Christmas has come early

The work and love that I have poured in to my first beer has come to fruition. I tried my beer tonight and in almost all accounts I believe that it is a success. There are, of course, a few things that I need to improve upon, but over all it is fantastic. I brewed a Pale Ale with the following recipe:

4 lbs. Pale Malt Extract
4 lbs Pilsen Malt Extract
8 oz. Caramel Malt
2 oz Amarillo hops (1 oz for bittering, and 1 oz for finishing)
California Ale Yeast

I steeped the grains for about 15 minutes at 160 deg. and boiled the extract for about an hour. I then cooled the wort and added the yeast to the mix and let it ferment for 8 days. I then bottled it, and let it sit another 10 days.

The final gravity was 1.012 and the ABV is about 4.8%

It has a nice floral flavor from the hops and goes down extremely smoothly. The only problem that I have run into is that it isn't as carbonated as I had expected. I used 3/4 cup of corn sugar for about 5 gallons of beer, waited 10 days, and it is only slightly carbonated. It reminds me, actually, of a cask ale. I think it has great taste, aroma, color, and it is easy to drink. I am already planning on brewing my next batch within the next couple of days, hopefully I can keep enough of the pale ale around to last me until the next one is ready.

Cheers!

Feast fit for a King

If you haven’t started thinking about Christmas dinner, then you might want to. Turkeys need to be thawed, shopping needs to be done, and the more you can get done ahead of time, the better your day will turn out.

Turkeys need about 4 days to thaw out in the refrigerator before their time in the oven. You can make the cranberry sauce, the bake the pies, get the cheese plates ready, all before the big day. That way you will spend less time in the kitchen. You should also consider your place settings and glassware for a beautiful and delicious dinner. Check for chipped or cracked dishes and glassware, polish the silverware, and get the table linens cleaned before your guests arrive.

If you haven’t thought about what you are going to serve, I have a couple of suggestions:

Turkeys are always a great crowd pleaser, as are hams, but if you want to really impress you friends and family, try a rack or leg of lamb. If you have access to venison then that can be a real treat. It is also important to think about your vegetarian friends that may be visiting. Roasted vegetables, wonderful bisques, and soups can make a great main course.

Mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, French green beans, chestnut stuffing, casseroles, winter salads, hot dinner rolls, fresh glazed baby carrots… are you getting hungry yet? These are all fantastic additions to the main course.

Here is a recipe for a roast rack of lamb that is sure to please your guests:
This will serve 8 people two chops apiece.

2 racks of lamb, 8 ribs each
Salt and pepper
Thyme
2 cloves garlic
1 pt of veal stock (beef will be just fine)

If your lamb is not cleaned, then you will need to clean the rib bones.
Pat dry the lamb and season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Place the rack, fat side up in a 450 deg. Oven and roast to rare or medium rare (130 deg. Internal temp. it will continue to cook after you take it out of the oven). It will take about 30 minutes, but check prior to that to ensure it is not over cooked. Remove the rack from the pan and hold in the warm oven. Place the roasting pan over the stove top on medium heat and clarify the fat. Drain off the excess fat, and then add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the veal (beef) stock, strain the sauce from the pan, and season to taste.

Cut the rack between the ribs into chops, and serve with the sauce.

Wine is a nice accompaniment for lamb, but beer is just as great, if not better. I would suggest a beer that has a fairly strong flavor to stand up to the gamey flavor that lamb often has. A Quad or Tripel Belgian strong ale would be nice, a Bier de Garde, or a Saison would be great as well. Just keep in mind the intense flavor of the lamb and the beer that is going up against it and you should be just fine.

Have a wonderful holiday!

What's your style part II

Hey everyone, it’s been a couple of days since my last entry, but with the holiday season comes a little bit of chaos. I hope the holidays are treating you well.

As I mentioned before, there are many types of beer and styles. I am going to continue describing the differences between them using the Beer Judge Certification Program.

Bock:
Bocks are smooth beers that have a strong malty flavor. There will often times be flavors of chocolate, and a mild toasted flavor, but should never taste burnt. Various styles of Bocks include Maibock/Helles Bock, Traditional Bock, Dopplebock, and Eisbock.

