Honoring the Mighty Sausage Surely one of the planet’s oldest and cleverest culinary creations—for the fifth straight year, the Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing folks are letting it all hang out at Sausagefest on Saturday, Oct. 8, 5-9pm at the corner of Western and Mission (site of the Westside Farmer’s Market). The ubiquitous people’s protein delivery package will be represented by a spectacular line-up of hand-linked creations like the Black Sheep and Croatian Kobasica from El Salchichero, Freedom Meats and Corralitos. You’ll be able—nay, encouraged!—to adorn your wurst with an array of homemade relishes, mustards, pickles and sauerkrauts, the handmaidens, so to speak, of the authentic sausage experience.
You’re so right if you’re thinking that this brew bash is strategically timed to synch with Octoberfest, that magical time of year when even diehard viognier aficionados succumb to a pint or two. And in our high-concept neck of the woods, “beer” means handcrafted organic microbrews. So think about all your favorite Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing elixirs like Wilder Wheat as well as seasonal specialties like Wet Hop Black IPA and Horse Tale Ale. Oh, and since you can’t have beer and wursts without music, the jolly lads from KPIG will be on hand with the tunes of Tater Famine, Jay Lingo and the Little Devils and the Good Luck Thrift Store.
More Beer Here Thanks to resourceful videographer Keith Wells and his short charming docu on the founding gurus (especially head brewer Alec Stefansky) of Uncommon Brewers, you can learn all about this organic micro-brewery housed in the Old Sash Mill complex. The experimental group makes utterly distinctive, micro-niched beers such as Thai spice-laden Siamese Twin Ale and other brews scented with poppy seeds and anise. These are beyond IPA, beyond postmodern. Here are beers designed to surf beyond predictable approaches to the world’s oldest beverage. Uncommon Brewers products are available locally at New Leaf, Whole Foods, BevMo and plenty of edgy liquor stores. Check out Wells’ docu at http://www.vimeo.com/28797193. Uncommon indeed.
Street Moves There’s bad news and there’s good news. It’s a fact: Emily’s Bakery has ended its tenure at the kiosk in front of Bookshop Santa Cruz. That’s too bad. But the good news is that Penny Ice Creamery will be moving into that space, and begins the lease there on Oct. 1. Kendra Baker, co-owner of the popular downtown artisanal ice cream shop, confirmed that the innovative ice creams will be served at the kiosk, probably opening sometime in October.
Send tips about food, wine and new dining discoveries to Christina Waters at xtina@cruzio.com. Read her blog at http://christinawaters.com.
