A Very Stitch Fix Christmas

Happy New Year, everyone! Can you believe it is already 2015? I absolutely cannot believe that Cameron is already halfway through his intern year of residency, which also means we are halfway through our time living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Crazy!

Things were quite busy for us this holiday season. We had lots of family in town and played host from the weekend before Christmas up until the eve of New Year’s Eve. Before our guests arrived, I made sure to schedule a stitch fix as a little gift to myself. I did this last year too and it seemed like a perfect tradition to keep up! Knowing I had done this, my awesome mom informed me that she would treat me to this fix as a Christmas gift. Score! It was fun having my mom there as a second set of eyes to help me figure out what to keep from this fix. Once I made my decision though, my mom insisted that my fix be wrapped up and “couldn’t be opened” until Christmas day. Needless to say, I am happy that I now have some awesome new duds to for the new year. Drum roll, please… I give you my December 2014 Stitch Fix!

I loved the Lylah Gathered Waist Dress in navy ($58.00). Since most of my current dresses are sleeveless, it was nice to get a short sleeve option in this fix. The material is soft and I own a few statement necklaces that would undoubtedly pair nicely with this dress. The way this dress gathers at the waist was so pretty.

And I adored the back loophole!

Next up, I tried on the Genie Colorblock & Striped Sweater ($68). I had specifically requested a sweater and was glad my stylist delivered. Also, since I have been looking to add some mustard and burgundy to my wardrobe, this item checked off a couple boxes for me. Cute, comfy, and another great item!

Genie Colorblock & Striped Sweater

My stylist included the Kaitlin Faux Leather & Shearling Drape Vest ($58) and recommended I pair it with the Genie Colorblock & Striped sweater.

Kaitlin Faux Leather & Shearling Drape Vest

To be perfectly honest, when I saw this vest sitting in the box I thought it looked hideous. It reminded me of something a man from the 1970s would wear. Feaux leather 70s biker dude, anyone?

But the more I tried it on and the more items I noticed in my closet that it would pair well with, the more the 70s biker dude feaux leather vest grew on me. After all, one reason I use stitch fix is to help me step out of my box and try something new, right?!

Not too shabby. Definitely a maybe. Continuing on…. my 4th item gave me even more burgundy and mustard to add to my wardrobe. I also had mixed feelings about the Tyson Scarf Print Tab-Sleeve Blouse ($38).

Tyson Scarf Print Tab-Sleeve Blouse

While I was a huge fan of the colors and could certainly use a long sleeve blouse, I was not so sure of my thoughts and feelings on the patterns. I like patterns and all, but wow! This was loud. Too loud for me?

Though, I did love the colors and I was a fan of the cute button detail on the sleeves. Decisions, decisions.

Lastly, my stylist pulled through with a great blazer! It is the same Benson 3/4 Ruched Sleeve Blazer ($78) as I received in my November fix, but this time in a medium instead of a small, and a beautiful navy instead of striped! LOVE!! So happy about this item. I was glad I held out for a blazer that was solid colored as I had hoped for and didn’t settle on one that was a little too tight. This one fitted perfectly!

Benson 3/4 Ruched Sleeve Blazer

The verdict: the dress, the sweater and the blazer were all a definite yes, but the vest and blouse were solid maybes. In the end, I decided to step out of my box and kept all 5 items. The 25% discount for keeping the entire fix has always been a good incentive to get more bang for my buck and has gotten me to keep items that I was on the fence about. The discount has also been a deciding factor for me in the past, so I am no stranger to this strategy when I wasn’t sure about keeping certain items. It has often been cheaper to keep all and receive the discount than to send back 1, or even 2, items while receiving no discount. Some of my favorite and most worn items were ones that I wasn’t sure about, but kept anyway to see if they grew on me… somehow, they quickly became staples in my closet! (Stitch Fix always knows best, sigh!) I’m quite pleased with this fix and have already worn the vest a few times. (The box has officially been stepped out of. Take that, box!) It was a very Merry Stitch Fix holiday, indeed. Thanks, Mom!

Until next time…. have a good pint for me!

