Holiday drinks

I had a fantastic thanksgiving weekend, highlighted by a small shindig with a few friends. Sort of a post-thanksgiving get together, we ate, we drank, we played card games, and had a good time. Also, The Irish made his signature bread pudding, which is basically diabetes in pure form. Stark came with some gross cherry wine, and The Culinator helped cook the whole thing. It rocked.

It also gave me a chance to try several Sam Adams beers I've been wanting to get my hands on, but had to wait a whole year since I forgot about them last year.

Sam Adams is far and away one of my favorite breweries, with palatable yet interesting beers in almost every possible variety. I especially enjoy their cream stout, scotch ale, and white ale, but more on those later.

This particular evening, I got to try Sam Adams Cranberry Lambic, Holiday Porter, and Old Fezziwig.

The Cranberry Lambic tasted (shockingly) of cranberries, and was interesting. Sadly, it is a wheat beer, which I'm just not a huge fan of. The cranberry kept getting washed out by the wheat, and it just didn't sit with me that well. I'm not sure I'd have this again, just because the wheat flavor was so uninteresting, and the cranberry wasn't strong enough.

The Holiday Porter was excellent, on the other hand. It tasted of caramel and dark chocolate, but rather than being thick like a stout it was surprisingly light. A delicious dark beer, it provided a nice sipping beer, but I can see it pairing well with a desert.(didn't get to try it with one, as it ran out almost immediately). Definitely something I'd like to have more of, so I wish it didn't only come in the winter mix pack.

Old Fezziwig is the toughest to decide on. It's a winter warmer, a style of ale that I've never had before. It's spiced like a wit beer or a Belgian ale, with lots of cinnamon and nutmeg. The end result is something like a Christmas spice cake, which is tasty, but was kind of odd. Can't really imagine doing anything other than drinking it by itself due to it's flavor profile, but I really feel like it was begging a complimentary flavor of some sort to complete it. Interesting, and I'd drink it again, but not too often.

I also got to have some Woodchuck 802. Woodchuck, as I've mentioned before, makes delicious cider. Their 802, named for the area code where they harvest the apples, is their best variety. Smokey and crisp, it's a deliciously dry cider, that is pleasantly sweet and a little tart. It is probably my favorite cider over all, and always something I enjoy having. Definitely try this if you like cider.

Also, I picked up a 10-pack of Ommegang beers, and am so very excited to give them a whirl. Hooray incredibly expensive craft beer!

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

P.S. - Also appearing at the shindig were Sparrow, Hooah, Mrs. Satan, Napoleon, and The Girlfriend. Not so much important, as convenient for me to write down all their nicknames now and just have them for my reference.

More Rogue?

More posts about Rogue ale? Well, they are sort of becoming my beer of the moment. They're well made, interesting to drink, and have more varieties than you can shake a stick at.

On the recommendation of a friend, and with the charity of another friend, we picked up a sixer of Rogue's American Amber Ale. A bit pricey, but you have to pay more for good beer. We also picked up another 500ml of Belhaven Scottish Stout, because really, you can never enjoy a beer too much.

The American Amber started out a little hoppy, but mellowed nicely. Not quite a pale ale, but definite hop notes, around a kind of mellow, clean taste. Not sure if I could pull out too many other flavors, but it was refreshing and tasty. As it warmed, the hop taste softened a bit as well, which was nice. I feel like there we some floral notes as well, but I'd want to try another before I was sure.

Overall a more complex, and tasty, version of a standard amber ale. Good beer to sip with your friends, or pair with a relaxing dinner. I'd say give it a shot; but maybe get a back up in case it doesn't work for you.

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

More Rogue Beer!

So, Rogue is a brewing company I've been interested in trying for a while. I've heard good things about them going all the way back to college, and they have a great rep in online beer review sites. Also, they have nifty names like "Daddy's Helper", "Dead Guy", and "Shakespeare Stout".

With this in mind, I gave their Hazelnut Brown Ale a try. It poured a nice even brown, out of a formidable bomber. It smelled like most brown ales I've had before, but with more clear notes of nutty flavor. The first sip was a wash of hazelnut, with a strong undertone of earthy flavors.

