beer dinners

One of the key steps towards bringing due respect to beer lies in seeing beer as a much more versatile beverage than for chugging at tailgate parties. In fact beer has been called by some wine connoisseurs as a superior item to match with cheese and other food pairings. Now, in fact, Flying Dog Brewery has started a site to promote such beer and food pairings. Last night Jeremy, Eric and I began discussing plans to come up with a multiple course dinner with the appropriate beers to match each course. This is exciting. Just look at this menu and tell me you're not drooling.

more beer and Jesus talk

In the last few months, several authors have found it fashionable to slam beer for apparently “trying to be more like wine and less like beer.” I didn’t realize they had cornered the market on using fancy words to describe the aromatics of fermented liquids. I guess it Christs’ fault? I mean if you want to blame someone, I would start with the Son of God. If he had served beer instead of wine at the last supper or had turned water into beer we might not be having this conversation. So yeah, I blame the Messiah. But I recently finished reading a new book to me called “Fermenting Revolution.” The book actually supports many suppositions that Jesus may actually have been working with Beer(or a barley based beverage) rather than wine in the bible.

-From The Lost Abbey blog

favorite beers by style

Stouts
1. Founders 2005 Bourbon
2. Goose Island Bourbon County
3. Bells Expedition

Belgian/Abbey
1. Kasteel Bruin (the stuff I got in Amsterdam, not the imported stuff I've found)
2. Westmalle Dubbel
3. Rochefort 8

Scotch
1. Founders Backwoods Bastard
2. Alesmith Wee Heavy
3. Three Floyds Robert the Bruce

India Pale Ale
1. Dogfish Head Burton Baton
2. Great Divide Hercules
3. Three Floyds Dreadnaught

Barleywine
1. Dragonmead Excalibur
2. Dogfish Head Olde School
3. Stone Old Guardian

Wheat
1. The Livery Wheat Tripplebock
2. Three Floyds Deuce

brewpubs

Dan, Will and I went to Chicago for a conference and hit 2 brewpubs. Goose Island has 2 locations on the north side of Chicago, we went to the one right next to Wrigley field. Three Floyds is in Munster Indiana about 30 minutes south of Chicago. I highly recommend them both, for both the food and beer, but if I had to choose I would go with Three Floyds.

barley-wine

We brewed a barley-wine about 2 months ago (using 16.5 pounds of malt!!) and it's finally been properly aged and I tried it last weekend....

and it's GOOD!

I think this is our best beer yet. A little sweet, fairly complex, about 11% alcohol and very well-rounded.

Definitely will brew this one again, maybe even with less water at the end, see if we can't get it up to 15%.