Rauchbier and a late Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest ended last Sunday in Munich but we had our own celebration complete with German smoked lager (Rauchbier), German Potato and Leek Soup, bratwurst and sauerkraut.

The beer was Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen, a classic example of the style. This beer delivered with a delicious smoke flavor backed by a solid malt base. It was really great with the potato leek soup. The cold, poignantly smoky beer was a sharp contrast with the warm, creamy understated soup. The pairing put a vivid autumn image in my head: a smoky bonfire on a cold autumn day and a warm cabin to retire to.

Rauchbier pairings has been an interesting challenge for me recently. The first thing that comes too mind is smoked meats, but I feel that the flavors are too similar. I think that the contrast with a creamy soup such as this is a good way to go with this smoky brew.

Ommegang Belgian Pale Ale

Deep thanks to the friends who gave this and several other beers and the brewing kit to me as wedding gifts. I miss you guys and am thinking of all of you as I enjoy this.

Ommegang Belgian Pale Ale
6.2% ABV, cascade hops

This is an extremely well balanced ale, complete with nutty malts, a hint of distinctive Belgian yeast flavors, a crisp carbonation, and a subtle cascade hop flavor. It reminds me of a great Belgian golden ale with the addition of measured hops. The aroma, however, points directly to luscious cascade hops. Despite the hops, this tastes genuinely Belgian (probably do to the yeast and wide malt profiles),. I will be on the lookput for more from Ommegang, a brewery in Cooperstown, NY under the Duvel family.

Link: Belgian Reunion at Design*Sponge

This made my mouth water. I've had Duvel and mussels steamed in white wine before, it is amazing. I like the steins as well, even if they weren't the right glassware for those beers.

Beer Festivals: New Belgium and Terrapin

Ok, so I visited New Belgium's Clips of Faith festival in Asheville and I at least need to talk about my favorite beer from the Lips of Faith line: La Folie. This sour ale is brewed in the spirit of a Flanders Red. It smells like a brown ale, with hints of chocolate, but packs an intense sour hit with some finishing chocolate notes. I love sour beers and I hope more craft brewers will brew this delicious style. I'm also hoping that New Belgium will distribute La Folie more widely in the Southeast.

Above is the old design on the La Folie bottles. By the way, Eric's Ale was another tasty sour ale I enjoyed at Clips of Faith.


I also visited Terrapin's Hop Harvest Festival. They introduced a solid fresh hop beer called So Fresh and So Green, Green. It was nice having another fresh hop beer; I'm definitely going to stay on the lookout for more. I heard that Palmetto just put out a fresh hop IPA that I'm going to have to check out. And of course I am going to have to grab a few bottles of Great Divide's delicious fresh hop pale ale.

Asheville Part 3: Highland Brewery Tour

Wednesday we visited Highland Brewery. It was a great trip and we were treated well by everyone we met!

When we first arrived, they were working on a new tasting room; despite being busy with construction they were happy to give us the tour.We had a great time at Highland; they gave us samples of every beer they had and showed us how everything worked. The process really isn't that different from home-brewing, but obviously they need some different equipment on this scale.

Our guide, Grant. Grant hardly drank anything other than Gaelic Ale before starting work at Highland. He's holding cascade hops and two row barley. Highland uses pellet hops for their boil and whole cone hops for aromatics.

















L: The mill, where the barley grains are cracked.
R: The container in the center is where the cracked grains are sent to be malted. Water covers the grains and they begin to germinate. The starches in the grains are converted to sugars and the sugars are washed out by the water, which becomes "sweet liquor": basically sugar water.
The next chamber to the right of center, in the background, is where the sweet liquor is boiled with hops. At Highland they do ninety minute boils. After boiling the liquid is called "wort". For some beers, such as the St. Terese's Pale Ale, the wort is sent to the hopback chamber after the boil, which is in the right foreground, where it is exposed to whole cone hops, which give the beer more of the aromatic qualities of hops. The chamber to the far left is where the wort is cooled after boiling.






