Cooking With Beer: Pale Ale Grilled Cheese

Ever since the wife and I (oh yeah, I got married - there was a lot of beer involved) bought a house last June, I've been doing a lot of cooking. Luckily, I also happen to have a lot of beer around the house so it has been making its way into many of the recipes. The latest attempt at culinary prowess was last night's Brown Butter Grilled Beer Cheese, a recipe a nabbed from The Beeroness. Her site has a vast collection of beer-infused recipes which include some fantastic photography as well. I've tried my hand at a few of her recipes and they've all been delicious so make sure you bookmark that site. This grilled cheese was such a success that I thought I'd try to get back into the habit of writing here and share the recipe. I swapped out the mozzarella for a heaping of pepper jack instead and used some of Lagunitas' New DogTown Pale Ale for the spread. The cheese is a bit runny but it all came together quite gloriously with a bowl of homemade tomato soup. Check out the recipe below and thank me later.

Ingredients

• 6 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup Pale Ale
• 4 oz cheddar
• 8 slices bread
• 4 tbs butter

Directions

• In a blender or food processor add the cream cheese, mozzarella, cornstarch and beer. Blend until smooth, about 3 minutes. Spread the beer cheese generously onto 4 slices of bread. Top with about 2 tbs of cheddar and then top with a clean slice of bread.
• In a skillet with a lid melt the butter over medium heat (don't allow the butter to get too hot or it will burn) until just starting to turn a golden brown. Carefully add the sandwiches, and replace the lid allowing the sandwiches to steam in the pan until the underside is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the sandwiches, replace the lid and allow to cook until the other side is a light golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 3 additional minutes.

Cheers!

Adventures In Homebrewing: Front Porch Pale Ale

I've got to dry-hop more often.

I'm not one to boast but my Front Porch Pale Ale ended up having a really fantastic aroma thanks to those Amarillo and Cascade hops. I was a little nervous about trying out the technique and I'm not sure why. It's really quite simple and can improve your beer by leaps and bounds. I would be very interested to know what this beer would be like if I hadn't dry-hopped, I suspect I would be much less pleased.

If I were to give this one another shot I would try to get it a bit lighter in color. Maybe doing a late addition of the DME could have helped this because it turned out a bit more burnt orange while I was expecting/hoping for something a little more golden. This however is inconsequential to the taste. It's not anything mind-blowing but it achieved what I was hoping for, a fully flavored and hoppy pale ale with a more reserved ABV. It would have been much easier to brew a balls-to-the-wall IPA but I enjoyed the challenge of trying to find the balance here. That's not to say I'm opposed to a hop-monster but every beer has it's proper time and place.

I drew up this little label which represents exactly what I wanted to get out of this beer, something you can knock a few back while you rock back. Sometimes things are that simple.

Cheers!

Adventures In Homebrewing: Front Porch Pale

Sometimes you just have to have hops.

That's how I've felt lately and thus I came up with an IPA that will hopefully appease my hoppier desires. Shockingly, none of my solo brews have been hop forward and was really itching to explore some different varieties. The initial inspiration for this recipe was the Amarillo hop which has been gaining in popularity, and in my humble opinion, for very good reason. Amarillo has mid-level alpha acids which make it a pretty diverse hop but really shines when it's aromatics are brought out in full. I wanted to make an IPA full of the sweeter, fruitier, and citrus hops that I've come to know and love. Here's the recipe I ended up using after a brief hop addition mix-up, I got a little too excited and messed up my original schedule but I won't worry about that now:

Specialty Grains:

8 oz - Carapils
8 oz - Crystal 20L
DME:
6 lb - Munton's Light
Hops:
1/3 oz - Cascade (60 min)
1/2 oz - Saaz (60 min)
1/2 oz - Columbus (60 min)
1/2 oz - Amarillo (30 min)
1/3 oz - Columbus (30 min)
1/2 oz - Amarillo (5 min)
1/4 oz - Cascade (dry-hop)
1/2 oz - Amarillo (dry-hop)
Yeast:
Wyeast 1332: Northwest Ale

Brewday went as smoothly as I could hope despite it being my bright idea to brew in the middle of a heat-wave. Luckily I had some of Dogfish Head's Festina Peche in the fridge to remedy that. After 14 days fermentation seemed to be complete so this baby is now racked and I'm dry-hopping for the first time. I've gotten a lot better at being patient with my brewing but I'm still anxious as all hell to try this. The sample I tried when racking seemed to be on track with what I was expecting which is always reassuring.

