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!

Hiatus, back in April

I am quite behind in posts this winter and unfortunately that isn't going to change right away. I leave for a work trip on Monday and won't be back in town until mid-April. During that time I will spend a few weeks in South Africa and Australia, plus 5 weeks at sea. I plan to visit breweries on my travels and continue to write, but it is unlikely that I will post anything until I return. I already have many drafts and ideas waiting in the wings and cannot wait to have the time to bring them to fruition and get them posted. Here's some things you can look forward to by summer 2012:
- Further ramblings from my New England trip including Bukowski's Tavern in Boston and how this visit prompted much discussion and thought on what the definition of a dive bar is, Lion's Pride restaurant and brewery in Maine which made a beer snob out of me, and a visit to Allagash.
- The various alcohol serving laws fascinate me and I plan to do some research and share what I discover about why tasting rooms in California can't let you sit down or serve you so much as peanuts, why there's no happy hour in Massachusetts, and other nonsensical rules.
- The sense of community within the craft breweries here in San Diego is amazing considering they're all technically competitors. Instead of vying for the same customers this cooperation seems to have just expanded interest and with that led to expansion and an amazingly high concentration of quality small businesses bucking the trend of rough economic times. Mayor Sanders attends many craft brewery events to showcase San Diego as a beer destination and support the creation of local jobs.
- My 2012 resolution is to visit all the local breweries, sample their wares and get to know their stories.

In the meantime, enjoy craft beer and all that it can add to your life!

Me and Reed enjoying a happy buzz from the wonders of Lion's Pride

Not-so-local Brewery Spotlight: Oxbow Brewing Company

 

At the unparalleled restaurant Lion's Pride (which will be getting its own post), Reed tried a few beers from nearby Oxbow Brewing Company which is only a few months old and, it turns out, just a couple of guys making beer in the woods of Maine. Their slogan is "Loud Beer from a Quiet Place" - classic. They brew farmhouse ales, which I understand to be Belgian and pale ale styles mixed together to the limits of their imagination, using saison yeasts and lots of hops. We visited on a late October day, just after the region's first snowstorm of the season, and found the guys working away in the brewery, which is currently an unfinished building (on the outside at least, inside the full set up of tanks, barrels and other equipment are churning away) along a rural road in Newcastle, Maine.

Snow-capped kegs.

A brewery kitty greeted us (or perhaps she was just judging us, you can never tell with cats) as we walked by a surprisingly large pile of labelled kegs. I didn't expect the scale of distribution Oxbow has considering they've only being open a few months. Perhaps because of the business plan itself, the geographic differences in Maine versus Southern California or maybe because no other local brewery is doing what they do - it seems these guys really get around. Hopefully all the way to the other corner of the country soon enough!

We walked in while they were conducting an experiment, mixing their Freestyle #1, a super saison (which as far as I can tell means they added as many hops as possible during the brewing process), and Freestyle #2, a smoked chocolate stout. It's good to be a brewer on days where this is what constitutes work. As you can probably guess, it was a bit too hoppy for my usual tastes but by this time we'd been beer-tasting for days and I had declared myself a beer snob less than 48 hours earlier (that story coming soon). Reed and the head brewer chatted for awhile and then we filled up a few growlers to take to a Halloween party and left. In Massachusetts there is no ridiculous law (I'm looking at you California) that limits growlers being filled only with the type of beer printed on the glass. I was told that the only growler Oxbow won't fill is a dirty one, so that's a nice perk.

Beer to go!

While we were traveling back east, so was Greg Koch, co-founder of Stone and I guess technically my husband's boss, who was promoting his book. I imagine he was being whisked around and didn't have as much time as he would probably like to check out local breweries and beer bars. So I like to think of us as filling that role, San Diego craft beer ambassadors - bravely traveling to the far reaches of this great country and bringing news of the many worthy shrines to craft beer back home with us. Reed has been sharing highlights with co-workers and friends no doubt, and I do it via this blog. Luckily for us both, I break out a pen and paper almost every time we order a beer because, especially in New England it seems, you can never have just one and details can be hazy by morning. Anyway, the point is that Oxbow Brewing Company is definitely on par with the better end of breweries we have in San Diego (I include in this list Stone, Green Flash, Alesmith, among others) and I cannot wait to see what they become. People within a 100 mile radius of them are lucky, and hopefully the rest of us will be soon enough when Oxbow gets recognized for the quality and inventiveness they possess. I think they're a perfect candidate for a collaboration with Stone - wouldn't an "opposite corners of the country" collaboration be great? Maybe get a Washington and Florida brewery in on it, just for fun. Reed and I can take on the daunting task of finding good candidates in those states too and report back.

