It was a fun evening with friends over for dinner, a Rare Beer Club tasting and a big Ravens’ win.

Together, Terpfan33 and I made a vegan chili dish for our regular meatless Monday crowd. I’d sampled this dish at a Howard Community College vegan demonstration prepared for a small group. I thought it was delicious and wanted to share with friends. We spent about an hour cutting onions, peppers and mushrooms up. Once everything was in the pot, we celebrated with a sampling of a Rare Beer Club beer – CHATEAU ØL.

The Danish brewery , To Øl, is closely associated with Mikkel Bjergs⌀ of Mikkeller Brewery. Prior to starting their brewery, To Øl, founders Tore Gynther and Tobias Emil Jensen were Bjergs⌀’s students at a college in Denmark. All 3 agreed that Danish beer was lackluster and hatched a plot to make their own. They gained permission to brew using the school’s kitchen during off hours, mostly between 10 pm and 6 am on weekdays, a grueling schedule. A year later, Mikkel started the world renowned Mikkeller Brewing.

For the next 4 years, Tore and Tobias continued to brew privately until 2010, when they founded To Øl. When Mikkel learned of his old students’ new undertaking, he insisted on making a collaborative brew, making Øl – Overall IIPA. Now, To Øl, has been listed among RateBeer’s top 100 breweries.

Terpfan33 and i cracked open To Øl’s Chateau Øl. This beer uses wine yeasts and Hallertau Blanc hops. This Belgian tripel has the dry taste of wine with the Belgian clove and pepper of a tripel. It went well with the chili.

Full from 3 courses and a 10% beer, we caught the Monday Night Football game. The 8-2 Ravens were playing the Los Angelos Rams on the west coast. I was concerned about the Ravens, who have a history of choking in big nationally televised games. Wow, was I surprised. The Ravens scored a touchdown the first six times they had the ball. The final score was 45 – 6. With an amazing running game and Lamar Jackson’s arm, plus a dominating defense, the Baltimore seem to be the real thing. The real test is next week when the Ravens face the 10-1 Niners. Go Ravens!

Cheers!

Warren