CoCoNut PorTeR from Maui Brewing Co.

For some reason, and I'm not sure why, I've been way into coconut lately. Maybe its because the end of daylight savings time is approaching and I'm mourning the end of sun-drenched days spent on the beach, as if I even did that once this year. Whatever the reason, I find myself buying anything coconut: a coconut cupcake @ Sprinkles (check it out, you'll thank me!), Tom Yum soup, even a Mounds bar! Suffice it to say that I was thrilled when pal Nathalie pulled out a can of Maui Brewing Company Coconut Porter at our most recent Pacific Gravity Ladies Homebrew Club Meeting.

Wait...did I say a "can" of beer? You bet your bumpkiss I did. Craft brewers are putting some great artisenal beers in cans. But don't worry, these aren't the cans of old. New beer cans have a lining that prevents any kind of tinny, metalic flavor from imparting on your favorite beverage. Also, regardless of what some "born on date" people say, "skunkiness" in a beer has nothing to do with how old your beer is. Skunkiness comes from a chemical reaction that takes place when LIGHT strikes your beer. That's why most of the great beers in the world come in very dark bottles. Imagine how much more your beer is protected if its in a can? Don't be a can snob ladies. (More on canned beers to come.)

Back to the beer. Maui Brewing Company is in Kahana on beautiful Maui, where the company practices "Malama i Ka Aina" or "Caring for the land." They use vehicles run on vegetable oil, and many other environmentally safe practices, including the aforementioned use of cans, which protects Maui beaches from broken glass, and are more easily recycled and shipped than bottles. Because of their environmentally conscious nature, I was predisposed to like Maui Brewing Company, which is a dangerous thing in my profession and often leads to disappointment. Thankfully, this was not the case with their Coconut Porter.

This beer is delicious. It's dark and toasty and nice and rich without being cloying. As per the name, this beer is made with toasted coconut, which gives this beer a bright balance and beautiful aromatics, followed by chocolate and coffee notes. You might think that I'm describing a big beer, but I'm not. The flavors are great, but they don't smack you across the face. It's a waft of smoke and just a nip of hops at the end that supplies this nicely nuanced beer a nice dry finish. This beer is the perfect gateway beer to lead you from the summer beach to the winter fire!

Written by The Beer Chick, October 29, 2008

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BLOWING IT OUT OF THE WATER - BEER DINNER @ CRAFT LA

I had the pleasure of hosting a little beer pairing dinner for media this week for the National Beer Wholesalers Association at the fabulous Craft restaurant in Century City. Yes, its the very same Craft owned by Top Chef judge and nice Italian boy Tom Colicchio. Now that I've successfully name-dropped in typical L.A. fashion, I'll say that the real star of the night was nice Italian boy and fellow St. Louisan, Chef de Cuisine Matthew Accarrino!

He rocked it - experimenting with beer in his cooking with a Chimay Cinq Cent Guinea Hen Consomme with a Hop Foam that looked like a little beer (I paired this with a simple Sierra Nevada Pale Ale). He killed a Kampachi Sashimi with Hitachino White Ale Gelee and Crispy Hen of the Woods Mushrooms (paired with Unibroue Blanche de Chambly.) He marinated Pekin Duck in Deschutes Black Butte Porter for FOUR days before stuffing them into perfect handmade Pyramid Pasta pockets with spiced Pine Nuts!

Think Chef was done yet? Think again! The fourth course was delicious Roasted Suzuki (a Japanese Seabass) served on a bed of Mussels braised in Saison DuPont with Japanese Leeks & transparently sliced Dry Cured Chorizo. This was followed by our first course from genius Pastry Chef Catherine Schimenti: a Mothias Goat Cheese (hand-picked by cheesemonger and guest - one half of Hot Knives, writer Alex Brown.) The cheese, served with a delicately rolled Quince Crepe, Lambic Gastrique and baby Frisee paired perfectly with Cantillon Iris Gueuze. An INSANE pairing. (More about Gueuze and Goat Cheese to follow!)

If you're like me, then it'll come as no surprise to you that Chef Schimenti - a nice Italian girl? - then kicked some a-s-s with beer desserts! First she made a beer cake with Young's Double Chocolate Stout, which was topped with Salted Corn Nuts & a sorbet made from my favorite Kolsch, the Reissdorf Kolsch. It was paired with an Ice Cream Beer Float made with North Coast Russian Imperial Stout. So effing good.

