Why Americans Celebrate St. Paddy

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I was chatting last week with a British co-worker who recently moved to Philadelphia from England.  He was amused that St Patrick’s Day parades were being held an entire week before the actual holiday. “I’m surprised that people here get so excited about a religious Irish holiday,” he laughed.

I suppose Americans have zapped the religion right out of St. Paddy’s Day.  In fact, I wonder how many celebrators (especially the non-Irish ones) even know who St. Patrick was and what he signifies?  He is a saint after all — the patron saint of Ireland.  He was born British, kidnapped and enslaved in Ireland at 16.  He heard voices (like Joan of Arc) telling him to high tail it out of there, so he escaped, found religion, returned to Ireland and introduced Christianity to its people; and he used the three leaves of the shamrock to explain the trinity (father, son and holy ghost).  Somewhere in the mix he supposedly drove all the snakes out of Ireland – no idea where that part came from, but the Irish do enjoy their legends, and a saint should have some sort of super power, don’t you think?

It was the Irish Americans who gave the holiday its first parade…and so the party has spread around the world.  Leave it to Americans to turn a Roman Catholic holiday into a monster drink fest.  I confess, neither the hubster or I are Irish, but today we will wear green, drink green and eat Irish (corned beef and cabbage in the crockpot).  Why?  Because, it’s what we do on St. Patrick’s Day – no religion or irish descent required, and everyone is welcome.  So bottoms up, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Cheers Beers!

Stuffed Beer Cheesy Poofs

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The Brooklyn Brew Shop (my favorite site for beer and spent grain recipes) posted a recipe for Beer Cheese Puffs.  Well heck, since beer and cheese just happen to be my two favorite foods, I had to give this one a try.

These little gems are made with Pate A Choux – that’s french for cream puff dough, used also for eclairs and other evil light airy cream stuffed delights.   The Brooklyn Brew Shop’s Beer Cheese Puffs are indeed super tasty, but being that these tender little pastry poofs were designed for stuffing, I couldn’t resist adding my own flavor spins and filling them with homemade beer cheese.  Each popper explodes with cheesy beer flavor.  Make them ahead of time, or freeze and reheat for the big game.    Twice baked, they’re even crispier and pouffier the second time around.

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Ingredients

–  1 cup beer  (I used the hubster’s Indian Brown homebrew)

–  3 tbsp butter, cubed

–  1/4-1/2 tsp garlic salt

–  1 cup flour

–  4 eggs

–  1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

–  1/4 tsp regular or smoked paprika

– 1 tsp dried parsley

– 1-2 cloves crushed garlic

– 2-3 tbsp melted butter

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Directions

1.   Line 2 small cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

3.  In a medium size saucepan, bring beer, butter and garlic salt to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

4.  As soon as the mixture boils, remove from heat and add flour.

5.  Stir the mixture very fast, smashing the dough against the sides of the pot to eliminate lumps.   The dough should not stick to fingers when pinched.

Tip:  If the dough is too moist, put back on low heat and stir just enough to allow moisture to evaporate and dough to dry out. 

6.  Off the heat, quickly incorporate one egg at a time.

7.  Continue stirring, using the the wooden spoon, until the dough comes back together (shown right).

8.  Fold in cheese, paprika and parsley.

9.  Drop spoonfuls onto the parchment lined cookie sheet.  Make them all as close to the same size as possible.

10.  Crush 1-2 cloves of garlic into 2-3 tbsp of melted butter and lightly brush the tops of the dough.

11.  Sprinkle the tops with paprika.

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12.  Bake at 400 degrees until they have doubled in size, about  5-10 minutes.

IMPORTANT:  DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR UNTIL THEY ARE DONE.

13.  When they have doubled in size, turn the oven down to 300 degrees.  Lowering the temperature will allow them to cook slower and dry out so they become light and crisp.  About 20-25 minutes, until they are nicely browned.

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14.  Allow them to cool while you prepare the filling.

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Beer Cheese Filling

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Ingredients

–  4 oz. cream cheese, softened

–  3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded

–  1 tsp worchestershire sauce

–  2 cloves crushed garlic

– 1/2 tsp salt

– 1 tsp tabasco sauce

– 1/2 cup stale beer (or boiled and cooled to remove carbonation)

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Directions

1.  Combine all ingredients except beer in a mixing bowl.

2.  Gradually add beer while simultaneously whisking all ingredients together (this works best with an electric mixer).

3.  Continue beating the mixture until it becomes smoother, thicker, light and fluffy.  The smoother the better for stuffing the poofs.

