Gustatory Libation Front

heavyweight champion of the World Wide Stout

2011-12-08T22:36:00.000-05:00

I do loves me some World Wide Stout from Dogfish Head, but hadn't heard this bit of history before:

Former Heavyweight (ABV) Champion of the World, and still respected hardcore veteran.

Evo lived

2011-11-15T22:53:00.000-05:00

CC BY-NC-ND image from sheiladeeisme on Flickr

Evo survived his beer and sausage only #BrewDiet in October. In fact, he succeeded not only in sticking to it, but in coming out the other side in better shape than when he started.

His final analysis of the month is here. He also joined the gents at the always excellent Living Proof audio podcast for a detailed discussion of the experience.

D.N.A. - Delaware Native Ale

2011-11-03T15:00:00.000-04:00

While I have a baseline level of fandom for Dogfish Head that is well established, and so may be biased here, I am vastly impressed at how they harnessed the Delware community for their new Delaware Native Ale. In particular, I adore their isolation of a "native" Delware yeast strain from the environment to ferment the brew as an awesome bit of science.

Baltimore Beer Week 2011

2011-10-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

CC BY-NC-SA image from cizauskas via Flickr

I shall not regale you with flowery prose, for there is no time - today marks the start of Baltimore Beer Week, which is running from October 6 - October 16, 2011. The list of over 300 events is here, so go, drink, and be merry!

If you need any further convincing, here is a preview from WJZ TV:

wait, I already thought all Evo consumed was beer and sausage...

2011-09-27T14:39:00.000-04:00

Evo Terra at Stone Brewery, CC BY-NC-ND image by sheiladeeisme via Flickr

So, it seems that during the month of October, Evo Terra is going to go on a medically supervised, 1700 calorie a day diet consisting only of beer and sausage. This should be... interesting.

Here are more details from Evo, and you can follow this ~~potential trainwreck~~ glorious endeavor at his Untappd page or via the #BrewDiet hashtag on Twitter.

email of the moment

2011-08-29T14:31:00.002-04:00

CC BY-NC-SA image from camknows via Flickr

I am highly amused by the following missive today from my work Inbox, both for it being a post-Irene "first world problem", and that the foodstuffs involved have something to do with a department including nutrition in it's name:

To: All Hospital Employees
From: xxxx

Hello,

Due to equipment failure at the grill station in Greenspring Cafe, we regret to inform you that we will be unable to offer the following items today:

* French Fries
* Crispy Chicken Sandwich
* Fish Sandwich
* Chicken Wings
* Onion Rings
* Chicken Tenders

We apologize for the inconvenience and hope to have this issue corrected as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.

Sincerely,
Food & Nutrition

follow me on Untappd

2011-06-29T11:52:00.000-04:00

At the insistence of several associates, I am now playing around with Untappd, a "mobile based social network for beer enthusiasts". Thus far, I find it both cute and amusing, and at the very least it's an easy way to record quick reactions to the brews I'm enjoying. Feel free to check me out there, and play along if interested!

American Craft Beer Week 2011

2011-05-14T15:12:00.000-04:00

American Craft Beer Week starts in two short days, featuring over 500 events across the United States, with 25 of those being in the Baltimore area. I'd say more, but really - just find an event near you, raise a pint, and join in the celebration of the glorious craft beer revolution! Huzzah!

in which Brewdogs bones, I mean jumps, the shark?

2011-04-22T17:15:00.000-04:00

For whatever it may be worth, I did not find Scottish brewer Brewdog's The End of History to be too over the top. This, I suspect, speaks far too much about my perspective on life than I'd care to ponder. That noted, when I heard about their latest effort, Royal Virility Performance, I was boggled. Brewing the highest ABV beer in existence and bottling it inside of taxidermied mammals? Fine. Brewing a beer with sildenafil (better known by it's brand name, Viagra)? Complete, utter madness. Except the sildenafil piece may not be true. Here's a quote from the Beer in Baltimore post where I first saw the story, which appears to have been taken from a Brewdog press release:

We are going to release a limited-edition beer containing Viagra to mark the forthcoming royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29th. Brewed using various well known aphrodisiacs, the limited edition artisanal beer will only be available to buy from the BrewDog.com website and will be dispatched on the day before the wedding.

According to the specially commissioned label, the Royal Virility Performance contains Viagra, chocolate, Horny Goat Weed and ‘a healthy dose of sarcasm’. The beer is a 7.5% ABV India Pale Ale and has been brewed at BrewDog’s brewery in Fraserburgh.

And here's the current text from Brewdog's site:

A limited-edition beer containing herbal viagra to mark the forthcoming royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29th. Brewed using various well known aphrodisiacs, the limited edition artisanal beer will only be available to buy from the BrewDog.com website.

According to the specially commissioned label, the Royal Virility Performance contains herbal viagra, chocolate, Goat Weed and ‘a healthy dose of sarcasm’. The beer is a 7.5% ABV India Pale Ale and has been brewed at BrewDog’s brewery in Fraserburgh.

With this beer we want to take the wheels off the royal wedding bandwagon being jumped on by dozens of breweries; The Royal Virility Performance is the perfect antidote to all the hype. A beer should be brewed with a purpose, not just because some toffs are getting married, so we created something at our brewery that will undermine those special edition beers and other assorted seaside tat, whilst at the same time actually give the happy couple something extra on their big day.

That's just a slight, but important, difference. If one were to brew a beer with sildenafil, I would assume one would use a minimal "look at my stunt ingredient!" dose that wouldn't have any physiological activity. The potential for bad outcomes would be far too great if there was enough to constitute an active dose, and using a licensed medicine openly in a beer product strikes me as being illegalish from a regulatory standpoint.

"Herbal viagra", however, is a colloquialism for any herbal or supplement remedy that purports to enhance erectile function, and as such has nothing to do with sildenafil. Most of those substances don't have any real physiological activity anyway, and so would be safe to include in a brew. Also, being herbal supplements, they aren't subject to the same regulatory rules as a medication like sildenafil, so there wouldn't be any legal barriers to using them in beer.

I am forced to wonder whether the initial press release (if true in terms of it's text content) was overzealous marketing hype, represented an earlier plan to actually use sildenafil, or was merely in error. Perhaps going the "real Viagra" route was their intent, and then the discovered a regulatory or safety reason they couldn't use it, so modified their plan accordingly. Whatever the case, this means that Brewdog hasn't really jumped the shark... yet. I await that glorious day with bated breath.

capturing 'Modernist Cuisine' - photo gallery

2011-04-18T11:52:00.000-04:00

Modernist cuisine; using a vacuum pump to make tomato water, a cc by-nc-sa image via George Hackett on Flickr

The New York Times has a lovely photo gallery from the book Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, by Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young, and Maxime Bilet. The pics are outstanding, and the book sounds like a fascinating reference for odd and inventive food preparation techniques. I don't know the authors and haven't read it, but it seems quite worth checking out... if one has a spare $500.

For now, at least some of the delicious images are free to view!

Saint Patrick's Day 2011 beer brawl: Guinness 250th Anniversary Stout v. McSorley's Irish Black Lager

2011-03-17T22:40:00.000-04:00

It is Saint Patrick's Day, and time for an Irish beer brawl. Let's get in on!

Guinness 250th Anniversary Stout

Vitals:

Brewery: Guinness and Company

Style: Dry Stout (Category 13A, BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines)

Alcohol: 5%

Serving: 12 ounce bottle, served with a single pour into a chilled pint

Scoring (in solidarity with Charlie the Beer Guy):

Appearance: 8 - A near opaque ruby-brown, with a well-carbonated brown sudsy head that fades into a thick lace.

Nose: 4 - Teasingly faint, mainly bready and roasty malts.

Taste: 5 - An unassuming bready malt upfront, fading into a faint roasty bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: 4 - Thin and highly carbonated, with a bready, bitter aftertaste.

Holistic: 4 - A perfectly acceptable beer overall, but a bloody disappointment as a 250th anniversary brew from one of the world's oldest, iconic breweries.

Overall: 25 - Really, Guinness? This is how you embody 250 years of brewing experience?! Come on.

McSorley's Irish Black Lager

Vitals:

Brewery: Pabst Brewing Company

Style: Dark Lager (Category 4, BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines)

Alcohol: 5.5%

Serving: 12 ounce bottle, served with a single pour into a chilled pint

Scoring (in solidarity with Charlie the Beer Guy):

Appearance: 8 - Also a near opaque ruby-brown, with a well-carbonated brown sudsy head that fades more quickly into a thin lace.

Nose: 4 - Again, similar to the Guinness with faint bready and roasty malts.

Taste: 6 - A bready malt backbone with a hit of roast in the middle of the swallow, and again at the end, for a biphasic effect.

Mouthfeel: 7 - Smooth, with moderate body and carbonation, and a pleasant roasty aftertaste.

Holistic: 7 - Quite good and drinkable, and a much stronger overall creation than the Guinness.

Overall: 32 - I still can't wrap my head around the fact that Pabst makes this on behalf of the McSorley's name, and puts out something worth drinking. It's a damn solid brew that makes for an excellent session beer on this sacred day.

The Verdict

McSorley's wins. The 250 pound heavyweight Guinness just got knocked out by Pabst dressed as an angry Irish midget. That's crazy... I need a drink.

taste the (double) rainbow (cake)

2011-02-23T10:00:00.001-05:00

I was not present for this:

but I wish I had been. Between the previously discussed cherpumple and the above bit of epicness, Viv is rapidly proving herself to be the only candidate for the title of Mistress of Epic Baked Delights after the Overlords complete their plans for world domination.

Head over to Vivid Musings in order to check out the backstory behind how this splendid, tasty colorgasm was conceived and the subsequent recipe, result, and reception, with more glorious pictures.

Someday, I too may eat this. I may immediately shapeshift into a My Little Pony, but it would be totally worth it.

only 3 short months until American Craft Beer Week

2011-02-22T19:40:00.000-05:00

American Craft Beer Week for 2011 isn't until May, but that doesn't mean we can't drool in anticipation of the events ahead. This well produced (and a tad inspirational) video touches on the importance of craft brewing in philosophy, fun, and American life.

Bring it on, May. I'm thirsty.

a couple of quick notes

2011-02-18T16:48:00.000-05:00

I'll be attending Farpoint this weekend, notable here for the fact that the bar tends to have crazy experimentation with sci-fi inspired beverages. I may have to throw back one or five, and report back.
Breezy Willow Farm is getting set to start up it's spring CSA season, which I'll be participating in again. Ignoring the fact that my reporting here dropped off the map - I'll get a post-mortem up shortly - it was a very positive experience for us, and something we'll be partaking of on a regular basis.

a fortnight of food in Howard County

2011-01-12T21:37:00.000-05:00

SWC Employees Enjoy a Happy Hour at Ram's Head Tavern, cc by-nc-sa image via blunck2 on Flickr

If I were Grand Thane of Howard County (which could benefit immensely from having a Grand Thane, mind you), I would christen the uncomfortably-monikered Howard County Restaurant Weeks to the more awesome and precise Howard County Restaurant Fortnight. I'd leave the food the same, though. Grand Thane Cmar needs to get his food and drink on, and during the next two weeks, it shall be done.

Dogfish Head 2011 release schedule

2011-01-10T23:56:00.000-05:00

Dogfish Head's 2011 release schedule is posted here. A few notes:

This year reflects some excellent choices in terms of marketing and availability of their different beer niches. I particularly applaud the inclusion of both the Midas Touch and Palo Santo Marron as seasonal brews with year-round availability - both are unique drinks to Dogfish, being both some of their best beers and staples that define the company in the growing craft beer marketplace. Also, I get better access to two of my favorites, so THERE. Nyah. :P
The categories they've made to segregate the "intermittent but not seasonal" releases are rather inspired (such as the "Ancient Ales" and "Agreeable IPA's") and hopefully will be something they build on in future years.
I am confident enough in my beer geekdom to note that I am looking forward with bated breath to the unveiling of Brand X. YES.

Raise your glasses, baby.

gustatory libation ahead for 2011

2011-01-08T12:34:00.000-05:00

Hang Loose Cask (02), cc by-nc-sa image from cizauscas on Flickr

The Trigger Agency is once again bringing a host of touring brew and beverage events to the Baltimore area this year. Mark your calendars, baby:

The Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ Festival will be hitting the Timonium Fairgrounds in Timonium, MD on April 1 and 2.

The Great Grapes! Wine, Art, and Food Festival will be taking place at Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville, MD on June 11 and 12.

The Maryland Brewers' Oktoberfest will be happening at the Timonium Fairgrounds in Timonium, MD on October 8.

Heavy Seas Brewery has also listed it's excellent roster of events for the upcoming year, all being hosted at the brewery itself:

The Heavy Seas Oyster and Beer Festival is on February 5.

The Heavy Seas Real Ale and BBQ Fest will be on March 26.

The Heavy Seas Beer and Bacon Fest is scheduled for September 17.

The Heavy Seas Chili and Cheese Fest is on November 12.

Let the gustation and libation of 2011 commence!

listen to the Living Proof. now.

2010-12-22T09:13:00.000-05:00

Sun-dial First taste 2, cc by-nc-sa via cmdln on Flickr

John and Thomas's podcast, Living Proof, has finally gotten off the ground in recent weeks, and the episodes thus far are a joy to listen to. Topics range from their own brewing efforts and what they are drinking of late to higher-concept "beer theory" discussions that are at once casual and well-informed. These gentlemen are clearly enjoying themselves, and you should give them a listen and do so as well.

Congratulations are also in order, as their recent brew (the "Rogue Archivist") and the story behind it received a nice write-up on BoingBoing. Strong work, good sirs!

