We all love a good beer for dessert, how about a beer thats made to be dessert? Check out the Southern Tier Crème Brûlée.
Don't worry, I'll plan your evening for you. Schedule a date with your significant other, Head over to the store and grab a couple of bombers of the Crème Brûlée because it doesn't come out that often. On your way home, head to the grocery store to pick up some vanilla ice cream.
Now for the good part:
Dinner can be whatever you want. Exactly. It doesn't matter because dessert will make up for whatever you do.
For dessert, divide 12oz of the Crème Brûlée between two Belgian-style glasses. Brandy snifters might work as well. Then make two bowls of vanilla ice cream and pour another 3oz of the beer on top of the ice cream. Serve by candlelight and enjoy!
WHOA! I did what? Yes, I did it. Now, this wont work with just any beer. Don't plan a date and pour Sierra Nevada Pale onto some ice cream. It won't work.
Heres why this one does:
The Southern Tier Crème Brûlée is an Imperial Milk Stout that tastes like Crème Brûlée. Yup, they nailed it. Upon opening the bottle, you're immediately hit with a French bakery and coffee shop. Sweet vanilla, caramelized sugar, mocha, and coffee will immediately fill up the whole room. The taste is perfectly matched to the sweet heaven that just hit your nose. It doesn't show the ABV or flaunt the fact that it is an imperial stout. The beer end is there, but it is put into perfect proportion with the Crème Brûlée to make a fantastic dessert beer. And yes, it pairs perfectly with ice cream.
So, Southern Tier nails it again. Enjoy the beer and your date!
-Beer. Nuff said.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
Beer & Wine, Why the Great Divide?
"Bier den Arzt zu bezahlen"
So, I'm no wine connoisseur, but I do enjoy a good wine and I won't sweat spending $15-$30 for a good bottle of wine. Why do people think I'm crazy when I show them my cellared beers that are in the same price range? So, if I drop $30 for what I consider the best beer ever made, I'm suddenly a lunatic? I think not.
Beer has this bad connotation due to its association with the words "cheap" and "drunk". People buy cases of Bud Light and get hammered on a regular basis. Its a little less common to do that with wine.
Does that mean brewing is any less of an art form? Or that a fine beer is not worth its weight in wine? Not in the slightest. I think brewers spend less time with their noses in the air and more time with their noses in the glass, as a matter of opinion.
Get out to the store and spend $4 for a bottle of Paulo Santo Marron and don't think twice about it. I guarantee youll enjoy it more than a $15 cabernet.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Got a Tummy Rummy? Call Gin!
Okay, sorry about the title. I had to use that pun. So you say, "Why the spirit post?" Well, because it is really good. Yeah, yeah, everyone hates gin. Well, everyone but me. I'm the author, so tough luck.
Lately I've been doing Gin & Tonic if I am to have a drink before dinner time. Why? Because its much lighter. Most of my favorite beers are just not afternoon drinks and I'm not going to force something I won't enjoy.
Here's the deal, I had to find an easygoing drink that was lightweight and could be sipped for a long period of time. I really don't enjoy being drunk, and especially not before dinner. Its unsophisticated and quite miserable. Cue gin.
I've had plenty of the overrated and overpriced gins and have been really dissatisfied. Bombay is too fruity and distinct, the only thing good about Tanqueray is the ads they used to air, and nobody carries Beefeater 24. Well, a local barkeep introduced me to Hendricks. Wow.
Hendricks is a modern gin by relative terms. Mostly consisting of Juniper, cucumber (yup), and Bulgarian rose, it comes across aromatically and subtly complex. Also, it is incredibly smooth. If done as a martini, it has plenty of character but is completely drinkable. As a g&t, it doesn't overpower the raw beauty of the drink with misplaced floral and fruity notes like many other gins. And on the rocks... Well, I havent tried that one but Im sure it is fantastic. Lets face it, gin is just as mean as tequila, so lets try to keep it off the rocks.