My original gravity was on the lower side which really bugged me so going by style this might end up being more of a hoppy American pale ale and not exactly an IPA but that's just semantics at this point. I'm not brewing this for any competition so as long as it tastes good I'll be pleased. This batch got me thinking that I'd like to start all-grain brewing and get off the kitchen stove but I'm going to be taking baby steps. I've had great successes with extract stove-top brewing but I'd like to have a bit more control over the process. What have you all-grainers found to be the most difficult/rewarding differences?

Within a few weeks you will hopefully be reading a post about how delicious this turned out, in the mean time please pray to whatever fermentation God you trust in for me.

Cheers!

PBW Recap: East Meets West: Deschutes Dinner at London Grill

Getting to have my birthday in the middle of Beer Week sure does have some perks. My ever so generous girlfriend told me I could pick a beer dinner to go to for my present, really a win-win for both of us. The Deschutes Brewing Co. dinner hosted by London Grill stood out to me as I was browsing the PBW website and so my decision had been made. This sought after brewery is only available in the area during beer week so I figured I couldn't pass it up.

After making the foolish mistake of attempting to find street parking off of Fairmount Ave., we eventually ended up in the parking lot. We had arrived an hour before the dinner for what was billed as the 'reception' which featured some small appetizers and the like but the place was packed with regular happy hour folk and we didn't get to indulge in everything. Getting a beer became quite a chore as well but working in a six-pack shop I've made some friends with some people in the industry so luckily a Muller guy was able to get us a couple beers but even he had some trouble.

Now Ex-Deschutes Brewing Co. Brewmaster, Larry Sidor

My first taste of Deschutes was their Inversion IPA, a wonderfully subtle take on the style. Boldly hoppy without being overpowering or overly bitter, just a really well balanced beer. We did manage to snag some of the smoked salmon schmear going around at this point, after a long day at work we were both pretty content with just this. Before dinner got under way I had a smaller glass of their Twilight Summer Ale, a light and refreshing beer with a strong malt backbone. I remember it being pretty crisp with just a bit of citrus hoppiness to round things off. Pleasant enough but just not something I would usually go for. At this point I got to meet Jason who runs the brewery's Twitter account, an amusing encounter since he had falsely informed me earlier in the day that tickets for The Forum of the Gods were still available when in reality they had sold out a few days before. But enough schmoozing, onto the dinner!

Everyone settled into their seats and the big-wigs of the event were introduced, mainly Deschutes' brewmaster, Larry Sidor. Oddly enough he announced he was leaving the brewery to start his own just a few days after this event. I'm thinking he didn't want to miss out on all the Beer Week fun so he held off on the announcement but that's just my theory. First up on the menu was a locavore salad with a passionfruit vinaigrette made with their Mirror Pond Pale Ale. Now I have no idea what 'locavore' actually means but I don't really care either, I'm a salad kinda guy and this was one of the better ones I've had. This was of course served with a Mirror Pond Pale Ale, a full-bodied and piney pale ale that works that delicate balance between hops and malts just right. At the start of a big meal like this it was just mild enough.

Next on the menu was a soft shell crab, something I've never had before and still don't fully realize why some people "freak out" about. I didn't find it that odd to be eating the whole thing, in fact it was delicious and could have had another. Served on top of some coconut jasmine rice, I was a big fan of this dish. This was paired with two beers, the first being their Obsidion Stout. While I'm no sommelier by any stretch of the imagination, this pairing seemed a bit odd to me. No matter though, the beer was so fantastic it could have been paired with Easy Mac and I wouldn't have said a word. Dark roasted coffee is the prominent player here with an emphasis on the roasted part. A very deep stout with just enough hops to give it a bitter finish but nothing too aggressive, the chocolatey espresso flavors were the focus here and I loved it. They also brought out Hop In The Dark, Deschutes' "Cascadian Dark Ale" or a black IPA or whatever you call it in your neck of the woods. I don't care how popular this style might be right now, I always look forward to trying a new one. This one had a fantastic nose to it, lots of tropical fruits and grapefruity hops. The flavors pretty much followed suit but with a well rounded chocolate malt presence as well. These two beers were my definite favorites of the whole evening.

