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Oakshire’s Hellshire I (5/7/2011)
My favorite local Eugene brewery Oakshire has been delving into single batches and barrel-aged beers lately. One of my favorites so far is the Heart-shaped Box… a barrel-aged espresso stout with cherries, cocoa nibs and vanilla beans. Freakin’ wondrous. Well, they’re going to start bottling and releasing some of their barrel-aged creations under the moniker “HELLSHIRE.” The first one hits May 7th at 8am, the morning after the Sasquatch Brewer’s Dinner:
Hellshire I – barleywine aged in bourbon barrels
The official press release on Hellshire I…
For 10 months, it has rested quietly and now it is time for it’s triumphant unveiling!!
Our new line of barrel aged beers, dubbed The Hellshire Series, will have it’s first release with a grand party on Saturday May 7th beginning at 8AM. A limited number of bottles will be sold in 22 ounce, wax dipped bottles for $15 each. Along with live, local music, we’ll have complimentary coffee and we will have a local food cart on site cooking up breakfast sandwiches. Oakshire beers will be sampled and sold along with the last of the Heart Shaped Box and any other goodies we can dig out of the cooler. Come and have brunch at Oakshire Brewing!
Hellshire I is a bourbon barrel aged barleywine. It is 10% abv and spent 10 months in Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrels. Notes of vanilla, coconut and bourbon intertwine with the complex malt and hop flavors. We’ve bottle conditioned it, so enjoy it now, or store it in your beer cellar for months.
Hellshire, our barrel aged beer program, is currently underway and growing. With an inventory of 50 barrels, we’ve got plans for wild (sour) beers, bourbon aged beers, gin barrel aged beers and more. We expect someday to be able to release 3-4 unique barrel aged beers per year, but for now we’ll wait until the beer tells us it is ready. All of the Hellshire beers will be released in bottles in limited quantities at the brewery.
I’ll be camped out at 8am… despite the brewer’s dinner the night before. It’ll be a fun morning… I’m looking forward to more bottled goodness, and maybe the Heart-shaped Box bottles will rise up one of these days.
Related Sidenote: Love Oakshire’s beers? Wanna try a warm weather treat? How about an Overcast espresso stout float. Yum!
~Dan – np: Radiohead – The King of Limbs 
RECIPE: Bleu Cheese Buttermilk Biscuits
I’m late on posting this… too busy at work. For last month’s vegetarian supper club in Eugene, we did a snowshoe trip; so the goal was to make something yummy that was also transportable. I opted for…
Bleu Cheese Buttermilk Biscuits
(click for larger)
makes about 8 biscuits
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp coarse salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into smaller cubes
- 1 cup crumbled bleu cheese
(you could possibly find a vegan blue cheese variety, but that might be tough) - 1 Tbl chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 Tbl chopped fresh thyme
- 1 cup buttermilk (for vegan… see comments section)
- 1 Tbl milk/soy milk/rice milk/etc
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium bowl to blend.
- Add shortening. using fingertips, rub in until coarse crumbs form.
- Mix in 3/4 cup cheese, rosemary and 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme.
- Make well in center. Add 1 cup buttermilk and stir until dough forms, gradually mixing in dry ingredients.
- Turn dough out onto floured work surface. Knead gently until combined, about 5 turns. Pat dough into 1-inch-thick rectangle. Cut into squares.
- Transfer squares to baking sheet. Brush with 1 tablespoon milk/soymilk/ricemilk. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese and 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme. Sprinkle with pepper. The biscuits can be prepared 4 hours ahead, just cover & chill until ready to bake.
- Bake biscuits until golden, about 20 minutes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature… or in a warming hut at Gold Lake, Oregon.
(click for larger)
This is a mainly music-based blog. If you stumbled in on a recipe search, check out my other recipes at THIS LINK.
~Dan – np: David Bazan – Live at Electrical Audio
Eugene Beer Week – May 2nd to 8th, 2011
I’m not a “beer blogger” per se. I’m a music blogger, but I’m a homebrewer and dig a good local beer. For Oregonians, this is an event to get excited about…
From May 2nd to May 8th, Eugene Oregon will host its first annual beer week.
Eugene Beer Week will celebrate craft beer culture in the Willamette Valley.
The US craft brewing industry has been growing steadily and cities across the country have been organizing beer celebrations to promote the industry. These beer weeks include a great number of beer tastings, brewers dinners and other events celebrating craft beer. Breweries, retailers, bars, restaurants and beer writers participate in beer weeks by helping bring greater awareness to a region’s craft beers. Cities such as Seattle, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Chicago all boast successful beer weeks.
Eugene Beer Week’s objective is to bring a greater awareness of craft beer in the Willamette Valley. They aim to accomplish this goal by providing a website that beer drinkers can peruse and locate beer related events taking place during the week. Eugenebeerweek.org will also provide a forum for businesses to promote their beer week efforts. Eugene Beer Week culminates with the Sasquatch Beer Festival that celebrates the life of one of Eugene’s former brewers, Glen Falconer.
