It has been entirely way too long since I’ve posted a recipe that uses beer as an ingredient. Time to change that!

Autumn is the time of year when I prefer eating heartier dishes, soups and stews. Something about the change in the weather makes me crave foods and beers with more substance and a stronger backbone.

Stuffed peppers are awesome for many reasons. They are pretty easy to make, they are great for solo diners and for groups. The combination of ingredients and different variations are endless.

Before we get to the recipe, there are a few things I feel compelled to say. Naturally, some of my ingredients can be swapped out for lower fat or vegetarian versions — but I don’t particularly suggest it. I don’t like beans, but they would probably make a nice addition for those that do like them. Also, I tend to like my food on the spicier side of the spectrum, so beware and spice according to your own palate.

For this recipe, I chose a smoked porter. The smoked and dark malts work really well with the chili pepper and helps to enhance the flavors of the ground meats. The two beers I recommend are Stone Smoked Porter and Alaskan Smoked Porter. If either of those are not available, try substituting with a Raushbier!

SMOKED PORTER STUFFED PEPPERS

Ingredients:

• 4 Large Bell Peppers (for stuffing)
• 1 Large Bell Pepper — diced
• 1 Large Yellow Onion — diced
• 1 Poblano Pepper — diced
• 1 Jalapeno Pepper — minced
• 5 Cloves of Garlic — minced
• 1 Pound Ground Pork Sausage
• 2/3 Cup Basmati Rice
• 1 Bottle Smoked Porter
• 1/8 Cup Chipotle Pepper Puree (can be found in the Hispanic foods section of the grocery store)
• 2 (6oz) Cans Tomato Paste
• Chili Powder
• Salt & Pepper

Instructions:

1. Pour the bottle of Smoked Porter into a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add rice. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook about 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Cut the tops off of the peppers and gut them out (seeds and ribs). Cut the bottom so that the peppers can stand up, but not so much that the stuffing falls through the bottom.
4. In a medium skillet, heat oil and add the garlic and jalapeno. Saute for a minute then add the diced onions and green peppers. Sautee for about 5 minutes then add the ground pork sausage. Brown the meat. Turn off the heat and mix in the tomato paste, chipotle puree, chili powder, salt & pepper and cooked rice.
5. Stuff the peppers with the filling. Stand the peppers up inside an non-greased baking dish. (Wrap the bottom of the peppers in tin foil if they look as it they might leak.) Drizzle a little bit of olive oil on top of the peppers. Bake for about 45 minutes. Option: Top peppers with cheese 10 minutes before removing from oven.
6. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with a smoked porter! Cheers!

For those of you that have been living under a rock this week and missed my writing debut on CraftBeer.Com, SHAME ON YOU!

I was recently offered the opportunity to write a piece for the “Craft Beer Muse” section on CraftBeer.com. For some time now, craft beer has been fighting for a rightful spot on the table. After all, beer pairs just as well, if not better in some circumstances, than wine. But times, they are a changing.

In my article “A Craft Beer Epiphany In Wine Country,” I share my unique story about a food and beverage experience at one of the world’s most prestigious and award-winning restaurants, The French Laundry — which is located right in the heart of Napa Valley wine country.

“For a few decades now, craft beer has played second fiddle to wine.

But not anymore.

The introduction and popularity of the gastropub concept has revolutionized the way people experience and perceive craft beer and food. Wine is no longer the only fine beverage that has found its rightful place at the dinner table.”

Make sure to check out the entire article on the CraftBeer.com website!

Cheers!

I hate to play favorites in the blogosphere. I would love to use the analogy of “Mama Wench” and say that picking a favorite blogger is like picking a favorite child — I love each and every one of them in their own special ways. But that just sounds creepy. Especially since 1. I am younger than the majority of other bloggers and 2. I have an aversion to children and 3. I have been known to try to trade my uterus for a spare liver.

But I digress. The point is this: every beer blogger has his or her own craft beer personality and style of advocating craft beer. Each has their own goals and aspirations for their site. And whereas I respect and appreciate all my fellow bloggers, the human side of me cannot help but pick favorites, here and there, despite my wish to remain as neutral as possible.

Case and point: New Brew Thursday. These guys are more than just hilarious and entertaining video beer bloggers. They are some of the biggest craft beer evangelists that I know and, more importantly, they are some of the best friends I have ever had. And we are talking about true friends, not the kind that you party a lot with and then know nothing about — the kind that open their homes and hearts to you when you need it the most, even if it is the most inopportune moment for them.

Photo credit: John Holzer

A few weeks ago, New Brew Thursday hosted me at their studio, where we enjoyed lots of really amazing craft beers, amazing chicken curry, lots of laughs and talked about the awesomeness of Kern River Brewing and the Just Outstanding IPA. If you haven’t seen the video, it is definitely worth checking out. If you have seen the video, it is definitely worth watching again. And again. And again.

Special thanks to New Brew Thursday for being amazing friends, amazing craft beer advocates and amazing video professionals. I love you all You are soooooooo GOOGLE!

June 17 : Just Outstanding IPA : Kern River Brewing with Special Guest The Beer Wench from New Brew Thursday on Vimeo.

This week everyone’s favorite Mutineer, The Beer Wench ( a.k.a Ashley Routson ), pays the studio a visit and it gets GOOGLE! We crack open a couple of bottles Kern River Brewing Companies Just Outstanding IPA and it lives up to the name. We also enjoy some mighty fine spicy Indian food made by our lovely producer Yvonne.

