Thasnksgiving beer pairings just in time for your feast

Not long ago I was asked what beers would be on my Thanksgiving table this year. While I had a quick answer at the time, I started thinking about what would really be good with the different foods that are part of a traditional Thanksgiving meal. I started thinking about the flavors and what would truly work best with them. Below are my recommendations of beers to try with the various courses of your Thanksgiving meal.

Thanksgiving feasting in my family begins the moment you walk through the front door. Generally there are platters of cheese, crackers, and other salty, savory snacks. These types of snacks are perfect for a well-hopped Pale Ale. Locally, here in Jacksonville, a perfect choice for this is Intuition Ale Works’ People’s Pale Ale. For those out of the area looking for a good Pale Ale try Dales Pale Ale or the granddaddy of all Pale Ales: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. These beers will also pair well with appetizers like shrimp cocktail or bruschetta with tomatoes and basil.

Thanksgiving dinner proper begins with a salad in my family. My mother has a favorite oriental style salad she makes with a sesame seed oil and vinegar dressing and dry Ramen Noodles crumbled into it that is a hit with our gang. The sweet salad dressing deserves a beer that will not over-power it so I like pair it with a Belgian White Ale like Blanche de Bruxelles. The wonderful balance of coriander and citrus in this brew enhances the sweet and tangy dressing marvelously without overpowering it with hops or malty sweetness. Try this beer with other similar, sweet salad dressings since the spices can hold up to the flavors of sweet lettuce, tomato, carrot, and cucumber.

For the main course of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, yams, cranberry sauce, and so on you have to decide a direction to go. I have always aimed for a beer that would take a middle road through all of these flavors, enhancing them without distracting from them. Many beer connoisseurs will point you towards a toasty, malty beer like a Brown Ale. I don’t disagree with that in theory, but for my taste – and I think a lot of other folk’s if they have the where-with-all to save it – Oktoberfest Marzen works wonderfully. Oktoberfest-style beers have many of the characteristics of Brown Ales, but tend to have a cleaner finish. To me that is important. I want a beer that is going to refresh and cleanse my palate between bites, not leave a lingering malty flavor. One of my favorite Oktoberfest beers is Ayinger Oktoberfest. You may still be able to find some at your local beer store, so hurry on out for it. If Ayinger is not available try others like Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest of Flying Fish Oktoberfish.

At the end of the turkey gorging, there are always all those wonderful desserts. In our family that means pumpkin pie, apple pie, and rich chocolate cake. But, I have also seen families who serve mouth-watering desserts such as trifles and carrot cake. What you want here is a beer that can add its own spiced, sweet flavors while still allowing the delicious desserts to shine. In my recommendation recently, I suggested Southern Tier Pumking to pair with pumpkin, sweet potato, or pecan pie. The pumpkin spices in this brew are marvelous and will enhance your enjoyment of the pies. For chocolate desserts I have a bit of a wild idea: chocolate chili beers. You may have to look a bit for one of these but if you can find them try, Samuel Adams The Vixen a Bock beer brewed with dark cocoa nibs, cinnamon, and chilies; or try Cigar City Hunahpu an Imperial Brown Ale brewed with Peruvian cacao nibs, ancho and pasilla chilies, Madagasgar vanilla beans, and cinnamon.

At the end of the meal, while you are lying on the sofa in all your stuffed majesty, watching the football games a good easy-drinker would probably hit the spot. What you probably want after all that food is a lighter, lower-alcohol brew to relax with. Again, for those who think ahead, grab your growler and head to one of the many great breweries in Jacksonville. You can even pick up a six-pack of Intuition Ale Works’ Jon Boat Coastal Ale at most local grocery stores.

But, no matter what beers you decide to serve with your Thanksgiving meal, it is my sincere wish that you have a safe and happy day with your family and friends. I also hope that you will take a moment to think about all that we have to be thankful for, in particular, please take a moment to think about the many United States Service Members who are away from their families – whether over-seas or domestically – that proudly protect our rights and freedoms.

Keep up to date on all the beer happenings and news going on in town at the ALL NEW www.JaxBeerGuy.com.

