The Indulging Part of the Day
Finally, I get to the part of the day where I can point out the choice of the picture on the top of each of these pages. You might have to look closely, but if you read carefully, you will see that Sierra Nevada is brewing a beer in monastic style in collaboration with the monks of Abbey New Clairvaux. The proceeds from the sale of the beer are then donated to the abbey. I had stumbled across that information early in researching the abbey. It made for a great tie-in to help in recruiting people to go on the pilgrimage. Many think twice when invited on a pilgrimage, especially one that involves a 3-hour drive and 5:30 AM departure time. They think a lot more about it when a tour of Sierra Nevada is added, especially with the "indulgence and then indulging" semi-joke was mentioned.
Juana, John and I hopped into John's truck in search of a restaurant for lunch. Those of us that had eaten had done so at 5 AM. It was now noon and we had sampled wine, so food was somewhat important. We used our Google Maps to locate an Olive Garden in Chico. It was a very welcome meal. After finishing and spending a little time at Big Lots (surprisingly, something that we each enjoy visiting), we saw that the brewery was only 1/2 a mile away.
Normally, a beer person, as myself, would enjoy a tour of a brewery, but neither John nor Juana were big beer fans. They consume beer, but weren't as excited about the tour as I was. That changed during the tour however, as the tour guide explained the history of Sierra Nevada, a family owned company, and how much, in addition to the monastery, the brewery does to support the community, to decrease their impact on the environment (98% of their energy is solar or fuel cell, they re-use the used hops and barley by feeding it to cattle which then produce the beef sold in their restaurant, almost all of their brewing kettles were recycled including the beautiful copper ones that were shipped in from Germany, and more). The owner seems to live a very Christian live being a good steward of the environment and showing his love for his fellow man.
The tour began and ended with a sample of beer, and I cannot think of a better way to go on an industrial tour. A friend posted on Facebook that only way to improve would have been to sample more beer during the tour, but legally that isn't possible in California. Plus, we got to try the barley, the hops, and the first product in the process, the wort. I would not recommend eating the hops, but they do emit a beautiful aroma that is distinct depending on the type of hops. The barley, each of the variations, was quite tasty. The wort had the best flavor, and the tour guide actually mentioning using it on her oatmeal.
The tour ended by sampling 7 other of the beers that Sierra Nevada produces. Each time we were given 2 ounces, which meant we had a total of 16 ounces, which is the limit according to California law. I don't recall similar limits in wine tasting, but I guess Napa Valley, Gallo, et al. have a lot more resources to lobby against any limits. The different beer each had a distinct flavor from the normal Sierra Nevada that you can always find at stores and restaurants. They ranged from ones that sit in brandy barrels as part of their process, to others that have to be served warm. The sad part for me was watching as a small glass was served for each of us and the tour guide, but hers went to waste, as she was taking medicine that did not allow her to consume. We weren't allowed (because of the state restrictions) to consume it (even unnoticed), so it went to waste. :-( The tour ended with us being given a bottle opener and a poster. I couldn't see which of the posters that I was given, but it ended up being the one in the picture above, exactly the one that I would chosen all along.
We ended our tour by visiting the restaurant. We went first just to check it out, but after viewing the menu and the prices, we decided that it would be the best place to have dinner. Besides, Juana is not large, so having 16 ounces of beer in her mostly empty stomach wasn't a good idea. We had a great meal (fish and chips, a brewery hamburger with beer cheese, and a steak pasta). I took advantage of another sampling offer and sampled four more beers that I couldn't try on the tour, including one of the Ovila beers (remember the name of the original 800-year-old monastery in Spain?). I look forward to being able to consume the two bottles that I purchased that were aged in brandy barrels as well.