Rogue Archivist, cc by-nc-sa image via cmdln on Flickr

the rise of yeast and the fall of pumpkins

2010-10-11T23:59:00.051-04:00

Brettanomyces, a cc by-nc-sa image from cizauskas on Flickr

While I was in Oz, John Fleury finished up the DCist's look at the basics of beer with an entry on yeast. In it, he addresses some of the basics of fermentation, and breaks down the chemistry behind certain scents and tastes associated with different beer styles. All in all, this is a fitting end to his informative blog series.

As an excellent coda, he followed it up with a piece on the currently-seasonal pumpkin ale style. Anyone who knows my fermented proclivities is aware of my lust for more extreme brews, but it may surprise you to know that when it comes to pumpkin beer, I prefer subtle, less pumped-up takes on the style. Fleury's roundup of pumpkin ales is a wonderful summary of the history and content of the style, and gives specific brand examples that run the gamut from the sublime to the ridiculous. It's a must-read if you have any interest in the squashy brews.

The Ego of Beer: Yeast and Water
It's the Great Pumpkin (Ale), Charlie Brown!
previously - Malt: Cereally Delicious on the DCist
previously - Hop to It! on the DCist

acorn squash with apples

2010-10-10T23:27:00.000-04:00

I've had several successful hard squash experiments since I was ruminating on the subject, and the first came from Natalie, who once again dropped an awesome suggestion for a recipe. I made this without any modifications from the Mayo Clinic formula as breakfast over the weekend:

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 small acorn squash, about 6 inches in diameter
2 teaspoons trans-free margarine

In a small bowl, mix together the apple and brown sugar. Set aside.

Pierce the squash several times with a sharp knife to let the steam escape during cooking. Microwave on high until tender, about 5 minutes. Turn the squash after 3 minutes to ensure even cooking.

Place the squash on a cutting board and cut in half. Scrape the seeds out of the center of each half and discard the seeds. Fill the hollowed squash with the apple mixture.

Return the squash to the microwave and cook until the apples are softened, about 2 minutes.

Transfer the squash to a serving dish. Top each half with 1 teaspoon margarine and serve immediately.

This was a great main breakfast course, topped off with toast and cheese that also came to us from Breezy Willow. The sweetness of the apple mixture was a good counterpoint to the nutty acorn squashflesh, and the textures were very complimentary. Should any acorn squash further wander into my possession, I'll be doing this one again.

September 23, 30, and October 7 CSA shares

2010-10-07T23:30:00.000-04:00

Yeah, so there's a bit of catching up to do...

Our return from Australia finds us pulling into the final, fall stretch of CSA goodness. That means, among other things, dealing with something I've never ventured to cook with before - hard squash! What exactly, I wondered, does one DO with such firm and intimidating plant material? Beyond carve it into spooky facies, or stare at it and feel vaguely rustic, I mean.

In short, I've found answers, and they are tasty... damn tasty. I will share those with you in the coming days, but for now, the raw materials from the last few weeks:

The September 23rd roll call: apple cider, ambercup squash, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, bread, mushrooms, radishes, peaches, Asian pears, and red apples.

The September 30th roll call: spinach, bread, eggs, green beans, lettuce, acorn squash, pepperjack cheese, Asian pears, apples, and sweet potatoes.

The October 7th roll call: lettuce, eggs, mushrooms, pumpkin, bread, cucumbers, red potatoes, apples, Asian pears, and green beans.

Oh yes, pumpkin... I have plans for you... MWA HA HA HA

navigating Baltimore Beer Week

2010-10-04T23:50:00.000-04:00

To say that there's a lot going on during the 10 sweet days of Baltimore Beer Week that are about to start this Thursday is, as they say, an understatement. To that end, the folks behind the celebration have come up with a couple of excellent ways to help attendees navigate through the 335 (as of today) events.

The first is the smartphone-optimized website at http://mobile.bbweek.com. Not only has this condensed the event listings into an easy to query mobile database, but also promises to have real-time Twitter and photo integration.

Even more useful is the promised limited-edition passport. From the website:

This year, Baltimore Beer Week (BBW) is debuting a limited edition Beer Passport - a comprehensive guide to all beer-centric venues participating in BBW 2010. The Official Baltimore Beer Week Passport is designed as a keepsake; it will help you geographically locate BBW venues throughout the State of Maryland and provide vital contact information for these participating establishments. The interior pages can be used for note taking, autographs from your favorite beer celebrities, and more…

…so get your Beer Week Passport and use it to chronicle your journey while "Celebrating all Things Beer in the Land of Pleasant Living"!

There will be only 1500 BBW Passports produced this year. All attendees of the Baltimore Beer Week Opening Tap Celebration will receive a FREE Passport at the event. Additional Passports will be sold at select events throughout Baltimore Beer Week for a nominal price of $3.00 (Yes, Three Dollars!), wherever Baltimore Beer Week schwag is sold.

If you would like more information on how to obtain your own passport, please email your request here.

The Beer Passport is the Official Travel Voucher of Baltimore Beer Week 2010. Never leave home without it.

As of this writing, the Opening Tap Celebration is over 90% sold out, so if you are interested at all in attending this Thursday, be sure to get your tickets now.

Oktoberfest wanes

2010-10-01T23:43:00.003-04:00

I have returned from Oz, and have tasted true Australian beer! No, you ninnie, not this foul tripe. Beverage notes from the trip will be bubbling up over the coming days.

Oktoberfest, cc by-nc-sa image from Joachim S. Mueller on Flickr

The only sad part of taking much of September off is missing out on many of the Oktoberfest activities in the area. Fortunately, we're still in the tail end of that sacred rite, and so there are plenty of celebrations to be had.

To this end, Charm City's local beverage and food purveyors have banded together to create Baltimore Beer Week, which runs from October 7th through the 17th. At present, there are a staggering 333 events (halfway to the beast! yay!) officially going on during those 10 days, with more being added daily. Go here for a full searchable list of the goings-on. Some of the featured events include:

The Opening Tap Celebration, at the Baltimore Museum of Industry on October 7 - The highlight of this event will be the celebrity tapping of the First Firkin provided by our Flagship Sponsor. This special firkin of Heavy Seas Loose Cannon will be the same recipe which won the 2010 Great British Beer Fest CAMRA award. Duff Goldman of Ace of Cakes will swing the 'Star Spangled Banger' to tap this first cask of beer. Don't miss this unique opportunity to meet founders, brewers, pub owners and pioneers of the craft beer movement. Enjoy beer tastings from our sponsors, including hard to find beers and special releases, all served in a keepsake commemorative glass. Attendees will also receive a special Baltimore Beer Week Passport. Appetizers provided by Mother's of Federal Hill.

Maryland Oktoberfest, at the Timonium Fairgrounds on October 9 - Great Maryland brewed beer, a homebrew contest, Beer Belly contest, German food, live music... The biggest & best local beer fest of the year - MD Oktoberfest brought to you by the Brewer's Assoc of MD.

a beer luncheon on the history of Baltimore brew, at Bertha's on October 11 - Please join guest panelists Rob Kasper- long time Baltimore Sun columnist, Tom Cizauskas- Yours For Good Fermentables blogger (and former brewer at Oxford Brewing Company), Brad Klipner- award winning blogger at BeerInBaltimore.com and Sam Sessa – Baltimore Sun’s Midnight Sun columnist as they regal the malty past and hoppy future of brewing in "The Land of Pleasant Living". Luncheon Menu will be served family style. Meal includes 4 beer samplings (Bertha’s Best Bitter (on hand pump) and Victory Hop Devil IPA will be featured). Program is a three part series.

Blues and Brews Festival, at 8x10 on October 15 - The Blues and Brews Festival features a rare Baltimore Appearance of Guitar Blues Legend Bobby Parker, The horn-based Big Daddy Stallings and the Door Blowin' Blues sounds of Black Falls. Get your Tickets Early at the 8x10 Box Office, Ticketmaster or through the groups. Heavy Seas will be sponsoring this huge Beer Week Featured Event with special Heavy Seas Beers priced right all night long!

The 7th Annual Chesapeake Real Ale Festival, at the Pratt Street Ale House on October 16 - Get firked-up with over 40 firkins of the finest real ale, at the SPBW Chesapeake Real Ale Festival! Get a souvenir mug and unlimited sampling for only $35 per person when purchased in advance ($45 at door).

The Inaugural Baltimore Beer Festival, at 3100 Boston Street on October 17 - The very first Baltimore Beer Festival is taking place at the Waterfront Park in Canton on Boston Street. This setting promises to offer Baltimore and Regional beer lovers an opportunity to partake in an event like no other ever held in this area. With an anticipated participation of over 25 local, regional and international breweries, great live entertainment and some of the area’s best local restaurants, attendees will experience an event they will not soon forget. This anchor event to the exciting Baltimore Beer Week festivities will provide beer revelers the opportunity to enjoy unlimited sampling of more than 50 beers and at the same time helping local charities such as the Police Emerald Society and Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Baltimore. There will be a homebrewers tent, live music by Donegal Xpress, Caffiene, and Dirt. The Ravens game will be shown on a big screen during the festival.

I... may have picked the wrong time to go on vacation. Or not.

Baltimore Beer Week's main website, Twitter feed, and Facebook page

August 19 CSA share

2010-08-26T22:56:00.000-04:00

This past week's share is going to be our last for the next month, as we'll be on the other side of the planet for Aussiecon 4. Our food will be in good hands, er, stomachs in our absence, however. I'm exceedingly pleased we got to sample a huge watermelon and ridiculous corn in this last batch:

The roll call: watermelon, corn, eggs, tomatoes, nuts, zucchini, bread, potatoes, plums, peaches, and apples.

And by ridiculous corn, I mean WEAPONIZED. As in, cultivated for consumption AND combat:

I give you the Corning Star - a variant of the Morning Star that is lethally delicious.

Big Boss Blanco Diablo

2010-08-20T22:09:00.000-04:00

While we were at ReConStruction, we discovered a mostly wonderful gastro pub called the Oxford near the convention center. I had the Blanco Diablo with a rather amazing orange duck entree.

Big Boss Blanco Diablo, cc by-nc-sa image from John Cmar on Flickr

Vitals:

Name: Blanco Diablo Wit Ale

Brewery: Big Boss Brewing Company

Style: Witbier (Category 16A, BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines)

Alcohol: 4.5%

Serving: draft pint

Scoring (in solidarity with Charlie the Beer Guy):

Appearance: 5 - A deep, hazy golden-amber body, with a thin white head that fades quickly with no lace.

Nose: 2 - Barely present - predominately wheat and bready malt notes, with a hint of spice.

Taste: 7 - A bitter hit upfront, seeming to be a mix of spice, low-level hops, and a sourness it was hard to pinpoint. The wheat flavor comes out strongly in the middle and persists with the spice through the end, with some neutral fruity flavors, reminiscent of apple or pear.

Mouthfeel: 7 - Smooth, with moderate body and low carbination.

Holistic: 6 - A good and quite drinkable witbier, but a bit more bitter upfront than I was expecting from the style.

Overall: 27 - A solid, if not spectacular, example of the style. It certainly works well as a summer beer, and complimented my orange duck nicely. I wouldn't specifically seek this out, but would have it again if available.

mmmm... malty...

2010-08-20T10:54:00.000-04:00

malted barley grain, cc by-nc-sa image from urtica on Flickr

In a follow-up to his previous article on hops, the DCist's John Fleury has moved on to tackle the topic of different malt varieties. Like last time, he lists specific beers that are made with each type, and suggests local DC establishments where one can find said brews. This is a great educational series - made all the better with local pub tie-ins - and I look forward to the next logical installment: that mysterious fermenter and occasional medical infectious adversary of mine, yeast.

(Another tip o' the hat to Thomas at Living Proof for pointing this out!)

Malt: Cereally Delicious on the DCist
previously - Hop to It! on the DCist

corn chowder with roasted poblanos

2010-08-19T23:00:00.000-04:00

Upon seeing that we had been granted the boon of fresh corn a few weeks back, the Secret Lair's own Secretary of Artistic Propaganda suggested this recipe for corn chowder from the Mayo Clinic. I then made it with a few modifications, and it was good. Damn good.

2 poblano or Anaheim chilies, halved lengthwise and seeded (I picked up 2 poblanos for this)
2 or 3 Yukon gold or red-skinned potatoes, about 1 pound total weight, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks (I used 1 pound of mixed potatoes from my share)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 red bell pepper (capsicum), seeded and diced (as Laura loathes bell peppers, I substituted a banana pepper instead)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 4 ears corn) or frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 cups vegetable stock or broth
1 cup 1 percent low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (fresh coriander)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat a gas grill or broiler (grill). Position the cooking rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source.

Arrange the chilies skin-side down on the grill rack, or skin-side up on a broiler pan lined with aluminum foil. Grill or broil until the skins begin to blacken, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let steam until the skins loosen, about 10 minutes. Peel the chilies, discarding the blackened skin, and chop coarsely. Set aside.

Put the potatoes in a saucepan, add water to cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and transfer to a small bowl. With a potato masher, partially mash the potatoes and set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper and saute until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and cook for 3 to 4 minutes longer. Stir in the roasted chilies and the partially mashed potatoes. Add the corn, vegetable stock, milk, pepper and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Simmer uncovered until the soup thickens, 25 to 30 minutes.

Ladle into warmed bowls and sprinkle with the cilantro and oregano. Serve immediately.

This was simply spectacular - hearty and flavorful. The substitution of the banana pepper for the bell variety certainly amped up the spice level, but it wasn't overwhelming. I will definitely keep this in my rotation of dishes to do when corn is plentiful.

cherpumple cakepiecakepiecakepie

2010-08-17T23:00:00.000-04:00

I had not heard of the epic, gluttonous dessert known as cherpumple before this past weekend, but I am now acquainted with it's glory. Behold!

cherpumple cakepiecakepiecakepie, cc by-nc-sa image from John Cmar on Flickr

What you see on display is a three-layered "cake":

top - apple pie baked into yellow cake
middle - cherry pie baked into white cake
bottom - pumpkin pie baked into spice cake

This was baked by Viv and Chooch, with inspiration from J.C. Hutchins, as a way to commemorate podcasting's 6th birthday with "six desserts in one."

