Beer and the Great Outdoors
Jul 18, 2011 Beer & Food, Celebration Worthy, Events, Good People
Today and tomorrow I’ll be on the gorgeous Rogue river once again this year on the Raft & Craft trip. White Water Warehouse and Women Enjoying Beer launched it last year with great success.
Raft & Craft on the Rogue
In the ensuing year that’s passed between then and now, the White Water Warehouse company is becoming part of the ROW Adventures Family – it’s a great new stage of change and we’re thrilled to be part of this years event. It’s easy to plan a great outing when you’re working with quality people – and they all are outstanding!
The trip actually started yesterday, with my colleague and friend Jamie Floyd of Ninkasi, and I driving the the lodge to take off with a bunch of fun and beer loving guests. We’re featuring Ninkasi beers this year and we’ll share all the details upon return.
Want to go next year? Let ROW know!
We’ll be back soon – Cheers to Rafting and Crafting.
Tags: Jamie Floyd, Ninkasi, Raft & Craft trip, Rogue River, ROW Adventures, White Water Warehouse
Watch the Raft & Craft Beer Tasting
Dec 1, 2010 Beer, Beer & Food, Celebration Worthy, Events
Wow! What fun this was – and the best part of it? We’ve got another Raft & Craft Trip coming up July 2011.
Take a look at one of our tastings after a glorious day on the beautiful and rollicking Rogue River.
Hope to see you in July – Get all the details here, at White Water Warehouse.
Prepare To Meet Your (Cocktail) Maker
Aug 31, 2010 Beer & Food, Events, Good People
What’s the difference between certified organic beverages and non?
Organic Nation Spirits
Well, besides the obvious, sometimes there is a special passion – of the organic pursuit variety.
I’ve recently had the uber pleasure of meeting and befriending Diane and David, Organic Nation Spirits. The gin and vodka they create is certified organic. Their passion is as clear as the delicious spirits they craft with great care and affection.
Good spirits, good beer, good wine. While we may all had our own affinities, it’s good to remain open minded to what makes other peoples’ clock tick tock.
Another common connection is the remarkable Joy and Bob of White Water Warehouse. In fact, this very day they are all on the Rogue River on a Martini Madness trip (no worries – imbibing happens at the end of the rafting day). If you’ve been reading you’ll know Joy and Bob invited me to be part of the inaugural Raft and Craft Trip in July (what a fantastic crew and trip!).
Meeting your maker can have a fun and not-6-feet-under meaning. And like Diane says, sip responsibly!
Tags: organic certification, Organic Nation Spirits, passion, White Water Warehouse
Raft & Craft – Day 3
Aug 10, 2010 Celebration Worthy, Events, Good People
dining room at Marial Lodge
July 20th – Day 3 and the final day of our inaugural Raft & Craft trip.
Dawn came again gently after a full nights sleep at Marial Lodge. We were at breakfast by 8 for a day of about 16 miles, through a canyon and much sunshine. Good bacon at breakfast only enhanced the day!
Off we went to get on the river by 9 am. The day felt chilly to start as we went through some striking narrow canyons for the first while. Completely different and we heard some good stories as we all rode. There are pretty of serious rapids, Blossom and Coffee Pot among them, which has WWW making sure everyone is safely on board the pontoon rafts. No sense taking foolish chances with Mother Nature.
Rogue River
This re-solidified the excellent and wise experience of Bob & Guy for the benefit of their guests. We all felt safe the whole time – which of course only makes the trip that much more enjoyable (and recommendable).
By midday lunch stop, we’d seen lots of turtles, plenty of other traffic including the jet boats on tour, and several other rafting parties. A few areas of still(er) water had Bob and Guy using the oars more to move us along.
Lunch was generous again with BLT’s – mmmmm! – and more fresh fruit and veggies. On the river again after a bite to finish the float.
Landing safely around 145ish (no watch on), Bob & Guy easily navigated us to a ramp, where we all proceeded to unload and unpack. After all the fanfare of that, the rafts were loaded on the trailer,
pontoon rafts safely loaded up
some of the guests said goodbye and headed off, and we climbed into the truck to drive back over the pass to Galice, where cars were parked upon our launching.
