One of the most important parts of developing your “craft beer palate” is pairing beer with different foods. At time those pairings can lead to actually using beer in the dishes that you cook. One of my favorite ways to cook with craft beer is to make BBQ sauces. So far I have come up with three different Beer-BBQ sauces that after trial and error have been well liked by my family and friends.

My Chipotle-Smoked Porter BBQ Sauce is the first recipe that I can up with and the one that I make most often. Therefore, I chose to let you in on the recipe and preparation process.

Chipotle Stone Smoked Porter BBQ Sauce:
40oz Heinz Ketchup
10oz Apple Cider Vinegar
3 tbsp Garlic Powder
2-3 tbsp Chipotle Tabasco Sauce
2/3 cup Dark Brown Sugar
5 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
4.5 tbsp Salt
16oz Stone Smoked Porter
3 Chipotle Peppers
2/3 cup Olive Oil.
1/4 cup Corn Starch

1. Separate chipotle peppers into skins and seeds and add a little bit of each during the simmer (after tasting a bit).
2. Combine all ingredients in a pot. Adding 12oz beer.
3. Then as simmers on medium heat (for about 30 minutes) add 4 or more ounces of beer. Also, can add more of the other ingredients to enhance taste to your preferences. Of course adjust amounts depending on how much sauce you want to make. Stir every few minutes.The vinegar helps the sauce last for a while.
4. After you reach the amount of sweetness and spiciness that you prefer turn off the flame. Remember the spiciness will increase after bottling and sitting in the fridge overnight.
5. Strain the sauce into another pot or bowl to remove some of the seeds and all the pepper skins.
6. Pour some sauce into a bowl and add the corn starch. Mix until no clumps of corn starch are left. Then pour back into the pot (or bigger bowl) and mix.
7. After sauce cools for about an hour…use a funnel to bottle the sauce (I’d recommend using the empty ketchup bottle and any other empty bottles you may have around).
8. Let the sauce sit overnight in the fridge to thicken and develop its full flavor.

If you choose to make this sauce and have questions feel free to comment on this video or email me.

 Here is where we have some fun with Beer and Food. I love this part. I like to shake things up and try different pairings that most people don’t try, or may not think would work. When it comes to Thanksgiving foods there are some things to consider right off the bat. A good majority of the foods are very earthy in flavor so there are a lot of options out there to experiment with. I love the way Belgian beers work with the types of food that are being served. The Yeasty qualities of a lot of them work in such a fashion that it is a no brainer to pair them. I almost always suggest, like I said previously in part 1 a Quad such as Rochefort 10 or St. Bernardus Abt. 12, or Urthel Samaranth Quadrium. They are rich and bold beers that go great with the traditional Bird, stuffing, Potatoes, Squash, etc. Those aren’t the only Belgian beers that go with the meal though. Unibroue Maudite, Tripple Karmalite, and Gulden Drak are also favorites of mine for this meal. Without going too much in depth they are strong Belgian Ales that have flavors that lend themselves to the traditional meal especially the Bird itself. They bring out the earthiness in the sage and the sweetness in the turkey.

  That being said if you consider all of the flavors involved, they run from sweet to tart as well. The one thing I tell everyone when pairing with beer is that sometimes you need to let go of preconceived notions about pairing. A lot of you go into this meal, like I used to do as well and say “well hoppy beers are out, too much earthy food going on….not going to pair well.”  This is not true. Being a hop-head, I had to try and find a way to incorporate a good IPA or something hoppy into the meal. If you take a logical look an IPA is a great choice as well. It is very complimentary to everyone’s favorite  side dish cranberry sauce(yes, even the one shaped like a can that someone HAS to have at the meal or they call you a communist and ask you why you would bother making cranberry sauce from scratch when Wal-Mart sells it for 2 dollars a case). You also get a lot of contrasting flavors in the sweet and earthy dishes offered. Playing by the rules in pairing is for people who have basically never tried a different way to do anything. I am not like that, I always test the boundaries of rules to se what happens, and sometimes it’s good sometimes it’s bad.

Since I am a beer dork……here is what I decided to do I came up with “flights” for Thanksgiving to make it a little fun for everyone. I like to mix it up a bit with styles but I like doing a bit of themed pairings as well. One way is to go with a singular Brewery. You can do a favorite or go local if you have access to a local brewery. There is no order of what is a better pairing compared to another, these are just some that I came up with that work well.I will add to this in the next day or 2 so you can go out and have fun for the Big Holiday!

