Brew Ha-Ha at Flint Hills National
Posted on November 5, 2011 by Ching under Events, Food and Drink.
Brian was out of town so I invited Jan to go with me to the Brew Ha-Ha fundraising event to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters at Flint Hills National Golf Club. We had a lot of fun! Well, I guess I can’t really speak for Jan but I had a great time!
There was a band playing at the clubhouse and the scenery is simply breathtaking.
The folks who live in that community are so fortunate that they have such beautiful surroundings. The landscape is gorgeous everywhere you look. It’s so beautiful, it makes me want to golf. It’s a shame I don’t know how.
The lodges can be rented out so it’s great for golf enthusiasts and non-golfers alike. If you don’t golf, you can still stay there and just enjoy the serene ambiance and nature in general. Perfect for an RNR-type getaway.
This is a picture of one of the rooms. There are several well-appointed rooms to choose from as each lodge can accommodate several guests. The first lodge we went to was the Dower Lodge. Chef Dan Gary of Flint Hills National prepared potato soup and chili for the guests. The beers available at Dower Lodge were Molson Canadian, Moosehead, Labatt Blue and Alexander Keith’s IPA.
Devlin Lodge was across the way. The cuisine there was by Chef Peter Moretti of the Wichita Marriott. We had some delicious crab salad on these shell dishes. I also had some roast pork and a delicious pastry dish. The beers offered there were by the local River City Brewing Company: River City Harvester Wheat Ale, Rock Island Red and Old Town Brown.
We had to hop on the party bus in order to get to the three lodges on the other side of the golf club. Rohde Lodge was our first stop on the other side. We feasted on Mexican cuisine by Chef Chuck Oullette. I just had chips and salsa and this delicious Mexican chicken pasta dish. I skipped the queso and the papas. It would have been so easy to pig out on everything, but I had to be somewhat selective. In keeping with the Mexican theme, the beers offered were bottles of Dos Equis Lager, Dos Equis Amber, Tecate and Pacifico.
We then walked next door to Wilcox Lodge where they had Asian cuisine by Chef Angela Mitchell of PF Chang’s China Bistro. They had chicken lettuce wraps and some spicy breaded shrimp. The beers offered at Wilcox Lodge were O’Fallon Hemp Hop, Green Flash West Coast IPA and Tiger.
Next was 4D Lodge adjacent to Wilcox. This was the best lodge yet because this is where the Kansas firefighters were selling and signing calendars. Ran into several people who I’d met at Holiday Galleria just a few weeks prior. The food at Wilcox Lodge was by Chef Joe Parten of Carrabba’s Italian Grill. This place had the most food and most variety offered, but all I had was the chocolate cake. It’s a shame that I was already full because I really wanted to eat everything they had to offer. I’m actually kind of proud of myself for having some semblance of self-control (or “will control” as Brian calls it because he likes to combine both will power and self-control – LOL). The beers offered at 4D Lodge were Tallgrass Velvet Rooster, Tallgrass Halcyon and Summit Extra Pale Ale.
Back at the clubhouse where they had cookies and coffee at the end of the evening, they also had Shocktop Wheat and Sam Adams Winter Lager. Brian is a huge Sam Adams fan so it was a real shame that he was out of town last night. He would have really enjoyed the evening. I didn’t drink any beer at all. I had a couple of sips of some kind of pinot noir and then drank water the rest of the evening. The only memory I have of the beer are the beer tasting mugs that I got to take home. I took mine home and grabbed an extra one for Brian. Jan and Jim both gave me theirs, and then Jim’s neighbors didn’t want theirs so I got those as well. Jan said I should have gone for eight. =P I have a full set of six, which one of the wonderful golf club employees helped me wrap in newspaper and put in a plastic sack, so I was happy. LOL. I’m way too easy to please.
Besides running into the firefighters, I also ran into Ann and Jeremy who I’d met at Stacy and Jeff’s sushi party earlier this year. I hadn’t seen them since (except on Facebook) so that was really nice. We didn’t get to visit though, because the event was so crowded. I didn’t get to go to the event last year (this is the 5th annual Brew Ha-Ha fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters), but it seemed to be a great turnout. Even though I didn’t drink, I had a blast going from lodge to lodge and sampling all of the delicious dishes offered. I hope I get to go again next year!
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