Light Hybrid Beers:
These beers will have to be described using there various styles.

Cream Ale: Sometime sweetness and maltiness are present, but in low doses, there can be a faint hop note with Cream Ales.

Blonde Ale: The flavor of this beer tends to lean toward the malty flavors, but there can be a hint of bitterness from the hops. These beers can be sweet, but tend to be a little dry.

Kölsch: Clean and crisp with delicate fruit flavors, with a somewhat tangy, malty finish.

American Wheat or Rye Beer: light to moderate grain or rye flavors, some potential spiciness or citrus flavors may be exhibited.

Amber Hybrid Beer:
As with Light Hybrid beers, these styles will also need to be describe individually.

Northern German Altbier: Clean and bitter beer which is nicely balanced with a malty flavor. May have sweet undertones, but will generally finish dry.

California Common Beer: moderately malty with characteristically Northern Brewer hop flavors. It will have a very natural (woodsy) taste with a dry crisp finish.

Düsseldorf Altbier: Well balanced bitter beer with a nice malt contrast. This beer will finish with a long dry, bittersweet, or nutty flavor.

There are even more styles that I am going to talk about, so make sure you check back to learn about the other varieties that are available. Take care, and enjoy the time with you family and friends.

Who wants some Spaetzle?

I have been thinking lately where I want to go. I have an itch to travel to some place I haven't been. While there are many (places I haven't been), there is one in particular that I really want to go to: Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest. This year Oktober fest runs from September 20th thru October 5th. I can only imagine how great it would, and might be, to go to a place that celebrates as big as that. From what I have read about it, the sights, the people, and the beer is amazing. But there is another reason why I want to go. I love to eat.

Germans love food almost as much as they love their beer. They have great dishes from Veal Schnitzel, to Kotelette und Sauerkraut (pork chops and sauerkraut), Bratwurst, Sauerbraten, and Apfelstrudel (apple strudel). But there is one in particular that I think is wonderful; spaetzle. Spaetzle is great because it is extremely versatile, and very simple to make. It has the same consistency as pasta (because it is essentially the same ingredients), but it goes with just about everything. You can serve spaetzle with a gravy, with meat, vegetables, or even by itself. Add a little butter, Bruder Basil cheese, and a beautiful Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel, and I will be a very happy man.

Here is a basic recipe for Spaetzle, I hope you enjoy.

Yields 10 servings:
10 eggs
2 lbs. unbleached flour
1 to 2 cups milk
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp. salt and pepper
pinch of nutmeg
2 tbs butter

Procedure:

1. Mix together the eggs, flour, milk, and oil until smooth
2. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg
3. Let the dough rest for 1 hour
4. Boil a large pot of slightly salted water
5. Place about 2 cups of batter at a time in a colander (pasta strainer) and place over the pot of boiling water
6. Push the batter through to holes of the colander into the water. Use a spatula if necessary
7. Poach the spaetzle for 3-5 minutes until it is al dente
8. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, remove from water and chill if not serving immediately.
9. When ready to serve melt butter in a saute pan and saute spaetzle until hot, adjust the seasoning as necessary.

I hope that you find this recipe delicious and easy to execute. Serve it with just about anything you like, it is a great complement to any meal, or all by itself.

Cheers!

What is your style?

As I have mentioned before in previous entries, there are many different types and styles of beers available. It can sometimes be a little overwhelming, but there are guides available to help ascertain the differences, and take your enjoyment of beer to a different level.

Just as wine has a distinct character with its specific varieties, beer also has noticeable differences in its numerous styles. The Beer Judge Certification Program has broken down the styles and offers them in very specific terms. While I believe that the more you know the better off you are, there may be some exceptions. Most people just like beer and that's about it. Others want to know a little more about what they are drinking, and what they should look for in a certain type of beer. Well I intend to discuss the different varieties over then next few days to help make you all a bit more informed about what you are drinking.

