Eulogy And Not My Own

Hi everybody,

So I had this blog all written and done, but to my surprise it was not posted. Although I could blame it on the Internet, but I think it was my fault. The reason I say this is because a computer only does what you make it do, so I must have did something wrong in that department. I have re-written this blog , and I'm kind of glad I did. I forgot a few things that I remembered when I had to do it over again. I hope you like it.

On July 10, 2010 I was delivering to Philadelphia, Pa. For those who don't know my profession is that of a baker. I own my own bakery, A small family owned shop, that I have worked at for over 20 years. Anyways, I was dropping off an order to the Terminal Market in Philly, and I decided to have lunch at a place called "Eulogy", that Barry (Barry's Home Brew Outlet), had recommended.

Eulogy is located on 136 Chestnut Street. It's really hard to find a parking spot so I recommend a side street to park. It is one of those places that if your not sure exactly where it is, you will drive passed it a few times before you see it. So keep your eyes open and look for the sign.

Once inside it has the feel of "Bistro", but in the Philly sense and not of those posh Euro style places you find in big cities, which has a bunch of stuck up people and so-called important people. It has those types of people there, but mostly its people who love the food and beer. I love the beer so you know I had to check it out.

I sat right at the bar with my back to the door, which I usually do not do, but I felt comfortable doing it. That in my book says a lot about the atmosphere of a place. Picking up the menu I noticed that the beer list was three pages long, and the food was one. That was impressive. This was a place to drink good beer and the food was a side note. I soon found out that this was and was not the case.

I asked "Dave" who was the bartender when I was was there, "What's good?", and he told me the special of the day, and I went with that recommendation. It was a pulled chicken sandwich where the chicken was cooked in "La Chouffe" until it fell off the bone and served a whiskey sauce and seasoned fries.

To say this sandwich was great would be an understatement. The chicken was tender and I could taste the "La Chouffe", but it was a layer on the flavor and not overpowering. The dressing on top was really good, but when you put the whiskey sauce on top, it was fantastic. My compliments to the chef to marry all these different flavors in a delicate balance without losing the focus of the main ingredient. I really did enjoy it, even with the two bits of cartilage I picked out, which usually grosses me out, but I just put them to the side and kept eating. It was bright meal, for a hot day. I wish I could have gotten more insight into how it was made, but I forgot to ask as I was tasting a few good beers.

Now onto the beers. I had three beers while I was there for lunch. Not the best idea because I picked a few that, we'll just say two of them are what we call "High Octane" beers.

Tokyo by BrewDog Brewery in Scotland. It poured a black coffee color this a dark tan head. The nose on this was of a slight vanilla, with a touch of coffee, some rich malt, and some fruitiness. The mouth fell was a creamy medium fell, a little hot, but that was to be expected. The taste did surprise me, I thought it was going to be extremely boozy but it wasn't. I didn't pick up to much of the oak flavor, but I did get the caramel, malt, some dark dried fruit, brown sugar, and a little bit of a sherry taste. This is a sipping beer. I should have not chose it for my first beer because I had to ask for a glass of water to go with it. To pair this I would have to say "Ice Cream", because I think a scoop of vanilla would be fabulous with it. Website: http://www.brewdog.com/.

Vuuve by Brouwerij Smisje was my second beer. They called it "Boobies" on the menu, so you know I had to try it. It poured a yellow/orange with a thin white head. The smell of wet hay and wheat malt. The mouth feel was a little thin, but light and refreshing. The taste was light with a little tang, a slight bitter in the middle, and some dry tannin feel on the after taste. Another beer to try if you like "Blue Moon". Any pairing would go well with this, but if I had to put it up with something I would say a nice Micro Green Salad, and Grilled Lemon and Herb Shrimp Kabobs. Website: http://www.smisje.be/

The last beer of my lunch was 'T Gaverhopke Extra by Brouwerij 't Gaverhopke. It poured Brownish red with a off white head. It gave of smells of Cherries, Candy, and some yeast funk. The taste was sweet when it hit the tongue. Cherries, dark candy sugar, rich malt, spice, and some tartness. The mouth feel was smooth, medium body, with just enough bubbles. The after taste was a little dry, but not bad at all. I would pair this with some Smokey Grilled Pork Chops. Website: http://www.tgaverhopke.be/

I really had a fantastic time there. The also have a take-out fridge with some great beers. They are a little prices because they are at bar prices, but you will not find some of these beers in you local beer store. Like always "Be Well, and Drink Well!"

Oh and a little extra to this blog is a picture I came across at: http://www.hawtness.com

Webster! You go BOY! ------------------------------------->

Side Dishes!

Welcome back! Or for you new comers, Hi!

I decided to write this blog on "Side Dishes". Every party I have gone to as of late, has had way to many "Main Dishes" and no thought of or cared about the "Sides". So I pulled out one of my old dusty recipe books from the shelf and decided to put some of my own favorite "Sides" in a blog. Also they go great with beer! They are all pretty easy to make and taste wonderful.

German Fried Potatoes with Bacon

(Serves about 10 people)

10 med. Potatoes cubed into 1 inch cubes.
1 Sm. Onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 lb. Bacon cut into small 1 inch pieces
1 Tbsp. Dill, fresh preferable
1 tsp. Cracked Black Pepper
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
2 Tbsp. Butter

Place potato cubes on a flat baking sheet in a 350 degree oven under the broiler, for 1o minutes.

While that is broiling, cook the bacon until almost crispy, in a large sauce pan, (which should be enough to fit all the potatoes in). Remove bacon bits from the sauce pan with a strainer and drain out most of the fat into a cup. You want to leave a little bit of the fat in the pan to coat it. I usually save the left over fat to fry my eggs in for breakfast, but you can discard it as you please.