 

Crafting and Drinking Craft Beer

I have never been the “crafty” type.  And I’m not talking beer, here. I’m talking the artsy fartsy creativity that has always had me wondering how people do it, because I sure as hell never possessed it. A couple months ago, I was taking our German Shepherd, Lucy, over to my friend Brittany’s house for a play date with her pug (and yes, they are hilarious together). She had the cutest wreath on her door (Cute wreath? This doesn’t sound like a thought that has ever crossed my mind before).  I made a comment about how much I liked her wreath and Brittany tells me that she made it herself. Say WHAT?! Impressive. She proceeded to show me other wreaths she had made over the years for various seasons and occasions. Even more impressive. We then got this crazy idea that I should try making a holiday wreath, and, all of a sudden, it was official. I was going to make a wreath. And with this decision made, I was in need of a serious wreath-making-decoration-crafting 101 session with Brittany. She’d bring the hot glue gun and I’d bring the craft beer.

I brought along Back Forty Beer Company’s Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale, a medium bodied, regionally local brew that proved to be great for sipping while crafting.  We each poured a pint, the dogs were content at play, and we got started creating my holiday wreath!

We started with this wreath skeleton, purchased from our local jumbo craft store. From there, I wrapped ribbon around the skeleton. Brittany glued the ribbon in place for me since I had not yet proven myself worthy of hot glue gun usage. 😛

We then arranged the holiday decorations around the wreath. Once we were satisfied with the look, I got to gluing!

It took some time and burnt fingers, but finally my fun and festive holiday wreath was complete: tada!

Since my crafty wreath making was such a success, much thanks to Brittany’s guidance and creative expertise, we decided to take things one step further. Holiday wine bottle crafts anyone?! Luckily, our fur babies were patient and kept themselves occupied…

Brittany started by spray painting wine bottles. One for Santa, one for a snowman, and two for reindeer.

I cut felt for Santa and the reindeer while Brittany spruced up our craft shop mini hat with leaves and jingle bells for the snowman.

I wrapped the top of Santa with burlap and hot glued felt, jingle bells, and buttons while Brittany made reindeer antlers out of pipe cleaners and a snowman scarf out of ribbon.

We pretended we were playing “Reindeer 40 hands.”

And here it is…. our latest holiday creation! Santa and snowman, flanked by the reindeer.

Oh yeah…. and the dogs were tuckered out too….

I am so proud of my first crafting experience since, well, elementary school?! Maybe I do have a bit of an artsy creative side after all.  I must say that crafting and craft beer went quite well together. We’ll have to see what Brittany has in store for me next….

Until next time…. have a good pint for me!

Uinta Brewing Company’s Crooked Line Labyrinth

Whew. I cannot believe over two weeks have gone by since my last post! I have been stuck in the land of finals and holiday prep since December began. Luckily, finals are all done (Woohoo!), decorations are up (more on that to come…), and I am well in the swing of all things that include preparing for our holiday guests. Before I dive into beer, I want to note that I added a widget down at the bottom of my home screen. (I’m learning here, and I’m so excited about it!) Yup, that’s right. You can see my most recent instagram posts down there. Feel free to check me out if you are on instagram @amandacj09. I instagram what I’m drinking day to day quite regularly, so all you beer nerds out there will certainly enjoy the beer porn!

Cameron and I dove into another barrel aged beer this week! And a very highly rated one at that.

We popped bottles… ooh yeah!

This is Labyrinth Black Ale by Uinta Brewing Company of Salt Lake City, Utah.

This black beauty is a Barrel Aged Quadruple Black Ale aged in rye whiskey barrels and is part of The Crooked Line series by Uinta Brewing. The Crooked Line series is a small batch series brewed in its own separate brewery. The smaller batched beers in this series are typically higher alcohol content, aged in barrels, and, fun fact, the brewery is 100% wind powered. (I love this so much!)

The aroma includes hints of roasty malt, licorice, a little oak and a little sweetness. Cameron indicates this aroma as a classic of what he would call “barrel aged smell.”  A licorice taste becomes noticeable upfront and follows through.  It is also roasty and and sweet with a bittersweet aftertaste.  After taking a sip of Labyrinth, there is more bitterness in the finish than malts. It is surprising to me how bitter the finish is, especially considering how malty the aroma and initial flavor are. Oak flavor develops and becomes more evident as the beer warms up. At a whopping 13.2% alcohol content, any “alcohol-y” taste is completely masked. Labyrinth has a moderate mouth feel. It is lighter than I expected given this style of beer and its dark and silky appearance.  I absolutely love how the complexity changes and develops more and more as it warms up.

