On rare occasions you can do lots of wrong things and have still have something end up right, this is the universes' way of lulling you into the kind of false sense of security that allows people to do stupid things like run for public office in Alaska.
Our most recent homebrew should not taste as good as it does. After 1 week in the bottle our 'wee heavy' does have the sweetness, roasty, smoky/peaty, malty, caramel flavors with an alcohol warmth and sweet medium body that is to style. So score.
But here's where we messed up:
1. Too much diacetyl- not just caramel/sweet, its a bit much due to high temperature fermentation. We pitched the yeast at around 80+F because the kitchen was way hot and the wort would not freaking cool down.
2. Only did a primary fermentation and it was too hot for style. We had a bit of a heatwave here and our d-bag landlords recently told us not to store anything in the basement so our Scotch Ale was in the 70's-50's. And we (I) was too lazy to rack and do a secondary letting it cool down even more. So now we've got a not so clear brew and it does not taste as "clean" as it should.
3. The tubing for the bottling siphon was the wrong size. We tried to get a suction with duct tape but not so much- the beer got way too oxygenated when being bottled and too much sediment got stirred up as well. The beers have lots of head (which incidentally isn't bad for the style), but the oxygen also gave us the odd off flavors of oil/gasoline. Since we love old ales, this off flavor is not really a negative for us.
Ingredients for the nerdy: 7 lbs pale LME, 40g peated malt, 1/2lbs roasted barley, 1lb marris otter 2-row, 1/2lb crystal 120, 1/2lb dextrine malt. 1oz kent goldings at 60 minutes, and 1/2oz willamette at 15 minutes.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
East West 'que...in Wisconsin?
East meets West fusion cuisine reached a critical mass somewhere back in the 90's. Now it goes one step further with East West bar-b-que. Local Madison restaurant dynamo Muramoto adds the Haze to his list of food hot spots.
Since I'm a fan of the sushi and the other lovely dishes at both Restaurant Muramoto and Sushi Muramoto, I decided to go the East 'que route. Bahn Mi is basically a Vietnamese po-boy; stacked with smoked chicken, cilantro, jalapeno, pickled veggies, and mayo all on a baguette. The flavors all melded together beautifully, the pickled veg and spiciness of the peppers set off the smoky chicken. The mayo adds a bit of fat, and the fresh cilantro also adds a tangy aspect and a bit of wild greenery to this po-boy. Cheddar jalapeno grits were full of creamy goodness (very few places in Wisconsin seem to be able to make grits), edamame also was a nice addition to a pretty decent meal.
Drew tried the West route; pulled pork, the much touted house pickles, and fries. He was not as thrilled with his selection. The pork was boring, the pickles were a bit too much for one person, and fries are...fries.He is determined to try it again. The place was also completely dead at 6pm, during happy hour. In downtown Madison. Thats not a good sign. While I enjoyed my food much more than Drew, I don't feel the need to try it again. I also don't think this one may be around much longer.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Beer Travel Atlanta
Plenty of articles have been written in the past couple of years touting Atlanta as a beer destination, so I'll add my two cents as a former resident who has recently visited and noticed some more great changes.
My old stomping ground of Decatur, just a little East of the city, its own little microcosmos of walkable areas, shopping, food, and a hip but not too hip or too rich vibe. Old couples mingle with young gay couples with kids, kids and dogs alike enjoying the festivals and festival atmosphere of the weekends. Here lies the legendary Brick Store pub, which was tough to get into most nights when we lived there- and now impossible. But who won't wait for an insane amount of Belgian and craft beers the world over? We probably stumbled from there every other week trying a different beer. Owned by the same parties, Leon's Full Service is a step up food-wise focusing on local food (a welcome change we have noticed since we left). The shrimp gyro was a solid selection; shrimp were sweet, succulent and not overcooked, the tang of the yogurt worked well with the red onion pickle. The frites with your choice of 'sauces' proved boring- make that curry thicker and the frites meatier and you will have the perfect bar food. The smaller but stellar beer selection was good enough to please die-hard BSP fans.
Also in Decatur, another old hangout of ours: Thinking Man Tavern which has kept its fairly decent pub grub menu (I'm a fan of the house made veggie burgers) and has also kept its better than average beer selection. This visit, I noticed that they had the much hyped Life & Limb in the bottle. Score! Since I missed out on various tappings in Madison (if we had any) and any stores that may have had it would have sold in in about two minutes given the ravenous beer geeks here in Madison. Its a dark brown malty beer with hints of earth, smoke and a good amount of sweet syrup and root beer flavors. Very complex and well crafted, a slightly bitter malty finish balances the sweetness in this full bodied beer with well hidden alcohol. Believe the hype, this is a very drinkable beer with every sip reminding you that two master brewers collaborated on this one.
