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!

So Much Beer!

So, be warned, this is an absurdly long post. For your convenience, it's divided into three sections. Pre-Beer Dinner, Beer Dinner Beers, and then Beer Dinner recipes/cooking.

I decided this week, with some of my friends home and around, to host a beer dinner. This meant cooking with beer as well as having beer for tasting afterwards. And it was *awesome*, really just a great way to share beer with friends and have a fun evening.

Pre-Beer Dinner

So, as if this wasnt enough, my friends ended up coming in Tuesday to go to Max's. Never one to turn down Max's, I was thrilled at the prospect. I was even more excited when i saw that Allagash Black, a stout that I've been dying to try, was on their menu.

The beer pours dark into a Belgian beer glass (kind of like a giant snifter). Sadly, it really just wasn't that good. It tasted more like an ale than a stout. It was kind of watery, lots of dark chocolate and bitter coffee with some weird yeasty notes. Overall it just wasn't very good, being too thin and bitter, and not rich and hearty like most stouts. To be fair, as a Belgian stout it might be excellent, but I was not a fan.

On Thursday, before the dinner, I went for a run. Forgetting that I haven't been on a run in weeks, I went four miles, only to come back in paaaaain. To soothe my aching feet, I decided a bath was in order. A stroke of genius hit me, and I decided to have a beer with my bath.

It sounds like heresy, but it was perfect. A nice cold beer, a nice hot bath, and perfect relaxation. Try it some time and thank me.

I was trying Troeg's, a brewing company I'd never tried before. They're known for their hoppy beers, so I was a little wary. I cracked open their Dopplebock, and took a swig straight from the bottle. Delicious. It is a dark beer, full of flavors of chocolate and dark fruits like raisins or plums. Thd hop finish is nice and subtle, and accompanies some earthy mellow flavors and some nice caramel malts. It reminded me of a much more adventurous version of Yuengling's bock (which makes sense). Really though, just a delicious beer. Highly recommended for a nice brew to sip.

Beer Dinner Cooking
So, after this wonderful and relaxing bath, the cooking started. I was making Irish Stout Stew, Beer bread, and beer battered shrimp. The recipes are below if you'd like to try any yourself.

I was a little ashamed to realize I hadn't checked portions on the Irish stew, and added in a whole can of tomato paste, rather than the 2 tablespoons required. It turned out to be a nice spaghetti sauce, spicy and tasting of stout, but not really a stew. It went well over mashed potatoes though, so whatever. I also left out the onions and thyme, not being a huge fan of either. Definitely the most work of the evening, but delicious.
(http://allrecipes.com/recipe/beef-and-irish-stout-stew/Detail.aspx)

The beer bread was blissfully simple. I put it into a faaaar too small at first though, but thankfully The Lorax was there to help and got me to put it into a bigger bowl. After combining flour, salt, and beer, I poured it into a greased pan, baked it for an hour, and was treated to the best dish of the evening. The bread was hard and crusty on the outside, and warm and soft on the inside. You could also taste the beer just enough to enjoy it. Three philosophers worked really well, but now I *really* want to try it with other beers too.
(source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/beer-bread-i/detail.aspx)

The shrimp was not easy, but was well worth the effort. The batter was beer and flour and sugar - I used Sam Adams Noble Pils, but you couldn't really tell. Thankfully my friend the Culinatior had a deep frying thermometer, so we could tell when the oil was hot enough. From there it was just dip the shrimp in the batter, drop them in the oil, flip them, and let them dry on a paper towel.

Overall the meal was delicious, was more than enough for the four of us who showed up, and cost me less than thirty dollars (and I had to buy flour and sugar, the heathen that I am).

Beer Dinner Beers
Finally, we reached the beer. It was quite nice after all the effort and cooking and the long day to relax and sip these beers. I really enjoyed each of them, but each for their own reasons.

I started with Brew Dog's Chaos Theory Ale. I was worried to see that this was classified as an India Pale Ale, but figured I'd get it out of my way. I was thrilled to find out that it was delicious. It tasted very much grapefruit mixing with hops for a nice combination, where neither overpowered. Not an incredibly complex beer, but one I was really surprised how much I enjoyed it.