I need to be on the look out for other beer from Uinta’s Crooked Line series. I had not realized this series was even a thing until coming across the Labyrinth and looking further into it. Have you ever tried anything in the Crooked Line series? I am curious as to what I have been missing out on!

More to come later this week….

Until next time…. have a good pint for me!

Harviestoun Brewery’s Ola Dubh 18 Year Reserve

Cameron had one heck of a month on his most recent medicine wards rotation. And by “had one heck of a month,” I actually mean it was brutal. As a physician doing an internal medicine internship, he rotates between different medicine services each month. This month he was counting down the days until December 1, where a more laid back clinic schedule was the light at the end of the tunnel. The month dragged on and on, and then, almost as if out of the blue, it was November 30. Cameron came home from work and we both realized that we could finally turn around and wave goodbye to November in the rearview mirror. Not a 16 hour work day in sight for the next month. No more lonely breakfasts (yes, we can eat week day breakfasts together again, score!) To commence the coming of December, we had set aside a little something special, an “end of November celebration beer,” saved up specifically for this joyous occasion. Friends, meet Harviestoun Brewery’s Ola Dubh Ale 18 Year Reserve, bottled on February 2012.  The Ola Dubh was brewed in Scotland and matured in casks from Orkney’s Highland Park distillery.

The aroma was like a mild peaty scotch, but without the knock you on your ass whiff of an actual scotch. Add in the subtle scent of sweetness, and an even more subtle hint of chocolate, and there you have the Ola Dubh. Upon taking a sip, there was the initial hit of sweetness, followed by bolder notes of toffee and chocolate malt. Cameron, a lover of fine scotch, bourbon, and whiskey, commented that the finish was very much characteristic of a Highland single malt scotch. This makes total sense because the Ola Dubh was aged in Highland Park 18 year casks.  As for me, a non-seasoned drinker of all things scotch/bourbon/whiskey, I simply thought the finish was smooth with a subtle sweetness. Mouthfeel was heavy and viscous, which was befitting of its Scottish name “Ola Dubh” meaning “black oil”. Though this was more subdued than other barrel aged beers that I have tried. Overall, this was a very smooth beer.

I’m not usually a huge fan of whiskey barrel aged beers. While I do appreciate their complexity, I do not enjoy the sensation of liquor taste and smell that often times accompanies, and can even overshadow, the beer itself. In our house, those beers are considered to be “Cameron beers.” Lucky for me, this was not the case for the Ola Dubh. I genuinely enjoyed this one, as it was not too powerful and did not possess that “too liquory” sensation. I can confidently say that I would gladly consume a glass of the Ola Dubh on my own, as opposed to having just a few appreciative sips, as is normally the case with “Cameron beers.” Who knows, maybe I am experiencing a change of palate and the Ola Dubh is my gateway beer into the realm of all things reminiscent of Scotch, Bourbon, or Whiskey. Craft beer is wonderful like that. Try new beer. Appreciate new beer. Establish that ever reforming palate and enjoy.

Until next time…. have a good pint for me!

Rogue Double Chocolate Stout

Finally, it is getting chilly here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast!  Normally, I hate to be cold and throughout my life I have tried to avoid cold weather like the Plague (for your reference: 6 year old Amanda refusing to sled on snow days; university attended in Florida; last and current places lived? Southern Texas and Southern Mississippi) but this year is different. The stifling heat of my first summer in Mississippi has caused my body to want some winter ASAP. Yes, I said it. Bring on the winter. (Everybody who knows me, and their mother, is taking a collective gasp at that one.) As crazy as it may sound for those words to be coming from me, it must be noted that I have always appreciated the colder months for one simple beer drinking reason: Stouts. Yes, I know, there are plenty of stouts out there that are brewed all year long, but it just feels so good and so right to drink them when the air is cool and crisp. This week I’m drinking Rogue’s Double Chocolate Stout.