L: Fermentation tanks, where yeast is added to the cooled wort. Yeast multiply and then convert the sugars of the wort into CO2 and alcohol. They then go into a dormant phase and settle to the bottom of the vats.
R: Old dairy tanks that Highland has converted into fermentation tanks. They used these to ferment there beer when they were located in the basement of Barley's Taproom downtown, because the ceilings in the basement were to low for conventional tanks. They still use these tanks in their new facility.


L: Kegging equipment
R: "The fist of justice" boxing equipment, designed and put together by Highland employees.


We also got to try all of the beers they had on tap. I'd had the Gaelic Ale several times (if you look closely you may notice it in the blog header), but all of the other beers I tried were new to me and did not disappoint. I will especially be keeping a lookout for St. Terese's Pale Ale, what a great, aromatic, well-balanced pale ale. Not shown in pictures: Gaelic Ale, Mocha Stout, and Kashmir IPA.
R: Clawhammer Oktoberfest



L: Brandon's Kölsch
C: Cattail Peak Organic Wheat
R: St. Terese's Pale Ale

I also got to meet and chat with Highland's founder, Oscar Wong. He was very friendly and even offered my new wife and I some advice: "marry for love, stay for life, but not for lunch."

Thanks to everyone at Highland Brewery! We had a great time and enjoyed your beer very much!

Asheville Part 2: "Zeptemberfest" at Barley's

For lunch yesterday, we hit Barley's Taproom. There is actually a Barley's in Greenville, SC that we used to go to while we were at Clemson, but the original location is the one in Asheville. And, as we learned later, the first location of Highland Brewing Co. was in the basement of Barley's.

As one would expect, the place was slightly dark inside, with walls covered in beer signs and a long bar with a plethora of taps. The beer selection was impressive, but I was only interested in local beer. I was tempted by a sampler of local beers, but I was intrigued by French Broad Brewing Co.'s "Zeptemberfest" - an ale inspired apparently by Led Zeppelin and the upcoming beer festivals of Fall.




French Broad Brewing - Zeptemberfest
6.1% ABV

This was a fairly big beer with a strong hop presence and malty body. It was pretty well-balanced but flavorful nonetheless. I'm calling this a pale ale, though the hop bitterness was a bit on the strong side for a pale ale. The hop flavors were less piney than many craft beers; I'm not sure where the hops for this one were grown. The description mentioned that the yeast was chosen to combine the smoothness of a lager with the estery characteristics of ale, but I didn't really pick up on any lager characteristics. This was an enjoyable and flavorful beer nonetheless.




As I've mentioned before, beer with a strong hop presence pairs well with sharp cheeses; our Greek pizza with feta cheese, spinach, onions, black olives, and sun-dried tomatoes was a great mate to the Zeptemberfest. The bitterness of the hops brought out the sharp flavors of the feta as well as contrasting with the sweetness of the sun-dried tomatoes. Not a bad lunch and stop at a cornerstone of the craft brew scene of Asheville.

"There you sit, sitting spare like a book on a shelf rusting,
Not trying to fight it.
You really don't care if they're coming
I know that it's all a state of mind."

Asheville Part 1: Kölsch and Fried Green Tomatoes; Honey Biscuits

I'm in Asheville on my honeymoon and I'm trying to get the most out of this town's beers. I'm planning a trip to the Highland Brewing Company for a tour later today!

Yesterday we had a very nice lunch at the Tupelo Honey Cafe. It was hot outside so I opted for the French Broad Brewing Company's Gateway Kölsch. Kölsch is a German-style ale originally brewed in Cologne. The style is unique because it uses elements of both ale and lager brewing: it is first top-fermented with ale yeast at higher tempereatures and then lagered at cold temperatures.

This Kölsch was light and refreshing but quite flavorful, with an initial mild crisp bite of carbonation and finishing with round, nutty malt flavors that fill the mouth. I was starving when we got a table after waiting, and this beer slaked my thirst and curbed my appetite momentarily.




Next out came biscuits, which we topped with butter and honey. The honey was great for biscuits, with a light and floral flavor. The nutty Kölsch contrasted with the sweet honey and complemented the buttery flavors of the biscuit.