What’s in store?
- Beer Dinners – Special dinners featuring a beer or several beer paired courses
- Beer Releases – Release celebration celebrating a new beer
- Festivals – Craft beer festivals
- Tastings – Special tastings of craft beers
- How to Brew/Taste/Enjoy – demonstrations and informational classes
For more information visit eugenebeerweek.org (or Facebook and Twitter below). Stay tuned for some great events around town.
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~Dan – np: Eisley – The Valley
Psychology & the Taste Buds: Abyss 2009
SO, in late 2009, I jumped on the “damn, I like this tasty beer” bandwagon and bought a case of Deschutes Brewery‘s The Abyss 2009. I had it in 2008 and liked it; so why not!? The price wasn’t something to sneeze at, but it essentially became the start of my now bustling beer cellar. The Abyss is an Imperial Stout, clocking in at 11% abv – brewed with licorice and molasses with 1/3 of the beer aged in oak barrels. It’s quite a treat, and it comes out once a year in black wax dipped 22oz bombers.
It’s also in limited quantity, hence my impulse purchase of an entire case being not all that irrational. A beer barrel (BBL) is 31 gallons (roughly 2 full kegs)…
Vintages (production numbers from Deschutes):
2006 – Released December 2006 (approx 90 BBL)
2007 – Released January 2008 (approx 350 BBL)
2008 – Released November 2008 (approx 350 BBL)
2009 – Released November 2009 (approx 600 BBL)
2010 – Released December 2010 (approx 600 BBL)
Well, fast forward to Thanksgiving 2010, I cracked a 2009 Abyss open, and wow… I did not like it. I shared it amongst friends; so we managed to kill the bottle. We had plenty of beer on hand that day (various homebrews as well as growlers of Block 15’s La Ferme de Demons & Gilgamesh’s Mamba); so I didn’t make a big deal of it.
Then I had another Abyss 2009 around Christmas. I drank about 8-12 ounces of it and hated it… I did the unthinkable. I poured about half a bottle down the drain. When you’re expecting a creamy & dense licorice & molasses bold stout on your lips, the taste that was coming from the glass was simply unpalatable.
The 2007, 2008 & 2010 Abyss vintages were / are phenomenal and hit the mark based on what you’d expect from a partially oak-aged imperial licorice & molasses stout. What went wrong with 2009’s vintage?
Jan 31, 2011… the brewery announced that they found the culprit… a wild yeast called Brettanomyces (aka “Brett”) was found in some of their oak barrels (this also affected the 2009 Mirror Mirror release). Brettanomyces varieties (Bruxellensis, Lambicus & Anomolus), as well as other wild yeasts like Pediococcus or Lactobacillus are sometimes used on purpose in beer. In fact, I have a double red ale going now that just finished a fermentation with Wyeast’s Roeselare #3763 – which is a souring yeast blend with a Belgian style ale strain, a sherry strain, two Brett strains, a Lacto culture, and a Pedio culture.
As with many things beer, I’m blaming my friend Aaron for my introduction and head-over-heels love of sour beers. Last summer he was on a sour kick that baffled me, then he introduced me to some sours, and then Cascade Brewing in Portland opened up a pub. 
Now… every time I go up there, I have to hit up their Barrel House in SE Portland. I went to a brewer’s dinner last fall (menu) that was out of this world amazing. They are the “House of Sour Beer,” but even Cascade trys to stay away from Brett, as it has a way of taking over everything. They had some beer get infected, rolled it out to the barrel house and then destroyed the barrel(s) involved afterwards.
Brett is a wily devil, and its impact on the 2009 Abyss is likely bad news for many people. Well, now that I know what is giving off the “bad flavor”… here is where I’m going to see if psychology and perception are gonna make this more than half a case left of “infected” 2009 Abyss turn into a treasure.
February 6, 2011… I decided to crack open another bottle.
First taste? Oh, yeah, it’s definitely infected.
But… now I like it.
Explain that! Not even five weeks ago, I had some of the very same infected beer, and I dumped more than half the bottle. Now, I have it… tastes probably identical, but since I was expecting a soured Brett-y beer, I am totally digging it.
Oh, Brain, you have pwned me again.
