Yesterday I visited my older brother and his wife because I just adore them and felt like seeing them before I leave for Malawi this Friday. They had an appointment at the Apple store at the King of Prussia Mall for some uncooperative machines, so Kerin suggested going to Rock Bottom Brewery. The funny part was, they had decided on these plans before they remembered I was coming to visit. This worked out rather well for me!
Rock Bottom was great. Apparently this is a chain that is all over the place, and I would absolutely recommend it if you have one near you. We were there about 4.30PM on a Monday, so it was mostly empty, which was nice for our catching up purposes. It was Happy Hour, and the deals were pretty great: cheap pints, cheap appetizers. The food was mostly really good. Kerin had wings (which were apparently mediocre), Chris had seafood something or other (which he seemed pleased with), and we shared nachos (REALLY good) and fresh hot pretzels (which are brushed with beer and salted and really delicious).
And then there was the beer. Very enjoyable.
Kerin and I both had the Liquid Sun, which was an unfiltered wheat beer. It was like a dream come true to have a beer that I couldn't see through, that was made of wheat! Those are some of my favorite qualities in a beer that don't always go hand in hand. This was a good hefeweizen, though a little more bitter (less sweet) than I expected it to be. Still, quite nice.
Kerin continued with the Liquid Sun, but after we ate, I moved on to the Nevermore Lager, a German Schwarzbier. This was really dark and heavy, and tasted quite coffee-y. I liked it, but it was definitely heavy for having just housed a huge platter of nachos. This is a good beer to have for dessert.
Chris had their IPA and then an Amber Ale. I chose the latter for him because it was billed as being pretty malty, which I figured would be a good switch from the hoppiness of the IPA. However, stupidly, I did not taste either of these. What was I thinking? I mean, come on. Seriously. So perhaps he can let you know how they were, since apparently he's got this blog set up in his Google Reader? I was flattered to hear this. He gave me a crash course in how to use Google Reader and today I'm experimenting with it, but I don't have this blog in my own reader. Perhaps you do, though?
Colleen: 275
Paul: 270
Showing posts with label schwarzbier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label schwarzbier. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
(channeling my creativity toward my AAG presentation instead of a clever blog title right now...)
It's been a little busy for me as I prepare to go to the AAG Annual Meeting next week in Washington, where I'll be presenting some of my research to other geography nerds, attending other talks, and visiting with several friends in the D.C. Metro area. I've offered dinner and/or beer to my friends loaning me their couches and floors, as that's way cheaper than a hotel every night and it will just be nice to catch up with them anyway. Paul is included in that group of friends (thanks again!). I wonder if I'll be buying him beers he hasn't had before... stay tuned for a possible joint post next week!
In the meantime, I've tried a few things:
Saranac Adirondack Lager: very safe and drinkable, not much else to write home about. I think every time I've had a Saranac beer, they've been part of a mixed case. This would be the safety beer/crowd pleaser in the case.
Long Trail Double Bag: I bought this because I was amused by the name (the package features little cartoon cows) but didn't know until hours later that it was a "strong ale", which was written in a not particularly obvious place or size on the side of the 6-pack, not even on the bottles. This wasn't particularly thrilling, but it was a good beer.
Saranac Black Lager: This reminded me a lot of either Sam Adam's Black Lager or Magic Hat's Winter Howl. All three are very good! It's a schwarzbier (German for "black beer"), which is lager-y in weight but porter-y in flavor. Of those three, I'd say Saranac was the least strongly flavored (I recall the other two being very strong) but still outstanding. There are hints of coffee and chocolate in this beer. It was a good experience.
This helps me transition to a short blurb about that beer marinade recipe I like to use when grilling chicken for my family. The first time I ever did that, I used Magic Hat's Winter Howl. It went over well. So I made it a second time, which made it into this blog, with Dogfish Head's Indian Brown Ale. I made it last week with Yuengling, because it was in the fridge at home, and while it still went over well, my parents and little brother all agreed that they liked other versions better. Just thought I'd share that.
And the score is: 218-218... for now...
See you next week, Paul!
In the meantime, I've tried a few things:
Saranac Adirondack Lager: very safe and drinkable, not much else to write home about. I think every time I've had a Saranac beer, they've been part of a mixed case. This would be the safety beer/crowd pleaser in the case.
Long Trail Double Bag: I bought this because I was amused by the name (the package features little cartoon cows) but didn't know until hours later that it was a "strong ale", which was written in a not particularly obvious place or size on the side of the 6-pack, not even on the bottles. This wasn't particularly thrilling, but it was a good beer.