The road over the pass is rather dramatic and closed in the winter for good reason – it rises from 90 feet above sea level to over 5000! And I couldn’t help but think - “what a great ride this’d be on a snowmobile!” Anyway, just shy of 2 hours later, we slid into Galice, gathered gear and bid adieu.
What a spectacular trip! Ultra hospitable, safe, fun, refreshing, tasty, energizing and now I can’t wait for next year.
Thanks to Ninkasi & Russian River for great beers
Thanks to Joy & Bob, Guy and guests for allowing me to share those 3 delightful days with them.
Life is good.
Tags: adventure, departure, Raft & Craft trip, White Water Warehouse
Raft & Craft – Day 2
Aug 9, 2010 Beer, Beer & Food, Celebration Worthy, Education & Training, Events, Good People
Life jackets for the river rafting
July 19th
Yaaaaaawn…smack smack….waking up with the natural light is a treat. That’s how day 2 came about on our Raft & Craft Trip. After a fantastic first day, we’re all all-ready for another one.
Everybody rousted out and up to breakfast at 8, with one slow riser who came happily and sleepily in a bit into the meal. No real big deal…we’re on relaxed mode. After a brief good morning and a warm breakfast, we returned to our cabins to pack and be at the river for day 2 by 9:30 to set out.
So we were. Loaded up, ready to go and off we went at about 945ish – another blue sky sunny day ahead of us on the Rogue.
View from the pontoon style raft
I kayaked again for a short bit then was happy to give it to a guest for the rest of the day. I tell you what – I honestly don’t remember the last time I felt so relaxed and alert at the same time! Riding on the raft, soaking up the sun like a sunflower, and feeling so well taken care of.
The morning was smooth again with a variety of rapids as well as an opportunity to jump into the river and float along with the rafts with a life jacket – very refreshing. One of the other kayakers joined the Dunkers Club too!
We stopped for lunch for more fresh tasty fare with a cliff high view of the river. After we were full we set out for the Rogue River Lodge, an historic stop along the river with a colorful history including past visits to some Hollywood celebs years back.
Historic Rogue River Lodge
We meandered around, taking in the museum, a few of us jumped into a crystal clear swimming hole (COLD – whew!), and then headed back to our rafts.
It was only a short bit downriver till our nightly lodging – Marial Lodge - which was entirely lovely and comfortable. The crew proceeded to group unpack again – many hands, you know – and took to assigned cabin rooms. As I offered up to meet in one hour later for the beer tasting upon our arrival, several of the goers said “We have to wait an hour?!”. Good response….and it told me the guests were thoroughly enjoying a great combination trip.
After everyone was once again showered up and had wandered back to the lodge, I had the table set
Tasting night 2
and ready for the 2nd night of beer tasting and pairing. Here’s the menu we enjoyed:
- Ninkasi Double Red Believer with molasses ginger cookies – also paired with the smoked salmon and Oregon Hazelnuts
- Ninkasi Oatis Oatmeal Stout with Dagoba chocolates (milk & dark)
- Russian River Temptation with tangy chevre on water crackers
MMMMMMMMM! Again, met with happy enthusiasm and ‘mmm-ing’ all around.
Dinner in the adjacent dining room followed our tasting on the deck and we all savored a dinner and good company, including 2 other guests staying at the lodge. One of the very unique things about Marial Lodge is the turn tables at the tables - space saver, serving genius. Our host Lori told me her uncle, who had the lodge previous, hated wasted or unused space.
Marial Lodge on the Rogue
The rest of the troop bug doped up and went for a walk. I stayed in and lazily read a few of the books on the coffee tables in the lodge – history, stories, nature.
One can only take so much stress, so I headed to bed as the sun went down. Ready to get an abundance of sleep again before day 3.
‘Night!
Tomorrow – Day 3
Tags: beer pairings with food, Marial Lodge, Ninkasi, Raft & Craft trip, Rogue River Lodge, Russian River, White Water Warehouse
Raft & Craft Trip – Part 1
Aug 6, 2010 Beer, Beer & Food, Events, Good People
Prepping the sturdy and stable pontoon rafts
July 18th
Gorgeous day dawns in Southern Oregon. Okay, well, it was really beautiful – partially because we were all looking forward to it as well. Funny how it’s as ‘nice’ as you want it to be.