We crack wise about craft beer, tell a few inside jokes, and have a round about good time. You also get to see Stephen with a partial beard, no beard, and a full beard. Ahh the magic of video.

This weeks master pairing find Stephen back in Dr. Bill’s Kitchen for a lesson on lemons, and a delicious breakfast pairing.

Also this week, our craft beer advocate offers to buy you a beer!

DRINK WITH THE WENCH PRESENTS:

The Beer Blogger Interview Series

Curious what goes on in the minds of your favorite beer bloggers? Well, The Beer Wench is and she has embarked upon a mission to interview as many beer bloggers that she can — from all over the world. Are you a beer blogger? Do you want to share your story? Send me an email!

INTRODUCING: DAVID PHILLIPS

AUTHOR OF: CHEESE AND CHEERS

Beer Blogger Interview

Full name: David Phillips
Twitter handle: @cheeseandcheers
Name of blog: Cheese and Cheers
Current location: Contiguous suburb of Chicago

Background “Snapshot”

1. Where did you grow up? Near Ft. Lauderdale.
2. What sports if any did you play growing up, through college and beyond? Skateboarding and bowling.
3. How old were you when you had your first beer? 14?
4. If you can recall, what is the story of your first beer? Where did you have it? What style and brand was it? The brands us JDs drank back then were really bad, like Wiedemann and Colt 45.  But I remember seeing a cover band doing a ZZ Top song at a horse ranch on a humid summer night, after having drank a couple cans of the swill, and I’ll never forget the heightened sense of being alive.
5. Where, if applicable, did you go to college? What did you study? What additional activities, organizations, sports did you partake in during college? Went to Broward Community College in Florida, then I transferred to Loyola Chicago.  Studied journalism, and I was on the newspaper staff at community college, also put out a punk fanzine called The Borington Journal. I helped start a film society at Loyola, and took my studies quite seriously.

Craft Beer Epiphany

Every craft beer enthusiast has at least one pinnacle craft beer experience that completely changes ones perspective on beer. I refer to this mind-blowing moment as a “craft beer epiphany.”

1. What was your first craft beer epiphany? Recall as many details about it as you can:

Okay, I was a reporter at a tiny daily in Illinois and I kept getting p.r. calls from an agency pushing a story about Beer Across America, one of the early beer-of-the-month clubs. Caved, and ended up writing a column with the headline “Good Things Come in Big Smelly Packages”—one of the bottles of the two 12 packs had broken. Then I started looking, and I found a place in Rockford that kept Bell’s Amber or Kalamazoo Stout on tap. The smell from the broken bottle was lovely like something from a bakery rather than a bar-room floor, and the Bell’s beers had such character, I knew instantly that this is what beer was supposed to be like.

Later I started reading Jackson’s books and that lead to drinking tall glasses of Hefewiezen with stacks of pancakes at sidewalk cafes in Chicago, and marveling over my first bottle of Saison DuPont on the front porch while my daughter created sidewalk chalk masterpieces.

Then there was the string of epiphany’s that came about from joining Chicago Beer Society and hanging out with some of the smartest, most passionate people in craft beer.

Beer Blog Background

1. How long have you been writing your beer blog? Just a couple months (Mid-March).
2. What inspired you to start writing your blog? I was looking for a way to make a living from two of my passions—craft beer and artisan cheese. I needed a website, but the blog was almost an afterthought. Once I started doing it I got hooked.
3. Why did you choose the name of your blog? Well, really to support the business of the same name.
4. What are you personal goals for your blog? What do you hope to achieve with it? Hope to keep the frequency to two or three posts a week. Will cover all things related to beer and cheese and their intersection. Will post pairings, hope to have some guests. Still planning to develop a cheese and beer consulting business, but I love making this wonderful juxtaposition and I simply enjoy sharing it with others. If no one beats me to it, I plan to write a book on the subject.
5. What is one of the coolest things that happened to you as a result of being a beer blogger? I’ve made friends with beer bloggers in the UK.  Must admit I feel the same kind of fondness for the UK as I might for a favorite old girlfriend.
6. What are you top 3 favorite beer blogs/beer websites?

Argh!  To begin with, I’ve only been following beer and cheers blogs for about a year, so I may not as of yet found the faves. Still, I have found many, many nice ones. Here goes:

BEER:

• Zak Avery’s Are You Tasting the Pith
• Appellation Beer from Stan Hieronymus
• The Beer Wench
• Michael Agnew’s A Perfect Pint

CHEESE:

• Gordon “Zola” Edgar
• Cheese + Champagne
• It’s Not You, It’s Brie

Beer Talk

1. What are your top 3 favorite beer styles? Glad you gave me three: Saison,  Bitter (all ranges), and Lambic.
2. What are your top 3 favorite breweries? Wish you gave me more: Right now I’ll go with Meantime, Jolly Pumpkin, New Belgium. (+Bell’s, Cantilion, Goose Island, Ayinger, Three Floyds, Dogfish Head, DuPont, Lagunitas, Lost Abbey, The Bruery, Great Lakes, Allagash, Orval, Rodenbach……ahhhhhhh!!!)
3. If you could work with or for any one brewery, which one would it be and why? Dogfish Head, because they like to have fun, but they are serious too, and Dogfish is big enough that they might be able to meet my salary demands.
4. Are you a homebrewer? If yes, what is the most unique and interesting beer recipes you’ve brewed as a homebrewer? Yes, and a member of the Chicago Beer Society.  hmmm. I’m kind of a traditionalist when it comes to homebrewing.  Berliner Weisse, and Wit Bier with brett might be as interesting as I’ll get, but both the Mild and the Kolsch I did recently with my new brew brothers completely kicked ass.
5. Do you have any beer certifications (BJCP, Cicerone, Siebel, American Brewers Guild)?? If so, what are they? Certified Beer Server (Cicerone Certification Program).
6. What is your favorite beer and food pairing? Oh God, just one? Bam Bier with steamed mussels, maybe.