I went next to the Brooklyn Local #2, a belgian strong ale. It smelled a little of cider, and that taste was present at first. As it mellowed, it revealed a lot more dark fruits like cherries or plums, as well as some smoky flavors. I kind of wish I'd tried this during the dinner, as it seemed like it could've used some sort of meat dish to pair it with to make it complete.

I then decided it was time to try the stouts. I started with Rogue's Chocolate Stout, expecting it to be a little less of a desert beer. I like to think I was right, but it was by no means less tasty. Just as the name described, it was a chocolate stout. Milk chocolate and roasted hops were the tastes present throughout the beer, and boy they were delicious. Not everyone's favorite, and not the best chocolate beer I've ever tasted, but really good nonetheless. Very reminiscent in some ways of Brooklyn's Dark Chocolate Stout - it is everything that the name promises and nothing more.

Finally, I allowed myself to try Ommegang's Chocolate Indulgence. The wait was worth it. Strong dark chocolate up front, with a surprisingly spicy finish. A real desert beer, this was heavy and complex and delicious. I'm definitely glad I ended with it, or it might've spoiled anything that came after it.

To tell the truth, I'm a little beered out at present, but I'm sure that'll fade as soon as I get the hankering to try a new beer.

Until then - enjoy the beers, try the recipes, and tell me what you think!

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

I am bad at not ordering stouts

So, as promised, and despite snowmageddon 2010, my friends and I made the sojurn to Max's on Broadway. Tragically, I forgot that today starts their Belgian beer festival. This meant that their usually superb tap list was down from 80-some to about a dozen.

Luckily, they also have an extensive bottle collection. I was trying to find Rogue's Black Lager, but they were out. Luckily, they had another beer that I've been wanting to try - Oskar Blues Ten Fidy Imperial Stout.

It's pleasant and boozy upfront, with some nice roasted notes and what tasted like some bitter chocolate. The nice part though was the finish, which was smooth coffee. The beer poured *dark*, and even the head was a dark chocolate brown, rather than the usual tan head.

Oddly enough, it pours from a can, but was surprisingly full bodied and delicious. I felt like for an Imperial Stout, it was nicely drinkable, and didn't try to overwhelm me. Definitely a nice beer to have when hanging out and having a beer or two with the friends.

And when I say a beer or two, I mean it - that bad boy weighs in at whopping 10.5% abv, although you'd never know it from the taste. Speaking of mightily boozy beers...

I can't help myself. I swore I'd never spend $12 for a single bottle, but well, there I was. They had the entire Brew dog Paradox line. Paradox is a stout that is then taken and aged in a variety of different whiskey casks to get different flavors. I'd had the speyside before and was suitably impressed, but this monster blew me away.

I asked for a reccomendation and received Brew Dog Paradox Smokehead. The smell hits you - boozy and smoky. A little thin on the mouth, but you barely notice it, because you are drinking what can only be described as an unholy union of whiskey and beer.

There are other flavors - peat, smoke, things like that. The overwhelming flavor though is a smooth whiskey taste. It should surprise no one that this beer is a 10% abv beer, and damn you can tell it. It is rich and complex, and one of the more interesting beers I've tried. This is a sipper for sure, not something you can really drink with anything else if you want to appreciate it.

Was it way too expensive? Heck Yeah. But it's a bar, and bars as a rule are way too expensive. Was it worth it? Absolutely. It was one of the more innovative and interesting beers I've ever tried, and I am thrilled that I had the chance to try it.

Now, I'm going to go back to my stomach flu and wishing for the sweet release of death. Hopefully you're all having an excellent snow week without too much cabin fever. See you all next time!

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

SuperBeer

Sadly, this is not about a superhero who goes around giving out beer. Rather, it is one of my many bad puns :-P

So, the Superbowl. What a wonderful night. Great football, great food, great friends, what more could someone want? Of course, I could have done with a few less Budweiser commercials. I know there's nothing to be done for it, but the more I hear about them and how they try to put the competition out of business, the sicker I get.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm all about competition producing better products. But that's just it. Budweiser makes shit. Their regular beer is shit. Their light beer is shit. Their "craft" beer? Shit! I rue the day when I find my favorite brands have been pushed out by this giant of watery piss beer, behemoth of mass produced swill.

