Polk County
Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • September 21, 2016 7A
HOP & HERITAGE
EMILy MENTzER/ Itemizer-Observer
The Boy and Cub Scouts wait to perform the presentation of the colors at Saturday morning’s Hop & Heritage Festival in Independence Riverview Park.
Wet weather put a damper on some activities, but not all
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
INDEPENDENCE — The
weather didn’t cooperate for
the Hop & Heritage Festival
on Friday and Saturday in
Independence.
The hot air balloons were
canceled because of wind —
but the pilots from the Ex-
perimental Aircraft Associa-
tion Chapter 292 served an
impressive stack of flapjacks.
Rain drizzled on the festi-
p.m. and fireworks were
canceled.
At the Cooking with Beer
contest, desserts took center
stage.
Darlene Hudlow won best
appetizer with her bacon-
wrapped beer brats.
Emily Daigle took top
honors for her Rogue Hazel-
nut Brown Nectar brownies.
Ta m m y a n d K e l l y
Carmichael won best bread
with their recipe for beer
bread.
val for most of the day on
Saturday, totalling 0.73 inch-
es.
The contests went as
planned, as did music and
some games — and the pets
in the pet parade weren’t
bothered one bit.
Vendors and fireworks
technicians, on the other
hand, were effected by the
rain, which came down
harder as the afternoon
wore on.
Vendors closed down at 6
Bacon-wrapped beer brats
by Darlene Hudlow, from teaspoonsf.com
EMILy MENTzER/ Itemizer-Observer
A West Salem High School student plays a ghost in the Cooper Block tower during the
annual Ghost Walk in downtown Independence Friday evening.
3 packets of bratwurst
1 package of bacon (16 ounces)
2, 12-ounce beers
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon wasabi powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Deli mustard for dipping
Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 425. Line your jelly roll with foil or parchment paper. 2.
Pierce each of your brats several times with a fork. 3. In a large skillet, place half of the
bratwursts and pour in 24 ounces of American lager. Once the beer is close to boiling, turn it
down to low and let the brats simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes. The
brats are done with they are no longer pink on the inside. 4. In the meantime, cut your bacon
in thirds. 5. In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, wasabi powder and dry mustard to-
gether. 6. Now that the brats are done, let them cool until you can handle them. Then cut the
brats in thirds. 7. Wrap a piece of bacon around the brat. Roll them in your sugar mixture and
place them on your baking sheet with the bacon flap side down. 8. Bake for 20 to 25 min-
utes. Let them drain on paper towels before serving. 9. Add mustard to your serving plate
and let them eat!
Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar Brownies
by Emily Daigle
JOLENE GuzMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
4 eggs
¾ cups super fine sugar
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cups cocoa
1 ¼ cups Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar
Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter 8-inch square pan. 2. Combine eggs and
sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. 3. In medium sauce pan, over medium heat, melt bittersweet
chocolate, white chocolate and butter. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and beat into egg
mixture. 4. Stir in flour and cocoa. Whisk in beer. 5. Pour into pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes
or until skewer inserted comes out clean. 6. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack. 7.
Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve.
One of the many contests at Hop & Heritage is a Homebrew Competition.
Reporter Jolene Guzman volunteers as guest judge
Beer Bread
by Tammy and Kelly Carmichael
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
INDEPENDENCE — Six
beers went head-to-head
during the Homebrew Com-
petition at the Hop & Her-
itage Festival on Saturday.
Only one would earn its
maker the title “Homebrew
Master.”
A three-person judging
panel — Dennis Marks, of
Salem Home Brew Supply,
Na t a s c h a Cro n i n , w h o
launched the contest in
2013, and yours truly — was
given the responsibility of
selecting the beer-making
champion.
A note on my judging
qualifications: I’m no expert
on the intricacies of brewing
beer, but I know good beer
when I drink it.
The contest had two cate-
gories, session-style beers
(lighter, refreshing beers
with low-alcohol content)
and Hop Proud beers (those
that showcase the aroma
and flavor of hops, such as
American pale ales and
India pale ales).
I have an admitted prefer-
ence for brews that could be
described as hop proud over
sessions, but like I said, I
know a good beer when I
taste it.
Scott Slater’s session-style
entry fits that description —
and my judging partners
agreed. We crowned Slater,
of Jefferson, Homebrew
Master for 2016. His winning
brew earned 119 points out
of a possible 150.
It was his first competi-
tion.
Slater said he began brew-
ing in 1990, but stopped
after several years because
he wasn’t thrilled with the
outcome of his efforts.
Years later, his son in-
spired him to take up the
hobby again. He re-intro-
duced himself to the art of
brewing with extract kits.
“After a year and a half, I
was enjoying the results, but
wanted to step up my
game,” he said.
He started brewing with
whole grains a few years ago
and decided to put his cre-
ations to the test on Saturday.
Slater said he took a “what
the heck, alright” approach
to entering the contest.
If he was, Slater shouldn’t
have been surprised with
the win.
“I think it’s pretty cool,”
Slater said.
Karen Hans, of Mon-
mouth, took second for ses-
sion beers.
For Hop Proud beers, Cole
Brown and co-brewer Steve
Richards of Independence
brewed the top entry in the
category. Kirk Studach, of
Lyons, took second and
Gabriel Williams, of Salem,
took third.
E LEGANT
F LORAL
3 cups self-rising flour
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup Tuscano pepper cheese, shredded
12 ounces 10 Barrel Sinister Black beer
Directions: 1. Put self-rising flour, sugar and shredded cheese in mixing bowl. Mix and
form a well. 2. Add Sinister Black Beer and mix until well combined. 3. Divide into eight mini
loaf pans. 4. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 5. Brush tops with butter. 6. Remove from pan onto
rack until cool.
GAIL OBERST/ for the Itemizer-Observer
Dennis Marks, Natascha Cronin and Jolene Guzman take notes during the Homebrew
Competition at the Hop & Heritage Festival on Saturday.
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