Oh, Hendricks recommends it be served with tonic and a cucumber slice. Havent tried it but I'm sure it works well. I usually have my Hendricks and tonic with a lemon, not a lime.
So, its one more lesson to forget the big name brands and fancy advertisements and go sample a little of everything.
-Its all in how you play the hand you're dealt.
Lately I've been doing Gin & Tonic if I am to have a drink before dinner time. Why? Because its much lighter. Most of my favorite beers are just not afternoon drinks and I'm not going to force something I won't enjoy.
Here's the deal, I had to find an easygoing drink that was lightweight and could be sipped for a long period of time. I really don't enjoy being drunk, and especially not before dinner. Its unsophisticated and quite miserable. Cue gin.
I've had plenty of the overrated and overpriced gins and have been really dissatisfied. Bombay is too fruity and distinct, the only thing good about Tanqueray is the ads they used to air, and nobody carries Beefeater 24. Well, a local barkeep introduced me to Hendricks. Wow.
Hendricks is a modern gin by relative terms. Mostly consisting of Juniper, cucumber (yup), and Bulgarian rose, it comes across aromatically and subtly complex. Also, it is incredibly smooth. If done as a martini, it has plenty of character but is completely drinkable. As a g&t, it doesn't overpower the raw beauty of the drink with misplaced floral and fruity notes like many other gins. And on the rocks... Well, I havent tried that one but Im sure it is fantastic. Lets face it, gin is just as mean as tequila, so lets try to keep it off the rocks.
Oh, Hendricks recommends it be served with tonic and a cucumber slice. Havent tried it but I'm sure it works well. I usually have my Hendricks and tonic with a lemon, not a lime.
So, its one more lesson to forget the big name brands and fancy advertisements and go sample a little of everything.
-Its all in how you play the hand you're dealt.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Beer on a Budget
Okay, is it possible to enjoy good beer on a budget? Of course! Everyone has their go-to beer and keeps their fridge stocked with a couple dozen of them. If you take a look into my fridge right now, you'll find a bomber or St. Bernardus, one of Chimay Blue, a bomber of Sam Adams Thirteenth Hour, and of course, 23 bottles of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (Im working on the 24th right now). Guess what my budget beer of choice is?
Okay, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is an incredible APA and can be acquired for $25 a 24 pack at my local store. It is my ultimate budget beer. But wait, theres more!
This one is a little out of budget, but worth it. Terrapin Hopsecutioner can be had for roughly $9 per 6. If I'm in the mood for an IPA, it'll probably be one of these.
For a stout, I choose Guinness Foreign Extra. Im a little tired of the typical Canadian brewed Guinness so I've moved to Guinness Foreign Extra. Notice the Foreign, that means Ireland, not Canada. Its a Guinness, so it can be found cheap in bulk but not by the 6 pack.
If I bring beer to a party of people who only drink beer to get drunk, It'll be Yuengling or Michelob Amber Bock. Truly, they aren't very good but they are cheap and everyone likes them.
Don't forget Sam Adams, Bass, Newcastle, Killians, and many others... They just didn't hit my top three.
There are endless styles with great cheap beers, I've only listed my favorites here. These are by no means the finest beers ever conceived but you will certainly get your dollars worth. Scratch that, Sierra Nevada Pale might just be one of the best ever.
-If God intended us to filter our beer he wouldn't have given us livers.
Okay, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is an incredible APA and can be acquired for $25 a 24 pack at my local store. It is my ultimate budget beer. But wait, theres more!
This one is a little out of budget, but worth it. Terrapin Hopsecutioner can be had for roughly $9 per 6. If I'm in the mood for an IPA, it'll probably be one of these.
For a stout, I choose Guinness Foreign Extra. Im a little tired of the typical Canadian brewed Guinness so I've moved to Guinness Foreign Extra. Notice the Foreign, that means Ireland, not Canada. Its a Guinness, so it can be found cheap in bulk but not by the 6 pack.
