Barack & Beer - Part 2

Thanks to Jen Talarico and CBS News, I finally found the brand of beer that Barack and the Medal of Honor recipient were drinking.

Ready?

Really ready?

The White House home brews!  Back in late 2010/early 2011, the Obama family dipped into their personal bank accounts to purchase the equipment back for their Super Bowl party.  According to the commenting historians, never has a President performed such an act.  Since then, remanants of this brew has only been served at Saint Patrick's Day, an event in June, and then with Sargent Meyer.  They called the first batch White House Honey Ale.

Barack - you're my kind of my guy.

Sunday Sips: Wolaver's Pumpkin Ale

Beer Name:  Wolaver's Pumpkin Ale

Brewed By/In:  Otter's Creek Brewing / Middlebury, VT

ABV:  5.35%

Best Served In:  Pint Glass (fresh from tap)

Characteristics:   Amazing hazy orange color from the bottle.  Builds with a little head that dissipates after not too long to a nice ring.  Smell is incredibly reminiscent of Fall - especially with pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg flavors.  Pumpkin flavors very pleasing to the palate as soon as it hits.  Medium body gives this ale a little weight to it but still easy to drink.  

Food Pairing:  Panini stuffed with carmelized onions, arugula, apples, and brie.  (I definitely did not make that up, thank you Village Cup Bistro in Jericho, VT) 

Overall:  9.0 - Honestly purchased this beer because my brother attends the University of Vermont so I felt like I had a slight connection to the brand but was VERY happy with the outcome.  Wolaver's Pumpkin Ale easily surpassed my former love, Post Road.  Wolaver's is stamped with two refreshing images:  USDA certified organic and "Brewed with Vermont pumpkins."  Not that I am dying to support the organic movement, but the locally grown?  Absolutely.  Better yet, comes at a great price!  Happy (official start to) Autumn! 

Let's raise a glass to finding our Northface jackets again, retiring our boat shoes (okay, maybe just me), and enjoying the outdoors for just a little longer.  Slainte!

Hip Hops Hooray!

Farmers markets.  Road-side produce stands.  The "local section" of our grocery stores.  We continue to search for the most economically and environmentally friendly way to provide for our local growers and farmers.  Beer is not any different but is much harder to find.  If you are quaffing locally brewed craft beer, why not ensure that they have included locally grown ingredients?  Brewing companies throughout the Northeast, especially in central New York, continue to add locally grown hops to their batches.  Using "more natural" methods for growing their 20-foot bines, the farmers outside of the Syracuse area proudly boast high quality hops due to the ideal climate.  I found this great video through YouTube based on a story on CNN (sorry, it would not embed) explaining how Empire Brewing Company has embraced this trend and spearheaded the movement.  These New York farmers admit they are revitalizing a process that ceased nearly a generation ago...thanks, disease and Prohibition.  More importantly, they understand that beer is comprised of four basic ingredients:  water, barley, yeast, and hops; they are not using anything that ends in carboxymythyl or gum aramyth.  As with any sector of the locally grown movement, farmers must limit their supply so as not to put out shoddy ingredients.  Although this may result in fewer batches or barrels, brewers feel confident in the product they serve.

(Image provided by Syracuse.com)

So who is using local hops for their beers?  Below you will find a small list of the craft brewing companies taking part of the local ingredients movement and bolstering the local economies.  Additionally, organizations like Atlantic Hops and the Northeast Hop Alliance are supporting the movement for growers, brewers, and consumers.  Visit their websites to see all of the incredible work they do to support sustainable beer culture.  

• Empire Brewing Company - Syracuse, NY
• Brown's Brewing Company - Troy, NY
• Flying Dog Brewery - Frederick, MD
• Ithaca Beer Company - Ithaca, NY
• Portsmouth Brewery - Portsmouth, NH
• Sierra Nevada Brewing Company - Chico, CA
• Barrington Brewery - Great Barrington, MA 

Let's raise a glass for growing green while drinking the amber, supporting local growers, and offsetting the greenhouse effect.  Slainte!

Sunday Sips: Post Road Pumpkin Ale

In the joy of themes, here is my first in a series proudly named Sunday Sips!  Featuring beers of the season, of the area, or simply of a moment.  Without further ado, here is what I sipped this week!

Fall is definitely a prime time for imbibing as we prepare for the monster known as the holiday season.  The smoothness of earthy notes and the warmness of spices yield both a refreshing and comforting flavor.  Pumpkin ales tend to hold these very qualities.  Early American Colonists added pumpkin to the early brewing of ales as they were nutritious, plentiful, and easy to mash up.  I don't mind that rationale!  Centuries later, every August through November, and with literally hundreds of varieties, pumpkin ales are picked from their shelves as quickly as they are brought in.  Since my wallet and liver would not allow me try them all, I plan to purchase a few choices samples based on friends' recommendations.

Beer Name:  Post Road Pumpkin Ale

Brewed By/In:  Brooklyn Brewery / New York, NY

ABV:  5%

Best Served In:  Pint Glass

Characteristics:  Orange-amber color.  Bready with slight pumpkin pie undertones.  Pumpkin flavor is not too intense but still enjoyable.  Finishes slightly bitter but light without making you feel too full.  Not too heavy for an ale, especially one with Fall flavors.  Easily thinning foam makes you feel like you get more beer for your buck.  

Food Pairing:  Post Road goes well with a meal with squash or other roots ingredients.  

Overall Rating:  7.5 - great start to welcome the cooler days of September.  A great way to heighten the pumpkin flavor is to take agave syrup (found in most organic/natural foods departments and grocers), cinnamon, and sugar.  In the style of margarita making, dip the rim of the glass into the agave, and then rub the glass into the sweet powder.  If you do not have agave, plain ol' H2O will do!

Until next Sunday...so let's a raise a glass to wearing cardigans, to sporting hoodies (finally), and to shaving less because you "need the extra layers."  Slainte!

Barack & Beer

Found this great article on CNN today – wonder what they drank!?

President pauses for beer with future Medal of Honor recipient

By: CNN Political Unit

Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama enjoyed a beer with Dakota Meyer on the patio outside the Oval Office Wednesday. The president will present Meyer with the Medal of Honor Thursday during a ceremony at the White House.

According to a series of tweets by White House spokesman Jay Carney, when a member of the president's staff called Meyer over the weekend to prepare, Meyer made a special request.

"On 9/8/09, Meyer, then a 21-year-old Marine corporal, repeatedly risked his own life to save the lives of 36 U.S. and Afghan troops," Carney tweeted. "Over the weekend, the president's staff called Meyer in preparation for Thursday's Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House."

"Meyer asked the staffer if he could have a beer with the President," Carney said.

"POTUS invited Dakota to come by the White House this afternoon."