What the hell is a Hawthorn Fruit?

I realize the title is a bit  harsh, but seriously, do you really know what some of these exotic ingredients we find in Dogfish Head's off centered brews are? Most Dogfish Headophiles simply say, "Whatever it it is, I like it."  I consider myself a foodie but sometimes I find myself looking up a few ingredients on Wikipedia. So lets take a few of DFH's exotic brews and define some not so common ingredients and jump inside the brewer's head and guess what purpose they had for using these not so mainstream ingredients.

Gesho Root is a bittering plant used in the Imperial Stout known as Bitches Brew, the first Music inspired beer that commemorates the famous jazz album from the Hall of Fame artist Miles Davis. Gesho, as it is referred to as in Ethiopia, is a small shrub or tree that produces shiny berry like fruits. The stems are used the same way hops would be used to flavor a mead like drink called tej. I am not sure if Sam added his own honey beer and tossed in  the gesho himself or whether he added a previously prepared gehso infused tej. I vote for the former.

The second of the Ancient Ales, Chateau Jiahu, as you probably know, was inspired from preserved pottery jars found in the Neolithic village of Jiahu. Hawthorn fruit, sake rice, barley and honey make this 9000 year old Asian inspired brew. So like I said before, "What the hell is hawthorn fruit?"

Hawthorns are tart, bright red fruits that resemble crab apples. They are used in China to make many snacks, juices, jams and of course alcoholic beverages.

Visiting yet another ancient beer, Sah'tea, which was inspired from a 9th Century Finish Ale, uses the third most expensive spice in the world, cardamom. What is the most expensive spice you ask? Well, you would find it in the first of the ancient ales, Midas Touch.  FYI, saffron.

Believe it or not, I actually have a small amount of ground cardamom in my spice drawer. Cardamom can be found in East Indian, Scandinavian, Arabic and Central African cuisines. You probably have already tried it in curries, chai tea and Arabic coffee.  Cardamom is a pretty pungent and aromatic spice. It is best to purchase the spice in the pod form and ground your own.

For those beer only drinkers, the name noble rot might concern you a bit but the winos know this is a good thing. Noble rot comes from a fungus called Botrytis cinera. This good fungus, during specific conditions, reduces the water content and therefore causes the sugar content to intensify. Dogfish Head uses the infected must from Viognier grapes from Alexandria Nicole Cellars in Prosser, Washington.

Noble Rot is the name of the off-centered saison that also uses malted red winter wheat which comes from Sam Calagione's  home state, Massachusetts.

Annatto, chiles, honey and cocoa infuse this ancient Honduras inspired beverage called Theobroma which translates into "Food of the Gods."

Annatto is referred to as "the poor man's saffron"  because it can add a similar bright yellow color without the high price tag. Annatto can be found in Latin American dishes and is also used for coloring in margarine, microwave popcorn and cosmetics.

A Craft Experience

There was a time when you could visit a local butcher shop, be greeted by name and receive recommendations. The butcher was an expert. He would cut your meats specifically to your specifications, give you ideas on food preparations and tell you the daily specials. This was also the same for produce markets. The produce guy would tell you what farm your corn came from, tell you which apples made the best pie and probably offer you a sample of the fresh strawberries that just arrived.

What does this have to do with beer? Well, this is the same experience I had when I arrived at the Wine and Beer boutique on Justison Street at The Riverfront in Wilmington. I found a six pack of 21st Ammendment Fireside Chat, their holiday spiced ale. Venu Gaddamidi, the owner must have noticed because he quickly informed me that 21st Ammendment Alies Win the War was coming soon. This was a great recommendation because I just viewed a video review recently on this beer. We talked about how Verita's beer selection started with just over 30 beers and have increased their selection to over 300 in just 2 and a half years.

I found it quite easy to find what I wanted as well as finding beers I have yet to try. The owners really know their beers. In addition to the many 6 packs available, they have broken quite a few apart for customers to design their own six packs.  

Their knowledge and customer service goes beyond just the in store visit. Visit their web site and find sales and Seasonal recommendations on their blog. I like the post titled 6 Hoptastic IPA's for your next six pack.  http://www.sipveritas.com/2011/10/6-hop-tastick-ipas-for-your-next-six-pack/.

So what do beer geeks like myself want from a craft beer store? Well, we want an extensive selection. We want to see new and seasonal beers, and we love to talk beer as well. You will get all of this in a friendly, informative and comfortable setting at Veritas Wine Shop. 

For more information on Verita's Wine Shop visit their web site  http://www.sipveritas.com/

Happy New Year and Drink Local.

Pangea Poached Pears with Smoked Blue Cheese and Almonds

I have previously cooked with beer but this is the first time I have written it down. I wanted to take advantage of the ginger profile found in Dogfish Head's Pangea. The Pangea worked well and reduced without turning bitter. See video for the story of Dogfish head Pangea.


 

Serves 4


2 cups simple syrup
2 cups Dogfish Head Pangea. (You know what to do with the rest)
1 cinmamon stick, broken in half.
1 vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise. 
2 tbsp honey.
4 firm pears, peeled, cored and cut in half. (Red bartlet pears are my favorite)
fresh spring mix, rinsed and dried.
1 cup of smoked blue cheese.
1/2 cup almonds, toasted.


1. In a medium saucepan, add all ingredients. Bring to medium heat and stir until honey is melted through.
2. Add pears, cut side down and bring to a simmer.

3. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until pears are just tender, turning half way through.
4. Remove pears and let cool.
5. Reduce poaching liquid until it reaches a syrup like consistency. Remove from heat.


Place a mound of greens on a salad plate. Slice 2 pear halves into thin slices and fan on top of greens. Crumble 4 tablespoons of blue cheese on pears and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Drizzle Pangea sytup and enjoy. Repeat this for the remaining three plates.

If you want, omit the greens and smoked blue cheese and place on top of vanilla ice cream. Drizzle with warm Pangea syrup.

Well here is my first tasting on Beer Delaware blog. I will do things differently. No numeric ratings, no A, B, or C ratings. I do not want a number or letter to persuade you one way or another. What I want is for you to try all Delaware beers and decide whether or not you like them yourself. I will give you my over all impression and feelings toward these beers.

Today I tasted one of my favorite styles, a Porter from Evolution Craft Brewery, located in Delmar, Delaware. This Porter is called Lucky 7 Porter due to the simple fact it is brewed with 7 lucky malts. Cool huh?

Well just like some of the other EVO beers I have tasted, this fails to disappoint. It pored black with a reddish tint through the light. A nice tan pillowy head that kept me company for about 5 minutes. The aroma gave off roasted malts, then coffee with dark chocolate.

It had a medium bodied mouth feel and  provided a sharp maltiness on the tongue, light coffee bitterness with dark chocolate notes. It had a long pleasant finish. Most beer drinkers relate Porters with cool autumn air and a toasty fire. For me, Porters work well all year round, especially with BBQ. Try it with your favorite chocolate dessert.

Lucky 7 will be a standard porter in my household. Keep up the good work Evolution!

Serve Lucky 7 in a a pint glass or a glass similar to the one featured in the picture. Best served between 50 and 55 degrees.

Enjoy and Drink Local

.

Randall the Enamel Animal

Say what? Randall the Enamal Animal? Sounds like a nickname for a professional wrestler. Well in the beer world, this is simply known as the Randall. It is actually a cool device Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head came up with when he wanted to pimp up his 120 minute IPA with fresh hops. What does it do exactly?  Well, simply put, the double-chamber filter is filled with flavor-enhancing ingredients. The Randall was originally designed to extract the aromatic oils from fresh hops. Over the years, the Randall has taken on a life of it's own using ingredients such as pumpkin seeds, jalapenos and butterfingers.

This past Thursday, Two Stones Pub hosted a one of a kind event. They called it DFH@2SP . Sam Calagione and his guys joined 2SP to hang out with a full house of Dodfish Head and craft beer fans.

The taps were filled with over 12 DFH brews plus a special Randall vs Randall. DFH created their unique Randall featuring Palo Santo with chocolate vodka soaked cherries and vanilla beans. In 2SP's corner was Midas Touch over sage, ginger and cranberries. And the Beer Belt goes to...... Two Stones Pub.

Drink Local

Upcoming Events

I ron Hill will be celebrating their 15th anniversary in style at the Newark location on Nov 19th from 12 to 5 pm. This is a do not miss event as they will have 15 firkins from 13 locations, moslty from other Iron Hill locations. Did I say 15 firkins? Wow! See below for all 15 featured firkins. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, Noon – 5 PM
Fifteen Firkins for Fifteen Years
—  on tap  —
1. Russian Imperial Stout  •  Iron Hill Newark
2. Vanilla Coffee Oatmeal Stout  •  Iron Hill Newark
3. Union Jack IPA  •  Iron Hill Newark
4. Hopkowski  •  Iron Hill West Chester 
5. Coffee Pumpkin Stout  •  Iron Hill Media
6. Brown Haired IPA  •  Iron Hill Wilmington
7. Grande Rojo Imperial Red IPA  •  Iron Hill North Wales
8. Hoppopotamus  •  Iron Hill Phoenixville 
9. Belgian Harvest  •  Iron Hill Lancaster
10. Apocalypso  •  Iron Hill Maple Shade 
11. 75 minute IPA  •  Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales
12. Exile ESB  •  Evolution Craft Brewing Co.
13. Hopfish IPA  •  Flying Fish Brewing Co.
14. Imperial Red Ale  •  Stewart’s Brewing Co.
15. Cerebus IPA  •  Yards Brewing Co. 

I do not know what came over McGlynns Pub and Deer Park Tavern. Same owners by the way. But the Beer Gods have spoken and they are listining. Deer Park is hosting their own Beer Week on November 28th to Dec 1st. Take a look at their schedule. I may just camp out on their porch all week.

Where is Sam?

If you haven't heard, Two Stones Pub in Newark is all the rage for Delaware beer lovers. First of all, they have about 25 beers on draft and the diversity of their selection is quite impressive. They rotate the selection well and represent approximately 16 different styles. Currently they are offering 7 Delaware brews. To learn more about 2SP as locals refer to it, visit their website or follow them on facebook.

Now back to our search for Sam. Thursday, October 27th at 5 pm, Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head and his group will be visiting 2SP and pouring 120 min, Bitches Brew, Hellhound and Sam's secret stash keg, plus many more. I hear there will be over 13 DFH brews that evening. Don't miss the  Randall vs. Randall with DFH going head to head with their creation against Dr.G. Frankly, I do not care who wins. I am trying both.

For directions  to Two Stones Pub, visit their website and I hope to see you there. Just look for me and buy me a beer.