Strong and Black

My late friend, Scott, introduced me to his love of Stouts. He was a big Guinness fan, having visited the brewery several times in Ireland. I dedicate this review to him.

I finally have decided to jump on the coffee/stout combination. LAKEFRONT BREWERY out of Milwaukee makes FUEL CAFE.

It pours with a smaller milk chocolate head than expected, with no lace. This does not take away from what’s about to come, however. It has a strong aroma of chocolate and coffee- no surprise. Black in the glass like hearty coffee and a flavorful stout, it looks exactly like a nitro cold brew coffee.

The taste is malty and slightly bitter but in a good way. It has a rewarding silky mouth feel.

This would make a great beer to pair with a dessert course, especially anything chocolate. Or serve it at brunch instead of a mimosa- think of a powerful shot of nitro and a big stack of pancakes.

This beer will keep you warm during these early winter storms, and energize you enough to clean your whole damn house while you watch the snowfall.

Turkey and beer

The leaves have fallen and there have been some flakes in the air. And for those of us in the northeast- about a foot of those flakes. Thanksgiving is less than a week away. I have been looking at different ciders and beers to have with turkey and stuffing.

DOWNEAST PUMPKIN CIDER combines apples, pumpkins and chai spices. This is a great starter to hand out when guests are arriving on Thursday. Its not too sweet and not overpowering in spice. It preps the tastebuds for the meal to come. It’s the flavors of apple and pumpkin pie combined.

Next is 1911 CRANBERRY HARD CIDER. It has a blush color that could easily be poured into a wine glass to enjoy with your holiday dinner, but I think it would go best with an appetizer course. It is not overly sweet and the flavor pairs nicely with a cheese or relish platter.

For the main course I choose TRADER JOE’S SOUR CRANBERRY ALE. It does have a brightness that will help balance the richness of stuffing and gravy. The cranberry flavor is front and center. An enjoyable, easily drinkable beer.

Something different for you Gose lovers- LONG TRAIL’S CRANBERRY GOSE. I tend to think of Gose as a summer beer, but it can certainly be enjoyed in other seasons. This beer is available all year long. It is not as cranberry-forward as the other brews in this review. There is an aroma of cranberry that tickles your nose, which seems fun. You get the salt and tartness of a Gose- which makes it an excellent beer to drink with food. If you want to be a bit more adventurous go for this one!

Try one or all of these holiday pairings. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

TGIFF!

Thank God it’s FLANNEL FRIDAY!

I don’t know if I have ever seen a more beautiful color of beer. It is a burnt orange with an almost shimmery glow. First you are hit with the malty, caramel flavor that is traditionally expected of an amber ale. Next you taste a hoppy citrus note on the backend of the guzzle.

This beer is the perfect cross of an IPA and an Amber Ale.

I’m loving this beer as it is not too heavy, but just hearty enough for cooler weather. Drink this around a fire and you’ll be in heaven. It calls out for a smokey accompaniment whether that comes from an outdoor fire pit or a heaping plate of BBQ ribs.

A perfect beer for fall.

Try Riesling for Thanksgiving!

Kinda love that the most valued wines of this white grape variety are those stricken with “noble rot”….

Don’t think this diverse and super food-friendly wine is represented only by the candy-like sweet variety that usually sells for a dime. This can be a sophisticated sip, and the price can be as diverse as the wine. And yes, the fungus called “noble rot” evaporates water from the grape, making for a rich and silky wine.

Riesling grapes are named after the Rhine region in Central Europe. The grapes also grow well in other parts of the world, notably Australia, and definitely in the US. The grapes favor colder climates.

There are three components to a good Riesling that make it an awesome wine to pair with food.
1. They have a slightly salty mineral essence. 2. They have a well-balanced, fresh acidity. 3. They offer food-friendly fruit profiles ranging from apple to peach, often with a honey overtone.

There are three Rieslings we recommend you try this holiday to compliment all the traditional Thanksgiving faire.