The next course however was the standout amongst the food, Black Butte braised Goat Mole served on top of a corn arepa and a dollop of goat cheese to top it off, paired with a Black Butte Porter. I have to say, my ladyfriend really has to walk me through food like this, I had no idea what I was getting into in that department. Basically this was the most savory version of pulled pork I've ever had, although it was goat...not pork. If you know me well then you are well aware of my affection for such dishes so I was clearly in a good place throughout this course...I don't think I said too much during it. Not to be completely outdone, the porter was richly sweet and creamy. I got some cocoa and brown sugar out of it which worked wonders with the mole, another food word I don't understand. I could go on about the wonders of goat but I'll spare you.

Last on the menu was of course, dessert...and a little beer called The Abyss. I wasn't a huge fan of the dessert, ginger gelato with Abyss caramel and a lychee berry on top. It was so rich I had a hard time enjoying it, I'm sure I'm offending some foodies out there but I honestly didn't eat very much of it at all. The beer, however, more than made up for it. The Abyss lives up to its name, pitch black with oak and chocolate dominating the aroma, with a hint of booze coming through as well. Dark fruits and molasses, smoke and wood, coffee and bourbon...this imperial stout has it all! Luckily for me Meridith isn't the biggest fan of this style so I basically got two helpings of it which I gladly took advantage of. This was the only way the dinner could have ended, a top notch beer that lived up to the hype.

This was most definitely one of the best beer events I have been to. Despite the confusion in the beginning, everything else fell into place and I'm pretty sure everyone had a great time. Even the fact that there were people whom I had interviewed with in the past (obviously not very successfully) could not deter from the night. Getting to talk to Larry Sidor for a few moments was also a real treat, a very friendly and down to earth guy who clearly loves what he does...who wouldn't? Of course the question of coming to Philadelphia was raised and was shot down with the skill of someone who had surely been asked the same question hundreds of time but when that time comes I'll be ready for it.

Cheers!

PS: I have to mention that even when London Grill isn't hosting a beer dinner or other event, it's an awesome corner bar with a very nice selection of rotating taps. They've also got some rather handy happy hour deals as well so if you are ever in the Art Museum/Fairmount area be sure to stop in!

Also, I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I did not come home with a Deschutes glass of any kind. I suppose I just was not on my game. I did however get a pretty cool leather Deschutes coaster which I had never seen before. It'll do.

PBW Recap: Saturday in Northern Liberties: Part 1

As prior engagements prevented me from going to Opening Tap on Friday night, Beer Week 2011 started for me on Saturday. With a couple friends coming in from out of town (one who had spent the past 6 months in Spain) it was quite serendipitous that there was plenty for us to do in the city. We had decided that we would plant ourselves in Northern Liberties/Fishtown for the day instead of trekking all over, sometimes limiting your options during Beer Week just makes life easier.

Photo courtesy of Stephen Lyford

First up was Johnny Brenda's "it's a FiRKin RiOT!" for some real ale and lunch. Despite the fact that I had passed this place countless times driving to and from Temple over the past 5 years I had never once stepped foot inside. The British inspired event featured over 15 firkins that would be tapped over the course of the day, some standard English menu items, and of course UK rock blasting all day long. It was tough deciding which brew to go with since so many were  quite rare but I opted for the Dock Street Curried OMG Pale Ale first. We had this beer on tap at work and I had really enjoyed it so I was expecting to love this incarnation but didn't get too much out of it. I was expecting the curry to come through a lot stronger than it had but still...a damn fine beer to have on a humid day sitting outside as we were.

I've been on a bit of a hummus kick lately so Meridith and I had to give thier plate a taste which was really fantastic, I could've scarfed it all down by myself. The obvious choice for lunch however was the fish and chips complete with a cup of vinegar, just the perfect meal for the occasion. We were there a little on the earlier side and some of the firkins that I was initially looking forward to wouldn't be tapped until later so I went with one I had already had, Flying Fish's Wild Rice Double IPA, Exit 16. A little lighter in appearance than most DIPA's but it doesn't hold back in the flavor department. Medium bodied, grapefruity, hoppy, and deceptively smooth, this is one of the best beers Flying Fish has ever made so if you happen to see it out at any point you'd better order up! We couldn't stick around too long so it was farewell to the folks at Johnny Brenda's although I was a bit disappointed I was missing Victory's Yakima Glory firkin. I also wish they had been pouring full pints from the firkins, I don't think the Brits would have appreciated the smaller serving sizes...just saying.