Some of the best food I have had has been Belgian, or Belgian inspired. With that in mind I offer up this hearty beef stew. Carbonnade is a classic Belgian dish. A mix of sweet and sour. This is the perfect hearty dish for a cold fall/winters night.

Carbonnade A La Flamande
4 TBL butter
3# Chuck roast cut into 1 inch or so cubes
3 medium onions diced
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt and Pepper
1 TBL brown sugar
12 oz Belgian beer*
Beef stock – enough to cover beef and onions
2 slices rustic bread – IE not wonderbread
1 Heaping TBl Whole grain mustard

Preheat oven to 350f. Melt 2 TBL butter in a dutch oven. Brown, in batches, the beef. Remove the beef from pan and add the rest of the butter. Add the onions. Brown the onions. Add back the beef, thyme, bay leaves, Salt & pepper, sugar, beer, and beef stock. Cover pot and place in the oven. Cook in the oven for one hour. While stew is cooking, smear 2 pieces of bread with the mustard. Remove the stew from the oven. Place the bread on top. Return to oven and cook for another hour, or until tender and thickened. Remove from oven and adjust seasonings. Serve stew atop mashed potatoes, Fries, or buttered noodles.

*for the beer – A nice dubbel or strong dark/quad will work great. For a more classic approach use a Belgian sour such as a lambic, flanders red ale, or oud bruin.

I remember reading about this website about a year ago, and then of course forgot about it, and then, upon remembering it, forgot how to get to it.

Enter random web search lo these many moons later, and – voilà – here she is again, this time here linked for posterity.

The premise is simple: choose a primary ingredient or food variety from list (A), then choose a more specific dish from list (B), then the Beer Sommelier will recommend at least two (sometimes as many as 6 or 7) beer styles that will pair well with said dish. It’s not exhaustive (how could it be?), but it’s quite fun to play with, and the pairing recommendations seem to be spot-on.

Let’s take one of those classic foods that oenophiles constantly scratch their heads over how to pair: asparagus. Our Sommelier here suggests Belgian-style Pale Strong Ale (such as Duvel or Pranqster) or Belgian-style Tripel.  Having had some wonderfully fresh spring asparagus with a Tripel in recent months (was spring really 7 months ago??), I can attest that this pairing absolutely works. Seamlessly.

I have always been and always will be huge fan of Thanksgiving. Being a former East Coast guy, you have to start with the Macy’s parade on the tube while you are getting things going in the kitchen, call the bookie bet the Lions(the only time all year mind you). Slightly different here in Vegas, I just put my Lions bet in the day before at the sports book. Anyway back to the topic at hand….The Thanksgiving Feast, or what I usually pair with it. Let’s go back in time before Snoopy and Kermit the Frog were flying down to Herald Square. Now this is my take on History; The first Thanksgiving was in Massachusetts with Pilgrims and Indians, well you know the story….what I am getting at is that being from England, escaping to the new world for religious freedom, they probably didn’t bring any Pinot Noir, Beaujolais Nouveau or a nice Pinot Grigio(all hot wines for the holiday table)- the brought Beer, and most likely some form of mead. As luck would have it Beer goes quite nicely if not 10 times better than wine with what was served at the first Thanksgiving (and today for that matter), although I am quite positive that they were not concerned with that then, just being alive at that point was good enough.

  I like to dive into traditions and make new ones, so I pair up some different and unique beers with the meal. Now this really depends on what you do with the turkey. In general with a regular turkey (you know roasted with sage stuffing, gravy, etc) I go with Belgian ale. I know there are different styles and types, but the Quad (Quadruple) is the best fit for the meal in my opinion. They are full bodied, malty, somewhat fruity, and very rich in flavor which goes extremely well with the type of food, which is a nice complimentary pairing. Beers in this particular style are St. Bernardus Abt 12, Trappistes Rochefort 10, and Urthel Samaranth. If you want the style but prefer a good American craft brew Lost Abby Judgment Day, Avery’s The Reverend are a couple of great ones. Now if you can’t get these great beers or you want something different than traditional pairings, that I enjoy then I suggest going with the vast array of Holiday and Limited run beers that are out this time of year. This is a fun way to get into the holiday spirit and also try some outstanding one of a kind beers. One that I have recently tried and loved was Pangaea by Dogfish Head. It has a Belgian like flavor with a subtle hint of Ginger (they added crystallized Ginger to it). It is an incredible brew. If you can get your hands on it, it is perfect for the main course at any Holiday table. Along those Lines I would also suggest Stone’s Cali-Belgique if you can find that one as well. It’s essentially their IPA brewed with a Belgian yeast strain, so it resembles a hoppy Belgian trippel.I love a good hoppy beer and Celebration from Sierra Nevada is that. This one is nice and malty with a serious bite to it. This is perfect for those who choose to deep fry their turkey and hopefully not set your yard on fire. I love the combo of fried food and hoppy beers. It just works for me. This is the first part of my Thanksgiving pairing sessions; I will go more in-depth in the next couple of posts with ratings and some recipes if you are looking for some more interesting fare.