Happy psychology experiment on Deschutes’ accident. Well, at least I have some more left to enjoy over the coming years. For future releases, they will be flash pasteurizing their oak-aged beers – to kill any wild yeast strains prior to blending. 2009 Abyss & Mirror Mirror may be bad for some, but they also may be a special treat for others. I’d suggest not sending them back to the brewery for a refund. Find someone out there who will trade you for it. Rather than seeing it get dumped, put it to use… in a sour fiend’s mouth. :)
~Dan – np: Mogwai – Special Moves
RECIPE: PB&J Cocktail with Grilled Mac & Cheese Sandwiches
For this month’s vegetarian supper club in Eugene, we were the hosts and the theme was PAIRINGS. I wanted to make something that was a kids’ staple food item, but with an adult twist. So, I went for…
Peanut Butter & Jelly Cocktail
…
750mL batch
Ingredients:
- 750 mL vodka, unflavored (don’t go cheap, but don’t go all out… a $10-15 bottle is fine)
- 1 cup of peanuts, unsalted
- up to 375 mL raspberry liqueur (Chambord, etc)
- air-tight jar
Steps: super easy
- Add peanuts and vodka in an air-tight jar. Place in cool, dark place for 1-2 weeks.
- Strain vodka (remove peanuts). You’ll end up with slightly less than 750mL. I did about a bottle and a half (1.125 mL / 4.75 cups) and my yield was almost exactly 4 cups of finished vodka (~85%). Sidenote: don’t eat the spent peanuts… they’re icky…
- The Cocktail: 2 parts peanut vodka, 1 part raspberry liqueur. Serve chilled or on the rocks. Since it’s all booze… a small pour is usually enough.
Variation: use other jelly-type flavors (grape, strawberry, peach), chocolate liqueur, bailey’s, or make a peanut white russian…
Update 4/10/12: About 16 months later, there’s now an actual PB&J vodka. I beat ’em to it, though… More info here at Van Gogh Vodka (and web coverage here & here).
I paired it with…
Grilled Mac & Cheese Sandwiches
…
makes 4 large sandwiches
Ingredients:
- 1-2 cups dried pasta (macaroni, rotini, etc)
- boiling water
- 1 Tbl butter (or vegan substitute)
- 1/4 cup almond milk (soy, rice or cow milk also fine)
- 2 cups grated cheese (mix it up, be creative with flavors)
you could also try vegan cheese… not sure on meltability - 8 slices of bread, buttered on one side
Steps:
- Cook pasta in boiling water until tender (time depends on the pasta). Drain water.
- Add butter, milk, and cheese. Stir until pasta is equally covered in cheesiness.
- Butter side down, add bread to grill or pan. Add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cheesy pasta. Add second piece of bread, butter side up.
- Once one side is lightly browned, flip the sandwich… or use a George Foreman grill, panini press or something easy like that. I mean, come on, it’s making a grilled cheese… I shouldn’t need to explain.
- Cut and serve!
This is a mainly music-based blog. If you stumbled in on a recipe search, check out my other recipes at THIS LINK.
~Dan – np: Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger – Acoustic Sessions
RECIPE: “Go Ducks” Guacamole
So, I’m not a sports guy (understatement). My main thing is music (as if I really need to tell you that)…
Well, I’m in Eugene, Oregon, and regardless of my general sports indifference, I still support the Ducks! I went to the University of Oregon for a stint (I’m a PhD dropout if you’re keeping score at home). I’m going to a BCS National Championship Game party tonight, and I’ll be supporting the Ducks against the Auburn Whatstheirfaces…
I really don’t know what the Ducks’ chances are… football is the one played with the parabolic ball, right? Anyway… what I’m bringing to the party is a super easy recipe…
“Go Ducks” Guacamole
serves 179 chips, give or take
Ingredients:
- oil for sautéing
- 1 medium onion
- 2 yellow peppers (you know, for the yellow)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbl taco seasoning (or to taste)
- 1 medium tomato
- 4-5 medium/large avocados
- 3/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- juice of 2 limes (2-4 Tbls or so?)
Steps:
- Cut up onion, pepper & garlic. Saute in 1-2 Tbl of oil until soft, slightly browned. Add taco seasoning, stir.
- Cut up avocados, add to large mixing bowl. Mash avocados with a fork or large wooden spoon.
- Add onion, pepper & garlic mixture. Dice and add tomatoes. Add chili powder and salt (to taste). Add lime juice (to preserve).
This is meant to be enjoyed immediately (or as close to it as possible)! Do not make it “well in advance”…
Worst case… the Ducks lose. Well, there will still be music to get us through (just hopefully not more from Sebastian Bach).
This is a mainly music-based blog. If you stumbled in on a recipe search, check out my other recipes at THIS LINK.
Update: this would also work really well for the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl XLV. :)
~Dan – np: Reptet – Chicken or Beef?
“how hangovers work” (via howstuffworks)
New music news on Monday from one of my faves… but in case you drank too much last night (like I did), this info may be very helpful for hangover remedies…
Food and Drink Remedies – Fact or Fiction?
Hangover remedies include everything from “a hair of the dog that bit you” (drinking a little more alcohol the next morning), to burnt toast and black coffee to an over-the-counter product like Chaser. Which of all the endless theoretical remedies actually have truth behind them?