Finally our lunches came: fried chicken sandwich with dijonnaise with a side of fried green tomatoes and basil and a burger with goat cheese and a side of beet salad. The Kölsch served as a refreshing and flavorful companion to both of these meals. I thought that the best pairing at lunch was the Kölsch and the fried green tomatoes, which were surprisingly tangy, bringing out some of the subtle hops and the nuttiness of the beer.

Terrapin Hop Harvest Festival

In my first post I reviewed a fresh hop beer and said how excited I was to try more fresh hop beer in 2010's hop harvest in the Fall. Well apparently Terrapin is having a hop harvest festival on Sept. 25th. I'm hoping I can make it, because I am pumped about the hop harvest and trying more fresh hop beers. Just another great reason to love the Fall.

July Update

So graduate school has been keeping me extremely busy but I wanted to check in with the blog with notable beers I've tried this summer:

• Murphy's Irish Stout - Dry Irish Stout, velvety mouth feel
• Victory Rauchbier - I was pumped when I found this for growlers at Charleston Beer Exchange. Good, smoky flavor and medium body as I remembered. I love this style and I wish it was more common.

Coast HopArt - Had this both at Poe's Tavern and from the CHS Beer Exchange. I think this has usurped Terrapin Hopsecutioner and Dogfish Head 60min as my favorite IPA. Freaking fantastic, hoppy beer. This is the best beer brewed in South Carolina, in my opinion. If you are in Charleston, South Carolina, get this beer. Unfortunately, distribution is pretty limited outside of the Lowcountry. I am sure this IPA will show up the blog again in the future.

• Palmetto Lager, Amber Ale, and Pale Ale - All good offerings from the older brewery in Charleston. The lager reminded me of European-style lagers, pretty good for lager. The pale ale was decent and balanced but not outstanding.

So the bad news is that I am now dieting, which means that I am cutting back on the beer. Rest assured that when I let myself have a beer I will make it worth it.

Guest Post: Belgian Blonde Ale and Cheesecake

Okay, I know what you're thinking. The truth is, yeah, I got this guest blogging spot because I "know a guy." And if you don't know me, I'm SB, Chad's fiancee. Perhaps we'll meet at the wedding.

The truth is, I don't drink beer much... if ever (Cue the resounding NO sounds coming from everyone I know--Coronas being the exception). But there was something about bar hopping in Athens last Thursday that made me think, "I need a beer." I'm pretty sure it was the fact that we spent three hours in various uncomfortable bars and bar seats, watching the first Finals game. So I ordered up the good ol' sampler pack from Copper Creek Brewing, mostly because I could get one small glass while Chad willingly consumed the other three. I sent for dessert, too--creamy cheesecake. Both arrived, with my sampler showing up first. Of course, I was drinking the Summer Blonde and NOT the Irish Stout, and took a nice swig and ate some cheesecake.

Then I did it again. Hey, not half bad. Of course, by the time the photo was taken, I'd already eaten about three bites to make sure I wasn't insane for thinking beer tasted good with something. In fact, I specifically remember making Chad taste it too.

Moral of the story? Anyone can find a good beer pairing with a little luck. And it's the light bitterness, the almost coffee-like taste of the Summer Blonde (only available from Copper Creek Brewing Co. in Athens, GA) that helped make that night a good one, considering the Celts lost. But we can all relish the fact that I won, right?

-SB

A word on Sam Adams Cranberry "Lambic"

So Samuel Adams puts out a winter classics pack of beers that I've gotten the past few winters. The pack includes Winter Lager, Boston Lager, Coastal Wheat, Cranberry Lambic, Holiday Porter, and Old Fezziwig Ale. Old Fezziwig, an ale full of winter spices, is definitely my favorite, and I have always liked most of them, with the exception of the Cranberry Lambic.

Maybe it was because my taste was messed up from my oral surgery this winter, but the Cranberry Lambic just wasn't doing it for me. We have some remnants of the winter pack left that I've been finishing off, and I thought I should revisit this beer now that my sense of taste is restored and now that I have had true Belgian lambic and know what to expect from the style.

Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic
5.9% ABV, wheat ale with cranberries and maple syrup

Now that I understand that lambics are supposed to be an unusually tart or sour beer, I have a much better appreciation for what Sam Adams was going for in this beer. This beer has an unusual aroma that I am tempted to say I have smelled in wheat beers before; it might best be described as a sweet collard green smell. This flavor is also present though accompanied by some tartness that lingers after a small kick of carbonation. There is no hop presence, true to the style.

Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic is not really a lambic. As I have said, lambic is wild-fermented wheat ale (using wild yeast) made in the Senne Valley of Belgium. However, this is fermented in the usual way by adding yeast strain. Therefore, this beer is misnamed and would more properly be named Cranberry Wheat. The flavor is reflective of this, as it isn't really off-the-wall tart and funky like a true lambic.

As far as taste goes, this actually isn't half bad if you take it for what it is. I would not say this is anywhere close to being as sour as even the Lindeman's kriek or framboise I've had, much less the Cantillon gueuze. I've say the flavor is best described as a wheat ale with a tad more emphasis on tartness, which makes it an interesting change of pace from your typical hefeweizen or white ale. So I won't bash this beer as much in the future, though it can't really compare to the Fezziwig in my opinion, and I may even enjoy it once or twice on the holidays.

Cantillon Classic Gueuze

I finally popped open my bottle of Cantillon Classic Gueuze the other night!

Again, lambic is a wild fermented ale made with about 70% barley and 30% wheat in the Senne Valley of Belgium. Rather than adding yeast to the wort, lambic makers use a more traditional approach to brewing by exposing the wort to the open night air of the Senne Valley, which has natural yeast spores and bacteria that ferment the wort. Then the beer is put into wooden barrels to condition for varying periods of time, often up to several years. Gueuze is a beer made by blending both young (about 1 year old) and old (about 2-3 years old) lambics. Gueuze is often called the "champagne of beer."

This was a 1 pt. 9.4 fl. oz. bottle with a cork and bottle cap. I need to work on my de-corking technique; I can pop off bottle caps on nearly anything with a flat edge but I nearly tore up the cork on this bottle while trying to open it. The beer was very light, almost a straw color, and the featured a moderate, bubbly head that quickly dissipated. This beer had the distinct aroma of Brettanomyces funkiness, which really smells like nothing else and gets you geared up for the experience of a good Belgian beer.

This is my first gueuze, and I now understand why it is called the champagne of beers. This is quite tart and sour with a bit of funkiness and very subtle bitterness. This beer has very little carbonation, no taste of malt, and absolutely no hop presence (they use aged or stale hops in lambic so that they don't overwhelm the other flavors). It is dominated by tartness, which is very unusual for beer. Lambics are always a unique experience, and without fail whoever I am drinking with expresses some disbelief that they are actually drinking beer. For myself, this was absolutely delicious and I can't wait to have more. I would be happy if I never had champagne again if it meant that I could have gueuze instead (and I happen to enjoy champagne).

I enjoyed a helping of strawberry shortcake with my bottle of Cantillon. The sweetness of the dessert contrasted with the lambic, bringing out and intensifying the sourness and funkiness in this wild ale. Also, any sourness in the strawberry acted to complement the beer. The combination of complementary and contrasting flavors in the dessert and beer made this a complex, intriguing, and natural pairing. This pairing isn't a 'stretch'- I think anyone who enjoys tartness would agree that this is a successful pairing between beer and dessert.

Garlic Lemon Thyme Chicken and English Pale Ale

I had a pretty decent pairing at dinner the other night that I thought I would share with you.

Samuel Smith Old Brewery Pale Ale
1 Pt 2.7 Fl Oz

This English pale ale was quite different from my idea of what pale ales taste like, based mostly on American beer. Rather than being hoppy, this pale ale was dominated by caramel-like malt flavors. However, the flavors were not overpowering, as should be expected with any pale ale, and were thus well suited to go with less outspoken foods such as chicken. At the end of the flavor profile of this beer you experience a subtle hint of hops and carbonation bite. Incorporating the American, English, and Belgian pale ales that I've now had, I think I am starting to see that pale ale may have a wide range of flavor profiles (hoppy, malty, funky, grassy), but they all tend to be lighter in flavor than their full-bodied relatives such as IPA or Abbey Ales.