4.  Using a ziploc baggy, cut the bottom corner off, large enough to insert a pastry tip through.

5. From inside the bag, put the pastry tip (with a star shaped end) through the corner hole so it sticks out through the outside corner of the bag.

6.  Add the filling inside the bag.  Twist the top closed, poke the tip into the bottom of a poof, and apply pressure from the top of the bag to fill the poof with cheese.

Tip: Make extra beer cheese for dipping chips or to spread on crackers.

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Enjoy now and/or freeze for later!

To reheat frozen poofs, preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 10 -15 minutes, til golden and heated through.

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Variations

• Try the Brooklyn Brew Shop’s gouda recipe, or try using smoked gouda, or swiss cheese.  For these, swap the worchestershire sauce for white wine vinegar, and eliminate the hot sauce.
• Fold some finely chopped ham or bacon into the dough.
• Try a mexican queso version, incorporating chilis or chipotle into the dough and using a spicy mexican queso filling.
• Try different kinds of beer for this recipe.  Match your flavors – stronger beers with stronger cheeses, and milder beers with milder cheeses.

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Bon Appetit and Cheers Beers!

Flying Dog Unleashes the Wildeman

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Great news for hophead fans of the Flying Dog Brewery!  They’re releasing their new Farmhouse IPA – The Wildeman – in Maryland, Virginia and DC.

I recently took a growler of the Wildeman Farmhouse IPA home, and let me tell ya, the hubster and I were in hoppy heaven. Mind you, I’m not a hophead, but I do love beers that have a good dose of hops balanced with mild malty sweetness. The Raging Bitch fits this profile, and so does the Wildeman. Its a golden hoppy beer with lots of flavor, the smooth drinkability of a farmhouse ale, and a really nice well balanced hoppy layer. Raging Bitch fans are gonna love it, and many of the brewery staff have already dubbed it their new favorite. Hey, I was there and heard it with my own ears!

The Flying Dog Brewery's Wildeman Cometh to MD, VA and DC

If you’re in the Frederick, Maryland area on Thursdays, come to Flying Dog for a tour and bring your growlers. They open the taps up for growler fills on Thursdays, and its a great time to get a sneak preview and stock up for the weekend on their scratch and pre-release brews, as well as their full time beer line up. Their Raging Bitch Belgian IPA, K9 Winter, Gonzo Porter, Gonzo Barrel-aged Porter (kick butt), and Kujo Imperial Coffee Stout are just a few of my personal favorites.  And just a tip – the Gonzo Imperial Porter and the Double Dog make a kick butt black and tan.  I can’t account for separation, but the flavor is unreal.  There are at least 10 or 12 taps to choose from so mix it up any way you like.

If you don’t already have a growler, you can buy one in their gift shop for $5. In fact, at $5 a growler, you might wanna stock up on those too.  They’re like shoes…you can never have too many.   Stick around for the tour, its a fun (and cheap) date night at $5 a pop – includes tokens for tastings and a commemorative Flying Dog glass.   I love our hometown brewery!

If you’re nowhere near the MD, VA, DC area but you still get Flying Dog, then be patient.  I predict the Wildeman will gain a very quick following and will eventually make an appearance in a liquor store near you.  But then again, life offers no guarantees.  Grab your buddies….it’s time for a road trip!

Cheers beers!

BeerVenture to DC’s Churchkey

“Just put me in the car and I’ll go wherever you take me.”  That’s what I tell my husband when he starts planning a day trip to to somewhere.  He plans, I participate.  So on a gorgeous 60 degree day in January, we both jumped in the car and on the DC metro, then walked a good mile uptown to DC’s Churchkey .

The Churchkey features 555 beers from 30 countries, 55 are on draught.  Small pours and pints are available so you can test out a bunch without overloading.  We sampled local brews, including an exceptional IPA called the Corruption from DC Brau; as well as some farmhouse style collaboration beers from Stillwater, DOG Brewing, The Brewers Art, and Oliver out of Baltimore; Bear Republic’s tasty Heritage wee heavy scotch ale; and an unusual fruit beer from Japan (I couldn’t pronounce it, much less spell it).  In fact, we hardly scraped the surface of the beer menu which was categorized not by style but by flavor type – sour, smoked, fruit, hop, crisp, malt…

The Churchkey’s bar is dark and kinda urban-retro, located on the 2nd floor of an old building atop the four star Birch & Barley restaurant.  The executive chef for both the bar and the restaurant is a NYC CIA graduate, so the food is as fab as the beer.  We noshed on deep fried cheese stuffed pickled cherry peppers and crisp bricks of tender fried macaroni and cheese.  Piled up plates of golden tater tots were also a bar favorite.