 

Tasty Beers to accent your Thanksgiving table

Many beer aficionados know the story of how the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock because of a shortage of beer aboard the Mayflower. Beer was used as a water supply since water itself was unsafe to drink. Story-tellers point to a diary entry from an unnamed passenger that says, “We could not now take time for further search…our victuals being much spent, especially our beer…” The situation, it seems, was dire. Or, so the big American breweries would have you believe.

The truth of the matter is that the Pilgrims were not put out at Plymouth Rock because of a lack of beer. They were put out because of a lack of time. Quite simply, the Mayflower was due back in England and the Captain and crew told the Pilgrims to pick a spot and get off. The beer supplies on board were ample for the return trip to England. The beer companies wanted consumers to think that beer was as American as apple pie so they ran ads that said, “The Pilgrims drank beer.” While that is not entirely untrue, it is a stretch.

Regardless of the historical accuracy of beer being the reason America is here as we know it, beer is definitely a welcome addition and has a place on your Thanksgiving table. This time of year brings several interesting styles into season including Oktoberfest/ Märzen beers, fresh hop ales, and pumpkin beers. All pair nicely with your holiday dishes.

Oktoberfest-Märzen Style Beers

The original Oktoberfest was held in a field outside the city gates of Munich in the early 1800’s to celebrate the wedding of Crown Prince of Bavaria Prince Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghhausen. Germans being German, beer was an important part of the celebration. Oktoberfest beer is a traditional variety also known as Märzen. It is generally darker and stronger than traditional beers with alcohol content of around 6%. It is characterized by medium to full body, malty flavor, and a clean dry finish. Like all German beer, true Oktoberfest beer is brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot that precisely defines the four ingredients allowed in the brewing of beer: barley, hops, malt, and yeast. Oktoberfest beers are particularly good with meats and poultry; indeed a traditional food at Oktoberfest in Munich is roasted poultry.

Beers to try:

Ayinger Oktoberfest- Märzen
Sierra Nevada Tumbler

Fresh Hop Ales

Hops are the bittering component of beer. They grow on tall bines and consist of small cones that contain the all-important bittering agents. The vast majority of beer is made with dried hops because if the fresh picked cones are not dried within 24 hours of picking, they will begin to rot. And rotten hops do not make good beer. In the fall hop-picking season, some adventurous brewers rush out to the fields to gather fresh hops and brew with them. Because you need more fresh hops – somewhere in the neighborhood of five times more – in brewing than the concentrated dried hops, the resulting beer has a much more vegetative, earthy flavor than dry hop beers. Because of the amounts of hops necessary to brew these beers, they are made in very small batches. Fresh hop ales pair wonderfully with fresh vegetables and dishes with vegetables in them like green beans, brussel sprouts, and even stuffing made with onion and celery.

Beers to try:

Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale

Pumpkin Beers

In the early days of America, malted barley was extremely hard to come by and had to be imported from England. This made the malt very expensive and out of the reach of the lower classes. So, colonists began searching for other items that could be used as sources of sugar in their brews. Pumpkins were indigenous to America, so colonists began using them for beer. Early pumpkin brews bear little resemblance to today’s brews, which generally skew more towards the pumpkin pie spices rather than the actual fruit. Because of their sweet nature, pumpkin brews are perfect with desserts like pumpkin and sweet potato pie.

Beers to try:

Dogfish Head PunKin
Southern Tier Pumking

Keep up to date on all the beer happenings and news going on in town at the ALL NEW www.JaxBeerGuy.com.

 

Red Robin serves up an Oktoberfest beer milkshake

When thoughts turn to a cold frosty one, most think of a beer, but to Donna Ruch, master mixologist at the Red Robin Gourmet Burgers restaurant chain it could mean a beer spiked milkshake. The new concoction was launched this week to commemorate Oktoberfest along with several other items themed for the yearly German festival that celebrates everything beer.

In a story on the Fox News website, Ruch says, “Nothing says Oktoberfest better than a beer, so I incorporated the fun spirit of Red Robin into this innovative milkshake.” The milkshake is a mixture of Samuel Adams Octoberfest beer, vanilla ice cream, vanilla syrup, and caramel sauce.

Other Oktoberfest-themed dishes from the chain include pretzel bites with beer cheese and beer mustard and an Oktoberfest Burger served on a pretzel bun with beer mustard, Swiss cheese, onions, ham, and lettuce.