With local brewers Sweetwater, and Athens-based Terrapin actually being heard of outside of the South and local beer superbars Taco Mac; local beers are coming up in the beer world. Smaller brewpubs are growing with 5 Seasons now has three locations, and oldie Atlanta Brewing Company is still kicking it old school. Festivals like the Winter Beer Carnival are popping up along with the long-time worst organized fest: the Decatur Beer Festival. (*note: maybe they have fixed it since we attempted the fest in 2007 I hear they do pre-sales finally; no parking, no line organization, running out of beer, tiny cramped space, putting it right in the middle of a busy area)
Atlanta also seems to have enough beer geeks to warrant the at least four cases of Founder's Nemesis I spied in the mid-level liquor store, but not enough geekiness to have sold out of it unlike Madison which sold out in less than two days. (*note: I do know of one place in Madison that has a single case of Nemesis still but its on hold due to computer glitches)
Unvisited but new: Westside beer store Hop City perhaps a contender against the all-powerful Ponce Green's for beer heaven?
My old stomping ground of Decatur, just a little East of the city, its own little microcosmos of walkable areas, shopping, food, and a hip but not too hip or too rich vibe. Old couples mingle with young gay couples with kids, kids and dogs alike enjoying the festivals and festival atmosphere of the weekends. Here lies the legendary Brick Store pub, which was tough to get into most nights when we lived there- and now impossible. But who won't wait for an insane amount of Belgian and craft beers the world over? We probably stumbled from there every other week trying a different beer. Owned by the same parties, Leon's Full Service is a step up food-wise focusing on local food (a welcome change we have noticed since we left). The shrimp gyro was a solid selection; shrimp were sweet, succulent and not overcooked, the tang of the yogurt worked well with the red onion pickle. The frites with your choice of 'sauces' proved boring- make that curry thicker and the frites meatier and you will have the perfect bar food. The smaller but stellar beer selection was good enough to please die-hard BSP fans.
Also in Decatur, another old hangout of ours: Thinking Man Tavern which has kept its fairly decent pub grub menu (I'm a fan of the house made veggie burgers) and has also kept its better than average beer selection. This visit, I noticed that they had the much hyped Life & Limb in the bottle. Score! Since I missed out on various tappings in Madison (if we had any) and any stores that may have had it would have sold in in about two minutes given the ravenous beer geeks here in Madison. Its a dark brown malty beer with hints of earth, smoke and a good amount of sweet syrup and root beer flavors. Very complex and well crafted, a slightly bitter malty finish balances the sweetness in this full bodied beer with well hidden alcohol. Believe the hype, this is a very drinkable beer with every sip reminding you that two master brewers collaborated on this one.With local brewers Sweetwater, and Athens-based Terrapin actually being heard of outside of the South and local beer superbars Taco Mac; local beers are coming up in the beer world. Smaller brewpubs are growing with 5 Seasons now has three locations, and oldie Atlanta Brewing Company is still kicking it old school. Festivals like the Winter Beer Carnival are popping up along with the long-time worst organized fest: the Decatur Beer Festival. (*note: maybe they have fixed it since we attempted the fest in 2007 I hear they do pre-sales finally; no parking, no line organization, running out of beer, tiny cramped space, putting it right in the middle of a busy area)
Atlanta also seems to have enough beer geeks to warrant the at least four cases of Founder's Nemesis I spied in the mid-level liquor store, but not enough geekiness to have sold out of it unlike Madison which sold out in less than two days. (*note: I do know of one place in Madison that has a single case of Nemesis still but its on hold due to computer glitches)
Unvisited but new: Westside beer store Hop City perhaps a contender against the all-powerful Ponce Green's for beer heaven?
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Minnepolis in two days
When better to visit the Twin Cities? Thanksgiving. Thats right; the possibility of being in one of the coldest cities in America keeps the wimps away late November. Plus that whole holiday thing.
First stop on the way in: St Paul and the Happy Gnome. Go for the beer, stay for the beer. I will give props to the bison/elk/bacon burger of meatastic-ness but the rest of the food was nothing to blog about.
Stay at uber hip W Foshay, the art deco building oozes cool and the room's swank mini-bar (that we did not touch), made me wish I had worn something a little more...gangster moll. The Prohibition bar way up top was great for views and atmosphere, but light on cocktail snobbery.
