Resolutions

I made the perhaps overly ambitious resolution for 2012 to visit all San Diego breweries, and I'm slowly whittling away at the list. Though amazing, my 2+ month ocean crossing from South Africa to Australia means that I am behind pace. Together with some friends at work, I have been hitting up the breweries in the Miramar / Mira Mesa area recently, some of which I had never been to before. Here's a quick round-up of my visits so far.

Green Flash
A sentimental favorite, as the place to first employ Reed in the beer industry, Green Flash never disappoints. An after work visit found us at a picnic table in their twinkly-light-filled patio area that evokes that familiar pleasantness of your own backyard. Plus there's one of San Diego's many amazing food trucks parked there more often than not, so it's hard not to get comfortable and stay awhile. And I haven't even mentioned beer yet. Though offerings vary, they always have 10+ options to choose from. Green Flash's barleywine is still my favorite, the older the better, and they usually have that on tap along with a selection of their distinct hoppy Belgian concoctions. Rayon Vert, a Belgian pale ale, and Linchpin, a white IPA, were new to me on this particular visit. Both are of course a bit hoppy for my taste, but quite interesting and definitely worth a taste for those of you who can handle, or even like, the bitter mixed in with that distinct Belgian yeast flavor. The Rayon Vert is a remake of the not-so-popular (though I like it and think it ages well) Treasure Chest, so I'll be interested to try it again each time I visit. Next time I stop in I definitely want to take their brewery tour. 

Heart lacing.

Ballast Point
A new one for me, and I must say that I was blown away by their selection. To be honest, all I knew before going was that their beers were named after fish, that my beer snob friends will just not shut up about Sculpin IPA, and I'd heard rumors that they were paid $1 million for the rights to the word yellowtail by the Australian winemaker (who, upon further research, seem the litigious type). So imagine my surprise when confronted with their tasting menu of 20 beers, including a truly inspired curry stout and a delicious smoked lager that dragged up memories of campfires past. I wrote down in my notebook that the lager was so flavor-infused that I imagined the brewer squirting liquid smoke into the vats of beer, it seems impossible that malt can do so much. A friend and I went back a few weeks later to procure a growler of the curry stout and had it for dinner with naan - truly a well balanced meal. Ballast Point's tasting room feels like a bar, it's crowded and loud and hard to get the attention of the servers. The production side is all hidden from view, though they give frequent tours. The large and varied selection, viewable online, along with a reasonable $5 for three 4oz tasters, will definitely tempt me back in for future visits. They also run a home brew store in Linda Vista that I have yet to visit, though I hear they do a lot of tasting events there as well.

Alesmith
They've gone through a bit of a makeover since I was there last, which I believe was only in January. The tasting room has been painted and is quite fancy, more of a restaurant feel to it than the warehouse vibe of Green Flash or Hess. The tinier than expected brewhouse is on display and I wonder at their ability to churn out (and bottle!) so many types of beer, all of unbelievable quality and distinction. Before my first visit I imagined them to be more the size of Karl Strauss, just without the restaurant to distract them from making amazing beer (more on this theme in a future post). Our group included at least one IPA fanatic who happily sipped away at his 12 ounce pour while the rest of us ran all over the tasting menu via the $1 four ounce options. Though their Nut Brown is my favorite brown ale of all time (so far), I walked away with a growler of the Grand Cru, a deliciously rich and sweet Belgian-style ale.

Rough Draft tasting room / brewhouse.

Rough Draft
This new-to-the-scene brewery has my favorite San Diego tasting room (so far), it only took one visit to fall in love with the cozy space. A long bar, beautiful tables with succulent centerpieces, and a living room-like space with couches and a cool warehouse-inspired coffee table (beer table?) are all just roped off from the brewhouse and fermenter tanks. I prefer this kind of setup, where tours aren't really necessary, rather than a separation of production and consumption. I like the idea that when I'm kicking back enjoying a beer (or five), the brewing staff can all be doing the same thing, none of this around-the-clock business. On the evening I visited, the owner was in fact doing just that. He is clearly an IPA-lover, like many people I know. Three of the nine beers on tap were IPAs, with the rest of the list consisting of a blonde, amber, red, pale ale and a rye. Obviously missing (to me at least) was a dark beer of any kind, no brown or stout or porter, though I was assured that their first is in the tanks already. The plan, I take it, is to have some fun with the recipes and see where things end up based on popularity in the tasting room. This is novel to me, though I suppose every brewery probably goes through this process at the beginning, I've just never felt like I was a part of it. I've noticed a theme to the tasting rooms that I enjoy visiting...you always need a return visit. There's always something they're talking about that's almost ready, the lineup is always different and with Rough Draft it goes the one step further where you feel like your opinion and feedback will help drive their decisions and expansion.