One of my goals after looking over the imposing list of events for LA Beer Week was to attend a beer pairing evening. Mission accomplished. The evening at McG’s started off very nicely with a large glass of German lager from Weihenstephan.

Here are the highlights:
Best pairing:
Boxty Potatoes with Salmon Mousse was a surprise and the Blanche de Namur witbier with its citrus overtones really contrasted the starch in the potato pancake and the creaminess of the mousse.

Best Individual Beer:
Weihenstephan lager was bright and sparkly. Served in the brewery’s own logo’d glassware. Just a great lager that American’s should be drinking instead of BMC.

Best Individual Food course:
For me it was the Shepherd’s Pie. Good portion size. Gravy was good. And the meat had a nice spiciness.

All in all, I was surprised that the courses that, on paper, would not be my favorites were better than the ones that I thought would be great. I was anticipating that the lamb course would be my favorite followed closely by dessert. Both were dissapointing. The lamb was charcoal outside and close to raw inside and the sponge cake had a great Framboise reduction but was dry. Beer wise, the Xingu lager seemed off to me. Much more sweeter than normal, almost honey-ish. And the beers from St. Peter’s Brewery were solid but not spectacular. They didn’t really add anything to the dishes they were paired up with. But the Irish Green mussels were great with the kellerbier which I did not expect.

So, thanks to all at McG’s who made it a memorable night with all of their hard work.

We will host a Harvest Beer Dinner on Thursday, November 12 at the restaurant and brewpub at 316 Main Street in Ames.

Four courses will be served, each paired with a different Olde Main beer. Brewery tours and a social hour will begin at 6pm, with the dinner service starting at 7pm. Olde Main brewers will be on hand to discuss the food and beer pairings.

A limited number of tickets are available for $40/person (includes tax and gratuity) and can be purchased now at the restaurant and brewpub or by calling 515-232-0553. To hold a spot in the dinner you must pay the full $40 or a $20 deposit.

Course 1
Sodbuster Stout & Wild Mushroom Napoleon – Caramelized Crimini, oyster and shitaki mushrooms in puff pastry with a Sodbuster Stout demi glace.
Served with Sodbuster, Stout Ale

Course 2
Spinach Salad – Baby spinach with mandarin oranges, walnuts and red onions, topped with warm bacon vinaigrette.
Served with Dinkey Wheat, Belgian Style Wheat Ale

Course 3

Pepper Crusted Angus Tenderloin – 8-oz. Certified Angus Beef shoulder tenderloin crusted with cracked pepper then grilled to perfection.  Served with warm potato salad and sautéed fresh green beans and baby carrots.
Served with Long Face, Amber Ale

Course 4
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Served with Horseman’s Revenge, Pumpkin Ale

It may be hard to find a tastier animal than the ordinary pig. Around the globe every great food culture has at least one incredible pork dish. Whether you are talking about the spit roasted pig from the Philippines, pork carnitas from Mexico, or classic southern pulled pork bbq, its a wonderful world to live in for fans of pork. As seems to be the case with four legged animals, one of my favorite cuts is the shank. Shanks are tough cuts of meat. With that toughness comes the need for low and slow cooking, but more importantly a ton of rich delicious meaty goodness. So with that in mind I offer up my recipe for Schweinshaxe – German braised pork shanks:

Schweinshaxe with German style Potato Pancakes

3-4 fresh(not smoked/cured) ham hocks
2 TBS Butter or Lard
1 onion diced
1 stalk celery diced
3 carrots diced
5 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/2 TBL Juniper berries crushed
1/2 TBS Mustard Seed
2 TSP Caraway seed
Salt and Pepper
Water
12oz Beer*
Cornstarch
Potato Pancakes(recipe follows)

Heat oven to 325°F. Melt the butter or lard in a dutch oven. Season the shanks with salt and pepper. Brown shanks on all sides. Remove from the pan. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Sweat the vegetables. Add the shanks back along with the thyme, Juniper, Mustard, and Caraway. Add enough water to cover the shanks by half. Add beer. Braise uncovered in the oven for about 2 hours or until tender, occasionally basting with the liquid. Remove the shanks and set aside, cover with foil to keep warm. Strain the liquid. Bring braising liquid to simmer on the stove. Thicken with a cornstarch slurry. Serve sauce over the shanks along side potato pancakes.