Saffron, a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern restaurant in downtown, is where we ended up for dinner. Splitting delicately spiced small plates we sampled anchovies with harissa and preserved lemon, and kofta meatballs in tomato/mint sauce. Both we packed full of fresh and balanced flavors, the anchovies were a real hit- the preserved lemon cutting right through the oily fat of the fish and the earthy spice of the harissa. We then moved onto the lamb carpaccio and fresh beans with lemon and dill. The lamb and a wonderful combination of sweet fatty flavors with a hint of wildness and tart acidity. The beans were nice, nothing to write home about.
Located in the Graves Hotel is cocktail nirvana. Bradstreet Crafthouse is the kind of place you take someone who knows cocktails. Really knows cocktails. An inventive menu, classics and twists, attention to technique, glassware, house made bitters/syrups/etc all served to make this place truly at the pinnacle of the resurgence in the art of the cocktail. I could have watched all night. They even had specific shaped and sizes of ice for various drinks. My best cocktail was one created on the spot- he did a little twist on a Manhattan involving a dropper of Laphraoig and a spruce flavored liquor. I still dream of this place.
Breakfast at Hell's Kitchen. All kitsch, no bite. I guess its cool to be served by surly hungover hipsters in their jammies, and Ralph Steadman does some art for the place; but that does not make the food any better than any other urban diner.
Getting our sushi and ramen fix, we headed over to St. Paul for Saji Ya. Pretty sweet house ramen, and the lunch box special was satisfactory as well.
The last stop before we left the Twin Cities was a beer store located in the burbs. A good well rounded selection of imports, local and domestics. Nothing outrageously hard to find, but I was pleased to see that the beers was organized by style and not geography. This a great way educate and help people find beers similar to ones they already like. It encourages people to expand beer horizons!
Thus stocked at the Four Firkins, we headed back to Wisconsin well fed, having slept in a swank hotel, and with beer. The Pilgrims would have been proud.
First stop on the way in: St Paul and the Happy Gnome. Go for the beer, stay for the beer. I will give props to the bison/elk/bacon burger of meatastic-ness but the rest of the food was nothing to blog about.
Stay at uber hip W Foshay, the art deco building oozes cool and the room's swank mini-bar (that we did not touch), made me wish I had worn something a little more...gangster moll. The Prohibition bar way up top was great for views and atmosphere, but light on cocktail snobbery.
Saffron, a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern restaurant in downtown, is where we ended up for dinner. Splitting delicately spiced small plates we sampled anchovies with harissa and preserved lemon, and kofta meatballs in tomato/mint sauce. Both we packed full of fresh and balanced flavors, the anchovies were a real hit- the preserved lemon cutting right through the oily fat of the fish and the earthy spice of the harissa. We then moved onto the lamb carpaccio and fresh beans with lemon and dill. The lamb and a wonderful combination of sweet fatty flavors with a hint of wildness and tart acidity. The beans were nice, nothing to write home about.
Located in the Graves Hotel is cocktail nirvana. Bradstreet Crafthouse is the kind of place you take someone who knows cocktails. Really knows cocktails. An inventive menu, classics and twists, attention to technique, glassware, house made bitters/syrups/etc all served to make this place truly at the pinnacle of the resurgence in the art of the cocktail. I could have watched all night. They even had specific shaped and sizes of ice for various drinks. My best cocktail was one created on the spot- he did a little twist on a Manhattan involving a dropper of Laphraoig and a spruce flavored liquor. I still dream of this place.
Breakfast at Hell's Kitchen. All kitsch, no bite. I guess its cool to be served by surly hungover hipsters in their jammies, and Ralph Steadman does some art for the place; but that does not make the food any better than any other urban diner.
Getting our sushi and ramen fix, we headed over to St. Paul for Saji Ya. Pretty sweet house ramen, and the lunch box special was satisfactory as well.
The last stop before we left the Twin Cities was a beer store located in the burbs. A good well rounded selection of imports, local and domestics. Nothing outrageously hard to find, but I was pleased to see that the beers was organized by style and not geography. This a great way educate and help people find beers similar to ones they already like. It encourages people to expand beer horizons!
Thus stocked at the Four Firkins, we headed back to Wisconsin well fed, having slept in a swank hotel, and with beer. The Pilgrims would have been proud.
Monday, November 30, 2009
More than snooty Ikea food
Our first (and not last) trip to Magnus was a full-service experience from great cocktails to wonderful service. Nice decor, the main dining room was open with a high ceiling and well lit.
