At first, I had no intention of cooking with beer tonight. But a series of “unplanned” events resulted in a culinary creation unlike anything I have ever heard of or seen of before!

The recipe was inspired by my cravings for salmon. Lucky for me, I found some “wild caught” Alaskan salmon on sale. Consequently, peaches were also on mega sale and I picked up a bunch to have around as snacks.

My pairing choices depended on the method in which I cooked the salmon. I heavily favored grilling it, until the skies completely opened up and unleashed a furious thunderstorm upon Tampa. And so I was forced to take the operation in house. I found some brown basmati rice and decided that it would suffice as a side dish.

But then the wheels started turning. I looked at the ingredients for the rice: rice + water. “Hmmm,” I said to myself, “Self. What if we used beer instead of water?” Many people substitute stock or broth for cooking water … so why not beer?

I looked in the fridge to see what I had. And there it was - Dogfish Head Festina Peche. She smiled coyly at me and I swear the Dogfish winked at me. (My favorite time of year is when the Festina Peche hits the shelves. It means that Spring is full swing and summer is right around the corner….)

And the idea was born.

I decided that I was going to boil the rice in Festina Peche beer. But that was not enough. So then I thought … what else could I add? Mmmm sauteed peaches! But what else? My mother used to make an amazing peach and blueberry cobbler. And as luck would have it, I also had dried blueberries on hand. Throw in some toasted almonds for texture … and the recipe was ready for experimentation.

The Wench’s Peachy Summer Ale Rice

(featuring Dogfish Head Festina Peche)

Ingredients
1 c. brown basmati rice
3 bottles of Dogfish Head Festina Peche Ale
2 firm peaches (not too ripe)
1/4 c. dried blueberries
1/4 c. toasted almonds (sliced are easiest but any type will work)
1 clove of garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Brown sugar to taste
Cinnamon – optional

Directions

1. The first step is always the same. Open up one bottle of beer, pour into a glass, take a big sip & take in life. Ahhhh life is always better through looking through a beer glass!

2. Add cup of rice + 2 bottles of beer to a 3 quart pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, simmer for 45 minutes (or as long as the standard recipe on the box recommends).

3. Prep additional ingredients: Toast the almonds until golden brown. DO NOT BURN. Dice the peaches and mince the garlic. Heat a small saute pan on the stove. Add olive oil. Briefly saute garlic on medium heat. Then add the peaches and the blueberries. Saute for 30 seconds to one minute – just enough to heat the peaches and the blueberries. Remove from heat immediately. If the rice is NOT ready, remove the mixture from the pan so it does not cook any further.

4. Mix the toasted almonds and Festine Peche rice with the peach and blueberry mix. Taste. Then add brown sugar till desired sweetness is reached. (Festina Peche does have a moderately hoppy bite. I like this bite and prefer not to kill it with too much sugar. This is why I encourage everyone to taste the rice mixture PRIOR to sweetening it.) If you are adventurous, add a pinch of cinnamon and even a few cracks of black pepper.

5. Serve with your choice of protein and beer. In my opinion, this is an excellent side dish to a simple piece of salmon. Naturally, my beer of choice is Dogfish Head Festina Peche.

Cheers!

Needless to say, I am still alive — although I did not leave the festival without battle wounds. Here is the slightly brief tale of my experience:

Half of the RateBeer camp arrived bright and early to the brewers campgrounds on the Anderson Valley Brewing Company property. Unfortunately for them, they had to wait for Daniel Del Grande of Bison Brewing Company and myself to arrive with the jockey box before they could tap into some beer. Poor Mario was forced to fend for himself and scavenger hunt for beer all day. Boo hoo.

Friday morning I prepped up some food for the campsite. I made the biggest (and quite possibly the tastiest) batch of guacamole ever. It was a smashing hit at the campsite, as evidenced by its rapid consumption and disappearance. If you want the recipe, send me a message. My other homemade contribution to the camp was Bacon-wrapped Chicken Kabobs marinated in Beer. My beer of choice was an old HEBREW Double Rye IPA. And by old, I mean REALLY old. I bought it in Orlando — and I have not lived there in over a year. So yeah.

Loaded up with all sorts of deliciousness in the form of food and beer, I arrived at the campsite around 5pm (much to the dismay of all my thirsty fellow writers). Upon arrival, it was extremely important that the following steps happened immediately:

First-step: Set-up jockey box. (This I had nothing to do with and pretty much just watched).

Second-step: Chill my contributions to the rare beer tasting.

Third-step: Commence beer consumption. The RateBeer campsite had four beers on draft: Moonlight Brewing Reality Czech, Bison Brewing Chocolate Stout, Bison Brewing Belgian Scotch Ale, and a homebrew whose name escapes me at this time.

Fourth-step: Invade other camps and continue beer consumption.

Leaving a few poor souls behind at the camp, a few of us went out on a mission to scope out who was camping where — and who was pouring what interesting beer and when. We stumbled across 21st Amendment, where we had the opportunity to taste the latest concoction by its new brewmaster, Zambo. The name (you will begin to notice a pattern) evades me at this time, but the style was a Weizenbock. One word: BANANA BREAD.

The next mission was to locate our friend Arne, brewmaster at Marin, and taste his Bourbon Barrel-aged Barleywine with Brettonomyces –> try saying all those B’s five times fast. The Bourbon was by far the most dominant component in the beer, but overall, I found it to be nicely balanced and super smooth.

Okay. If I keep accounting every detail of my Boonville experience, this post will become entirely way to long and I will loose everyone’s attention span quickly… if I have not already lost them!

