Food & Drink Part 2

Last weekend Andrew and I were coming back from spending the afternoon in Lancaster and took a slight detour on the way home. We stopped in Canal Winchester at the Brew Dog (www.brewdog.com) Brewery and Restaurant. This is one of Columbus' newest Breweries that was founded by some Scots, but is pretty much all-American (which I think was a little disappointing to Andrew).

Unfortunately the daily tour was all booked up, so we settled for looking around the gift shop (they have a scale model of the entire facility built entirely out of Lego!) and then sampling some beer inside the restaurant. We ordered a cheese sampler plate that came with a flight of (4) beers that were supposed to be good compliments to the cheese.

I think it only cost like $8-$12 and was probably meant for only one person because it was a pretty small amount of cheese (and maybe four chunks of bread) and a few pickles. One of the cheeses was really nasty, but we were hungry so we ate it anyway. Andrew commented, "Who would have thought you would use beer to wash away the taste of cheese?"

Out of our four (4 oz) samples one wasn't too bad, and I think that one had the nickname of 'Elvis Juice.' Since they have a restaurant, you can also order any other kind of liquor or food, which maybe we'll do on a future visit (or sit outside on their large dog-friendly patio). Still, we enjoyed our visit and it seemed like a nice place to chill out for an afternoon.

This past Wednesday I signed up for this one night class (offered by Upper Arlington Lifelong Learning):

Distiller for a Day: Aging Spirits 101 at Watershed

"Our local Watershed Distillery produces world-class gin, vodka, bourbon and apple cider brandy, using a specialized process and a custom-built copper still. Tour the distillery in Grandview and learn how these popular and potent libations are crafted. Try your hand at something different and enjoy a behind-the-scenes view of their fascinating distilling techniques as you observe a production run from start to finish. Then lend a hand to seal the barrel to begin the aging process. At the end of the tour, sample some Watershed spirits and also nosh on a selection of delicious appetizers prepared by the chef at their new Watershed Kitchen & Bar. Trust us, this is a fun and unique night out!"

It was definitely a fun night out. I only wish my husband Andrew could have joined me, but he had a company event he had to attend. Thankfully I’m not shy about going places on my own because I was the only single person there. There was a family of three, a married couple, and a group of ladies from Huntington Bank.

We started out the tour by going across the street to the warehouse where all the aging spirits in barrels (from Kentucky) are stored. I loved the story our tour guide (who is a distiller for Watershed) told us about how the company acquired the barrels. Apparently the place they drove to down in Kentucky would only sell them wholesale in large quantities. Not wishing to leave empty-handed they went around back to the loading dock and flashed some cash at a couple of the employees hanging out there and were able to leave with a pair so it wasn’t a wasted trip.

Dave carefully removed the cork from a cask of 100 proof apple cider brandy that was slowly aging so we could each try a sample. I think that’s the first time I ever had anything that potent, but I wasn’t afraid and was the first to grab a sample. At first my eyes slightly watered, but I love the way it felt nice and warm going down my throat. I had had a slightly dry scratchy throat all week and that definitely made it feel a lot better. I think after enough of those you not only don’t feel sick anymore, you probably don’t feel much of anything. I wouldn’t have minded perhaps one or two more samples.

I volunteered to help pound the cork back into the cask. A few good whacks and it was done and sealed and I feel I got out a few aggressions, so this was turning out to be a very healing evening.

Then Dave asked for a couple volunteers (at which point  a couple of the ladies from the bank stepped forward) to help transfer some gin from the plastic holding tank into a cask by one person holding the hose and the other assisting in some other way. There was a bit of spillage when it accidentally overflowed, but fortunately they stopped in time so not much gin ended up on the floor. This was just an exercise to fulfill the requirement of being a 'Distiller for a Day,' but Dave said they were going to later just transfer it all back into the plastic container anyway.

After that we went back across the street to the Distillery to learn all about the process of how the different spirits are created and processed. I believe most spirits start out as Vodka and it’s only in what you add to it and how long you age it that you end up with Bourbon and Gin. I think Dave also said something about not all Bourbons are Gin, but all Gins are Bourbon or something (I wasn’t taking notes).

I can tell you that most of their spirits are made from Ohio grown corn, and lots of it. They also try to keep the other ingredients as local as possible (both to save on cost of transport and to support the local economy).

Dave methodically explained what each piece of machinery did and showed us the bottling and labeling room. He explained about the strict laws and taxes governing the sale of alcohol. You have to be pretty precise when filling a bottle. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives says you can be a little over (due to evaporation) when filling rather than under, I believe. Also, the rules regarding bottling and samplings/tastings differ state to state as well. Some of the western states are a bit stricter than Ohio it seems.

We ended our tour by being seated at a large table in the distillery adjacent to the restaurant which we could see through the glass wall separating us. Dave then asked who wished to sample each different liquor they make. I wanted the full experience so I tried them all: Vodka, 4 Peel Gin  (smell & taste the Juniper!), Bourbon Barrel Gin, Bourbon, Old Fashioned (brought back into popularity after “Mad Men”), and Nocino (a walnut based liquor that is supposed to taste lovely drizzled over vanilla ice cream).

I learned that it's better to sniff your alcohol with your mouth open because you can take in more of the subtleties or something. It feels silly, but really does seem to work.

My two favorites were the 4 Peel Gin, which I think would go nicely with a rotisserie chicken and the Nocino (the most expensive since it’s painstakingly handmade in a limited quantity each year) for dessert. When Dave asked if anyone wanted a second sample I eagerly chose the Nocino.

Along with the samples of liquor we were also presented with a smorgasbord of food (another one of those times where perhaps I shouldn’t have eaten dinner beforehand) including pork rinds, potatoes, brussel sprouts, and ​baby back ribs – all cooked in a gourmet fashion to entice us to visit the restaurant in the future (we got to see a sample menu as well). It definitely worked as I was sold; can’t wait to bring my husband Andrew there sometime.

(BTW, the samples were perhaps an ounce or two, so the pile of food we were served more than soaked up our meager rations).

Have a good week everyone!