But, Red Robin’s shake is not the only foray beer has made into ice cream. In 2006 ice cream wizards Ben and Jerry’s introduced a flavor named Black & Tan and based on the beer drink of the same name. The flavor combined non-alcoholic cream stout, swirled with chocolate ice cream, and topped with a foamy stout ice cream head. The flavor was pulled after it was discovered Irish-Americans found the name offensive because it was shared by a group of British ex-servicemen renowned for their brutality during the Irish War of Independence.

Another Ben & Jerry’s flavor, Duff & D’oh!Nuts was produced only for the premier of The Simpsons Movie in 2007. The flavor combined chocolate and cream stout ice cream with chunks of glazed chocolate donuts. It was only available at the premiere on the movie in Springfield, Vt., and in Scoop Shops the night before the DVD release.

Another restaurant chain that serves beer spiked milkshakes is TGI Friday’s. The sweet beer shake uses vanilla ice cream, Guinness Stout, chocolate syrup, and chocolate shavings in its recipe. And movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse offers a Pecan Porter milkshake that sends some movie patrons to heaven.

Related articles

• Now Blending in L.A.: Wine Milkshakes! (laist.com)
• Spike Your Sweets: Beer Ice Cream Floats (brit.co)
• Red Robin (Yum) now offering milkshakes made with Sam Adams Octoberfest (Yum?) [Interesting] (fark.com)

 

Tap the Kegs! It’s Oktoberfest!

Image via Wikipedia

Summer is unofficially over with Labor Day past us. Ahead are the cooler autumn days filled with preparations for the winter and its full accompaniment of holidays. Beer-minded folk look forward to this time of year for the heartier seasonal beers that it brings like Marzen, Pumpkin Ales, Oktoberfest, Dunkelweizen, and other spiced brews.

Perhaps the most famous of the list is Oktoberfest. Many have heard of the festival held in Munich, Germany every year from the end of September until the first weekend in October. But, few know that there is a style of beer named for the event nor do they know the reason or history of the celebration. The story is about a Prince, a Princess, a weddings, a horse race, and, of course, beer.

Once again, as I enjoy doing so often, it is time to take you on a fantastical trip into European history to discover the origin of not only a great beer, but also a great celebration. Sherman, set the Wayback Machine for 1810.

The party was a rousing success and as word traveled far and wide, Bavarians began to think that making this into a yearly event to boost the Bavarian agricultural show might be a pretty good thing. So, in 1811 Oktoberfest was held in conjunction with the first agricultural show. By 1816, carnival booths began to appear at the ‘Fest and the party grew. In 1819 festival management was assumed by the founding citizens of Munich and the things really started to take off.

But, Oktoberfest was still rather tame for the first 100 years or so. It was more agriculture than party and the only entertainment was the horse race and the few carnival tents and food vendors that set up there each year. Several times during these years the festival was cancelled due to cholera outbreaks and wars.

Beer tents first began to appear in 1896 to quench the thirst of parched festival attendees. Little did these first revelers know that in the coming years the tents would grow to hold as many as 5,000 visitors and the festival would expand to host an estimated six to seven million partiers.

After the end of World War II, Oktoberfest kicked into high gear. In 1950 the festival began its long tradition of a twelve gun salute and ceremonial tapping of the first keg by the incumbent Mayor of Munich as its official opening. The tapping is followed by a cry of “O’ zapft is!” (“It’s tapped!”). The first beer of the ‘Fest is then drawn and given to the Minister-President of Bavaria and the drinking commences.

By 1960, Oktoberfest had grown into the monumental world-famous festival depicted by German men in lederhosen and tirolerhute hats and women in dirndls. The beer tents and halls turn into seas of humanity all consuming massive steins of German beers brewed specifically for the event.

Today, Oktoberfest is known as the Largest Volksfest (People’s Fair) in the World. In 2010 the festival attracted 6.4 million visitors, only 72% of these visitors are from Bavaria. The rest are from other EU countries, the United States, Asia, and the rest of the world. While we are on the topic of statistics, a look at the astounding numbers that come out of this yearly beer blast are in order. For the most part, the drinking at Oktoberfest is done in the huge beer tents erected specifically for the event. In all there are fourteen large tents and twenty smaller tents. The largest of the tents, the Winzerer-Fahndl tent, can seat nearly 8,500 partiers inside and another 2,500 outside. When you combine the capacity of all the tents, there are in excess of over 100,000 seats available. During the run of the festival, attendees will consume nearly 2 million gallons of beer generally served one liter at a time, this equates to over 7 million liters. Hungry drinkers eat more than 500,000 chicken dinners, 240,000 sausages, and 70,000 pork knuckles.

