New Obsession: Hard Ciders

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Jamie

I am the first to admit that I am not a big beer drinker.  I am a wine girl, remember?

However, every now and again I feel like I need to try something out and give it a go.  The older we get the more our taste buds grow, and things we may not have liked a few years ago may become our new favorite thing.

Well, last summer, at the LA County Fair, I tried out my first Hard Cider (Angry Orchard) to be exact, and I soon learned how much I enjoyed the taste.

What is a Hard Cider?

Cider is a fermented drink made from any fruit juice: apples, peaches, pears or other fruit.  Cider alcohol content can range from 1.2 to 8.5 or more in traditional English Ciders. Often referred to as “apple wine” in some regions.  ~Wikipedia

And it’s only becoming more and more popular within the US.  People have rediscovered this well loved beverage, and more and more people are getting creative with their ciders.  Varieties range from different varietal to Apples to Pears to Cherries and more.

This past weekend I got the opportunity to try out a few other ciders, and now it’s my new obsession:

Anthem Cider

 

The first cider I tried that evening came from Anthem Ciders.  The first batch of Anthem Cider was kegged March 10, 2010 on the belief that we at Wandering Aengus Ciderworks can make a great draft cider without comprise.  Their fruit grown out of Oregon and Washington.

And let me tell you, I am a big big fan of their Pear Cider.

The next cider I tried out that evening came from local cider growers within Sonoma County. Devoto Orchards.

Devoto Hard Cider

 

The family started off as apple farmers and soon turned their business into Hard Cider within the grounds of Sebastopol.  Their ciders being more dry than sweet in nature, but refreshingly good.

And the last cider I tried out over the weekend included Crispin Hard Ciders:

Crispin Hard Cider

Crispin Cider has 7 varieties:  Original, Light and Brut; classic European styled crisp clean ciders, Browns Lane; an imported classic English dry cider, and our line of Artisanal Reserves; Honey Crisp, The Saint and Lansdowne.

I was fortunate to try out their Original and Honey Crisp varietals.  They really do offer a fresh, clean, crisp taste.  Not too dry and not too sweet when it comes to hard ciders.

Needless to say, I’ve become a big fan of hard ciders after tasting a few varietals this past weekend.

And if you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, mark you calendars for April 26th where Cider Summit Berkeley will be taking place:

Cider Summit Berkeley

 


Categories: Food Products, Life | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Anxiety in Me.

Posted on March 23, 2014 by Jamie

Disclosure: I am writing this post on behalf on 1Hour Break to help them spread the word about their Indiegogo campaign launch and open up the discussion on stress and anxiety. All opinions and experiences are my own.

It took me years to realize that anxiety was indeed very much apart of my life. From moments of not being able to leave for a social function because of my nerves of having to put myself out there and meet new people to the many times I’ve worried about things in life.  How will we pay for this? How should we handle this?  Or are we packed for our days outing?  Everything had to be planned.

Growing up we didn’t talk about stress or anxiety, but through life, I have experienced first hand what these things can do to a person:

1hourbreak-infographic

 

Did you know?

*Stress is linked to the top five causes of death in the United States.
*95 million Americans suffer from stress-related illnesses every week.
*1/4 of all women in the US suffer from anxiety disorders.
*Stress and anxiety suffers often self medicate with pills, alcohol, cigarettes, and food.
Stress and Anxiety are very much alive, and it’s something we should be talking about.
1 Hour BreakThis is where 1 Hour Break Comes into play.  1 Hour Break is:
*The First all natural oral spray that relieves stress & anxiety.
*It is Made from Kava Kava root, widely known in Hawaii for its stress-relieving properties.
*Made more effective by adding three herbs that help with relaxation; Lobelia, Passion Flower, and Lemon Balm.
1 Hour Break is a small family start up and beginning Tuesday, March 25th they are beginning an IndieGogo campaign to raise money for manufacturing and bottling costs without getting big investors involved to make their idea come to fruition.
For a person who has dealt with stress and anxiety her entire life having something like this on the market would help things tremendously.  I know my anxiety is minor compared to some others so being able to have an option such as 1 hour break during my attacks would help tremendously.
Beat Anxiety
To get this campaign started Mamavation is throwing a twitter party on Tuesday, March 25th

 

TWITTER PARTY DETAILS:

Who: 1Hour Break – Everyday stress & anxiety relief

What: Twitter party

When: Tuesday, March 25th

Time: 6:00-7:30pm PST (9:00-10:30pm EST)

Hashtag: #BeatAnxiety

Panelists:
@Bookieboo–Hostess
@1HourBreak–Sponsor
@DrLaurenNoel–Naturopathic Doctor & Host of Dr. Lo Radio
@HeidiHanna–Ph.D, New York Times Best Selling Author, Stressaholic
@AllisonLardizabalRN–Registered Nurse, Emergency care
@AngMBishop–Natural-living Blogger & Mamavation Member

There’s some pretty amazing prizes that you won’t want to miss out on.  Come join us this Tuesday to #BeatAnxiety with 1 Hour Break.  RSVP here.


Categories: Campaigns, Life, Product Reviews, Travel | 1 Comment

An Adventure in the City: Ride the Ducks San Francisco

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Jamie

Disclosure: I received a complimentary tour on behalf of this review.  Ride the Ducks will be providing one winner a 4 pack of tickets for Ride the Ducks. 

About 5 years ago when I found my travel bug I started doing research on various cities I wanted to travel to.  One such city was Seattle.  This is where I first discovered Ride the Ducks. From that moment on, they have been on my bucket list of tours I wanted to take.

When I moved to Northern California a mere 5 months ago I noticed that Ride the Ducks were also apart of San Francisco and I got really excited.  It was something I had been wanting to do for a long time, so when the opportunity came along, I couldn’t wait.

fishermans wharf

My day started just a hour north of San Francisco in Santa Rosa, Ca.  I hopped in my car and had a smooth ride into the city on a Tuesday morning.  Finding parking along Fisherman’s Wharf was not an issue, although, I must say, be prepared for the prices, and as long as you’re there plan an entire day to explore and have fun in the area.

I soon found the ticket booth for “Ride the Ducks.”  Right across the street from the famous Fisherman’s Wharf sign and right below the Applebee’s.  There was a Ride the Ducks on exhibit for you to take photos in front of, of course:

Ride the Ducks San FranciscoBoarding of the “Duck” begins 15 minutes before your departure time, and they really do leave right on time so plan to get there early.  Also, Quackers are available for purchase for an additional 3 dollars each.  If you’re going on the tour, it’s a must.

quackerRight before the tour started, our Duck Captain, Mike, gave us an introduction of what was to happen.  We were to clap our hands, stomp our feet, quack our quacker and make fools of ourselves along the way.  In other words, we were meant to have fun.

captain mike

 

And then our tour began.  Captain Mike took us to various parts of San Francisco starting in Fisherman’s Wharf then taking us to Ghiradelli Square, North Beach, The Italian District, ChinaTown, the Financial District and more.

But the best part of the tour, and what makes “Ride the Ducks” different from any other tour within the city is that it also goes on water taking us into McCovey Bay:

bay bridgeIt gave us a great vantage point of the beautiful Bay Bridge from the Water, and a nice view of the city.  If you’re a big baseball fan you’ll also get a good glimpse of AT&T Park, and the famous splash zone where boats wait out on game day for that homerun ball.

If you have young ones, this is also the time when the Captain will allow them to take a spin on the duck and get behind the driver’s seat.  The kids on our tour did a great job of driving the duck.

And then we soon headed back to our home destination.  The tour takes about 90 minutes altogether as the Captain makes jokes and funnies throughout the tour while giving great information about the city around you.  You’re bound to have a great time.  I know I did.

After the tour, take some time to explore the Fisherman’s Wharf area by taking in a museum or getting some great food in the area.  Completely worth spending a day in the city for.

Ride the Ducks San Francisco Tickets:

Adult (18 – 61)  $35.00

Senior (62+)     $32.00

Child (4-17)      $25.00

Infant (0-3)      $5.00

Now one lucky READER will have the chance to win a family 4 pack for “Ride the Ducks San Francisco.”  These tickets are only good for the San Francisco tour.  

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

No purchase necessary, void where prohibited.  Must be 18 years or older and reside in the US.  Tickets are good for the San Francisco Ride the Ducks TOUR only.  Winner will be notified by email.  Giveaway ends 4/4/2014 at 12am EST.  All other rules can be found here.

 

 

 


Categories: Fun Stuff, Giveaways, Northern California, Product Reviews, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments