Patiently Awaiting My Beer

Our third and fourth batches of brew are now in bottles (an Imperial Stout & a Nut Brown Ale) and I'm anxiously awaiting the day they will be ready for drinkin'. I'm super excited for the Nut Brown Ale, my selection, which I hope turns out tasty because I really want to do some experimenting with it -- think Hazelnut Nut Brown Ale, Vanilla Nut Brown Ale, Cinnamon Twist Nut Brown Ale, Raspberry Nut Brown Ale, Chocolate Nut Brown Ale... oh the possibilities are endless!


Here's a little preview of our work from our taste test pre-bottling:

Meanwhile, I just read a great article in The Atlantic about shattering beer's glass ceiling. Yay, girlpower! << Read it!

I'm really excited to start planning brew batches 5 & 6. I'm thinking something spring-like and summery. Perhaps a honey blonde. Mmmmmm.

In Which We Brew

I waited years for this day. I dreamed about it while I lived in my little studio apartment. I thought and I planned and I imagined what it would be like. And now that I have a big kitchen, the day finally arrived -- HOMEBREW DAY!

Instead of going into elaborate detail about the brewing process (*snore*) I’ll give you a little pictoral showcase of our handiwork.

Our first brew was called Liquid Desert. We got the recipe from the Homebrew Emporium in Cambridge, where we also picked up all the ingredients and supplies. (You can find the recipe through the Homebrew Emporium’s website here: https://www.beerbrew.com/downloads/recipes/LiquidDessert.pdf) No brewing kit for us on our first time! We picked out the grains, malts, hops, and followed the directions (mostly). We erred a bit in our first batch, but errors are to be expected! We learned from it and have moved on. But even with errors, Batch 1 turned out delicious.

Since that fateful day, we’ve brewed 3 more batches of beer. First we did a second attempt at Liquid Desert (which we recently bottled), then an Imperial Stout (currently in the first fermenter), and then a Nut Brown Ale (in its first fermenter). I’m very excited about the Nut Brown Ale... I want to play around with the recipe in the future, adding some things like Hazelnut, Vanilla, Cocoa, Raspberry, and the like. Mmmmmm Hazelnut Vanilla Nut Brown.

The one thing I've learned so far about brewing is that you have to be patient, there is a LOT of waiting! But, hey, I've been waiting years to start brewing so what's a few more weeks? :)

Without further ado, I bring you BEER:

Mashing up the Cocoa Beans

All crushed up.

We didn't have a big enough pot to handle all the ingredients (we've
since purchased one) so we had to brew two pots at once, thus had to
divide all ingredients in half. 

Steeping the grains.

Grains steeping.

Boiling hops in with the grains.

Of course, kitty wants to sit on the kitchen mat and watch what we're doing.

After the hour boil of the hops cooling the pot down in the sink.

More lessons learned: buy a strainer so you don't have to reuse
the grain sack to try to strain as you pour into the fermenter.

Straining/pouring into the first fermenter.

After two weeks of sitting in the closet it's time to transfer over to the
secondary fermenter!

Utoh, here's where things went wrong. We SHOULD HAVE added this
malt to the original boil. We wonder if we can just toss it now. Hmmm...

It worked. (Sort of.) It was very clumpy. But it didn't ruin our beer
like we thought it might.

Taste test!

Wow, sludge.

Lots more sludge.

Secondary fermenter. A few more weeks
in the closet.

Siphoning so we can bottle.

Getting ready to bottle.

Putting on the caps.

FINAL STEP: Wait (again) then drink & enjoy! Cheers!

Oh Pumpkin, my pumpkin…

‘Tis the season (and has been for the past month and a half now) for PUMPKINS! Pumpkin things have been really high profile these days. Or maybe just haven’t noticed in previous years because I spent a good 3 years living in the southwest to which pumpkins are not native.

But I’ve noticed over the past 3 years since moving back that in autumn, in the east, there are pumpkin things, LOTS of pumpkin things, everywhere you look! And this does not mean just pumpkin pie… there are loads of other things out there just waiting to make your taste buds tingle.


Over the past month I took a mini-tour of pumpkin land. I gave myself a challenge: if there was a pumpkin thing available I would eat it and if there was a pumpkin drink available I would drink it. So I devoured and I chugged my way though the past month. Some good, some bad.