I made chicken seasoned with garlic, thyme, and lemon with crispy skin. The chicken had a good flavor, but would have been overshadowed by a bigger beer. The malty richness of the pale ale provided a nice counterpoint to the saltiness and acidity of the chicken. Other beers with moderate flavors (other pale ales, hefeweizen, brown ale) would also be a good match for a conservatively flavored chicken dish.

Birthday Beer

Birthday present for my roommate:



-Smuttynose IPA
-St. Peter's Organic English Ale
-New Holland Poet Oatmeal Stout






-Thomas Creek Orange Blossom Pilsner Squared
-New Holland Golden Cap Saison
-Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Hops Cubed Ale




All of these are new beers for me with the exception of the Heavy Seas Loose Cannon, which is amazing hoppy goodness. Cheers!

Lindeman's Framboise Lambic

Nathan and I shared a bottle of Lindeman's Framboise Lambic last night. This is a Belgian wheat beer fermented from wild yeast and with raspberries added to produce a second fermentation. As soon I smelled this beer the memory of eating wild raspberries in Boone popped in my head- I love it when smells bring up good memories.

Lindeman's does sweeten their Lambics, so they aren't quite made according to the traditional methods. Still, this was good stuff- tart, fruity, with a hint of wheaty sharpness. If you are in the mood for something tart and slighty sweet- this is the way to go. This would have been damn good with some dark chocolate.

I still haven't opened up my Cantillon Gueuze (it is one of the beers you can age), but when the time is right, expect a blog post about it.

Beer for Steak Night

I know I've neglected the blog for a couple of weeks now- school has been crazy and completely monopolized my time (notable beers that I've drank recently and not blogged about include: Delirium Nocturnum, Sweetwater IPA, Terrapin Rye Pale Ale, and Hoegaarden).

So to make up for the gap in posts, I've got a special post featuring two different beers and how they pair with Steak au Poivre. The beers I've picked are the Belgian classic Chimay Grande Reserve (Blue) Trappist and Anchor Old Foghorn Barleywine. I'm very excited about this dinner and beers as I just got a cast iron pan for the steak (and its a new recipe) and I've never had Chimay before!

Chimay Grande Réserve (Blue)
9% ABV, Trappist ale, 2008 vintage

This Trappist ale poured brown with a moderate head dissipating into a ring. The aroma is estery, fruity, and malty. The flavor was as suggested by the aroma. Fruity (apple?), rich, slightly malty, bite from carbonation, and just overall delicious. The fruitiness made it slightly sweet, but not overpowering. The high alcohol content was very well masked. This is a fantastic beer, very drinkable, delicious, and with gives you a nice buzz at 9% ABV. I expect this to be a standby Trappist.

Anchor Old Foghorn
8.2%, Barleywine ale

There seem to be (at least) two different strains of Barleywine: hoppy and malty. This falls in the latter. It is rich and strong, with heavy malt flavor, caramel notes, and a hint of hop. This is another big beer, which is exactly what I had in mind. This is not my favorite barleywine, but it stands up well to the rich steak au poivre.

The steak au poivre was delicious- it was rich, buttery, peppery, fatty, and simply amazing. I used ribeyes in a cast iron skillet. We also had some amazing mashed potatoes and asparagus made by my fiance. The Chimay was fantastic with the steak- the rich fruit and malt flavors complemented and offered a delicious counterpoint to the rich steak. The rich malt flavors of the barleywine stood up well to the steak as well, but I preferred the fruitiness of the Chimay to the caramel flavor of the barleywine, which was a tad too rich in malty flavor for me.

So as far as a great, rich ribeye steak goes, Chimay or malty barleywine are both great choices. My favorite between these two was the Chimay.