Up next.....
It will take multiple trips to get to all the San Marcos / Escondido area breweries, but I'm sure I can find willing participants. A repeat visit to Hess is always necessary, I'm headed there today with my trusty chocolate cream cheese cupcakes that pair so nicely with their stout.

Beer pairing dinner extravaganza

A few weeks ago Reed and I had some good friends over for a beer pairing dinner. It was pretty epic - Reed matched 8 different beers to a 3-course meal. Here's the menu (links go to Beer Advocate).
Cheese:
1. Chipotle cranberry cheddar with Stone IPA
2. Scharfe Maxx (think Swiss & Gruyere) with Alaskan Smoked Porter
3. Prima Donna (gouda) with Alesmith Nautical Nut Brown
Main Course:
Grilled pork tenderloin with Green Flash and St. Feuillien Biere de L'Amitie
Grilled shrimp in jerk sauce with Green Flash and Founder's Linchpin White IPA
Grilled squash, bell peppers and portobello mushrooms with Duvel
Dessert:
Raspberry fresh fruit pie with Green Flash Treasure Chest 
Black bottomed cupcakes with Hess Ex Umbris

Turns out we have 11 unique tasting-size (~4oz) glasses, so each person had their own for the night, as long as they could remember which was there's. 

During the cheese course Reed also put out some sliced pineapple for trying along with the IPA, as he'd heard that the combination changes the flavor of the beer. In case you're skeptical, I offer you this tidbit - I actually went back for seconds on the IPA, an up to that point unheard of phenomenon! The bitterness of the hops that dissuades me from liking a lot of beer was basically gone, leaving the smooth flavors to calm the bite of the chipotle in the cheddar. It was a very tasty combination. 
I had also made bread using Stone smoked porter, which caved in a bit on top but had a delicious flavor, which is what counts.

I liked the Scharfe Maxx cheese well enough when I tried it in the shop, neither Reed nor I particularly like stinky cheeses but this one walked that fine line. Or it did until it was paired with the Alaskan smoked porter! After a sip of the delicious beer, the cheese tasted too stinky by far. Everyone in the group noticed the change, though most of our guests like stinky cheese and so had a positive response. I, however, could no longer eat the cheese - and the beer actually didn't taste as good to me anymore either, it was a complicated mix of flavors that overwhelming reminded me of feet. It was a very strange phenomenon, and an example of the surprising fact that drinking beer while eating cheese caused me to like both less. In this case, two rights made a wrong - at least for me.
The last cheese and beer pairing was my favorite, a gouda with my favorite brown ale. Predictably, the beer brought out a deeper smoked and nutty flavor to the already delicious, though subtle, cheese. It was interesting, all standing around a table in my backyard, to discuss how each of us felt about the pairings and how we could all have such different reactions to the same combinations.
Next up we moved inside, Reed had grilled up an excellent selection of meats and veggies and this, more than the other courses, called for mixing up the pairings. The pork and shrimp had been marinating all day in garlic, balsamic vinegar and various herbs while I had made an orange juice and cinnamon concoction for the veggies.

Now this is about where I stopped taking notes, between my hostessing and drinking duties it was just not going to happen. I do remember really enjoying all of these beers, and also every aspect of the dinner. Reed held court at one end of the table doling out the beers in order while everyone enjoyed their meals. I think he chose very drinkable beers since he grilled dinner. It seems to be true for wines as well that the suggested pairings for grilled seafood and white meats are the ones you can also just enjoy a glass of by itself. I do remember wishing for 3 tasting glasses at this point so I could have tried all the beers on their own before eating.

After an extended period of time where we all shared our reactions, and then had time to digest (and go back for more beer), it was time for dessert! I made both desserts from favorite recipes from my mom's kitchen. Up first, a fresh raspberry and cream pie in a graham cracker crust. I don't make this pie for just anyone, you have to be somebody special in my life to get it.

Back when Reed worked at Green Flash they made and bottled this Belgian pale ale and he bought a case, opening one from time to time to see how it's aged. It doesn't seem too popular on Beer Advocate, with some people describing it as having a band-aid like taste (gross!), and even the people at the tasting room seem to have given up on it. Reed had requested that I make the fresh fruit pie specifically with raspberries, and for good reason it turns out. It was a fantastic pairing, and very popular with our guests as well. The beer itself gets more sour with age and has a fine flavor already in my opinion. But when paired with a perfect balance (if I do say so myself) of tart and sweet in the pie, it was downright delicious! The flavors blended together, making the beer taste fruitier and creamier than it had just moments before. And that was only the first round of dessert!