Each night, RateBeer and Hoppress hosted a “rare beer tasting” at 7pm at our campsite. The Hoparazzi (yes we have been named), each brought several bottles of rare/hard to find beers. Our guests also contributed to the mix. Beer poured non-stop for hours. Unfortunately, I was a bad journalist and did not record all of the beers I tasted. HOWEVER, Ken Weaver was a good journalist and did. I hope that he will provide a list for us to reflect upon.

My contribution was as follows:

• Captain Lawrence Golden Delicious
• Captain Lawrence Nor’Easter
• Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale
• Bell’s Hopslam
• The Bruery White Oak

The first night consisted of traveling around from campsite to campsite, tasting as many beers as possible. The lesson I learned from the first night was this: REMEMBER TO EAT. Hummus, guacamole and chips, a meal does not make. Fatty meat products are much needed for surviving an entire night of beer and camping festivities.

I was woken up around 7am by Mario’s bustling around. Lucky for me, there was still a bit of alcohol in my system — and the hangover had not yet started. I had two choices at that moment: wake up and hit the sauce … or go back to sleep and risk waking up with a dehydration headache hangover. I opted for the first route.

Being that I had forgotten to eat the night before, my second priority to drinking the hair of the dog was indulging in some uber greasy meat products. Matt went to work cooking up some bacon and, between the three of us, we consumed an entire package of bacon before any of our fellow campmates could join in.

Bacon = good. But what came next was EPIC. Mario took one of his Rogue Smoked Porter Burgers and proceeded to fry it up in the bacon grease. We topped the sucker with some Tillamook cheddar cheese and bacon and then shoved it between a bun. The result? BACON ORGASM. I chose to wash down the burger with Moonlight Brewing Reality Czech. BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS.

The morning progressed with some more session beer consumption and then a quick stop at the taco truck for some much needed pork grease. And then it was on to the festival.

Ahhh, yes. The FESTIVAL. The reason we were there in the first place, right? Yeah, about that. I was a pretty lame festivalee. You see, the best part about the actual festival was the people — seeing my old friends, meeting internet friends for the first time, meeting brewers, meeting everyone. In my mind, the beer was secondary.

I spent a good deal of time camped out near the Uncommon Brewer table. Being that they are from Santa Cruz, these guys are relatively “local” for me in Berkeley. I tasted through their entire line-up, which included a bacon (yes, I said bacon) beer made with REAL pork products. Yes, it was a winner for The Wench.

After a quick trip by Marin to hit up some more of the Brett Bourbon Barleywine, I made sure to stop by the band stage and see a bit of Tom Daldrof’s band play. Afterwards, I camped out behind (yes, behind and not in front of) the Russian River table — where coincidentally Moonlight was also located. And after drinking copious samples from both breweries, the rest of my festival experience becomes a bit hazy.

The highlight of the entire festival was Vinnie and Natalie’s uncorking of giant 3 liter bottles of one of the best beers on the planet, Consecration. Video of that experience is to come.

Eventually, we all made it back to camp — where more rare beer tasting, some dancing, and more consumption of meat products all occurred.

Boonville came and went in the blink of an eye. It was my first trip there and will certainly not be my last. On one last note, I want to sum up all the lessons I learned at Boonville:

1. EAT. My body cannot run on beer alone. I learned that the fattier and greasier the food, the longer I could sustain drinking. Duly noted.
2. TAKE NOTES. Too many beers were had, too many names were given … and I have a very loose recollection of just how many beers I tasted, what they were, and all of the people I met.
3. Carry business cards. It took me until the second night till I remember to carry around and pass out my business cards.
4. Don’t get too comfortable in one spot. I found myself only visiting a few camps and, as a result, I missed out on some epic beers.
5. Do not wear 5 Fingers Vibrams on a camping trip. Yeah, feeling like one is barefoot is definitely liberating — but in the dark, in the woods, with sticks and stone that break my bones … not a good idea. I couldn’t walk for 2 days after the fest.

Well that pretty much sums up my very first Boonville. Cheers!

Boonville is different from most beer festivals in that a one time fee earns its attendees unlimited samples. Yes, folks, that’s right. No Pay-Per-Sample arrangement. The relatively low entry fee = admittance to the festival, a snazzy wristband (which Anderson Valley reminds people to keep on for the entire day since only those with wristbands may be on the festival grounds), a sampling glass, music and unlimited beer samples during the four hours the taps are open. Food, merchandise and other sundries are offered by various vendors on a pay-per-item basis.

This year’s theme is MEDIEVAL. And no, I will not be dressing up as a Beer Wench. But I am quite certain, many females (and maybe some males) will be doing so … Dressing up is not required, but do not be surprised to see some people going all out for this.

The Basics:
Place: Mendocino County Fairgrounds — 14400 Hwy 128; Boonville, CA
Date: May 8, 2010
Time: Taps are open 1pm-5pm, music lasts until 6pm
Festival Cost: $40 Advanced Ticket Sales, $50 At The Gate, $5 Non-Drinker/Designated Driver
Camping Cost: $12 per night, per person for tent camping, $30 for RV’s, campers and trailers per night

This will be the first time that I will be attending Boonville. In fact, it will be my first beer festival and camping co-experience.

Essentially, there are two main campgrounds at Boonville. One is on the Mendocino Fairgrounds, which is open to the public. The other is the brewers campground, located on Anderson Valley Brewing Company’s property, and not open to the public. This year, RateBeer has been offered its own “spot” within the highly coveted brewers campground. We have been given 12 spots, which have been rationed out to 4 HopPress writers (including “The Man” aka the RateBeer Founder), some of their significant others, a brewer and some other choice RateBeerians.

