Drink Matron

Tag: Beer

  • Discovery’s Brew Masters Canceled?

    Let me start by saying that I hate how alarmist the Internet can be and I don’t subscribe to that sort of journalism.  That being said I would be remiss if I didn’t say that all of this is UNCONFIRMED at this time.

    This fall, Discovery came out with a new show called Brew Masters which follows Sam Calgione, founder of Dogfish Head Brewery, and his staff while they take care of the day to day operation of a microbrewery as well as discovering new and exciting beers to bring to the public.  If you enjoy beer at all, this show can be informative and entertaining.  Unfortunately, the Internet is currently awash in speculation that the show has been canceled after only 5 episodes have aired and a 6th being aired some time in June.

    After having seen Beer Wars, which really introduced Sam Calgione to the public spotlight, I really looked forward to Brew Masters airing.  I think craft beer brewing and microbreweries are interesting and Sam is a guy with a really unique personality and the show is better for it.

    The blog AtlantaBeerMaster.com has posted this quote from a Discovery spokesperson :

    [Discovery Channel] is working on completing the final episode #6 of Brew Masters.  It will be airing by early spring.  They have NOT cancelled the show.  Brew Masters was slated for an initial 6 episode run.  Once the 6 are completed, Discovery Channel & Dogfish Head will evaluate the response and future direction.

    While that leaves hope that the show may continue, it sounds to me like they’ve pretty much written it off.

    Further, Anthony Bourdain, host of another Travel Channel show No Reservations, hinted at the fact that Brew Masters was canceled because Big Beer threatened to pull their ads from the Travel Channel if the show remained on the air.  This could just be speculation on his part, but No Reservations is produced by the same company as Brew Masters (Zero Point Zero Productions) so it’s possible he knows a thing or two about a thing or two.

    Whether or not this show gets canceled, you should still watch the existing episodes and if you like it, go check out Beer Wars too!

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  • Beer and Food Pairing

    If someone in the Food Writing industry mentions “food pairing”, typically it’s implied that they mean pairing wine with food.  Some restaurants are even helpful enough to annotate their food fare with suggested wine pairings.  A lot of restaurants train their wait staff on wine pairing.  But a new trend has been picking up steam: Beer and Food Pairing.  This trend likely stems from the upswing in popularity of craft beers and a lot more people drinking microbrews and, let’s face it, GOOD beer.

    Beer and food pairing is not so different from wine and food pairing.  You just need to find the beer that compliments the dish.  As with wine pairing, there are conflicting opinions on how this is accomplished.  Some people feel that you should choose a beer that has a similar taste profile as the food you are eating in order to build on the flavors in the food and the beer.  Others (myself included) believe that the beer should starkly contrast the food, thus cleansing the palate and making every bite of food just as flavorful and amazing as the first.

    Guidelines

    • In general, the rule is like with like.  So if you are eating a lighter food, go with a lighter beer and vice versa.
    • Spicy foods are best paired with light ales.  The light, crisp flavor of the light ales cut the spice of the food.  More complex beers have a very nuanced flavor that would be completely masked by the spice in spicy food.
    • Pizza is a greasy, tangy, delicious nightmare.  Amber ales are carbonated and light enough to cut the grease from the meat and cheese while the hoppy flavor plays against the acidity in the tomato sauce.
    • Fruity desserts are best paired with wheat beers.  These beers have a natural sweetness and their is a citrusy, spicy aspect to these beers that comes out with this type of dessert.
    • Heavy dessert are balanced well with Imperial or sweet stouts.
    • Because of how greasy fried foods can be, pilsners are a good choice.  Pilsners have a crisp bite to them that cuts through the grease to cleanse the palate, but doesn’t have quite the bite that a pale ale does to overwhelm the flavor of the food.

    Beer and Cheese

    One of the biggest trends involving beer pairing is pairing with cheese, which used to be exclusive to the wine community.  While I’ve never toyed with this, from what I’ve heard, the rule of thumb is the more pungent the cheese, the stronger the flavor in the beer you want to pair it with.  If you feel like hosting one of these beer and cheese tasting parties, here are some pairings to help you start:

    • Feta and Goat Cheese with Wheat Beers
    • Mascarpone (a cheese generally used in desserts) with Fruit Beers
    • Muenster, Havarti or Monterey Jack with moderately hoppy Pilsners
    • Colby or Cheddar with robust Brown Ales
    • Roquefort or Stilton (very pungent cheeses) with Strong Belgian Ales
    • Gruyere or Swiss (meaty flavored cheeses) with Bock, Dark Lagers or Oktoberfest (anything really malty).
    • Parmesan or Romano with Pale or Amber Ales.