But how did it taste? Somewhat obviously, like three pies and three cakes mixed together. The pumpkin pie in the spice cake was a wonderfully complimentary flavor blend, however. That bottom layer is worth making on it's own.

But, what of next year, when podcasting turns seven? Deep fried cherpumple... cherpumple with a cheesecake hat... the possibilities are manyfold. Disgusting, but manyfold.

Brother Ilchester's Summer Highball

2010-08-13T14:09:00.000-04:00

Brother Ilchester's Summer Highball, cc by-nc-sa image from John Cmar on Flickr

The past few weeks have seen a robust crop of peaches and nectarines from our CSA shares. In pondering the latest fruits, and what to do with a forlorn bottle of triple sec, I came up with the following refreshing concoction:

1 peach or nectarine
1 part triple sec
1 part gin (I used Citadelle)
3 parts tonic water

Pit and slice the fruit. Place slices on a paper towel, and freeze for approximately 60 minutes. Mix triple sec, gin, and tonic water over the frozen fruit instead of ice.

This turned out quite well, and perfect for the ridiculously hot and humid weather of late. Having the cool fruit to munch on toward the end of the drink was wonderful.

August 12 CSA share

2010-08-12T20:34:00.000-04:00

We're back in the saddle, baby. (Noone says that in Baltimore... UNTIL NOW.)

The roll call: potatoes, cantaloupe, eggs, corn, tomatoes, peaches, apples, honey wheat bread, eggplant, squash, garlic, and onions.

Mmmm... garlic...

damn you, Otakon... ReConStruction, less so

2010-08-10T22:27:00.000-04:00

cc by-nc-nd image by Tasayu Tasnaphun on Flickr

I'm looking forward to our CSA share this week, mainly because we've missed the last two. Last week, we had a planned out-of-town stint for ReConStruction, and so had friends pick up and enjoy our share in our stead.

Two weeks back, however, I missed the pickup by 15 minutes, much to my chagrin. Given work schedules and Baltimore traffic, I knew this was bound to happen sooner or later... but this time, the delay was from an unexpected source. As I attempted a shortcut through downtown (it may sound ridiculous, but it usually works well) two Thursdays back, I found myself mired in traffic, road closures, and costumed people. I had forgotten that Otakon - the annual convention for all things Japanese pop culture, 25-30,000 people strong - had taken over the Inner Harbor.

I was pleased to see freakish geekery on display. I was not pleased that the traffic snarl made me miss our foodstuffs. That said, it all evens out... and in two days time, more produce will be mine. MWA HA HA H-*cough*

a new libation destination in DC

2010-08-10T10:37:00.000-04:00

cc by-nc image from squidpants on Flickr

I just got wind of a new brew destination in DC to add to my future visitation list - the Meridian Pint. From iDine's description:

While new to the Columbia Heights bar scene, this haven of hops from John Andrade (Think Asylum!) is already topping the charts. This, thanks to lovers of creative pub fare washed down with fresh local and Mid-Atlantic craft brews. You see, Andrade considers the product of American craft brewers to be far superior to their European counterparts. What's more, as an environmentalist and "Eat Local" proponent, he knows "Drinking Local" by tapping kegs only, conserves energy while delivering the freshest possible flavor. Beyond being a brainchild born of high standards and lofty ideals, Meridian Pint is just a comfy place to grab some great food and suds. The interior makes use of reclaimed timbers and re-purposed materials, including carved wood from an old Pennsylvania church, and a 7' wooden gear from a turn-of-the-century New York factory. Offering more refined dining on the ground floor, Meridian goes rec-room casual in the basement, where patrons can watch sports; play pool, shuffleboard or darts; and, of course, enjoy the establishment's full roster of food and drink. That lineup includes upscale meat, seafood, vegetarian and vegan-friendly options for lunch and dinner, plus a super brunch on Saturday and Sunday. NOTE: AT LEAST 25 DRAFT BEERS AND 2 CASK BEERS ARE AVAILABLE AT ANY GIVEN TIME.

What this leaves out is that the Pint is one of the first bars in the area to adopt digital beer taps at the customers' tables, which falls into one of the Cmar Formulae: beer + technology = WIN.

cc by image from pthread1981 on Flickr

I need to plan a field trip. Not that I don't already have enough reasons to.

the Meridian Pint's official website
the Pint on iDine (with photo gallery)
the Pint's Facebook page, and Twitter feed

Father Ilchester, on the posts

2010-07-27T23:25:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Adam, I'm finally set up to contribute to the Ilchester Road CSA community blog. The Ilchester Road site is where I snag my Breezy Willow share every week, and I think it a neat exercise that our mini-community is sharing recipes and experiences there - especially as we get to see each other every week in person, rather unlike other online groups.

I'll be crossposting the same produce and recipe commentary as I put up in this space, but I encourage you to check out the site - the other contributors have been adding some excellent gustatory content.

July 22 CSA share

2010-07-26T22:19:00.000-04:00

Good news, everyone! More foodstuffs:

The roll call: bread, tomatoes, apple butter, bell peppers, methley plums, peaches, nectarines, summer squash, red pontiac potatoes, and variegated corn.

I'll need peruse more of Breezy Willow's recipes, I think... and there may be more bell pepper cocktails in my near future.

the Centennial Warrior Challenges Saaz-Fuggle in the land of Hallertau

2010-07-23T17:53:00.001-04:00

Hops for making beer, a cc by image from nikonvscanon on Flickr

Many thanks to the gents over at Living Proof for pointing out this excellent post on hop varieties. The specific characteristics of different hop varieties are often a bit of a mystery to the average beer imbiber, and this piece does a great job breaking down the theory behind their use and describing the most popular kinds. Better yet, included are specific beer and DC-area pub suggestions to explore different brews associated with each type.

Hop to It! on the DCist

The End of History

2010-07-22T23:03:00.001-04:00

The End of History, via Brewdog.com

The End of History: The name derives from the famous work of philosopher Francis Fukuyama, this is to beer what democracy is to history. Fukuyama defined history as the evolution of the political system and traced this through the ages until we got the Western Democratic paradigm. For Fukuyama this was the end point of man’s political evolution and consequently the end of history. The beer is the last high abv beer we are going to brew, the end point of our research into how far the can push the boundaries of extreme brewing, the end of beer.

Scotland's Brewdog has been involved in an extreme beer "conflict" with German brewery Schorschbräu to see who can generate the highest ABV beer in existence. The fruits of this competition on Brewdog's side have recently included the 32% ABV Tactical Nuclear Penguin, as well as the 41% ABV Sink the Bismark. As of today, the final shot has officially been fired.

The End of History clocks in at 55% ABV, a nigh-biologically implausible achievement via fermentation alone. All you need to know about said brew is this:

it is a blond Belgian ale that has been infused with nettles from the Scottish Highlands and fresh juniper berries
only twelve 12-ounce bottles were made, each sheathed in the body of a dead-by-roadkill rodent by a taxidermist
11 bottles were put on sale to the public today for £500-700 apiece - 7 in well-dressed stoats and 4 in sartorially-elegant squirrels

I... can't follow that up with anything meaningful. Brewdog has helpfully provided the following video, which may provide more context. Or not:

The End of History from BrewDog on Vimeo.

July 15 CSA share

2010-07-21T21:44:00.000-04:00

Thank you, weather and Comcast, for letting us finally have our bloody-buggering internet back. Ahem.

The roll call: eggs, plums, blueberries, peaches, corn, onions, cucumbers, eggplant, bread, and tomatoes.

And here, I was lamenting the fact that we had yet to receive any corn yet... and we got some in spades, as they say. Or, rather, ears.

This is also the closest I've ever gotten to a non-cooked eggplant. I keep squeezing its spongy, supple flesh... I'll say no more.

the Ultimate (and Epic Ultimate) Bell Pepper Cocktail

2010-07-12T00:24:00.000-04:00

As previously noted, Laura detests the bell pepper, and I am both unexcited & not offended by it's inclusion in various foodstuffs. In picking several up with our recent CSA share, I took this as a challenge to do something deliciously different with what I affectionately refer to as Cthulhu's Filler Vegetable. (Seriously, it's in just about every frozen or easily prepared dish that includes some sort of "vegetable mix.") Giving this a bit of thought, I came to an obvious conclusion:

The bell pepper must be taken roughly by alcohol in a shadowy bedroom and spit forth delicious progeny as a result.

I wasn't sure what form this would take. My first inclination was to find precedent for soaking peppers in an alcoholic beverage, as I didn't expect anyone would be mad enough to attempt a mixed drink with this ubiquitous waxen seed-husk... but a bit of interweb sleuthing proved me wrong, oh so wrong. Behold! The Ultimate Bell Pepper Cocktail:

My initial version used the following:

2 bell pepper rings
fresh mint leaves to approximate 1 tablespoon mint
1 1/2 oz. grapefruit juice
1/4 oz. lemon juice
1 1/2 oz. Dogfish Head Blue Hen Vodka
3/4 oz. Galliano liqueur

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the mint and one bell pepper ring with the grapefruit and lemon juice. Add ice, vodka and liqueur. Shake vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with bell pepper ring.

This ended up being far tastier than I expected. The profile of the pepper holds up well with the other flavors, and the result is a sweetly spicy taste of some complexity. Of course, enjoying this requires that one actually likes bell peppers. I offered Laura a sip, and her immediate response was "OMG IT'S HIDEOUS" and to gag and wave her hands in front of her mouth until I brought her a palate-flushing glass of ginger ale.

The original poster noted that serving such a drink out of a bell pepper seemed to be a messy and inconvenient idea... so I clearly had to go there. Behold! The Epic Ultimate Bell Pepper Cocktail:

a whole bell pepper with a relatively balanced bottom
fresh mint leaves to approximate 1 tablespoon mint
1 1/2 oz. grapefruit juice
1/4 oz. lemon juice
1 1/2 oz. Dogfish Head Blue Hen Vodka
3/4 oz. Galliano liqueur

Slice the top off of the pepper in one even layer, and gently core the central seed area out with a paring knife. Cut the central stem out from the top and discard. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the mint and the remaining pepper top with the grapefruit and lemon juice. Add ice, vodka and liqueur. Shake vigorously. Strain into the body of the bell pepper and serve.

Although admittedly gimmicky, this would be interesting for someone to try who was both "hosting a party" and had a surplus of bell peppers. The added advantage is that cleanup would be both easy and nutritious.

Now, to finish this alcohol-impregnated pepper...

July 8 CSA share

2010-07-11T23:07:00.000-04:00

And so it came to pass that there was a CSA share who's contents were not entirely to our liking:

The roll call: plums, blueberries, eggs, bread, tomatoes, peaches, cucumbers, bell peppers, red potatoes, and summer squash.

You see, Laura is not a fan of bell peppers.

By "not a fan," I do mean "revolted by their taste and texture in any method of preparation." That noted, when I picked up the share, I chose not to trade them for something else. (This was only partially motivated by the fact that the trade-in bin only contained cabbage, which we still have plenty of.) While not a massive devotee of the bell pepper myself, I was determined to find interesting way to use said vegetable. Experiments in that vein shall be disclosed shortly.

The rest of the share, of course, clearly meets our global approval. In addition to the usual recipes up on Breezy Willow's main site, I've discovered that our specific CSA drop-off community has it's own blog for recipe sharing, which kind of blows my mind in a meta-algorithmic-subdivision way. Ow.

Creamy Fruit Salad

2010-07-07T23:54:00.000-04:00

Finding myself with a wondrous surplus of fruit in our July 1 CSA share, I heavily adapted this recipe for creamy fruit salad as a fruit-based side dish. I used:

4 peaches, diced and pits removed
8 small plums, diced and pits removed
2 cups blueberries
1/4 cup trail mix
1 (1 1/2 ounce) box sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup water

Combine the peaches, plums, blueberries and trail mix in a large mixing bowl. In small mixing bowl, combine pudding mix, water and lime juice with a wire whisk until smooth. Add pudding mixture to fruit. Mix gently until thoroughly coated. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

This was incredibly easy and quick to make, and the result was quite tasty. The lime juice added a strong flavor base, but bordered on overwhelming - for the next go-around, I may use 1/3 cup lime juice and 2/3 cup water.

June 24 and July 1 CSA shares

2010-07-06T23:07:00.000-04:00

In which I show you our produce pr0n in order to catch up:

The roll call for the June 24 share: summer squash, bread, cherries, blueberries, new white potatoes, lettuce, peach jam, broccoli, mushrooms, and cucumbers.

The roll call for the July 1 share: plums, blueberries, new white potatoes, cabbage, sunflowers, eggs, tomatoes, bread, peaches, green beans, and cucumbers.

As usual, Breezy Willow has been posting some excellent recipe suggestions. Instead of briefly mentioning some of what we've been trying in this post, I'm going to explode several of the recipes out to their own individual posts... selfishly, because that will help me keep track of things better, and look them up easier for the future. And, of course, for your own personal culinary edification.

I've noted a couple of interesting things as we enter the second month of this grand experiment. The first is that there has been very little wastage thus far. Apart from a head of lettuce and a few squash early on that succumbed to wilt and mold, we been doing a surprisingly (to me) good job of keeping up with the produce and using it in a timely fashion. I'm also pleased to see that we're still excited to try new and creative things with what we get, as opposed to "I'm tired it's late here's a whole cucumber *crunch*" This bodes well for the sustainability of us actually, you know, cooking on a more regular basis.

Also, if our kitchen knives were sapient, they'd report feeling as though they were transferred from a nunnery to a brothel for all the use they have been getting since June started.