German Potato Pancakes

Shortening
3 cups shredded potatoes
1/2 onion shredded
Salt and Pepper
1 large egg
1/4 cup flour

Mix egg and flour in a large bowl. Add the potatoes and onion. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Scoop out and form pancakes. Cook the pancakes in shortening. Serve with sour cream or applesauce.

One trend in the last few years in beer that I have not been able to wrap my head around has been this whole pumpkin beer craze. I like pumpkin, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, even a pumpkin latte from your favorite overpriced coffee chain. I like beer, which to most is obvious since this is a beer blog and all. When the two come together, to me it’s a nightmare of flavors. I have tried a bunch, not just one but MANY over time. They are in 3 categories in my book sweet pumpkin pie in a glass, pumpkin pie spice hell (cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon) and the last one vegetable like flavors in poorly crafted amber ale. I am not knocking brewers here. I just do not like the beers. First off I am not a big fan of large doses of clove and nutmeg in anything. I am also not a big fan of using Vegetables of any kind in beer; it adds a flavor to me that is similar to a stock or a broth.

I know a lot of people love these beers. I know because I sell upwards of 3 to 5 cases of the different pumpkin beers that we are stocking right now a day. They tell me that they have been waiting all year for them to come out and they get giddy like school girls when they see it. In my head I just say what’s the big deal, I don’t get it, nor will I ever get it. I guess that is the equivalent of me getting all fired up when The Vertical Epic comes out from Stone, or when Celebration is out by Sierra Nevada. I think there are addictive properties to pumpkin beers that I am immune to. Kind of like meth or crack. This all being said I think that it’s more of a seasons changing to fall and Halloween and thanksgiving being not far away make them a hit. If a pumpkin beer was released in the spring it would fail to produce any following at all. That is my opinion on that (I know that pumpkins are not available then before anyone gets all uptight). I however do like the fact that brewers are trying different things like pumpkin beers and other variations. I may not like them but they are an injection of excitement to some people who may not ever try anything beyond the BMC brands. I can be a starter on a path to better beer for a lot of people which is one thing I am all for.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I am sick and tired of all of the calorie counting and “new flavors” of the BMC (bud, Miller, Coors)  brands and all of their commercials. The fact that they are passing these products off as beer, and that people are actually buying into their billions of  dollars of advertising, and “drinkability” bull shit scares the crap out of me. That to me is like olive garden being voted best Italian restaurant in most of the country. I think the brewers and creators and marketing goons for these products should go to hell for what they are creating, especially calling it beer.

 As many of you know I sell beer. I would say that 85% of what I carry is quality stuff. I only carry bud light, Bud Light Lime, and Miller Light as far as what we are talking about here. They are after thoughts in my case. I only carry them because I was asked to carry them so I do, do I want to no, but it is what it is. There is no way in hell I will put in ANY beer that has a calorie count for a name, like MGD 64, Bud select 55,Mic Ultra, or anything remotely close to it. I think that passing this crap off to the American public as beer, and that it is good beer is almost criminal in my book.

The people that drink these beers need to seek help immediately. Do not give me the line that” I like beer but I don’t want to get fat”…….That is a crock and a half. What this idiot is actually saying is” I want to get hammered so lower calories will make sure I can be a drunken idiot and not get fat”. They fail to realize in their grand scheme that these “beers” have minimal alcohol. So drinking a 12 pack may get you drunk, and hey look less than half the calories to show for it!!! Spare me.

 I am also sick and tired of these “manly men” drinking light beers in commercials. If you think you are a stud because you pound MGD 64, or Coors light think again. It says to me that you are afraid of real beer and a mindless zombie to advertising. This is the only time I would condone drinking a Bud, at least it’s not water in a bottle.

I just want the world to realize that life is not meant to be bland, boring, and homogeneous. When I am on my death bed I don’t want to go over my life and say damn…..I drank crappy beer with no flavor, but I saved all of those calories.

