As a daughter of an environmentalist and health food nut, I grew up supporting local agriculture and companies dedicated to producing ethical and healthy products. I was taught how to read labels and to always question the source and quality of everything that I put into my body. Luckily, I don’t have to do this at Whole Foods Market, since they have a strict non-GMO policy and are dedicated to selling high quality, ethical & artisan products.

As a beer professional, lover and geek, Whole Foods Market is, hands down, my go to store for craft beer. Regardless of what city I’m visiting, I can depend on the local WFM store to have a more than decent, if not amazing, craft beer selection. Not too mention, more and more WFM stores are popping up with tasting rooms inside. And if you are anything like me, addicted to the prepared foods section, visiting a Whole Foods taproom can easily turn into a few hour extravaganza!

Speaking of beer, food and my love of Whole Foods, I recently teamed up with John Schmidt, the beer specialist at WFM Folsom, and my videographer friend Chris Eldridge, to film a short video promoting a few Valentine’s Day beer pairing suggestions featuring products available in most WFM Norcal locations.

The video features two segments: a more classic, and romantic approach to Valentine’s Day — and then a more cynical, and snarky take on the holiday invented by greeting card companies. Regardless of whether or not you are spending today sharing a beer with a special loved one, or spending it lamenting loved ones past — hopefully one these pairing suggestions will work their way into your day!

Valentine’s Day Beer Pairings from Dridge on Vimeo.

Featured beers:
Bison Brewing Chocolate Stout
Russian River Temptation
Stone Brewing Co. Arrogant Bastard
Flying Dog Raging Bitch

Back in the day, it used to be my job to pair wine with food. Now, after several years in the beer industry, my palate has been trained to understand food and beer pairings. And so, I have decided to take a stab at developing a “Featured Beer Pairing” series on my site, providing beer pairing suggestions and recipes for some of my favorite dishes and then educating people on the “method in my madness.”

Featured Beer Pairing: Bourbon Imperial Stout + Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancakes

The Dish: Pancakes prepared with chopped bacon, semi-sweet chocolate chips and real vanilla bean, topped with a Bourbon maple syrup.

The Beer Style: Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout

Style Description: The Imperial Stout, also known as the Russian Imperial Stout or Imperial Russian Stout, a high-gravity style brewed a complex grain bill consisting of large quantities of roasted malts and/or grain. Typical alcohol ranges from 8-12%, but many brewers these days have pushed it to levels as high as 18% abv. No hop varietals are typical of the style, and they vary with each brewer. The beer is usually fermented with either American or English ale yeast.

The fully fermented beer is added to (typically) washed Bourbon barrels to age for several weeks, months, or even as long as a year. The finished product usually bumps up a few percentages in alcohol due to the porous nature of the wood which results in evaporation and absorption of residual Bourbon.

The end result is a rich, deep, complex and vicious beer with intense roasted malt, espresso, dark chocolate, vanilla, oak, char and Bourbon flavors and noticeable alcohol burn. The alcohol and intensity tends to mellow with age, and older version of the style develop port-like characteristics as a result of aging. These beers have potential to age as long as 20 years, when properly stored.

Suggested Beers: Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Big Sky Ivan the Terrible, Schafly Reserve Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout, Firestone Walker Parabola, The Bruery Black Tuesday, Mikkeller Black Hole, Sprecher Czar Brew, Deschutes The Abyss,

Why the pairing works:

Anyone who says that beer is not for breakfast needs a little smack in the face. Besides, breakfast foods are not just for the morning. I, for one, enjoy them all hours of the day.

Some have tried to argue with me that Bourbon-Aged Imperial Stouts are too intense and alcoholic for breakfast, which is just plain silly. I like my breakfast beers just like I like my coffee — super strong, rich and roasty with just the right “jolt” to get the body going.

Since the flavors in a Bourbon-Aged Imperial Stout are so bold and intense, the food pairing needs to be equally rich and complex. The doughy and thick, yet fluffy nature of pancakes make it an excellent “blank” canvass.

The semi-sweet chocolate chips (60% cacao or higher) compliments the chocolate, coffee and roasted malt flavors in the beer. Using real vanilla bean in the pancakes and Bourbon in the maple syrup brings out the Bourbon characteristics of the beer, while the smokiness of the bacon enhances the flavor of the char from the oak. Texture wise the dish and the beer are complimentary, both thick and heavy on the tongue. The salt from the bacon and the bitterness from the beer balances out the sweetness of the syrup and the viciousness of the alcohol, resulting in a well-balanced, yet explosive pairing.

The Recipe:

Pancake Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 whole vanilla bean
• 6 strips cooked bacon, chopped into fine pieces
• 1/3 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Bourbon Maple Syrup

Heat (all natural) maple syrup in a sauce pan on low heat. Add desired amount of Bourbon of choice. Warm, don’t burn.

