water

Process (from notes)

On Sun. Oct. 18, 2009
Purchased 5 gal. Thistledown Farm Apple Cider @ $6.49 per gallon (unpasteurized, no preservatives). Added 1 campden tablet to eachjug, shook and set in garage (between motorcycle and water heater closet, to minimize exposure to sunlight).

On Tues., Oct. 20, 2009
Purchased yeast and honey. Pasteurized 3 c. raw honey by combining with 1/3 gal. cider and heating to 180ºF for 10 minutes.

Proofed yeast in 2 oz. 100ºF water for 15 minutes.

Added honey mixture and yeast to 5-gallon carboy, followed by all cider. Used pour to aerate.

Rich, orange color at adding to carboy. Can’t wait to see what the honey does!

Oct. 25, 2009, Incredible fermentation. Very stormy inside carboy. Beautiful gold color.

Nov. 8, 2009, Fermentation has subsided, yeast has settled; beer has clarified and calmed to a pale straw/gold color. Temp ~68ºF. Bottle around Thanksgiving?

Dec. 3, 2009, At tasting, champagne-like dryness from yeast. Clear, clear, clear! Gravity — water. 1.074 OG, and batch 1 I Do was 1.077. Crisp, apply flavor with a bit of grass, and reminiscent of dry white wine. “You could enter this,” says Jodie. Carboy had a good 3-4” layer of sediment, which decreased yield somewhat. Could’ve added more water to batch?

Update: We haven't tried a bottle yet, but will be in early March at approximately the 3-month point.

Crack a Cold Cider

"Brewing" cider has been a lot of nearly effortless fun. I take a break from brewing during the summer months, and the cider is now the first or second brew of the season. And it couldn't be easier — my wife and I truck up to one of the nearby farms, buy cider, swing by the brew shop for yeast, and away we go. Most of our cider-making is time: long primary fermentation, followed by long bottle conditioning.

Naturally, this isn't the only way to make cider, and as with all things brewing you can get as in-depth as you want. This simple way works for us, and has been turning out good cider. Looking forward to cracking the 2009 batch as we make the 2010 batch!

Calling Eugene Food Bloggers

Calling all food bloggers in Eugene/Springfield/Lane County

A reporter contacted me recently and is looking to interview 5 food bloggers who live in Lane County. If you're interested, please contact me by Saturday, Feb. 13, and I'll put you in touch.

Contact Anthony St. Clair:

• anthony at antsaint dot com
• dm twitter: antsaint
• message me on facebook

Winter Bean Soup

One of my and Jodie's wedding gifts was Elin Kristina England's cookbook Eating Close to Home: A Guide to Local Seasonal Sustenance in the Pacific Northwest. With recipes organized by season, I've enjoyed trying winter recipes and brightening up gray days with tasty food.

The Mix

On page 50-51, the "Bean Soup Mix" and "Might Fine Bean Soup" recipes inspired me to raid our cupboards and start mixing dry beans and grains for a soup base:

"Anasazi beans, pinto beans, black turtle beans, black-eyed peas, Great Northern beans, baby lima beans, large lima beans, green and yellow split peas, small red beans, adzuki beans, barley. Go have fun in your local bulk foods section, filling bags with fairly equal amounts of each of the above. Take them home, mix in a big jar, and when you need a pot of soup, retrieve about 2 cups of the mix and off you go! This is my favorite blend of beans, but obviously, the variations are endless."

I mixed together equal parts of the following, but as England says, use whatever sounds good and/or what you have on hand:

• Split peas
• Yellow lentils
• Adzuki beans
• Kidney beans
• Black beans
• Navy beans
• Chickpeas
• Barley (bulgar wheat or quinoa are other good grains to consider)

It's pretty — but is it tasty?

Yes.

The Soup

With 2 cups of this mix, garlic, bay leaves, frozen beef stock, and some pork and beef bones, I whipped up a hearty bean soup, perfect both for a January night and for thick crusty bread.

Here's the ingredient list from England's Mighty Fine Bean Soup recipe, on page 51:

• 2 cups Bean Soup Mix
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 quarts water
• 2 smoked ham hocks
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1-quart jar of tomatoes, chopped, juice reserved, or 1 large can plum tomatoes, or an equivalent amount of frozen tomatoes
• 1-1/2 tsp. chili powder or 1 chopped chile pepper or 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• Juice of 1 lemon

I made a couple of modifications:

• We didn't have a ham hocks, so instead I got a pork bone and beef bone out of the freezer, sauteed them in the olive oil with chopped onion and garlic, and left them in during the 2-hour simmer
• Substituted 2 cups of the water with beef stock
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• Also made a note of future modifications, such as adding different vegetables, potentially including potatoes, greens, celery, carrot

The prep for this soup is easy, and the 2-hour simmer time requires nothing from the cook.