The neighborhoods of DC have come a long way over the past decade.  The once smelly and not so warm and fuzzy areas have been converted into lovely neighborhoods lined with refurbished row homes populated by hip urbanites who are having an exceptionally positive influence on the local beer scene.  In fact, Beer Advocate recently ranked DC as one of the top five fastest growing beer cities in the US.  You’ll see why, as locals and visitors alike flock to window front tables overlooking the neighborhood streets.

Tack this one onto your next DC visit.  The Churchkey is a relaxing place to hang out and try some different beers, enjoy world class food, and explore the lovely residential side of our nation’s capital.  It’s also a brisk walk away from the local attractions….like the museums, the conference center…or the next beer bar.

Cheer beers!

Cheers Beers’ Favorites from 2011

2011 has been an amazing year of beer!  Every beer store visit offers new introductions to breweries and beers we’d never seen before.  Some are easily forgotten, but others have managed to chisel a permanent residence in my adult ADD brain.  And that’s saying’ something!  So in honor of 2011, I’ve created a list of my personal stand out favorites. Some were newly introduced in 2011 and others were just newly introduced to me.  Don’t get caught up in numbers – the order doesn’t reflect any preferences, just keeping count.

So without further adieu, here are 12 favorite Cheers Beers’ discoveries from 2011….

1.  Franklin’s Highland Hugh – a Wee Heavy that puts me in Wee Heaven.  I love scotch ales, and this one is sublime.  Available only at the brewpub in Hyattsville, Maryland – if you’re ever in the College Park area, don’t miss out on a trek to Franklin’s Restaurant and Brewery.

2.  Monk’s Cafe Flemish Sour  – a seriously orgasmic sour beer (see great review from the Booze Dancers).  Monk’s Cafe has pushed Philly even higher up on our beer bucket list.

3.  Bell’s Wild One Sour Brown Ale  – A Bell’s brewpub exclusive and one of the best sour beers I’ve ever had.  I can only hope they keep this one around for our next visit to Kalamazoo, MI.

4.  Roy Pitz’ Watermelon Lager  – I LOVE watermelon, and man do these guys know how to make a fantastic fresh off the vine flavorful watermelon beer. Roy Pitz has just expanded the size of their brewery and they are now bottling.  Access is currently granted to the lucky residents of PA, but they’re working to expand in MD and surrounding states, so just give ’em time to work their way into your neck of the woods.  My best of show brewery discovery for 2011.

5.  Dogfish Head’s Hellhound – a really delicious, unique, not heavy but full flavored hoppy beer finished with lots of lemon citrus flavor – one of my favorite hoppy beers ever with a great story behind the label.

6.  Founders Back Woods Bastard – delicious sipper that packs an amazing bourbon punch – well done Founders!  Am also a big fan of it’s sibling…the Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale.  Definitely a favorite brewery discovery of 2011.

7.  New Glarus’ Wisconsin Belgian Red – Not your traditional malty hoppy beer, but it has earned a reputation (and awards) as one of the world’s best fruit beers for a reason. Imagine tart cherry pie in a glass…so good!

8.  Firestone Walker’s Union Jack IPA – my favorite IPA discovery in 2011.  A WOW beer for sure, and a very welcome new comer to the MD beer scene.

9.  Brooklyn’s Sorachi Ale – a delicious surprise from Brooklyn Brewery.  A zesty belgian saison with a mild hoppy bite.  A gourmet beer for a gourmet meal!

10. and 11.  Dogfish Head’s Death Metal and Black & Red – Both are dark, thick, rich, decadent imperial style beers.  For espresso lovers, Death Metal is your beer – so full of delicious sweet dark dense chocolate and coffee flavor. The Black & Red is a sinful chocolate stout loaded with raspberry and mint.  Dessert anyone?

12.  Lagunitas’ (Bavarian Style) Doppel Weizen – It would be sad to forget this one since I just tried it last night.  But after one hearty sip, I knew it had to be on the list.  Lagunitas makes some of the most delicious and flavorful beers on the market, and this one is no exception.  I love how they’re branching out and introducing some new styles this past year.  And even though the styles are different, Lagunitas has branded the taste of their beers.  Truly, there’s no mistaking a beer that’s been brewed by Lagunitas.