Although RateBeer has been present in some way shape or form just about every year, this is the first year that HopPress will be officially represented at Boonville. In addition to constant coverage of the event and the tastings via Twitter feeds, Twitter hashtags, photo uploading and blogging — RateBeer and HopPress will be offering its readers and forum members a rare and exclusive beer tasting opportunity!

Have I got your attention now?

The “Down Low”: A few HopPress writers and fellow RaterBeerians will be bringing some rare, specialty and limited beers to the Boonville Festival to share with fellow RateBeerians.

The Catch: Only people REGISTERED at RateBeer.com will be eligible for the tasting. Registered members must then RSVP on the RateBeer event page HERE. In the next days leading up to the festival, RateBeer will be contacting its registered members with details regarding the exclusive tasting.

Are you on Twitter? Put the following HopPress people on your radar:

• @Brewed4Thought (aka Mario Rubio)
• @RateBeer (aka Joe Tucker)
• @WeaverKM (aka Ken Weaver)
• @TheBeerWench (aka ME!)
• @Hop_Press

As of now, the main hashtag being used for the festival is: #Boonville2010

Other RateBeerians to follow for festival updates:

• @smern
• @brewcaddy

And naturally, you should also follow the event’s host: @avbc

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I feel it necessary to to provide an abridged “beer festival guide” for those of you whom which Boonville may be a first beer fest experience (all you pros can either ignore this section, or feel free to weigh in).

1. STAY HYDRATED! This sounds like an obvious tip, but hydration is a serious thing in outdoor beer festivals — especially in hotter weather. Ideally, every ounce of beer should be match with an ounce of water. You will thank me in the morning.
2. DRESS APPROPRIATELY! Dress for the weather and dress comfortable. Wear a hat and/or sunglasses to protect from the sun. Chance of rain? Bring a poncho (umbrellas are too bulky and awkward).
3. BRING SUNSCREEN! Nothing ruins a night of camping more than being miserable and wicked sunburned.
4. TRAVEL LIGHT! While at the festival, try to keep as little items on you as possible. This will help to prevent A. disturbing others by constantly hitting them with bulky bags and B. pickpocketing.
5. LEAVE VALUABLES AT HOME! This is a no-brainer. If you really love your jewelry, leave it. It can be hard to unplug, but if you do not ABSOLUTELY need your electronics, leave them at home.
6. MARK ALL VALUABLES! Taking you camera? Label it with your contact information. Taking a nice fancy cell-phone? Make it easy for someone to know its yours.
7. DON’T BE A JERK! This is probably the most important tip: Remember that, 9 times out of 10, the person pouring your sample of beer is also the brewer. Be friendly, be courteous and if you do not have anything nice to say, bite your tongue (and then go write out your thoughts on the RateBeer forum)
8. DON’T BE A JERK! I had to say this one again. No one likes “that guy” … be nice to your fellow beer drinkers.

As with most festivals, I highly recommend arriving early. And if you are planning on being at Boonville, please reach out to myself and the HopPress team. We would love to meet you all! (And we will have copious amounts of beer and plenty of food to go around!)

CHEERS!

Triple Rock is well-known in the Bay Area for hosting epic events such as the Sour Fest, Barrel-aged Fest and the Firkin Fest. These events tend to bring out most local Bay Area beer “celebrities,” from brewers to beer writers to craft beer enthusiasts and more. This year’s Firkin Fest was no different.

As with most of Triple Rock’s events, I arrived to find a line at the door. The event was efficiently organized and the line moved very quickly. Before we knew it, we were in the door with specialty-made tasting glasses in hand. The price of the fest was a steal: for a mere $20 we were given a souvenir glass and 6 tickets for 4oz pours of unique, one-of-a-kind beers on cask.

In my opinion, it is always good to have some sort of game plan when attending such an event. There is a fine line between work and play at beer festivals. I wanted to make sure I had the opportunity to taste as many of the beers as possible, without letting inebriation affect my ability to taste and review the beers, all the while trying to have a good time with good friends. Needless to say, I was not about to chug down 25 different 4 oz pours in one setting. Instead, I relied on the charitable nature of others to allow me to taste from their glasses.

Now, I am not the biggest fan of scoring and ranking beers. Especially, when talking about cask beers from all different styles. It wouldn’t be fair to say that one beer was better than another, however, I definitely had my favorites. So instead of going through and ranking all of the beers from the Firkin Fest, I have decided to highlight a few of my particular favorites from the day.

TRIPLE ROCK FIRKIN FEST 2010 — THE WENCH’S HIGHLIGHTS:

LAGUNITAS LIL SUMPIN WILD

As a part of its “Sumpin” series, Lagunitas Lil Sumpin Wild is Belgian style ale brewed mostly with pale malts and wheat. It is fermented with the Lagunitas house Saison yeast strand (which is rumored to be similar to Dupont, but not confirmed).

This beer was by far my favorite of the festival. If I had not of known it was brewed by Lagunitas, I would NEVER have guessed it. It was a cloudy, bright Dandelion yellow. I have never seen a Lagunitas beer of that color. Although they make very hoppy beers, Lagunitas tends to lean towards the maltier, caramel and sweeter side of the spectrum. This was the most attenuated Lagunitas beer that I have ever tasted. Which is understandable since Saison yeast is extremely attenuative.

Lil Sumpin Wild was crisp, clean and dry with a nice spicy, floral hops presence and notes of fruity esters from the Belgian yeast. It is a perfect beer for a hot, sunny day.

It can be a tricky little beast though. At 8.5%, this beer will sneak up on you.

At this time, Lil Sumpin Wild is only available in kegs and on cask. There is no word yet on whether or not it will be bottled. If I had my way, it would be bottled. And then I would by every single bottle off the shelf. It really is THAT good.