Oh, and then we had Chocolate Truffles made from Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale......Oh, and then we had Pate de Fruit (pronounced like pah de fwee) that the chef called "Jello Shots" made from Lindeman's Peach Lambic.

The reason why I'm giving you an entire play by play is so that you can start getting ideas too! So you can start thinking outside the box as far as beer is concerned. So it can make a grassroots leap onto your fine dining menus!

Thank you so much Chef Accarrino, Chef Schimenti, Tobie Cancino, the NBWA, Nancy Piho, Patricia Bannen & Alex Brown for making this such a great night! Et Bon Appetit a mes soeurs en biere!

Written by The Beer Chick, October 22, 2008

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I GOT YOU ( I FEEL GUEUZE )

I'm about to get a little James Brown funky all up in here today. And I mean funky. Why? Because today I'm talking about the funkiest beer around. A little beer style called Gueuze.
This super sour style has been called "farmhouse" or "barnyard" but really the only way I know how to describe it to accurately get the point across is "funky." In other words, its got a little funk to it. Haaaaay!

Gueuze is a pale, dry and obscenely complex beer, and it's not for the weak of heart. This beer will make a decision-maker out of you as it evokes either love or hate. I, personally, am a lover. But I was also the kid in school who started her own "Lemon Club," whose initiation rite was to bite into a big wedge of lemon without making a face. But, I digress.

If you are a beer drinker, you've probably heard of Lambic style beers before, and you probably associate them with sweet fruity beers. But Lambics are actually very tart, sour beers to which brewers add maserated fruit in order for them to be more palatable for us Americans, who are used to tasteless, pale, fizzy, yellow water. True Lambic beer comes from only one place in the world (the Senne valley in Belgium) and is spontaneously fermented by wild yeast and fermented in wood barrels. A Gueuze is a blend of un-fruited mature and lambic (usually 1-3 years old) and young lambic (possibly as young as five months old) beers, which, according to Brewer Garrett Oliver, produces "good carbonation and acidity while still retaining great aroma, complexity and length."

If all this sounds good, here are some Gueuzes to get your funk on.

Lindemans Gueuze, Vlezenbeek, Belgium
The reason I'm writing this article today is because I ran across this beer in the grocery store and was astounded. Lindeman's is known for making very sweet lambics. In fact, the first review I ever did on this site over two years ago was Lindeman's Peche. When I saw that they were selling Gueuze, I immediately bought it and tried it. This beer is good: not too assaulting, super dry, like a tart champagne with brief fruit and citrus notes. If you are already into Gueuzes, this might be a bit weak for you, but it is the perfect starter Gueuze.

Cantillon Gueuze, Brussels, Belgium
This particular Gueuze is a blend of one, two, and three year-old Lambics. It's got a similar profile in the way that most Gueuzes do, but this one has a grassy herbaceousness to it. Darker than the Gueuze's I'm used to, this one pours a copper orange and has good acidity, but its more of a vengar acidity vs. champagne. This beer is great, but definitely more challenging than the Lindemans.

Girardin 1882 Black Label, Sint Ulriks-Kapelle, Belgium
This is my favorite Gueuze. In fact, I perv out on this beer. Its the bomb diggity of all the Gueuze I've had. This beer is a funk bomb on the nose, but then once you get past it, you can smell, citrus, apricot, pear. This flavor is big and super barnyard sour, but damn is there good acidity with green grapes and apples in the finish. Crazy funky and yet still an amazing drinkable balance. So good....so good.... I got Gueuze! Haaaay!

Pronunciation Debate: Some people say that Gueuze is pronounced "Ger-zer," but when I asked some French winemakers how to pronounce it, they said "Gooze" - I usually say "Gooze" because more people understand me when I do. In my experience, "Ger-zer" only leads to one reaction, and it's "What ?!?"

Written by The Beer Chick, October 6, 2008

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New Beer Monday - Bananas and Chocolate

(Mondays suck. So in an effort to make them better, I am now starting "New Beer Mondays" to cheer us all up a little bit. Check back every Monday for a new beer review or subscribe to Beer Chick Feed!)