Light Lager:
In general these beers are light and crisp with low levels of hoppiness, however some variations can come across as slightly bitter. Lagers are broken up into these categories: Light, Standard, and Premium American lagers, Munich Helles, and Dortmunder Export.

Pilsner:
Generally light and crisp, but American Pilsners tend to be a bit maltier. The sub-categories for Pilsner are German Pilsner, Bohemien Pilsner, and Classic American Pilsner.

European Amber Lager / Marzen:
The malt in these styles add a smooth, dry finish. These can have very complex flavors, which add to it allure. Vienna Lager and Oktoberfest/Marzen make up this style.

Dark Lagers:
Moderate sweetness with hints of roasted nut, chocolate, and hops. The types of beer in this category are Dark American Lager, Munich Dunkel, and Schwarzbier (black beer).

The BJCP breaks down the categories in to 28 different sections, including beer, ale, lager, meads, fruit beers, vegetable, beers, ciders, and others. So I will be bringing them to you in brief summaries over the next few days and weeks, so keep checking back.

Have a great weekend, and enjoy a few pints!

Oh the waiting game...

I did it, I bottled my first batch of beer. I brewed a Pale Ale, and so far I've got to say I am impressed with the way it is turning out. Warm and flat, it tastes great, I can't wait to try it when it is chilled and bubbly, the thought is just too much. I have to thank my girlfriend Carol, and my good friend and neighbor, Brian, for all there help with the bottling process.



Brewing my first batch was much easier than I thought that it might be. It was great watching my beers progress in my carboy. Watching it go from a sweet brown liquid, to a bubbling and kind of gross disorganized mess, to its nearly final stage of a reddish-brown, hoppy, delicious beer. 10 days to go...



I would say the most difficult part for me was making sure that everything was clean and sanitized. I reused bottles that I had purchased from the store and got some from friends, so I had to get the labels off of them. That took some time, but well worth the price of free. Clean up isn't to much fun either, but it is a necessary part of the process. But in the end it will all be worth the effort. Man, I can't wait!



So the other thing that I did today was make the baked macaroni and cheese with Porter that I wrote about yesterday. I used the recipe exactly as I wrote it, and it turned out great. I used Samuel Smiths Taddy Porter for the recipe, and as an accompaniment to the dish. As with wine if you are going to cook with it, you should want to drink it as well. Don't use cheap beer or you'll run the risk of getting poor results. Give this recipe a try, if you like your baked macaroni and cheese to be a little looser (runny) when it is done, try adding a bit more milk and beer, this should do the trick. Like I've said before, the only way to find out how it will turn out is to try it. Best of luck, and keep the beer flowing.

Speaking of beer and cheese

I had this crazy idea that you could somehow combine two delicious flavors into one tasty creation so I've come up with a recipe for Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Porter. My basis for this recipe is that the combination of the tangy, creamy cheddar cheese flavor would pair nicely with the carmely, nutty flavor of the porter. I have to be completely honest, I have not made this yet... I will tomorrow. If you by chance have an opportunity to make this recipe before I do, then please let meow how it turns out. Like I said though, I am going to make it tomorrow, so I will let you know how it turns out.

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
2 cups milk
1 cup of Porter
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper

Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, porter, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

I've got to tell you I think it is going to turn out awesome, but there is only one way to find out.

The only way to figure out how something is truly going to end up is to try it, if it works great, if not, then re-group, figure out what went wrong and try again.

On a side note, I am bottling my first beer in the morning. I am ridiculously excited about trying my first batch, just about 10 days left.

Well I hope the recipe works out for everyone, I'll let you know how mine worked out.

Enjoy!

Cheese Glorious Cheese

Isn't it amazing how much cheese there is in the world. Isn't also incredible the selections of beer that are available to us, usually not to very far from the cheese in the store you shop at. I am sure the only reason is that they are both generally refrigerated, but imagine if you will, it was because they go so well together.

People generally associate cheese to go with wine, but if you ask me (and countless others out there) beer is better, with cheese and in general. I read in an article not to long ago about how the biological relationships between beer and cheese are actually quite close. Beer is essentially steeped grains that ferment, lets call this aging, into a delicious beverage. Cheese is a product of animals who generally survive on the consumption of grains, which quite often, is aged, we'll call this fermentation.