The Personal Side

1. What is your current day job? Beer and cheese consultant, if that counts.
2. If you could change your career at this very moment, without any restrictions on what you could do, what would you want to do and why? Didn’t I just do that?  A major league starter with a 98-mph fast ball and some wicked junk seems like a decent gig. Or a brother at Orval.
3. Are you married? Children? Yes, God bless her, and we have three lovelies–a graduating high schooler, a first grader (both girls), and a six-year old boy.
4. Outside of beer and writing, what are some of your other hobbies? American artisan and farmstead  cheese (I am also a member of the American Cheese Society), jazz, punk, bicycling, camping, fishing, Chicago sports teams, dreaming about high performance sports cars, architecture, and 21^st century ironic and iconic American filmmakers, like Wes Anderson, the Coen Brothers and Sophia Coppola.

Off The Beaten Path

1. If you were a style of beer, what style would be and why? A Best (Premium) Bitter. It’s just so comfortable and relaxed, and yet dignified, all of which I would like to be.
2. You were caught smuggling beer illegally, which has now been made punishable by death. Right before you are sent to the executioner, you are offered one last beer. What beer would you chose and why? Gosh. A special occasion calls for Cantilion Gueuze or Iris, or a Hansens Kriek. I have a couple friends who have some vintages they would never share with me unless I was about to be killed. Then again, Orval might send one off in the right direction.
3. If I contracted you to brew a beer (or design a beer recipe) called “The Beer Wench” — what style would you chose and what, if any, extra ingredients would you add? A lovely ruby-colored mild, with about 20% brown malt, and 8% rye malt, and whole cone Fuggles.
4. If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be? Flying would be awesome, X-ray vision, but really I would just want to drive something like a Ferrari 458 Italia with a weird skin job.
5. What is one of the craziest things you have ever done and lived to tell the story? One!? Skateboarded down circular expressway ramps in Miami as a kid. Swam through a culvert at the bottom of a rock pit, pulled a fish hook out of a gator’s mouth. It was small gator. Hooked a water moccasin with a fishing lure.
6. What are your thoughts on bacon? I think I want to make the ultimate beer cookie—oatmeal, toasted pecans, chocolate chips and crispy bacon. I’d pair it with Lagunitas IPA, or maybe Hop Stoopid.

SPECIAL THANKS TO DAVID FOR AN AWESOME INTERVIEW!

CHEERS!

DAMN IT … Now I’m craving cheese and beers!

If you do not already follow my good friend @Chef_Jay on Twitter, well I highly recommend it. And if you are not on Twitter, well shame on you. In addition to being one of the foremost food resources on Twitter, Chef Jay Terauchi is a restaurant consultant, sushi evangelist and the author of the enlightening blog called Kahuna of the Kitchen.

If you need just one reason to follow Chef Jay on Twitter it is because he ALWAYS knows what the food of the day is. I am not certain who created the food calendar, but I do know that Chef Jay has his finger on the pulse of it. His tweets definitely make you want to indulge in every food of the day.

Which brings us to THIS post. Today — April 29th — the food of the say is SHRIMP SCAMPI. And as fate would have it, I developed my own drunken shrimp scampi recipe around this time last year, using beer as a main ingredient naturally.

Allow me to (re) introduce you to The Wench’s Drunken Shrimp Scampi!

The greatest part about cooking is that there is no science to making food taste good.

As long as you have quality ingredients and treat them with the respect they deserve – the end result is almost always pleasant. BUT then again, I take for granted the fact that I am very knowledgeable about food, ingredients, herbs, classic pairings and culinary techniques. Despite that, though, I still believe that anyone can be a wizard in the kitchen.

So on to my recipe, eh? Oh but wait. I need a disclaimer.

WARNING: This is not your mother’s shrimp scampi. In fact, it is probably unlike any shrimp scampi you have ever had in your life. Many chefs will probably “spit in my general direction” (note: Monty Python reference). This recipe is not for the faint of heart … or the faint of palate. No sir. The Wench’s Drunken Shrimp Scampi is for hopheads … and those who do not like hops should stay far, far away. The recipe is bold, bitter and insulting … yet adventurous and deliciously satisfying.

Have no fear, if you are not a hophead this recipe is PERFECT with Belgian wit beers or even a Bavarian Pils.

THE WENCH’S DRUNKEN SHRIMP SCAMPI
Featuring Dogfish Head 60 min IPA

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. large fresh shrimp – whatever kind you want – shelled, gutted & deveined
• 1/2 stick of unsalted BUTTER (real butter you sissies)
• 1/4 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 cloves garlic – minced, sliced, or chopped to preference
• 1/4 yellow onion – diced
• 3 (firm) Roma tomatoes
• Juice of one lemon
• Flat leaf parsley – finely chopped
• 2 12 oz. bottles of Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Crushed red pepper (if you are like me and need to kick EVERYTHING up a notch)
• A loaf of FRESH baked bread

INSTRUCTIONS

The first instruction is vital. It must be followed EXACTLY as written or the whole recipe is a big FAIL.