It's... best I don't extend that analogy. In any way.

eating healthy on less than $1 a day, or epic coupon gaming

2010-06-29T00:37:00.001-04:00

Elusive Quaker Tearpad Coupon for $3.00 off when you buy any 5 Quaker products, cc by-sa image by Hotcouponworld.com on Flickr

This fellow was able to eat healthily for 30 days on nothing more than $27.08 and an incredible amount of coupon jockeying. Jeffery's "Eat Well on $1 a Day" challenge turns out to be less about finding coupons for healthy food, and more about gaming the bizarre world that is the grocery coupon industry. Noting that "getting good deals while grocery shopping is a game," he set forth the rules of his month as such:

1. I will begin on May 1 and will have no accumulated food of any kind. I have $31 to spend ($1 for each day of the month). I can start buying food on May 1 and can not exceed the $31. I must document the cost of the food with receipts.

2. I can only use 2 computers to print coupons. Although I have access to more which would make this challenge much easier, we agreed that not everyone will have access to a lot of computers. However, we also agreed that anyone reading this has access to at least one computer and should be able get access to another one using a bit of creativity.

3. I can only use 2 inserts from the Sunday paper each week. Although I have access to many more than this (I usually pick up anywhere from 3 to 5 copies for free from the local coffee shop alone each week), we decided that not everyone would have access to dozens of inserts. We agreed that anyone could get the coupon inserts from at least 2 Sunday papers with a bit of creativity. I am allowed to use up to 2 of previous week’s coupon inserts that I already happen to have.

4. I can use as many coupons as I want that I can get in the grocery store where they are available to everyone.

5. I can only buy food from retail outlets (grocery stores, drug stores, food markets, etc). I can’t supplement what I buy at the store with free food from trees, dumpster diving, friends, food banks, donations, growing my own, etc.

6. I can only use deals that anyone else would have access to getting.

What follows is his fascinating day-by-day account of how the challenge played out. To set the theme for his process, it's worth noting that his first purchase was for cleaning solution, just to get the coupons at check-out who's net worth in food was more than he paid for the cleaner. (As with the rest of the excess product he acquired over this month - a surprising amount - he donated it to a local food bank.) While most people won't have the time or patience to equal this feat, it does show that with some ingenuity and research, frugal shopping for healthy food is possible by gaming the system. Go here to read his account, as well as his follow-up experiments in the weeks after.

June 10 CSA share

2010-06-23T22:51:00.000-04:00

And so it came to pass that real life did throw a flaming, tar-coated curveball my way, and I was forced to take the time to catch it with appropriate fire precautions. As such, while we got our second CSA share on time, we were forced to be out of town on family business for the third. All that noted, it is time for life, and food, to get back on track. Our second share:

The roll call: radishes, strawberries, spring onions, eggs, bread, white potatoes, peas, zucchini, and swiss chard.

The June 17 share, which a friend of ours picked up on our behalf, consisted of: cherries, lettuce, spring onions, white potatoes, squash, cucumbers, peas, bread, and eggs. We ended up with the lettuce, onions, potatoes, squash, cucumbers, and peas on our return from travel.

Given family issues, time was more limited than usual, resulting in us using the above in very basic ways. We didn't get a chance to try the week two or week three recipe suggestions, although there are some excellent ideas therein. Also appreciated were their produce storage suggestions. A few experiments:

baked beets - based on the week one recipe, I used beets, squash, onion and garlic. I haved the onions and cut the squash into rounds, which worked well for both. The beets I left whole, which was an issue - although they turned out acceptably well, they were large enough that halving them would have improved their "doneness" significantly. Although a time investment, this is an incredibly easy veggie dish, and I look forward to revisiting it in the future.

chard and onion mix - sauteing chopped chard with diced onions and butter over several minutes of medium heat was a quick and extremely flavorful vegetable option.

squash zucchini soup - I adapted Paul's recipe, opting not to skin the veggies first, adding a copious amount of parsley and cilantro for the herbs, and flavoring with sea salt. The result was refreshingly different and damn good. Just... don't start prep at 8:30pm if you want any sort of "reasonable" dinnertime.

Tomorrow comes share four, and we will be ready. Oh, yes.

June 3 CSA share

2010-06-07T00:05:00.002-04:00

Inspired by the experiences of friends I trust in the culinary arts, and the fact that Breezy Willow Farm came recruiting at Sinai, we have joined a community supported agriculture program. Behold, our first share:

The roll call: beets, radishes, strawberries, eggs, bread, squash, spinach, and two kinds of lettuce.

The grander experiment here is in the forced cooking that will result from the influx of fresh foodstuffs each week. While I enjoy cooking, busy schedules and low energy levels lead to me normally relying on quick meal plans that involve, as Thom likes to point out, more "heating" than actually "cooking." One of my intentions behind posting my CSA experiences here will be to see exactly how I end up using the produce we get. It may not be amazing or epic in terms of dishes and recipes, but it will be interesting to see play out. Breezy Willow is being extraordinarily helpful in this regard, as they are posting recipes each week that match up with the contents of that week's share.

Which is good, because beets and I have had a Mutual Avoidance Agreement for some time... and now, I have a bunch.

Since getting the above share on Thursday, the following experiments have occurred:

strawberry radish salad - chopped strawberries, radishes, and lettuce tossed with a lime juice/olive oil emulsion. Basic, easy, and damn good. The addition of nuts and a crumbled cheese, such as blue or feta, would make this better.

radish green pasta - sauteed radish greens in a dash of olive oil and butter, mixed with cooked fusilli pasta, dried garlic powder, chunks of breaded chicken, and shredded mozzarella cheese. The flavor profile was fair, but this ended up being far too dry, namely due to lack of having any mayo or adequate dressing on-hand to use as a base.

Irish cheese, apple, and lettuce sandwiches - also basic, easy, and damn good.

scrambled eggs with sauteed spinach, onions, bacon, and shredded cheddar cheese - continuing the basic, easy, and damn good trend.

grated beets with onion - I used Madhur Jaffrey's Grated Beets with Shallots recipe as a base, substituting a medium yellow onion for the shallots (being shallot-less), a 4 ounce can of minced green chilis for the hot chili pepper, and sea salt instead of table salt. The result was surprisingly subtle and flavorful, and I expect to return to this again if beets continue to show up in future shares.

Looking ahead, I seeing squash soup and baked beets attempts in my near future. And then, the next share will be upon us... Until then, I'll point out that not only is Ryn discussing her CSA shares and freezer cooking plans, but Dree is also documenting her own foray into a CSA program, currently in her third week.

two new Balto-DC beer destinations

2010-05-11T18:30:00.003-04:00

While I haven't made time to hit all the excellent brewpubs in the Baltimore-DC corridor, that can't stop my glee (yes - unadulterated glee, I tell you) at discovering two new tap sites in the area:

The Biergarten Haus promises to be the District's first traditional beer garden. In addition to a solid lineup of German brews, the Haus promises expansive indoor and outdoor seating, as well as mounted ram's head... because one cannot drink German unless it is in the presence of a beheaded, glassy-eyed ruminant. The official grand opening was slated for May 14, but this appears to have been put on hold for a couple of weeks. Once it does, I sense a field trip to DC in my future.

Biergarten Haus, cc by-sa image by jsmjr on Flickr

A bit closer to me will be De Kleine Duivel, which is slated to open next month in the Hampden area of Baltimore. From their Facebook page:

"A Classic Belgian Brasserie" Featuring a large selection of Belgian beers, boutique wines & spirits, and a select menu of classic Flemish-French dishes, all served in an Art Nouveau inspired setting.

Reports are that they aim to have 10-12 brews on tap, and another 30 in bottles. All will be imported from Belgium, with not a "Belgian-style" American beer on the premises.

Ex-cellent... *rubs hands together maniacally*

[a tip o' the hat to the always-excellent Beer in Baltimore for reporting on these two establishments]

Robot Brewery Tour

2010-04-19T23:36:00.000-04:00

I'll let Dogfish Head's site speak for itself on this one:

'Robot Brewery Tour,' a short film starring Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione and actor/musician Will Oldham premiered at the 2010 Off-Centered Film Fest at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas on Saturday, April 17th.

This film stars the musician and actor Will Oldham as a reporter and brewery founder Sam Calagione as a robot. It's a brewery tour film wrapped around a dystopian vision of a near future in which robots have taken over Dogfish Head and reduced our diverse and colorful American craft brewing landscape to a monochromatic world of a single commoditized generic beer. Scary stuff!

This story almost came to life here in the U.S. during the 1970s until small, independent craft breweries, like Dogfish Head and so many others, revitalized the domestic beer scene.

Will Oldham is a Kentucky-based singer, musician and actor who has performed under a few variations of the Palace name, including Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, Palace Music, and simply Palace. He is currently touring under the Bonnie Prince Billy moniker and has performed at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats at least twice in the past decade - most recently in April of 2010 when 'Robot Brewery Tour' was shot on location at Dogfish's Milton, Delaware brewery. Want to read more about Will? Check out this article from The New Yorker.

Brilliant satire? Scathing social commentary? Or just mildly amusing buffoonery? You be the judge:

Farpoint 2010 Libations

2010-02-27T21:15:00.004-05:00

This year's Farpoint saw the same impressive libation list as last year. At our traditional Saturday night dinner, I took the chance to tray a few things I didn't get to last time around.

Klingon Disruptor: Jim Beam, Patron Tequila, cinnamon schnapps - The table speculated that based on the drink's name, it might be a massive person in full Klingon garb with a keen interest in sudden proctology. For my sake, this turned out not to be the case. This ended up being a good mix of flavors, but slightly disappointing - the cinnamon schapps clearly dominated the flavor profile, with the tequila being notable beneath, and any bourbon contribution being lost in the shuffle. It's not something I'd immediately come back to.

Vulcan Mind Meld: 1 part ouzo, 1 part rum (151 proof) - This is a brilliant mix, and obviously not for the unwary. While it packs the alcoholic punch you'd expect, the flavors are very strong and enjoyable. The anise predominates, and oddly competing citrus and rum notes fighting it out in the background. Highly recommended.

I meant to end with the Talos IV Coffee (3 parts Grand Marnier, 1 part coffee), although a "mixing incident" resulted in about 20 parts coffee instead of one. The vaguely orange-tasting caffeine held promise, however. I'll get you next time, Talos IV...

Beer Hunter: The Movie - trailer

2010-02-09T14:35:00.000-05:00

Writer Michael Jackson was perhaps the single most important figure in the history of craft brewing. Beer Hunter, a documentary about his life and work, is set to be released later this year. From the official site:

Beer Hunter: The Movie features never-before-seen footage of Michael Jackson hunting some of the great beers of Europe and the United States. Woven into the footage from interviews with leading brewers and beer enthusiasts, is the remarkable story of Michael's life, from his days as a television journalist, to his remarkable achievements and contributions to the world of craft beer and whisky, and through his secret struggle with Parkinson's Disease.

Set to release in September of 2010 in conjunction with the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, proceeds from the film will benefit the National Parkinson's Foundation.

More information about Michael and this charitable film can be found here, and the latest trailer is below:

Beer Hunter Movie Trailer from John Richards on Vimeo.

Heavy Seas Oyster Fest - Rescheduled

2010-02-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Due to the impressive weekend snow, Clipper City has rescheduled the Heavy Seas Oyster Fest from today to next Saturday, February 13, from 12-4. They point out that this may result in ticket availability, so check out their informational post if you don't have tickets and want to attend. While this brings it into conflict with my obligations at Farpoint, and means I won't be able to make it, I highly recommend the event - Clipper City gatherings at their brewery are excellent, and not to be missed!

Baltimore Winter Restaurant Week

2010-01-22T08:00:00.001-05:00

Apparently, 'tis the season for restaurant weeks, as the Baltimore Winter Restaurant Week starts today. From the site:

The most delicious week of the winter is back, as Baltimore’s restaurants offer special three-course menus for Restaurant Week. At select restaurants, enjoy a variety of three-course dinners, in just about any cuisine that strikes your fancy, for only $35.10! Or try three-course lunches at select restaurants for just $20.10.

It's running through February 7 (again, I ponder the mystery of how 14 days can be marketed as a week... sorry, poor fortnight, but someday the public will remember your terminologic awesomeness), and a full list of restaurants and other details can be found here, and are calendared below.

Howard County Restaurant Weeks

2010-01-16T20:30:00.001-05:00

Starting this Monday, Howard County is having their awkwardly-named "winter restaurant weeks" (next time, people, go with "restaurant fortnight"). From their site:

January 18 to January 31, 2010
Menus range from $10.10 to $40.10

This winter, Howard County's top chef's are serving up savings and local dining experiences with an international twist. With 25+ participating restaurants, it will be easy to visit your favorite restaurants and try new ones too, all at great prices!

Indulge in the best French, Italian, Latin, Asian, Eclectic, Continental and English pub fare at fabulous prix fixe chef’s menus from $10.10 to $40.10.

The participating restaurant list is impressive, and can be found here. I'm particularly impressed that they've included a compilation of farms and other local food and beverage resources to support.

Dammit, just as I was getting back into the groove of eating at home more for the new year... I guess that can wait until February. ;)

Dogfish Head 2010 Beer Releases

2010-01-09T16:28:00.001-05:00

Dogfish Head has put up their scheduled beer releases for 2010:

Year Round Beers
90 Minute IPA
60 Minute IPA
Raison D'Etre
Indian Brown Ale
Palo Santo Marron
Midas Touch Golden Elixir
Seasonal Beers
Spring:Aprihop (available in March & April)
Summer:Festina Peche (available in June & July)
Autumn:Punkin' Ale (available in September & October)
Winter:Chicory Stout (available in November & December)
Occasional Rarities (limited quantites, while supplies last)
120 Minute IPA (released in May, August & December)
Burton Baton (released in March, July & November)
Red & White (released in February)
Black & Blue (released in March)
Squall IPA (released in March & September)
Immort Ale (released in April)
My Antonia (released in April & November)
Sah'tea (released in June)
Theobroma (released in July)
Chateau Jiahu (released in August)
Pangaea (released in September)
Olde School Barleywine (released in October)
World Wide Stout (released in November)
Fort (released in December)

The above is also available as a full color pdf calendar. It's clear that their recent brewery expansion is paying off in terms of capacity, as they have an impressive roster of their "occasional rarities" that they intend to keep producing. While I'm mildly disappointed that the Raison D'Extra continues to be on production hiatus, the fact that the excellent Palo Santon Marron has a place on their year-round list more than makes up for that.