Upon first whiff, I catch the scent of a dark chocolate truffle. Intriguing. Time to sip. The mouthfeel is weighty, though not too thick and certainly not light. This beer has presence in a not too overbearing manner. I also catch a sense of bubbly, which is something I notice in this stout more so than that familiar milkiness other stouts may possess.

Rogue’s Double Chocolate Stout has a dark chocolate truffle taste with a sweeter finish than I pick up in the aroma. The taste of chocolate is that of a very dark chocolate. My husband, Cameron, mentioned that it tastes almost like a bakers chocolate. Upon further research, I learned that this beer is brewed with dutch bittersweet chocolate. Knowing this really helps me make sense of the beer and put words to a taste I felt like I couldn’t initially describe. It makes so much sense! The chocolate flavor is full and bold. It is complex, well rounded, and straight forward.

I am thoroughly enjoying Rogue’s Double Chocolate Stout (will purchase and consume again, 100%).  I am impressed to find that it is a winner of three World Beer Championships Gold Medals. (Well earned, for sure!) But do you know what is so cool that I never realized and just learned? Rogue includes food pairing labels on their bottles. (How did I not pick up on this before?! It’s like I’ve been living under a rock.)  Too cool. SO cool. Check that out! Rogue recommends this particular brew in a pairing with beef or dessert. While I’m sure either of those would be delicious, I had my snifter of Rogue on its own.

Until next time…. have a good pint for me!

Crooked Letter Brewery Tour

You’ve heard me mention their name before. You’ve either seen me or read about me drinking their beer. And now, I get to talk about their brewery tour. You guessed it, we made our way over to nearby Ocean Springs, Mississippi and went to Crooked Letter Brewing Company last weekend! This was my forth visit to Crooked Letter since moving to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Yup, that’s right, I’ve been there 4 times in the past 5 months. It never gets less fun.

Group shot at Crooked Letter Brewing Company, Ocean Springs, Mississippi

Upon walking through the front door of the brewery I enter a small, yet charming tasting room filled with fun beer decor. To the right, I pay for the tour and can look at/purchase merch if I so desire. The tour is $5 and includes 6 beer samples or $10 for 6 samples and a pint glass to take home! (Pro tip: I bring my previously purchased glass along on visits to use for sample tasting! This is the way to go, as I still look cool with my pint glass and don’t have to sip beer out of the small, plastic sample cups that are otherwise provided.) To the left is a small bar where I can fill up on samples. This visit the brewery had 4 beers on tap, though on previous visits they have had 5-7 brews to choose from. Crooked Letter is a very small brewery, so when they run out, they run out. No worries about only having 4 this time, as everyone in my group found a favorite or two to resample. The 4 beers available just so happen to be the same 4 beers that are brewed year-round: Crooked Heffy American Hefeweizen, Stabello Italian style Lager (sound familiar?!), Mystery Romp Porter, and Gypsy IPA.

The good stuff

Typically there is time to try a beer or two before the tour starts.  It starts in the back where the brewing process begins…

Where the magic begins at Crooked Letter Brewing Company, Ocean Springs, MS

Where the fermentation magic happens at Crooked Letter Brewing Company.

I don’t want to talk about the tour too much because I want you to go visit for yourself! But I always learn something new on each tour. The tour guide will go into as much detail as you would like. Every guide we have had has been so well informed and great to talk to.  This is so fun for me and the hubs, as we always inevitably get into some seriously awesome and long lasting beer conversation with our guide by the end of the tour.

A lovely Crooked Letter bottle display at the end of their bottling line. Check out the 6 pack cases. Is their artwork cool or what!!?

After the tour, there is plenty of time for me to finish up my samples. I love visiting Crooked Letter because it is so small scale and personal. The entire brewery is run by 3 people, with the help of a handful of volunteers.  The intimate setting is a breath of fresh air compared to other brewery tours I have been on in the past. If you find yourself on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, do yourself a favor and be sure to visit this place. You will find an intimate brewery setting, extremely friendly and knowledgeable people to talk about beer with, and most importantly, samples of ridiculously delicious local craft beer.

Until next time…. have a good pint for me!