If I bring beer to a party of people who only drink beer to get drunk, It'll be Yuengling or Michelob Amber Bock. Truly, they aren't very good but they are cheap and everyone likes them.
Don't forget Sam Adams, Bass, Newcastle, Killians, and many others... They just didn't hit my top three.
There are endless styles with great cheap beers, I've only listed my favorites here. These are by no means the finest beers ever conceived but you will certainly get your dollars worth. Scratch that, Sierra Nevada Pale might just be one of the best ever.
-If God intended us to filter our beer he wouldn't have given us livers.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Hopslam Dunk.
Contrary to the title, there were no doughnuts involved. However, there was Hopslam and March Madness! Sounds like a killer combo to me!
Ive been waiting for a Hopslam for what seemed like ages. I've heard from everyone and their brother that it is the greatest beer ever conceived and that I needed to try it. Every time it hits Taco Mac (A restaurant I frequent with 300 beers that are somehow always fresh), it is gone before I even get a chance to see the bottle. This beer certainly gets the award for most elusive beer I've heard of, I'd swear it's the Loch Ness Beer.
Lo and behold, I get to Taco Mac and one of the managers tells me that he has saved a beer specially for me. Of course all of the others sold in no time flat but they managed to keep one from the angry mob of thirsty customers with thick wallets. Yeah, its elusive AND pricey, what's new?
My server brings me a bottle with what appears to be a guy flattened by a giant hop from heaven on it and after a quick trial whif, I pour it into a room temperature glass. The smell is of citrus, hops, honey, and a slight floral edge.
To the tongue, it is extremely smooth for a 10% imperial IPA and I can taste grapefruit and honey behind the wall of hops. The hop profile is very good, it comes in, takes a powerful presence, and leaves you with a nice bitter reminder that it is lord of this beer.
So far, so good, right? Not really. After all this hype, price, and difficulty finding this beer, I expected God Himself to bless it with holy water. It wasn't THAT great, especially for $8.50 (restaurant price) for the bottle. I'll certainly put it in my top 10 IPAs and definitely buy one next time I see it, but I'll probably meet bigfoot first. Overall, its an 89 on my beer scale. Frankly, for the price, I'll take two Hopsecutioners or Loose Cannons.
-Brew long and prosper
Ive been waiting for a Hopslam for what seemed like ages. I've heard from everyone and their brother that it is the greatest beer ever conceived and that I needed to try it. Every time it hits Taco Mac (A restaurant I frequent with 300 beers that are somehow always fresh), it is gone before I even get a chance to see the bottle. This beer certainly gets the award for most elusive beer I've heard of, I'd swear it's the Loch Ness Beer.
Lo and behold, I get to Taco Mac and one of the managers tells me that he has saved a beer specially for me. Of course all of the others sold in no time flat but they managed to keep one from the angry mob of thirsty customers with thick wallets. Yeah, its elusive AND pricey, what's new?
My server brings me a bottle with what appears to be a guy flattened by a giant hop from heaven on it and after a quick trial whif, I pour it into a room temperature glass. The smell is of citrus, hops, honey, and a slight floral edge.
To the tongue, it is extremely smooth for a 10% imperial IPA and I can taste grapefruit and honey behind the wall of hops. The hop profile is very good, it comes in, takes a powerful presence, and leaves you with a nice bitter reminder that it is lord of this beer.
So far, so good, right? Not really. After all this hype, price, and difficulty finding this beer, I expected God Himself to bless it with holy water. It wasn't THAT great, especially for $8.50 (restaurant price) for the bottle. I'll certainly put it in my top 10 IPAs and definitely buy one next time I see it, but I'll probably meet bigfoot first. Overall, its an 89 on my beer scale. Frankly, for the price, I'll take two Hopsecutioners or Loose Cannons.
-Brew long and prosper
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Monks Know How to Brew!