Hair of the Dog
Contrary to popular belief, more of the “hair of the dog that bit you” only delays the inevitable. One of the reasons hangovers are so unpleasant is the liver is still processing the toxins left over from alcohol metabolism. Drinking more alcohol can make the symptoms seem to lessen at first but will only make the situation worse once the liver breaks the alcohol down, because it will have even more toxins to deal with.
Conclusion:
- FICTION – Remedy
Burnt Toast
At first, the burnt toast remedy may seem that it’s actually based on scientific fact. The culprit behind this fictional cure is the carbon in the charred bread. Carbon can act like a filter in the body. While it’s true that activated charcoal (which is a treated form of carbon) is used to treat some types of poisonings, it’s not currently used to treat alcohol poisoning (something that is vastly different from a regular hangover).
The carbon/charcoal found on burnt toast is not the same as activated charcoal.
Conclusion:
- FICTION – Prevention and Remedy
Black Coffee
Coffee contains a high amount of caffeine, which is a stimulant and therefore helps fight fatigue. But when the caffeine wears off, a drinker may be even more tired than before. Coffee can help alleviate a pounding head because caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, meaning it reduces the size of blood vessels. This counteracts the effect of the alcohol, which makes them swell, making the head hurt in the first place. Unfortunately, caffeine is also a diuretic like alcohol and can make a drinker even more dehydrated than before, thereby increasing the severity of the hangover. Overall, coffee isn’t a good hangover cure.
Conclusion:
- FICTION – Remedy
Fried or Fatty Foods
Although eating fried or fatty foods the morning after will probably only irritate a drinker’s stomach further, eating them before drinking can actually be helpful. Putting anything in the stomach prior to indulging in alcohol helps prevent a hangover, but fatty foods in particular stick to the stomach lining longer and therefore slow down the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. While that might make it take longer to feel the alcohol’s effects, it also gives the body more time to process the byproducts and will increase a drinker’s chances of feeling decent in the morning. So much so, in fact, that a Mediterranean folk tactic is to take a spoonful of olive oil before drinking alcohol. Eating lighter food such as a fruit smoothie will provide energy and alleviate some symptoms by replenishing the electrolytes the body lost from dehydration.
Conclusion:
- FACT – Prevention
- FICTION – Remedy
Eggs
Eating eggs the morning after provides energy like any other food, which is the primary benefit. But eggs do also contain large amounts of cysteine, the substance that breaks down the hangover-causing toxin acetaldehyde in the liver’s easily depleted glutathione. Therefore, eggs can potentially help mop up the left-over toxins.
Conclusion:
- FACT – Remedy
Bananas
Eating bananas the morning after a night of heavy drinking provides lost electrolytes like any food would, but it also specifically replenishes the potassium lost to alcohol’s diuretic effect. Other potassium-rich foods such as kiwi fruit or sports drinks work just as well.
Conclusion:
- FACT – Remedy
Water
Replenishing the body’s water supply after a night of drinking combats dehydration, and it also helps dilute the leftover byproducts in the stomach. Adding salt and sugar to water helps replace the sodium and glycogen lost the night before. Non-caffeinated, non-carbonated sports drinks can achieve the same effect.
As a prevention method, drinking a glass of water for every alcoholic beverage slows down drinking, providing more time for the body to deal with the alcohol (the body can only process about three-quarters of an ounce of alcohol in an hour). Drinking a few glasses of water before going to bed helps fight dehydration after the body finishes breaking down the alcohol.
Conclusion:
- FACT – Prevention and Remedy
Fruit Juice
The fructose — fruit sugar — in fruit juice helps to naturally increase the body’s energy. Studies have proven that it also increases the rate at which the body gets rid of toxins such as those left over from alcohol metabolism. Fruit juice is also a good idea the morning after because it’s high in vitamins and nutrients that were depleted the night before because of alcohol’s diuretic effect. Vitamin supplements high in vitamins C and B are also effective.
Conclusion:
- FACT – Remedy
Source: Perry, Lacy. “How Hangovers Work” 12 October 2004. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/drugs-alcohol/hangover.htm> 02 January 2011.
Eggs, bananas, water, fruit juice… go!
~Dan – np: nine inch nails – the downward spiral
RECIPE: Avocado Fries
Another nummy from last night’s Christmas potluck dinner…
Avocado Fries
Credit: Adapted from George’s at the Cove, San Diego, in The Sunset Cookbook
appetizer, serves about 6
Ingredients:
- oil for frying
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 1/4 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
- 2 or 3 firm-ripe small-to-medium avocados, pitted, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch wedges
note: the # of avocados could vary a lot. if in doubt, make extra batter/breading just in case.
Steps:
- Heat oven to 200 degrees. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 inches of oil to 375 degrees.
- Mix flour with salt in a shallow plate. Put eggs and panko in separate plates. Dip avocado wedges in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg, then in panko to coat. Set on 2 plates in single layers.