Beer of the Week: Shiner Oktoberfest

One exciting thing for a craft beer lover like myself is the anticipation and release of seasonal beer. Fall is in full swing (and quickly ending, might I add. Where are you going, November?!) and with the season comes the seasonal beer. The first fall seasonal I ever tried, and quickly fell in love with, was the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale.  Its brown ale style paired with the fantastically fall aroma and flavor of pumpkin was enough to draw me in and lead me to explore more Dogfish Head beer, and, in turn, more craft beer. (Sigh, college. Those were the days…) While I still adore the Dogfish Punkin and look forward to its release every fall, I have recently felt as though autumn trips down the beer aisle have been a constant battle of clawing my way though pumpkin beer to find something, ANYTHING else that will satisfy my fall taste bud needs without being too sweet. I was complaining to my husband about this very topic a few weeks ago. It was the typical pumpkin beer rant that any craft beer lover has either said before or heard before. “Having this many pumpkin beers is ridiculous.” “Why are there so many crappy, sweet tasting “pumpkin” beers swarming the shelves?” “They aren’t even good.” “Ew, this pumpkin beer is too sweet and doesn’t even taste like pumpkin.”  “It just taste like pumpkin pie spices. Why would they do this?” Blah, blah, blah, on and on and on. Later that evening, we came across this article that was a long, but a great read. It expressed my similar thoughts SO well and made me feel less awkward and less beer snobby about my recent beer rants. (You mean someone else feels this way too? AND took the time to write this long ass article about it?! If that isn’t a win, I don’t know what is!)

So I read the article and got to thinking… what about Oktoberfest? Why so much pumpkin? Why so little Oktoberfest? It was settled. My new mission was to find a new Oktoberfest to try. You know, to support the little guy as far as the fall seasonals go. My mission did not prove to be completely successful. I’m not sure if it is the lack of beer variety in Mississippi, but all I could find was the Sam Adam’s Oktoberfest and the Shiner Oktoberfest. Okay, so these are two Oktoberfest beers that I have had in the past and are not the most difficult to stumble across in any given location in the US. Regardless, I would not give up on my Oktoberfest mission for those reasons. I had a decision to make: I love Texas. I miss Texas. I went with the Shiner.

Spoetzl Brewery is located in Shiner, Texas. Although only an hour and a half drive from our home in San Antonio, I never made it over to tour this brewery. To me, Shiner beer is like the Yuengling of Texas. Simple flavors and easy drinking.

Shiner Oktoberfest is the fall seasonal for Spoetzl Brewery. This Oktoberfest is a Marzen-style ale, as opposed to a lager, which is the traditional beer type of an Oktoberfest/Marzen. The Shiner Oktoberfest is amber in color and filtered in appearance. I don’t pick up much in the aroma other than a hint of malt. The taste is refreshingly crisp and malty, followed up by the tiniest bite of bitter as it goes down. Mouthfeel is fairly light. It is a mild beer overall, which has been nice as we transition from warm and humid to chilly here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

While the Shiner Oktoberfest isn’t my most overwhelming recent beer find, it does satisfy my search and craving for an American Oktoberfest made just for fall…and that, my friends, is what matters most.

Until next time…. have a good pint for me!

Autumnfest at Keesler AFB

So there was a beer fest at the event center on base last week called Autumnfest. I happened to stumble upon this information the week before it happened. (Impressive!) I happened to walk into our on base housing community center where I also happened to pick up an “on base goings on” newsletter. I’m so glad the stars aligned and I found out about Autumnfest.  I had been thinking about the San Antonio Beer Fest recently, which took place in October. Naturally, I was beyond bummed that we couldn’t attend for the first time in three years, so it was good to see a beer fest happening, not just here in Biloxi, but on base! (…and to be located within walking distance from our house was a double win!)  Cameron and I met up with some friends, we each grabbed a small provided sampling mug, and off we went into the wild beer yonder! (Disclaimer: Phone pics to follow. Not the best quality. Pretend like it is the 90s or something and they will look just fine!)

Beer fest fun with hubby and friends!

Autumnfest was advertised to have samples of over 100 craft and domestic beers. Though there were plenty of tables with domestics and domestic craft fake-outs, Autumnfest did a solid job of providing enough regional and local craft beer to keep us satisfied for the entire three hour event.

We sampled numerous craft beers from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and beyond.