Next up was chocolate and cream cheese cupcakes with Hess' stout. I like their stout well enough as is, it's very rich and has bold chocolate and coffee notes. The general consensus was that it was the perfect complement to the cupcakes (which are also excellent unaccompanied). Even at the end of such an indulgent evening, more than one person went back for seconds on this combination. I have also decided that next time I visit Hess (which will hopefully be next week) I will bring a batch of these cupcakes with me to share with the other patrons. I should call ahead and make sure they'll have the stout on tap...maybe even with nitro!

All in all, it was a wonderful evening full of mostly good surprises. I highly suggest you find yourself a group of friends who enjoy trying new things and talking about the experience, and host your own beer pairing dinner! Reed and I will definitely be hosting another round later this summer. Word to the wise - avoid going back for seconds on beer and food and you'll enjoy the experience more (and it makes the next day much more pleasant).

Beer in a wine glass

We have too much beer in our house. It's a good problem to have, I know, but it does still bother me from time to time. Luckily there is an easy and fun solution, and Reed has been adding beer pairings to pretty much everything recently in order to ease my twitchy aversion to anything resembling hoarding. Last night he grilled teriyaki turkey burgers and pineapple and paired it with yet another Stone collaboration beer: El Camino (un)Real Black Ale, which was originally made in 2010, aged since then in "virgin American oak barrels". The other breweries involved are Firestone Walker in Paso Robles and 21st Amendment in San Francisco, both of which are along the El Camino Real, the old road connecting the California missions, which is a reference you probably only know if you grew up here.
Anyway, Reed pouring me beer is nothing new, especially since most of our "excess" is in 22oz bottles and he only rarely opens one of those on his own. What made last night different was what he poured the beer into. When I saw the wine glass full of beer, a few thoughts entered my mind: "Did he hit his head at work today?" "Perhaps this is actually an alien wearing a Reed suit" and other similar quandaries, all of which seemed plausible considering the pictures I'd seen earlier in the day of the new Stone brewhouse being delivered (check them out and tell me that doesn't look like an alien encounter). Reed assured me, however, that he had poured the beer into wine glasses on purpose, so that we could fully appreciate the aroma while drinking it. We have been having a discussion off and on about whether he can really taste and smell all the myriad things he rattles off when trying a new beer, with me generally arguing that he's full of it while he maintains that "no really, can't you taste those California figs and dry cedar?" But I digress. This was intended to be a quick post with a few pictures and tasting notes. So let's get to that.    

What's not to like?

This is a delicious beer! I never had any of the original run, before the barrel aging, so I don't have that to compare it to. But the fact that this was aged in virgin barrels surprised me, because it definitely has that bourbon bite to it, that thick sweetness you can indeed smell on your way to the glass for the first taste. I have always assumed that came from the years of holding bourbon, not that the flavor is already in the oak. Which leads me to a few questions. Is that bourbon flavor really just oak flavor? What would bourbon taste like if it was made in steel? Further study is needed, I'm nothing if not a scientist.

Part 2 of the evening: dessert! A friend had given us a bottle of Rogue's Chocolate Stout recently when we had him over for our beer-pairing dinner (more on that in a not-so-distant future post). Needless to say, he now has a standing invitation and this is my new favorite stout. Unlike the others I've had which get their chocolate flavor from malt, this one also has "natural chocolate flavoring" on the ingredient list (along with "Free Range Coastal Waters," which both amused me and caused me to roll my eyes). This beer is very smooth and I would love to try it on draught with nitro, as I've yet to meet a stout that's not made even better that way. Or perhaps on cask? The flavors did evolve as it warmed up, so that would be a neat experiment as well. My very favorite characteristic about Rogue's chocolate stout is that there's none of that pesky coffee flavor lurking about. I hate the smell/taste/very idea of coffee. Not in a judgmental way, as I can clearly see that I am outnumbered and pretty much everyone in my profession and my reality at large is addicted to the stuff. But the smell nauseates me. It is not allowed in my car at any time, and Reed gets no kisses if it's on his breath. Though difficult, I had accepted the fact that chocolate stouts invariably have coffee notes to them and so I would never truly love one. Reed's continuing beer education has taught me never to say never.  

Beagle snout photobomb!