Confessions of a Beer Geek: Jan 4, 2008

Friday, January 4, 2008

Hoppy New Year!

Sorry for the lack of any timely posts, but you know how this time of year gets. However, with the holidays out of the way it's time to rev the beer confessional back up! Without getting into a lot of detail, here's what happened over the last few weeks:

Spent Christmas with the wife's folks in California.
Got a bunch of beeraphernalia, including a new beer fridge from my wife! Thanks honey!
Visited the world famous Russian River Brewing Company (which is only 10 minutes from the in-laws) and tasted most of their beers! Pliny the Elder will knock your socks off if your an IPA fan (8.0%ABV and 100 BUs), but my fave was Salvation, which of course I couldn't buy in a growler or in their 750s.

Our gang of professional drinkers spent New Year's Eve in downtown Colorado Springs, mostly hanging at Phantom Canyon and imbibing a great many of their various excellent brews. We listened to the rockin' tunes of our friend's band Mystic 7, who sounded great despite the wind chill induced MINUS 15 degree temps! Great job guys!

Over the next few weeks you'll be seeing some serious changes around here. I'm adding more features, plus I have a few things in the works that will absolutely be of interest to you (like moving the blog to a dedicated hosted website; a potential project with the gang at the Beer Drinker's Guide to Colorado, another project with my friend the Beer Philosopher, and more)!

Stay tuned... 2008 is gonna be hoppin!

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Beer is the elixir of the gods. A refreshing beverage made of hops, barley and a pantheon of other delicacies that when looked at properly - through beer goggles perhaps, has quite literally changed the entire course of human history.

Confession is good for the soul... along with a good beer or two. Come join me in the confessional, won't you?

Since 2007 Eli Shayotovich has been writing about the craft beer world for various online and print publications. Besides writing this beer blog, he serves as the Colorado Springs Beer Examiner, writes the "Lower Front Range" column for the Rocky Mountain Brewing News and is the VP of Content & Programming for Beer Tap TV. Needless to say, when he's not imbibing great craft beer, he's writing or talking about it somewhere.

Contact Eli directly at: Eli@ConfessionsOfABeerGeek.com

When you drink... Drinkwel!

You know I'm not a shill. So if I endorse a product it's because I've personally tried it out and know that it works. Like all things, results may vary, but I can tell you that Drinkwel works great for me! Formulated by a Ph.D in Biomedical Science and a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, this 30-ingredient multivitamin is full of stuff that combats dehydration and replenishes nutrients, supports healthy liver function, and helps process the toxins associated with drinking alcohol. If you've been looking for something that really does get rid of that awful hangover... Drinkwel is what you've been searching for! Give it a try and see if you don't feel fantastic after a night of chugging kegs of good brew. Cheers!

Mad Beer Man Tested! Mad Beer Man APPROVED!

Beer Quote of the Day

"Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy," is a quote that's been widely attributed to Benjamin Franklin. However, Ben never actually uttered this line. Ole Ben actually loved wine, not beer. In a letter to his friend, Andre Morellet Franklin said: “Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.”

*For more info on this topic, see famed beer historian, Bob Skilnik's website, Beer(& More) In Food.

Liquid Engineering

If there's one thing I like almost as much as beer, it's a good Bloody Mary. Which usually goes hand in hand the morning after drinking beer. Or days that end in "y." With that... this lil segment will host the best of the best recipes for that favorite hangover elixir.

At the Blind Tiger Alehouse you can get Louise's Famous Bloody Beer, which is the bar's version of a Bloody Mary. Instead of vodka, Louise's uses a strong ale, plus tomato juice and secret spices. It is garnished with celery, olives, pickles and other treats.

The Mark Bar serves a mean Michelada. The cocktail is similar to a Bloody Mary, but it's made with Mexican beer instead of Russian Vodka.

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The Smoked Jalapeño and Cilantro Bloody Mary by Brian Marcotte (from Riley McDermott's in Florida)

Recipe:

1 gallon V8 juice
5 cups (40 ounces) vodka (Roberto Cavalli recommended)
3 ounces canned chipotle
1 bunch finely chopped cilantro
3 ounces horseradish
1 teaspoon celery salt
Juice of 3 limes
Cracked black pepper and salt to taste

Mix all ingredients, except vodka, together. Then blend two ounces of vodka with six ounces of the mix and pour into an 8-ounce glass. This recipe should render about 20 servings. Garnish each with a lemon wedge and a spear with okra and olive.