New England Round-up

A selection of Harpoon (MA) and Long Trail (VT) beers keep cold in the first snow of the season.

I'm now on a research trip across the North Atlantic, I won't be back in San Diego until just before the holidays. It's weird to be gone for so long but Reed and I try to make the best of it. He came out to New England with me for a week to do some sight-seeing, hang out with friends and, naturally, drink a lot of local beer. The people we stayed with read my blog and were prepared for our visit.

A seriously excellent combination for a snowy day.

Needless to say we had a wonderful time and the region can definitely hold its own with San Diego for good local breweries and beer snob-friendly places. We visited everything from a 3 man operation in the woods of Maine to the grandaddy of all craft beer, Sam Adams, with a stop at Allagash, one of my favorites, along the way as well.

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This is my home for the next 5 weeks. A dry ship crossing the North Atlantic from Massachusetts to the Cape Verde islands off Africa. Wish me luck!

Isn't this a great idea?

 

After a rainy tour of Fenway Park, Reed and I ducked into Boston Beer Works to warm up with some soup and beer. Behind the bar is this sign, which has their beer list color-coded! What a simple but ingenious design, in my opinion. 

I had the Beantown Nut Brown Ale, which was quite tasty, and then we walked back to our hotel in the rain.

More New England posts to come, I've got 6 drafts just waiting to be hammered out but I've been busy getting ready for departure, which is now about 30 minutes off!

Not-so-Local Brewery Spotlight: Samuel Adams Brewery - craft beer at its largest

While preparing for our trip back east I asked friends for suggestions of things to do in Boston. Multiple people (and AAA) recommended the Samuel Adams Brewery tour. I'm not usually one for brewery tours because there is very little that is different from place to place. "Here's the fermenters, there's the bottling line, smell these hops, etc etc." But I also don't turn down free alcohol and it felt like if I'm going to really commit to this craft beer lifestyle (which, let's face it, I already have) then I should go to the source, the biggest craft brewery of them all.

Tasting room smiles.

A smaller than expected complex in a suburban neighborhood of Boston houses the original brewery which is now used mostly for small experimental batches while larger facilities in Philadelphia and Cincinnati do most of the production and bottling. The lobby area is also a trophy room with many cases of medals and even a large silver cup awarded for having the most awards by one brewery. The tour is standard, with a funny guide who shows you the basic operations and tells you why beer is an important part of American history. I couldn't help but look for the guys from the commercials, one of the brewer's beards may or may not have influenced Reed to grow his own. In no time we were whisked into the tasting room to sit down at long wooden tables while pitchers of beer were poured and the importance of drinking quality beer was explained through a series of steps to follow when drinking and evaluating beer. Turns out the tastebuds at the front of your tongue are going to deliver more of the sweet flavors while those at the back will pick up the bitter notes. How did I not know about this? I have since vowed to taste more beers at the front of my mouth in order to let the malty flavors be experienced before the bitterness of the hops takes over. 

We tried 4 of their beers, the Boston lager, Oktoberfest, Harvest Pumpkin and White, and I liked them all. Even Reed enjoyed the pumpkin one, which tasted of nutmeg but not in an overwhelming way. A quick spin through their gift shop, where I bought a 22 of their American Kriek which I had days later and thoroughly enjoyed. Cherry beers can go horribly wrong, often tasting like cough syrup - but this one was delightful. Afterwards we boarded a free shuttle to a local pub for lunch where we tried a few more varieties of their beer in their potentially over-designed pint glasses before being shuttled back to the T station.

All in all it was an enjoyable visit. I was worried that it would feel big, and maybe evil - the way I imagine a tour of Anheuser-Busch would feel. Sam Adams is the #1 craft brewer in the US which makes them feel like the enemy, but their sales still only make up 1% of the beer market compared to AB's 55%. I've seen the documentary Beer Wars, about the crazy market share discrepancy and how the already enormous companies continue to do everything they can to get bigger and bigger. It's very off-putting and made me an even stronger supporter of local breweries like Stone and the way they conduct themselves. So I wasn't sure what to expect from Sam Adams, but I got the same feeling being there as their commercials dole out - they care about making good beer and selling it to people who will appreciate it. I get the impression that Sam Adams takes being #1 very seriously, as it means that the line of people being converted from fizzy yellow beer to the good stuff goes through them.