"Me me me me me ooh ooh ooh me me me!" That's the response that I normally gave whenever my Grandmother would ask "Who wants banana bread?" Fresh and hot from the oven, there's not much better in this world. So imagine my thrill when I was looking for new beers to try and I came across Wells Banana Bread Beer. This beer's been around for a while and I'd heard of it before, but when I saw it there shining in the case I found myself jumping up and down clapping saying "Me me me me me ooh ooh ooh me me me!" The beer chicks will love this one!

I thought that this beer was going to be a huge Bavarian Hefe style that uses a specific kind of yeast that produces big banana aromatics. Instead this beer actually uses Fairtrade bananas in the mash of this "liquid bread."

I also thought that this beer was going to be super malty and sweet and taste just like banana bread. It doesn't. But not in a bad way. The beer is surprisingly balanced and dry, with more of a tart and peppery finish than I was expecting. The banana comes through in the beginning of this beer in the nose and then again at the end in the exhaust. If you are a beer fan and like bananas, you will dig this brew. 5.2% ABV.

This beer is made by Wells and Young, from Bedford, UK. Its actually a pretty big brewery with several different beers. On the Young's side, they used to make a great beer that I loved called Young's Oatmeal Stout (which they stopped and that makes me cry) and now they make a beer called Young's Double Chocolate Stout. Which is... Oh, what the hell, I might as well write about this beer too!

You can pretty much take Young's Double Chocolate Stout right to the bank. It's exactly what it says it is. Rich, creamy and chocolatey. This beer is made with both the addition of chocolate malt and real dark chocolate. A lot of times I think that we Americans think that chocolate with milk chocolate and think that it all tastes sweet, but that's not really the case.

This beer is once again, pretty well balanced. Its definitely chocolatey, but its not too cloying or too sweet. You're not drinking a chocolate shake here, and the carbonation, while creamy, definitely provides a lifting off the palate.

Don't be afraid of the dark ladies, there's nothing bitter or biting about this beer. If you like chocolate, you'll be in heaven with this one. 5.2% ABV.

Written by The Beer Chick, September 29, 2008

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Beers To Your Health

Beer has been used in celebrations since ancient times. Now, many researchers report that moderate alcohol consumption may help reduce risks of serious illnesses like heart disease, stroke and diabetes. However, did you know that beer, in particular, has more unique health contributions beyond what other alcoholic beverages offer?

One study of over 300 heart disease patients found that while all types of alcohol may lower the risk of heart disease, those who consumed beer- mainly or exclusively, had the strongest connection. Other studies show that beer's antioxidant, vitamin B6 and folate content are also proving to be beneficial to health.

Beer also contains silicon, which helps with bone formation. Silicon is usually found in high fiber cereal grains like barley, rye and wheat, which are what is used in beer. London researchers found that eating foods containing silicon improved bone density in both men and women. In addition, beer is the source of disease-fighting antioxidants called polyphenols which can prevent cell damage that may lead to cancer and heart disease.

What about getting a "beer belly?" Well, according to European studies, the "beer belly" is a misconception. Following all of the "low-carb" trends, beer got a bad rap. However, beer is a fermented product, meaning that some of the ingredients that go into a beer undergo a chemical reaction that changes those ingredients. The sugar that you start out with when you brew a beer is almost entirely consumed by yeast in the fermentation process, meaning that there are very few "carbs" in the end product.

In fact, beer contains less calories than the average cocktail. According to the USDA, the average regular beer is around 150 calories, whereas your average mixed drink contains around 300 calories. Some cocktails like the Black Russian, Pina Colada or Margarita are well over 400 calories a pop. And lets consider the things that beer doesn't contain. Beer has no caffeine, no fat and no cholesterol and is very low in sodium.

So cheers, salut, prost. Celebrate with beer - as always, in moderation.
Who knew a brew could be so good for you?

Written by The Beer Chick

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SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION.

I'm so stoked to be in this month's issue of Gourmet Magazine. I've subscribed to this magazine since I was 12, so I'm thrilled beyond words. I hope that you will pick it up if you see it and check it out! I'm on page 56. Right after a really great story on old (in business for six decades or more) bars! They included two of my very favorites, The Green Mill in Chicago, IL. and Tujague's (pronounced "Two Jacks") in New Orleans, LA. Woo hoo! Nice chops huh?