There was an odd sour flavor that I'm working on processing. It made me think of slightly sour fruits, but more pure. Maybe an acidic flavor? I'm not 100% sure, but it was tasty, and emerged more as the beer had a chance to warm and breathe.

Overall a very tasty beer. Not that extreme, but a very good iteration of a nut brown ale. I can't really see it working well with anything other than bread or crackers, but luckily it's very good by itself.

Recommended if you're a fan of nut brown ales, but nothing that made me sit back and go "wow".

I have a couple bottles of wine waiting to be tried and reviewed, but it'll have to wait til next time. Til then, Cheers!

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

update: a lot of other reviewers noted some chocolate tastes; I'm thinking the sour flavor may have been bitter chocolate. It confused me because I wasn't expecting chocolate in my brown ale :-P

More catch up - Making a great burger

This one is for all you burger lovers. I’ve searched high and far, and found some pretty consistently delicious burgers, which I thought I’d share with you here. Make 'em yourself or try them at a restaurant, these are some of my favorites.

First is the Black and Blue. Sadly, a lot of places get this wrong, charring a burger then throwing a little blue cheese on top. They suck though. This burger is rolled in Cajun seasoning (the blackening), and then topped with a heaping amount of blue cheese, which is allowed to get gooey and delicious. The cool and bitter cheese plays exceedingly well with the spiciness of the burger, leading to a beautiful match. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, try a little spicy mayo on the bun, and maybe some fresh lettuce. Simple but delicious.

The second has many names, although I like The Aloha Burger. It’s a burger, topped with pineapple, basted with soy sauce. The soy is salty and savory, and mixes well with the sweet pineapple. The burger is a nice method for delivery here because it provides a firm foundation and the tastes mix well with the meat. If you feel the need to use cheese, only American. Any kind of strong cheese here would conflict with the pineapple and the soy, and ruin the purpose. Red Robin does a killer iteration of this burger, which I would have to recommend.

Finally is a burger yet to be named, points if you can come up with something good. This burger involves mixing in EITHER onion powder, garlic powder, and season-all into the meat, OR mixing in onion soup mix (those little packets) into the meat. Either way you end up with an incredibly juicy and savory burger that tastes of all the best spices. Despite not being some arcane combination of ingredients, both of these recipes produce a fantastic burger, good with any combination of toppings. This is a make yourself kind of deal, and has produced the best burgers I've ever tasted.

Anyway, go forth and try these recipes! And Enjoy!

More Dark beer and Max's goodness

Max's Taphouse really is one of my favorite places to go in Baltimore. During the week it's busy, with a cosy bar atmosphere, but not so crowded that the bartenders can't find you. Speaking of, the bar staff are quick and courteous. It's also quickly become my place to go when I'm in the mood to try some odd beers.

First though, I feel like owing to the title of my blog, I should mention their burger. It's a bit on the pricey side, with any of their options coming in around $11 after tax. But, as pub food goes, it's a darn good burger. It's juicy and fresh, and they cook is just long enough to make the cheese gooey. The bun is a little stiff, but it doesn't actively interfere. It also comes with their seasoned fries, which are darn tasty.

More importantly though, their beer! They have so many odd brews, it was almost impossible to decide which to try. I was paralyzed, but finally went with my instincts for the first two, and was justly rewarded. My first beer was Brew Dog's Zeitgeist. A Scottish Black Lager (and we all know my love of all things Scottish), I wasn't totally sure what to expect. Thankfully, it was delicious. It tasted like a stout, but drank much lighter, like a lager. It had a delicious taste of coffee, but with a creamy finish that my friend Stark described as Cafe au Lait. It was a deliciously dark beer, pitch black, but it was surprisingly light and refreshing. Needless to say, my brain was confused, but my taste buds were thrilled.