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla bean; mix until smooth.
2. Fold in chocolate chips and bacon. Distribute ingredients evenly.
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides.
4. Top with butter and Bourbon Maple Syrup. Serve with “warm” (57-61 F) Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout in a brandy snifter.
   

CHEERS!

If you think like me, then you will agree that the consumption of alcohol is appropriate at any hour … day or night.

I am not opposed to drinking during breakfast. In fact, a great brunch is incomplete without some sort of hooch. Typically, The Bloody Mary (double vodka, extra spicy) is my poison of choice. It goes really well with savory breakfast foods such as eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, etc.

But as much as I love my extra spicy, double strong Bloody Marys … they are a horrible pair for pancakes, waffles, french toast, scones, danishes, blintzes, cobblers, muffins, fruit and all the other sweet breakfast goodies.

When it comes to the sweeter side of breakfast, one can always reach for a Mimosa or a Bellini (classic brunch cocktails). OR … why not try a fruit beer?

Normally, I would go straight for the fruit lambics of Belgium for this post. Although this blog is not about fruit lambics, they would make an excellent pairing with a number of breakfast items – particularly those made with fruit.

The other day I stumbled upon a bottle of Melbourn Bros. Strawberry Beer. The bottle said spontaneous fermentation … and we all know that The Wench is a sucker for wild yeast beers. So naturally, I purchased the beer and did some research on its origin.

Melbourn Bros. Strawberry Beer is spontaneously fermented and brewed with malted barley, wheat hops, yeast, water & fresh strawberries. The brewery is located just off the main square in Stamford, a small town in Lincolnshire, in the east of England. It was established in 1825 by William Brown Edwards. In 1869, the business was purchased by Herbert Wells Melbourn.

The brewery was rebuilt with more modern equipment, after a fire destroyed the original brewing facility in 1879. It was renamed Melbourn Bros. Steam Beer Brewery. In 1970, it was decided that the brewery was too old and too inefficient and operations ceased. Operations were resumed in 1994, when the brewers decided to brew in an ancient British tradition using spontaneous fermentation. They also decided to flavor the beers with fresh fruit (the process is very similar, if not identical to the creation of fruit lambics.)

Brewing in the old tradition turned out to be advantageous, as the old fashioned construction, wooden tanks, and hard-to-clean surfaces proved to be ideal for spontaneous fermentation. (The best conditions for spontaneous fermentation are old and exposed areas that are conducive to breeding bacteria.)

Melbourn Bros. currently produces three fruit beers: Apricot, Strawberry & Cherry. I cannot speak for the other two, but the Strawberry is killer sweet – yet not artificially sweet. The best way to describe the beer is jam … all-natural homemade strawberry jam.

This is why I have declared this beer to be the best beer for pancakes … pancakes that have been smothered in fresh strawberries or a homemade strawberry sauce, a few sprinkles of powdered sugar, and perhaps a bit of whip cream and a sprig of mint. Strawberry crepes would also do the trick …

Although the flavors and aromas of this beer are obviously not complex, I will include my tasting notes … for shits and giggles.

MELBOURN BROS STRAWBERRY BEER

Brewery: Melbourn Bros

Region: Stamford, Lincolnshire, England

Style: Fruit beer, spontaneously fermented

Pairings: Pancakes, pastries, cheesecake, dessert, cheeses, baked goods, brunch, fruits

Color: Cloudy, light amber red

Carbonation: Moderately carbonated beer. Pours a thick, white head that lasts. Moderate lacing remains on the glass till the end.

Aroma: Sweet strawberries with notes of sweet grass. Light acidity on the nose.

Mouthfeel: Very light bodied beer, low in alcohol.

Flavor: BAM! Strawberry jam in the face. Fresh strawberries take over the major of the palate. The beer is definitely sweet … but not artificially so. The acidity level balances the sweetness nicely. The carbonation is ideal and prevents the beer from being too syrupy.

Finish: The bombarding sweetness yields to a nice tart finish that, surprisingly, lasts quite a bit.

Comments: The taste of the beer inspired the contents of this entire post. The minute I tasted the beer I thought … mmm breakfast. All I wanted was some hot pancakes straight off the griddle, covered in powdered sugar and completely smothered in a warm, homemade strawberry sauce.

So whether or not you agree with drinking during breakfast, Melbourn Bros. Strawberry is definitely a pancake beer. (Originally, I thought it would be the perfect Belgian waffle beer … but, the perfect Belgian waffle beer would in fact be a Belgian beer, no? And so we will go with pancakes!)

So if you don’t want to drink while eating actual breakfast in the morning, make breakfast for dinner … and then pop open one of these babies.

Cheers!