Thirsty Thursday- Frederickburg Brewing Company

                                        Fredericksburg Brewing Company

Let me be honest; I am not a beer drinker.  My hubs makes up for me not drinking though.  I prefer wine.  That being said, I do like the atmosphere and history of breweries.   I like the breweries that are also resturants.  Probably because I like food way more than I like beer.  This blog post came about when I started wondering how many beers are made in Texas and the history behind them.  My family is big on knowing the history behind things.  (Yes, we might be a little nerdy but we make for fabulous conversation!) Once I started researching, I found that Fredericksburg  Brewing Company was one of the top ones in Texas.  They are the oldest brewpub in Texas and have been voted the best brewpub in Texas TWICE!  It's located in downtown Fredericksburg  in a 1890's 2 story building.  The bottom floor houses the dining area, their large air-conditioned Biergarten and a lager room.  The top floor has "Bed and Brew" rooms-12 rooms with baths.

Wondering what a "brewpub" is?  Simple!  It's a small brewery that also sells food!  They brew their own beer to sell as well as other beers.

I have been to the Fredericksburg Brewing Company and it is fabulous. It was crazy crowded when we went so I took that as a sign of good food.  

 Super cool for many reasons...

1.  Flags hang everywhere so my kiddos enjoyed learning different countries' flags.  (Educational opportunity, hello?!)

2.  The brewing equipment is visible behind the bar.  It's a work of art.  Gorgeous copper and stainless tanks shine brightly in the sunlight.  

3.  It sits in downtown Fredericksburg !!  It's a beautiful little historic German town.  Nothing more needs to be said other than location, location, location.

4.  It's surrounded by cute little shops that have great and unique items.  Have lunch there, make sure the hubs has a couple of beers...shopping trip just got better.  Hubs might be less likely to notice how much stuff you're buying.  (Completely hypothetical scenario!  But it did work!)

5.  The food is fantabulous!  I ordered an appetizer (Brewer's Nachos).  It was early August and I had just climbed to the top of Enchanted Rock with family.  Needless to say, I wasn't very hungry.  More thirsty than anything!  The waiter could have warned me.  We are talking MOUNTAINS of chips, beans, ground beef, cheese and who knows what else!  The hubs and Red ordered regular lunch plates (of something I don't remember) and Chief ordered chicken tenders. Is it just my kid that orders that everywhere we go?!  

6.  The last reason I have is the best... It just a few doors down from a fudge shop!!!!!!!

So next time you're in Fredericksburg, go check this place.  Enjoy!

Hugs y'all!

Melissa-The Lone Star Ginger

Texas Tuesday- The Enchanted Edition

Each summer, we take a road trip with a "loose" agenda of places we want to see and eat at.  This past summer we took a trip to the beautiful hill country.  I mentioned the wineries in last Thirsty Thursday's blog.  Today's blog is all about one "enchanted" place right outside of Fredericksburg, Texas.   You feel like you can see the entire world from the summit.

 I am talking about Enchanted Rock. However, it is not for the faint of heart.  If you want to see those views, you are going to have to work for it!!  Be ready to climb straight up a steep mountain.  

Sure, it may not look that bad in the picture.  That's what I thought... boy was I wrong!  Make sure to take good walking/climbing shoes and plenty of water (especially if you are going in the summer).  We did the climb early one August morning.

So what is Enchanted Rock?  It is a GIANT pink granite rock formation between Fredericksburg and Llano.  It measures 500 feet tall, making it the second largest formation in North America.  It is estimated to be at least 1 billion years old, making it the oldest exposed rock in North America. The hike to the top is only 6/10 of a mile...but don't fool yourself...it's a tough 6/10!  The park does also offer 7 miles of hiking trails for those not interested in making the trip to the summit.

That's me after I climbed it with my kiddos and hubby!  After all the complaining about how hard it was, I would definitely do it again!!

PS-Pistol wants the readers to know if they get the summit and it smells less than fresh...that's because he broke wind up there!  That is his claim to fame.   (Welcome to my world!!)

Hugs ya'll
LSG

Thirsty Thursday-the first edition

Ok, so let me start off by saying I am no wine expert.  I am relatively new to the wine game. I am partial to the sweet ones...no not partial, those are the only ones I like.  So of course I pair my sweet red or white with anything and everything.    I am also partial to Texas wineries.  Really, what does California have over Texas wineries?  In my opinion, wineries are better here just because they are in Texas!  So I got to thinking, where are the best wineries in Texas?    That's when I stumbled upon this little beauty of a blog called Texas Wine Lover.  This couple have been blogging about Texas wineries for 2 years!  Now obviously, the best wineries are down in hill country around Fredericksburg.  We passed a ton last summer on hwy 290 on the way to Luckenbach ( you know with Waylon, Willie and the boys) but we did not get to stop.  I think it's frowned upon to bring a 12 year old and a 7 year old into a winery.  But I did get to stop in a place in downtown Fredericksburg called the Fredericksburg Winery.  I bought a sweet rose wine called Balanced Rock.  The hubs picked a muscat canelli (he chose it mainly for the picture on the bottle).  

I will say when you pair the sweet rose wine with fudge, you will think you have died and gone to heaven!  I could seriously have that for dinner every night!

Now that we've established where to find good wine (cause there's only one place: the hill country), how do you pair your food with it?  First and foremost, you are going to drink what you like.  I pair my favorites with spaghetti, hamburgers, steak, chicken or a candy bar.  Beyond that, apparently there are "suggestions" of wines to drink that bring out flavors in food.  According to Food and Wine Pairing, there are things to think about when choosing a wine.

Is the food mild or have lots of flavor?

Is the meat fatty or lean?

Is it rich or acidic?

Match mild foods with mild wines.  Match rich foods with rich wines.  Let's say you are still totally clueless (because I still am).  Put wines with the foods they are grown with.  An example would be to match Italian food with Italian wines.

Like I said, I am no expert.  I can barely pronounce some of the wines on the list at restaurants.  Maybe that's why I stick to the sweet ones.  I am going to add some of the wineries from Texas Wine Lover to our next road trip...maybe a road trip without kids.