1. Open the first bottle of Dogfish Head 60 min IPA. Pour into a brandy snifer, tulip glass … oh hell … pour it into a freaking glass and take a big long sip. Ahhhh. Isn’t that nice? Thought so … but don’t get soft on me now. There is still work to do here.



2. Fill a super big pot – the bigger the better – with water. Salt the water. Put it on the stove and bring it to a boil. While you are waiting you can either:
   1. Shell, gutt and de-vein the shrimp
   2. Mince the garlic, chop the onion and dice the tomatoes
   3. Continue drinking the 60 Minute IPA as you watch family members and/or friends complete the previous tasks.
3. When the water reaches a boil – add the pasta. Cook until is is “al dente” – aka slightly undercooked, with a bit of a “bite.” Strain pasta at the point and set aside.



4. At the same time the pasta is cooking … Heat the EVOO in a large skillet heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Sauté the shrimp, until just cooked through. Takes approximately 2 minutes. This is a good time to open another beer. Once the shrimp is cooked (ie: turns PINK) … transfer those bad boys over to an adequate sized bowl with a slotted spoon (we want to retain as much oil as we can in the pan so a regular spoon esta no bueno)  



5. Add the garlic to the oil remaining in skillet. Heat for a hot minute (i.e: just long enough to release some juices, yet not burn). Add the Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, salt, pepper, lemon juice and (optional, yet HIGHLY suggested) red pepper flakes. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture is reduced down to desired thickness. According to The Wench, this will take around 10ish minutes. Add butter to skillet, stirring until melted.THIS IS A CRUCIAL STEP. The fat in the butter helps to cut the intense flavor of the IPA. Stir in the shrimp. Remove skillet from heat.

Somewhere in this process, either you or your sous chef (aka – child, friend, random guy off the street) will have chopped the flat leaf parsely. This, my friend, is the opportune time to add the parsley to the garlic butter beer shrimp mixture. Toss the pasta into the skillet with all of the other ingredients and ….

VIOLA! There you have it … The Wench’s Drunken Shrimp Scampi. Don’t forget to slop it up with some fresh baked bread (garlic bread if you feel ambitious). And I would be utterly insulted if you did not pair this dish with a beer – preferablely the Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. But I would not be insulted if you paired it with and equally delicious IPA … or craft brew of some sort.

NOTE: If you do NOT like to drink IPAs, you will not like cooking with them either. This dish definitely has a BITE. I do not suggest using the DFH 60 minute IPA unless you love the flavor of the beer, otherwise the meal will be a disaster. Feel free to substitute the IPA with your favorite beer – I suggest a Hefeweizen or Belgian-style white ale.

Any questions? EMAIL me at – drinkwiththewench@gmail.com

Otherwise, enjoy! And, as always … CHEERS!

Although I have toured my fair share of breweries all over the country, until recently I had never actually observed the entire brewing process — from start to finish — in a production facility.

This past week Christian Kazakoff, good friend and Brewmaster at Iron Springs Pub & Brewery, invited me to shadow him as an “Assistant Brewer” for the day.

For those of you who are not familiar with Iron Springs, it is a privately owned and operated pub and brewery located in Fairfax, California. The owners are dedicated to crafting everything from its food to its beer from scratch, using the highest quality of ingredients, as locally sourced as possible. Iron Springs has been certified as an official Green Certified Business by the Marin County Community Development Agency.

Christian Kazakoff has been the Head Brewer of Iron Springs since late July 2008. I had the honor of meeting him just shortly after moving to Berkeley, CA. He has become a good friend and tremendous resource to me since. So when Christian invited me to come brew with him, I could not resist jumping on the opportunity.

By the time I got to the brewpub, Christian had already started mashing in. The beer of the day? A classic Kolsch. For those of you unfamiliar with the style, Kolsch is a German style of beer typically brewed with 100% Pilsner malt or pale 2-row barley, German noble hops, Kolsch yeast and fermented at cooler temperatures that most ales.

Shortly after I arrived, it was time to start the sparge.

While waiting for the sparge to complete, I asked Christian about his brewing background — Where, when and why did he decide to become a brewer?

After serving 4 years on an Airforce Carrier in the U.S. NAVY, Christian decided to “get his hands dirty” in the restaurant industry. He enrolled in the culinary program at the City of San Francisco and started his career as a line-cook in various Bay Area restaurants. As fate would have it, Christian landed at Triple Rock Brewery & Alehouse, where he got his first taste for brewing.

But the story was not one of love at first sight. Christian admits that, at first, he did not drink Triple Rock’s beer. Instead, he opted for the ciders. His first real beer epiphany occurred during a visit to England, where he had his first taste of cask beer — what Christian refers to as “real ales.” Being spoiled by this real ale experience, it was hard for Christian to adapt his palate to the “American West Coast” styles of beer.

(I stole this photo of Christian at Triple Rock from Jay Brooks of Brookston Bulletin)

Everything changed (for the better) when Shaun O’ Sullivan, who was a Triple Rock brewer at the time, convinced Christian to start homebrewing. Eventually, Christian started volunteering to help out in the Brewery. The “lightbulb” officially went off during a trip with Shaun O to Portland in the summer of 1996 for the Oregon Brewers Festival, where Christian realized his calling.

