Beer & Food

KEEP IN TOUCH....

2011-06-01T10:04:00.003-04:00

This blog is now appearing at...

http://beerbasics.squarespace.com/

See you there!

Beer Basics Daily tasting… Pere Jacques 2010 - Belgian Style Ale

2011-05-04T11:29:00.002-04:00

For the full story:

http://bit.ly/jsqOR6 443

A taste of... Fireside Chat

2011-04-29T10:32:00.001-04:00

For the full story...

http://bit.ly/iIv88O

A Taste of... Bitter American

2011-04-28T13:28:00.002-04:00

For the full story:

http://bit.ly/kAxzuL

A Taste of... Brew Free of Die IPA

2011-04-27T10:06:00.002-04:00

A taste of Brew Free of Die IPA

21^st Amendment Brewery
563 2nd St
San Francisco, California 94107
(415) 369-0900

Preface: This brew was sent to me as part of a promotional plan by 21st Amendment Brewery that involved an online tasting. These notes have not been influenced by reading promotional material or any other review of this brew.

I am including this preface to inform the reader of any and all circumstances that might be conceived of a creating a biased review or a conflict of interest regarding the choice of words used in the following review. I could go on and on with semi-legal jargon but I guess you will just have to trust me eh?

The following are my tasting notes:

Appearance: This is a golden bronze brew with not overpowering carbonation. It is topped with a fairly dense golden tan rocky head of small to medium-size bubbles.

Aroma: The first impression is a clean clear combination of sweet malt and hops. A second impression brings more of the malts out. A third lingering impression introduces a bit of the hops but still maintains a rich malty aroma.

Mouth feel: Here is a medium bodied beer that gets a little help in building its body from the mild carbonation.

Flavor: After the first chilly refreshing sensation, the sweet malt flavors are the first flavors followed by a relatively light hop bitterness. The second sensation continues with the rich roasted malt flavor while the hops bitterness is left fighting for recognition. The third sip introduces a slight mineral sensation that ties together the aggressive malt and a less than aggressive hop bitterness.

Finish: The finish is nonaggressive, concentrating more on the malt than the hops but allowing the hops a very pleasant exit.

Comments: This is a surprisingly light IPA that seems to fit all summer season because it lacks the aggressive characteristics hop flavors that normally make this a cool weather beer. Should you be invited to a beach party this summer it would do you no harm to take a case of the spear along the matter what food is served. I feel it is one of the most refreshing IPAs I've ever tasted.

The Brewery: http://www.21st-amendment.com/

What others say:

BeerAdvocate: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/735/20781

RateBeer: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/21st-amendment-brew-free-or-die-ipa/8189/

Some tail and Brown Shugga

2011-03-05T11:02:00.001-05:00

The dish features a cut of meat that is not user friendly in its complexity. That is to say, there are many bones to chew here. This is a good thing if the long and slow cooking included spices and peppers that leave you simmering, not scorched; heat that leaves you wanting more. The chunks of sweet potato, not yam, add richness to the sauce and the dish is presented on a bed of kale. The sweet flavors of the meat, the simmer of the spices, richness of the potato and the bitter kale are a complex but highly entertaining combination of flavors.

The beverage most suited to enhancing the flavors of the dish in concert, and showing off a bit itself was an obvious choice of the barman and myself… Brown Shugga from Lagunitis Brewing Company.

Brown Shugga offers a lush rich roasted, almost “brown sugar” base flavor with only a touch of tang from the bittering hops made even toastier by about 9% alcohol by volume. These flavors complement and refresh the sweet and spice of the dish. The refreshing cool brew, rich and warming at the same time meets the luscious heat of the dish and good things happen. The relatively high alcohol content meets the simmering peppers and both are rendered too tame for safety. Distracted by the selection of tap handles I never got to order a second serving. I would have…

Beer at BAM

2011-03-04T13:20:00.003-05:00

What does this picture tell you about beer, food and Brooklyn?

The answer is just a click away: http://www.beerbasics.com/

Peeling my own with a Naughty Nurse

2011-03-03T10:10:00.002-05:00

The whole sordid story is just a click away... http://www.beerbasics.com/

Feeding the Beer Press

2011-03-02T11:51:00.002-05:00

Are you introducing a new beer?

Do you have a beer festival to flog to the media?

Are you working on a multimedia presentation featuring a special series of beers and need folks to be video extras?

You will probably have to throw a press event and ask the food and beverage press… especially those from the beer beat.

Now the most important question… What do you feed them?

http://www.beerbasics.com/

Why Half Baked Camembert and Jenlain Ambrée?

2011-02-28T11:28:00.006-05:00

Last Wednesday Chef Laurent had a special on the menu that gave both the famous French cheese and popular French beer a chance to show off at their best.