Photo courtesy of Standard Tap

We made our  way to Standard Tap were the annual Kingpin contest was already underway where everyone's favorite local breweries compete to see who can kick their pin first. This year's lineup included Yards Brawler, Troegs Hopback, Sly Fox Phoenix Pale Ale, Philadelphia Brewing Kenzinger, Dock Street Summer Session, Flying Fish Exit 11, and my personal choice, Weyerbacher's version of a Black & Tan i.e. Double Simcoe IPA and Old Heathen Imperial Stout. Double Simcoe is possibly my favorite DIPA so I wasn't going to pass up this behemoth concoction which did not disappoint at all. While either one of those beers would have probably been too heavy for a mid-afternoon brew, combined they balanced each other out just fine. This seemed to be the crowd favorite and the most interesting choice there but I later found out that Dock Street ended up taking the grand prize, that Summer Session does go down quite easily so I'm not surprised. Pours from the firkins at Johnny Brenda's were $5 as they were at Kingpin, the difference being Standard Tap pouring full pints of local goodness...thanks for that.

It seemed like everyone was at least stopping by this event with reps from nearly all of the present breweries and other beer scene notables mingling about including the legendary Hammer Of Glory which I got an obligatory picture with...it's just something you need to do. Meridith wasn't too fond of the pin offerings but they had Weyerbacher Blanche (her favorite) on tap which made her happy while I snuck in a glass of Sly Fox's Saison VOS before we left to meet up with the rest of our group.

This was a good start to Beer Week 2011 and the day continued on with a few more stops before heading home but I'll save those for the next post.

Until then...cheers!

The Hulmeville's Glorious New Beer Garden

If you know anything about it me, you know I love myself some time at The Hulmeville Inn.

Simply put, it is the best damn bar in the area. I could go into a long essay about why that is but I'm not going to do that, if you are a respectable beer drinker who lives in vicinity then you already know why the Hulmeville is the bee's knees. Somehow though, owner Jeff Lavin and gang have made me fall into an even deeper love affair with the historic drinkery with the opening of their brand spanking new beer garden.

Without much fan-fare and after a couple delays, the Hulmeville's beer garden opened this past Saturday where Meridith and I were the first official patrons. With an all new grilled food menu and an impressive list of over 50 canned beers, the beer garden offers an entirely new experience for fans of the Bucks County classic. This will be a great change of pace from the dark and smokey innards of the Hulmeville which I love...but sometimes you just want to be outside. Once summer hits I can see myself spending quite a bit of time at one of the eight or so tables out-back amongst the fountains and tiki torches. It's going to be hard to pull myself away from this awesome addition.

Matt, the Hulmeville's longtime cook, had been teasing me with hints at the garden's new menu and it did not disappoint. On Saturday we started off with the chips and salsa which was made with Weyerbacher's Double Simcoe IPA which just happens to be one of my favorite IPA's around. As I browsed the menu, the grilled wings with Weyerbacher Insanity BBQ sauce was the obvious choice for my meal they were as delicious as they sound...especially paired with a Tallgrass Oasis. The girlfriend opted for the grilled chicken sandwich and an Avery White Rascal, admirable and something I will most likely be ordering myself. The rest of the menu looks quite tasty as well and I can't wait to give the rest of the new items a shot myself.

There was a pin of Sly Fox's Phoenix Pale Ale tapped in celebration of the garden's opening and was free while it lasted, what more did I need? The crew at the Hulmeville have really put a lot of effort into the beer garden and it shows. It is a must for any lover of craft beer. There is one thing that is a bit of a shame, as of now you will only be able to order from the list of cans and NOT from the 20 or so rotating taps inside which are often why I end up there in the first place. I suppose I'll be able to deal but perhaps they'll allow drafts if you use a plastic cup, we shall see.

The staff was equipped with iPone credit card swipers that sent a copy of your bill to your phone immediately, quite high tech for the down and dirty likes of the Hulmeville. It was kind of amusing to see Bruce, usually found yelling behind the bar, outside in the sun acting as concierge/waiter. They've pulled out all the stops folks. The beer garden will be open Thursday through Sunday for your outdoor drinking pleasure.