I got up and drove to meet Bob and Guy at the Rand boat launch for the inaugural White Water Warehouse and Women Enjoying Beer Raft & Craft Trip. When I arrived they were both occupied preparing the 2 pontoon rafts, setting up equipment, gear, coolers, and so on. Practiced hands to be sure – they’ve been at this since 1983.
The guests began arriving at 9 am and everyone exchanged introductions. After our own bags were dry bagged and packed on board, Bob gave us a safety talk and we were off!
Lunching it up - Day 1
Down the lovely and very scenic Rogue River. That first morning, 3 of us experienced the trip at water level in inflatable kayaks. All life jacketed up, we floated along and had an ideal first morning.
Oh – and I started the trip Dunkers Club, going over twice – kerplunk! The key to kayaking, I learned, is to head straight into waves; being 90 degrees to them is how you’ll make it through them. The water, I’m here to tell you, was lovely and felt great in combination with a strong sun.
The river was also deep enough in most places to safely be in the river, legs dangling below you, with no fear of scraping. The tough part is getting back into the kayaks with a bulky (and important) life jacket. Once again, Bob & Guy are smart veterans who help guide you the entire trip so you are totally at ease and able to fully enjoy the adventure.
Tumultuous Rainey Falls
We put in at Rainey Falls for lunch where Bob and Guy proceeded to efficiently unpack and set up. It was obvious right away no would go hungry unless they simply didn’t eat! Fresh foods and plenty of it - cucumbers, hummus, blueberries, cherries, sandwiches (meat, tomatoes, trimmings, PBJ), pasta salad and lots of other stuffs. Lemonade and water to quench our thirst and restock the water bottles, a nice view to enjoy during the midday meal and a cloudless sky to gaze at. Tough job….
After repacking up and heading into the current again, we traveled a while more, with a stop at a water fall with a spot deep enough to cannon ball into – which some of us did following Bob’s lead!
Back into the current we go towards Black Bar Lodge, our accommodations for the night. We landed peacefully, everyone happily intact, around 5pm. After a quick group unload, we headed to our charming cabins, showered up and met in the lodge for the first beer tasting and pairing - 1 of 2 for the trip.
Craft Beer - the "Craft" part of the trip
This being the first time WWW & WEB have collaborated, it went off with much success. The lodge is comfortable, we had three courses and the very happy guests and gracious hosts all had a good time.
Ninkasi was our featured beer partner. And I couldn’t resist also featuring a Russian River beer each night too.
The menu the first night looked like this:
- Ninkasi Total Domination IPA paired with a robust blue cheese
- Ninkasi Radiant Ale with fresh mangoes and deep red plums
- Russian River Consecration paired with Dagoba chocolates (super fruit and Roseberry)
Mmmmmmmm! Lots of great questions and comments came from the group, we all polished off a few (taster) glasses of the beers and savored the foods.
Inside my Black Bar Lodge cabin
Needless to say, they were then really excited about the next nights treats!
After dinner, Bob shared some entertaining stories about the river, lodge and area folk which was totally relaxing. As if we weren’t relaxed enough! A little more conversation flowed and with the sun going slowly down, we all bade good night to each other after given our time to regroup for tomorrow and headed out to our cabins.
It didn’t take long for camp to be silent save for the deer and birds settling in around us. Lights out at 10 as the generators got turned off for the night.
To bed. Ahhhhh….
Day 2 – tomorrow.
Tags: adventure, beer pairings with food, Ninkasi, Raft & Craft trip, Rogue River, Russian River, White Water Warehouse
A Call From Joy
Aug 5, 2010 Beer, Celebration Worthy, Events, Good People
And what a call it was!
Joy & Ginger - raring to go!
Joy Henkle, White Water Warehouse, called me on a random (to me) day in May. She had found my site and was looking for interesting topics and people to write about.
She got ‘interesting’ (!) and we connected almost instantly. Thankful I am for her reaching out. Because one thing quickly lead to another and we put our heads together to hatch the inaugural Raft & Craft trip – fabulous white water rafting paired with delicious craft beer tastings at days end.