According to Christian, Shaun O had a significant impact on his decision to become a brewer.

Shaun O ultimately left Triple Rock to assist with brewing operations at the (unfortunately “late”) Twenty Tank Brewery in SF. (Shaun went to open his own brewer, 21st Amendment in San Francisco, after Twenty Tank). After Shaun left Triple Rock, Christian jumped on the opportunity to become the new Assistant Brewer. He eventually became the Head Brewer in 1999. And in that same year, Christian completed a five week intensive brewing and engineering course at the American Brewers Guild.

Back to the brewing …

Once the sparge was finished, it was time to start the boil and the first hop addition. Iron Springs operates a 10 barrel brewing system, which is pretty standard for a brewpub of its size.

Once we got the boil going, it was time to clean out the mash ton. Christian made the comment that brewing is 90% cleaning, 10% brewing and 100% cleaning — which I found to be entertaining. In a small operation, cleaning is the majority of the work load. This is because it is almost entirely manual. And so, while I lazily watched, Christian scooped the spent grain from the mash ton into huge plastic barrels.

Iron Springs, like most breweries, donates its spent grain to a local farmer to use as feed for its animals. The neat part about their farmer is that he comes an picks up the grain from EACH batch of beer brewed. I had the honor of meeting the farmer that day.

After taking the grain to the truck, I helped Christian spray out the mash ton. He ended up getting inside to clean it more thoroughly while, yet again, my lazy butt watched from the sidelines. While Christian was cleaning, I proceeded to ask him more questions about his interests and hobbies.

Like me, Christian is also a wine geek and uber foodie. We discussed out favorite wine varietals, favorite wineries and various experiences with wine. I was extremely envious to learn that Christian once had the opportunity to try a Chateau La Tour from the late 1960′s. I anticipate the day when I will be able to even touch a bottle of La Tour, let alone drink one that is decades old.

After cleaning out the mash ton, it was time to inoculate the fermenter with the Kolsh yeast. I was very excited and impressed to learn that Christian uses traditional Kolsch yeast in his recipes. It may be the reason why he produces the BEST American Kolsch that I have ever tasted.

Speaking of tasting beers, it was around this time that we both got a bit “thirsty.” Still having some time left on the boil, we threw in the second hop addition and took a break to taste through some of his beers.

Here are my highlights:

• Kent Lake Kolsch: Brewed with all German ingredients.  Light, crisp and clean — slightly characteristic of a lager. Hops: Tettnang, Hallertau Abv: 4.5%  O.G.: 1.050
  Grain Bill: German Pilsner, German Wheat, Vienna, Munich, Acidulated (its tangy and tart notes are attributed to the slight addition of acidulated malt). Overall impression: As I noted before, this is by far the best American Kolsch that I have tasted. And I’m not just saying that. It is super clean, refreshing and easy to drink.
• Chazz Cat Rye: A light, golden amber ale with a slight hop bite. Well balanced with fruity, earthy notes and spicy overtones. Hops: Liberty, Fuggles, Cascade Abv: 5.5%   O.G.: 1.054
  Grain Bill: Belgian CaraPils, British Two-Row, Munich. Overall Impression: This is a really good beer. I happen to really enjoy the use of rye in beer (and I almost always prefer rye bread to other styles). This particular beer was made with 50% rye, which yielded a really nice caraway-like flavor.
• The Dark Path Dark Lager: German style Sharwzbier, or “black beer.”  Clean, dry, chocolate and coffee malt flavor. Hops: Halletaur, Crystal Abv: : 5.5% O.G: 1.049
  Grain Bill: Durst pilsner malt, Dark Munich, Chocolate Wheat, Chocolate Malt, Black Malt. Overall Impression: This is an extremely tasty beer. Perfectly attenuated, mild roasted notes with a nice clean, dry finish. Easy sipper.
• Fairfax Coffee Porter: English-style porter Infused with real “Marin Roasters” coffee. Dark in color, heavy coffee and roasted malt aroma. Dispensed with nitrogen gas which produces a nice creamy head. Dry finish. Hops: Horizon, Crystal Abv: 6% O.G.: 1.065
  Grain Bill: British chocolate, British Brown, Two-row Pale, Crystal Malts. Overall Impression: Christian is quite known for this particular beer. It is extremely well-attenuated and the malt & coffee flavors are very well-balanced. Having this particular style on Nitrogen added an appreciated creaminess to the body.

By now, the boil had ended and it was time for the whirlpool. Being a small brewery, the whirlpool was done in the brewkettle.

Around this time, we were informed by the kitchen staff that steak tacos (well, they were more like fajitas) had been prepared and Christian and I gladly helped ourselves to a couple of them. We washed the lunch down with the J.C. Flyer IPA — which ended up being an excellent match for the spicy “tacos.”

While eating, Christian and I chatted some more about his passion for food & beer. Like me, he enjoys cooking with beer as much as possible. We discussed all the various ways to incorporate beer or beer ingredients into food. He had the great idea of spraying ribs with wort while they were in the smoker, in order to create a nice caramelized layer on the outside and help to retain a moist inside.

Being a relatively low malt bill and low hop content beer, the whirlpool took no time at all. It was then time to transfer the hot wort through the heat exchanger to the fermenter.

Once all of the wort was in the fermenting tank, Christian and I took a moment to engage in his “tradition” of toasting the new batch with the old batch. And so we raised a glass of Kolsch to a successful day of brewing.