TRIPLE ROCK DEMOLITION

Demolition was originally created to commemorate the demolition of the building across the street from Triple Rock. But as irony would have it, the building is no longer being demolished.

Demolition Ale is a low-a.b.v. Pale Ale that sports a HUGE hop character. Apollo for bitterness and Citra for aroma. For the cask version, Demolition was dry-hopped with Summit & Centennial Hops.

Triple Rock brewmaster, Rodger Davis, has been producing amazing pale ales that hover just under 5%abv. Rodger has quite appropriately coined this new style of session beers the “NorCal Bitter” — a low abv pale ale using only 2 row malt and hopped heavily with Pacific Northwest hops. This style yields an a clean, crisp pale ale with the alcohol level of a session but the hop aroma and flavor of a Double IPA.

Demolition is a beautiful beer. Lots of citrus and pine aroma, perfectly attenuated with a nice bitter finish. The cask version was even more aromatic with a softer mouth feel and a delicate bitter finish. Unfortunately for the majority of the world, this beer in almost entirely available at Triple Rock in Berkeley, CA. However, it is a short trip across the Bay from San Francisco — so if you ever find yourself in the Bay Area, I highly recommend a stop at the good old T Rock.

IRON SPRINGS THE MALICE

Call it bias, but I absolutely love the beers from Iron Springs. Partly because I adore the brewmaster, Christian Kazakoff, partly because I got to brew with him for a day, but mostly because his beers are freaking fantastic.

Case and point: The Malice — Iron Springs’ Menace, French Oaked Aged Barleywine on Cask. The Malice poured a nice thick and super cloudy mahogany brown. The aroma was toasty, oaky, with hints of vanilla and caramel malts. The flavor was complex with hints of bitter dark malts and raw cocoa nibs, balanced out by sweet caramelized malts and warm toasty oak. The body was creamy and smooth.

For a 10% Barleywine, this beer was smooth and very elegant. I usually get turned off by higher abv beers, since my palate does not handle heat as well as some. This beer was very balanced and extremely enjoyable. I really hope to see it again.

MOONLIGHT TWIST OF FATE

This beer was made to be on cask. Once again, as with all these beers, I hate doing this to my readers, but most of you will never have the opportunity to taste the amazing talent of Moonlight brewmaster, Brian Hunt (part mad scientist, part artist, part chef). All of his beers are fantastically balanced and the Twist of Fate is no exception. Off cask, Twist of Fate is a great beer. On cask, Twist of Fate is exceptional.

Although some over-saturated and over-stimulated American palates might perceive this beer as being “too simplistic,” I think that the mark of a great brewer is his or her ability to produce a well-balanced beer of this caliber. The beer is characterized by a harmonious presence of dark caramel and crystal malts, fruity ale esters and citrusy, floral hops. Boasting a mere 5.8%abv and smooth body, this beer definitely goes down easy.

BLACK DIAMOND RAMPAGE

Just days before the Firkin Fest, I had the honor of joining Black Diamond’s head brewmaster, Derek Smith, on a brew day up in Concord, CA. The day, as with most guest brew days, consisted of lots of beer tastings — straight from the fermenters, bright tanks, bottles, barrels. You name it, we did it.

As fate would have it, we brewed the American Double IPA. The same beer (different batch) that Derek had casked off for the Firkin Fest. While at the brewery, we tasted the Double IPA wort, the Double IPA in the fermenter without dry hops, the Double IPA in the fermenter after dry hopping and then the Double IPA from the bright tank. It was really fascinating to experience the same beer throughout all of its different “life stages.”

The icing on the cake, however, was tasting the dry-hopped version on cask.

I am not sure exactly how much hops Derek put into the cask, but I can tell you it was intensely hopped. So much so that is actually left a layer of hop film at the bottom of my glass. Mmmmm hop residue. Enough said.

Additional Highlights worth mentioning:

BALLAST POINT SCULPIN: Sculpin is one of my favorite IPAs in the world. Having it on cask was interesting. The hop potency was much more mild, in my opinion. Still a great beer, nonetheless.

STONE SUBLIMELY SELF-RIGHTEOUS: Black Double IPA dry hopped in the cask with Columbus hops. Lots of roasted toasty malt flavors, nicely balanced by citrusy and piney hops.

DRAKES 1550: Award winning Pale Ale dry hopped in the cask with Horizon, Cascade & Amarillo. All the hop flavor of an IPA in a Pale Ale. Smooth, with a nice bitter kick.

(For those of you who have trouble remembering the date, it is always two days after 4/20 … yeah just saying)

And although I am a firm believer in celebrating Earth Day everyday, the date itself is a great opportunity to challenge and inspire people all over the world to change their habits and behaviors — if just for one day.

My goal of this post is to create a viral challenge. I challenge everyone to drink as green as possible on Earth day.

Now, I understand that the word “green” is very ambiguous and overused. What exactly does it mean to drink green? I have broken it down into two categories, DRINK LOCAL & DRINK SUSTAINABLE, each of which I will go into further detail.

DRINK LOCAL

1. LOCAL BREWPUBS & BREWERY TAP ROOMS

THE LOGIC: This is by far the most environmental of all the choices. Drinking on premise reduces carbon footprint TREMENDOUSLY. The beer is essentially served straight from the bright tank — which means no energy is consumed for bottling, kegging, shipping etc… Not to mention, beer is freshest when consumed directly from the source in which it came. Purchasing from locally based breweries also helps support small, privately-owned businesses

THE BONUS POINTS: Give yourself extra credit if:

• The brewery sources organic, local or some sort of sustainable ingredients.
• The brewery gives away its spent grain (and yeast) to local farmers.
• The brewery engages in energy and water conservation practices (extra points for solar panels and recycled water)
• The brewpub serves local, organic, conscientiously raised food.
• EXTRA EXTRA points if you ride your bike, walk or take public transportation.