Oktoberfest beer is of a variety called Märzen. Darker and stronger than traditional beer, Märzen contains up to 6% alcohol, is bottom-fermented, and is lagered for at least 30 days. The style is characterized by a medium to full body, a malty flavour and a clean dry finish. In Germany, the term covers beers which vary in color from pale (Helles Märzen), through amber to dark brown (Dunkles Märzen). Before the advent of modern refrigeration techniques, this type of beer was brewed in March (as its name suggests) and allowed to age through the summer, so that it was ready to drink by late summer or early fall. Like all German beer, the Oktoberfest beer is brewed according to strict German standards (called the Reinheitsgebot and in effect since 1516) that precisely define the four ingredients allowed in the brewing of beer: barley, hops, malt, and yeast.

Just 6 Munich breweries – Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, and Spaten – are permitted to serve beer at the festival. Beer is served by the Maß, a one-liter mug, and costs about 8 euros. Beer maids and waiters must be able to carry 10 of these beer-filled mugs at a time.

Oktoberfest Beers to Try

Ayinger Oktoberfest Marzen

Tis tasty brew was served last year at the Springfield Brew Crew Oktoberfest party and was a big hit. Its malty and clean hop profile was refreshing and satisfying. Many described the beer as having a slight apple flavor to it. It is well worth seeking out at your local beer purveyor.

Paulaner Oktoberfest

Once brewed as only a seasonal beer, Paulaner’s Oktoberfest is now available year-round. It has a caramelized, barely malty nose and a rich, creamy full-flavored finish.

Spaten Oktoberfest Beer

Created in 1872, Oktoberfest Beer by Spaten is the first true Oktoberfest beer. This is a medium-bodied beer with rich, roasted malt flavor and perfectly balanced hops. With rich mouth feel and underlying malty sweetness, this is one of the most popular beers at Oktoberfest each year.

Samuel Adams Octoberfest

Pours a rich, clear amber with a two fingered off white/light tan head that drops slowly. Aromas of caramelly malt grain and toast. No hop aroma. There are flavors of deep caramel malt, biscuit and toast, with a balancing bitterness, but very malt forward. Mouth feel is medium to light.

Harpoon Octoberfest Beer

Pours burnt orange to reddish copper in color with a nice off-white, frothy head. Aromas present are of malt, slight fruit — maybe orange – slight hops. The flavor is a bit spicy with nice malts and medium body.

Local Jacksonville Oktoberfest Celebrations

Intuition Ale Works – September 24, 1:00 PM – 9:00 PM

All the stops are being pulled out for the mother of all Oktoberfest celebrations here in Jacksonville at Intuition this year. The brewers are preparing two special edition brews for the occasion – a traditional Oktpberfest Marzen and a hefeweizen. There will be all-you-can-eat German wursts and other German foods, beer games, commemorative mugs, and a German costume contest.

Tickets are available now online at http://www.intuitionaleworks.com or at the Tap Room during regular business hours, Wednesday to Saturday, 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM. Prices are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. There are a limited number of tickets available.

Foodies USA – October 14

The Sheraton Jacksonville Hotel is the host for FoodiesUSA’s Jacksonville Oktoberfest 2011. At 5:00 PM there will be a Beer Pairing Dinner at Bold City Grill including a complete 5 course dinner perfectly paired with Bold City Beers. Afterwards, starting at 7:00 PM, explore the Bier Garden & Food Festival, where top beer and food vendors will bring their best for you to taste.

Tickets may be purchased online at http://www.foodiesusa.com. The price for the Beer Dinner is $40, the Bier Garden is $25, or you can purchase both for $50.

Riverside Art Market Oktoberfest – October 21- 22

Come out Friday night after work, or anytime Saturday as RAM celebrates the cooler weather with some great German food, music, and fun!

Oktoberfest through the years has been a celebration of the end of the year harvest. Its raucous fun and revelry is matched only by the spring St. Patrick’s Day festivities. Enjoy the season with a stein of your favorite German beer and bratwurst.