Take out the potatoes from the oven and set aside. The should be a nice light golden brown on the edges.

Add the 2 Tbsp. of butter into the sauce pan with the one clove of minced garlic and diced onion. Cook until the onion gets opaque. Then add in the potatoes and mix. Mix every half minute on the stove top for about 3-4 minutes.

Plate it up in a home style bowl. Sprinkle the salt and pepper on top, then add the dill.


Captain Morgan Spiced Carrots

(Serves 6 to 8)

2 lbs. Baby Carrots
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 Tbsp. Granulated Sugar
1 Tbsp. Light Brown Sugar or Extra Light Malt Extract
1 pinch Salt
1 pinch Ground Cloves
1 pinch Ground Cinnamon
2 oz. Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
1 cup Dark Raisins (Optional)

Boil baby carrots in a pot of water just enough to cover them, for about 5-8 minutes from boil. They should feel a little tender but not all they way cooked. Drain liquid, (Be Careful the water is Hot), and set aside.

In a sauce pan, melt the butter, and then add the sugar and 1 oz of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum. When the sugar melts, add the baby carrots, and dark raisins. Mix to coat the carrots for about a minute. Add the pinch of salt, Cinnamon, clove, and 1 oz. Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum. Mix for about one more minute. Serve in home style bowl or what ever you have in the kitchen that it will fit into.

Now for my favorite and "Oh so simple" recipe yet. I'm not kidding. My mom used to make this when I was a kid and I still make it to this day.

Green Beans with Fried Bread Crumbs

2 lbs. Green Beans (strings Removed)
1 cup Bread Crumbs (you can use Panko Crumbs, but they are a little hard)
3 tbsp. Butter
1 Pinch Salt
1 Pinch Black Pepper

Boil green beans in a pot until tender. About 10-15 minutes. While that is boiling, melt the butter in the sauce pan. Add bread crumbs and mix. Depending on how dry the bread crumbs are you might need a little more butter. When the bread crumbs are golden brown, and you have a little foam on the top, remove from the heat. Strain the green beans and add to the bread crumbs. Mix well and plate. Then sprinkle on the salt and pepper. Serve warm.


So there you have some of my favorite "Sides". Hope you enjoy them as much as I do. As always "Be Well, and Drink Well!", or in this case, "Be Well and Eat Well!"

Ommegang Clone Of My Own.

Hello Everyone!

I figured I should post one of my own "Belgian Beer" recipes. I first found this recipe in "Beer Captured" by Tess and Mark Szamatulski. I thought it was great, but if you know me, I had to tweek it for my own personal taste and time requirements. I have made it a couple of times, and this is the latest in my recipe book.


O.C.O.M.O. Belgian Beer

Ingredients:
5 gal. Filtered Water
7 lbs. Filtered Ice
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
4 oz. Raw Honey
9.9 lbs. Extra Light Liquid Malt
8 oz. Clear Belgian Candy Sugar
1 tsp. Irish Moss
or
1 tablet Warflock

Grains:
1/2 lb. Aromatic Malt or if you find it Belgian Aromatic Malt Crushed
1/2 lb. 60L Crystal Malt Crushed
1/8 lb. Chocolate Malt Crushed
1/8 lb. Honey Malt Crushed
1/8 lb. 120L Crystal Malt Crushed

Hops:
1 1/4oz. Styrian Golding Hops
2 oz. Czech Saaz

Yeast:
1 Tube of Abbey Ale Yeast
or
1 tube of Witbier Yeast

Making the Wort or Beer Soup.

First pour 3 gallons of water into a 5 gallon pot. Bring the water temperature up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit and turn of the stove.

Then place your grains in a steeping bag or sock and place it into the pot. Let it sit for a half hour.

Then remove the bag from the pot, letting most of the liquid drain and discard. Do not squeeze the bag.

Bring the pot back up to a boil. Then add 9.9 lbs of Extra light Liquid Malt, 1 tsp. of ground Cinnamon, making sure to stir until a soft boil.

Then add 8 oz. Clear Belgian Candy Sugar, and stir until dissolved. When you have a nice rolling boil drop in 1oz. of the Styrian Golding Hop. Let it boil for another half hour.

Then add 1 oz. of Czech Saaz hops. Let boil for 10 minutes. Then add 1 tsp. of Irish Moss or 1 Warflock tablet. Let boil for 15 more minutes. Stay close to adjust the heat so you don't get a boil over.

Then add the last 1 oz. of Czech Saaz hops and let boil for 5 more minutes. Then turn off the stove. Let this sit for about 20 minutes with a lid on it.

Place ice into your 5&1/2 or 6 gallon fermenting bucket. Now place a strainer on top of the bucket and strain the pot into the bucket. Be careful the wort is still hot. Discard the left over stuff in the strainer, (I put it in the compost heap). Then add the rest of the water to the bucket, making sure it gets to the fill line on the side of the bucket.

Take the temperature of the wort. If it is around 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit add the yeast. If it is not let it sit, covered, until it does. Then seal the bucket with the air lock and store in a cool, clean place, for about a week.

Transfer it to a glass carboy with an air lock, for about another 6 weeks.

Then transfer to a bottling bucket and mix in the 4oz. of Raw Honey.

Bottle the beer and cap it. Let it sit in a cool place for another 5 weeks around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and then refrigerate or not and enjoy. I know it takes a long, but its worth it.

Happy Brewing! Like always "Be Well, and Drink Well!"