However, we were not entirely done at this point. If there is one thing that I learned this whole day it was that the majority of brewing, as Christian pointed out, is cleaning. Lucky for us, though, Kolsch is a relatively “easy” style of beer to brew and fairly easy to clean up after.

So once again I found myself lazily standing by while Christian did all the dirty work.

The brewing day officially ended with a few more tastes of beer and some more compelling conversation about all things beer and food. Overall, the experience was very insightful and very fun. Next time I vow that I will definitely help out more. I intend on being the one to climb inside the brewkettle and clean it. The thought of it oddly excites me, actually.

SPECIAL THANKS TO CHRISTIAN AND IRON SPRINGS PUB & BREWERY FOR THE AWESOME OPPORTUNITY TO GUEST BREW! CHEERS!

]]> http://drinkwiththewench.com/?feed=rss2&p=3712 5 http://drinkwiththewench.com/?p=3463 http://drinkwiththewench.com/?p=3463#comments Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:38:20 +0000 Wenchie http://drinkwiththewench.com/?p=3463

Fellow beer blogger and my new friend, Mike Kivowitz of Bergenation and Leafy Green Info, recently went on a tour of Dogfish Head Brewery as well as attended the DogFish Head New Years Eve’s 15 Beers for 15 Years Beer Dinner. Earlier this week he released an article about his experience.

In order to support both Dogfish Head and Mike get more exposure for this article, I am reposting it on Drink With The Wench. The following editorial content and pictures are property of Leafy Green Info — a green product review blog.

– FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Milton, DE. Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales: Most companies don’t let you get to know them and relate to them. Dogfish Head is not one of these companies. Dogfish Head is a craft brewery from Delaware and their beer is amazing but that is not the only reason I love them.

Many breweries practice in an eco-friendly way, but what Dogfish Head does is unique. They recycle the spent grains used in the brewing process to a local farm in Delaware. These grains are fed to the cows to eat and play in and once those cows are slaughtered, they actually buy back the beef for their brewpub in Rehoboth Beach, De. They also provide a local baker with some of the grains to use in creating dog treats. That’s pretty freaking cool. But DFH does a lot more than that.

They recycle their water that cools the wort also. That doesn’t seem that impressive, but ask a homebrewer. That water is usually wasted unless you have a ton of space to store water.

Dogfish Head is known for off-centered beers and wacky and surprisingly amazing flavors. Below are some of my favorites and what they do that makes them so different.

60/90/120 Minute IPA – Hops, More Hops, MORE HOPS!

Punkin – Organic brown sugar and spices and pumpkins. It tastes like pumpkin pie, but better.

Ancient Ales – They have a series of ancient recipes reconstructed. These beers are unreal you need to try them all. Some of the ingredients include chai tea, wildflower honey, grapes, organic juniper berries, cacao nibs (antioxidant-rich energy) and even quinoa (gluten-free grains).

Black Thai Brewpub exclusive – Thai basil, soybeans (locally sourced from the Delmarva Region) and real blackberry puree.

DFH is not just a brewery. It’s an experience. You must go down to Delmarva and take a tour of the ever expanding brewery, play some bocce ball, buy an organic cotton or bamboo shirt and then travel the 20 minutes to Rehoboth Beach to eat lunch or dinner.

The brewpub is loaded with fun and great beer. Sam put his heart and soul into the pub. They have a distillery upstairs that you maybe able to tour if they let you. The menu is well thought out with that local beef in the form of hamburgers, sandwiches and they even have Leafy Greens.

We headed over there for New Years Eve’s 15 Beers for 15 Years Beer Dinner. It was amazing!

This is the menu below.

The best part was the dessert. A World Wide Stout and Chocolate Milk Shake paired up with World Wide Stout and a Fort Crème Brule paired with a Fort. Oh my!

We were fortunate enough to sit upstairs in the larger private room with a small amount of people including Sam Calagione, the founder and president of DFH. I spoke to Sam and tried to get some info out of him about what else is coming down the pipe but he wouldn’t reveal any secrets.

The people at Dogfish Head really know how to have a great time. The dinner, the drinks and the entertainment were all great. Overall, it was an amazing party and I wish I could book my trip for next year already.

If you’re looking for an alternative to that boring beer, pick up a 6 pack of 60 Minute IPA or if you’re a stout guy, go for the Chicory Stout and know that you’re enjoying a beer that not only is eco-friendly, but has heart and soul.

Oyster Fest
Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery

1398 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117

Details:
February 11
2:00pm – 6:00pm
Admission: No Charge
Description:
Oyster and beer fans unite! 5-6 west coast varieties of freshly shucked oysters plus oysters every other possible way: marinated, BBQ’d, Rockefeller, in chowder and a Hangtown Fry, frisee salad w/quail egg & oyster vinaigrette, and yes, even rocky mountain oysters. Plus, plenty of Magnolia and 21st Amendment oyster stouts on hand, of course.

My Sour Valentine
City Beer Store

1168 Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA 94103

Details:
February 11
6:00pm – 9:00pm
Admission: $40 (Tickets on sale 1/19)
Attire: Spruce and stylish…
Description:
Pucker up baby! Here’s just a smattering of the sours we will have on draft:
*Cascade Sang Noir
*Cascade Gold Yeller
*Deschutes Dissident 2008
Ticket includes: City Beer logo glass, (8) tastes of our sour drafts, and chocolate inspired bites. Additional draft beer for purchase. Cash only.
Purchase tickets at City Beer Store.

