...And I'm back!!

Well, I finally got the internet and cable hooked up, and let me tell you it couldn't have come any sooner. Don't get me wrong there is plenty to do around here (mostly house work, still). I could check out the local pubs, go to the beach, find a trail to hike on, go to a pub, head north the San Francisco, go south to Monterey, did I mention go to a pub.

When I moved up here I was worried. I was worried about the type of beers, breweries, and fellow beer drinkers I would find. I was used to what I had in San Diego and I liked it. I had my homebrew club, the local german place where I could find great beers, and awesome breweries that were more than happy to see me (they didn't know who I was, but they were happy to have the business.) I was very content there and I was concerned that I wasn't going to be able to find the same quality of zymurgy that I was accustomed to, well I was wrong.

There are some amazing beers and breweries along the northern coast. I haven't had an opportunity to experience the breweries yet, but I have been trying out their beers. Lagunitas, Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery, Boulder Creek Brewery... and the list goes on. I must say I am impressed, in fact I am having an Organic Dread Brown Ale from Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing whilst I am writing this. I am excited about the potential that lay ahead of me and as I discover them I will share them with all the world, or at least the people who are reading this.

If you know of any good breweries in Northern California please share them with me. I want to find them all and with your help I think I can. So tip one up, shoot me an email about a brewery, and help me out in the hunt.

Cheers!!

I'm still here!!

Hi everyone,
I haven't written in a few weeks, I feel like I am letting down my millions of fans, maybe not. I recently moved to Capitola, CA. This is a small beach town just south of Santa Cruz. It is quite a change from where we came from. It is beautiful here, but it is also very unfamiliar. It will take some time to get used to it. I also started a new job last week that is very demanding, but it is also a very good step for me, us, and out future, just have to keep telling myself that.

We haven't had internet for the past 3 weeks, and it is starting to wear on us. It will be installed on Monday and we cannot wait. It has been very difficult for Carol because her business is based on the web. She has been having to go to local coffee shops, buy coffee or tea, and get the code for the wi-fi for two hours. It's been interesting to say the least.

One good thing, though is that there is a Whole Foods just down the road. It has just about everything that we need. Once we finally get completely unpacked and downsize our belongings I am going to cook a fantastic home cooked meal. I can hardly wait.

On a funny note, we went to the local "mall" and looked for stuff for the house. It really felt like it was straight out of the 80's. I am not a huge mall fan, but this was ridiculous. I think there were around 30 stores, all useless, and four department stores, 2 of which were shut down. Quite a culture shock coming from southern California.

Well I just wanted to let you all know that I am still around, and when I get internet in the house, and I have an opportunity to venture out and get local beers and food I will let you know all about it. Until then, don't forget a bout me, I will return.

Cheers!

Change is a comin'......

This blog is about more than just beer and food, it is also about life. And in life, change happens. It isn't always easy, but hopefully the change is for the good.

We are moving. Talk about a drastic change. We have lived in Carlsbad, CA for over three years. We have never lived, together, in anyone place for that long before, and it is difficult to leave. We have made incredible friends, shared holidays with family, and made this our home. But like I said earlier, change happens. We are moving because of an incredible opportunity to really jump start our future, I am not a huge fan of moving because of a job, but I realize that it is one of the necessary evils in life. Not everything can always happens within a 5 mile radius of your front door, well it can, but that front door may, from time to time, have a different number next to it.

With this move comes the prospect of buying a house (sooner than later hopefully), starting a family, and figuring out where we want to really put down roots. We are ready for a place to call home. I am looking forward to the adventures that lay ahead of us in the Santa Cruz area, but until we get there and give it some time to grow on us, we will just be visiting for an extended period of time. Maybe it will be the one, or maybe not, who knows. What I do know is that I am going to go into this with the idea that it is going to be great. I am excited to go to Tahoe, Yosemite, Mammoth, the Redwoods, visit our friends in San Francisco regularly, and really just explore all that the area has to offer. Of course there will be the work, which is going to get in the way of our fun times, but what can you do?

Moving is never easy, just when you think you've got everything accounted for, whammy, something else comes up and you have to figure that out. But that is part of the fun, the unexpected challenges. I enjoy the unknown, for the most part, and anxiously anticipate its next challenge. This is going to be a big one, but with a little luck, and some perseverance, everything will turn out just fine. And as long as I get to continue brewing, and drinking, my beer, everything will be good. Wish us luck on our adventure and I look forward to talking to you all again soon.

Cheers!!

