Kona Brewing Wailua Wheat Ale

OK, here we go...my first beer review. I had this a couple of weeks back, in the middle of the 98 degrees with 50% humidity NC summer. So obviously, I was looking for something refreshing. The first thing I go for and look forward to when summer rolls around is wheat beer. To me, there is nothing better than an unfiltered, wheaty tasting beer that you can almost chew. They have such a fresh but still complex flavor.

Maggie and I had previously tried Kona Brewing’s Longboard Lager and really liked it, so I kept eyeing the Wailua Wheat everytime I went down the beer aisle (going down the beer aisle with me is like going into Blockbuster without knowing what you want – I don’t recommend it). When I went by it the last time I noticed something I hadn’t seen before – that it was brewed with passion fruit. SOLD!!! A lot of guys don’t like “fruity” beers b/c they think it is unmanly or something. But trust me, this beer can be called whatever it wants and I will drink it, this stuff is good. You may not want many of them, but they are truly unique and absolutely refreshing.

The aroma is one of the best I have had in a long time. It has really strong floral hints with a little bit of fruity/citrusy to it (if I remember correctly). The taste is exactly what it sounds like, which is a wheat beer with passion fruit in it. It has the fresh, crispness of a wheat beer with the added bonus of the passion fruitiness (if you have never tasted a passion fruit flavor it will be hard for you to understand the true flavor). If you look at the label you will feel like you are there when you taste it. It has a waterfall in Hawaii with lush greenery and a woman in the water. OK, so maybe you won’t feel like you’re there with the lady, but you can imagine what being in that water would be like. Anyways, the point is that this beer tastes like a tropical Hawaiian beer.

My Dad always insists that we rate things on a 1-10 scale, whether it’s movies or whatever else. So that is how I will rate the beers I review. So without further adieu……………………………………………………………………………………………….. I give the Kona Brewing Wailua Wheat a 7.4.

Cheers!

-Grayson

Painting Palooza (1250 sq ft in 11 days)

We'll we did it! We moved in and painted the entire place! 1250 total sq ft. We are terribly sore now, and ready for our wedding vacation (we leave in 8 days, and get married in 18). Our biggest tip for anyone crazy enough to take on painting an entire house in a week and 1/2 is to make sure you don't have any furniture in the house. Because we don't have any furniture to speak of at this point, this made things a lot easier for us. We also chose to use a top of the line, low-voc, paint made by Sherwin-Williams called Duration. We now recommend this paint to everyone because it is very easy to put on the walls and it doesn't give you the dreaded paint headache, also it cleans easy!

Well now that our bank accounts are dwindling we will have to wait until after the wedding to begin the decorating (aka-the fun part!). Until then, here a few photos of our accomplishments thus far.

Sold!

Our first night, Carolina Blondes of course!

Our first purchase, the couch! This is also the main color throughout the house. It is made my Sherwin-Williams and it is called Grey Screen, we love it!

Our kitchen!

Maggie's little project...Chalkboard Paint! Our nephew now say's "Draw?" as soon as he walks in the door and he goes to town on our chalkboard wall. This was a closet underneath the stairs and it goes back pretty deep so we are converting it to an office/chalkboard/storage area.

The half-bath. This was painted the same color as the walls in the chalkboard room (Sherwin Williams, Recycled Glass.) We clearly need a different hand towel, but that will have to wait for the post-wedding decorating.

More to come,

-Maggie & Grayson

Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella Sandwich with Roasted Veggies

Pre-Roasting

Post- Roasting

Post-Roasting - YUM!

Sandwich

Makes approx 4 sandwiches

Cut large Focaccia bread in half. Spread a liberal amount of the Basil Spread (recipe follows) onto both sides (about 4 tablespoons each side). Slice 2 large, fresh, tomatoes (ours were from my mom’s garden!) and place on both sides of bread. Sprinkle with shredded Mozzarella (or slices of brick Mozarella, I find shredded melts more evenly). Place on pan and bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes or until cheese is melted. While the sandwich is still hot “smush” both sides together and cut into slices.

Roasted Veggies

Place your desired veggies on a baking sheet (we used asparagus, mushrooms, and squash). Drizzle veggies with extra virgin olive oil to lightly coat veggies. Season with freshly ground pepper and kosher salt to taste (we don’t use a lot of salt). Roast veggies for 5 minutes at 400 degrees or until veggies are tender when a fork is inserted into them.

Basil Spread

Lots of fresh Basil (I mean a lot!) Small amount of parmesan and small amount of fresh oregano. Extra virgin olive oil. Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and red pepper flake to taste. Blend in food processor or blender.