Taste the Rainbow?

I found this amazing picture on Ellen Degeneres's Facebook fan page.  Her caption read, "That's my kinda rainbow."  See more of her amazing photos and funny comments at her show's fan page!

Obama Shares His Secrets

Okay, maybe not the kind of secrets that you see in InTouch  or The National Enquirer but it's still a long-awaited secret that has finally been revealed. In a previous post, I shared that President Obama enjoyed a true home brew - straight from the White House itself!  Mark McDermott recently posted a piece for the Examiner with the recipes for the White House Honey Ale and the White House Honey Porter.  Below is the recipe for the Honey Ale, as I have a slight preference for this style of beer.

White House Honey Ale

Ingredients

• 2 (3.3 lb) cans light malt extract
• 1 lb light dried malt extract
• 12 oz crushed amber crystal malt
• 8 oz Bisquit Malt
• 1 lb White House Honey
• 1 1/2 oz Kent Goldings Hop Pellets
• 1 1/2 oz Fuggles Hop pellets
• 2 tsp gypsum
• 1 pkg Windsor dry ale yeast
• 3/4 cup corn sugar for priming

Directions

1. In an 12 qt pot, steep the grains in a hop bag in 1 1/2 gallons of sterile water at 155 degrees F for half an hour. Remove the grains.
2. Add the 2 cans of the malt extract and the dried extract and bring to a boil.
3. For the first flavoring, add the 1 1/2 oz Kent Goldings and 2 tsp of gypsum. Boil for 45 minutes.
4. For the second flavoring, add the 1/2 oz Fuggles hop pellets at the last minute of the boil.
5. Add the honey and boil for 5 more minutes.
6. Add 2 gallons chilled sterile water into the primary fermenter and add the hot wort into it. Top with more water to total 5 gallons. There is no need to strain.
7. Pitch yeast when wort temperature is between 70-80˚F. Fill airlock halfway with water.
8. Ferment at 68-72˚F for about seven days.
9. Rack to a secondary fermenter after five days and ferment for 14 more days.
10. To bottle, dissolve the corn sugar into 2 pints of boiling water for 15 minutes. Pour the mixture into an empty bottling bucket. Siphon the beer from the fermenter over it. Distribute priming sugar evenly. Siphon into bottles and cap. Let sit for 2 to 3 weeks at 75˚F.

Sneak Peak at Victory's New Facility!

I am incredibly proud to know that Downingtown, a small place where I have spent many of my years, is the home of Victory Brewing Company.  In fact, VBC first exposed me to quality craft beer and was a huge inspiration for my first entry. With their amazing success and contributions to the Chester County community (and beyond), they are needing to open a second facility in Parkesburg, PA.  Below is a short YouTube video of the project's progress.  You can read more about the new facility on their website also.  Slainte!

Throw Fresh Fruit in a Cold One

With Labor Day upon us, I thought it would a great idea to have fun and playful ideas for your celebration.  Well, it's a shame we are all shacked up indoors because of this lousy weather.  Anyhow, perhaps you can take these ideas with you for another occasion!

I have been playing with some different combinations of beer with fruit. I figured out the key is using fruit that either slightly under ripened or fruit that has just crossed the ripe threshold. The other night I threw some peach wedges into a glass of Walt Wit by Philadelphia Brewing Co. for some added summer freshness. The carbonation of the beer helped disperse the peach's flavors. Meanwhile, the beer was softening the fruit ever so slightly (key point in using slightly under ripened fruit). When I finished the glass, I had a little fruity treat to finish it off. I am thinking about other fruit additions to use.  Berries?  Apples? What do you think?  Slainte!

Photo by author.

Sunday Sips: Purist Pale Ale

Beer Name:  Purist Pale Ale

Brewed By/In:  Appalachian Brewing Co. / Harrisburg, PA (original facility)

Beer Type:  American Pale Ale

Best Served In: Stein, Pint

ABV:  4.9%

Characteristics:  Clear penny-like copper color.  Smells piney or grassy.  Pours with thick white head.  Malt forward taste finishing hoppy and dry.  Little carbonation but medium-light mouthfeel.