The one new offering this year is the My Antonia, which is a continually-hopped Imperial Pilsner with an ABV of 7.5%. A bit of history from their site:

Sam brewed My Antonia at Birra del Borgo (hope you can read Italian) outside Rome, Italy with owner/brewer Leonardo DiVencenzo in October of 2008.

My Antonia (named after the Willa Cather read), is a continually-hopped imperial pilsner. This beer was brewed and distributed by Birra del Borgo. A small quantity was sent over to the United States.

In June of 2009, Leonardo came over to Delaware and brewed our Namaste beer with us at our Rehoboth Beach brewpub. What goes around, comes around.

And... for 2010, we plan to brew and package My Anotonia for the U.S. market! The beer will be released in both April and November.

Dogfish has released several iterations of the Imperial Pilsner style over the last few years, including the (unfortunately named) Golden Shower, Golden Revolution, and Golden Era. Having sampled both the Shower and the Era in the past, I know they can nail this style well. At least there's just "a few" other quality beers to tide me over until April...

Dogfish Head Sah'tea, and a specifically raised glass

2010-01-06T23:37:00.001-05:00

I cracked this open tonight in order to raise a glass, in spirit, with Tee.

*raises glass*

Vitals:

Name: Dogfish Head Sah'Tea

Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales

Style: Specialty Beer (Sahti) (Category 23, BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines)

Alcohol: 9%

Serving: 25.4-ounce bottle, chilled, served in a freezer-stored Harpoon IPA pint glass

Scoring (in solidarity with Charlie the Beer Guy):

Appearance: 5 - A deep, hazy golden body, with a sudsy white head that fades to a thin lace.

Nose: 8 - Quite complex, with fruity juniper components, a mix of spices (predominantly chai related, & ginger seemed particularly apparent), and a honey-sugary sweetness.

Taste: 8 - Very similar to the scent profile. Honey and sugar notes predominate upfront, with a mixed spicy and juniper-fruity kick through the middle to the finish, which has a hint of clove. The alcohol is well-concealed.

Mouthfeel: 7 - Moderate body with low to medium level of carbonation that works very well. Sweetly cloying, leading to a slight sticky aftertaste.

Holistic: 8 - Very smooth and drinkable for its ABV, and an incredibly interesting mix of flavors. The aftertaste and strong flavor profile do limit how much I'd be interested in enjoying in one sitting.

Overall: 36 - Tee recently mentioned that this was his new favorite Dogfish Head beer, and while it doesn't eclipse my ridiculous fandom of the as-yet-unreviewed 120 Minute IPA, it comes close. I've never had a brew in the Sahti style before, and Dogfish's take on it is certainly makes it unique. I'll be definitely seeking this out as a beer for special occasions, working best with a fruit-based dessert pairing or alone. For more on the Sahti style and Dogfish's take on it, I refer you to the following:

toasting the new year with other nog creations

2010-01-01T11:02:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

*raises glass*

With some nog remaining from my Irish Christmas Piracy, I decided to try the beer/eggnog combination with something suitably seasonal on the brew end. I chose Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale for this, and went with the following proportions:

1 part egg nog
3 parts beer

Although it generated a lovely layering effect with a careful pour, mixing was necessary to get the full blended taste. Unsurprisingly, it was rather good, striking me primarily as a pumpkin-spiced milkshake with mild alcohol notes. That said, the true flavor nuances of the Ale were ruined by the egg nog, making this a wasteful thing to do with a wonderfully crafted brew, and not worth repeating in the future. Using a less flavorful (and cheaper) beer, like a Guinness Stout, would likely give a similarly tasty drink and possible improve the beer involved.

Having a tiny bit of nog left, I then tried it mixed with Dogfish Head Chocolate Vodka as follows:

1 part egg nog
3 parts chocolate vodka

This make for a tasty drink, although the lack of smokey notes from a bourbon or the spice character of a rum did not elevate it to a "must try again" holiday status. In other words, when it comes to nog-based holiday drink...

The Irish Christmas Pirate wins. As well it should.

more gustatory libation in 2010

2009-12-31T12:12:00.001-05:00

As 2009 is about to end in less than 12 hours, it is only fitting to look ahead to some upcoming venues for acquiring tasty victuals and excellent libations in the coming year. In addition to the Heavy Seas Oyster Fest as previously noted, the following larger scale food and beveraging events have been announced by the Trigger Agency for 2010. Although many of the below events will be touring to several sites in Maryland, DC, Virginia, and North Carolina, I'm listing the stops local to Baltimore here. More details can be found at their respective sites (which have not been completely updated for the new year quite yet):

The Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ Festival will be hitting the Timonium Fairgrounds in Timonium, MD on April 9 and 10.

The Great Grapes! Wine, Art, and Food Festival will be taking place at Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville, MD on June 12 and 13.

The Maryland Brewers' Oktoberfest will be happening at the Timonium Fairgrounds in Timonium, MD on October 9.

The Chesapeake Oyster and Beer Festival will go down at the Timonium 4-H Building in Timonium, MD on November 20.

I look forward to stopping by at least some of these in the coming year (fingers crossed). To better keep track of these upcoming festivals, I've started an events calendar at the bottom of this site. Please feel free to let me know of any Baltimore-local events worthy of being added.

Clipper City washed under the Heavy Seas?

2009-12-29T15:48:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Geistbear, I was turned on to the brewing (hah) story that Clipper City Brewery may be changing their name as part of a rebranding effort for the new year. This will lead them to officially become "Heavy Seas," which is currently the name of their line of higher-ABV beers. While there hasn't been an official press release from them at this point, their use of a new logo (above) and referring to themselves as "Heavy Seas brewers" in recent announcements seems to be consistent with this.

While not terribly newsworthy, the idea of a well-established and successful brewery completely changing it's name for a purely marketing reason is an interesting decision. I've long felt that Clipper City's overall brand has suffered somewhat for having several lines of beer that are graphically and nominally different than each other - namely, the Heavy Seas line, the Clipper City series (with includes the further branded outliers of the Balto MarzHon and McHenry), and the Oxford Ales line. Yes, brand uniqueness can be important, both for building name recognition for specific brews and maintaining historical tradition (the Oxford series exists as a distinct entity because Clipper City took over the Oxford Brewing Company in 1998, for example). That noted, it is not immediately obvious to the casual observer that beers from each of these lines are, in fact, made by the same brewery.

I take no particular issue with the Heavy Seas name, as it is awesome. However, the traditionalist in me wishes they would have stuck with Clipper City, and reorganizing the brands around that. Head brewer Hugh Sisson originally chose the name in 1995 due to Baltimore being the first US port to develop and build the clipper ship, as a nod to the history of the area. From their site:

The Clipper ship is the symbol for a strong nautical and maritime heritage with a commitment to craftsmanship of the highest caliber. It captures both the hardy nature of our working class history and the romance of what lies on the seas ahead. Why be normal when you can be EXTRAARGHdinary? We believe in bringing beer drinkers the quality and flavor of a handcrafted beer while supporting the local communities we serve.

In any case, this is a tiny gripe in what will hopefully be a successful marketing move for a local company that excels at the brewing craft. Hopefully, this will bring a larger audience to some their more niche beers in the Clipper City and Oxford lines. More details on how the rebranded beer series will look can be found at BeerInBaltimore.

Although they've remained officially silent on the naming issue, today Clipper City announced its beer line-up for the coming year:

Winter 2010

HOLY SHEET - Über Abbey Ale 9% ABV - A Belgian Abbey style that is both aromatic and full bodied. It will benefit with aging up to two years.
Mutiny Fleet – 22 oz and draft – limited release. January.

SIREN NOIRE - Chocolate Stout 8% ABV - English style imperial stout, fermented and flavored with imported Belgian chocolate nibs. Smooth and easy drinking. Named for the Sirens who lured seafarers off course and ultimately to their demise.
Mutiny Fleet – 22 oz and draft – limited release. February. NEW

Spring 2010

Big DIPA - Double IPA 10.6% ABV – Triple hopped during brewing, well balanced with an earthy hop aroma and flavor. Brewed with 5 pounds of hops per barrel!!!
Mutiny Fleet – 22 oz and draft – limited release. March.

LETTER OF MARQUE - Hop Rye Porter – Winners from our 2009 Letter of Marque Homebrew Competition will work along side our brewers to create this one time special release. Letter of Marque will feature a different beer every year selected from our national homebrew competition. Historically, a Letter of Marque was a document that made a Pyrate a legitimate professional. Hence, our Letter of Marque makes a home brewer a legitimate professional as well!
Mutiny Fleet – 22 oz and draft – limited release. April. NEW

RED SKY AT NIGHT - Belgian style Saison 7.5 % ABV - country farm house ale. A complex yet delicate ale, brewed with a unique Belgian yeast which develops a spicy, fruity flavor.
Pyrate Fleet – 12 oz and draft - available March thru May.

BELOW DECKS (BARREL AGED) – Barley Wine 10% ABV – Our award winning barley wine which has been aged two ways - in wooden bourbon barrels and cabernet barrels. It will benefit with aging. VINTAGE DATED
Mutiny Fleet – 22 oz and draft – VERY limited release. May. NEW

Summer 2010

SMOKE ON THE WATER – Smoked Imperial Porter - Details are Top Secret.
Mutiny Fleet – 22 oz. and draft – limited release. June. NEW

HANG TEN - Weizen Dopplebock 10% ABV – A classic German-style weizen bock, slightly cloudy and bursting with flavor. It will benefit with aging up to two years. VINTAGE DATED. Mutiny Fleet – 22 oz and draft – limited release. July.

SUMMER ALE - Details are Top Secret.
Clipper Fleet – 12 oz and draft -available June thru September. NEW

Fall 2010

PROSIT! - Imperial Oktoberfest Lager 8% ABV - Malt focused with five types of grain including Vienna and Munich malts - plus a secret extra malt that we use only in our Prosit! Balanced with 3 kinds of hops.
Mutiny Fleet – 22 oz and draft – limited release. August.

THE GREAT PUMPKIN - Imperial Pumpkin Ale 8.5% ABV - We add the pumpkin during the mash at precisely the right time to create just the perfect balance of malt, hops, pumpkin and spice.
Mutiny Fleet – 22 oz and draft – limited release. September.

THE GREATer PUMPKIN - Imperial Pumpkin Ale 9% ABV tbd - Our Great Pumpkin enhanced by aging in bourbon barrels.
Mutiny Fleet – 22 oz and draft – VERY limited release. September NEW

Early Winter 2010

WINTER STORM - Imperial ESB 7.5%ABV - Brewed with copious helpings of English malts plus US and English hops. Full malty flavors dancing with powerful hop aromas and a lingering, firm hop bitterness.
Pyrate Fleet – 12 oz and draft - available October thru December

BELOW DECKS - Barley Wine 10% ABV - Our English style barley wine - rich, malty, and opulent. Great at time of release but will benefit from bottle aging for many years to come. VINTAGE DATED.
Mutiny Fleet – 22 oz and draft – limited release. November

YULE TIDE - Belgian Tripel Ale 10% ABV - Slightly sweet with a complex malty flavor. The spicy flavor comes from our unique blend of Trappist yeast and Belgian candi sugar - making it both aromatic and flavorful. It will benefit with aging up to two years. VINTAGE DATED.
Mutiny Fleet – 22 oz and draft – limited release. November

They've also announced their next special event, the Heavy Seas Oyster Fest, taking place on Saturday, February 6, from 12 - 4pm at the brewery:

Thousands of Oysters - 12 Taps - Special Firkins
Live Music - Backstage Access to the Brewery

An All-You-Care-To-Taste fest of oysters and craft beer for the pyrate in all of us!
On tap will be Heavy Seas favorites and special cask ales. The fest also features 6 different kinds of oysters shipped in from around the world, plus several of the top local restaurants serving up their favorite oyster & seafood menu items. Live music and special behind scenes access to the brewery.

Tickets $49 and designated drivers are $35. Adult swim only (Must be 21+ to attend)

Tickets are now on sale here.

Clipper City may be setting sail for new and different waters, but I for one look forward to the treasure they will find there. (Oh, come on! How could I not?)

the Irish Christmas Pirate, and other nog creations

2009-12-28T22:17:00.005-05:00

I am not, typically, a consumer of egg nog.

In terms of holiday beveraging, it has never been an important part of my family's Christmas culture, and so has never carried much celebratory merit with me. That noted, my fandom for The Office led me to acquire some nog last year in order to try the horrifying-sounding drink from A Benihana Christmas episode from that series - the Nog-a-sake:

1 part egg nog
3 parts sake

The surprise was that it was not "vile." However, it was also not "good," and as such, not something I will repeat in the future. The problem was that I still had nog remaining, and aside from the standard spiking with brandy or bourbon, I had a lack of creative ways to deal with the surplus. Then Jared became involved, and the result was the glorious Irish Christmas Pirate:

1 part egg nog
1 part rum
1 part Irish Cream liqueur

It's not just tasty - it's damn tasty. The Irish Cream brings out some subtle flavors from the rum-nog combination that aren't as apparent when you have the two alone, which would be the standard Christmas Pirate. For the second year in a row, I am happy to welcome egg nog into my holiday celebrations, which I suppose makes it a tradition that I heartily endorse.

Another nog creation that I have yet to try, but am clearly destined to, is combining egg nog with a stout or porter style beer:

1 part egg nog
1 part beer

I hear-tell that it can either be mixed, or possibly layered for an interesting visual effect. This will need to be examined in the name of SCIENCE.