I moved on to a similar sounding beer, Thirsty Dog's Stud Service Stout. A dry irish stout, I expected something similar if not quite as good. It poured so as to be almost indistinguishable, but it's lovely tan head stuck around far longer. It had a similar taste of coffee, but far more milky and rich, almost like milk chocolate at points. It was definitely a stout, sitting nice and heavy, but was smooth and creamy as well.

Either of these I could've had a pint, easily. But I was in the mood to try some more beers. Tragically, around that time my stomach caught up and demanded a burger. Now, I talked about the burger above, but I wasn't sure any of my odd beers would pair well. There were a pair of 8% stouts, but I was worried they would clash with the savory burger. So, I went out on a limb.

Failing to find any sufficiently interesting lagers, I went with Hitachino's Red Rice, a Japanese rice ale. Sadly, I just couldn't enjoy it. It had some flavors of fruit(apricot?) and licorice, and had a full taste of a cinnamon or ginger flavor, but as a whole it just didn't do well. Ah well I say, lesson learned. My friends and I agreed, one to try with the baking.

I definitely recommend Max's to anyone who wants to get out and try some odd beers; they always have new beers on tap, and they're guaranteed to confuse and delight. Until next time, may you be blessed with good beer and good spirits.

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

The Scottish Wonder

So, wow. I was buying beer for my formerly mentioned Halloween party, picking up some single bottles to enjoy and just try different things.

I'd tried Belhaven's Scottish Ale before, and was suitably impressed. I saw a 500mL at my local liquor store of their "Scottish Stout". Now, I love Scottish beers and I love stout, so it was a pretty easy decision.

Still, this beer has overwhelmed me and exceeded my expectations. It pours dark, rich black, with a gorgeous tan head. The first taste is a bitter coffee, but it's followed by an almost tangy flavor of smoke and bitter chocolate. At 7% abv, it drinks like a guiness, and is good by itself. I dearly desire now to try and pair it with a meal and see how it handles.

All in all, from the first sip to the last drop, it was a delicious beer which I thoroughly enjoyed. Almost without effort it cracked my top ten favorite beers, maybe even my top 5. A fantastic choice, which I recommend to anyone who likes there stouts.

A Halloween to Remember

Oh how I love Halloween. I won't regale you with too many tales; save to say you're never too old to scare the crap out of children and eat delicious candy.

On to the alcohol! I had the good fortune of trying a lot of different things this weekend. From absinthe (liquory licorice, eugghhh) to limoncello, from bad wine called "vampire" to jello shots that were about 49% vodka. Really though, nothing terribly important to result. Most of it was pungent, tasted like a sucker punch, and left me begging for chaser.

My wonderful friend Stark hosted a shindig during which she served many of her fruity and delicious infusions. Her apple cinnamon is one of the better liquers I've had, but many of her others were too alcoholic for my pansified tastes. Sue me, but I don't have much love for hard liquor or cheap vodka. (although good whiskey has it's charms)

But the beer, oh the beer.

First thing first, I will eventually get around to writing about Woodchuck. They make delicious ciders, in many, many varietals. They have a decent amber, a horrific pear/fall seasonal, a fascinating granny smith, and a delicious dark and dry. However, those all will have to come later, because this is about their Oak Aged.

It tasted sweeter than a lot of ciders, but had a nice crisp taste with a deliciously fruity finish. My favorite part was a dark, rich taste that permeated the whole drink (the oak no doubt, in effect). Overall I rather enjoyed it, finding it to be one of their better ciders.

I also had the good fortune to try a bottle of Rogue's Dead Guy Ale. Rogue is a brewery I know precious little about, but have heard nothing but rave reviews. Look for me to try many many more of their offerings in the coming months.

Their Dead Guy Ale was powerful and complex, not a beer to be trifled with. This is no Sunday afternoon watching the game, drinking a bud kind of beer. This beer perplexed me, teased me, rebuked me, and delighted me, all throughout the course of an evening. The ale itself was light enough to be pleasantly drinkable, but not lacking a quantum of flavor. A very impressive beer, which deserves more analysis.

Halloween was an excellent adventure, and I picked up another stout to try from an old favorite, Belhaven. More on it as I try it, that's all for now.

-The Unabashed Ungourmet.