The last week and a half has covered North Texas, mostly, with nice early fall temps. As the temps drop my food cravings change. Heartier, oft slow cooked, meals replace the light and refreshing fair of summer. With fall in mind I created this wonderful slow cooked short rib dish. Unlike a traditional braised short rib, I opted to cook this dish utilizing the Sous Vide method. Essentially the ribs, beer, stock, and seasonings are vacuum sealed in plastic and cooked in a 190º F. water bath. Unlike in a traditional braise, the juices have no where to go. Sous vide cooking doesn’t always yield juicier results. It does however seem to yield more flavor rich results. If you have a Foodsaver handy, and a thermometer, I highly encourage you to try this recipe:

Beef Short Ribs on a bed of Salsify and Potato Mash

Short Ribs:

4 boneless short ribs
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup dunkel beer*
1/2 cup beef stock
5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 garlic clove smashed
1 TBLS butter
1/2# wild mushrooms sliced

Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Give the ribs a quick sear on each side in a hot saute` pan. Transfer the ribs to a plastic vacuum bag. Add the thyme, beer, and stock to the bag. Vacuum and seal according to manufacturers instructions. In a large pot heat heat your water bath to 190º F and hold. Drop your vacuum sealed bag into the water. Leave in the water bath for 5 hours, or until the ribs are cooked and tender. Remove the bag from the water. Open the bag. Drain and reserve the liquid.

In a another pan melt the butter. Saute` the mushrooms until golden brown. Add the reserved liquid. Cook on medium heat until reduced by half and a sauce consistency(you may need to thicken with a slurry of water and cornstarch). Take sauce off the heat and keep warm.

Potato and Salsify Mash:

1# potatoes, peeled and chopped
1# Salsify root, peeled and chopped
2 TBLS butter
1/2 cup cream
Salt and Pepper

One advantage to sous vide is in the cooking of produce. Sous Vide allows you to cook the potatoes and salsify, with out the loss of nutrients or flavor associated with other cooking methods. As a result you end up with cooked potatoes that taste much more potato-y.

Put the potatoes in a vacuum bag. Vacuum and seal. Put the salsify in another bag and repeat the process. Drop the potatoes in a water bath heated to 190ºF. Cook for 1.5 hours or until the potatoes are tender. Drop the salsify into the water bath and cook for 45 minutes or until tender. Remove the bags from the water. Put the potatoes and salsify through a food mill, ricer, or just mash with a masher. Add the butter and cream and whip until combined and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the dish:

Spoon a heaping mound of the potato salsify mash onto the center of the plate. Place one short rib on the mash off to the side. Pour the beef/mushroom sauce over the top and serve.

*Any dark malty beer will work with this dish. Bocks, double bocks, dark Belgians, or brown ales will work with the short ribs.

Recently Classical French Cuisine has made a comeback. I would say that a lot of it has to do with the movie Julie and Julia. I have also noticed a lot of restaurants have been doing dishes or full blown menus dedicated to the movie, and Julia Child. The fact that it has taken this long for some to recognize her after her death is shocking to me. She was a big influence to a lot of us who got into the culinary world, including myself. That is a rant for another blog and another day. All of this got me to thinking about French Classics and beer. I know it’s shocking to think that I would think this way. My wife has come to expect it, as I know a lot of you have. I have this love/hate relationship with Classical French Cuisine. The amount of steps, labor, processes, and methods is mind numbing. I loathe the aloofness and the “be all end all” attitude it has. Then I go out to a French restaurant and have a meal perfectly prepared and I fall back in love with it and forgive its faults.

  Ok back to beer and French food. Pairing beer and French Classical is not as hard as it may seem. Complex, layered flavors and textures of French Cuisine are just as much of a match for good craft beer as it is for a fine wine (if not better in my mind). The basics of beer pairings apply with it. Here is an awesome link to a chart for beer pairing. All of this being said, my favorite styles for French food are usually Belgian styles and French style farmhouse ales. Depending on what is being served food wise will of course depend on the beer. Farm house/sasion ales have a nice earthiness and some fruitiness that work well with a lot of French foods. They tend to be my go to beers for the majority of Classic French, of course with some exceptions, especially those dishes which have heavy sauces and heavy meats (beef, lamb, some game meats). Here are my favorites in that style

Top 5 Saison/Farmhouse Ales

1. Fantôme Saison
2. Ommegang Hennepin
3. Saison Du Pont
4. Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere
5. Northcoast Brewing Le Merle

 I have also decided to add a recipe section to the blog I have had some requests so I added a page for it. There are only a couple of recipes in there as of now but, it will grow with time and be separated alphabetically as I add more. I added my recipe for a classic French dish that I twisted, that of course means beer is in it. I added Coq au Biere (instead of Coq au vin). I decided to make this a couple of nights ago, and it came out great. My wife was somewhat skeptical when I said I was making the dish, but loved it after trying it. It’s somewhat labor intense (being French and all) but it is well worth it. In the words of Julia….Bon Appetite!