- Fry 1/4 of the avocado wedges at a time until deep golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer to plate lined with paper towels. Keep warm in the oven while cooking remainder. Sprinkle with salt to taste.
I ran out of egg/panko mixture partway through; so we pulled an audible and mixed up some vegan egg replacer and Italian breadcrumbs for the last 1/3 of the batch. That seemed to work out a-OK. If you also had vegan breadcrumbs or vegan breading, this could be easily modified to a vegan recipe. I imagine tempura batter would also work.
For our potluck, I had to make them and transport them; so they were slightly cooled once we ate them. With that being said, they’d be best served immediately.
This is a mainly music-based blog. If you stumbled in on a recipe search, check out my other recipes at THIS LINK.
Happy Festivus!
~Dan – np: Over the Rhine – Darkest Night of the Year
merry Christmas, Kwanzaa, EID, Diwali, Hanukkah , too
RECIPE: Easy Beer Cheese Dip
I made an adjustment on an already adjusted recipe. It’s really simple, involves no cooking/heating, and it’s really versatile (choose your beer, cheese, hot sauce). Behold…
Beer Cheese Dip
Credits: Old Rainier Brewer Beer Cheese Dip in Northwest Brewing News (via Antsaint’s blog)
makes about 4 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 lb cheese, grated (4 cups)
- 4 cloves garlic, mashed
- 2 tsp minced onion (or 1/2 tsp onion powder)
- 1 tsp dry Chinese-style mustard (or 1 ½ Tbl Dijon mustard)
- 2-3 tsp hot sauce (tabasco, etc)
- 2 tsp shoyu, soy sauce, or vegetarian Worcestershire sauce (if you can find it)
- 1 Tbl butter (or butter substitute)
- 8 oz. beer
Steps:
- Warm all ingredients to room temperature.
- Grate or grind the cheese.
- Place all the ingredients, except beer, in mixer bowl.
- Gradually add beer and beat until smooth and fluffy. This is where a food processor is handy.
- Store in covered container in refrigerator for at least one day (not mandatory, but preferred).
- Serve at room temperature with chips, crackers or dark bread.
Again, the use of a food processor to blend the ingredients isn’t mandatory, but it makes it oh-so-easy. I made it for a Christmas dinner tonight, and it is bound to be a hit. My cheese: sharp cheddar. My beer: Deschutes Black Butte. My hot sauce: Frank’s RedHot Aged Cayenne.
This is a mainly music-based blog. If you stumbled in on a recipe search, check out my other recipes, like vegan biscuits & gravy, spiced biscotti, vegan cactus chili, vegan bananas foster, mushroom dumpling stew, strawberry cornbread muffins, fruit spring rolls, grilled coconut-rum pineapple, vegetarian s’mores pouches, pumpkin-infused vodka cocktail, creamy vegan chocolate pudding, cute olive penguins, raw blueberry cheesecake, Jónsi & Alex’s raw vegan pies, and Framboise cranberry relish at THIS LINK.
Happy Festivus! Oh, and yeah, this would make a kick ass Super Bowl snack recipe. Super easy and quite delish!
~Dan – np: Various Artists – Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump
merry Christmas, Kwanzaa, EID, Diwali, Hanukkah , too…
16tons’ Week of Wild (Tastival on Dec 17 2010)
Updated: this Week of Wild is yummy. I tasted a half dozen taps yesterday. My favorites were the Duchesse De Bourgogne and New Belgium La Folie. The Tastival is tomorrow – Friday, December 17th. Per the owners, there are now upwards of 70 beers lined up!! It starts at 5pm @ 16tons. Nosh Pit will be on hand for food.
There is a partial listing with details of the beers at the 16tons blog:
http://sixteentons.biz/blog/?page_id=502
Sixteen Tons in Eugene, Oregon, is hosting a “Week of Wild” Fest the week leading up to Friday, December 17th. They will have special wild ales and sour ales on tap all week, culminating in a special event on Friday with upwards of 40 different wild ales – a mix of draught and bottles.
The week-capping Week of Wild Tastival will be held Friday December 17 from 5-10pm. Tasting tickets are $1. Beers are 1-4 tickets for 3oz tasters. No entry fee. Event will be held at 16 Tons. Check sixteentons.biz for updated info as the week approaches.
From BeerAdvocate: Wild Ales are beers that are introduced to “wild” yeast or bacteria, such as: Brettanomyces (Brettanomyces Bruxellensis, Brettanomyces Lambicus or Brettanomyces Anomolus), Pediococcus or Lactobacillus. This introduction may occur from oak barrels that have been previously inoculated, pitched into the beer, or gained from various “sour mash” techniques. Regardless of which and how, these little creatures often leave a funky calling card that can be quite strange, interesting, pleasing to many, but also often deemed as undesirable by many.