Truth be told, I have some sweet skills in the kitchen. Typically, I prefer cooking over baking. But every now and then, I do get the urge to throw something in the oven. Which can be very dangerous for all arteries involved.

Today is Christmas. And although I do not “really” celebrate the holiday, Christmas is a day of the year when I crave lots of fattening foods, candy and decadent desserts.

This afternoon, I got the urge to bake brownies. But not any old brownies. I got the craving for bacon brownies.

Naturally, I had to find some sort of way to incorporate beer into the recipe. So I started doing some research on the Internet.

Two of my greatest beer writing mentors, Lucy Saunders and Stephen Beaumont, have written amazing cookbooks with recipes that use beer as an ingredient.

For her book, The Best of American Beer & Food, Lucy Saunders created a fantastic recipe for Fudge Stout Brownies. Lucy’s recipe calls for coffee stout, bourbon, lots of chocolate and chopped nuts. Although I’m sure the recipe is easy to replicate, I did not have the required ingredients on hand. And being Christmas, all the grocery stores were closed.

I will put Lucy’s recipe on the back burner for now.

In his book, The beerbistro Cookbook, Stephen Beaumont highlights his own Stout Brownies recipe. As with Lucy’s recipe, I did not have access to all of the ingredients required for Stephen’s brownies.

I will put Stephen’s recipe on the back burner for now as well.

Lack of an “uncomplicated” recipe drove me to develop my own version of beer brownies using an over-the-counter box mix. Although I do not understand much about the “science” behind baking, I’ve been pretty successful at making substitutions for things without completely screwing up the end result.

I’m proud to say that today’s recipe was a success. I’m very excited to share “I’m very excited to share my artery clogging, heart attack inducing, catastrophic health insurance needing, easy-to-make beer brownie recipe with the world!

BEER WENCH BACON PEANUT BUTTER CUP BEER BROWNIES

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 box of brownie mix
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup chocolate, oatmeal or regular stout
• 1 package of bacon
• 6 whole peanut butter cups — chilled
• 2 tbsp butter

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pan with butter. Yes, butter. Because butter makes everything better.
2. Cook entire package of bacon to desired consistency. I like a combination of crispy bacon and chewy bacon. The both add an interesting texture to the end product. Allow the bacon to cool and then dice it.
3. Chop the Peanut Butter Cups into small pieces.
4. Melt the butter and mix with the bacon. The recipe on the box technically calls for oil. Unfortunately, the only oil I had on hand was Olive Oil. So I decided that the oils from the bacon combined with melted butter would suffice for the recipe.
5. Combine the eggs, stout and bacon butter with the box brownie mix in a large bowl. Do not over mix. After all ingredients are combined, fold in the peanut butter cups.
6. Pour the mix into the greased pan and spread it evenly. Bake. For 13X9″ pan, bake 24-26 minutes. For 9×9″ pan, bake for 38-40 minutes. For 8×8″ pan, bake 52-54 minutes.
7. Serve with an Imperial Stout.

CHEERS!

DRINK WITH THE WENCH PRESENTS:

The Beer Tweeter Interview Series

Beer bloggers are not the only people using social media to share their passion for and knowledge of craft beer. Twitter is one of the most important tools in today’s craft beer industry. Beer tweeters all over the world are influencing and impacting the way people interact with and experience craft beer. The Beer Wench has embarked upon a mission to interview as many beer tweeters that she can — from all over the world.

Are you a beer tweeter? Do you want to share your story? Send me an email!

INTRODUCING BEER TWEETER: Sarah Kristine (Bradner) Huska

Twitter handle: @sarahhuska

Current location: St. Charles, IL (Chicago suburb)

Background “Snapshot”

1. Where did you grow up?

Fostoria, OH

2. What sports if any did you play growing up, through college and beyond?

I played volleyball in junior high but once I got into high school I ditched it. Going to a private school makes certain things rather click-ish, sports being one of them….since I didn’t have the right name I didn’t get to play. So, I chose to participate in the flag corps in marching band. I LOVED IT. A couple of my friends and I joined and it actually became one of the “cool” activities at my high school.

Our football team was so awful that people stopped coming to games, but the year we started in flag corps the band and the corps were outstanding. People would come out to the football games, act interested in the first half, watch the band at halftime (cheer wildly) and then clear out when we were done. Bittersweet I suppose. I also coached flag corps for 3 years after I graduated. Almost every school in our league gave us props on being the best marching band and flag corps. Kinda neat-o.

3. How old were you when you had your first beer?

18

4. If you can recall, what is the story of your first beer? Where did you have it? What style and brand was it?

Bud Light out of a warm keg at a graduation party. There is a reason you have keggerators people….

5. Where, if applicable, did you go to college? What did you study? What additional activities, organizations, sports did you partake in during college?

Well, I’ve been to several…I’m what you call a professional student. When I was in high school I took college classes at the University of Findlay in Ohio (Calculus, Psychology, Sociology)….smart kid stuff, you know. Then I attended Bowling Green State University in Ohio as a Nursing student, decided I hated the people I would have to work with for the rest of my life and changed my major to business and transfered to Owens Community College in Ohio (better known as Slowens).

My husband and I then moved to Chicago and I said to myself “screw nursing, or business or whatever else my family wants me to do; I’m going to do what I want to do!” So now I am attending Elgin Community College’s Culinary Arts Institute for my Associates in the Culinary Arts. I am blessed to have found my calling. I’ll be taking some Entrepreneurship classes as well so I can write a better business plan for the beer bar and/or brew pub I will open.