Starting with cocktails, I had the Finn's #7 cup, a re-imagined Pimm's cup with local Death's Door gin, dry vermouth, Lillet, St. Germain in an old fashioned glass with apple and cucumber slivers as garnish. Very tart and refreshing, my kind of drink! Drew's Uptown Julep was sweet and tasty, with Bulliet bourbon, mint and a frosted rim in a martini glass.
Our first plates included a good deal of pickled things (apropos?). The Norwegian sausage and duck ham with pickled cabbage, cornichons and truffle mustard was a good marriage of flavors from fats to sweet to sour. Then the pickled herring, salmon, and shrimp with egg creme fraiche and cucumbers gave us even more pickled goodness. The seafood was all fresh and tart, the clean cucumbers and sweet/creamy creme fraiche bookending the flavors perfectly.
Our entrees were also winners; mine was the cardamom crusted sirloin with black currants, truffled cauliflower puree and spinach. The truffled cauliflower puree and spinach became a bit heavy-handed as the meal wore on as is often the case with truffle anything but the richness served as a good foil to the lean sirloin. The cardamom and currants worked well together, the cardamom never overpowering or too menthol. Currants are a good fruit for beef, they are not too sweet but slightly earthy, and they hold up to cooking.
Drew's cocoa nib wild boar tenderloin with wild mushrooms, pea puree and fig syrup was a study in decadent fatty/sweet flavors. When I tasted it, I felt that more pea puree was needed to balance the dish, the figs and cocoa were pretty strong. Overall it worked well because the pork was leaner and more gamey than your average loin or chop, the 'wildness' of the boar accentuated the wildness of the cocoa.
Dessert options looked incredibly boring, how many flourless chocolate cakes can one town have? So we went with savory over sweet; the jarlsberg cheese tart mixed salty/barnyard cheese with crunchy dough and sweet ligonberries.
Magnus has portion sizes and flavor combinations down. The dessert menu was the only flaw, but the menu is seasonal! We were well pleased by the fancy Ikea food.
Starting with cocktails, I had the Finn's #7 cup, a re-imagined Pimm's cup with local Death's Door gin, dry vermouth, Lillet, St. Germain in an old fashioned glass with apple and cucumber slivers as garnish. Very tart and refreshing, my kind of drink! Drew's Uptown Julep was sweet and tasty, with Bulliet bourbon, mint and a frosted rim in a martini glass.
Our first plates included a good deal of pickled things (apropos?). The Norwegian sausage and duck ham with pickled cabbage, cornichons and truffle mustard was a good marriage of flavors from fats to sweet to sour. Then the pickled herring, salmon, and shrimp with egg creme fraiche and cucumbers gave us even more pickled goodness. The seafood was all fresh and tart, the clean cucumbers and sweet/creamy creme fraiche bookending the flavors perfectly.
Our entrees were also winners; mine was the cardamom crusted sirloin with black currants, truffled cauliflower puree and spinach. The truffled cauliflower puree and spinach became a bit heavy-handed as the meal wore on as is often the case with truffle anything but the richness served as a good foil to the lean sirloin. The cardamom and currants worked well together, the cardamom never overpowering or too menthol. Currants are a good fruit for beef, they are not too sweet but slightly earthy, and they hold up to cooking.
Drew's cocoa nib wild boar tenderloin with wild mushrooms, pea puree and fig syrup was a study in decadent fatty/sweet flavors. When I tasted it, I felt that more pea puree was needed to balance the dish, the figs and cocoa were pretty strong. Overall it worked well because the pork was leaner and more gamey than your average loin or chop, the 'wildness' of the boar accentuated the wildness of the cocoa.
Dessert options looked incredibly boring, how many flourless chocolate cakes can one town have? So we went with savory over sweet; the jarlsberg cheese tart mixed salty/barnyard cheese with crunchy dough and sweet ligonberries.
Magnus has portion sizes and flavor combinations down. The dessert menu was the only flaw, but the menu is seasonal! We were well pleased by the fancy Ikea food.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Beer and Chocolate!
A recent beer and chocolate tasting at my local Whole Foods yielded some cool results. Along with the usual suspects: Stout, fruit beers, creme brulee....a few interesting pairings were revealed. Both. good and bad
Ayinger Oktoberfest with its intense/nutty Munich malt and smooth drinkability paired well with a 365 milk chocolate hazelnut bar. Both are mild nutty flavors with a hint of smooth/rich decadence. This pairing, I'll look forward to next year when the Marzens are 'in season'.