Since my first Trappist beer, I have been fascinated by the quality and complexity of them. Brewed within the walls of one of seven monasteries, they are a very sought after and often pricey beer. At my trip to the local beer store, I met a salesperson with an incredible knowledge of beer who recommended the Orval to me. It was certainly an excellent choice.
First of all, Orval is a bottle-conditioned beer and changes character dramatically over time. From what I've heard, its always just as good up until the end of its shelf life, 5 years down the road. My Orval was bottled on May 20th, 2011, which puts it just over 10 months young.
The Orval hit me before the cap was off as the first breath of air it let out hit my nose immediately with fruits, herbs, spices, hops, malts, and just about everything good blended to an aromatic perfection. Really, the smell is brilliant but that's just the start! The taste is just as complex and well balanced. The presiding flavors are bread, some yeast, and fantastic hoppiness. The most prominent supporting note to me was certainly green apples, joined with a pleasant myriad of spices, pepper, and sweet molasses notes.
If you like Belgian pale ales, this one will take you to a whole new world of flavors. Overall, I'd give it a 96, certainly an A+ in my gradebook.
-When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Then sell your product and use the money to buy a good beer.
First of all, Orval is a bottle-conditioned beer and changes character dramatically over time. From what I've heard, its always just as good up until the end of its shelf life, 5 years down the road. My Orval was bottled on May 20th, 2011, which puts it just over 10 months young.
The Orval hit me before the cap was off as the first breath of air it let out hit my nose immediately with fruits, herbs, spices, hops, malts, and just about everything good blended to an aromatic perfection. Really, the smell is brilliant but that's just the start! The taste is just as complex and well balanced. The presiding flavors are bread, some yeast, and fantastic hoppiness. The most prominent supporting note to me was certainly green apples, joined with a pleasant myriad of spices, pepper, and sweet molasses notes.
If you like Belgian pale ales, this one will take you to a whole new world of flavors. Overall, I'd give it a 96, certainly an A+ in my gradebook.
-When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Then sell your product and use the money to buy a good beer.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Brew Me Up, Buttercup.
Day 1 begins the blog dedicated to all things brewed.
This blog is to those who enjoy a fine beer, a beer crafted to be enjoyed for its character, not drinkability. You won't find me purchasing a case of Bud Light to play beer pong with, but you might see me sit back and enjoy a goblet of Brooklyn Black Ops on a cool March evening.
Today's occasion: St. Patrick's Day!
So grab a Guinness, preferably a Foreign Extra, and join the party!
Also, I had a fantastic beer this morning, Founders Breakfast Stout. I'm not sure if it is supposed to be drank in the morning but it most certainly fits. At 60 IBUs and 8.3% ABV, it comes across a little heavy at 9:00 am with its rich coffee and dark chocolate notes. It hits you with a brick of Lindt 85% and then a trip through a small town coffee shop before dropping you off in the nuthouse. This is a beer that will certainly wake you up in the morning. It does surprise me how little of the 8.3% ABV shows up under all the rich flavors, it is certainly a finely tuned beer created by the mocha gods themselves.
This blog is to those who enjoy a fine beer, a beer crafted to be enjoyed for its character, not drinkability. You won't find me purchasing a case of Bud Light to play beer pong with, but you might see me sit back and enjoy a goblet of Brooklyn Black Ops on a cool March evening.
Today's occasion: St. Patrick's Day!
So grab a Guinness, preferably a Foreign Extra, and join the party!
Also, I had a fantastic beer this morning, Founders Breakfast Stout. I'm not sure if it is supposed to be drank in the morning but it most certainly fits. At 60 IBUs and 8.3% ABV, it comes across a little heavy at 9:00 am with its rich coffee and dark chocolate notes. It hits you with a brick of Lindt 85% and then a trip through a small town coffee shop before dropping you off in the nuthouse. This is a beer that will certainly wake you up in the morning. It does surprise me how little of the 8.3% ABV shows up under all the rich flavors, it is certainly a finely tuned beer created by the mocha gods themselves.
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