The salad, posted on the menu as a “Half baked Camembert on Frisée” was to be my first course, as I like to do things backwards. (It would have made a fine desert as well.)

The baked Camembert was placed on the Frisée and dressed with diced apples and candied walnuts. It was as simple as that.

The traditional choice of a Cote du Rhone red wine was thought of but the flavors of the Jenlain Ambrée were even more tempting.

The rich creamy cheese had a slightly nutty flavor. Enhanced by the candied walnuts, the pallet-cleansing crisp apples and slightly peppery Frisée, the malty beverage (with hints of pear, prune and hop tang) complemented rather than overpowered the salad.

Not a half-baked concept at all eh?

N.B. -

After a minimal amount of research to insure my spelling was correct and the accents properly placed, the following two items remain in my files for further research…

“No doubt the full truth about the invention of Camembert will never be known. The most important invention was that of the cylindrical box by Monsieur Ridel in 1890. Before this, Camembert was sold in a wrapping of straw and spoiled if shipped further than Paris. The box made possible shipment over long distances. Thanks to Monsieur Ridel, Marseilles and Bayonne discovered Camembert and so did New York, Buenos Aires and Saigon.”

The Complete Encyclopedia of French Cheese by Pierre Androuet

I found the following information on the Jenlain web-site… also needing further research…

"Created in 1922… With 7.5% alcohol by volume, this unpasteurized beer is made with 3 different types of malt produced from French barley, and 3 varieties of hops grown in Alsace. It is roasted malt that gives the beer its attractive amber glow and great aroma.”

“Finally, … it was the first beer to be bottled in 75 cl. champagne-style bottles with a wire-fastened cork."

http://www.sheltonbrothers.com/beers/beerProfile.asp?BeerID=127

Really??

Meeting up with Abner at the Blind Tiger

2011-02-25T11:53:00.003-05:00

Once again we will revisit the tasting notes from the blind Tiger this last Wednesday.

The first beer I sampled that afternoon was from the Hill Farmstead brewery of Greensboro Bend Vermont.

You can find the following information on their website:

http://hillfarmstead.com/wpblog/beers/ancestors/abner

"Abner (1867-1953) is our great grandfather; Hill Farmstead Brewery rests upon the land that was once home to him and his fourteen children. In his honor, this Double IPA is dutifully crafted from American malted barley, a plethora of American hops, our ale yeast and water from Abner’s well. It is unfiltered, naturally carbonated, and double dry hopped. Aromatic and flowery, bursting with notes of citrus and pine, this is the ale that I dream to have shared with Abner. 8.2%, 18.5º P, 170 Theoretical ibus. Ingredients: Pale and Caramel Malt; Dextrose; Centennial, Chinook, Columbus, Nugget, Simcoe, and Warrior hops; Ale Yeast, and our Well Water."

Vital Beer Geek statistics are as follows:

18.5º P
170 Theoretical IBUs
8.2% abv.

The following are my tasting notes:

The first aromatic sensation is a brief hop flower. A second visit to the aromatics revealed a sharper floral flavor more a lemon zest. Just before the first sip, I could identify the aromatics as definitely having a particular hop aroma profile.
The first sip revealed much more of this hop profile with an obvious green floral and citric rind flavor. The second sip was a full palate cleansing experience ending with a slightly grassy flavor. A third sip introduced a more intensive citric orange flavor.
My overall impression of this beer can be described into words "very hoppy"... even after finishing the entire glass of beer I was still unaware of any malt flavor. It is possible, at 8.2% alcohol by volume, and being a very full-bodied beer, the malt performed the role of an unappreciated second fiddle to the much more aggressive hops.

I'm looking forward to reporting to you next Wednesday on their latest specialty beers!

A Taste of...the Farmers Daughter at The Blind Tiger

2011-02-24T12:52:00.004-05:00

Yesterday afternoon the folks at a beer bar called The Blind Tiger featured a selection of beers and ales brewed and kegged in Vermont. Almost half of their over twenty tap lines featured a guest beer.

On the advise of the owner, Dave Brodrick, and based on fond memories of a visit to the alchemist, I ordered a Farmers Daughter.

The following is a rendering of the tasting notes for that brew:

This is a Saison-style brew with a first aromatic impression that is faint with only a little head to promote the aromatics. The second impression brought out a hint of apple and lemon. The third aromatic impression, accompanied by the first sip, revealed a citric tang of orange and lemon. There was also a slight bubble-gum flavor that quickly dissipated. The second sip brought out a hint of banana and a full body. The third swallow left a clean and almost crisp aftertaste with a dry finish.

And that my friends is how the Farmers Daughter tasted at The Blind Tiger at 1616 hours on Wednesday the twenty third day of the month of February in the year 2011.

Put a Lid on It...

2011-02-22T09:31:00.002-05:00

Put a lid on it!