Lake Louie Arena Premium, a US Pale Ale with its typical US hop balance, bitterness, malt backbone, and palate cleansing action paired extremely well with a 365 dark chocolate mint bar. The hop heavy flavors in a US pale tend to be on the citrus/pine/resin side, the min and hops complemented each other and added a minty fresh dimension to the beer. Since the bitter dark chocolate fed the bitter hops, the overall effect was that the bitterness increased in both, and the mint was stronger with the bar but was 'cleaned' off a bit by the hops in the beer and the voerall carbonation and body of the style.
Stone Smoked Porter with the Vosges Moe's Bacon bar- match made in heaven. Bacon, beer, chocolate, smoke- a bacon beer would have been too much but the chocolate in the porter is always a hit when paired with actual chocolate.
Not a fan of the overly sweet and cloying desert beer, Southern Tier's Creme Brulee (I know, heresy) but the extreme caramel lactose sweetness was actually cut by the Whole Foods bakery bittersweet flourless chocolate cake. Taken in small amounts, I could do this beer as long as I had something substantial and bitter to cut it.
Ale Asylum's Trippel Nova was overshadowed by the chocolate covered ginger (bulk). The ginger itself tasted great with the Trippel, the spices from the yeast spiced up the ginger and gave it a great kick, and the sweetness from the candi sugar and Pils malt added to the richness of the chocolate. Sadly, while the ginger confection fared well, the Trippel wilted. By itself, the seasonal beer from one of my favorite local breweries was low on hop balance and high on fruity sweet and spice: not a favorite.
Another nice pairing was the oak-aged milk stout Dragon's Milk by New Holland with the Ben and Jerry's Smores ice cream. The oak aged beer complemented the woody smores, the milk and chocolate in the stout were prefect with their milk and chocolate counterparts with the smores ice cream.
Ayinger Oktoberfest with its intense/nutty Munich malt and smooth drinkability paired well with a 365 milk chocolate hazelnut bar. Both are mild nutty flavors with a hint of smooth/rich decadence. This pairing, I'll look forward to next year when the Marzens are 'in season'.
Lake Louie Arena Premium, a US Pale Ale with its typical US hop balance, bitterness, malt backbone, and palate cleansing action paired extremely well with a 365 dark chocolate mint bar. The hop heavy flavors in a US pale tend to be on the citrus/pine/resin side, the min and hops complemented each other and added a minty fresh dimension to the beer. Since the bitter dark chocolate fed the bitter hops, the overall effect was that the bitterness increased in both, and the mint was stronger with the bar but was 'cleaned' off a bit by the hops in the beer and the voerall carbonation and body of the style.
Stone Smoked Porter with the Vosges Moe's Bacon bar- match made in heaven. Bacon, beer, chocolate, smoke- a bacon beer would have been too much but the chocolate in the porter is always a hit when paired with actual chocolate.
Not a fan of the overly sweet and cloying desert beer, Southern Tier's Creme Brulee (I know, heresy) but the extreme caramel lactose sweetness was actually cut by the Whole Foods bakery bittersweet flourless chocolate cake. Taken in small amounts, I could do this beer as long as I had something substantial and bitter to cut it.
Ale Asylum's Trippel Nova was overshadowed by the chocolate covered ginger (bulk). The ginger itself tasted great with the Trippel, the spices from the yeast spiced up the ginger and gave it a great kick, and the sweetness from the candi sugar and Pils malt added to the richness of the chocolate. Sadly, while the ginger confection fared well, the Trippel wilted. By itself, the seasonal beer from one of my favorite local breweries was low on hop balance and high on fruity sweet and spice: not a favorite.
Another nice pairing was the oak-aged milk stout Dragon's Milk by New Holland with the Ben and Jerry's Smores ice cream. The oak aged beer complemented the woody smores, the milk and chocolate in the stout were prefect with their milk and chocolate counterparts with the smores ice cream.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Sweet ass beer and cheese pairing
After an Herve Mons cheese flight a few days ago by one of my favorite cheese lecturers, I imagined that the Tommette du Tarn with its earthy, tart, musty, sweaty, nutty flavor would be awesome with New Glarus's Berliner Weisse. The Berliner Weisse is a very sour, effervescent, lightly citrusy/floral, refreshing champagne-like beer. Light bodied, perfect for summer and perfect for a strong smelly cheese like the Tarn. I also tried the La Serena raw sheep's milk, it is also tart, smelly, sweaty, barny, slightly grassy/floral, mushroomy. The La Serena also warmed up and became even more creamy and smelly. Perfect.
We ate it so fast that I couldn't even get pictures.
We ate it so fast that I couldn't even get pictures.
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