 Thursday kicks off the NFL season once again and I can’t wait. I am a huge football fan (Broncos and Giants are my teams), which means I will be watching pretty much any game that will be on (or DVRing what I can’t see live). My wife is resigned to the fact that I am a nut so you can imagine her excitement, a little different than mine for sure. The first thing everyone needs to do when watching football is to forget or dismiss any ads proclaiming “drinkability” or how their cans change color, or whatever quirky somewhat humorous commercials that are thrown at you during the game.  Basically what I am getting at is drink real beer with the game. Light beer is garbage. If you are watching football are you really concerned with how many calories are in a beer?? Probably not. If you are you can stop reading right about now.

The beers that I like of course vary depending on where I am and what I eating, but some of my favorite session beers (here a link to the definition) although the ones I like are slightly higher in alcohol than most.

My top 7 best Football Beers

1. Stone Levitation- lots of flavor, low abv perfect for watching a game
2. Firestone Walker DBA- a nice pale ale that goes great with game food like brats and the like.
3. Full Sail Sessions Lager- cool little bottles only in 12 packs, and a great Lager makes this one a no brainer for the long haul of a game.
4. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale- A classic that much like Firestone goes well with game foods.
5. Big Sky Moose Drool- a great brown ale if you are looking for something palatable and a little darker and less hoppy than a pale ale.
6. Sam Adams Boston Lager- I get this one when I am at a sports bar they always have it and it is very drinkable in my opinion
7. Stone IPA- my favorite IPA, besides does anyone really think I would do a list with out one???

If you happen to be in a town with a team, go with the local beers, this way you have the added attachment of beer and team from the same city. It always worked for me when I was in Cleveland……Great Lakes Dortmunder or Burning river pale with a Browns game….kind of dorky but it made it fun.

Enjoy the Games and remember drinkability is what REAL beer is about, not light beer.

  To start many of you know that I am a beer dork and a foodie (God I hate that term). I was in the restaurant biz for a long time and I do enjoy going out to dinner whenever I can. Last night my wife and I went to Daniel Boulud Brasserie at the Wynn resort. The main reason we went was that here in Las Vegas it is “restaurant week” which is a benefit put on by 3square.org to help fight hunger Most restaurants get involved in town and offer a special prix fix menus. If you are in Vegas before the 6^th or live in town I highly encourage you to try it. It’s for a great cause and it is reasonably priced. We were seated in the restaurant and the service there is amazing. Then our waiter gave us the menus (just a hint you have to ask for the 3squares menu) and wine list. Here is first and only problem I have. They have nothing short of an amazing wine list, it is phenomenal and extensive. I figured well, restaurants list their beers in the wine list, not there. Nothing listed at all. So I ask our waiter who was fantastic (as I said amazing service) gave me the rundown.  10 or so beers and to be honest, 3 that are drinkable. The drinkable ones being Franziskaner Heffe, Chimay Red, and Anchor Steam. The rest was a bunch of garbage Corona, Amstel, Heineken, the BMC lights, awful. I went with Franziskanner and Chimay for my dinner. Before I go on a rant here I want to say this about the food at Daniel Boulud Brasserie it was amazing I would give it an A+ or higher. The short rib ravioli first course was beyong amazing, the pasta was cooked perfectly and the filling was about as flavorful as it gets and the Tomato compote was busting with tomato flavor which prompted my wife to add “this is where all of the good produce in Vegas ends up” I paired that up with the Heffe, and it worked well. The main I had was simple enough, sirloin steak with fries. I have never in all of my days had such a tender piece non tenderloin meat in my life. It was like butter. Simply the best I have had. Paired the chimay red with that course. Dessert was crepes Suzette the classic, and it was perfect as well, spot on to what the dish was supposed to be. A fantastic food experience.

  My only problem seems to be a big one in Vegas. Beer is an after thought on a lot of Menus. Don’t get me wrong there are some great restaurants here that have a very good selection of beer Simon at Palms place comes to mind, but a lot fall short. One of the problems I have is the lack of style choices; a bunch of import lagers, a Belgian (almost always Chimay red label) and craft American like Anchor, Sierra Nevada, or Sam Adams. No thought at all. It’s just “here are some beers now shut up” attitude that Gm’s and sommeliers seem to have. Flavor diversity, my friends is the key. Not “I have 40 beerson my list” and well 35 of them are the same thing essentially. If it were wine that would be like having 35 cabs and 5 other varietals. This is pathetic if you look at it that way. Throw in a porter or a stout, maybe an IPA or a non-Chimay Belgian. That is all I am asking.