I love attending beer fests because they are a great place for me to rediscover beer I’ve had in the past. The event tends to put beer that I have not had in a while back on my radar.  I also love the ability to check out different breweries all at once, some I may not have known about.  Better yet, I sometimes even discover a new style of beer to try.

Crooked Letter Brewing Co. had quite the display at Autumnfest

As awesome as it is to try such a large variety of beer all at once, it is not the most awesome opportunity to make tasting notes. I must advise against forming strong opinions about any given beer at a beer fest. But, why, you ask? For starters, tasting so many beers back to back makes it incredibly tricky to make a proper assessment of each beer sipped. Every beer has its own set of unique characteristics, which, paired with the lack of a cleansed palate, does not bode well to form a well-rounded opinion. Secondly, how much of that one beer did you just drink, friend? Two sips per sample? Maybe three or four sips if you’re lucky? It just isn’t possible to fully appreciate the complexities of aroma and taste of any given beer when being consumed from a tiny sample glass. (Unless, of course, you were too buzzed to realize you made your way over to a domestics table… you just took two sips too many, friend!) Speaking of buzzed, how buzzed are you anyway? Me thinks 20 sips total, 2 each of 10 different beers over the past half hour may not lead you down the best path for evaluating that 11th beer sample. Makes sense, right!?

Some beer may have been great and totally worth those few sips. Go out and support the brewery! Buy yourself that pint or six pack and enjoy! Not so fond of other beer? Tried a new style for funsies and didn’t like it? No problem! The beauty of the beer fest is to step out of your beer box with no strings attached. Otherwise, if it is a style you would normally drink but aren’t feeling that particular taste, try not to write it off completely. You may be running a case of beer fest blur.

Enjoying a Mystery Romp Porter by Crooked Letter Brewing at Autumnfest

Autumnfest was good times. I reaffirmed my love of some local beer. I discovered other brews that are new to me and will certainly require a proper full pint while visiting a local craft beer bar or taking a stroll down the grocery store beer aisle. I had wonderful conversation with great friends and brewers. A successful night, indeed. Here’s to hoping I stumble across news of another gulf coast beer fest soon!

Until next time…. have a good pint for me!

Stitch Fix Review for November 2014

Excuse me while I put down my pint for a moment and get girly. I have been using Stitch Fix, an online personal styling service for over a year now and just received my 8th fix!  A quick overview for those of you who don’t know how it works: First, you fill out an online style profile with your sizing and clothing style preferences. You can then schedule a date for your shipment. There is no subscription commitment for this service. When you create an account you can use it as much or a little as you want. When your fix ships, a $20 styling fee will be charged to your card. This fee will then go toward the items you decide to keep from your fix. Each fix includes 5 items ranging from any and every type of clothing to accessories. You have three days to try on all of the items and to decide what you want to keep and what you want to send back.  If you decide to keep all 5 items, you will receive a 25% buying discount for the entire fix. Shipping is free both ways and a bag is provided for returns. As you use the service more the stylists will become more familiar with your preferences, making your fixes even better.  I love using Stitch Fix. It is pretty much the greatest thing ever, especially if you are like me and tend to get impatient when you go shopping. If you are interested in learning more about Stitch Fix or want to try it out, feel free to use my referral link. I will receive a credit for referral, so help a sister out! 😉

Anyway, without further ado (and please, do excuse my “just woke up” ponytail of a mess), I give you my latest fix.

Xander Short Sleeve Woven Black Sweatshirt and Kate Distressed Boyfriend Jean

This top is the Xander Short Sleeve Woven Back Sweatshirt by Market and Spruce.  My stylist saw that I had pinned this on my pinterest and sent it my way- how attentive! It is fun, casual, and oh so comfy. I love the neutral solid gray in the front and the pop of hot pink in the back. At $54, this is a perfect piece for fall in the south. This top is a keeper!

Backside: Xander Short Sleeve Woven Black Sweatshirt and Kate Distressed Boyfriend Jean

Also featured in the pictures above: the Kate Distressed Boyfriend Jean by Kut From The Kloth.  These jeans are a bit big in the waist but fit well in the thighs- nothing a belt can’t fix!  They are extremely soft and comfortable, a refreshing change to the skinnies that currently dominate the jeans section of my closet. I had requested a medium wash, cropped jean and my stylist delivered. I am loving the wash and embellishments. At $78, these are also a keeper!