In fact, the Chimay even paired well with the dessert my fiance's sister made. This delicate custard eclair cake moderates the carbonated bite and the two flavors just melt together and complement each other perfectly. This beer would also go very well with Creme Brulee, one of my favorite desserts. This was the perfect end to a perfect dinner. Chimay is truly an amazing beer and incredibly flexible with food pairings! Trust me, pick up a bottle and see what I mean.

Sometimes you just have to

So some workers decided that when the company changed the rule about the amount of free beer they got a year, they go on strike. The drivers decided not to join in because their limit of 3 beers a day did not change, but just to make sure you feel safe all of these drivers have breathalyzer starters, so no Drunk driving.

all I have to say is: only in Copenhagen!

Pizza and Beer: there is a reason it is a classic

Yes, pizza and beer is a cliche. Everyone knows that pizza and beer go together. Why bother talking about it here? Here's why:It gets a hell of a lot better than a bud and pizza hut (hopefully this isn't an epiphany for any of you).

I experienced what was pretty much pizza and beer heaven this week and it just wouldn't be right if I didn't say a few words about it.

Okay, I've been to Mellow Mushrooms before. Actually, I've been to about five different locations, many times. This time was different.

We were in Athens looking for apartments and we stopped for dinner and ordered some pizza. I, after reviewing the taps, ordered a glass of Terrapin Hopsecutioner.



Terrapin Hopsecutioner
7.2% ABV, American IPA

Hopsecutioner, as indicate by the name, is an IPA with bold hop flavor up-front. It's well-balanced but with a great hit of piney, citrusy hop bitterness. This beer isn't revolutionary for an IPA, but it meets all the expectations for the style, delivering on flavor with a somewhat higher than typical alcohol content. The alcohol did get to work very quickly on my empty stomach, giving me a nice buzz and putting me in a great mood for the pizza. If you want a great IPA with plenty of great hoppy flavor, this is a rock solid choice.

This pizza was perfection. Italian sausage, mushrooms, feta cheese, and basil. Firstly, the crust was amazing. The dough was the perfect consistency - not too crunchy or undercooked - and was absolutely delicious, and was topped with a sharp Italian cheese, I'm guessing parmigian, and olive oil. The sauce was also great, not revolutionary but well executed. The toppings went together perfectly. This pizza was a delicious combination of the sharp feta and parmigian cheese, the creamy mozzarella, spicy and fatty sausage, savory mushrooms, and herbal fresh basil. I thought that this pizza was better than any I'd had at a Mellow Mushroom... they're doing it right in Athens.

The pizza and beer went great together too. The bitter, piney flavors in the beer cut through the creamy, fatty flavors of the pizza and accented the sharpness of the feat cheese. Having a slight buzz from the beer seemed to make everything more enjoyable as well. This was the best pizza and beer combination I've ever had. Pizza and beer isn't groundbreaking, but I enjoyed this meal more than any I've had in a long time and this enjoyment is all because of this pairing. How could I not talk about it here? If this is your kind of pizza, I highly recommend trying this out at Mellow Mushroom with a bold IPA like Hopsecutioner.

Rauchbier and Ribs

This weekend on a visit to our future home in Athens, GA we stopped in at the Copper Creek brewpub for lunch. I ordered a Rauchbier and some ribs, and the combination was fantastic.

Rauchbier is a German lager style that uses smoked barley, giving it a prominent and unique smoky flavor. The one from Copper Creek was bold, smoky, and had a slight bite to it from the carbonation. I had never had Rauchbier before, but I was feeling adventurous in trying such a bold beer. I instantly loved this beer, and I highly recommend trying it; it's a unique and exciting experience.


While sipping on this smoky beer, I couldn't resist ordering some ribs. The pairing was completely complementary and natural. The ribs had a sweet sauce and no smoke flavor, so the beer actually added another layer of flavor that the ribs were missing. This was a great pairing and I can't wait to try out more pairings with this unique style of beer.

Dogfish Head's Midas Touch and Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Dogfish Head, an excellent craft brewery based out of Delaware, has produced several of what it calls "Ancient Ales". Essentially brewer Sam Calagione is working with an archeologist to recreate ancient beverages. Midas Touch is based off the contents found in an ancient tomb in Turkey believed to belong to King Midas. The recipe includes barley, white muscat grapes, honey, and Saffron. I picked this beer up a while back, intrigued by the story behind it.