The above picture is the mustard as it is now served at McSorley's Old Ale House. For those who are over a certain age this is only the latest instance of accommodating the least of us at the inconvenience of the majority.

This beer bar, for that is all it serves, a copper colored brew and a dark but not opaque brew. They are known as Light and Dark respectively. The brew is served in glass mugs that I will guess have the capacity of half a bottle of beer poured with gusto. Those in the know will respond, when asked what they want by the bartender, "Two and two..." That will get you two mugs of Light and two mugs of "Dark" the equivalent of about sixteen ounces of beverage. This ritual has been in place there for as long as I can remember… For over thirty years the mugs of brew have always been tendered in such a way. Ah yes... the mugs.

Again, as far back as I can remember and I can remember when there was only one toilet for all customers back in the 1960's... but I digress.

The glass mugs were also used to dispense the fiery mustard served with most food listed on the menu, but particularly with the basic "cheese platter". This specialty has been described in a previous blog so I will not return to prior revelations. The mention of mugs and mustard returns our attention to the above picture.

In order that the pristine mustard be served to me and I be protected from any pathogen that can survive that mustard, the NYC Board of Health has proscribed the pictured covered mustard server must be used at McSorley's on penalty of serious fines.

I appreciate their efforts but I miss the old mugs of mustard... and the look on the face of a date when she returned from the old uni-sex toilet with the urinals big enough to get lost in.

Light or Dark and a Plate of Cheese

2011-02-21T11:06:00.004-05:00

For over 150 years the patrons of McSorley's (Home away From Home until the sign fell down) have been served a light or dark ale and a plate of cheddar cheese, sliced onions and salten crackers.

The origins of this culinary combination of flavors and textures can be found in the needs of Old John's customers. In the beginning most of them worked as teamsters and packers for the printing businesses that surrounded McSorley's. The men needed a quick and nourishing bite, and a few pints of brew to ease their way through their busy day. The cheese and crackers were the least that Old John could offer. The foaming malt beverage was a necessity... The Onions? Well... you wouldn't want the teamsters of New York to be thought of as a bunch of drunks now would you? Just a touch of onions and that is a non-event.

Old John and his customers might have enjoyed their brew but they weren't stupid. And onions were vegetables that were good for you too!

To this day the office drones of the area are offered the same refreshment and prophylactic as those first hard working (weren't they all?) men. Tradition is a wonderful thing to follow, especially for those of us who enjoy a beer or two with lunch... bring on the onions!

Pigs Foot and a Bottle of Beer

2011-02-18T11:13:00.001-05:00

Chef Martin Picard is the chef/owner of Au Pied De Cochon (The Pigs Foot), in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Pictured above is the signature dish and, barely visible and un-branded, a mug of the house pale ale. Considering it was the last week of May and the temperature was in the 80’sF this was a daunting serving of food.

Nevertheless I persevered and attacked both the meal and the beer with equal gusto. It was a good plan to enjoy the meal slowly with much conversation and plenty refreshing ale. The latter deserves special mention. If my memory, and a little research, serves me well, McAuslan is the brewery commissioned by Chef Picard to provide refreshing ale that could be suggested as a beverage of choice with almost all the dishes on the menu. If not steamed or sautéed, most of the dishes are cooked in the huge brick oven that is the centerpiece of the open kitchen. This calls for a brew that is tasty, and yet refreshing at the same time to complement the range of dishes, from fish to fois gras.

This dish involved simmering the pig’s feet in pork stock until the bones slip from the meat. The little, well not so little, fellows are stuffed and, after a visit to the hot oven they are served plated with a serving of the house mashed potatoes and a “croustillant” of more pig foot.

The house ale is served chilled and is both refreshing and blends with the rich flavors of this dish due to a malty flavor that is not shy, and an extra touch of pallet-cleansing hops.

Together the ale and the meal provided a memorable experience that I have placed on my “Bucket List”… Amen.

Why Wheat with Beef Steak?

2011-02-17T12:01:00.003-05:00

Pictured above is a dish comprised of beef skirt steak, rare, with herb butter, roasted asparagus, and roasted potatoes with onions.

Tradition tells us at the beverage of choice served with this dish should be slightly sweet and full flavored to accompany the flavors of the meat. A hint of hops would be helpful in accenting the roasted asparagus. A full-bodied beer would make the potatoes happy. That is what tradition tells us...

On a hot summer Sunday afternoon the idea of a heavy full-bodied beer to accompany this dish was seriously questioned. The House red wine was considered but the alfresco dining demanded a beer. And plus, the choice was made. Actually, the choice was limited to one beer, Hoegaarden, served almost ice-cold. As it turned out it was a good choice for a number of reasons.

First of all it was refreshing. Next, the slightly acidic flavor helped to reduce the richness of the butter and beefsteak. The slightly spicy flavor of the beer was a refreshing counterpoint to the particular flavor of the asparagus and the roasted, slightly caramelized, flavor of the potatoes.