Featured breweries will include:
- Block 15
- Upright
- Boneyard
- Hair of the Dog
- De Dolle
- Cantillon
- Rodenbach
- Russian River
- The Bruery
- Orval
- Cascade
- Deschutes
- Victory
- Lindemans
- Oud Beersel
- 3 Fonteinen
- De Ranke
- Haandbryggeriet
- New Belgium
- Allagash
- Avery
- Mikkeller
- Ommegang
- Brouwerij Girardin
- and more…
I love Oregon’s killer beer scene… and even though many of these wild ales aren’t native Oregon, several of them are… I love it that great beer stores in Portland and Eugene continue to bring in fantastic selections.
To find Sixteen Tons… they’re at 265 E 13th St., Eugene, OR 97401 | (541) 345-2003. They’re open 12-8pm most weekdays, staying open a bit later on Fridays & Saturdays (10pm), and open 12-5pm on Sundays. http://sixteentons.biz/
~Dan – np: John Zorn – Interzone
Swedish IKEA Cookbook
I like Ikea. I mean, yeah, it’s difficult to navigate / get out of there, and their naming scheme is hilarious (parody by George Hrab – “adult language”). Whatever the detractions, I like them due to their excellent sense of simplistic style. Well, they released a cookbook (in Sweden only for now). It’s gorgeous…
Check out more photos from the cookbook over at Craftzine.com.
(kudos to Tampopo Press for scooping this to me)
~Dan – np: Ricky Gervais Steven Merchant & Karl Pilkington – Christmas Special
16tons’ Week of Wild (Tastival on Dec 17 2010)
Sixteen Tons in Eugene, Oregon, is hosting a “Week of Wild” Fest the week leading up to Friday, December 17th. They will have special wild ales and sour ales on tap all week, culminating in a special event on Friday with upwards of 40 different wild ales – a mix of draught and bottles.
The week-capping Week of Wild Tastival will be held Friday December 17 from 5-10pm. Tasting tickets are $1. Beers are 1-4 tickets for 3oz tasters. No entry fee. Event will be held at 16 Tons. Check sixteentons.biz for updated info as the week approaches.
From BeerAdvocate: Wild Ales are beers that are introduced to “wild” yeast or bacteria, such as: Brettanomyces (Brettanomyces Bruxellensis, Brettanomyces Lambicus or Brettanomyces Anomolus), Pediococcus or Lactobacillus. This introduction may occur from oak barrels that have been previously inoculated, pitched into the beer, or gained from various “sour mash” techniques. Regardless of which and how, these little creatures often leave a funky calling card that can be quite strange, interesting, pleasing to many, but also often deemed as undesirable by many.
Featured breweries will include:
- Block 15
- Upright
- Boneyard
- Hair of the Dog
- De Dolle
- Cantillon
- Rodenbach
- Russian River
- The Bruery
- Orval
- Cascade
- Deschutes
- Victory
- Lindemans
- Oud Beersel
- 3 Fonteinen
- De Ranke
- Haandbryggeriet
- New Belgium
- Allagash
- Avery
- Mikkeller
- Ommegang
- Brouwerij Girardin
- and more…
I love Oregon’s killer beer scene… and even though many of these wild ales aren’t native Oregon, several of them are… I love it that great beer stores in Portland and Eugene continue to bring in fantastic selections.
To find Sixteen Tons… they’re at 265 E 13th St., Eugene, OR 97401 | (541) 345-2003. They’re open 12-8pm most weekdays, staying open a bit later on Fridays & Saturdays (10pm), and open 12-5pm on Sundays. http://sixteentons.biz/
~Dan – np: Frank Zappa – Freak Out!
my ideas for Frank Zappa tribute beers
Well, I wanted to get this down on record… hey, any brewers, feel free to steal my ideas. I’m gonna try to make these eventually, but you’ll likely make the better beer than I would… :)
I got an idea whilst listening to Frank Zappa‘s 1978 Hammersmith Odeon show, and post-watching the Brew Masters show on the Discovery Channel which covered Dogfish Head‘s creation of the Bitches Brew tribute beer (to Mile Davis).
My idea:
We need more Zappa beers!!
Lagunitas Brewing did an amazing job on their 40th Anniversary tributes to the first five FZ albums. Upright Brewing made “Billy the Mountain” (a traditional English-style Old Ale, having undergone over five months of oak barrel aging and another several months in the bottle). I hear Upright is about to go into Billy round 2. I have a bottle of the 2009, but I haven’t popped it yet. Rogue Ales has “Yellow Snow” – which may or may not be a FZ tribute. I mean, FZ didn’t invent the term.
Anyway, here are my thoughts on potential Frank Zappa theme beers…
’Amarillo Brillo IPA: 100% use of Amarillo hops. I envision this being a bold, citrus-y hop forward IPA. This is probably the one I could pull off easiest, even in an extract brew setting.