Saranac Black Lager: This reminded me a lot of either Sam Adam's Black Lager or Magic Hat's Winter Howl. All three are very good! It's a schwarzbier (German for "black beer"), which is lager-y in weight but porter-y in flavor. Of those three, I'd say Saranac was the least strongly flavored (I recall the other two being very strong) but still outstanding. There are hints of coffee and chocolate in this beer. It was a good experience.
This helps me transition to a short blurb about that beer marinade recipe I like to use when grilling chicken for my family. The first time I ever did that, I used Magic Hat's Winter Howl. It went over well. So I made it a second time, which made it into this blog, with Dogfish Head's Indian Brown Ale. I made it last week with Yuengling, because it was in the fridge at home, and while it still went over well, my parents and little brother all agreed that they liked other versions better. Just thought I'd share that.
And the score is: 218-218... for now...
See you next week, Paul!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
dinner with Dad
I'm at home today and Mom will be at work till late, so it's just Dad and me for dinner. I was out running miscellaneous other errands across the street from a liquor store, so I decided I would make him beer marinaded grilled chicken. I made it once before for the family and received positive reviews, so I took the excuse to try something new.
I usually keep a short list in my wallet of beers I haven't tried, but the list was gone, so I found myself walking back and forth along the beer cases, staring, brainstorming, for a few minutes. I was standing by the case of 22oz beers near the door when a man came in who stared at the beers similar to the way I was. He said something about looking for a beer to marinade sausage that he wanted to grill tonight, and that he had just read somewhere that hoppy beers supposedly are good for preventing prostate cancer for men, so he was looking for an IPA. He ended up taking something entirely different, but that idea got added to my brainstorming, and I ended up leaving with a six pack of Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale.
Before I discuss this further, my marinade recipe:
1 cup beer
1/2 cup soy sauce (we use the low sodium kind in our house, having grown up without a lot of salt in my mom's cooking, we're pretty sensitive to it)
a tablespoon or so of oil (last time I used canola, this time, olive)
2 cloves garlic (1 heaping teaspoon of the jarred minced kind)
1 tablespoon chopped onion (I'm a little more generous than that)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
You shouldn't marinade chicken for more than a few hours because it starts to break down proteins and whatnot. Grill it till it's not pink in the middle. Serve it to your favorite omnivores or carnivores (for those who don't know I'm a vegetarian). Tonight I'll be serving it up with a baked potato and some bean and corn chili.
Last time I made this, I used Magic Hat's Howl Winter Seasonal, a dark lager. I enjoyed drinking the leftovers-- definitely a strong flavor, almost like a porter, but drank light a lager, fairly light. As a marinade, even my picky eater little brother gave it a thumbs up and welcomed a repeat performance.
So this time, the Indian Brown Ale. I just finished making the marinade and there are some chicken boobies bathing in it in our fridge now. I drank the remaining 4 oz from the bottle I opened with high hopes of finding something similar to the Backdraft Brown Ale that Paul and I periodically refer to (we tried it together at Crystal City Sports Pub when I visited Northern Virginia). The Backdraft is one of the most bangin' beers I've ever had. It's dark, but not heavy. Malty, but not too sweet. Really, really good. I have found nothing like it since, but keep trying brown ales in hopes of finding something more readily accessible.
So today, Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale. Definitely a reputable brewer. I'm definitely tasting something nice under the hops-- the label did warn me that the brew is well-hopped, which I'm not generally into, not there's a nice brown ale under there, malty and smooth. The hops aren't even that bad. I don't totally dread finishing the six pack, though I may be inclined to share it with friends who may appreciate hops more.
As far as how the chicken goes, you'll have to ask my dad.
I was curious about the hops/prostate cancer thing, so I looked it up, and found the following:
Hope for Guys: Beer ingredient eyed in prostate cancer prevention
Beer can prevent prostate, breast cancers
Why beer is the latest hope in fight against cancer
Interesting. Well, that puts me at 190 to Paul's 172, and hopefully Dad enjoys dinner. I will enjoy my chili and potato, thank you, perhaps with another bottle of this Indian Brown Ale.
I usually keep a short list in my wallet of beers I haven't tried, but the list was gone, so I found myself walking back and forth along the beer cases, staring, brainstorming, for a few minutes. I was standing by the case of 22oz beers near the door when a man came in who stared at the beers similar to the way I was. He said something about looking for a beer to marinade sausage that he wanted to grill tonight, and that he had just read somewhere that hoppy beers supposedly are good for preventing prostate cancer for men, so he was looking for an IPA. He ended up taking something entirely different, but that idea got added to my brainstorming, and I ended up leaving with a six pack of Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale.