Food-pairing:  Robust beef dishes, spicy foods

Overall:  7.0 - Purist Pale Ale is available year-round and is brewed true to style.  Tonight, I'll be honest, I did not make a good choice is trying to drink this with salmon with spices and floral herbs like rosemary.  My palate was numb to those flavors by the end of my meal.  Perhaps if I had chosen a different entree to eat with this, I would have been more excited.

Yikes, it has been almost 3 weeks since my last post!  What has consumed my time?  Well, my better half and I have been feverishly running here and there...well, Rehoboth Beach, DE and Williamsburg, VA.  In one, we had a quick getaway and in the other we traveled down the historical Memory Lane and visited Busch Gardens.  The summer running around is winding down.  Fortunately or unfortunately, I can't decide yet.  But here's to the ever-approaching fall season.  Slainte!

Sunday Sips: Festina Peche

Beer Name:  Festina Peche

Brewed By/In:  Dogfish Head Brewing Co. / Milton, DE

Beer Type:  Berliner Weisse

Best Served In:  Pint glass

ABV:  4.5%

Characteristics:  Smells of sweet, ripe peaches.  Pours with vibrant carbonation, golden star color, and topped with pure white foam.  There is a slight tartness that balances the sweet peach sugars.  Extremely low bitterness allows you to simply enjoy the light fruit-forward flavors.  Finishes bready, dry and crisp.  Light mouthfeel.

Food-pairing:  Salad, grilled poultry or seafood

Overall: 9.5 - what an amazing seasonal beer.  Dogfish Head never ceases to amaze me with what they brew up.  Perfectly built for summer nights, Peche has a refreshing finish.  With such low alcohol and bitterness, you can happily have another glass.  As Dogfish Head recommends, just open and enjoy!  Slainte!

(Always please enjoy responsibly; photos provided by dogfish.com)

So I pretended I was on Next Food Network Star

If you will recall, back in December, I wrote about my use of Strongbow Cider as a featured ingredient when making chicken and onions.  Since then, I have contemplated how else I can incorporate beer into the meal experience, besides letting it sit at the corner of my placemat.  So Tuesday night, amidst doing laundry, cleaning my bathroom and kitchen, I figured I would add one more project - make my own sauce.

I reviewed the options - Abita Purple Haze, Philadelphia Brewing Co's Walt Wit and Victory's Prima Pils.  Thinking of each of their flavor profiles, Victory won.  I poured about 4-5 ounces into my pan to deglaze from the chicken I just finished.  As a point of reference, that was all of the beer in the neck and some change.  Once the beer was warmed up, I started whisking to get all of the flavor off of the pan.  After about  a minute, I added a spoonful of grey poupon mustard to the pan.  Prima Pils has a clean but hoppy finish so I figured the mustard would help cut the concentrated hops taste.  I let all of those flavors meld together for about another minute.  I dipped my pinkie.  It tasted great.  The chicken had been resting for a few minutes at this point.  As you can see from the photos, I placed the chicken on a bed of greens and then used the sauce more as a dressing for the whole dish.  I tried to be crafty and place the sauce in a shot glass for added effect in the presentation.  How did it taste?  Not half bad!  The chicken had a nice peppery crust.  As for the sauce, I think it complemented the meal well.  The mustard helped cut the floral flavors of the beer but there was a slight bitter aftertaste.

What would I do differently next time?  I probably could have even used a little more mustard or perhaps a squeeze of lemon for added acidity.  Prima Pils was my best choice among the selection in my fridge, but a beer high with malts and low in hops may have yielded a better sauce.  I am thinking maybe Yard's Brawler or Philadelphia's Kenzinger could be interesting choices.

Slainte!