Did I mention it was refreshing?

Iceberg some Blue and a Pilsner-style Lager Beer

2011-02-16T12:10:00.004-05:00

Essential flavors and textures are necessary to understand when suggesting a Pilsner style lager beer as a beverage of choice with the basic iceberg lettuce salad. It must be noted that the wedge of iceberg lettuce has been dressed with a combination of blue cheese, bacon and diced tomatoes in a vinaigrette dressing.

Why would a Pilsner style lager beer be a good choice for this salad? What is the beverage being asked to do? The crisp iceberg lettuce is slightly sweet, the dressing ads a touch of acid, and the cheese and bacon rich notes as well as toothsome textures to contrast with the lettuce.

This means the beverage must be refreshing, not too sweet, with carbonation to brighten the acid of the vinaigrette, and a slightly rich malty flavor to encourage the flavors of the bacon in the cheese. Dark beer carries too much flavor. Bitter or sour beer would be affected by the flavors of the cheese and bacon.

What is most important is the beverage must be refreshing.

Cheers!

Why braised Lamb Shanks go with Guinness Stout...

2011-02-14T14:02:00.002-05:00

Braised Lamb Shanks, served with sautéed bitter greens, and mashed potatoes is a seasonal dish especially enjoyed in the wintertime.

In this case, the Lamb Shanks were braised in a tomato-based sauce, the bitter greens were sautéed lightly oiled kale, and the potatoes were smashed red skin new potatoes.

The falling-off-the bone meat was naturally slightly sweet to the taste. The tomato-based sauce was not acidic. The sautéed bitter greens were refreshing in contrast to the slightly sweet flavors mentioned before. There was more than just a touch of butter in the potatoes.

The enjoyment of all of these flavors was enhanced by the beverage of choice, a pint of Guinness export Stout.

The deep roasted barley flavor gave a richness to the sweet flavor of the meat. The slightly dry finish of the Guinness gave a rich complement to the potatoes. The very slight hop touch in that same finish found a friend in the flavors of the bitter greens.

It can only be imagined the influence on the final flavors of this dish if Guinness had been used in the braising sauce.

Beer for the Super Bowl

2011-02-04T12:44:00.000-05:00

The American football spectacular known as the “Super Bowl” is a marketing paradise. In the beginning, when there was an American Football League and the National Football League and the Super Bowl actually meant something, brewing companies were the major advertisers.

Television commercial advertising was as much a part of the spectacle as the actual sporting event. I seem to remember Miller “Lite” and Budweiser both featuring advertisements for their respective beers.

Watching one of the first few Super Bowl games inspired me to explore the tasty treat known as Super Bowl dip. It consisted of melting a bar of Velveeta cheese in a bowl, adding a jar of tomato salsa and mixing the two until it was of putty-like consistency. The use of toasted corn chips conveyed this mixture from the bowl to the mouth. This was immediately followed by the consumption of at least three six ounce gulps of ice cold malt flavored fizzy straw-colored beverage. (Or Coca-Cola or Dr. Pepper if you are from the South.) The entire concept was “beer mandatory”.

The upstart A.F.L. versus the tradition bound N.F.L. would soon merge and later become a financial megalopolis. However, during that first decade the “Super Bowl” was quite simply a good excuse to party.

As the preponderance of viewers were male, beer consumption was considered mandatory, and hot spiced foods, fatty salty creations from every ethnic culinary source, found a day to be celebrated. Buffalo wings, pizza, every kind of chilly in existence, and peppers of every kind prepared in every way were always the fodder fed to the football fanatics from the very first.

What kind of beer goes with this feed?

Popular priced mass-produced American beer!

This multi-hour extravaganza has gone from the honest enthusiasm of Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell and “Dandy” Don Meredith served up at a time when the country was engaged in an unpopular armed conflict in Southeast Asia, to an orchestrated multimedia cotillion of corporate overindulgence and marketing extravaganza, served up with a side of financial slippage.

What kind of beer is called for?

This is not a beer tasting event. This is the time for mass consumption for effect not flavor. Purely for sentimental reasons my nomination goes to Pabst Blue Ribbon beer from the can. That’s the beer I’m going to have with my buffalo wings… enjoy the game!

2011 Beer Weeks Coming or Going?

2011-01-14T12:03:00.002-05:00

The last three years have seen the growth of “beer weeks” in Philadelphia, and New York. These events started out as organized “pub crawls”, an effort to build closer relationships between restaurants, pubs, bars and taverns with distributors and brewers. It has also introduced many “mainstream” beer drinkers to brews that they may not have tried otherwise.