Ok, so enough ranting right? Well, I also cracked open one of my various bottles for this most joyous of occasions. Specifically, I decided that I needed to finally try the Brew dog Rip Tide stout that I'd been saving.

It pours without much of a head, rich and black. The smell is smoky and boozy, but not overwhelming. The taste continues with the smoky motif, and rounds it out with some delicious coffee, and then rounds it out with some sweetness, maybe caramel?

Now, I liked this beer, and I definitely enjoyed this beer, and would buy it again. But I have to be honest, it kind of reminded me of a slightly less well done version of Belhaven's Scottish Stout. The comparison is a little unoriginal, what with them both being scottish companies, both being kind of smoky stouts. But I feel like it's a valid comparison.

Where the Belhaven stout is full bodied, the Brew dog feels a little flat and a little thin. Where the Belhaven coffee nicely flows into a sweetness, the Brew dog goes bitter, and then the caramel swings in. I want to reiterate, the Brew dog wasn't bad. The Belhaven was just excellent.

I also finally tried Ommegang's Witte, but I have to admit that by that point I might've been a little too far into my cups to accurately review it. We were taking shots every time the saints scored, and I don't do much hard liquor anymore.

However, I do remember a delicious beer. Not too far off the standard Wit bier (belgian wheat beer), but a tasty iteration of that theme. Strong notes of a cinnamon or nutmeg(maybe cloves?), backed up with some orangey citrus, and a nice undertone of wheat that wasn't overwhelming. So often in wheat beers, the wheat overwhelms almost all the other flavors, but this time the flavors held their own, which was nice.

It was kind of a nice beer to sip when I was trying to wind down, but there was a little too much excitement for that. I would enjoy this one a lot as a beer to drink with dinner, or on some calm summer evening, or even out at the beach. It's a very refreshing beer, and it was a little odd paired with burgers and jambalaya and winter and parties.

Overall though, definitely recommend it for anyone who likes Belgian wheat beers, or really just wheat beers in general. Might not be for everyone, but if you like Blue Moon then you owe it to yourself to give this bad boy a try.

Going to Max's this Thursday, so expect something good that evening. Til then!

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

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

A night out

So, a few nights previous, I had the good fortune of having some friends along with me to Max's Taphouse in Fells Point. For those who don't know, Max's is home to a fantastic selection of beers on tap, most of which are obscure and delicious. I had the good fortune of trying both Birrificio's Del Ducato Verdi, and Brew Dog's Paradox Speyside.

The first beer I tried was the Paradox Speyside. A Scottish Imperial Stout? That was like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Poured from a cask, this beer is matured in brandy casks, and has a whopping 10.5% alcohol by volume. It is a beast of a beer, a credit to the Scotsman who brew it.
First taste is oakey, like many Scottish beers, and somewhat smoky. Unlike many stouts, it is not a sweet taste, but a deep and rich flavor. Impressively, this flavor is what saves it from being overwhelmed by the extreme alcohol content. A glass of this could knock out most of you little girly men, which I why I recommend going with just a sampler.
I can imagine a Scottish man out on the moors, enjoying a glass of this before he goes and kills some English men or something. It is a darn manly beer, and a tasty one too.

As for the Del Ducato...Wow. I really don’t even know where to begin.
I saw this on the menu at Max’s Taphouse, and knew I had to try it. It was from Italy, and called a Chili Stout. I was intimidated, but I had to be brave.
The first taste is cool, dark, chocolately stout. The aftertaste hits then, and it’s a light but very noticeable spiciness. Not like grab a glass of beer spicy (that would be a horrible cycle), but a very gentle awareness of the spicy taste.
I was amazed, as were my friends with me. Just a fascinating and delicious beer. I only had the sampler, but really that’s all that I needed.
If you can ever find it, try it. Love it. Trust me on this one.

Sadly, I'm a poor post-grad and could barely afford these two beauties. More reviews to follow as I get out and try more beers!