Oktoberfest brings a few things to mind in the way of food giant pretzels, sausages, and more sausages. There is more to it than that. Sooo Let’s explore the world of Oktoberfest foods and this way you can throw your own bash and have some fun, if you can’t get to any number of fests around the country. If you throw your own party here are some good fest beer pairings with some traditional foods. The best thing about the food for Oktoberfest is that it is relatively simple to prepare which leaves you more time to spend eating and drinking.

 Here is a sample menu we will be doing this year at the Whole Foods where I am employed in Henderson, Nv as the beer specialist. We are doing it in plated courses but at home you can do it in larger portions buffet style as well.The pairings are what we are using for our dinner because of availability and other reasons. I will list a couple of alternatives for each dish

Oktoberfest Menu

Obatzda (German cheese spread), soft pretzel sticks, and Beef Thuringer(summer sausage) and Gherkin style pickles.

 Pairing: Beck’s Oktoberfest- alternate pairings: Hofbrau Oktoberfest,Weinstephaner fest beer

 Hendl (Rotisserie chicken)  served w/ German potato salad

 Pairing:Spaten Oktoberfest- Aternate Pairings: Paulaner Oktoberfest, Brooklyn Oktoberfest

 Knockwurst and Bratwurst served with sauerkraut and stone ground mustard

Pairing: Gordon Biersch festbier- Alternate Pairings: Great Lakes Oktoberfest, Warsteiner Oktoberfest

 Beer Braised Pork Loin with Blaukohl (red cabbage with apples) and spatzles

Pairing: Ayinger Oktoberfest Marzen- Alternate pairing: Sam Adams Octoberfest, Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest

 Apple Tart with Caramel Sauce

Pairing: Gordon Biersch Blonde Bock Alternate Pairings: any german style pilsner or pale bock

  There are many varriations to each dish and they are easily found on varrious food web sites, but if you would like my recipies please feel free to comment and ask for them I will be glad to give them to you. Just a note on the menu itself, if you  are in the area and would like to attend the dinner  it will be on September 25th from 6-8 at the whle foods in Henderson, Nv. The cost is just $20 and all proceedes will go to the Lunchbox Revolution program.Untill then  break out your lederhosen grab a fest beer and have some fun!! Probst!!!

As I sit here and check out the up coming releases for the next couple of months I was wondering what ones are going to be on everyone’s radar, and most importantly which ones are going to be the “to die for” beer of the season. I know that I am eagerly anticipating the Stone Vertical Epic 09-09-09 release for one. The Vertical epic never disappoints in my opinion, they are always different from the last and they do stand up well to aging, which means that I will revisit a couple of the past ones (the 07 and 08 to be exact) to see how they are holding up. The buzz is that this year’s is going to be better than the last 3 or so, which says something to me. Basically I can’t wait for it. This brings me to the others that are coming up that I always enjoy.
Deschutes puts out Hop Trip right around this time and it to me is the best fresh hop beer that comes out on a large scale. Its part of the breweries Bond Street which offers really great special run beers all year the others I highly anticipate as well, but Hop Trip is my personal favorite. It screams harvest time, it big but not huge goes well with a lot of different foods for tailgating and football(I have spent a few Monday nights sipping on one of these in the last couple of years), as well as the up coming Holiday feasts of turkey and all of that good stuff.
I know the highly anticipated Life and Limb from Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head comes out in the near future as well. This one should be from all accounts off the charts as far as flavor goes with Birch syrup and maple syrup in there. It should provide all of us beer geeks with something different to talk about for the next few months as well. Going with the nature of the two breweries I expect nothing less than something that is different, drinkable and different.
I am sure that I will be rating these as soon as I get my hands on them, but until then I guess I have to wait.

Part 2 for this multi-part blog is going to focus on the American versions of Oktoberfest brews. I am going to list some of my favorites and I know that there are probably hundreds out there that I haven’t tried yet but I would like to at some point.

Great Lakes Oktoberfest

If there is one American Craft Brewery that does a spot on brew for Oktoberfest its Great Lakes. This one won the ’08 world beer championship gold medal so I am not the only one who likes it. The color is a nice rich dark amber to reddish brick colored. The flavor is slightly sweet caramel and dried fruits come to mind. It finishes slightly dry but very smooth, light on the hop bitterness. Very drinkable and my favorite from America.

RATING:88

Brooklyn Oktoberfest

This is another one that ranks up there for me. A little different than Great Lakes, but is good none the less. This one has a light orange amber color, with flavors that are bready  with some yeasty qualities. The finish is dry as this one is nicely hopped. It could have a little more maltiness for me, but I do like like this one .