    Beer and Wine Comparisons

    If you’re just starting out in either realm of food pairing, it can be a little difficult.  Some restaurants have wine suggestions for each entree on the menu.  That’s great if you’re a wine drinker, but it doesn’t help the beer drinkers.  You can use the following table (found at Epicurious.com) to make a decision on your beer choice based on the wine selection given on a menu:

    Light Body
    Wines: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Barbera, Pinot Grigio
    Beers: Lager, Pilsner, Wheat

    Medium Body
    Wines: Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah
    Beers: Ale, IPA, Bock

    Heavy Body
    Wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Oaky Chardonnay
    Beers: Stout, Porter, Barleywine

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  • Mr. Beer Classic American Blonde Ale

    After our debacle with the Mr. Beer keg during our first batch of beer, we finally cracked open the bottles of Classic American Blonde Ale this weekend and tried them out.

    The beer poured a nice light brown with a ton of carbonation. It had a nice head that didn’t hold, but it was a good consistency. In other words, we successful poured beer rather than foam. Yay us!

    From the first taste, Adrian noticed that it was a little sweet, but we both agreed that it didn’t take away from the taste. It was refreshing and clean, light and full flavored, but for the most part, unexceptional.

    We were relieved to find that despite our issues with the keg and having to use unconventional methods for fermentation, that the beer turned out pretty good. In fact, we had an excellent Friday and Saturday night, drinking up our successful brew in its entirety.

    Next up, Cowboy Golden Lager. Adrian has sealed the leak in the keg, and we are ready to get going. We just need to be in the same place and not have 500 other things to do.

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  • Why I Brew the Beer I Drink

    Guest Post by Brian Liebau, Our own beer brewing zombie killer.

    I got started (brewing beer) because I love beer and I wanted to learn a craft that would be worthwhile after an apocalypse. No really, laugh now, but that was my initial motivation. There aren’t many other hobbies that would benefit mankind as much while civilization is being rebuilt from scratch. You’ll see. After the meteors hit and zombies are roaming the streets, I’ll be recruited into the survivor’s compound because I’ll be able to contribute to society by providing one of those few remaining things that can bring harmony and happiness. That’s granted they have access to all the necessary ingredients and tools, but we can work that out later.

    Seriously though… back to loving beer.
    If you are passionate about beer, if you’re the type who chooses a store based on the variety in their walk-in-cooler, or who makes their restaurant selection based on tapper count, who thoroughly enjoys a crisp IPA on a hot summer day, or the warm complexity of an imperial stout in the dead of winter, if you always try the local brew or select the one unknown tap that you’ve never heard of before, you should seriously think about brewing your own… and sharing it… with me.

    If you only drink weak flavored beer or your solitary goal of drinking it to get wasted, you absolutely should not try to brew… At least not until you make friends with a home brewer and let them share their passion and appreciation for good beer with you. 

    The more someone loves beer, the better the chance that they will produce some of the best heavenly barley nectar that has ever graced the lips of mankind. When you appreciate the subtle differences in hop varieties, malted grain, and yeast strains, you will fine tune your beer into that combination of flavors that you yearn for in a commercial brew but can never quite find. Like a musician or an artist with a blank canvas, you can build your masterpiece into an exact concerto for your tongue, a Monet for your olfactory. Sure it takes a bit of luck, knowledge, and experience but that process is part of the enjoyment. The achievement, surprise, and heartbreak encountered after hours bent over a boiling pot and weeks after watching your yeast bubble away is the dream of any grown adult who had a chemistry set as a kid. Plus it’s lots of fun when your neighbors come over to ask if what you’re doing is legal or if you’re cooking meth. Then the day comes when you can pour your creation into a glass after you’ve meticulously planned its composition and devoutly tended its maturation until it finally rolls around your mouth and warms your belly… the smile on your face in that moment is the pure happiness of home brewing. Just remember, happiness is only worthwhile when shared!

    Enough of that… back to those zombies.
    Don’t fool yourself, when mankind is rebuilding after the next great flood, those who know how to produce food, ammunition, and alcohol will be the ones who survive and thrive. Mostly, it will be those with ammunition, but I’m not that great of a shot and I’ve never had a green thumb, so I’ll stick to what I’m good at. Humans have relied on beer for the majority of civilization, especially when sanitary water conditions weren’t always available. Trust me on this one, anyone facing hordes of brain eating walking dead or bands of crazed pillaging marauders will really need a beer after a long day.

    Some of Brian's homemade brew – Blonde Ale, Dark Honey Wheat, Hoppy Amber Ale, Apfelwein
    Copyright of Brian Liebau.  Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.