THE EXCEPTION: If your local brewery is a corporate company, that is the exception to the rule. Why? Because I said so.

2. LOCAL BEER AT LOCAL BARS

THE LOGIC: Drinking local beer at local bars not only reduces the carbon footprint of the beer (the farther beer has to travel, the bigger the footprint), but it also boosts the local economy. If you are not lucky enough to have a brewpub or brewery within a decent distance, swilling down some of the most local beer at your local bar is a great alternative! Also, drinking off draft helps reduce carbon footprint because a lot of energy goes into glass production and glass is one of the hardest products to recycle efficiently.

THE BONUS POINTS: Give yourself extra credit if:

• Your beer is organic or made with sustainable ingredients.
• The bar engages in sustainable practices.
• The bar serves local, organic, conscientiously raised food.
• EXTRA EXTRA points if you ride your bike, walk or take public transportation.

THE EXCEPTION: Consuming Budweiser at your local bar. That is just NOT COOL.

DRINK SUSTAINABLE

1. DRINK HOMEBREW

THE LOGIC: Same idea as drinking beer on tap at the establishment that makes it, homebrew consumed at home (or near it) has very little carbon footprint.

THE BONUS POINTS: Give yourself extra credit if:

• You pair your beer with a meal made from organic, local and conscientiously raised ingredients.
• The homebrew is made with organic ingredients (Check out SEVEN BRIDGES for more information)

2. DRINK LOCAL GROWLERS

THE LOGIC: If you are drinking at home, why not pick up a refillable growler or “beer box” from your local tapping room? Because filling growlers does not consume much energy, this beer will have less carbon footprint than anything that gets bottled (and shipped)

THE BONUS POINTS: Give yourself extra credit if:

• The local beer is sustainably produced.
• You ride your bike, walk or take public transportation to buy the growler.
• You pair your beer with a meal made from organic, local and conscientiously raised ingredients.
• You recycle the growler.

3. DRINK ORGANIC BEER

THE LOGIC: Essentially, certified organic beers are made with certified organic ingredients from certified organic farms. This means that barley, hops, and other ingredients used to make the beer are spared the application of toxic insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers. These unhealthy chemical inputs pollute our water, air, and soil. Unfortunately, organic hop and barley producers are very few and far between. These guys are, essentially, “the little guys.” The price of organic certification in conjunction with the higher ingredient costs may make some organic beers appear more costly than others. But trust me, it is worth the money.

THE BONUS POINTS: Give yourself extra credit if:

• Your organic beer is also locally produced.
• You ride your bike, walk or take public transportation to the store to buy organic beer.
• You pair your organic beer with a meal made from organic, local and conscientiously raised ingredients.
• You recycle the bottle and/or clean it an use it for homebrewing.

BEER SUGGESTIONS:

• BISON BREWING COMPANY: All Bison beers are brewed organically, not just one or  They are certified organic by the CCOF, Santa Cruz, CA. Certified organic means that agricultural products have been grown and processed under USDA national organic standards and independently certified. They believe that organic products, from field to consumer, are the best way to protect the environment, save energy, and ensure sustainability of American farming.
• PEAK ORGANIC BREWING: Peak is a small craft brewing company dedicated to making delicious, handcrafted ales using only the finest artisanal ingredients.

2. DRINK SUSTAINABLE BEER

THE WHY: Getting “organic” or “green” certifications can be extremely costly and almost impossible for some breweries. Most craft breweries engage in some sort of environmental practices — whether it be as small as just donating spent grain or as a large as installing solar panels or utilizing wind power! If you cannot find any organic beers locally, go for some that are “sustainably produced.”

THE BONUS POINTS: Give yourself extra credit if:

• Your organic beer is also locally produced.
• You ride your bike, walk or take public transportation to the store to buy organic beer.
• You pair your organic beer with a meal made from organic, local and conscientiously raised ingredients.
• You recycle the bottle and/or clean it an use it for homebrewing.

BREWERY SUGGESTIONS:

• Great Lakes Brewing Company is an environmentally and socially conscious brewer of award-winning, all natural beer. The care that goes into the beer resonates from a commitment to the community and environment, otherwise known as the “Triple Bottom Line” – to engage in economic, social and environmental practices that achieve a sustainable, yet profitable, business. They have installed solar panels on both the brewery and the brewpub and are actively engaging in water conservation efforts.
• Odell’s Brewing Co. – Odell’s is actively helping reduce greenhouse gas through solid waste (paper, glass, plastic, etc.) recycling; staggering production to avoid using energy during peak demand times; investing in and using renewable energy sources; using skylights for natural light; promoting the “Bike to Work Day” Business Challenge and the “Drive Less” Challenge. They use wind power for 100% of their electrical needs, reducing the demand for conventional, fossil-fuel-burning energy and reducing emissions of CO2, particulate matter and other pollutants. Odell’s also fuels all their diesel trucks with biodiesel, a renewable fuel made from American-grown vegetable oilseed crops.
• Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.: Sierra Nevada uses a combination of fuel cells and solar panels. They have made great strides around recycling, heat recovery, carbon-dioxide recovery, water conservation, and energy efficiency. In an effort to quantify and begin reductions, Sierra Nevada joined the California Climate Action Registry. The Registry is a voluntary reporting program that gives SN a way to report and certify GHG emissions.
• Brooklyn Brewery – In 2003, Brooklyn Brewery became the first NYC company to switch to 100% wind-generated electricity. It also pays farmers in New Jersey to swing by and pick up the “spent grain” — the remaining husks that are left over after brewing. The farmers then feed the nutritious grains to their livestock, making good use of Brooklyn Brewery’s waste.
• Wolavers and Butte Creek offer organic pale ales, IPAs, porters, stouts, etc.
• New Belgium Brewing Co. – The following list highlights the actual sustainable practices of New Belgium:

1. Increased efficiencies in the brewing process
2. Utilized green design throughout our building. (Lighting. HVAC. Materials.)
3. Implemented a process for treating our wastewater
4. On-site energy production
5. Wind-powered electricity since 1999
6. Employ a High Involvement Culture
7. Sustainable Eventing
8. Actionable Advocacy

TAKE THE “DRINK GREEN” CHALLENGE

If only for one day out of the year, I encourage you to join with me and accept the challenge to DRINK as GREEN as possible on Earth Day.