Here’s a little round-up of what I call PUMPKIN PARADISE:


Mini Pumpkin & Walnut Scones
Where I got it: Wegmans! Oh Wegmans, how I miss thee. I was able to snag these tasty treats while I was visiting Rochester.
Assessment: Ate them for breakfast for a week straight. Delish.

Pumpkin Cupcake

Where I got it: Sweet on Boylston St.

Assessment: MORE PLEASE! I don’t know what the deal is with this new cupcake craze, but I like it. Om nom nom.

Pumpkin Latte
Where I got it: Starbucks
Assessment: Starbucks pumpkin latte you taste so good, why do you have to be $5? Autumn always rekindles my ‘bucks addition… it probably didn’t help that I was lazy and it took me more than 2 weeks to buy coffee filters when I ran out. Hello autumn (and winter!) ‘bucks flavored lattes, goodbye paycheck.


Pumpkin Latte
Where I got it: Dunkin Donuts
Assessment: Not as pricey as ‘bucks, but also not as good. Le sigh. It was still worth drinking though.


Pumpkin Donut
Where I got it: Dunkin Donuts
Assessment: I love donuts, especially the cider ones that become popular in fall (even though I really don't eat them very often). This pumpkin donut didn’t let me down. Yum, you made my drive back to Rochester less boring.


Pumpkin Soup
Where I got it: Sunset (Boston)
Assessment: This was even more delish than I was expecting. Part chicken soup, part stew, this soup was everything – and more! I really enjoyed it, as you can tell.


Pumpkin Ice Cream
Where I got it: Sunset (Boston)
Assessment: I was already two pumpkin beers deep so maybe that’s why I thought this pumpkin ice cream was PHENOMINAL. It was served with pecan pie and whipped cream. So good.

Pumpkin Beer
Where I got it: Varieties!
Assessment: I love pumpkin beers. Each year it seems like there are more and more available at the stores. Pumpkin beers are delicious, spicy (with hints of cinnamon & nutmeg), sweet, flavorful. The best is when you get a pumpkin beer at a bar and they dust the rim with sugar or cinnamon… oh yum. This year I tried to taste as many pumpkin beers as I possibly could. Unfortunately beer goes to my brain and I forgot to write down every single one of the pumpkin beers I tried… sorry. BUT I will give you a peek at breweries whose pumpkin beers I definitely drank: Dogfish Head, Southern Tier, Wild Onion, Shipyard, Cambridge Brewing, Buffalo Bill’s, Saranac, Post Road, Cape Anne Brewing. Some of my favorites: Southern Tier & Shipyard are definitely my favorites – highly recommend! Looking for more info about pumpkin beers? I found this taste-off online HERE

Pumpkin Cocktail
Where I got it: Haru (sushi restaurant in the Back Bay)
Assessment: I was lured by the $5 special on this drink when all other cocktails at this restaurant were $12+. My first mistake was right there. My second was drinking the whole thing. Oh, and my third was accepting a pumpkin cocktail at a sushi restaurant. Ok, it wasn’t THAT bad, but random cocktails are not exactly my thing. I’ll take a pumpkin beer please.


Do you have a favorite pumpkin food or drink you would like to share? Or perhaps a pumpkin recipe? Go ahead, don’t be shy!


PS: While I love pumpkin and all that it stands for (autumn, leaves, cool weather but not COLD weather) a part of me is looking forward to the flavors of winter – Crème Brule and eggnog. I’ll have to set myself a challenge for those too… mmmm.


Cheers!

Tear-Jerker Chili

I have FINALLY located the little contraption that takes the photos on camera’s photo card and imports them into my computer! HORRAY! While means I can finally be back up and posting some of the yummy things I’ve made since moving… and share new things, of course, too! HERE WE GO:

As Natalie Portman’s character says in Garden State: “I look forward to a good cry. It feels pretty good.” Well, if you’re in one of those moods, I have the meal for you. Voila! Tear-jerker chili!

Peppers and tomatoes

WHAT YOU NEED:

• A variety of chili ingredients – most importantly, onions and spicy peppers
• A sappy movie or two – may I recommend, Rudy, My Girl, Scruffy, Titanic, or Up.

HOW TO:
Step 1: Pop in your sad movie to watch in the background as you cook. (Or if it’s Sunday turn on the TV to watch the Bills.)


Step 2: Brown your meat. I used a 2/3 lb of hamburger meat from Whole Foods coupled with 2/3 lb of hamburger meat purchased at the Brookline Farmers Market from River Rock Farm.

Step 3: Slice the rest of your veggies. For me that included tomatoes that came from Byron’s mother’s garden and mixing those with 2 cans of beans: one kidney, one black.


Step 4: Slice your onions. I used 3 onions from my Enterprise farm share. As you slice the onions feel free to let those tears flow, just remember to have a hankie on hand to wipe away any mascara smudges.


Step 5: Slice up your peppers. I used:

• 1 LARGE jalapeno grown in Byron’s mother’s garden
• 1 small jalapeno grown in Byron’s mother’s garden
• 1 red chili pepper purchased for 40 cent at the Brookline Farmer’s Market
• 1 bell pepper from my Enterprise farm share
• 1 sweet red pepper that I bought at the Brookline Farmer’s Market
• 1 habenero pepper purchased at the Brookline Farmer’s Market
• (Note: Farmers markets are CHEAP for peppers! Stock up when you go. A single pepper will cost anywhere from 25 cents to a dollar – a total steal compared to the supermarket.)

Sliced up spicy peppers... mmmm

Step 6: Cry when juices from the hot peppers get into the little cut you have on your finger. If you don’t have a cut on your finger, fake it, then you don’t have to feel like a schmuck when you start to cry when Rudy finally gets called onto the field and everyone chants RUDY RUDY RUDY!


Step 7: Throw everything into the slow cooker. You can use a can of tomato paste, I used a Campbell’s tomato Soup at Hand because I didn’t have any tomato paste in my pantry. It seemed to have done the trick. Add some spices. I used a tablespoon of garlic powder and a few large shakes of chili powder. Plus some salt and pepper. Cook on high for as long as it takes for the veggies to get tender (a couple of hours.)


Step 8: While the chili cooking, watch another sappy movie. Or, if you are a writer like me, write the first draft of a chapter where you kill of a loveable/sympathetic grandmother, or stab an unsuspecting, friendly grandmother in the back.


Step 9: Spoon chili from the slow cooker. Sprinkle cheese on top. Eat your first bite. Yell out in pain when you realize how spicy the chili is, and then start to cry again.

Delicious!

Step 10: Crack open a beer (or five) so you can blame your crying on Beer Tears. As if that’s a better excuse…


If you follow these easy steps, you, too, can have a day full of tears. Cheers!

Beer Me

There’s nothing better than a warm Friday morning to complement your re-cap of last week’s American Craft Beer Fest. I attended the first session of the fest last Friday at Boston’s World Trade Center. I’m a beer festival veteran so I came bright eyed and bushy tailed with a big prosciutto sandwich in my tummy -- So I was ready for action.

I love beer festivals. I love trying new things and I love variety. While I tend to buy good beers/craft beers at the store and out at bars and restaurants, beer fests give me the extra opportunity to try out different beers that might be out of my normal ordering or purchasing range. Not to mention, the fest is a great opportunity for breweries to showcase beers that you can’t even get anywhere else! If you’ve never been to a beer fest the run a bit like this:

• You pay $40
• You get a little plastic or glass sample cup 
• There are 100+ breweries with booths stationed in the venue handing out samples of their beers 
• A brewery could offer their best sellers, a few new products, and then some stuff that isn’t available anywhere else 
• Many of these beers are strong and high in alcohol 
• You go round and round to booths for 3 hours and the breweries pour you 2-3 ounce samples of their offerings 
• You leave feeling good

Sidenote: I’m very excited to announce that I just signed the lease for a new 2-bedroom apartment starting in September and it has a wonderfully fabulous kitchen where I am going to try my hand at…. wait for it… brewing my very own beer!

Enough with the introduction and digressions… what I’m really here to do is give you a the list of what I tried out last week. Amazingly enough I was actually able to completely document my beer journey and appropriately check off the beers I tasted at the festival guide. (Trust me, it’s a feat worthy of applause.) I don’t deserve all of the credit though, the wonderful American Craft Beer Fest program guide listed each brewery in attendance, their beers available, and the alcohol percent so that I could share them with you here.