Until next time,

Long Live the Brewers!

Cheers!

Marc Wisdom

 

Gorden Biersch – Visted by The Drunken Traveller

Drunk Traveler once again,

With my extended stay in South Florida, I decided to make a short hop over to Gordon Biersch on Brickell Ave. in Downtown Miami. My first impressions did not fare well, as I walked in the front door the hostess walked right past me out the door, without even a greeting.   I meandered about and found my way to the bar.   

Surprisingly for a Saturday evening the place was practically empty.  A bar that seats nearly 30, held only four other patrons handful of 5-6 tables with other dinner guests.   None the less, I asked my bartender  for a beer menu.  I promised not to disclose my bartenders name as I am going to divulge some disturbing words here in just a few moments.

The beer menu had a base of  6 regular brews. I went straight for the Hefeweizen.   Now Gordon Biersch has a very strict policy as described on their website as complying with the Reinheitsgebot (Germany’s beer purity law), which strictly limits that beer can be made from ONLY three ingredients; water, grains, and hops.  Later the fourth ingredient was allowed only after the discovery of yeast by Louis Pasture. There are so many things wrong with their beer that I am just going to jump right in.  

The Hefeweizen is brewed with banana peel and cloves added.  I do not like either in beer.  The beer was served way too cold, their keg room is set at 37 degrees Fahrenheit (I guessed 38˚ but I was corrected by the manager).   Plus they have added artificial carbonation! While I was sipping and trying to get the first pint down, I struck up a conversation with the nameless bartender. I asked a myriad of questions about the brewery, and each brew.  I was shocked at how little he and everyone else (wait staff and other bartenders) knew about beer in general! 

I began to explain the whole purity law and brewing process, I described the two main beer styles — ales and lagers. I then expanded from there into the 18 accepted styles of beers, such as wheat, lambics, pale ales, bitters, porters, bocks etc.  An audience started gather and it soon turned into a beer class.  

If you work in a macro brewery I would think you would know some simple basics about beer, like the difference between an ale and a lager, but at this location no one knew anything. As I continued the beer class, I went for the next pint.  This time I choose the marzen a very traditional German style beer.  It was very good.  Again way too cold and carbonated, but with that aside the flavors and light caramels gently passed my taste buds with a hint of fresh hops.  I would order this again if given the opportunity. The lessons continued as I sipped the marzen.

I noticed sweat rolling off of the taps and cringed, knowing the beer is being dispensed way too cold.  Miami at this time is under a very cool spell and with only 48% humidity this condensation on taps is highly irregular.   This is when I found out that all their beer is stored at the same temperature (37˚). 

I finished my burger and noticed a different tag on a tap I had not notice before;  FestBier.  The bartender quickly gave me a 4 once sample and explained it was the last remaining keg from their October (seasonal) beer which they called October Fest.  This was a fantastic tasting beer,  I would not dare call it an Octoberfest, though. that would only insult every German on the planet.   It was, however, a very light, clean, and crisp lager – nearly a pilsner.  I would think every idiotic American who chugs down countless beers during a Monday Night football game would love this beer.  It should be their anchor beer for the non-beer aficionados.  The establishment doesn’t see it that way (or shall I say my way).    

Moving on, I promised my tender I would save their WinterBrew for last. Weihnactsbockbier,  OG = 18,  ABV= 7.5%. A dark beer, listed as a bock,  described as having a smooth and nutty taste and finish with Christmas spices.   The brew was served in a very large-mouthed mug and extremely cold (like everything else).  I took a sip.  Nearly tasteless.  I waited 20 minutes or so for it too warm up just a bit, to around 42˚.  Small sips and yes, it began to release it very smooth nuttiness.  A clean finish.  Not expected from this nearly black beer. This beer I would order as a finishing toast of the evening with friends.  

If I wasn’t educated and self proclaimed as a beer lover and enthusiast, these beers would would have been very good.   Commercial establishments such as Gordon Biersch don’t provide the facilities to store different styles of beer at different temperatures because they don’t have people like me walking in and providing judgment on a high scale.  If given the opportunity I will visit a Gordon Biersch Restaurant again, but I will be prepared and not have such a high expectation. 

~DT