The do-it-yourself format resulted in the development of the concept of the beer “passport” a printed booklet that allowed the consumer to seek out special brews at particular restaurants, pubs, bars and taverns that featured those brews for the week. Of course these “passports” also serve as guidebooks for locals and tourists interested in finding good beers in cities they might not be familiar with. It also allowed restaurants, pubs, bars and taverns to present their “beer friendly” lists to consumers that might not have stopped in.

The founder of the New York City Beer Week, Josh Schaffner, explains… “The first one was developed in about four months and it was relatively small in scope. It didn’t have any events. It was organized into different neighborhood pub crawls.

The notion being, if we can bring some excitement to beer for one week of the year, and by extension bring excitement to the places that serve that beer, we would have a mission accomplished. It’s been going fantastically since then, especially with the inclusion of events.” Schaffner notes that since the first year the Passport concept has been an essential addition to the program. “A large part of that is a production of the passport. The passport allows people to appreciate beers at different venues on their own during the week. The passport is something we think is very important. It allows people to have a long-standing connection not just with the beer week. When people come to visit they will bring their passports and use it as a resource guide to find of the best places to drink beer in that city. This year there were parts of the passport that were actually available for use year-round. Next year we hope to have even more of that.”

What is Schaffner looking forward to regarding the 2011 “Beer Week”?

Schaffner confidently notes, “I’m really looking forward to having better connection with the other beer weeks. We’ve been at it for three years, Philadelphia’s been at it for three years, and San Francisco’s going into their third in February. San Diego’s going into their third. We are all getting together during the Craft Brewers Conference and comparing our different weeks, hearing about some of the more successful events, hopefully being able to have a more cohesiveness among the beer weeks so that regardless of where people are coming from expectations for the individual beer weeks can be met. At the very least it will be a chance to insure we will be able to run our beer weeks in a more effective and efficient manner based on experiences from the other cities.”

Gnomegang and a Deal With the Duvel

2011-01-05T10:18:00.002-05:00

The folks at mybeerbuzz.com today posted the following quote attributed to Larry Bennett of Ommegang; “Duvel will again brew some Ommegang beer for us in 2011… We're preparing for continuing growth and brewing more fantastic (and some new) beers. Including a Chouffe collaboration beer, tentatively named Gnomegang, coming out in April”.

http://mybeerbuzz.blogspot.com/2011/01/ommegang-dachouffegnomegang.html?spref=fb

Fritz and Fade

2010-12-15T10:56:00.002-05:00

“We’re all friends in fermentation.”

The above quote, spoken by Fritz Maytag, at a beer tasting event at Windows on The World, has been a motto of mine for years. And so it has been no surprise to me that a good many food and beverage pundits have focused a flood of tasty comments on the particular enjoyment of a piece of good cheese and a glass of good beer.

This brings a philosophical focus to the discussion. What are a good beer, good cheese, and good food? I am called a heretic by many of my beer loving friends for insisting that Budweiser is well-made beer. I am not saying it is a tasty beer. I am saying it is well made.

Another example tests the “well-made” against the “good” is the above illustration. Basically is simply gives you an idea of what a piece of Fritz Maytag’s blue cheese looks like and the bottle of a particular beer that I chose to drink. I can tell you that both the beer and the piece of cheese were no more than 50°F as presented.

To appreciate the rest of these notes you’ll simply have to trust me, my subjective sense of smell and taste, and ability to express those in an understandable way.

Tasting notes:

The cheese was rich and creamy, with a pungent flavor that was slightly metallic. In that aspirational moment before a sip of beer, there was a sharp spike of flavor that was slightly saline.

The cool beverage immediately featured the flavor of deeply roasted malt followed by a caramel and prune flavor.

When the two flavor profiles came together the creaminess of the cheese and the deep roasted flavors of the brew balanced each other in a sensational way. The slightly metallic flavor of the cheese combined with the caramel and prune flavor smoothing each of the flavors into one palate cleansing sensation that kept the creaminess from becoming cloying.

The range of flavors brought to the table by both the beer and the cheese was impressive. However, the balance of flavors resulted in not in confusion but with satisfaction.

Believe it or not!

A taste of… Long Trail Centennial Red

2010-12-13T12:16:00.003-05:00

Long Trail Brewing Company
5520 U.S. 4
Bridgewater Corners, VT 05035
(802) 672-5011

Preface: This pint was purchased at 1335 hours of 5 December 2010 at The Waterfront Alehouse in Brooklyn, NY for $6.50 (US) These notes have not been influenced by reading promotional material or any other review of this brew. I am including this preface to inform the reader of any and all circumstances that might be conceived of a creating a biased review or a conflict of interest regarding the choice of words used in the following review. I could go on and on with semi-legal jargon but I guess you will just have to trust me eh?

The following are my tasting notes:

Appearance: A deep amber colored brew topped with a solid, dense thin light brown creamy head.