Another reason that beer and cheese go so well together is the carbonation of the beer. Cheese is an oily substance, and oil is difficult to remove. Some cheeses create an seemingly impenetrable barrier on your tongue when you eat them. Sometimes you actually have to scrape the cheese off of your tongue, if you've had this cheese you know what I am talking about. Well the carbonation in beer can actually act as a cleanser for your tongue which allows you to taste the next cheese or beer. Think of it as scrubbing bubbles clearing a clogged pipe and allowing the taste receptacles in your mouth to start letting the good stuff in. Okay that was a stretch, but I hope you get the idea.

As I mentioned before there are many types of cheeses and many types of beers, to say that one cheese goes best with a certain beer is ridiculous. Everyone has a different idea of what tastes good, so it is up to you to figure out what you like. But just because you find one that you like, you shouldn't stop there. Keep on trying things out, you'll never know if you've hit gold unless you start digging.

Here are some successful beer and cheese pairings:

Goat cheeses that have some age, try a Belgian style saison

Pecorino and other aged sheep's milk cheeses with salty nutty flavors, try brown ales

Soft ripened triple creme cheeses, try a Belgian style or beers with a hint of fruit

Fresh Chevre or fresh mozzarella, try wheat beers or pilsners

Classic English style Cheddars, try pale ales with abundant hops

Aged Gouda, try paring with brown ales or porters

With Gruyere and Swiss style cheese, try porters, stouts, or brown ales

Stilton or other strong blue cheeses, pair them with a barleywine

In general it is safe to say that if you pair blue cheeses with strong sweet beers, aged cheeses with malty beers, sharp cheeses with highly hopped beer, and fresh cheeses with delicate beers, you should be just fine.

Now stop reading and start trying out different combinations. Please write to me and let me know of any combinations that you have tried and want to share. I would love to try them all.

The thing about Beer and Bread

There is an interesting relationship between beer and bread. First of all they both come from essentially the same source: grains, yeast, and water. The obvious difference is that they don't have the same consistency. Lets look at a basic bread recipe and a basic beer recipe and compare the similarities and the differences.

Bake some Bread:

Flour (grains milled and ground)

Yeast (a plant like microbe that consumes sugars found in flour to create carbon dioxide, which in turn causes the bread to rise - ahhemm: fermentation)

Sugar source (used to aid in fueling the yeast for rising)

Salt (more or less for flavoring, but also to help control the fermentation process. Salt can kill yeast)

Water (used to moisten the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt to create a spongy web used to collect the carbon dioxide and allow the bread to rise and stretch over time)

Brew some Beer:

Malted Grains (grains that have gone through the germination process and have then been dried)

Yeast (as in bread, they are used to ferment, they consume the sugars released from the grains to create alcohol as well as other waste products i.e. carbon dioxide)

Sugar source (when you steep the malted grains for beer, they release enzymes and sugar which are used to feed the yeast and create alcohol)

Water (beer is 90-95% water)

When either baking bread or brewing beer, you have to decide which kind you want to make. That generally starts with the type of grain you want to use, do you want wheat bread, rye bread, multi-grain, etc. With beer do you want to brew a pale ale, stout, wheat beer? Well you have to use the right type of grain to produce the type of bread or beer you want to make.

Then come the extra stuff that gives them a unique flavor. Do you want to have fruit in your bread or a fruity flavoring in your beer? Do you want to add any herbs or spices to either? This is probably the best part of both of these worlds; being able to make them your own. But remember, if you want to recreate what you have made, then you should keep track of what you have done.

Finally comes the presentation, how are you going to shape your bread? What kind of glass are you going to serve your beer in? Each style of bread is shaped for a specific reason, be it tradition, or for use, i.e. bagel, sliced loaf, baguette. Beer is very similar, it is served in specific glasses for presentation of color, aroma, and taste i.e. wheat beer glass, steins, snifters, pints. If you are going to spend the time and effort to create a beautiful loaf of bread or a mouth watering beer, you should display it with pride.