I encourage others to leave comments on this post, sharing with everyone how you intend on drinking green tomorrow!

Cheers!

Last week I reported back to you with highlights of my first two days — what I will refer to as “pre-conference” days. Tuesday night through Wednesday night, I engaged in what I will refer to as “unofficially official” CBC events.

In this article, I am going to highlight my experience during the official three days of the conference.

Brad & Ken of HopCast with The Beer Wench

As I noted in my last post, CBC took me by storm. It was not necessarily the amount of parties and after parties and beer consumption that killed me, it was just the overall length of each day, lack of sleep, lack of healthy eating and lack of water.

CBC is literally a marathon. Conference all day, events all night. No time for napping. Sleep too long, and you might miss something epic.

The major reason this year’s CBC differed from all others is because it was held in Chicago. And apparently they don’t sleep in Chicago. Bars stay open until at least 4am, greasy spoon diners are open 24/7, and even some public transportation runs non-stop.

New Brew Thursday Video Shoot at Half Acre

Thursday morning was pretty rough. I stayed at a friend’s place somewhere not near the Sheraton, where the event was being held. After sleeping in a bit too late, I finally found myself sitting on a crowded bus on the way to the conference, for what seemed like an eternity.

When I arrived, the hotel lobby was buzzing with all sorts of industry folks — brewers, brewery owners, beer writers, exhibitionist and presenters. The event took up 4 floors in the hotel. The trade show was on the basement floor, the other exhibitors and hospitality rooms were on the second floor, the lobby and bar was on the third floor, and the seminar rooms were on the fourth floor. Beer was on every floor. Food was on almost every floor.

Todd Parker of Copper Canyon & The Beer Wench

Prior to arriving, I was told from CBC veterans that the CBC is actually not what happens during the conference, but outside of the conference. However, I was determined to put my geek hat on and check out the trade floor and the seminars.

Upon arriving I scoped out the “scene” and the seminar schedule. I took a buzz around the exhibitor floor, where I ran into my friend Ray Daniels and checked out the Cicerone table. I was impressed to hear so many breweries talk about intentions of getting entire staffs Cicerone certified.

After swinging around that floor, I hit the basement to check out all of the new brewery gadgets and gismos. Saw lots of innovative canning lines, new bottle styles, kegging supplies, and endless pieces of brewing equipment.

But instead of telling you step by step everything I saw, everything I ate and drank, and everyone I met. I will just break down the highlights (similar to what my colleague Michael has done).

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SEMINAR HIGHLIGHTS

Social Marketing: Creating Community In Real Time

Bob Morehouse, Vermillion, Inc. — “How do you use the rapidly evolving social media sphere to your advantage?”

Where do I begin? This seminar was awesome because several salient brands and personalities from social media were present for the talk. Personally, I got nothing from it because, well quite frankly, I am a social media addict. The presenters mostly showed case studies of breweries that were using social media well. I was disappointed that the speakers did illustrate HOW to use social media tools. Social Media 101 was definitely lacking in the presentation. Two other VERY important aspects of social media — beer blogs and beer forums — were not even discussed.

I did, however, get a shout out from Greg Koch about a hashtag I started with New Brew Thursday at Stone World Bistro (#gregface).

A Wee Humble Pub: A Simple, Less Expensive Way to Own, Start and Run Your Own Brewery

Tom Hennessy, Colorado Boy Pub & Brewery

Being that running a brewpub is one career path that interests me, this seminar was quite insightful. If I was ever to follow through on opening up my own establishment, I would definitely look to Tom for guidance. Tom spoke about:

• How to take over an exisiting restaurant to save time, money & headaches.
• How to put together a brewing system that will cost thousands less than you would expect to spend
• How to implement a “killer” business system to operate your brewery so you can make money and still have a life

Toothpicks, Chalk & Garlic: Three Key Ingredients to Any Brewery’s Barrel-Aged Sour Beer Program

Vinnie Cilurzo, Russian River Brewing Company

This was by far the most interesting and compelling (and popular) seminar of CBC. A common phrase during CBC was “Sour is the new Hoppy.” But then, this is not news to you or I. Vinnie talked in-depth about Brettanomyces and other various bacterias, fermentation in barrels, the addition of fruit during fermentation, cleaning and storing of barrels, bottling and so on and so forth.

He also told us a few secrets. The best way to patch a barrel? With toothpicks, chalk and garlic! The best way to pull barrel samples? Steel nails … but when tasting alone, put and extra nail in your pocket in case you drop it.

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EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

DOGFLOYDAPALOOZA 2

Place: Bottom Lounge, Volcano Room & Patio

About: Rare opportunity to enjoy the specialty beers of Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware and Three Floyds Brewing Co. in Munster, Indiana, in the company of brewers Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head and Nick Floyd of Three Floyds. 10 special beers, 5 from each brewry, were on draft.