Dogfish Head Midas Touch
Ancient Ale / Spiced Ale, 9% ABV, muscat grapes, honey, saffron

First off, is this beer? Yes, I believe so. The "traditional" recipe for beer is barley, water, yeast, and hops (though this Midas Touch recipe is technically older), and all of these are present here. Many, many other beers deviate from these four ingredients (white ale, kriek, and pumpkin ale to name a few), so I think it is fair to say that this may be exotic, but it is still beer in some sense.

This pours a very light amber/ dark straw color, with a few bubbles but not what I would call a head. The smell is of muscat grapes. This ale has an initial bite of saffron, malt, and muscat that is well balanced, and fades into a slightly sweet dryness that I strongly suspect is due to the use of honey and finally into what I believe are either subtle hops or saffron. The flavor is complex and unusual. Some say this tastes more like a wine, but I think the flavor lies somewhere between beer and wine, but with a good deal more herbiness than one comes to expect from either. I liked this beer, though it was somewhat outside of my comfort zone. It is a bit strong at 9% and has a very interesting flavor; I'm glad I drank it slow to appreciate everything going on. I am glad they didn't go any stronger on the honey; I find that too much dryness and alcohol flavor is somewhat unpleasant.

Pairing this with creamy chicken noodle soup was a complete shot in the dark, as I had no idea what to expect from this ale. I modified the recipe by first sauteing onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and mushroom in a pan before adding the chicken, broth, and some white wine. Also, I used egg noodles instead of rice and as I had no sauce packet, I made the roux with sage, black pepper, and herbes du provence instead. This soup turned out really well. It is rich and hearty, creamy and delicious.

Despite being a shot in the dark, this pairing actually turned out pretty well; it seems to be getting better as I work my through the beer. This ancient ale provide an interesting, herby contrast to the creamy soup. The soup brings out the dryness and saffron in the ale. This one is quite interesting and if you have the patience to make soup from scratch, I'd recommend trying it.

St. Patrick's Day

After two weeks of distractions and impediments to drinking (professional conference, spring break, stomach virus, head cold), I've returned to the blog!

So I sadly realized that I missed posting on St. Patrick's day, the biggest drinking holiday of all. To make amends for this, I'd like to say a few words about it.

Firstly, I hope everyone had a Guinness on St. Patty's. I'm an open-minded guy, but I believe there is value in traditions. I've been to Ireland (I'm dying to go back), and Guinness is definitely Ireland's beer.

Guinness was also one of the first beers I managed to get my hands on, and despite what some told me would happen, I loved my first pint. It was smooth and velvety with a creamy head and a light flavor that had just a hint of coffee-like bitterness, and not to mention the seemingly unique blackness. I was just getting my first glimpses into a new world; beer was good and Guinness was good. It wasn't too bitter or too heavy or like eating a loaf of bread as I had been told, and I still believe that those are simply myths. A good pint of Guinness (go for on-tap) has a wonderfully smooth mouth feel and a light but interesting flavor.

Of course, Guinness goes well with your St. Patty's staple dishes, Corn beef and cabbage or shepherd's pie. Stout and oysters is a classic British pairing; I'm fully planning to try this pairing as soon as the opportunity arises.

If you, God forbid, drank that abomination "green beer" this St. Patrick's day, next year don't make this mistake. Instead, reach for Guinness, the true Irish beer (or at least get a Harp).

"A bottle of whiskey at his feet
and a barrel of porter at his head

Whack fol the dah now dance to yer partner
round the flure yer trotters shake
Bend an ear to the truth they tell ye,
we had lots of fun at Finnegan's Wake

Mickey Maloney ducked his head
when a bucket of whiskey flew at him
It missed, and falling on the bed,
the liquor scattered over Tim
Now the spirits new life gave the corpse, my joy!
Tim jumped like a Trojan from the bed
Cryin will ye walup each girl and boy,
t'underin' Jaysus, do ye think I'm dead?"

- Finnegan's Wake (Irish song)