A simple mans' life blood

There are a few things that a person needs to survive: food, shelter, and a refreshing beverage to quench his or her thirst. I drink a lot of water, I recently completed my first sprint triathlon and began to really appreciate water again. Without it we would be a completely different society, but this isn't a blog about water, this is a discussion about beer. Funny thing though beer is made with water, you know what else is made with water? Coffee!! For majority of the population (don't quote me on that) coffee is quite possibly the first thing that people drink when they wake up, maybe a sip of water to rinse out the gunky, sleepy, mess that forms during the night, but coffee is number 1.

Now this may seem like a strange way to start a conversation about beer, but I recently brewed a Vanilla Nut Coffee Stout. Wow, say that 5 times fast. It took some time to finish, but believe me it is done now and it is good (at least I think so). I brewed it about 2 1/2 months ago, and it has been sitting, waiting, being patient for the right moment to come when the flavors have melded together to create an amazing combination. The coffee flavor is just right, the alcohol isn't to high that it is overwhelming, and it is smooth. Coffee stouts are nothing new really, in fact if you were to perform a search on www.beeradvocate.com (great website by the way) you would find 3180 recipes for coffee stout. These beers have a life of their own, they are brewed with coffee, so there is a slight caffeine effect, they are complex in flavors, and they really are easy to drink. What I really like about these beers is, however, that they are fun. I get excited about trying new beers, old beers, and odd beers, but what gets me about coffee beers, is that a lot of their flavor is dictated by the type of coffee used in the brewing process.

Sure it is easy to say that any beer is affected by the ingredients that are used to brew them. But the fact that coffee on its own has a huge following, even cult like is some areas, and it is blended with the different grains and yeasts used in beers, well, it just becomes different. There are many commercial brewers that have coffee stouts on the market and I will list a few for you to try. After you have tried them, let me know which ones you like, don't like, and any others that you know of that I might be interested in. After all I like to try different beers. I know that this wasn't very educational, or possibly not even entertaining, but if you get out and try one of these amazing beers just because you read this, then it was worth it. Here's the list:

Brooklyn Intensified Coffee Stout - Brooklyn Brewery

Casa Java-Licious Coffee Cream Stout - Rock Bottom Brewery

Coffee Milk Stout - Portsmouth Brewery

Cowboy Coffee Stout - Wasatch Brew Pub

Alesmith Double Coffee Speedway Stout - Alesmith Brewery

Da Grind Buzz Kona - Kona Brewing Company

Redhook Double Black Stout (with Starbucks coffee) Red Hook Brewery

As you can see there are quite a few, but there are many, many more. So don't just sit there, head out to your local brewery, pub, or grocery store and pick up one today.

Cheers!

It doesn't have to be St. Patrick's day to enjoy a good pint!

Just because it is the middle of July, doesn't mean you can't enjoy a delicious pint of Guinness or any other type of hearty stout. Here is a brief description of Irish Dry Stouts:

One of the most common stouts, Dry Irish Stout tend to have light-ish bodies to keep them on the highly drinkable side. They're usually a lower carbonation brew and served on a nitro system for that creamy, masking effect. Bitterness comes from both roasted barley and a generous dose of hops, though the roasted character will be more noticeable. Examples of the style are, of course, the big three, Murphy's, Beamish, and Guinness, however there are many American brewed Dry Stouts that are comparable, if not better.

I was trying to figure out something that would be good to go along with the stouts and I could have gone the traditional route, with something like corned beef, but I think that something simple and easy is appropriate. So I came up with Irish Brown Soda Bread. It's easy, goes well with anything for the most part, and it will help you have a few more pints throughout the night. I hope you enjoy this recipe and remember it's ok to have pint or two while baking this bread as well.

Irish Brown Soda Bread

Ingredients:

4 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup bread flour

1/3 cup rolled oats

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease two baking sheets.

2. In a large bowl, stir together whole wheat flour, bread flour, rolled oats, baking soda, and salt. Gently mix in the buttermilk until a soft dough is formed. Knead very lightly. Divide dough into 4 pieces; form into rounded flat loaves. Mark each loaf with an 'X' and place on prepared baking sheets.

3. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 30-45 minutes.

That's it! Now sit back, relax, enjoy your hand made bread and reward yourself for your efforts with a refreshing stout.

Cheers!

Challenge yourself to something new

Tomorrow I will be doing something that I have never done before, running a triathlon. Granted it is a small sprint triathlon, it will be a challenge that I am going to complete so I can set my sights on the next challenge, what ever that may be.