Aroma: The first impression is a but of bubblegum that builds from a caramel base. The second visit adds more caramel notes. The third impression, and the moment between sip and lip, included no surprise flavors or aromatics.

Mouth feel: The chill, sturdy carbonation and slight carbolic acid spike added to the mouth feel.

Flavor: A sharp burnt sugar tang develops into a slight bubblegum note that slides into a bitter impression that has more than a bit of a floral hint. The second taste, as the brew warms up, has more of a caramel accent that pushes the bubblegum out of the way and lets the floral hints speak up. The third sip let the caramel and bitter notes get better acquainted in a good way.

Finish: The finish is more of an olfactory echo than the expected flavor impressions.

Comments: This is a roasted food beer... beef, potatoes and Brussels Sprouts...

The Brewery: http://www.longtrail.com/

What others say:

BeerAdvocate: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/94/63343

RateBeer: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/long-trail-brewmaster-series-centennial-red/131307/

The Gift of Beer

2010-12-09T10:50:00.002-05:00

Greetings,

It is the holiday season... the time for gift giving. Choosing a particular gift can be difficult, in particular, that special something for friends and family. Should you have the reputation of being a beer aficionado you can get away with the gift of the beer. In fact it is often anticipated.

While there is a great deal of consideration placed on the selection of the beer and the food, might I suggest that pairing the person to the beer is much more important.

I offer the following suggestions:

Your brother-in-law the beer geek: I would suggest all holiday ale, in the largest sized bottle you can find, perhaps a growler... signed with a sharpie by the Brewer.

Your brother-in-law's wife not a beer geek: This is perhaps the easiest one... a 250 mL bottle of the Belgian Kriek beer. Suggest that she serve it in champagne flutes and guests will be wondering what the wonderful wine that they are serving is called.

Your husband: India Pale Ale is just the right thing for this gift. It tells him that he has a sense of adventure, knows what a good beer tastes like, and carries with it the image of the real he-man.

Your wife: This choice involves more quantity than quality. The object of this gift is that it is a four pack rather than a six pack or a large bottle. this shows that you truly care which are not trying to get her drunk.

Your in-laws: If they are teetotalers, a bottle of non-alcoholic cider. If they have been known to indulge, at 250 mL bottle of a Russian Imperial Stout, or a barley wine. Tell them that it is not for immediate consumption, rather it is to be saved and savored at another time. There are affirmative a psychological reasons for offering it that way. Believe me...

Good friends: If you are a homebrewer there's no question it should be a bottle or two of that beer you have been saving for a special occasion. If you're not, should they be beer geeks, you have already heard of at least one brewery that they appreciate particularly. If they are not beer geeks, a mixed six pack of some of the best known a "craft Brewers" might turn them into beer geeks.

For yourself: Visit your favorite watering hole, order your favorite beer, and then order one for the person sitting next to you and wish them a happy holiday!

Cheers!

Salmon Won Ton and 2010 Anchor Our Special Ale

2010-12-08T10:08:00.003-05:00

Chef Peter Davis talks Fresh & Honest about beer…

2010-11-24T13:07:00.004-05:00

Fresh & Honest

Food from the farms of New England in the kitchen of Henrietta’s Table.

By Peter Davis

This last March I had a chance to chat by phone with Chef Davis about beer and how he uses it at Henrietta’s Table in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

As a published author I can appreciate a chance to promote my book and know the short shelf-life of new-book publicity.

And so it is with great pleasure that I found the following interview stashed in my “C” drive.

The pleasure came not only from finding work I had forgotten but also in being able to present a book that presents a level headed look at how a chef is using local produce and provisions as well as local brews. My first question was perhaps obvious…

How do you use beer in the kitchen there at Henrietta’s Kitchen?

Chef Davis: We use it a lot of different ways because we have a lot of smaller breweries in our area. So we try to figure ways to incorporate beer into our recipes. We can also encourage the staff to suggest beer at the table to go with the dishes in the same way that they suggest the wine.

I knew that, particularly in the braised ribs, there is a reduction by two thirds… that can certainly bring in a bitter note to that dish.

Chef Davis: The other ingredients, the mirepoix and baked vegetables, limit some of the bitterness and smooths it out. Some bitterness is not a bad idea. We go for different flavors across-the-board. Sometimes people enjoy little bitterness.

Is cooking with beer is this something you’ve done all along?

Chef Davis: Yes I’ve been doing it for quite a while. I probably started like to finish chili with beer. Right at the end of the cooking process when it comes off the stove I liked too add a little bit of beer into the bowl chili at that point without reducing it or without cooking at all. It adds some flavor to it … It’s hard to describe.

Have you always been a beer aficionado?

Chef Davis: I like beer… I like to try different beers. I like what’s been happening over the last 15 years or so, with the new beers. People have more of an awareness of what they like they don’t have to take just the same type of beer. People are willing to try new flavors and that’s a good thing.