Get there...now...that is all.

Cheers!

Victory Turns 15 With Headwaters Pale Ale

Yesterday I made the much-longer-than-I-recalled trip to Downingtown for Victory's big Fifteen Years of Character Anniversary Party where their new year-round brew, Headwaters Pale Ale, would be flowing. The lively brewpub was the place to be yesterday for any local craft beer lover. I made my way through the crowd to the bar and proudly ordered a couple pints of Headwaters from the hand pump and toasted to one of the most consistently awesome breweries in the area.

I was thrilled to see that Victory was releasing an anniversary beer that would not require camping out at the brewery just to get a bottle or one that called for slow and steady drinking. Instead they've added a fully flavored and sessionable pale ale to their already solid year round line up to celebrate their fifteen years of brewing. This is a beer that will appeal to the masses, loved by hop heads and beer geeks but accessible to those who are little less adventurous. The two pints I had were both from the hand pump so I'm not sure how it is on tap or from the bottle but I really enjoyed this new brew. I can see myself really loving this once the weather warms up a bit. It is a golden pale with a creamy helping of head and a fresh and hoppy aroma to go with it. There was some underlying malty character that finishes up with a very light but noticeable hop bitterness, I loved the slight Citra presence at the end. Headwaters surprised me with some strong earthy flavors as well. It's clocking it around 5% ABV which is wonderful to see because you'll want more than just one of these. It's a uniquely satisfying pale ale, I especially enjoyed the balance that came out with the German malts. I for one can't wait to have some of these in my fridge, definitely a case-worthy brew.

There were tours given throughout the party so I was making my way up to the bar to order a pint of  Milltown Mild to take with me on the tour when I nearly dropped my glass, I hadn't noticed the bagpiper behind me who began playing without any sort of notice. He lead a small procession to an oak barrel of Headwaters that was ceremoniously tapped by Bill and Ron to great delight of every one there. Unfortunately I missed getting a pour from the barrel but the kilted bagpiper would suffice.

Our tour group had a very curious and enthusiastic senior citizen who really took advantage of the question portion but other than that entertaining addition it was a bit of disappointment, since they were actually brewing last night we couldn't get inside the hop cooler...possibly my favorite aspect of any brewery tour. After the tour there was a screening of the short film 'Fifteen Years of Character' which featured interviews with folks from Victory's early days as well as Sam Calagione and Greg Koch. Bill and Ron said a few words, everyone raised their glass, and then at this point I was starving and was dying for something from their throwback menu. I ended up with the Lombardy Pizza and a big soft pretzel which went quite harmoniously with some cask Hop Wallop.

 One of the highlights of the whole event was of course the gigantic cake designed and painstakingly put together by Victory Chef Lynn Tilyou. I got to talk to her a bit and her pride was just shining through. She wanted to create a cake that represented the entire brewing process...and also had beer running through it. Unfortunately she couldn't get real beer to run through since it would have foamed up too much but she succeeded in every other aspect. All of the structures were made out of rice krispie treats covered in fondant which rested on a massive cake split into three sections, chocolate, vanilla, and beer spice. Even the flames under the brew kettle were made out of melted candy sugar. After going through the whole process with me she did let me know that she actually did pour some HopDevil into the pitcher while her boss wasn't looking...the lady knows what she's doing. I had a slice of the delicious beer spice cake later and while I didn't even know that was an actual kind of cake, I left wanting to take some home with me.

There was also a short meet and greet with Bill and Ron who were signing some posters for the crowd. I figured I had to thank the two of them and let them know that the Victory Variety Case was really one of my first craft beer experiences. I usually credit HopDevil with being the first beer to open my eyes to the wonderful world of craft beer so I was grateful to get to meet the two guys behind it and so many beers that I love.

I'm so glad I decided to make the trip out to Victory yesterday, they know how to throw a party for beer lovers. They have so much to do with why I started seeking out interesting and higher quality beers and was glad to be there to celebrate with them. Headwaters should be out everywhere by the end of the week so make sure you give it a shot...I highly doubt you will be disappointed. Unlike most anniversary brews this one isn't going anywhere anytime soon so we all have plenty of time to enjoy it...a Victory in and of itself.

Cheers!