Our day ended after our 3 hour drive back to Modesto. Juana fell asleep again, so John and I ended up spending the time again talking about anything and everything. All in all, it was a very rewarding day. From the relaxing time at the abbey, to the history of the Chapter House, to the discussion with Brother Rafael, to the time talking with my fellow pilgrims, to the tour of the brewery, it all reminded me of the important things in life: the vertical and horizontal love of God (to Him and to His body here on Earth). I would recommended it to all of you. I definitely would be up to another trip. At some time, I would love to go during the week, as we weren't able to see any of the production line. Below are some final pictures from our day.
Juana, John and I hopped into John's truck in search of a restaurant for lunch. Those of us that had eaten had done so at 5 AM. It was now noon and we had sampled wine, so food was somewhat important. We used our Google Maps to locate an Olive Garden in Chico. It was a very welcome meal. After finishing and spending a little time at Big Lots (surprisingly, something that we each enjoy visiting), we saw that the brewery was only 1/2 a mile away.
Normally, a beer person, as myself, would enjoy a tour of a brewery, but neither John nor Juana were big beer fans. They consume beer, but weren't as excited about the tour as I was. That changed during the tour however, as the tour guide explained the history of Sierra Nevada, a family owned company, and how much, in addition to the monastery, the brewery does to support the community, to decrease their impact on the environment (98% of their energy is solar or fuel cell, they re-use the used hops and barley by feeding it to cattle which then produce the beef sold in their restaurant, almost all of their brewing kettles were recycled including the beautiful copper ones that were shipped in from Germany, and more). The owner seems to live a very Christian live being a good steward of the environment and showing his love for his fellow man.
The tour began and ended with a sample of beer, and I cannot think of a better way to go on an industrial tour. A friend posted on Facebook that only way to improve would have been to sample more beer during the tour, but legally that isn't possible in California. Plus, we got to try the barley, the hops, and the first product in the process, the wort. I would not recommend eating the hops, but they do emit a beautiful aroma that is distinct depending on the type of hops. The barley, each of the variations, was quite tasty. The wort had the best flavor, and the tour guide actually mentioning using it on her oatmeal.
The tour ended by sampling 7 other of the beers that Sierra Nevada produces. Each time we were given 2 ounces, which meant we had a total of 16 ounces, which is the limit according to California law. I don't recall similar limits in wine tasting, but I guess Napa Valley, Gallo, et al. have a lot more resources to lobby against any limits. The different beer each had a distinct flavor from the normal Sierra Nevada that you can always find at stores and restaurants. They ranged from ones that sit in brandy barrels as part of their process, to others that have to be served warm. The sad part for me was watching as a small glass was served for each of us and the tour guide, but hers went to waste, as she was taking medicine that did not allow her to consume. We weren't allowed (because of the state restrictions) to consume it (even unnoticed), so it went to waste. :-( The tour ended with us being given a bottle opener and a poster. I couldn't see which of the posters that I was given, but it ended up being the one in the picture above, exactly the one that I would chosen all along.
We ended our tour by visiting the restaurant. We went first just to check it out, but after viewing the menu and the prices, we decided that it would be the best place to have dinner. Besides, Juana is not large, so having 16 ounces of beer in her mostly empty stomach wasn't a good idea. We had a great meal (fish and chips, a brewery hamburger with beer cheese, and a steak pasta). I took advantage of another sampling offer and sampled four more beers that I couldn't try on the tour, including one of the Ovila beers (remember the name of the original 800-year-old monastery in Spain?). I look forward to being able to consume the two bottles that I purchased that were aged in brandy barrels as well.
Our day ended after our 3 hour drive back to Modesto. Juana fell asleep again, so John and I ended up spending the time again talking about anything and everything. All in all, it was a very rewarding day. From the relaxing time at the abbey, to the history of the Chapter House, to the discussion with Brother Rafael, to the time talking with my fellow pilgrims, to the tour of the brewery, it all reminded me of the important things in life: the vertical and horizontal love of God (to Him and to His body here on Earth). I would recommended it to all of you. I definitely would be up to another trip. At some time, I would love to go during the week, as we weren't able to see any of the production line. Below are some final pictures from our day.