Are you lager man or an ale man?

Chef Davis: I’m an ale-man I guess I’m not into berries or blueberries of that sort of thing.

What are your favorite recipes that you use beer in?

Chef Davis: In the book there is a Pale Ale Braised Short Ribs recipe but there is also the Maple stout brisket I particularly like…

Maple-Stout Marinade

Makes 8 cups

Ingredients:

12 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 cup maple syrup

4 cups stout

1 cup red wine vinegar

4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

8 bay leaves

4 teaspoons Tabasco sauce

2 cups onion, finely diced

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, mix the mustard and maple syrup together.

Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce heat and let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool before using.

Maple Stout-Marinated Beef Brisket

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 4-pound beef brisket

4 cups Maple Stout

Maple-Stout Marinade (see above)

Directions:

Soak the brisket in the marinade for 24 hours.

Remove the brisket from the marinade and grill over low heat to brown on all sides, being careful not to burn.

Remove from the grill and put in a pan on a rack and cover tightly.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Place the brisket in the oven and cook for 6 hours, removing the top and basting with the marinade every hour.

When the brisket is tender, remove from the oven and let rest lightly covered for 30 minutes. Slice the brisket thinly across the grain and drizzle with the pan drippings.

Brew Masters taps "ta henket"

2010-11-19T10:19:00.004-05:00

Left to right: Dogfish Head Master Brewer Floris Delee, Dr. Patrick Mc Govern and Sam Calagione

Last night, at the Discovery Times Square King Tut Exhibition, Sam Calagione had a first taste of “ta henket” brew.

“ta henket” is based on a recipe deduced from an investigation of beer and brewing in Egypt, over 6,000 years ago, documented by the Discovery Channel as part of their Brew Masters programming.

The brew is the result of relics found by Dr. Patrick Mc Govern, Dogfish Head Master Brewer Floris Delee and Sam Calagione. Dr. McGovern’s research in molecular archeology at the University of Pennsylvania was the basis for determining the basic ingredients of the brew. The next step was a trip to Egypt for hands-on research that involved hieroglyphics, and gathering indigenous micro flora and yeast. (All of this recorded for the Discovery Channel presentation.

The following are my tasting notes:

Appearance: Light straw-colored slightly opaque brew with a bit of carbonation and a loosely knit head of off-white foam built from medium to small bubbles.

Aroma: A citric tang was the first impression, and then a sweeter note introduced an herbal base. The second impression was slightly more herbal.

Mouth feel: For a brew of 5% abv there was lightness to the body that was not unpleasant or unanticipated after the aromatics.

Flavor: The first impression was a flavor of oregano. The second sip brought up a citric touch. The third sip was an interesting balance between the two with an accent on the oregano.

Finish: There was a dry note that left a refreshing sensation. No hops here…

Note: Sam told us that they used an herbal mix called Za’atar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaatar ) and coriander.

Beer and Fried Frenched Potatoes

2010-11-09T11:04:00.001-05:00

The above illustration is a picture of an as close to the perfect deep fried frenched potato.

You, and spell-check, noticed the obvious mistake in the preceding sentence didn’t you?

Sorry folks… what you call French fries did not come from France in the first place. (They are a specialty of the Belgian cuisine.) When prepared in Metropolitan France, or in any French speaking part of the world, the preparation is known simply as “frites”… fries.

So how did the name come about? The answer is found in the usual ability of settlers of the British colonies to grasp the nuances of communicating in more than one language. At least two of the revered founding fathers of what is now the United States (Jefferson and Franklin) actually conversed in the French language. Later representatives of the new country, in a tradition that continues to this day, lacked that skill. And thus miss-interpretation abounded. One documented instance illustrates the inability to translate even the English language.

In cooking notes written in the English language, published in the 1700’s, there was a dish of potatoes sliced into long thin pieces (a kitchen knife technique known as “Frenching”) and fried in hot oil until crisp. The dish was documented as “fried frenched potatoes”. In defense of the folks at that time, cooking was very much an oral tradition even with trained chefs.

What does any of this have to do with beer?

I can think of no beer not enhanced by the accompaniment of a serving of perfectly done fried frenched potatoes.

The illustration above does more than any words I can think of to illustrate that “perfect” example.

What do I see?

I see a slice of potato in an ideal shape to render the tuber a morsel of nutty fluffy interior lightly embraced by a crisp almost caramelized brown coat.

These flavors individually would enhance most brown ale, together they allow heavier beers, flavored beers and barley wines to refresh the pallet for more of the flavors of the potato treat.

Should you prefer the lighter side of life the lagers of the world all enjoy the especially nutty flavors of the fried frenched potato.

Is it the perfect snack for beer drinkers?

Stay tuned…

Beer... How special?

2010-11-04T14:31:00.001-04:00

Exactly what is a good beer worth?