I think it is important to challenge yourself for several reasons. By creating small difficulties or stresses, and then completing them, it can instill a sense of pride and accomplishment that you can carry with you when it comes to the larger, unexpected challenges that life can bring. It's kind of like baby steps, in the sense that if you start out small and work your way up, then the bigger things aren't quite as daunting.

Challenging yourself can be as simple as setting a goal to wake up earlier, spend less time watching television, exercising more often, it really can be anything. Then after you have accomplished that goal set your sights a little higher. For example, now that you have reduced the amount of television that you are watching, you have more time to exercise, which in turn can allow you to live a longer and healthier life. Your goals don't necessarily need to be about you either. Perhaps a goal could be to volunteer in your local community, save an extra $25 dollars a month for a special trip with your family, or anything really.

I think it is important to always look forward and figure out what it is you want to accomplish. If you set goals, long term and short term, and you frequently revisit those goals to make sure you haven't strayed to far off track, then you, your family, and your friends will be proud of you and it may even motivate them to set some goals for themselves. I am writing this because I truly believe that if we can motivate ourselves and each other to accomplish small goals, then in the long run everyone will prosper from these little tasks.

What are your goals? Do you have a timeline to accomplish them? Let people know about these goals, that way they can support you and help you along the way. This triathlon is not going to be easy for me, but I have told several people about it, and they want to come out and cheer me on to the finish. Hopefully this will motivate them to do something outside of their comfort zone and, who knows, they may find something out about themselves that they didn't know.

Let me know what your goals are, and if I can help you accomplish them, I will. I enjoy seeing other peoples successes, and if I can help you get there, then it is an all around win.

Support your local brewery

Do you have a favorite local brewery? It could be a large national brewery, a small locally distributed brewery, or your buddy down the street who brew his or her own beer. Either way they are a favorite for a reason.

One of my favorites is Green Flash Brewery (www.greenflashbrew.com). It was an early Wednesday morning and I had set out to brew beer. I had spoken the night before with Chuck Silva the brew master at Green Flash and arranged to assist in the next days brewing session. When I arrived Brett Stampf had already begun the process by adding the grain to the mash tun and was getting ready to transfer the wort to the boil kettle. I assisted in brewing 500 gallons of there award winning West Coast IPA. I was surprised at how the process to brew 500 gallons isn't really all that different than brewing 5 gallons in my kitchen, just a much larger scale. The most interesting thing that I learned while there was that while they brew about 500 gallons at a time, they mix four batches together for the fermentation process. This allow for slight imperfections to be masked through, what is essentially, blending.

They area local brewery located in Vista, CA in north county San Diego. One of the things that I really enjoy about their beer is there there willingness to include the public. They have tastings on Friday and Saturday and on special occasions. They have supported fight ALD (AdrenoLeukoDystrophy) as well as other local charities and events. There beers are locally and nationally available for purchase, for a list of locations where you can enjoy there beers check out there website.

They really are a great group of people, who work hard and have an extreme passion for what they do. My home brewers group the Society of Barley Engineers (www.societyofbarleyengineers.org) has held meeting on the floor of the brewery and have enjoyed all of their delicious beers. If you are in the area, I highly recommend that you stop by and check it out. It is an experience that you will likely not forget, the smells, the sights, and most importantly the tastes.

If you can't make it to this area of San Diego, then I am sure there are local breweries near you. Do a google search for the brewers guild near you and I think you will be amazed at how many small breweries there actually are throughout the country.

So get out and enjoy some home grown beer and support your local brewery, it is Friday after all, and that is a great way to start the weekend!

Cheers!

Lemon Pepper Cod with Hefeweizen Chaser

This is a quick and easy recipe that delivers a memorable meal that you will come back to time and time again. The lemon in the fish plays well with the Hefeweizen to create a delicious harmony between your plate and your pint.

 Hefeweizen is a south German style of wheat beer (weissbier) made with a typical ratio of 50:50, or even higher, wheat. A yeast that produces a unique phenolic flavors of banana and cloves with an often dry and tart edge, some spiciness, bubblegum or notes of apples. Little hop bitterness, and a moderate level of alcohol. The "Hefe" prefix means "with yeast", hence the beers unfiltered and cloudy appearance. Poured into a traditional Weizen glass, the Hefeweizen can be one sexy looking beer. 

Often served with a lemon wedge (popularized by Americans), to either cut the wheat or yeast edge, which many either find to be a flavorful snap ... or an insult and something that damages the beer's taste and head retention.

