Scotch Ale & Shortbread

August 8, 2017 No comments Article

scotch ale and shortbread

It’s not a simple act to find a beer to pair with sweets and dessert. Beer doesn’t always play well with other sweet things, and can easily overwhelm or be minimized by dessert. The trick is to not only think about complementary flavors but complementary mouthfeel (texture) and body (richness) as well. You probably wouldn’t have great success in pairing a barley wine with a lemon sorbet, for instance, but a light-bodied brighter beer (like a tripel or a strong golden) would probably do just fine. So here I put rich, buttery (and rather crumbly) shortbread cookies alongside a malty, caramel-y beer for good effect.

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Hop Growing Regions Pt. II: New Zealand

July 13, 2017 No comments Article

New Zealand’s hops have become some of the most coveted varieties for craft brewers around the globe. Sharing some similarities with both Australian hops and newer American hops (such as Mosaic™ or Citra™), NZ produces a number of tropical, bright, fruit-forward hops that are shaking up flavor profiles in beer. New Zealand currently exports 85% of its hop harvest and has been funneling a lot of dedicated time and funding into breeding and development programs for new varieties.

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Strawberries and American Wheat

June 20, 2017 No comments Article

strawberries and wheat beer

Berry season is upon us here at last! This means: consistently warm weather is (hopefully) going to arrive soon, summer’s bounty is about to unfold, and the season for outdoor enjoyment of food and drink is here. I love so many summer fruits I can’t pick favorites, but some call to mind successful beer pairing options immediately, like strawberries, which I think go very well alongside an American-style wheat beer. That is to say, a wheat beer that doesn’t focus on a highly fruity, banana or bubblegum-like yeast note (like a Baviarian Hefeweizen might). Some breweries might call these American beers blondes to distinguish them from other maltier, less wheated pale ales.

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Hop Regions Pt. I: Australia

June 15, 2017 3 comments Article

Australia produces around 1% of the world’s hop supply. Not a significant number by itself, but what is significant is their focus on breeding, development and global marketing. Most of the hops currently grown down under are well regarded by American and other craft brewers for their unique flavors and aromas and high alpha acid content (re: IPA appropriate). 

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Hoppy Lager & Asparagus

June 6, 2017 Article

still life with beer and asparagus It’s asparagus season (and roses are in bloom). Rejoice! Asparagus is known to be a difficult food to pair with wine–notoriously difficult, even. Beer, however, is new territory. I chose a light-bodied, crisp lager that was well hopped with bright citrusy and piney hops to go with a simple blanched asparagus salad–a little lemon, nice salt and fresh pepper is really all you need, but a homemade mayo or aioli would be even more exciting.

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An Overview on World Hop Growing Regions

May 31, 2017 No comments Article

Hops are an increasingly valuable agricultural product for breweries around the globe. Getting a grasp on changing acreage, trending varieties, farming practices and agricultural policies is critical as the number of craft breweries exponentially increases and macro multi-national beer companies shift territory and influence. This is not just relevant to those of us in the beer industry, however–consumers always benefit from a sharper focus on the big picture. When it comes to beloved consumables like craft beer, everyone should know not just what makes up the products they’re buying but also where those ingredients came from and why they’re significant. Knowledge makes everything taste bigger.

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Saison & Olives

May 23, 2017 No comments Article

Ah, the lovely saison in springtime! What a good choice for bright days with breezes. Saisons span a very wide territory as far as styles go. Some are simple, table beers, some are very yeasty, fruity or spicy, some are even sour. There’s a lot of options for pairing–cheese is a great example, and spring vegetables are a good choice too. But today I’m interested in particular in pairing a light-bodied, non-wild saison alongside olives. Pick high-quality olives for this one, something from an olive bar with a range of flavors and brines–kalamatas in oil, castelvetranos, herb brined, cheese-stuffed–your choice. They all work in slightly different manners.

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East vs. West: Recognizing Differences in Craft Brewing

May 16, 2017 No comments Article

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was lucky enough to spend a week in April attending the 2017 Craft Brewers Conference in Washington, D.C. From my time this trip and two earlier in the year to New York City and Philadelphia, respectively, I’ve started to grasp some coastal distinctions. As more regional breweries like Stone and Sierra Nevada open facilities on both coasts, I wonder how common it will be to find truly regionally distinctive beers in the future. Smaller breweries and brewpubs are the sturdy backbone in this conversation. They brew smaller batches often with innovative focus for specific local consumers. Noticing the smaller differences in craft trends can say a lot not just about the demands of a market but also an area’s history. For nearly all my beer drinking years, I’ve been situated on various points along the West Coast. I’m spoiled for choices and hops are queen here (ahem, hop plants that produce useful products for beer are female). You know my biases now. Given those, I wanted to highlight a few noticeable differences in craft beer, East Coast vs. West. 

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Pale Ale & Arugula Salad

May 10, 2017 No comments Article

It’s spring! And time for fresh, bright green things. As breweries ramp up to their spring and summer seasonals, I’m excited to showcase a few basic pairings that you can experiment with. Today we’ll start with my favorite perky salad green, arugula, alongside an American pale ale of light body and mildly citrusy hops. American pale ales come in a huge array of sizes, colors, flavors and packages, so I’m leaving this one intentionally open for your personalizing. What you will definitely want is a bright but not too dank hop profile, a light nuttiness in the malt, and a general “easy-to-drink” feeling. I chose a favorite pale, Fremont Brewing‘s Universale Pale, but a pale with more spicy notes or more grapefruit notes would also be amazing. A light dressing on the arugula completes the picture! 

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CBC and DC Highlights

April 28, 2017 No comments Article

craft beer I was lucky enough to get to attend the 2017 Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) a couple weeks ago, and thought I’d share some details of the conference and trip over the next few posts. Each year CBC is hosted by a different US city–Washington, D.C. this year. I’m an avid traveler, so hardly needed an excuse to come spend most of a week in a city I’d only spent a few days in at age 12. A different type of trip, indeed. The distance and cost to attend another East Coast location (last year CBC was in Philadelphia) meant that West Coast representation and attendees were sparse. A totally different beer landscape than I’m accustomed to here in the PNW, that is to say. But I found some local gems!

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