Monday, April 25, 2011

How Girls Roll: Beer, Cupcakes, and Beauty Treatments

When The Beer Chicks throw an event with a female brewer, it was only natural to gear it towards the female bloggers out there. That was exactly what happened with Veronica Vega, the only female brewer at Deschutes Brewery (from Bend, Oregon) - and it was a blast.

Black Butte Porter
My fave Deschutes: the Black Butte Porter

Our little party took place at Benefit Cosmetics in Santa Monica, where we also got beauty treatments while sipping beers.
Benefits Cosmetics Santa Monica

OK, first thing's first: the beers!
My favorite of the Deschutes beers was the Black Butte Porter (5.2% ABV). I personally prefer this type of beer, rich and malty. This particular porter is rich in flavor and creamy, yet pretty light and smooth, which makes it a good entry point to darker beers. Christina Perozzi, one of the Beer Chicks, said that she wanted to clear up the misconception that women have that dark beers are heavy and bitter by introducing them to dark-yet-light-and-crisp like this porter.


Christina Perozzi, The Beer Chick
Christina Perozzi, one of the Beer Chicks
We also tried:
Mirror Pond Pale Ale (5% ABV) - I was apprehensive about trying this at first since I don't like bitter/hoppy beers much and pale ales can be quite bitter (though I know many of you love your IPAs). Luckily, although you can taste the hops, this beer was not overly bitter.

Jubel 2010 Decade Ale (10% ABV)- This is a "super" version of Deschutes' winter brew, Jubelale, and the 2010 marks the second bottling of this beer (the first was the Jubel 2000). The beer, which was aged in Oregon oak pinot noir barrels, is one strong caramel-y beer.
The Abyss 2010 (11% ABV)- The one keg we had at the party, this beer was named the Fifth Best Beer on Planet Earth by BeerAdvocate.com, aged in bourbon and pinot barrels. This stout is quite hoppy and bitter, yet it was rich and malty enough that I enjoyed it anyway - like a full bodied coffee.
Deschutes Beers
Veronica Vega started out at Deschutes as a tour guide but quickly moved on to the brewing side and is now the only female brewer there. She was recently promoted to head up the brewpub in downtown Bend.
Deschutes Female Brewer Veronica Vega
Deschutes' only female brewer, Veronica Vega

Oh, have I mentioned the porter makes great cupcakes? For this event, Hotcakes Bakes prepared some Black Butte Porter mini cupcakes. They were a big hit and paired perfectly with the dark beers we were drinking (I like it paired with the Black Butte myself). They were so moist and I loved the added crunch from the mini pretzels. I had to stop myself at three (I really wanted three more!)
Black Butte Porter Cupcakes
Black Butte Porter mini cupcakes!
If you come in for a make-up session at Benefit normally, it costs $50, but you get to deduct that amount from any purchase you made that day. The bloggers also got a gift card for $55 that night (there's your disclosure) and we had a hard time choosing among their great and cleverly packaged products.
Martini Shaker-shaped Perfume at Benefits Cosmetics
Martini shaker-shaped perfume. Cute, non?

Benefit Eye CreamAnd for disclosure purposes, here's what I ended up buying: Benefit Eye Cream (around $32), which helps conceal the dark circles under your eyes.

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