Lemon pepper Cod:

serves 4

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 pounds cod fillets

1 lemon, juiced

ground black pepper to taste

Directions

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot. Add fillets and squeeze 1/2 of the lemon's juice over the tops. Sprinkle with pepper to taste. Cook for 4 minutes and turn. Squeeze with the remaining lemon's juice and sprinkle with pepper to taste. Continue to cook until fillets flake easily with a fork.

Serve this dish with rice pilaf and a fresh green vegetable during the summer weather while dining al fresco, and you will impress even your toughest critics.

Cheers!

Do you remember your first.......beer?

Do you remember what your first beer was? I do. I think I was around 4 years old, it was a coors original with the now banned pull tab. I remember I was living in Idaho and we had guests over playing pool in the upstairs of our split level house (the details are what really matter about your first beer). It was only a sip of beer, but it was disgusting. I looked at my dad and thought to myself how on earth can you drink that stuff? Fast forward about 12 years to my junior year in high school. Have you ever seen that movie Can't Hardly Wait? There is a scene where one of the characters, William, says: "I can't feel my legs...I have no legs." Well I distinctly remember that one as well. I was at a party and I think I might have had a beer and a half (lightweight) and I could not feel my legs, well I could feel them, but they were quite numb.

The point of this is that there are many firsts in our lives and many of them are accompanied by beer, wine, champagne, or other celebratory drink. When a softball team wins the championship (I mention softball because what else is softball for beside finishing off a twelve pack before the 7th inning) they go out for a beer, not lemonade, or tea, beer. When you get married or celebrate an anniversary you toast with champagne. There are milestones that we reach in our lives, big or small, that are special to us, even if only for that moment, they are special to us and we often time celebrate them with a cold drink in our hands.

More often then not when you have your first drink it is a beer, whether its in high school, or college, it is memorable. What are some of your first memories of having a drink? What are some of the funny memories, the sad memories, the first memories (or lack of memory), regardless of what those memories are, they have helped to shape you into the person you are today. So if you want to share those thoughts, now is the time to do it. We won't judge you, because we've all had our share of humiliating moments (at least I hope WE all have and not just me.)

Where have I been???

Hello everyone,

I realize that I have been out of touch with this blog for quite some time (almost a year and a half) and I figured it was time to start again. You may have noticed the title has changed slightly, instead of just beer and food, I am going to write about life as well.

Some interesting things have happened to me lately that have opened up my eyes and made me realize that I have been doing things all wrong. While I have still been enjoying food and beer, I have forgotten about life. I'm not saying that all I have been doing is eating and drinking, because that just isn't the case, I've just forgotten what was really important.

I am going to routinely update this blog with, well obviously beer and food topics, but also about life topics, like events in my local area as well as across the globe, milestones in my life, and topics that might be of interest to you. More or less it is going to be my opinion of these things, you may agree or you may disagree with my thoughts, but I would urge you to let me know. I hope his doesn't become a one sided conversation with myself, I hope that you let me know what you are thinking, about beer, food, and life in general.

I am essentially starting this blog over, from scratch, so I will introduce my self. My name is Bryan, I am going to say that I am 30 again, but for those of you that know me, you know that just isn't the case. I live in Carlsbad, CA right near the coast. If you haven't been to Carlsbad, I highly recommend visiting. It is a beautiful coastal town just north of San Diego. The beaches are amazing, there are great restaurants, local breweries nearby and a very healthy dose of southern California living. I was served in the Navy for eight years as a nuclear machinist mate and got out in January of 2005. After that I moved to San Francisco to attend the California Culinary Academy. San Francisco, what an amazing place to live (or visit). Anyways, I moved down to Carlsbad in 2006 and started working at the Four Seasons Resort at Aviara. A very uppity resort that caters to the wealthy and trust me, they care more about the customers then they do the employees, so I left. I am currently working at the Encina Power Plant (warm water for you surfers out there) as a millwright. I returned to my mechanical / engineering background because, while cooking is very fun, it is also very stressful, the pay sucks, and the hours are quite possibly the worst that any job can offer. Any ways, I am married, have a dog, and love living in Carlsbad. I love beer, food, and experiencing new adventures. I am going to Europe in the fall for a three week windfall of a trip where I will be driving through 8 countries, visiting 12 cities, and attending Oktoberfest. Yes, Beerfest!!

So that's me in a nut shell, I am very willing to answer any questions you might have about me, Carlsbad, cooking, brewing or drinking beer, or anything at all really. I look forward to hearing from you about your experiences with beer, food, and life. What a wonderful world....