I hope this gives you some ideas for new beers to try in 2012.  Best wishes to all of you for many new and exciting discoveries and beer ventures in 2012, and on behalf of Cheers Beers, have a very happy, safe and prosperous new year!

Cheers beers!

Beer and Cookies for Santa

Wow, Christmas is almost here! Hard to believe. And if you’ve been tracking Santa’s trek around the world, you’ll know that by the time he gets here to the US, he’ll be needing a beer real bad.  So when the little kiddies set out their milk and cookies, don’t be afraid to add a little bribery on behalf of the big kids.  After all, Santa is a beer lover too!  Seriously, you don’t think he got that belly eating too much jelly, do ya?

So sleep tight my friends, and if the beer is really good, perhaps Santa will show his appreciation by leaving some quality holiday beverages under your beer tree on Christmas morning.

Hoppy holidays and best wishes for lots of wonderful new beer ventures in 2012!

Cheers beers!

Coasters and Bottle Cap Ornaments for the Beer Tree

Coasters and bottle caps are like small works of art that reflect the individuality of each beer and brewery.  So naturally, they make great ornaments for hanging on the beer tree.  They’re also free AND you’ll be doing the world a favor by up cycling them into something useful.  So put the kiddies to work and start building that beer tree!

COASTERS and BOTTLE CAP ORNAMENTS 

Tools and Materials

• 1.8 mm round hole punch for bottle caps
• Wire ornament hangers
• Assortment of cardboard beer coasters and beer bottle caps

Instructions

• Using the hole punch, punch a hole at the top center of the coaster or CLEAN bottle cap
• Add a wire ornament hanger.  Voila!  Ready to hang!

Helpful Tips

• Removing bottle cap liners – For more decorative bottle caps, you can remove the rubber liner using needle nose pliers.  This isn’t always as simple as it sounds.  A trick is to set the bottle cap top side down on a coffee cup warmer or hot plate (set to low-med) for 7-10 seconds.  Hold the cap using a paper towel (the cap will be hot so be careful!) and use your needle nose pliers to lift the liner out of the cap.  Some are easier than others and may require rewarming.

• Flattening bottle caps – Flattening the caps will give them an interesting curved fringed edge.  Just place the cap tops side up on a surface that can take a beating (metal anvil is perfect).  Hammer the curved raised edge evenly around until the outside edge started to turn upwards.  Flip the cap over and hammer the inside while turning the cap to evenly flatten the center.

• Adding a Protective Sheen – Using old paint brushes, paint the tops of the bottle caps (including fringed edges) with glue and allow to dry some.  Repeat one or two more times, total of 2-3 coats of glue.  Gives the top a nice shiny durable sheen.

 

Did I mention that bottle caps also make cool, fun, and inexpensive earrings? A great gift for the lady beer lover on your list. Just use ear wires in place of the ornament wires.

 

 

BOTTLE CAP DECOUPAGE

If you’re feeling adventurous and want to take your beer crafts a step further, then use a quarter to trace and cut out some fun images that can be placed on the inside AND outside of the bottle caps.

Materials (in addition to those listed above)

• Modge Podge or glue that dries transparent.
• Old paint brush
• Magazines or other sources for paper images.
• Quarter and scissors for tracing and cutting out images, or 1 inch round paper punch (look in the scrapbooking section of most chain craft stores)

Instructions

• Punch or cut out 1 inch round paper images to paste on the inside and/or outside of the bottle caps.
• Using Modge Podge or another glue that dries transparent, paint the side you’re decorating with a craft glue that dries transparent (recommend Modge Podge).
• Place your cut out image on top of the glued surface and press evenly to smooth and secure the image.
• Paint another coat of glue over top.  Allow to dry.
• Add 2-3 additional coats of glue, allowing for drying time between coats.
• Punch a hole in the top center and add an ornament wire.

Visit YouTube and search on “bottle cap crafts” to find lots of great how to videos on bottle cap techniques and projects.  The possibilities are endless and kids of all ages will have a blast decorating the beer tree with these simple and creative ornaments!

Happy holidays and Cheers Beers!

Cozy Up with a Mug of Mulled Beer

The holidays and cold weather call for warm spirits and cozying by the fire.  Mulled wine, irish coffees, spiced ciders are all well and good, but have you ever considered mulling beer?  Indeed…why not?