After all this talk of bread and beer, I think I'll bake some Bavarian pretzels and have a stein of Hefeweizen.

Cheers!

'Tis the Season

I recently joined a home brew club, the Society of Barley Engineers. The first Wednesday of every month we meet and discuss topics relating to beer and brewing. We talk about techniques, styles of beer, equipment associated with brewing beer, local and regional events relating to the home brew industry, and did I mention we drink beer? Well we do. Usually it has to do with a specific topic that we are discussing that evening. For example, seeing as it is the holidays, last night we discussed holiday beers and drank a few as well. Some people brought beers that they brewed specifically for the holidays, while some people brought beers that are available in their local beer store that were seasonal. You may get the impression that all we do is sit around, shoot the breeze, and drink beers, but it is much more than that.
I have in the past been to parties or get togethers with friends and been in the situation where we needed a bottle opener. I generally am the one that is able to reach into my pocket and use the bottle opener on my key chain and offer its services. When I do this I often times get strange looks because this is something perhaps that a college frat boy might be able to do on command. This might be true, but one of the very first things I noticed while at my first meeting was that I was not alone. Some one asked for a bottle opener and without hesitation, roughly 20 men, and a few women, reached into their pockets and offered up the keys to their SUV, truck, mid-size, or what ever car they were driving, so that the beers that we were sampling that night could be enjoyed. This is, of course, where I must say that it is inappropriate, irresponsible, and against the law to drink and drive, and that there was plenty of water available to drink as well. My point is that it felt great to be in a place with like minded people who can appreciate quality beers and enjoy interesting discussions about them.
Back to the beer.
I am going to tell you about the beers that we drank last night, just the holiday beers though. I am not going to go into great detail on them, just enough (that I remember) to wet your palate. Here we go:

• McNeill's Brewery Wassail - This beer is 5.7% abv, and spiced very nicely. It tastes great and look good as well. Brewed in Brattleboro, VT.
• Rogue Ales: Santas Private Reserve - Of course coming from Rogue Ales, this one was hoppy, but I like hops so I thought it was fantastic. Brewed in Newport, OR
• Boundary Bay Cabin Fever - 7% abv, this beer isn't all that spiced, but it is smooth, and fairly easy to drink. Brewed in Bellingham, WA.
• Trader Joes brand Josephs Brough Brewing Co. Winterfest - 7.5% abv, this one was actually pretty decent. This Dopplebock is sure to be a good deal for the money.
• Samuel Adams Holiday Porter - Chocolatey and Caramely finish are the main characteristics of this beer. 5.5% abv, this beer was okay, I could drink it, but would probably choose something different.
• Lost Coast Brewery's WinterBraun - I liked this beer. It was smooth and had excellent flavor. 6.5% abv, this Eureka, CA beer will definitely be on my table again.
• Samuel Adams old Fezziwig Ale - 5.9% abv, slightly spiced with hints of chocolate and caramel. I like this beer much better than the other Sam Adams beer above. I would get this one again.

Overall it was a great night for trying out new beers and beers that I have had before. I really enjoyed discussing the various spices used to create holiday beers, and particularly found our discussion about pumpkin ales quite interesting. If anyone is interested in becoming a member of the Society of Barley Engineers, please don't hesitate to contact me. I figure, the more the merrier!

Welcome to my world of beer and food

I love beer. I love food. I truly believe that the life is better when both of these things are readily available. A refreshing beer after a hard days work, a cold one with they guys during the big game, a light and easy drinking beer at the beach. There aren't many things better than that. There are things better than that, don't get me wrong, but not many.

What goes better with beer than good food? The flavor profiles of some foods were meant to pair perfectly with certain types of beer. Just as with wine, there are foods that go better with certain types of beer than others. In this blog I intend to discuss the relationship between food and beer, as well as the production, and consumption of both.

I want to discuss the ethical and economical issues that surround us on a daily basis. I am a firm believer that knowledge is power and that with wholesome discussion, we can all learn a little bit more about what we are interested in and how we can affect others and make a change for the better.

But most of all this will be a blog about beer and food! Delicious.