Christmas Party 2008

Here are a few shots from our Christmas party. We had about 40 guests and it was great to see our friends having a good time. Rick was the personal beer-tender. He spent the entire evening introducing the beer-drinking guests to new beers and making sure that everyone had just the right one.


The menu was varied, but heavily weighted towards Mexican. I thought it would be nice to have some food that is more typically served in America for our European friends to try. My friend, Ali, who loves to bake, made some yummy Christmas cookies, which fit in perfectly with the "American" theme.


I was really busy and, thus, forgot to get the camera out until later on in the evening. I had planned on taking a few shots of the table, food, decorations, etc. However, by the time I finally got around to it, things were looking much different! Oh well, I guess that means that people were having fun.

Open Brewing Day at Vapeur Brewery

This is a really cool event that takes place on the last Saturday of every month. The Vapeur Brewery (vapeur meaning steam in French) allows the public to watch the beer-making process. Vapeur, which is said to be the last steam-powered brewery in the world, is housed in an old, rustic building and the machinery used is very primitive. Our friend, Ali, organized the trip. We went with two other couples and met two couples there.

Halfway through the process, they pass around a huge cup of the "mash" that one can taste if he or she is so inclined. I decided to pass as it looked and smelled kind of scary. However, some of the braver members of our group drank the sludge.

The brewing demonstration is followed by a huge meal (all you can eat) and all the beer you can drink! All of the food is fresh and homemade and much of it is made with beer. The menu consisted of ham, salmon, organic vegetable soup, bread and a gazillion different local cheeses. There was also dessert.

Basically, you sit around and drink beer while the lunch is being prepared. The Vapeur beer was good, but not great and the food was superb. All of this for only 30 Euros!

Oh, in case you are wondering why my husband is playing with a stuffed pig in a couple of the photos...well there are two reasons: One, he is in a state of arrested development and two, it is the Vapeur mascot. They actually name one of their beers after it. It's called the Vapeur Cochonne (pig).