It’s worth what people are willing to pay.

At the end of September New York City celebrated craft beer week. At least 200 bars pubs taverns and restaurants were involved. There were also at least a dozen special events scheduled that involved everything from cask beer to brewery tours.

I made a special effort, and spent $65, to attend one of the events called Get Real New York. The event was a two-day celebration of cask beers, separated into two tasting sessions each day. There would be at least 80 different cask beers available at each tasting. There would also be a generous selection of foods to sample supplied by New York restaurants and retailers.

It was a warm summer Saturday afternoon, perfect for standing in line for about a half-hour waiting for the doors to open. I was impressed by how well behaved to the crowd was, and also noted that I was probably old enough to be the grandfather of most people standing there. Once they opened the doors tickets were collected identifications checked in a very smooth manner. For some reason I wasn’t asked to prove how old I was.

The tasks that were available were prolific and prestigious. The servers were able, friendly, and knew how to pour beer. It took less than an hour to sit my way through just under 30 beers. During that time I also had a chance to taste some tasty open faced sandwiches, cheeses, and other “finger food”. As I wandered around the very large space, sipping beer and tasting food, I took the opportunity to talk to the people who were serving the beer and food. One of the questions I asked was “How many folks my age have you seen today?” Nine out of 10 times the answer was “None.”

That was when the thought crossed my mind, “Is the appreciation of cask beer limited to those between the ages of 25 and 35?” The obvious answer to that question is, “No.”

So why were there so few of my generation at this event? The answer has nothing to do with beer. It has to do with perceived value. Get ready, here it comes…

When I was the age of most of the people at that event $65 would’ve been enough to feed for starving college students for a week. That same amount of money would have been enough to keep those college students in beer for the same amount time. Should I ask anyone of my generation if they would be willing to pay $65 for three pints of beer and a small plate of food I would be providing them with a humorous story that they can tell the rest of their lives.

On the other hand, I can issue that there were at least a couple of thousand people attended the event… and gladly paid $65 each.

Perhaps I should reevaluate the value of a good beer… never mind, I can’t afford to.

Why imported beers are so special…

2010-11-03T11:29:00.002-04:00

Imported beers on the other hand offer an entirely different type of lifestyle enhancement. First off, there is the assumption that if the beer has been imported especially a great distance it must be something special or it wouldn’t have been worth all the cost and effort. It is assumed that the additional cost of shipping is a necessary overhead and influence on the price of imported beer. The fact that it is imported indicates that there is a demand, and if there is a demand for this particular beer it must be something special.

In the early 1990s there was a beer exported from the province of Saskatchewan that went by the name of “Grizzly”. The beer was packaged in 12 ounce crown capped green glass bottles with a front label that prominently displayed a grisly reared up on its hind legs. One of the two major Canadian brewing companies produced this beer. It was quite simply an effervescent relatively low alcohol malt beverage. In New York City, and particularly the borough of Queens, where there is a large Korean community, this beer sold tens of thousands of cases. The reason it sold tens of thousands of cases had very little to do with what was in the bottle. It had a great deal to do with the position that the grizzly bear has in Korean culture.

Every year at the end of September and the beginning of October you can expect to find St. Pauli Girl Oktoberfest on tap at any place that favors this particular German Festival. Satisfied to toast this event with only an authentic German beer, party goers across the United States will hoist a stein or two of this particular product. Should the truth be known? The truth is that the beer is actually brewed in Germany, however St. Pauli Girl is not a brand sold in Germany. And if it was it would have a very specific market. The fact is, in Germany, a “St. Pauli Girl” is a prostitute.

And so the question is what makes an imported beer so special?

An imported beer is particularly special to someone who has been to where the beer is brewed and is aware of the social cultural and culinary importance of that beer. This consumer is someone who has tasted the beer at the source and is probably aware of the brewery’s history. The involvement and associations that this consumer brings to the table cannot be underestimated.

And imported beer is also particularly special to someone who wishes they have been where the beer is brewed. Romantic notions concerning the brewery, in the area of a particular country that it comes from, are quite often enhanced by the labeling, packaging, and advertising of that product. Should one care to buy into the ambiance created by the advertising the sounds of Alpine yodeling should accompany the opening of every Bavarian beer. The popularity of these beers can only be an indication a great many people have very sensitive ears and are able to hear Alpine yodeling halfway around the world, or that the beer itself is particular enough to hold the attention of the consumer. Considering the product that dominates the North American beer market, any additional or unusual flavor that is part of an imported beers flavor profile will serve to draw attention to itself.

Finally, the fact that brewers go to such effort to brew beer for export gives the curious consumer at least one good reason to try a particular beer. The fact that some beers are considered important in some cultures results in an active ex-patriot market. And in this culture, a super premium price naturally assures us super premium product.

And that’s why imported beers are so special…