A lot of stuff

Skip Rock Distillery Snohomish

/ Roadtirement / 36 Comments

One of the last places we took in before our return to Indiana was a local distillery in Snohomish. The Skip Rock Distillery is known for its premium quality liquors. Their diverse product line includes two kinds of potato vodka, three award-winning rums, several whiskeys and an assortment of fruit liqueurs.

The street view

Some of Skip Rock’s award winners

 

 

 

 

 

The tasting room in downtown Snohomish is just off of the 1st Street main shopping area. The old brick building houses the street level shop and the actual working distillery. Our host told us that a remodeling project is coming, which will include a full cocktail bar.

Tasting menu

Six flights ready

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our son-in-law’s parents have also joined us and all of us visited the tasting room. We all had a flight of four samples. It was quite the experience having samples of everything from fruit liqueurs to gin to potato vodka.

Where it all happens

All thoroughly enjoyed the new tastes to our palates. In addition to tasting we did among us purchase some of the fruit liqueurs. These small local distillers are such a treat for several reasons. Normally, like Skip Rock, they produce premium products. In addition these small local businesses are the lifeblood of the town’s economy. We enjoy supporting local businesses.  Here is Skip Rock’s website.

A fun wine and beer walk

/ Roadtirement / 27 Comments

We had a most enjoyable wine and beer walk at the Mill Creek Town Center this evening. There were 10 stations, most had three wine samples, a couple had different samples of beer.

The Mill Creek Town Center is an upscale shopping and entertainment area. It includes restaurants, shops, banks and art galleries.



Diamond Knot Brewery and Alehouse

/ Roadtirement / 6 Comments

After we toured the Mukilteo Park it was off to the Diamond Knot Brewery and Alehouse. Maybe “off to” is misleading as the Brewery is next to the Historic Lighthouse on the waterfront, and only about 100 yards from where we were watching the water. The Diamond Knot Brewery occupies a massive building that formerly was a bus maintenance facility.

The entrance to the Brewery

The on tap menu board

A look at the bar: nice old counter seats!

 

 

 

 

 

Detail of the seasonal decorations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being a brewery we of course had to order a flight of four. We chose three IPA’s and one Lager for our flight. We found all four of the brews were quite tasty. These were all smooth, free of bitterness and worthy of consumption. We tend to like beers with lower IBU numbers. ABV%? We like 6.5 to 8.5. That covers a lot of beers!

Sampling a flight of beers is fun!

And as is our normal activity at a brewery, winery or distillery, we had to try the DKB bar food. We were not really that ready for a full meal. Maj opted for Fish and Chips without the chips. These 1/4 pound wild caught cod pieces were coated in beer batter and bread crumbs for a crunchy texture and delicious taste. (Maj now has a new favorite fish!) We also ordered the Elote Mexican Street Corn dip with spicy cream sauce and warm chips. Delicious!

A quarter pound of fish per piece!

This Street Corn dip was absolutely delicious

 

 

 

 

 

 

We really enjoyed our time at the Diamond Knot Brewing Company. The food and beer was great. The staff at this pub was very nice and efficient. Our server took very good care of us, and we also had a nice conversation with the manager as well.  We’d give a 5 star rating here.

 

 

Cotton Candy Grapes taste, ah, different

/ Roadtirement / 35 Comments

No pink, sugary, fluffy and sticky confection here

There it was : grapes labeled Cotton Candy

We thought the name on the bag of grapes was a cute company name: Cotton Candy. But no, that was the name and flavor of the grapes themselves. Welcome to the wonderful world of designer fruit.

They are not GMO. Seriously, they are not.

Our daughter tells us that this brand of grapes shows up just once a year, and is usually found on the grocery shelves for at most a few weeks in August and September.  The grapes are grown by a California company named the Grapery. And yes, they do taste like cotton candy!

Details are listed here on the package.

The history is that this variety of grapes was developed over a period of eight years of cross-breeding different strains of grapes. The hybrid Cotton Candy Grape is the result that is available now each fall. The Grapery has its vineyards in California’s southern San Joaquin Valley. The Grapery has other varieties of unique grapes, including Gum Drops and Moon Drops. Look for them during your next grocery shopping trip.

Trails End Taphouse and Restaurant

/ Roadtirement / 16 Comments

The Sunday lunch that we had at the Trails End was very unique and most enjoyable. The flights of beers and wines plus appetizers started things off. Great homemade comfort food sure filled us with the need for take home boxes too. We even found the beer we liked at Snoqualmie at this Snohomish restaurant! Bought a growler of it and a growler of Sangria Cider.