Highlights: By far the highlight of my night was busting a move on the dance floor with Sam Calagione. Other highlights include seeing Sean Paxton The Homebrew Chef, David Bulher of Elysian, Sebbie Bulher of Rogue, Mike Miller the owner of Bottom Lounge, Steve Caton and Ken McMullen of Limestone Brewing, Greg Koch of Stone … and so many others.

GOOSE ISLAND BEER COMPANY BEER & FOOD OPEN HOUSE

Place: Goose Island Fulton Brewery

About: Goose Island Beer Company is opened it’s brewery doors and invited CBC attendees to experience its beers paired with nine of Chicago’s finest chefs. They paired their reserve beers with food from C-House, The Gage, Urban Belly, Nightwood, The Bristol, Vie, Primehouse and The Publican. They also paired 12 versions of Bourbon County Stout with desserts from Hot Chocolate.

Highlights: My group ended up arriving just a hair too late and missing out on all the food. I camped out at the sour table for pretty much the entire time. However, I did sample some of the Bourbon-aged beers.

CBC LATE NIGHT AT ROCK BOTTOM BREWERY

Place: Rock Bottom Brewery, Chicago

About: The Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, in conjunction with Country Malt Group, offered a late night gathering spot for this year’s CBC attendees at the Rock Bottom Brewery in downtown Chicago, just a few blocks from the Sheraton. Over 80 beers from Illinois and beyond were on tap and real Chicago-style dogs were provided.

Highlights: Not going to lie, I was pretty toasted by the time I arrived. And I’m pretty sure that I was a bit rowdy. I did drink my fair share of Heartwood Symposium Ale, a collaboration of fifteen Illinois breweries, though. Also, I ran into my friend Jason Oliver from Devil’s Backbone Brewpub and Brewery, which was a total highlight.

THE NEW HOLLAND & NEW BELGIUM BEER DINNER

Where: The Publican

About: Chef Paul Kahan and his crew presented a six-course dinner paired with beers from Michigan’s New Holland Brewing Company and Colorado’s New Belgium Brewing Company, including a unique “blending course” that combined beer from both breweries.

Menu included: Kushi Oysters with pine mignonette and New Holland Mad Hatter IPA; shrimp with slow toasted garlic, fried plantains and wild onions, and New Belgium Abbey Ale; artichokes & burrata and New Belgium Bier de Mars; rillettes & buckwheat crepes and New Holland Envious; grilled game and New Holland’s Charkoota Rye and New Belgium’s La Folie; and, bunuelos and New Belgium’s LeFleur Trans Atlantic Kriek alongside New Holland’s El Mole Ocho.

Highlights: I was humbled to have received an invite from Fred Bueltmann of New Holland for the “Eat with the Brewers” seating. Little did I know how freaking amazing it would be. I ended up sitting at, what I like to refer to as, the rockstar table. To my right was Peter Bouckaert, brewmaster of New Belgium. To my left was Fred Bueltmann, Partner of New Holland. Across the table was Kim Jordan, CEO of New Belgium, and Dick Cantwell, brewmaster at Elysian. Throughout the dinner, our group had the pleasure of being visited by the entertaining and hell raisin’ brewmaster of New Holland, John Haggerty. And if things weren’t cool enough, I got to meet to the Master Chef himself — Paul Kahan — at an after hours party. Talk about one EPIC evening. For the entire review, read my article at The World of Beer.

CBC WORLD BEER CUP GALA DINNER

Place: Sheraton Hotel

About: The World’s largest beer dinner, ever. Around 2,000 people turned out and around 10,000 plates were served. The dinner was the brainchild of The Homebrew Chef, Sean Paxton. Every aspect of every dish incorporated beer, or an ingredient from beer. Following the dinner was the 2010 World Beer Cup Awards Ceremony. Jay Brooks of The Brookston Bulletin has written up one of the most all encompassing and thorough write-ups about the night HERE.

Food Highlights: The beers were amazing, the food was amazing. What can I say? MY favorite pairing of the night was the soup course:

• CREAM OF PEARL BARLEY SOUP – Pearl barley cooked in vegetable stock and amber wort, topped with herb infused wild mushrooms, black truffle creme fraiche and drizzled with a Sazz hop steeped olive oil.
• PAIRED WITH — Bell’s Brown Porter
• VERDICT — The high-attenuation and dryness of Bell’s Porter really cut through the velvety richness of the soup. The porter cleansed the palate so well, every bite of soup tasted like the first!

Event Highlights: Once again, I found myself at a celebrity table. But then, what table is a “rockstar” tale at such an event? Right? I was honored to dine with the likes of Ray Daniels from the Cicerone, Jonathan Surrat and Chris Staten of DRAFT magazine.

Award Highlights: Award ceremonies are always exciting. I was particularly excited that Ballast Point won World Beer Cup 2010 Champion Brewery and Brewmaster in the Small Brewery category, and Jason Oliver from Devil’s Backbone won World Beer Cup 2010 Champion Brewery and Brewmaster in the Small Brewpub category.

CBC WORLD BEER CUP AFTER PARTY

Place: The Bottom Lounge

About: Bottom Lounge is hosted the CBC World Beer Cup After Party with the Beer Nuts playing at 1 am.

Highlights: I had the honor of riding to the after party in Niko of 21st Amendment’s limo with the man of the night, Sean Paxton, and a few other fellow West Coasters, including Jamie Floyd — brewmaster and owner of Ninkasi. Thanks to Fred Bueltmann of New Holland, I had a VIP wrist band that allowed me to drink for free all night. Which was probably not for the best, but then … yeah. The Beer Nuts were an amazing band. And then there was a burlesque show. And … we will just leave that night at that.