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BEERDAY IN SAN FRANCISCO !!

After all that's happened this year, I decided to treat myself for my birthday. So I asked myself, ...I said, "Self, if you could do anything on your birthday this year, what would it be?" And myself said, "I'd be sitting in San Francisco at the Toronado bar, drinking some yummy beers." So that's what I did. I jumped in Clover (my Land Rover) and headed North, to the land of the Golden Gate and beers-a-plenty: to the heart of the microbrew revolution and the home of Anchor Brewing Company and my friends and fellow beer chick Kasey.

The Toronado was rockin, as it ended up being Lagunitas (nice brewery from Petaluma, CA) Night, which was cool. Their draught and bottle lists were amazing. We definitely got some looks when we walked in as there weren't too many beer chicks in there, but as soon as the bartender heard us order some great beers (instead of asking for something "light") we were in. And I always like the odds when the ratio is more men to women. The place is a bit of a dive, but has so much character that you'll love it if you're cool.

Here are the awesome beers we had there!

Elysian Avatar Jasmine IPA - Seattle, WA - draught
Elysian Night at the Toronado happened to be happening the next night and I met someone from the brewery at the bar when I went to order my first beer. I told him about Beer for Chicks and he suggested that I try their Jasmine IPA, which I did. It was good. Its the kind of beer I'm into, an experimental American IPA. This means the beer is big, with nice floral and herbaceous jasmine notes. This beer's not too flowery or fruity or "dumbed down" though. Mouthfeel is creamy followed by good bittering hop dryness and perfumey finish. 5.6% ABV

Russian River Happy Hop - Santa Rosa, CA - draught
Its a must for me to always try any beer from Russian River that I haven't had. The only one on the list that I hadn't tried was called Happy Hop, which I thought was going to be HUGELY hoppy like their Hop 2 It ale, but this was more of an American Blonde Ale, which means that it was more mellow. Reminiscent of an English IPA, this beer had nice mellow hops and a woody stalky finish. Very drinkable. 5.0% ABV

Moonlight Brewing Company Reality Czeck - Fulton, CA - draught
I usually tell people never to order a beer by its name alone, but as you know, I also don't like rules very much. So I ordered Reality Czeck specifically because of its name - and because Kasey said that she didn't want anything too "ale-y" (which is a slappable offense, but I was in a good mood.) This beer is delish. Fresh, crisp, light with notes of biscuits and pancakes. Bright mouthfeel with and clean finish. Could have had about 20 of these! 4.8% ABV

Lagunitas Farmhouse Saison - Petaluma, CA - draught
I was stoked to see this beer on tap. Lately, Saison has been one of my very favorite beer styles (I'm going to write about them next!) and this one did not dissapoint. Spicy and yeasty (in a good way), this beer had interesting tart citrus notes a wheaty full mouthfeel, and spicy, tingly notes of pepper. Right on Lagunitas. Thanks for the memories! 6% ABV.

De Struise Witte - De Panne, Belgium - bottle
This beer is the BOMB. I'm crazy about another beer that this brewery makes called Pannepot Old Fisherman's Ale, and this one is just as good. Its a White Ale or a Witbier and it's deliciously and suprisingly nutty, with orange rind and hints of coriander. Big carbonation, but I liked it. 5.0% ABV

Dubuisson Scaldis Noel 2004 - Pipaix, Belgium - bottle
This beer was a sentimental pick. This is a super rare winter seasonal ale, so to see that they had the 2004 was amazing! I actually had this Belgian Strong Ale when it was first released so I wanted to see the effects of 4 years of aging on this bad boy. It was awesome. This beer is like drinking a wonderful port or cognac. Definite whisky-like qualities. Sweet, malty and spicy with a vinous mouthfeel and some serious heat in the exhaust. 12% ABV

The Toronado Pub is located in the Lower Haight neighborhood of San Francisco at:
547 Haight St
(between Fillmore St & Steiner St)
San Francisco, CA 94117 (415) 863-2276

www.toronado.com

Written by The Beer Chick, September 18, 2008

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