RATING:80

Samuel Adams Octoberfest

This is the most popular by far for The American versions of this beer(wide distribution aside), with good reason. Sam Adams does this one right. This one has a beautiful amber color that borders on a reddish orange. The taste is very good as well nice carmel maltiness with a hint of toffee and slight peppery hop presence. Well rounded and very clean.

RATING: 80

Gordon Biersch Festbier

I am usually underwelmed by their brews most border on average at best, but I do have to say that their Festbier is quite tasty. They do offer a traditional Märzen, but this one is slightly different. Typical color of amber with some darker hues in there. Same with the Aromas, but this has a slightly citrus like hint in there that is quite pleasant. This version has a nice sweetness hints of toffee and some toasted bread flavors. Has a nice crisp finish, slightly citrusy and overall a nice beer for the season

RATING: 80

You can’t go wrong pairing delicious brews with food. Sometimes the best dishes are created when you throw all the rules out the window and experiment with contrasting and complimentary pairings to create a slew of unique results. We highly recommend digging in and trying some fun food and beer creations.

One experiment that went very well is the Dinkey Salmon. The botanicals that are in the Dinkey Wheat (chamomile, coriander, orange peel) pair well with the delicate flavors found in seafood. Try this recipe and let us know what you think. We find it very delicious!

Dinkey Salmon

•    3 pounds fresh salmon
•    ½ cup chopped green peppers
•    1 1/2 cup chopped pimento
•    1 cup lemon or lime juice
•    1 1/2 cups Dinkey Wheat
•    ½ cup soy sauce
•    1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
•    1 garlic clove mashed
•    2 Tablespoons grated onion

Trim salmon and remove bones. Cutting diagonally, slice salmon into thin strips 3 to 4 inches long. Spread salmon, green pepper and pimento in a thin layer in a shallow pan. Pour lemon juice and 1 cup of Dinkey Wheat over the fish so it is completely covered and all fish is below the level of the liquid. Let stand at room temperature until fish becomes a pale pink (the fish “cooks” in the acid marinade). Drain fish. Rinse with cold water. Drain again and lay pieces flat. Mix soy sauce with remaining ½ cup of Dinkey Wheat, ginger, garlic and onion. Use as dip sauce with salmon. Use pimentos and peppers as garnish.

Yield: 12 servings

Download a printable version of the Dinkey Salmon recipe.

The first July is Good Beer Month (and hopefully not last) ended with a great night with the event Good Beer at BAM at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Put on By Edible Manhattan and Edible Brooklyn the event featured two floors of great beer and great food, with each brewery pairing with a local restaurant or food artisan. It was packed on this rainy summer evening and a perfect way to stay out of the wet city streets.

Wandering around the lower floor SustainaBrew finally got to meet our friends Benjamin Stutz and Danielle Cefaro of Brooklyn Homebrew, who were pouring an amazingly delicious Lemon Wheat Ale. They said they had made the beer but it hadn’t attenuated enough so they ended up adding enough lemon zest to balance the sweetness with the tartness from the lemon and it came out as easily one of the most drinkable beers of the night.

We also had Jeff Gorlechen from Sixpioint Craft Ales serving their Apollo Wheat and Righteous Rye. I went with the Rye since they were pairing it with a little beef mini, from the gang at Jimmy’s no. 43, that had actually been braised in the Righteous Rye. A nice start to the night.

Justin Phillips from Beer Table was on hand showing off their delicious pickled eggs pairing them with the unique Bayerischer Banhoff Leipziger Gose a tangy German beer that is brewed with coriander and salt added to the boil! Paired wonderfully with the eggs that had a dusting of jalapeno powder and sea salt.

We also had Jacques Gautier, Chef and Proprietor of Palo Santo making an absolutely amazing spicy curried duck stew served with their home made roti. If you were willing to stand in the line (i was… a couple of times) you were treated to an awesome little dish that featured an herb mixture made from herbs grown on top of the restaurant in Park Slope. If you were lucky enough to get through the line in time you could pair it with Brooklyn Brewery’s wonderful Sarachi Ace, a great off centered saison, that is full of spices and a unqiue citrusy taste that ends with a nice dry finish. The Ace is brewed with the Sorachi Hop a rare variety originally from Japan, but now mainly found in Oregon.

Sorachi Ace is gone. Oh well.

That’s it for now and if last night was any indication, Good Beer at BAM could (and should) become an annual event. Hope to see you all next year.

Cheers,

Jason