Sour Peaches En Regalia (sorry, Reg-ale-yuh was too corny): I’ve been really digging sour Belgian-style beers. I’m fully blaming my friend and fellow beer-making Zappa head Aaron for that. He turned me on to sours, and it’s mainly what I crave now. I envision this Peaches En Regalia sour to be similar to Cascade Brewing‘s Apricot… but with peaches (duh!). Cascade’s approach is “slow-ripened before being introduced to the beer. Based on a Belgian Tripel, this beer went through 16 months lactic fermentation and aging in French oak wine barrels, then rested on the fruit for four months before finishing.”
Watermelon Ale in Easter Hay: Frank’s guitar solo for “Watermelon in Easter Hay” is one where I distinctly recall stopping what I was doing to skip back to the beginning of the track and re-listening immediately (from the Guitar record). I love it! For the beer… maybe a wheat beer with watermelon added in secondary (a la 21st Amendment‘s “Hell or High Watermelon” wheat). I’ll admit, I loved 21st’s watermelon the first time I had it (KLCC brewfest 2009). It has sunk on my priority list on 2nd and 3rd tastes (KLCC 2010, Sasquatch, etc)… so, some reworking of that for the FZ tribute.
Pound for a Brown Ale: This one would have to be a hoppy brown ale. To not ruin your pallet, I’d suggest fresh (wet) hops to come up with the required pound of hops. At a rough 5 to 1 ratio, that’s still a big hop build for a 5 gallon beer recipe (3.2 ounces dry hop equivalent).
The inspiration (first appeared on)…
Any other homebrewers wanna tackle recipes? I’m still new to the craft. Let’s just put these on my long-term pipeline for now…
Ya Hozna!
~Dan – np: Frank Zappa – Hammersmith Odeon
RECIPE: Vegan Biscuits & Gravy (from Sept 2008)
Hint… this mushroom gravy also works great for a vegan option over top of Thanksgiving stuffing and mashed potatoes. That’s what I’m doing for tomorrow’s festivities. Yum!
~Dan
RECIPE: Framboise Cranberry Relish
Framboise Cranberry Relish
…
This recipe is modified from Lisa Morrison’s recipe for “Cranbeer-y Relish” that appears in The Christmas Table: Recipes and Crafts to Create Your Own Holiday Tradition by Diane Morgan.
Judging by the cover, the book doesn’t look too vegetarian/vegan friendly, but this Relish recipe is definitely a gem and super easy. Note: my modification is the addition of blueberries and a pinch of salt.
makes about 2 1/4 cups
Ingredients:
- 12 ounce bottle Lindemans’ Framboise Lambic beer (or other suitable fruity lambic)
- 10-12 ounce package fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1/4 cup finely diced crystallized (candied) ginger
- 1/4 cup sugar
- pinch of salt
Steps:
- In a deep four-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the beer to a boil.
- Add the cranberries, blueberries, ginger, sugar, and salt. Adjust the heat so the mixture simmers and stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the cranberries & blueberries have popped open, about 10-15 minutes. You can assist the fruit by pushing against them and the side of the saucepan with a spoon.
- Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
- Refrigerate in a covered jar or container until ready to serve. The relish can be made up to 10 days in advance.
This is a mainly music-based blog. If you stumbled in on a recipe search, check out my other recipes, like vegan biscuits & gravy, spiced biscotti, vegan cactus chili, vegan bananas foster, mushroom dumpling stew, strawberry cornbread muffins, fruit spring rolls, grilled coconut-rum pineapple, vegetarian s’mores pouches, pumpkin-infused vodka cocktail, creamy vegan chocolate pudding, cute olive penguins, raw blueberry cheesecake, Jónsi and Alex’s raw vegan pies at THIS LINK.
~Dan – np: Omer Klein – Rockets on the Balcony
RECIPE: Pumpkin Vodka Cocktail (via last November)
Since Thanksgiving is coming up soon… and there’s still some time to infuse some vodka – here’s my post last year for a pretty amazing Pumpkin Vodka cocktail recipe!
Enjoy!
~Dan
Peanut Butter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
So, this can’t be passed up… I first heard about it via Samurai Artist‘s tweets, and now the photo walk-through of the brewing of the monsterous Peanut Butter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout at Coalition Brewing. Check out the rest of the pictures and narrative over at the New School blog:
Go HERE for the full walk-through.
The plan is for it to be ready for Portland’s Night of the Living Ales – 1st Annual SE 28th Street pubcrawl on Halloween (Oct 31st, 2010). I won’t be able to make it; so I may have to try to brew this PB beer myself… eventually. Maybe for next year’s Cascade Brewer’s Society “weird ingredient” club competition. It also gave me the idea for a peanut-infused vodka (or possibly peanut butter-infused vodka) for a chocolate cocktail.