Before I discuss this further, my marinade recipe:
1 cup beer
1/2 cup soy sauce (we use the low sodium kind in our house, having grown up without a lot of salt in my mom's cooking, we're pretty sensitive to it)
a tablespoon or so of oil (last time I used canola, this time, olive)
2 cloves garlic (1 heaping teaspoon of the jarred minced kind)
1 tablespoon chopped onion (I'm a little more generous than that)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
You shouldn't marinade chicken for more than a few hours because it starts to break down proteins and whatnot. Grill it till it's not pink in the middle. Serve it to your favorite omnivores or carnivores (for those who don't know I'm a vegetarian). Tonight I'll be serving it up with a baked potato and some bean and corn chili.
Last time I made this, I used Magic Hat's Howl Winter Seasonal, a dark lager. I enjoyed drinking the leftovers-- definitely a strong flavor, almost like a porter, but drank light a lager, fairly light. As a marinade, even my picky eater little brother gave it a thumbs up and welcomed a repeat performance.
So this time, the Indian Brown Ale. I just finished making the marinade and there are some chicken boobies bathing in it in our fridge now. I drank the remaining 4 oz from the bottle I opened with high hopes of finding something similar to the Backdraft Brown Ale that Paul and I periodically refer to (we tried it together at Crystal City Sports Pub when I visited Northern Virginia). The Backdraft is one of the most bangin' beers I've ever had. It's dark, but not heavy. Malty, but not too sweet. Really, really good. I have found nothing like it since, but keep trying brown ales in hopes of finding something more readily accessible.
So today, Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale. Definitely a reputable brewer. I'm definitely tasting something nice under the hops-- the label did warn me that the brew is well-hopped, which I'm not generally into, not there's a nice brown ale under there, malty and smooth. The hops aren't even that bad. I don't totally dread finishing the six pack, though I may be inclined to share it with friends who may appreciate hops more.
As far as how the chicken goes, you'll have to ask my dad.
I was curious about the hops/prostate cancer thing, so I looked it up, and found the following:
Hope for Guys: Beer ingredient eyed in prostate cancer prevention
Beer can prevent prostate, breast cancers
Why beer is the latest hope in fight against cancer
Interesting. Well, that puts me at 190 to Paul's 172, and hopefully Dad enjoys dinner. I will enjoy my chili and potato, thank you, perhaps with another bottle of this Indian Brown Ale.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
a toast to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thanks to a long weekend including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday (Observed) party and another Monday out with friends, I have quite a few new interesting beers to report.
Wells & Young, Ltd.'s Banana Bread Beer: This sounds questionable, doesn't it? It's surprisingly amazing though, assuming you like beer and banana bread. Despite the presence of some artificial flavors (in addition to REAL fair trade bananas!), it smells like actual banana bread, not some sort of fake banana candy. And it tastes awesome-- not necessarily like liquid banana bread so much as, you're drinking a nice beer while sitting in the company of fresh, delicious banana bread. Kudos to Tom to picking that one off the liquor store shelf for me.
Sam Adams Blackberry Witbier: While I'm not usually into fruit beers, this was pretty pleasant. The blackberry isn't too strong or fake tasting, and it's over a nice witbier.
Sam Adams Black Lager: This one was more up my alley. It's a lager that tastes more like a porter. It has a really strong flavor, largely chocolate, but goes down more lightly, like the lager that it actually is. Good stuff. That Samuel Adams, so reputable (with only a very few exceptions)!
Lancaster Rare Rooster Rye Ale: My friend Jeremy held this one aside for me to add to my list, though warned me he couldn't speak to its quality. The first sip tasted something like old rye bread with paint on it. Worried that it had turned, I handed it back to Jeremy, who tasted it and told me it was exactly the same as when he bought it. I kind of wonder how long the beer had been sitting, but he recommended that I generally avoid Lancaster beers, regardless of freshness. . I would recommend the same, after trying another...
Lancaster Strawberry Wheat: Not usually a fruit beer person, but after two recent positive experiences and my love of wheat beers, I went for it. Awful, awful, awful. This is rank medicine flavored strawberry, not even semi-tolerable lollipop strawberry. Ugh.
Kennebec River Summer Ale: Initially concerned that being a summer ale, it would be out of date, but it was all right. It was kind of a pale ale, which just isn't my jam, but it was drinkable. Especially compared to those Lancasters.
Troeg's Dreamweaver Wheat: Thank you Danni. This was a nice unfiltered wheat beer. No weird or bad fruit, nothing offensive, just a nice wheat beer. I could handle this one again.
