CA beer to try (november edition).

One of my favorite California breweries, Bootleggers Brewery, is in my hometown, Fullerton.  J introduced me to their beers via Whole Foods so my dad and I planned an afternoon tasting one late Indian summer day.  We took his 1938 Pontiac woody for a spin to an industrial part of town and walked into a tasting/tank room.  Ultimate in low key - the servings were in mason jars and a few other tasters sat on kegs.  The Whole Foods selection is small (kudos if you can find the fantastic Knuckle Sandwich IPA) but I found a new favorite: Wildfire Wheat.  

 This unique ale is achieved by first smoking the wheat.  I've never had a smoked beer before and the results are willful hops with spiced fruits.  Supposed to be Bootlegger's summer saison but I think the smoky finish works nicely in the fall with roasted vegetables as well.  I had this a couple nights ago with roasted acorn squash and polenta.  

Roasted acorn squash.
1/2 acorn squash, at least partially peeled, seeds scooped out
  & cut into 1/2 moon shapes
drizzle olive oil
drizzle maple syrup
chili powder
salt/pepper

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Arrange all of the above in a roasting pan.  To save time in the evening for this, I roasted it for 20 minutes in the morning, cooled, topped with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.  Later at night, I preheated the oven for 5 minutes (again at 400), and put it back in for about 10 minutes while I made instant polenta (also to save time) & topped with a spoonful of warmed marinara sauce.  

Salut!