Brewdog!

Ah Brewdog. They kind of rock, in case I haven't ranted and raved enough about them before.

Brewdog is a new scottish brewer, doing interesting and quirky beers, everything from a .5% abv called Nanny State, to a whopping 41% abv called Sink the Bismarck. Needless to say, they're not afraid to be a little weird.

Now, in the states I've had a few of their beers and been really impressed, but most of their beers just aren't available. Thankfully, here in Scotland, things are different. While still not available at the local corner pub, some of the nicer places have them in bottles.

On this particular evening, I got to try both their Zeitgeist and their 77 Lager.

Zeitgeist is a black lager, but it masquerades quite aptly as a stout. Full bodied, rich, and dark, it's a very tasty beer, although pleasantly light as well. The flavors are the usual roasted malts, but also some sweetness - maybe molasses or brown sugar? There are also some sweeter dark fruit notes, and I think of blackberries, or black raspberries, with a little tartness. Overall, and excellent beer.

The 77 Lager, actually a pilsner, did not disappoint either. An aggressive beer, the taste is very clean but potently hopped, balanced by a nice sweet malt flavor. There's an herbal spiciness to the beer too, but I'm not totally sure what it is. Either way, certainly a beer I'd recommend, and one I'd like to try again on a hot summer day.

I also picked up a bottle of Paradox Isle of Arran (4 Pounds!), but I'm saving that for a special occasion, so it'll have to wait. Til next time!

NFL and Beer

Ahhhhh, one of my favorite times of the year. As an avid NFL fan, the draft is one of the best events. It's full of the unpredictability we know and love, as well as so many hopes for next season with new talent. Also, the chance to make fun of stupid coaches making dumb picks.

Obviously such an event deserves good beer and good food. Hold you horses though, we'll get there.

Earlier in the day, I went to Pratt Street Ale House, dying to try a concoction I've mentioned here before. It's half oatmeal stout, half cherry wheat ale. The result was a surprisingly delicious black and tan that tasted just like it's moniker: a chocolate covered cherry.

The beer looks awesome, with dark stout atop rich red-amber beer. The first sip is all chocolate and oats, but soon is filled with subtle flavors of sour cherry. Man this was a sippable beer, every sip producing a different flavor combination. Definitely loved it, would highly recommend it.

This wasn't the end though. I cracked open a bottle I've been holding for a while in anticipation - Rogue's Black Lager. Part of some new agricultural endeavor by Rogue, the beer pours black with a very cool dark brown head that looks like fresh cocoa. The first sip is all those flavors I've come to know and love - roasted malts, dark chocolate. The best part though is that crisp lager finish and light mouthfeel. A great exemplar of black lagers without being too adventurous, and definitely worth a try for any stout fans out there.

I actually only had half the bomber though, because the other half went to making more beer bread. Mmmmm, beer bread. This loaf ended up cocoa brown (shocker :-P), and was delicious like the last one - crusty on the outside, spongy and soft on the inside. Sadly though, the cocoa flavor was a little overwhelming and ended up tasting like it should've been part of desert rather than dinner. Tasty, but perhaps a little misplaced.

To be fair, it was also being used to dip into my latest creation. I decided that for this most high of NFL holidays, I'd try my hand at an old favorite, buffalo chicken dip. It's all the best part about buffalo wings - chicken, cheese, and hot sauce, without any of the bones or fat.

The recipe is pretty simple - although I probably could've used some shredded cheese and a little less chicken. The basics are take about a pound or so of chicken, cook it, cut it up, and toss it in with a package of cream cheese (1 8 oz. package), half a cup of hot sauce, half a cup of salad dressing (ranch or blue cheese), and half a cup of shredded cheese.

Tragically, I had no shredded cheese, and ended up cutting up string cheese. Don't mock me, I'm poor! Also, I ended up super rushed, and rather than baking the chicken (as I've been told is ideal), I tossed the chicken into a pot full of water, and luckily it came out fully cooked. Hooray for boiling! All in all, the dip was pretty successful, and actually a pretty big hit. Of course, it's hard to go wrong with cheese, meat, and hot sauce, so it wasn't a huge surprise.

That's all for now - hopefully your weeks are full of good beer. Until next time, Cheers!

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