Brilliant Joy!
Joy and her Husband, Bob Meister, own and operate White Water Warehouse, a very competent class rafting company based out of Corvallis OR, one of the heart beats of the Hops industry in Oregon.
The trip went off smoothly July 18th – 20th with a great group of folks including very gracious guides and hosts – Bob and Guy.
The next three days will be the story of our trip from where I sat on the raft.
Enjoy the read – and know that there are more of these trips on tap for 2011. It’s a great time to plan now for a glorious adventure next year.
Tags: adventure, Raft & Craft trip, Rogue River, White Water Warehouse
Raft & Craft Trip
Jul 19, 2010 Beer, Events, Good People
WWW raft trip on the Rogue
Whew! How life goes round and round…
Friday was a fabulous Oregon Hops Growers Association BBQ hosted by S S Steiner in Brooks, Oregon. I was lucky enough to get to go and met several hops growers and other beer community enthusiasts and supports. Good people all (great food too!).
From Sunday through Tuesday I’ll be on the Rogue River with White Water Warehouse on a signature Raft & Craft Trip.
Joy, Bob and I will be plotting more beer and rafting adventures for 2011. In the meantime, visit their site and get in touch with questions. A raft trip would be a fantastic way to celebrate and reward your staff, treat your friends, and in general enjoy a few of the wonderful things our country affords us.
Now, where’d I put that paddle…
Tags: Ninkasi, raft & craft beer, rafting trip, White Water Warehouse
Jul 7, 2010 Beer & Food, Education & Training, Events
Come join us at 4 Daughters
The next Women Enjoying Beer meet up is coming up next week – July 15th, Thursday. This month we’ll meet at 4 Daughters Irish Pub in Medford.
In honor of Oregon Craft Beer Month, we’re featuring the realllllly tasty and diverse beers from Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) – Portland. Mmmmm!
Details:
- Thursday July 15th, 7 – 830 pm.
- Flight of 4 HUB beers and 4 matching foods (as usual feel free to supplement the evening with additional beer and food as you wish on your own, come early & stay late!).
- Only $15 per person for all the beer, food and fun.
- RSVP’s please by July 13th to me directly – this email or phone 515.450.7757.
Also – there is still room on the Oregon Craft Beer Rafting Trip put on by White Water Warehouse. What a fabulous opportunity to treat yourself and a friend to a great trip, fresh air, quality beer (Ninkasi) and meet new people – all in the splendor of the state of beautiful Oregon on the Rogue River. Details here.
fermenting wort
Speak up if you have requests of beers, locations, field trip destinations, and foods to try. Your input is valued and always encouraged.
We’re also very glad to be available to you for private events (beer, food, dinner parties, and the like). What a great way to celebrate friendships, business relationships, and employee appreciation by hosting a totally singular event for people who are important to you. Call me when it’s convenient for you to talk about the possibilities.
Get in touch today to save your seat – and one or three for friends joining you this month. Many thanks.
Cheers!
Ginger
Tags: 4 Daughters Irish Pub, HUB, meet ups, Ninkasi, Raft & Craft trip, White Water Warehouse
Raft & Craft + New Meet Up Beer Group
Jun 21, 2010 Beer, Celebration Worthy, Events
Two events on the near horizon to talk about today:
1. Raft and Craft – Joy and Bob have an Oregon Craft Beer Trip. Sweet! Raft on the gorgeous Rogue River, enjoy company of other fun folks, savor quality Ninkasi craft beer and stay in cozy lodges. Seems pretty complete.
We leave the 18th of July, return the 20th and Joy has all the details - contact her here.
2. 4 Daughters Irish Pub is starting their own beer group – the inaugural event is this Wednesday, June 23rd – open to all genders. We’ll be a hosting a tasty Beer & Cheese Fondue pairing. Mmmmmmmm! A classic combination – call them here for your tickets.
Get out and support the brewers of your neighborhood, region, and the world.
Beer makes the world go round in some very lovely ways.
Tags: 4 Daughters Irish Pub, Events, Ninkasi Brewing, oregon craft beer trip, White Water Warehouse