From the Finger Lakes Region of New York:
SEMI-DRY RIESLING, 2015, Lamoreaux Landing, Seneca Lake, NY, $12

This wine is most likely my favorite wine from the great state of New York. The colder climate of the Finger Lakes region, carved out of glaciers, no less, produce some very fine grapes.

This wine consistently tastes like a bite into a deliciously ripe honey crisp apple. Its delicate flavor ends with a fresh acidity on the dry side. The linger is short, but the flavor reads nicely. This is my family’s number one choice for Thanksgiving wine. It compliments cranberry sauce, and balances out buttery mashed potatoes and rich gravy.

The Alsace region, tucked into the French corner where France, Germany and Switzerland meet, offers some of the most unique food and wine in the western world, mostly because of climate. We’ve featured this wine over the summer, and I can’t get out of my head that it would be amazing at the Thanksgiving table.

It’s a mouthful for Americans….
C’OTES D’AMMERSCHWIHR, 2016, Domaine Schoech, Alsace, $18

This is also a lighter-bodied Riesling. The flavor is a nearly perfect balance of acid, and pear and melon flavors. There is a hint of salty mineral. The finish is fairly brief, but slightly toasty.

We plan to serve it this Thanksgiving to support dishes like mashed sweet potatoes, spicy Turkey and green bean casserole.

Our final option is the priciest of the three we’re recommending, but if you’re going to splurge on a wine with the super power of food-paring, this might be the one-meal-wonder holiday to do it!

From the Mosel region of Germany:
SCHMITT ZELTINGER SCHLOSSBERG, 2014, Riesling Auslese, Selbach-oster, Mosel, Germany, $50

This may be one of the finest examples of the flavor array this grape can offer. The general rule of Riesling is that after three years of bottling, Rieslings tend to open up- morphing from lime notes to nectarine.

This wine offers a nose that is inviting on its own- think Chinese 5-spice. The sip is fresh, slightly piney with a hint of salt. The fruit balances that earthy edge with peach and nectarine flavors. The wine has one of the longest aftertastes I’ve ever experienced. It would pair well with anything you eat of any cuisine anywhere in the world. No exaggeration.

If you’re having agita thinking about pronouncing these wines, load this article onto your phone and simply show the pics to the people at the wine store. Hopefully they can find all three of these options, but they could at least get you another great example from one of these awesome Riesling regions. (If they can’t, you might want to find a different wine store….)

Other tasty options in white wine for Thanksgiving:
🧡 Try a Viognier. It’s another wine with food-pairing magic. Find one that balances the tropical flavors of the grape with fresh acidity. Two good regions to look for- Central Coast California and the coastal region of the Pays D’oc in France.
🧡 How about a less-oaky Chardonnay? Good Chardonnays fall somewhere on the spectrum of creamy to citrusy. It is oak barreling that offers the cream experience. We love both, but to balance hearty Thanksgiving faire we’re recommending Chardonnay with either short or no time in oak. Look to Chile and Washington state for some excellent options.

Drink happy thoughts, this Thanksgiving! We wish you a wonderful holiday!

Serve a 'Dago Hillbilly' this Thanksgiving!

The bright-orange color of this cocktail is so inviting. The flavors scream fall. There is a hint of sweetness, a slight edge of bitterness, and a tickle of sparkle. Before a hearty meal, this is a treat.

We like to list cocktails in ‘parts’ in case you’re satisfying a crowd. We’ve made these in both shakers and pitchers. Chill down the ingredients prior to mixing if you don’t intend to add ice.

DAGO HILLBILLY

4 parts sparkling apple cider
2 parts maple moonshine (honey, or similarly flavored whisky would work well, too)
1 part Aperol

Shake all the ingredients with ice until very cold. Strain into glasses.

Serve with dried orange slices to enhance the orangey bitterness of the Aperol. (We get ours at Trader Joe’s.) When we make this in a pitcher we add both fresh and dried orange slices. Slices of apple (rubbed with orange juice to keep them from browning) would also make a nice seasonal garnish.

Drink happy thoughts this holiday, and Muddle up!