Löwenbräu: This is another one Tom picked up to share, after we heard it referred to on Soap, a really hilarious TV show from the late 70s that we've been watching on DVD lately (I'd recommend that too). This is supposed to be legit German stuff. It was a bit too carbonated for me, considering that it didn't have any sort of really amazing flavor on top of the bubbles. I probably wouldn't go out of my way for it again, but it's definitely not a bad beer-- I've never been crazy about soda for the same reason.
Weihenstephaner Korbinian: a little sweeter than I'd prefer, but definitely a good beer. It's darker than the other brews I've tried by this German brewer, and very, very smooth. It's new on tap at Stuff Yer Face right now!
Sea Dog Apricot Wheat: For fruity beers not being my thing, I sure did try a few this weekend. This beer has a very light flavor to it, although it smells pretty strongly of apricot. It was also very smooth. Paul and I both have down on our beer lists another brew by Sea Dog, the Blueberry Ale. Both of us recommend it as a breakfast beer. I'd recommend this one likewise.
Well, that puts the tally at 173 for Paul and 189 for me. My semester starts today, so I'm sure I won't be ahead for long. While I think three day weekends and excuses to get together with friends are wonderful things, let us remember the great work that Dr. King did for civil rights in our country!
Wells & Young, Ltd.'s Banana Bread Beer: This sounds questionable, doesn't it? It's surprisingly amazing though, assuming you like beer and banana bread. Despite the presence of some artificial flavors (in addition to REAL fair trade bananas!), it smells like actual banana bread, not some sort of fake banana candy. And it tastes awesome-- not necessarily like liquid banana bread so much as, you're drinking a nice beer while sitting in the company of fresh, delicious banana bread. Kudos to Tom to picking that one off the liquor store shelf for me.
Sam Adams Blackberry Witbier: While I'm not usually into fruit beers, this was pretty pleasant. The blackberry isn't too strong or fake tasting, and it's over a nice witbier.
Sam Adams Black Lager: This one was more up my alley. It's a lager that tastes more like a porter. It has a really strong flavor, largely chocolate, but goes down more lightly, like the lager that it actually is. Good stuff. That Samuel Adams, so reputable (with only a very few exceptions)!
Lancaster Rare Rooster Rye Ale: My friend Jeremy held this one aside for me to add to my list, though warned me he couldn't speak to its quality. The first sip tasted something like old rye bread with paint on it. Worried that it had turned, I handed it back to Jeremy, who tasted it and told me it was exactly the same as when he bought it. I kind of wonder how long the beer had been sitting, but he recommended that I generally avoid Lancaster beers, regardless of freshness. . I would recommend the same, after trying another...
Lancaster Strawberry Wheat: Not usually a fruit beer person, but after two recent positive experiences and my love of wheat beers, I went for it. Awful, awful, awful. This is rank medicine flavored strawberry, not even semi-tolerable lollipop strawberry. Ugh.
Kennebec River Summer Ale: Initially concerned that being a summer ale, it would be out of date, but it was all right. It was kind of a pale ale, which just isn't my jam, but it was drinkable. Especially compared to those Lancasters.
Troeg's Dreamweaver Wheat: Thank you Danni. This was a nice unfiltered wheat beer. No weird or bad fruit, nothing offensive, just a nice wheat beer. I could handle this one again.
Löwenbräu: This is another one Tom picked up to share, after we heard it referred to on Soap, a really hilarious TV show from the late 70s that we've been watching on DVD lately (I'd recommend that too). This is supposed to be legit German stuff. It was a bit too carbonated for me, considering that it didn't have any sort of really amazing flavor on top of the bubbles. I probably wouldn't go out of my way for it again, but it's definitely not a bad beer-- I've never been crazy about soda for the same reason.
Weihenstephaner Korbinian: a little sweeter than I'd prefer, but definitely a good beer. It's darker than the other brews I've tried by this German brewer, and very, very smooth. It's new on tap at Stuff Yer Face right now!
Sea Dog Apricot Wheat: For fruity beers not being my thing, I sure did try a few this weekend. This beer has a very light flavor to it, although it smells pretty strongly of apricot. It was also very smooth. Paul and I both have down on our beer lists another brew by Sea Dog, the Blueberry Ale. Both of us recommend it as a breakfast beer. I'd recommend this one likewise.
Well, that puts the tally at 173 for Paul and 189 for me. My semester starts today, so I'm sure I won't be ahead for long. While I think three day weekends and excuses to get together with friends are wonderful things, let us remember the great work that Dr. King did for civil rights in our country!
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