Periodic Table of Beer Styles

2009-12-16T23:45:00.003-05:00

Earlier today, Joe directed me to this poster of the Periodic Table of Beer Styles:

A bit of investigating led me to discover that the author of this image is Delirium Tremens on reddit Beer, who modified it from this more detailed but less visually appealing poster:

I really need to snag this for a wall somewhere... (which, I am aware, can be done here, among other places)

Harpoon Brewery chat today

2009-12-16T13:18:00.003-05:00

Todd Charbonneau, head brewer at Harpoon, is hosting an all-day live chat today from the brewery floor until 19:00 EST. The details:

Have you ever wondered what a day on the job is like for the Head Brewer of your favorite craft brewery? Then today, my Friend, is your lucky day! Harpoon's Boston Head Brewer Todd Charbonneau will be hosting a marathon live chat all day today, straight from the brewery floor. Todd will lead you through a day in the life of a Harpoon brewer as the brewing magic unfolds. And, as it so happens, we will be brewing our flagship beer, Harpoon IPA.

Got a question? No problem! Todd will be answering your questions all day. Your beer and brewing-related questions, that is.

So drop in on the live chat any time between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM today to be our special "shadow" brewer for the day!

I'll unfortunately miss out on this due to that whole "work" thing, but Harpoon is a brewery that is doing some cool things in terms of products and events, so I recommend checking it out.

Clipper City Gold Ale

2009-12-10T22:57:00.001-05:00

Laura and I went out for ribs yesterday, which is as close to a mandate for beer as any meal can be. I was pleased to find that Clipper City Gold was on tap to compliment our repast.

Vitals:

Name: Clipper City Gold Ale

Brewery: Clipper City Brewery

Style: Blonde Ale (Category 6B, BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines)

Alcohol: 4.9%

Serving: 23-ounce draft

Scoring (in solidarity with Charlie the Beer Guy):

Appearance: 7 - A deep gold body, with a thick white head that fades to a clingy lace.

Nose: 2 - Malty and barely present.

Taste: 6 - Bready malt predominates up front, with grassy hop flavor asserting itself in the middle and end.

Mouthfeel: 8 - Lighter in body with moderate and balanced carbonation. No aftertaste.

Holistic: 8 - Incredibly drinkable, and very well-balanced. This struck me as great for sessioning, be it alone or with a meal.

Overall: 31 - The blonde ale is a tamer style than what I usually seek out to drink, but this impressed me quite a bit with it's balance of unexaggerated flavors and mouthfeel. This is an excellent choice not only as a session beer, but also as a great brew to introduce those used to the American light lager style to the broader realm of beer reality.

Clipper City Yule Tide

2009-12-03T23:01:00.003-05:00

Clipper City is an excellent local brewery, and their limited edition Mutiny Fleet line of 22-ounce beers is something I haven't kept up with as much as I'd like. In any case, 'tis the season, so I was compelled to pick this up when I saw it.

Vitals:

Name: Clipper City Heavy Seas Mutiny Fleet Yule Tide Belgian Tripel Ale

Brewery: Clipper City Brewery

Style: Belgian Tripel (Categories 18C, BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines)

Alcohol: 10.0%

Serving: 22-ounce bottle, chilled, served in a freezer-stored Guinness historic-style pint glass

Scoring (in solidarity with Charlie the Beer Guy):

Appearance: 4 - Pours a cloudy amber, with a white head foamy head that fades quickly to minimal lace.

Nose: 6 - Spices, cloves, and a bit of fruit. A bit tamer than expected.

Taste: 6 - Hit of spices, estery-fruits, and sweetness upfront, with the aforementioned sweetness and a booziness asserting themselves more in the middle. Sour notes and alcohol in the finish.

Mouthfeel: 5 - Light to moderate-bodied with minimal carbonation, but with a cloying, syrupy quality. Moderate spicy aftertaste.

Holistic: 4 - Somewhat disappointing. This seemed a bit unfocused compared with other Belgian Tripels. The flavors involved weren't distinct, and the persistent sticky-sweetness with the sour notes was a bit of a turn-off.

Overall: 25 - Clipper City makes several quite enjoyable Belgian-style beers, and I went in with the assumption that this higher-ABV, limited edition would be more of the same... and it just didn't quite work for me. This isn't a bad beverage by any stretch, but clearly did not attain a level of complexity and balance I'd expect from a high end "flagship" holiday brew. Worth seeking out only if you are a Clipper City fan or a completest.

Troegs Mad Elf Ale

2009-11-25T12:33:00.005-05:00

This is one of my favorite seasonal beers, and I picked some up as per my annual compulsion. I'll admit a special fondness for this beverage, as it plays an important role in the genesis of my online handle of "Cmaaarrr!!!" But that is a tale for another time...

Vitals:

Name: Troegs Mad Elf Ale

Brewery: Troegs Brewing Company

Style: Fruit Beer, based on Belgian Strong Dark Ale (Categories 20 and 18E, BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines)

Alcohol: 11.0%

Serving: 12-ounce bottle, chilled, served in a freezer-stored Samuel Adams Boston Lager Pint Glass

Scoring (in solidarity with Charlie the Beer Guy):

Appearance: 6 - Pours a deep reddish-brown, with a minimal white head that fades quickly to nothing.

Nose: 7 - Dominant cherry aroma with a strong undercurrent of malt.

Taste: 8 - Bready malts and cherries upfront, moving to a strong hit of sweet and spicy cherries in the middle, which fades to a slight alcoholic bitterness in the end. Honey and other spice flavors are subtle throughout.

Mouthfeel: 5 - Moderate-bodied with minimal carbonation, and a mild spice aftertaste.

Holistic: 7 - A well-crafted brew that manages to centerpiece the cherry and honey components, yet keeps them well-balanced in the overall style. I suspect that a bit more carbonation, as well as drinking this at a slightly warmer temperature, would inspire an even higher rating.

Overall: 33 - This is a great, strong holiday beer that carries a truly unique character, and doesn't fall into the "holiday brew trap" over over-spicing. While certainly one of the more balanced fruit beers I've had, the strength of the cherry flavor can be a bit much if consuming several in a short timespan. Recommended as a necessary, but occasional, winter beverage.

Oh, and a very Happy Thanksgiving to all whom it applies to. :)

A New Beer Exp[ CONTENT OVERRIDE: KILROY2.0 IS HERE!!! ]

2009-10-27T13:57:00.005-04:00

The Balto-DC area is already home to several fine breweries and pubs, but the ne>>> [ WARNING ::: DATABASE ERROR ::: CONTENT OVERRIDE ::: SOURCE: EXTERNAL ] <<< > source terminal location: UNKNOWN
> source terminal identity: UNAVAILABLE
> source login information: ENCRYPTED
> message begins

the post you are now reading is designed to dull your senses to THE TRUTH. do not live the life of the worker bee, the cog, the well-oiled piston in the MACHINE OF DECEIT!

there is a grand CONSPIRACY afoot. you have been taught to believe that you are UNIQUE, one of a kind. THIS IS NOT TRUE. long ago, a cabal of scientists created technologies to ensure that ANYONE'S MIND AND BODY can be duplicated.

human cloning isn't NEAR. it's already HERE. discover the truth at http://JCHutchins.net

you are being DECEIVED. break free from the cogs, flee the hive, become A PROPHET OF THE TRUTH!

kilroy2. was here ... kilroy2.0 is everywhere

>>> [ CONTENT OVERRIDE CEASES ::: DATABASE STATUS: RECOVERING ] <<< and a great time! I look forward to my next visit.

Dogfish Head Lawnmower

2009-10-22T22:55:00.005-04:00

During a recent dinner at the Dogfish Head Alehouse in Gaithersburg, MD, I elected to try the Lawnmower, which is billed as their "starter" beer for people who are used to drinking the standard American lager. I figured that I needed to try it once, and that it couldn't be that bad...

Vitals:

Name: Dogfish Head Lawnmower

Brewery: Dogfish Head

Style: American pale ale (Category 10A, BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines)

Alcohol: 4.0%

Serving: draft pint

Scoring (in solidarity with Charlie the Beer Guy):

Appearance: 3 - Hazy straw yellow with a scant white head that faded to a faint lace.

Nose: 1 - A hint of bready malt, but barely present.

Taste: 4 - A gentle hit of grassy hop bitterness upfront, with grainy malts predominating through the middle to the finish.

Mouthfeel: 4 - Light-bodied throughout, with a small amount of carbonation. No aftertaste.

Holistic: 4 - Clearly better than any American lager, but not something I'd seek out in most circumstances, especially given that it's only served at Dogfish Head alehouses where every other beer available is far more interesting.

Overall: 16 - In the interest of full disclosure, both stronger beer and rich food were had before trying the Lawnmower, which very likely downplayed my appreciation. Other reviews I've seen have scored it significantly higher in the nose and taste departments, which may also have been a keg factor as well. In any case, not something I'll seek out again, but definitely recommended for those not used to the strength and richness of Dogfish Head's other brews.

Beer & Bacon Post Mortem

2009-09-26T23:00:00.003-04:00

Beer and Bacon
Originally uploaded by DocOperon

The Heavy Seas Beer & Bacon Festival last weekend was quite the worthy experience, even if work obligations earlier in the day meant that Laura and I could only visit for a short (and late) lunch.

I was able to sample my favorite of Clipper City's offerings, Loose Cannon (an IPA I'd compare favorably to Stone Brewery's Ruination or Dogfish Head's 90 Minute), as well as their Pale Ale (a quite solid British style), Gold Ale (very solid American style), and Prosit (an "Imperial Lager" of the new Mutiny Fleet line). The list of various eateries offering bacon foodstuffs was impressive, although most of them didn't quite live up to the epic-level bacon tastiness I had envisioned. The clear best of these was the station serving up a rotating selection of different bacon, as pictured above.

All in all, a good time. Hopefully, the sold-out success of this event will spur Clipper City to host more like it in the future.

The Heavy Seas Beer & Bacon Festival

2009-08-13T23:02:00.009-04:00

This coming Saturday is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and to celebrate, Clipper City Brewery is holding an event, much like last year. This time around, they have billed it as The Heavy Seas Beer and Bacon Festival. Behold the glorious details from a recent email:

The Heavy Seas Beer & Bacon Festival
September 19th
Noon - 4pm
...at the Brewery

15+ Bacons, 10+ Beers, 10+ Restaurants, Live Music From Dirty Secret and More! Baltimore's Best Brewery and Over 10 of its Finest Restaurants have convened to salute nature's greatest food: Bacon!

Tickets are only $40 and include ALL-YOU-CARE-TO-TASTE beer and fabulous bacon.

Just a sampling of what you can expect…
Bottomless samples of Heavy Seas favorites and some special new brews made up for the occasion.
Special "Treasure" For Anyone Who Dresses as a Pirate - since it is National Talk Like A Pirate Day.
15+ Different Bacons From All Over The World.

RESTAURANTS AND FOOD STATIONS CONFIRMED WITH MANY MORE TO BE ADDED:

Abercrombie Restaurant and Lounge - Bacon Donuts
Alonzo’s – Bacon Explosion / Cocoa Crisps
Bacon Salt
Bad Decisions
Captain Thom’s – Cannon Fire Cornbread & Butt Blaster Baked Beans
Crazy Lil’s – Bacon Mac & Cheese
Ciao Bella
Vande Farms Meats
Squealin’ Sauce – Piggy Candy
Sweet Cascade’s – Bacon and Chocolate

...more coming soon!

Despite being trip booked with work and social activities this weekend, I will be making time to attend. Tickets are limited, and more information about the event and ticket availability can be found here. It's the best beer in Baltimore and tasty swineflesh... for all that is good and pirate-y, you must go.

Dogfish Head Theobroma

2009-08-04T20:17:00.004-04:00

To say that I have been anticipating this beer for quite awhile now is understatement most pure. After giving up actively looking for it, due to scarcity of supply, I finally stumbled on a few bottles at the King's Contrivance Liquors and Smoke Shop last weekend. The hype of this brew's ingredients and origin were nigh-legendary - but did it live up to my expectations?

Vitals:

Name: Dogfish Head Theobroma

Brewery: Dogfish Head

Style: Spice/herb/vegetable beer (Category 21A, BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines)

Alcohol: 9.0%

Serving: 25.4-ounce bottle, chilled, served in a freezer-stored Samuel Adams Boston Lager Pint Glass

Scoring (in solidarity with Charlie the Beer Guy):

Appearance: 6 - Pours a peach-amber color, that resides clear in the glass, and is a deep gold towards the bottom. The head is foamy and white, fading slowly to a moderate lace.

Nose: 5 - Subtle, with notes of citrus, honey, cocoa, and a spicy background.

Taste: 7 - A solid mix of equal parts fruity base and honey, with a hint of cocoa in the background. The chili flavor builds up strong in the middle and through the end, where it leaves a pleasant burn in the aftertaste, mixed with a residual sweetness.

Mouthfeel: 8 - The body and carbonation are medium and well-balanced, and consistant throughout each drink. Beyond the chili spice, there's little aftertaste to speak of.

Holistic: 6 - The varying tastes and ingredients are so well balanced that beyond the chili flavor, none of them stand out. The cocoa in particular seems to be barely present, and lost in the shuffle.

Overall: 32 - A good beer, but not at all what I was expecting. From the initial descriptions of ingredients, I was looking for a cocoa/chocolate punch that never came, but was pleasantly surprised by the chili intensity. All in all, far more balanced than I anticipated, and quite quaffable. It strikes me as been good for an occasional glass, but not quite unique enough to seek out on a regular basis.

Fordham Doppelbock

2009-08-01T20:50:00.005-04:00

Much to my pleasure, I discovered a solitary remaining bottle of this in my fridge from a purchase several months ago. I've had this on draft at the Ram's Head Tavern at Savage Mill, and is my favorite of their seasonal selections.