This idea requires an open mind, an adventurous spirit, and the courage to risk 12 oz of perfectly good beer.  So rather than endure reader backlash in case this recipe is a total disaster, I put my own beer on the line (actually, it’s the hubster’s subpar scotch ale which has been sitting in the keg since summer).

The recipe came from wikiHow, it’s been edited by almost a dozen contributors and has evolved substantially over the past 3 years.  So most of the kinks should have been worked out.  It’s also been visited by over 61,000 readers, and the countless comments of those who’ve tried it are very positive.  So here we go…

How to Make Mulled Beer

Posted on wikiHow at http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Mulled-Beer – Edited byGiM and 11 others

Ingredients at the ready!

Ingredients

• 12-16 oz decent-quality beer (the contents of your average bottle or can of beer)
• 1 pinch ground ginger, or 1 slice (sometimes called “coins”) of ginger 1/4″ long
• 1/8-1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼-1/2 tsp cinnamon, or 1″ section of a cinnamon stick
• 1 pinch ground cloves or 2-5 whole cloves
• 2 tsp (10 grams) sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) honey

Temper the egg and stir rapidly as you slowly add the egg yolk.

Strain the floaties using a fine mesh strainer.

Instructions

• Put beer in a small saucepan and add spices.
• Heat beer and spices in a small saucepan on low to medium-low heat. If the beer begins to boil, turn down the heat. The beer will begin to foam, but should subside after a minute or two.
• Separate the egg white from the egg yolk and put in a small bowl. This recipe only uses the egg yolk.
• Add two teaspoons of sugar to the egg yolk.
• Beat the sugar and yolk with a whisk or fork until it becomes nearly white (it’s the hardest part!).
• Optional but recommended – Temper the yolk mixture. To prevent “scrambling” the egg yolk mixture by the heat of the beer, you can temper the mixture by adding 1-2 tablespoon(s) of the hot beer to the yolk mixture very slowly and mixing thoroughly as the egg is being added.
• Add the yolk mixture slowly to the warm beer and continue to heat for 5 minutes. Stir gently.
• Add honey to taste.
• Use a strainer (double mesh or cheese cloth) to sieve out the spices and any egg particles that may have formed.
• Pour into steins or mugs and enjoy!

Tips and Variations

• The types and amounts of spices listed above should be treated as a guideline. If you know you like lots of ginger, add more. If you’re more of a cinnamon fan, use more of that. Remember, add only a small amount at first. You can always add more spices, but you can’t remove them once they’ve been added.
• Other ideas for spices may include orange peel, pieces of apple, a drop or two of vanilla or almond extract, different flavors of honey.
• Experiment with different kinds of beer. Lagers, ales, stouts and IPAs will all yield different (and possibly tasty) results.

Surprise, surprise!  The results were actually very tasty.   Our final drink was creamy and coffee-like in appearance and the aroma reminded me of cinnamon-spiced applesauce.  There was no carbonation left, or alcohol for that matter – assuming it turned out as intended.  The drink was warm, sweet and spicy with a hint of malt flavor and a mild bitter aftertaste.  Something different to try on a cold winter’s day.  In fact, whip up a batch in the crock pot for your next holiday bash.  It’s a great way to use up that substandard beer that’s been sitting around the house since June, and no doubt it will be the talk of the party.  Oh, and do come back and share your comments!

Happy Holidays and Cheers Beers!

Cease Fire and Drink a Beer

 
I came across this Dear Abby post and felt the need to make a few edits…

 

 
Much better!  Such a simple and effective concept…like the “go in another room, shut the door and count to 10” trick when the kiddies drive you to the extreme.  A malty hoppy beverage that acts as a mild sedative is just the ticket – versus a sugary caffeinated candy bar that lasts maybe 30 seconds, isn’t nearly as satisfying, has just as many calories and will have you both climbing the walls and clawing each other (not in a good way) from the sugar high.
 

Imagine this…heated discussion begins to brew.  You both look at each other…hold the phone, grab two glasses, crack open a quality craft brewsky, split between glasses (make sure it’s even or that might start a whole different discussion), clink glasses, take a big swig, savor it, and what happens next?   Ok, we’ll keep it G-rated, but you get my point.  Let the clawing begin!
 
Cheers beers!

The Craft Beer Snowman from Flying Dog Brewery

One of my all time favorite beer commercials never even made it to television.  The Flying Dog Brewery  (right here in Frederick, Maryland) received this promo commercial last year as part of an interview from director Tim Martin.  He got the job!

Happy Winter and Cheers beers!