~Dan – np: Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz
Cascade Brewing Brewer’s Dinner (10/15/2010)
So, with my recent concert going and being out of town for work, I forgot to post about the utterly amazing Cascade Brewing Brewer’s Dinner last Friday (October 15, 2010). I was luckily at the table with owner Ron Gansberg, his wife, and one of their brewers John (last name escapes me). Super great beer-loving group at my table as well – Nicole, Drew, Josh and Josh’s friend (name also escapes me).
The normal meat-y affair had some changes made for me (thank you, Paul Kasten – sous chef @ Wildwood). The veggie options were great, and I’ll admit, just about anything paired with these delicious sour beers would be fantastic.
Here’s what I had (with notes below):
- Mixed Chicory Salad w/ Frite Galois: nice farmhouse beer, slightly sour, not as over the top as we’d get later in the night. Went great with the viniagrette and cheese in the salad.
- Fall Pepper Crostone w/ Vlad the Imp Aler: oh, my, this may have been my first taste of Vlad … love it. Spiced blonde quads, bourbon barrels, delightful. I picked up two bottles of it earlier this week (it was released in bottle on Saturday the 16th). My egg and crostone came out 10-15 minutes ahead of the meat-y dishes, and I was told by the server to eat it hot… I devoured it. Simple fried egg on a salsa-fied version of bruschetta.
- Matsutake Mushroom and Farro Risotto w/ Sour Rye: a younger one of the sour beers. I didn’t catch the age when Ron talked about it… 3 months, maybe? The risotto was phenomenal. It didn’t work with the rye beer, in my opinion; however both the food and the beer were excellent indepedently. The meat-eaters got a “rueben deconstructed” – cabbage salad with caraway seeds under a slice of battered and fried cornbeef, which was inspired by the rye in the beer.
- Grilled Eggplant and Cherry Tomato Salad w/ Autumn Gose: the autumn gose smelled “like halloween” to me, carmal nose, nutmeg, cinnamon, sea salt, orange peel. The eggplant was sliced nice and thin (i.e.- the only good way to eat eggplant). I forget how it paired, but since I didn’t note that it didn’t work, it probably worked. :)
- Oregon Star Tomato Soup w/ Sang Noir: sang noir was amazing, it’s a northwest sour red, ahed in pinot noir barrels with some of it being aged on bing cherries prior to the blend. Another “great independently” food & beer, but didn’t work paired. Great nonetheless, and again, I know the main pairings were for meat; so I’m eternally grateful for Paul at Wildwood for being awesome and making my nice and full.
- Russet Potato Gnocchi w/ Bourbonic Plague: what to say about the bourbonic plague? amazing, deceptive, will knock you dead without you knowing it. it’s strong (12.1% abv), bourbon barrel aged (hence the name), hints of dates, spiced double porter base, abbey normal yeast, 16-18 months in the barrel. 12.1%, yet drinks like a juice box. :) oh, it’ll knock you dead. great with the gnocchi!
- Pistachio Ice Cream w/ Apricot Ale: 2010 “raw” batch of the ale, unblended version, very fruit forward… nice with the subtler pistachio ice cream. The honey on the ice cream was a bit much for my taste, but I think this dish went very well with the beer. I think 30 oz. in on a high-octane beer tasting… well, it was bound to be awesome at this point.
Check out Cascade’s sour beers: http://www.cascadebrewing.com/
Check out Cascade’s new barrelhouse in SE PDX: http://www.cascadebrewingbarrelhouse.com/
Check out Wildwood Restaurant: http://wildwoodrestaurant.com/
Wildwood has another brewer’s dinner coming up – Sierra Nevada on Friday, November 5th.
Keep Portland beer’d!
~Dan – np: Peter Mulvey – Letters from a Flying Machine
Blueberry Dreamin’ – Part 2
…Electric Bugaloo.
OK, so I’ve had a post like this before about something also synthetically blueberry-y… and, no, I’m not “in the pocket” of “Big Pudding.” While synthetic, and wholly unnatural, this Hunt’s Blueberry Muffin pudding is… well, magical.
Sorry, I’m only human. It has inspired me to make this recipe for an upcoming Veggie Supper Club.
~Dan – np: John Zorn / Masada String Trio – Film Works XI: Under the Wing
Miles Davis & Dogfish Head – Bitches Brew
Well, Lagunitas is officially done doing their Frank Zappa beers (Rueben & the Jets was their final one)… but I just got my hands on a couple of bottles of Delaware-based Dogfish Head‘s tribute to Miles Davis‘ album Bitches Brew.
It’s a 9% (ABV) dark beer that is a fusion of three threads imperial stout and one thread honey beer with gesho root (traditionally used in Ethiopian honey wine, tej). Read more about the brew commemorating the 40th anniversary of Mile Davis’ album over at the Dogfish Head website. I haven’t had time to taste the brew yet, but hopefully soon while spinning the record. :)
~Dan – np: Sufjan Stevens – All the Delighted People EP
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
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