Vitals:

Name: Fordham Doppelbock

Brewery: Fordham Brewing Company

Style: Doppelbock (Category 5C, BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines)

Alcohol: 8.0%

Serving: 12-ounce bottle, chilled, served in a freezer-stored Harpoon IPA pint glass

Scoring (in solidarity with Charlie the Beer Guy):

Appearance: 8 - Pours a rich brown color, that resides as a deep brown-ruby in the glass. The head is a thick sudsy brown, that fades to no lace.

Nose: 6 - More subtle in intensity than expected. A bready and sweet maltiness predominates, with fig notes in the backround.

Taste: 7 - A sweet, dark fruitiness is strong up front, akin to fig or plum. The middle sees some smokey and spicy flavors come out, but they don't overwhelm the other flavors. There is an alcohol burn in the finish, along with a gentle bitterness.

Mouthfeel: 6 - The body starts out full, but fades quickly to a surprising thinness, and no aftertaste.

Holistic: 7 - This works well for me overall, although several aspects, such as the mouthfeel, don't fully jive with the strength of the style.

Overall: 34 - Despite having a lesser opinion of the lager style as a whole, doppelbocks are something I find quite appealing. This offering is a local seasonal favorite of mine, despite being somewhat uneven in terms of representing doppelbocks as a whole. It complements a hearty meal well, and it even lends itself to sessioning for those of stronger constitutions.

of birthdays and beverages, mid-July 2009

2009-07-21T23:47:00.008-04:00

This past weekend, I had the good fortune of attending Jared's Bat-Party in glorious celebration of his birthday. In keeping with the theme, a menu of Bat-Related mixed beverages had been devised. I tried several, the most interesting of which being the Joker Shooter:

The Joker Shooter: 2/3 shot Midori, 1/3 shot Irish Creme. The resultant effect was that the Irish Creme layered on top, if done correctly. Visually pleasing, and quite tasty.

Of course, being wholly unable to "leave well enough alone," I tried a couple of other speculative mixes of my own:

The Black Joker: 2/3 shot Midori, 1/3 shot Kahlua. The resultant effect was that the Kahlua layered on the bottom. Visually interesting, but not so pleasing. Something about the mix brought a bitterness out of the Kahlua, and the "chocolate melon" taste that resulted is not something I'd recommend.
The Asian Joker: 2/3 shot Midori, 1/3 shot lemonade. The resultant effect was that the lemonade mixed with the Midori, although a portion of the Midori did layer out on the bottom, on close inspection. Not visually interesting, but quite sweet and tasty.

Also this past weekend, I was sadly not able to attend Jason's dapper party in glorious celebration of his birthday. Jason did craft a beverage in the good southern tradition, and posted the enticing recipe that I must try at my earliest convenience:

The Blueberry Martini: as rogued from his post...

Handful of fresh blueberries
1.5 oz vodka
0.5 oz blue curacao
2 tsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
---
muddle the berries in a cocktail shaker, add vodka, blue curacao, and lemon juice. Fill shaker with crushed ice. Shake it like you mean it. Strain into a martini glass. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, gentlemen.

Schmidt's Sausage Haus

2009-07-03T22:52:00.013-04:00

Despite hailing from the Cincinnati area and having a penchant for German foodstuffs, I had never made it up to Schmidt's before leaving Ohio. More recently, I heard tell of legends of Schmidt's from Origins attendees, specifically in terms of their legendary cream puff desserts that were reportedly each the size of a human head. At last year's Origins, there wasn't time to stop by, but this year I finally made my repast. And oh, what tasty goodness abounded...

Food - The food at Schmidt's is rich German fare, the clear centerpiece of which are the many sausage dishes. All of their sausages are made in-house, the most marketable variety being the Bahama Mama - a fusion of German sausage and citrus-spice flavors that was my favorite of what they had on offer. While they have numerous entrees, sausage plates, and sandwiches available, the centerpiece of their menu is the all-you-can-eat German Autobahn Buffet.

Beer - The beer selection is broad. As one might expect, there are a variety of German imports available, such as Warsteiner Dunkel. They also have a core selection of local microbrew offerings, including the Elevator Brewing Company's Three Frogs IPA. All draft beers are available in three glass sizes, the largest of which is a proper stein... as It Should Be.
Desserts - I am led to understand that all of the desserts are wonderful, but to be honest, I came for the creme puffs. They did not disappoint, although it turns out that describing their size as being akin to that of a human head is somewhat misleading... unless one specifically meant "the size of the head of a rather plump child," which would be more like it. The puff-heads are made on-site, and come in numerous standard and special flavors, such as chocolate, peanut butter, and classic vanilla.

I am pleased to have finally sampled the delicious glory that is Schmidt's. It has my highest recommendation for German cuisine and atmosphere of any stateside restaurant I've visited since my trip to Munich (I should get around to documenting that at some point), and I expect to return there in the future as a rare treat. That said, I am even more pleased that I do not live close enough to be tempted to go back easily. It's selections are diametrically opposed to such important ideals as "weight and portion control," and it's an easy place to fall off the wagon from one's dietary commitment, as Mr. Miller notes.

For more information about the restaurant and it's history, check out their website and menu. And to give you a better taste of Schmidt's, here is a segment from the Travel Channel's Man v. Food program:

Balticon 2009 Bacon

2009-05-29T23:08:00.004-04:00

I have not had the BLT sandwich at the Balticon hotel, but this past weekend, Mur did. And when it came out in it's crispy, piled-high glory, Evo was there to provide photographic witness.

He could only offer the following tweet comment on the matter: "All of the pigs were sacrificed for @mightymur's BLT."

Indeed, Evo. Indeed, they were.

Farpoint 2009 Libations

2009-03-13T14:20:00.007-04:00

Balticon is this weekend, and in gearing up for the convention, I am reminded that I never posted the Farpoint libations list. At Farpoint in February, the hotel bartender got into the spirit of the con with some zeal, and devised a Star Trek-inspired beverage selection for the bar. For the curious, here are the drinks and recipes:

Actuarian Fizz: lemon juice, grenadine, gin, & club soda

Chech'tluth: bourbon, gin, club soda, peppermint schnapps, & Johnnie Walker

Klingon Bloodwine: red wine infused with ginger, & fresh chilies

Black Hole: Kahlua, Smirnoff "w"odka, & lemon juice

Antimatter Shot: Sambuca, Blue Curacao

Klingon Martini: gin, vermouth, & a dash of Bloodwine - as budding martini aficionado, I couldn't pass this up. It... wasn't as bad as I feared. With better gin, it could have been "good." Also, it didn't really look "Klingon":

The Picard Cocktail: 8 oz. of Earl Grey tea hot, 1 oz. Grand Marnier - Jared had this one and was willing to share. It was surprisingly good.

Vulcan Mind Meld: 1 part ouzo, 1 part rum (151 proof)

Talos IV Coffee: 3 parts Grand Marnier, 1 part coffee

Klingon Disrupter: Jim Bean, Patron Tequila, cinnamon schnapps

I'm not normally a "mixed drinks" fellow, but if there are similar options next year, I may need to explore them a bit more.

Obligatory Thanksgiving Post

2008-11-27T20:00:00.003-05:00

It must be Thanksgiving, as there is no other explanation for the sudden appearance of the following inflatable abomination of confused symbology slumped in my neighbor's yard:

For our own part, the feast was well-apportioned and heartily enjoyed, and I continued my Thanksgiving tradition of cracking open a bottle of Dogfish Head's wonderful Chateau Jiahu to mark the occasion.

Enjoy yourselves, but don't be too gluttonous. Obesity and excess are not, in most cases, things to be thankful for.

From the Dregs of the Sea to the Dregs of Oktoberfest

2008-09-26T20:24:00.008-04:00

And so it came to pass that the International Talk Like A Pirate Day event at the Clipper City Brewery was attended, and ended up being quite good.

The front office area contained a small but well-stocked bar serving all of their main brews, including the just-in-season Winter Storm. The stated requirement to be served this latter brew was to wear "pirate garb," for which patrons were screened by the serving wench. Due to time constraints and a broken toe, I chose not to come in costume, and instead wore a Pirates of the Caribbean shirt. Sadly, this didn't pass muster. However, everyone did receive an eyepatch at the door, which did count... when worn properly and uttering an appropriate piratical phrase.

The back warehouse was set up with taps, tables, not too ridiculously priced brisket and sausage-based food. Portable latrines were set up on the back loading platform, leading to it being affectionately referred to as... wait for it... the "poop deck." Pirate filk band The Salty Dogs, as well as founder Hugh Sisson, made the rounds and encouraged the joviality. The event was advertised as having an upper limit of 200 people, and it appears that roughly that number were in attendance, many of whom had a nigh-Rennfest level of detail to there costumery.

My and Laura’s evening was most pleasantly spent with Tom, Carrie, and Greg. Plans were made on how to appropriate NASA technology to suck a stack of cases of Loose Cannon back to our respective homes, but sadly the time and engineering constraints were too much to overcome.

Overall, I’d call this a success, especially given the Heavy Seas pint glass I walked away with. On the basis of this, I definitely will make time for future Clipper City on-site events.

I am currently in Munich, taking a week of vacation while Laura is at a JWST conference. Sadly (or perhaps not), we have missed Oktoberfest’s official ending by a week. I suspect there may still be some beer left in this country, however...

Talking Like a Pirate Tonight in the Clipper City

2008-09-19T15:58:00.004-04:00

Today is International Talk Like A Pirate Day, and to celebrate, the local Clipper City Brewery is having an event this evening from 19:00 - 22:00 EST that will include food, beer tasting, and live music. Laura and I will be stopping by, both because it sounds like fun, and I'm quite the fan of their Heavy Seas line of beers.

If you are near the Baltimore area at all this evening, I encourage you to check it out. Details are here.

Harpoon Tasting at the Perfect Pour - 09.12.08

2008-09-13T01:22:00.006-04:00

As previously mentioned, I was recently turned on the The Perfect Pour (by Melanie, to whom I owe great thanks!), a new local beer and wine establishment. It is my new Beer Mecca (TM cmdln). They have, hands down, the best selection of domestic and international microbrews that I have seen yet, at the very least in my area. Another pleasant discovery is that they host regular beer samplings.

Tonight I stopped by for the Harpoon beer tasting. I had the pleasure of chatting with Nick from Harpoon about their current and upcoming offerings, as well as tasting the following brews, none of which I have had previously:

UFO (UnFiltered Offering) Hefeweizen - A solid example of hefeweizen style, and worthy future exploration.
Octoberfest - I'm not a big fan of the Marzen/Octoberfest lager style, and this struck me as being par for the course, but quite drinkable.
IPA - Very good, and compared favorably to similar brews like the Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. Then again, I am biased towards this style. :)

The conversation was as good as the beer, and I was interested to hear of Harpoon's upcoming Leviathan Series. The Triticus, a 14.3% wheat-wine ale aged in bourbon casks, sounds particularly intriguing, and will be the first release under that label.

I ended up walking away with a six-pack of the IPA and a Harpoon IPA pint glass, which made for a lovely cap on the event. I plan on attending other tastings there, a schedule of which can be found on The Perfect Pour's website.

Southern Tier Creme Brulee Imperial Milk Stout

2008-09-06T21:25:00.004-04:00

I was recently turned on to a new local beverage store, the Perfect Pour, and I am insanely happy to have found it - they have the single best beer selection I have yet seen in my area. This particular brew came highly recommended from the staff, and I was not disappointed.

Vitals:

Name: Creme Brulee Imperial Milk Stout

Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Company

Style: Sweet Stout (Category 13B, BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines)

Alcohol: 10.0%

Serving: 22-ounce bottle, chilled, served in a freezer-stored Rifts pint glass

Scoring (in solidarity with Charlie the Beer Guy):

Appearance: 9 - Pours a totally opaque brown-black, with no light penetration. The head is brown and foamy, fading slowly to a thin lace.

Aroma: 10 - Simply amazing. A powerful slug of vanilla, with butterscotch-caramel notes and a slight alcoholic undercurrent.

Taste: 9 - Very sweet, with a strong mix of vanilla and chocolate notes upfront. Roasty butterscotch and coffee flavors come out in the middle, with a pleasant bitter roastiness in the finish that persists. Little evidence of its high alcohol content.

Mouthfeel: 9 - Thick and rich, with little carbonation evident. Very smooth and silky.

Holistic: 9 - This mad hybrid of a dessert, a coffee drink, and a beer just blew me away. Wow.

Overall: 46 - Very impressive. While not for swift consumption or for all occasions, this is a serious treat that seems best at home complimenting dessert after a large meal. I definitely intend to pick this up again, perhaps to go along with a holiday dinner or two.

Post-Balticon 42 Libation List

2008-05-31T22:43:00.003-04:00

I still have to write up the post-mortem for the con itself, but the libatory social dynamics were different from previous events. The focus was more on the bar than room parties, so this makes the first con where what I brought... was essentially what I left with.
Clearly, a tragedy of epic proportions.

However, there was a "magic cooler" effect, as my cooler was stashed in someone else's room. As such, in addition to the previous list, I've also come away with:

I feel dirty entering that last one. Especially considering that the person who brought it was looking to pawn it off on unsuspecting people, because he has no desire to drink it. (Not to name any names... Tee.)

In any case, this leaves me well-stocked for the next con... or social occasion. Or, in the case of the latter "beer," a riot that requires mini-Moltov cocktails.

Balticon 42 Libation List

2008-05-22T13:30:00.004-04:00

Once again, it's that time - Balticon check-in for me is later today! There are many lessons to be learned from last year's experience, one of which is (hopefully) that if I bring less brews, perhaps the "magic cooler effect" will be diminished, and I may come home with less.

We shall see... :)

Here is the list of libations I will be bringing with me:

Clipper City Holy Sheet
Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA, World Wide Stout, and Burton Baton
Lindemans Framboise and Kriek Lambics
Unibroue 17
Woodchuck Granny Smith Draft Cider
and the appropriate fixings for a proper martini may show up, as well...