* "Liquid Engineering" name borrowed from City Link Magazine

Today's Beer/Food Recipe/Pairing

From Samuel Adams

Grilled Skirt Steak Tacos

* INGREDIENTS:
* 2 pounds skirt steak cleaned
* For Marinade:
* 1 bottle Samuel Adams Boston Lager
* 12 oz coca cola
* 3 cloves garlic
* 1 onion
* 2T soy sauce

* FIXIN'S:
* 8oz prepared guacamole
* 2 limes quartered
* 1 red onion diced
* 1 bunch cilantro chopped
* 24 corn tortillas
* 1 pound Monterey jack cheese grated

PREPARATION:
Marinade: Combine ingredients above (except the meat) blender and puree until smooth. Pour mixture over skirt steak and let marinate minimum 4 hours, preferably overnight. Light grill to medium heat. Dry steak and season with salt and pepper. Grill to medium rare. Set aside and slice across grain.

To Assemble: Heat tortilla for 30 seconds on grill. Top with cheese, guacamole, steak, onions and cilantro. Serve with lime.

Grilled Summer Vegetables with Summer Ale Vinaigrette

Recipe by Chef David Burke

* For the Vegetables:
* 1 bunch asparagus
* 8-10 pc. Peeled baby carrots
* 1 red pepper
* 1 yellow pepper
* 1 medium zucchini cut in 1/3 inch slices
* 1 medium yellow squash cut in 1/3 inch slices
* 1 red onion cut in ½ inch slices
* 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
* sea salt & fresh ground pepper

* For the Marinade:
* 1 tsp fresh thyme
* 1 tsp fresh oregano
* 1 tsp chopped fresh chive
* 1 tsp minced shallot
* 1 tsp Dijon mustard
* 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
* 1 cup canola oil

* For the Summer Ale Vinaigrette:
* 2 cups extra virgin olive oil
* 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
* ½ cup white balsamic vinegar
* 2 tbsp Samuel Adams Summer Ale
* 2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (chive, tarragon, parsley)
* Salt, pepper to taste

Instructions:
Separately blanch asparagus & carrots in boiling, salted water. Cut carrots in half lengthwise. Whisk together all ingredients for marinade and coat zucchini, yellow squash, and red onion. Lightly coat peppers in olive oil with salt & pepper and grill, turning frequently until pepper is charred all around. Wrap each pepper in paper towel and set aside. Season vegetables with salt & pepper and grill on both sides until warmed through. When peppers cool slightly, carefully remove stem & seeds. Using back of a paring knife, carefully remove skin. Whisk together all garnish ingredients and lightly dress vegetables

Want to learn more about cooking with Samuel Adams beers and Food & Beer pairings? Head to www.samueladams.com and go to "Food & Beer" and start exploring.

Cheese 'Burker' Sliders
(recipe yields 3 mini sliders)
Recipe by Chef David Burke

* Ingredients:
* 6 oz. English muffin
* 6 oz. ground beef
* ½ bottle Samuel Adams Boston Lager
* Sliced Pickles
* 6 slices American Cheese, cut in 1 x 1 inch pieces
* 3 Tomato Skewers

Instructions:
Slice English muffins in half. Scoop out ½ of the bread on the bottom portion. Fill with two oz ground beef that has been tossed with Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Place on sheet pan upside down (on meat side) to brown meat for 3 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Remove from oven and top meat with cheese and thinly sliced pickles and top of English muffin. Heat in oven for 5 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from heat and skewer with tomato. Serve immediately.

Want to learn more about cooking with Samuel Adams beers and Food & Beer pairings? Head to www.samueladams.com and go to "Food & Beer" and start exploring.

From Widmer Brothers Brewery

Broken Beef Stew (Serves 6)

Ingredients:
# Broken Halo IPA
# 2 pounds stew beef, cut in 1-inch cubes
# 4 medium carrots, sliced
# 4 medium potatoes, cubed
# 3 small onions, peeled and quartered
# 10 ½ oz of beef broth
# 1 tsp salt
# ½ tsp black pepper
# ¼ tsp dried thyme
# ¼ tsp dried basil
# 1 medium bay leaf
# ¼ cup all-purpose flour
# ¼ cup cold water

Preparation: In a large skillet, brown meat. Add Broken Halo, beef broth, herbs and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 90 minutes.

Add vegetables and continue cooking 30 to 45 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Taste and add salt if needed.

In a small bowl, mix the flour and water until smooth; stir into stew until hot and thickened.