Craft Beer Epiphany

Every craft beer enthusiast has at least one pinnacle craft beer experience that completely changes ones perspective on beer. I refer to this mind-blowing moment as a “craft beer epiphany.”

1. What was your first craft beer epiphany? Recall as many details about it as you can:

I had been experimenting with beer here and there for a while, drinking things like Leinenkugel’s Honeyweiss or Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown; but, the day I had my first real American craft beer is something I am pretty sure I will never forget. I was sitting on the step outside my garage door at my house in Bowling Green, OH watching my husband homebrew, he was drinking a Brooklyn Brown Ale and told me I should try it.

So, I did…. I honestly don’t have words to describe what happened at that moment, I suppose all I can say is that was the day I realized what beer can be and what it shouldn’t be. To this day, Brooklyn Brown remains my favorite brown ale. Ever. Mostly because it’s delicious but also the nostalgic quality is unbeatable.

2. Have you have additional craft beer epiphanies since the first? Detail as many of them as you wish:

I suppose I have, I feel like I have one every time I try something that is unexpected. For instance, I had a Reaper Ale Mortality Stout a couple weeks ago. Wow. I almost feel like I shouldn’t talk about it because it’s like a spoiler on a movie ending…. [SPOILER ALERT] A stout with Brett?!??! (It is Brettanomyces right? It sure tasted like it.) I mean….wow. It was amazing. No where on the bottle does it say it has Brett in it, but you drink it and BAM! there it is. (Or is it whoop! there it is….I’m not sure.) Fantastic beer. Fantastic experience.

Beer Talk

1. What are your top 3 favorite beer styles?

What’s that Charlie Papazian quote? My favorite beer is the one I’m drinking right now….or something like that. But if I had to choose, I would say IPA, Imperial Stout and almost any sour beer.

2. What are your top 3 favorite breweries?

This is tough. Three is a small number. Port Brewing. The Bruery. And, of course, the 21st Amendment Brewing Co.

3. If you could work with or for any one brewery, which one would it be and why?

Probably The Bruery. I think Patrick is a mad scientist and a brilliant business man; I feel I could learn a lot from him and to be involved in something so unique and driven would be an honor.

4. Are you a homebrewer?

I have assisted in many homebrews but never have I actually made my own. It’s intimidating. I’m a cook. When I cook, I make a mess, sure I follow sanitation guidelines and I’m not making dirty food, but the sanitation required for brewing is scary. I’m almost positive I would never have the patience to brew a beer that wouldn’t get infected at some point in the process.

5. Do you have any beer certifications (BJCP, Cicerone, Siebel, American Brewers Guild)?? If so, what are they?

I recently passed my Certified Beer Server exam from the Cicerone Program and am studying to take the Cicerone exam hopefully in 2010. Also, if I have extra money lying around someday, I will attend Siebel.

6. What is your favorite beer and food pairing?

A sour beer (probably Rodenbach’s Grand Cru) with a plate of various cheeses, charcuterie, honeys, fruits, and a nice warm french baguette. Mmmmm, yummy.

7. What are you top 3 favorite beer blogs/beer websites?

BeerAdvocate. Beer Mapping Project. And Twitter, as a whole…..it’s the best, because there you can link to other blogs/sites but all the information is in one spot.

The Personal Side

1. What is your current day job?

I own a pet sitting and dog walking business in the Chicago suburbs call Shake A Leg Pet Exercise & Care, Inc.

2. If you could change your career at this very moment, without any restrictions on what you could do, what would you want to do and why?

I would open a brew pub with a friend of mine who makes the BEST homebrew I’ve ever had. I’d open it in Chicago and it would be on the same level as The Publican.

3. Are you married? Children?

Yes and no. Well, unless you count four-legged children. In that case, I have two: a dog, Samson, and a cat, Weizen.

4. Outside of beer and writing, what are some of your other hobbies?

I run barefoot. I haven’t in a few weeks as I have a stress fracture in my foot, but once it heals I will begin training for a half marathon that I’ll hopefully run in May and then a full marathon in the Fall of 2010. Also, I cook amazing food…it’s not bragging if you can back it up.

Off The Beaten Path

1. If you were a style of beer, what style would be an why?

I would be a sour beer. Bubbly, bold, a little sweet, not too bitter, pretty and loaded with enough alcohol to make life awesome.

2. You were caught smuggling beer illegally, which has now been made punishable by death. Right before you are sent to the executioner, you are offered one last beer. What beer would you chose and why?

Burnter Santa Imperial Stout from Bridges Brewing

3. If I contracted you to brew a beer (or design a beer recipe) called “The Beer Wench” — what style would you chose and what, if any, extra ingredients would you add?

I’d design an IIPA. Bold, refreshing, fun, sociable, a little fruity and (again) loaded up with enough alcohol to make life awesome!

4. If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

Flying or teleporting.

5. What is one of the craziest things you have ever done and lived to tell the story?

I survived GABF 2009…even with Shaun and Nico of the 21st Amendment “hooking me up”….not many could survive that, I assure you.

6. What are your thoughts on bacon?

Everything’s better with bacon.

SPECIAL THANKS TO SARAH FOR BEING AN AWESOME BEER TWEETER AND #LADYGENTS!

CHEERS!