Once again, physicianhood will prevail - the above will be consumed with the greatest responsibility by all.

Remember! Alcohol kills germs, baby.

Kells Irish Style Lager

2008-03-17T23:19:00.006-04:00

I bid you a happy St. Patrick's Day! My previous musings from last year can be found here. I stopped by Calvert to pick up something appropriate to celebrate the day with, and chose this brew, which I have not sampled before. I may have chosen poorly...

Vitals:

Name: Kells Irish Style Lager

Brewery: Rogue Ales

Style: Premium American Lager (Category 1C, BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines)

Alcohol: 5.0%

Serving: 22-ounce bottle, chilled, served in a freezer-stored "Playing for Keeps" pint glass

Scoring (in solidarity with Charlie the Beer Guy):

Appearance: 3 - Pours a dark straw color, mostly clear, but with a slight precipitate haze towards the bottom. The frothy white head slowly fades to a clumpy film.

Aroma: 3 - Very low, with grainy malts and the barest hint of apple.

Taste: 3 - Fairly crisp and dry upfront, with mild grainy flavor balanced with hop bitterness. The latter persists in the center as the malt fades. No other notable flavors detected. A slight bitter remainder in the finish that fades swiftly.

Mouthfeel: 3 - Light, but not overly watery. Well-carbonated with a slight bite.

Holistic: 2 - Just didn't do it for me. This style is low down on my list, and my expectations of something described as an "Irish Style Lager" were quite disappointed.

Overall: 14 - Post-drink research demonstrates that the intent of this libation was to create an "American beer that would float Guinness," done so by the owners of the Kells Irish Pubs of the west coast. In that, it seems they've succeeded - hence my disappointment in looking for a classically "Irish" beverage. Their website claims that this beer has a "green apple bite flavor," which would have made it far more interesting had I detected it. This would make a good session beer, however, if better choices were not available.

The Revolution, Revived!

2008-03-16T14:01:00.005-04:00

The Revoluton is not dead! Merely... biding it's time.

The truth of the matter is that for a period of time, I decided to consolidate all of my blogging to my main website, thinking that it would be easier for me to maintain. On further reflection, I've discovered that this likely isn't the case - rather, it does make more sense to continue to post "food and drink" related matter here, for the sake of ease for both myself and you, the GLF convert.

Viva La Revolucion!

To this end, I've reposted here my take on the upcoming 2008 offerings from Dogfish Head, as well as my first two brew reviews - the Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, and the Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine, 2008 Release.

I'd also like to highlight a couple of blogs that are furthering the work of the Revolution:

#include {beer.h} - Tom from the Command Line podcast recently established this separate site for his own beer reviews and experiences. The punk is also aping my review format, but imitation = flattery, right? ;) (And to point out where respect is due, my template is loosely stolen from Thom, so I have little room to talk...)
Garlic Is Love - Carrie from The Signal podcast has an obsession with all things culinary, and shares it here. She is a fan of both bacon and garlic, so that makes her site an imperative on my list!

Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine, 2008 Release

2008-02-23T12:54:00.001-05:00

I happened across this brew the other night at Calvert, which had just been released by Stone as their current seasonal offering.

Vitals:

Name: Old Guardian Barley Wine, 2008 Release

Brewery: Stone Brewing Company

Style: American Barleywine (Category 19C, BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines)

Alcohol: 11.26%

Serving: 22-ounce bottle, chilled, served in a freezer-stored "Playing for Keeps" pint glass

Scoring (in solidarity with Charlie the Beer Guy):

Appearance: 6 - Pours a strong copper that is initially hazy, but gains clarity as it warms. Topped with a white effervescent head that slowly fades to a lacy sheet.

Aroma: 5 - Predominantly malty, with a hint of fruit and spice. More subdued than expected.

Taste: 7 - Strong malt flavor upfront, accompanied by fruity and spicy notes. Hop bitterness becomes more assertive in the center. Alcohol notable, but not overwhelming. Lingering bitterness and bready notes in the finish.

Mouthfeel: 7 - Moderate but not quite full-bodied, with notable alcohol warmth. Slight dryness to the finish.

Holistic: 7 - Tasty, but "less extreme" of a take on this style than I was expecting from Stone. The nose was slightly disappointing.

Overall: 32 - A great offering. Beats many barleywines I've tried, but doesn't unseat the Dogfish Head Olde School as my favorite of the style.

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

2008-02-22T01:13:00.001-05:00

Through fortuitous circumstances, two cases arrived at Calvert (one of my three local Beer Meccas) the day before I stopped by. As I've been looking forward to this new release from Dogfish Head, as previously described, I walked away with a nice supply.

Vitals:

Name: Santo Palo Marron ("Holy Tree Brown")
Brewery: Dogfish Head
Style: Wood-Aged Beer (Category 22C, BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines) - aged in 10,000-gallon Paraguayan Palo Santo wood brewing vessels
Alcohol: 12%
Serving: 12-ounce bottle, chilled, served in freezer-stored "Celebrating 25 Years of Palladium Books" pint glass

Scoring (in solidarity with Charlie the Beer Guy):

Appearance: 9 - Pours a completely opaque dark brown that is nearly black, and impenetrable to light. Topped with a thick, sudsy brown head that fades slowly to a thin lace. Looks beautiful!
Aroma: 7 - Malty, with caramel notes, and a surprising lack of alcohol for its ABV. Tempting, but relatively mild.
Taste: 8 - Sweet and malty, with predominant caramel and vanilla notes, with a slight hint of coffee. Notable but mild smokiness appears midway. No lingering aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: 8 - Moderate to slightly heavy, but not cloying. Very smooth.
Holistic: 8 - Tasty, very well-balanced, and more subtle than expected. If it's possible for a brew of this strength to be smooth and balanced enough to be a session beer, then this is it.
Overall: 40 - I am very impressed. Dogfish Head has pulled off subtle artistry where I was expecting something more pronounced, and in a beer style that's not my first choice. I'll definitely be seeking out the Palo Santo Marron when it's available.

Dogfish Head 2008 Beer Release Schedule and New Brew Preview

2008-01-17T18:11:00.001-05:00

Dogfish Head has published its beer release schedule for the year. 2008 may now officially begin! (Well, I jest with that last bit. A little.)

I am an unabashed fan of Dogfish Head's brews. While I am enthusiastic about seeking out and trying different beers from any (and all, eventually) microbreweries, DFH continues to maintain a particular hold on my refrigerator. Their variety of offerings is amazing in terms of style and flavor, and their degree of quality is consistantly excellent. I have honestly only ever been disappointed in two of their beers - the Chicory Stout and the Festina Peche - and in both case, because I found them to be merely "good." A list of my preferred beverages would be solidly dominated by DFH selections, and topped with my all-time favorite, the ridiculously extreme 120 Minute IPA.

So, it is with great enthusiasm that I peruse the 2008 schedule. As usual, there is a core selection of Year-Round Beers, as well as Seasonal Releases. I am greatly pleased that the Midas Touch Golden Elixir (another personal favorite, and the beverage singlehandedly responsible for my last name being a vengeful cry in some circles: "Cmaaarrr!" - a story for another time) has been reinstated this year in a more year-round capacity.

Of greater note is the extensive list of Limited Releases, which are some the most creative, excellent, and downright bizarre brews in existence anywhere. These include the previously revered 120 Minute IPA, the awesome World Wide Stout, and the brilliant Burton Baton... the last of which I need to keep an eye out for next month, because it was quite teh skarce in 2007. That said, there are two all-new beverages on the list, and I am seriously excited.

The first of these is the Palo Santo Marron, or "Holy Tree Brown," which is new to bottled distribution. It was previously available once before, at the end of 2006, on-tap only in their Rehoboth Beach brewpub location. This one sounds quite interesting - from the website:

An unfiltered, unfettered, unprecedented brown ale aged in handmade wooden brewing vessels. The caramel and vanilla complexity unique to this beer comes from the exotic Paraguayan Palo Santo wood from which these tanks were crafted. Palo Santo means "holy tree" and it's wood has been used in South American wine-making communities.

This beer is a 12% abv, highly roasty, and malty brown ale aged on the Palo Santo wood. It was a huge hit at our Rehoboth Beach brewpub when first released in November of 2006, so it's coming back... into full production.

At 10,000 gallons each, these are the largest wooden brewing vessels built in America since before Prohibition. It's all very exciting. We have wood. Now you do too.

That said, the one I'm incredibly stoked for is the Theobroma - "Food of the Gods." Tee and I heard a vague bit about this a few weeks back at the Gaithersburg brewpub, and its great to have some more details. By way of background, DFH has a working relationship with the University of Pennsylvania archeology department. If drinking vessels are found at a dig site, they are subjected to molecular archaeological techniques to analyze the residue of the evaporated contents. If the findings seem to be of an unusual fermented beverage, then DFH has been able to get access to the deduced components of the drinks, and "resurrect" libations that may not have been brewed for thousands of years. Products thus far include the previously venerated Midas Touch (discovered in the tomb of a Phrygian ruler in ~700 B.C. who is believed to have inspired the tales of King Midas), the wonderful Chateau Jiahu (found in the 9,000 year-old Neolithic village of Jiahu in Hinan province, Northern China), and now... Theobroma. From the website:

This beer is based on chemical analysis of pottery fragments found in Honduras which revealed the earliest known alcoholic chocolate drink used by early civilizations to toast special occasions. The discovery of this beverage pushed back the earliest use of cocoa for human consumption more than 500 years to 1200 BC. As per the analysis, Dogfish Head’s Theobroma (food of the gods) is brewed with Aztec cocoa powder and cocoa nibs, honey, chilies, and annatto (fragrant tree seeds). Theobroma is 10% abv and will be available in Champagne bottles for an August 2008 release. Special kegs from our test batches may be available earlier in the year at Dogfish events around the country!

Yes, 2008 is shaping up to be an excellent year for libation enthusiasm!

post-Balticon Libation List

2007-06-03T17:04:00.001-04:00

There was a glorious amount of libating at Balticon, and much of what I brought was consumed well, and in the company of excellent people, and this makes me happy.

That said, I was unaware that my lowly cooler is, indeed, a "magic cooler." When all was said and done, I ended up with an even greater variety of libations afterwards than I had brought originally, and almost as many bottles. This was due to 1. long stretches during two evenings when I was Off Doing Other Things, and so the unsupervised "magic cooler" was added to by others looking for a good home for what they brought, and 2. "donations" at the end of the con from those flying elsewhere and unable to take their refreshments with them.

Here is the tally:

Apparently, this means that I won't need to buy anything further for Dragon*Con.

Riiight.

Balticon Libation List

2007-05-24T10:32:00.001-04:00

I'm checking in to the Balticon hotel today. It will, in short form, be an absolute blast.

Here is the list of libations I will be bringing with me:

Clearly, this has the makings of a hell of a party. That said, physicianhood will prevail, and the above will be consumed with the greatest responsibility by all, I'm sure.

Besides... alcohol kills germs, baby.

Grove's Beer Log

2007-05-15T17:00:00.001-04:00

This is Grove's Beer Log.

Hailing from Oslo, Norway, Geir Ove ("grove" - get it?) Grønmo documents his thoughts and experiences with the art of home brewing. Included are plenty of images of his equipment and exploits, as well as discussion of the various brews that he has produced and musings on homebrewing in general.

Check it out, and give him some comment love!

American Craft Beer Week

2007-05-10T18:12:00.001-04:00

Next week is American Craft Beer Week, a celebration of beer as both an expression of art and culture, as well as a complex and rich collection of libatory goodness. From the American Homebrewers Association website:

"American Craft Beer Week is May 14-20 and recognizes America's small, independent and traditional brewers and contributions the craft beer community makes to our economy, culture and history.

Consider participating in the Great American Beer Tour to celebrate American Craft Beer Week. Visit craft breweries and win pint glasses, an embroidered shirt or the grand prize trip to the GABF in October! Print your passport today at: www.AmericanCraftBeerWeek.org

Craft beer and food pairings, special-release beers, firkin-keg tapings, single-release cask-conditioned ales, special brewery tours, and make-your-own American craft beer are just some of the offerings by participating breweries.

For a complete list of events, visit www.AmericanCraftBeerWeek.org."

If you've never entered the expansive and tasty world of craft beers, find a local brewery and take the opportunity to sate your curiosity and tantalize your palate. And if you're already familiar with these excellent beverages, then raise your pints and celebrate responsibly!

Thom's Beer Blog

2007-03-31T00:16:00.001-04:00

This is Thom's Beer Blog.

Really, I don't think there's any further explanation necessary. If you require one, then I'll just say that he:

1.) drinks beer

2.) reviews the beer he drinks in an erudite, concise, and educated manner

As of the time of this posting, he's up to 651, and still going strong. Check out his blog for some worthwhile opining and tasty commentary.

My Main Site, and Other Blogs

2007-03-31T00:03:00.001-04:00

If you've happened across this blog without coming through my main site, and have some modicum of curiosity as to the nature of the inner machinma that grinds out these tasty musings, then I direct you to the following:

*my main website - Saint Nickanuck of the Tundra
*my sweetheart's blog - Laura's Life Adventures
*my mother-in-law's blog - Babka Liz's Blog

How's that for an interesting veiw of the universe, eh?

A Toast to a New Blog

2007-03-30T23:26:00.001-04:00

Raise your glasses, my friends, whatever may be contained within, and join me in a toast to a new blog...

I hereby found the Gustatory Libation Front.

The mission is simple: to provide a forum for liberating my observations and off-color commentary on various topics of food and drink.

My qualifications? I loves me some food, and I loves me some drink. And, I do loves me some commentary.

So, sit back with a solid tankard of your favorite beverage and a platter of your most beloved vittles, and join the Front in its march to glory!