England recommends the traditional step of soaking the beans overnight, which I don't bother with. After sauteing the bones, onion and garlic, I added the bay leaf, beans and liquid, bringing everything to a boil, then covering, reducing the heat and simmering for 2 hours (one hour of which Jodie and I used for our yoga date). After the two hours, I added salt, pepper, chili powder, lemon juice, and tomatoes, simmered a few more minutes, then let the soup rest for 10 minutes before tucking in.

The result? A tasty, simple soup that is hearty good eating on a winter night.

Enjoy!

You'll See

Ten years ago, I moved to Oregon. I'll be reflecting on that throughout 2010.

"I'm moving to Oregon," I said in 1998 to my friends and family in Virginia.

"Well, sometimes you have to get used to disappointment," some said. "You'll see."

I moved to Oregon in 2000 and have lived here ever since.

"That's good that you're doing all this globetrotting now," I've heard so many times over the years, between trips to Scotland, Ireland, India, Thailand, China, Tibet and Nepal. "Once you get married and get a house, well, that'll be it. You'll see."

In 2006, my soon-to-be fiancee and I bought a house. In 2007 we got engaged, and joked about our "pre-honeymoon" trips to New York and Australia in 2008.

We married in 2009, and are planning trips to Canada and Scotland.

"Well, sure, you're doing all that traveling, but wait till you have kids. You just can't do that sort of thing with a family. You'll see."

Once my wife and I start a family, we'll be studying the atlas harder than ever. We're thinking some time living abroad — New Zealand, perhaps — would be a memorable, unique learning experience for our kids, and a great time for us as a family.

We'll get there.

You'll see.

Babies, Toddlers and Parents Learn Music in Downtown Eugene

Editor's note: In the interest of full disclosure, I'm posting this for my wife. She's a dang good violin teacher, and is celebrating her studio's one-year anniversary by launching a new program for infants and toddlers:

Early Childhood Music Education Classes Start in February at Eugene Suzuki Music Academy

Studio Open House Wed., Jan 27

Parents have a new way to share quality time with their infants and toddlers, while engaging children in the fun of learning and playing music.

Starting in February, the Eugene Suzuki Music Academy (ESMA) will offer Early Childhood Music Education for children ages 0-3. Small group classes use instruments, songs and games to build life skills including self-confidence, language, memory, listening skills, coordination, social interaction and self-expression. No prior music experience is necessary.

“Children love to learn and benefit from learning experiences even in infancy,” says Jodie St. Clair, director of ESMA and registered Suzuki violin teacher. “These music classes are set up to be a fun yet educational time for child and parent to share.”

Classes will be held at ESMA’s downtown Eugene location at 170 W. 12th Ave. Parents can choose from two times: Tuesdays from 10-11 a.m., or Saturdays from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Space is limited in order to give children the best learning environment. Families can register over the phone at (541) 285-6655 or online at www.eugenesuzukimusic.com.

Parents can learn more about ESMA during an open house on Wed., Jan. 27, from 6-8 p.m.

Twitter in Real Life: Eugene Tweetup

About 15 geeks lovely people (nearly) put down their iPhones and came out to La Oficina on 15th & Willamette for a wee Eugene tweetup this evening. And no, we didn't just sit around and yap about Twitter or Twitter apps. Well, a little bit, sure, but over burritos and beers we talked about a little of everything, from good burritos around town to traveling, weddings to bacon, and much, much more.

It was a fun evening getting to know some area Twitter folks. If you're curious about local Eugene folks on Twitter, here's who came — check 'em out on Twitter:

• @daiyami
• @jennjoysmith
• @themannimal
• @bodrell
• @antsaint (me)
• @thedahling (chief organizer of this tweetup — thanks!)
• @jeremyherbel
• @jyonah
• @mikesax
• @ooh_lala
• @chiaslut
• @ymiris
• @j__rad
• @yaycha

Thanks to all who came out. This is... the 4th Eugene tweetup, I believe, and there'll be more to come!

More Eugene on Twitter »