Esten Button-Up Sleeveless Blouse

This is the Esten Button-Up Sleeveless Blouse by Collective Concepts. I had requested something in mustard since it is a big color this fall, but I feel like I am drowning in this blouse.  I am glad that my stylist listened and delivered with the mustard color, but the fit just felt too big and the style isn’t form fitting enough for my taste. (This may be hard to tell with my arms by my side, but trust me, my arms are taming back the mass of fabric). When I tucked the top in, it didn’t look so bad and if I were still in an office environment five days a week wearing dressy skirts and dress pants I may have reconsidered. At $54, this item goes.

Benson Striped 3/4 Ruched Sleeve Blazer

I absolutely love this Benson Striped 3/4 Ruched Sleeve Blazer by 41Hawthorn. I have been asking for a dress up/dress down blazer and, once again, Stitch Fix delivered with this one. The ruched 3/4 sleeves are particularly fantastic and I was so excited when I first saw this item and pulled it out of the box. When I went to try it on, it was a bit tight in the shoulders and also a bit tight in the chest when buttoned up. I’m SO bummed to be sending this back, but at $78 I strive for perfection. Unfortunately, this blazer and I were not meant to be.

Melody Cowl Neck Dress by Renee C

When I first pulled out the Melody Cowl Neck Dress by Renee C, I wasn’t sure if I would like it. I appreciated my stylist sending me some burgundy, which I also requested to add to my fall wardrobe, but I couldn’t tell if this dress would deliver. After trying it on, I really liked the style of the dress, but it was too tight overall, especially around the chest and shoulders (not to mention it is certainly not “beer-belly” friendly! ha!) Anyway, this one goes back too. Maybe in another lifetime, if I had smaller boobs and drank less beer and ran more miles, this one would work out. Today is not that day and now is not that lifetime, and at $58, this one just wasn’t worth it to me.

Overall, I was slightly disappointed with this fix. The past few fixes were so good that I kept everything, so it was a little surprising to not have that be the case this time around. My stylist did listen to my requests and followed through with sending items I had requested, but sizing was off on some items (which has not happened for me very frequently, but, of course, can every now and then) and other items weren’t what I was looking for.  On the bright side, I got my cropped jeans and a great, casual fall top. I will have to put in more time dreaming of the perfect blazer, but hopefully my next fix will deliver!

Until next time…. have a good pint for me!

Beer of the Week: Stiegl’s Radler

This edition of Beer of the Week is either very late or a little early, depending on how you want to look at it. No need for me to get into the busy ridiculousness of this past week, so I’ll skip right to the liquid gold goodness. When Cameron and I went to The Bull Dog in New Orleans last week, we discovered a beer on their draft list that we had once before at World of Beer in Pensacola and absolutely loved: Stiegl’s Radler. Stiegl is a brewery located across the pond and then some in Salzburg, Austria.

Sharing a pitcher of Stiegl’s Radler at The Bulldog, Mid-city, New Orleans, LA

Stiegl’s Radler has a fruity aroma.  Its appearance is pale and cloudy, as opaque as a Hefeweizen, almost like an unfiltered Pilsner or Blonde Ale. Upon taking a sip, a sweet taste of grapefruit alongside some sour notes are recognized. It is not so intensely tart as a ruby red grapefruit, but more so like a white grapefruit. The mouth feel is light, with a bubbly finish and follows through with a fruity after taste.  Really, it reminds me of having a lightly boozed Italian grapefruit soda.  Stiegl’s Radler is not overly sweet like you might find in some framboise, depending on your palate of course.  I find this radler to be overall light yet well balanced. Traditionally, a radler is a mixture of half beer and half sparkling lemon soda (not to be confused with lemonade).  This would explain its low alcohol content of 2%, making for a refreshing and thirst quenching drink. (Porch sipping in the south, anyone?)  This boozy bev is one that beer lovers and beer haters can agree on. Admittedly, even the Gulf Coast hasn’t been hot these past few days (went down into the 30s overnight… what?!), but after a long evening of wandering about New Orleans with a hot and steamy feel still lingering in the air, this certainly did the trick for us.

Until next time…. have a good pint for me!