What I tried. Those in bold I found particularly delicious:

21st Amendment Brewery (CA) : Hell or High Watermelon (Wheat Beer/4.9%)

Alagash Brewing Company (ME) : Allagash Victor (Belgian Strong Ale w/grapes and yeast wine/9%)

Atwater Block Brewery (MI) : Vanilla Java Porter (6%)

Berkshire Brewing Co. (MA) : Nitro Coffee Porter (6.2%)

Boston Beer Co. (MA) : Kosmic Mother Funk (Belgian Sour/7%)

Brooklyn Brewery (NY) : Dark Matter (Whiskey Barrel-aged Strong Brown Ale/7.5%)

Brooklyn Brewery (NY) : Local 1 (Belgian Strong Golden Ale/9%)

Cape Cod Beer (MA) : Cape Code Beach Blonder Ale (American Golden Ale/4.8%)

Cody Brewing Co. (MA) : Wheeler Oatmeal Brown (American Brown Ale/5.7%)

Defiant Brewing Co. (NJ) : Defiant Little Thumper (Ale/5.2%)

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (DE) : World Wide Stout (Imperial Stout/18%)

Earth Bread + Brewery (PA) : ABA (American Brown Ale/6.2%)

Earth Bread + Brewery (PA) : Donut Hole (Belgian Dark)

Flying Goose Brewpub & Grille (NH) : Pilsner

Flying Goose Brewpub & Grille (NH) : Red

Franklin’s Restaurant, Brewery & General Store (MD) : Hop Zen (American Strong Ale/7.2%)

Franklin’s Restaurant, Brewery & General Store (MD) : Smoked Porter (6.5%)

Goose Island (IL) : Coffee Stout (Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Coffee Stout/13%) -- This was my personal favorite of what I tried at the festival

Harpoon Brewery (MA) : Leviathan Big Bohemian Pilsner (Imperial Pilsner/9%)

Harpoon Brewery (MA) : Belgian Cask

Harpoon Brewery (MA) : 100 Barrel Series Pott’s Landbier (Landbier Lager/4.8%)

Kennebec River Brewing (ME) : Summer Ale (American Pale Ale/5.8%)

Kennebec River Brewing (ME ) : Penobscot Porter (English Stout/5.8%)

Mayflower Brewing Co. (MA) : Mayflower Pale Ale (English Pale Ale/5%)

McNeill’s Brewery (VT) : Warlord DIPA (Double IPA/8.5%)

McNeill’s Brewery (VT) : McNeill’s ESB (5.8%)

Narragansett Brewing Co. (RI) : Naragansett Bock (7%)

New England Brewing Co. (CT) : Alpha Weisen

Old Burnside Brewing Co. (CT) : Ten Penny Reserve Ale (Wee Heavy/9.2%)

OPA-OPA Steakhouse & Brewery (MA) : Opa Opa Watermelon Ale

OPA-OPA Steakhouse & Brewery (MA) : Blueberry

Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery (MA) : Cinco de Mayo (Jalepeno Lager/5%)

Sebago Brewing Co. (ME) : Frye’s Leap IPA (American IPA/6.2%)

Sebago Brewing Co. (ME) : Hefeweizen (4.2%)

Schmaltz Brewing Co. (CA) : He’Brew Rejewvenator ’10 (Dubbel/Dopplebock with Concord Grapes/8.2%)

Stone Brewing Co. (CA) : Stone 14th Anniversary Imperial IPA

Stoudts Brewing Co. (PA) : Karnival Kolsch (4.8%)

Stoudts Brewing Co. (PA) : Heffer-in-Wheat (Hefeweizen/5%)

The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery (NC) : Duck-Rabbit Barrel-aged Milk Stout (5.7%)

Trinity Beer Co. (RI) : Belgian Strawberry (11%)

Trinity Beer Co. (RI) : Russian Imperial Stout (Oak-aged Imperial Stout/9%)

Weyerbacher Brewing Co. (PA) : Fifteen (Smoked Imperial Stout/10.8%)

It seems like I tried so much but really what I tasted was just the tip of the iceberg as far as what was being offered. I was able to taste stuff from only about half of the breweries in attendance and try 1 out of 5 things they had to offer.

But, there’s always next year! Cheers!