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Overall, the entire experience is one that I will never forget (even if some of it is pretty hazy). I will never forget how hilarious, yet frightening, it was to wake up fully clothed, still wearing my shoes on top of the covers on my hotel bed. But I did have enough sense to plug in my phone.

There is one thing I know for certain, I will use everything in my power to make it to the CBC 2011. And 2012. And 2013. And so on and so forth!

Cheers!

But I have been “on the go” from the minute I landed in Chicago.

I have been to GABF. I have been to several beer weeks. I have been to many beer festivals.

I was not prepared for CBC.

Today I woke up (safely) on my hotel bed, wearing all my clothes as well as my shoes. Some how I managed to remember to plug in my phone. As for the shoes, oh hell. I am just happy to be alive.

Which brings me to the point. I was not prepared for CBC.

I like to think that because I’m only 26, I can hack it in the industry. But the truth of the matter is, my youth is more of a detriment than an asset. I can barely keep up with the big boys.

This morning, I woke up on my hotel bed, fully clothed and still wearing my shoes.

Enough said.

The odd part about my CBC experience thus far is that it is a slow decent. It’s not as if I was sober one minute, took some shots and did some keg stands and then was out of the count. It was the day drinking that got me. One beer, every hour, for 12+ hours … adds up really fast.

Luckily, I am fully capable of remembering everything that happened in the past few days. Taking notes helps too.

I flew into O’Hare on Tuesday night. Steve, one of the owners of LimeStone Brewery picked me up at the airport. We met up with his brewmaster at Rock Bottom Brewery in the suburbs where I enjoyed a rather interesting Sahti beer appropriately named “Drink Me.” It was similar to a Belgian Wit, brewed with barley, wheat and oats and then spiced with coriander and orange peel — but it was unique because it was also brewed with Juniper berries.

After Rock Bottom we headed to DogFloydAPalooza at The Bottom Lounge — a music fest that was co-hosted by Three Floyds and Dogfish Head. I was excited to run into several industry friends that night — Dave Buehler from Elysian, Greg Koch from Stone, Dylan from NOLA, Ken & Brad from HopCast, Sean Paxton (HomeBrewChef), and that guy from DogFish Head … his name escapes me now … but I think it was something like Sam.

I was extremely impressed by the bar/venue as well as the music. But the icing on top of the cake was running into the owner, Mike Miller.

You see, Chicago is one of my all-time favorite drinking cities. And one of my all-time favorite bars is Delilah’s — which is also owned by Mike. I knew that he had opened a second venture, but did not know that it was The Bottom Lounge. I was pleasantly surprised to run into him that night. And I got a free beer out of the encounter, win … win.

In summation, Tuesday night was epic. I busted a move with Sam Calagione on the “dance floor”, swilled a lot of Aprihops and got to shoot the breeze with some of my favorite industry people.

Wednesday morning came fast. My friends awoke me very early … errr 7:30? Ouch. We took the bus up to the Sheraton Hotel and registered for CBC. Technically, Wednesday was the “unofficial official” start to CBC. The convention itself did not start, but the Brewers Association had set up several bus brewery tours. My original plan was to register and then jet, but the temptation of doing a brewery tour of Chicago lured me to stay.

I was lucky enough to score a spot on the “Bermuda Triangle” Tour. We hit up the following breweries (not in this order):

Goose Island Beer Co /Clybourn
Metropolitan Brewing
Half Acre Beer Co
Piece Brewery
Rock Bottom Brewery – Chicago
Revolution Brewing

The morning started at Rock Bottom. They gave us a fantastic (much needed) breakfast reception. We were divided into 3 different tour groups — the brewery, the fermentation room, and the basement — where the bourbon barrels, sour beers and bright tanks were located. Each location also provided us with beer samples. I was extremely impressed by their Pilsner.

Side note: I am a classic whore. Although I can appreciate some of the bigger, bolder styles of beer — when it comes down to it, I love my classic beer styles. In my opinion, the true testament to the talent of a brewer is whether or not he can produce a great Pilsner or Kolsch. Both styles are extremely simplistic and pure. You cannot cover flaws.

After Rock Bottom, we headed to Goose Island (the Clybourn brewpub). It was that very brewpub where I first met Stephen Beaumont — on a night that completely changed my life (as a beer writer). So needless to say, Goose Island has a special place in my heart. It was very nostalgic to return.

Metropolitan Brewery came next. Most of my “hands on” brewery experience has come from ale brewers. Metro exclusively brews lagers, which was interesting to see. The highlight from that brewery was the distilled “beer.” They had a batch of beer “gone wrong”, gave it to a local distiller that turned it into a spirit. It tasted like a “wort” liquor. Totally rad.

Lunch could not have come sooner. We arrived at Piece slightly buzzed and starving. We were greeted by the head brewmaster, Jonathan Cutler, and and endless amount of pizza and beer. Heaven. Pure heaven. As a native New Yorker, I tend to be a brat about pizza. I am not a fan of Chicago deep dish. Piece has fantastic thin crust pizza — perfectly crispy with just the right about of toppings.

From Piece we went to Revolution — a relatively “young” brewpub in Chicago. We were greeted with beer cured sausage and bacon fat popped pop corn mixed with bacon and topped with cheese — which was by far the best bar snack I have ever come across. We toured the entire brewery and learned all about the expansion of the restaurant. They are going to add a second kitchen and bar to the top floor as well as a stage to host concerts.

The last stop on the tour was Half Acre. Half Acre is run by a bunch of adorable “kids” — aka a “young” brewery. Being young myself, I really love to see my generation becoming so active in the industry. But the youth of the staff was not the highlight of the tour, the cannery was. Half Acre produces beer in cans, a trend that is rapidly growing across the country. Prior to then, I had never seen a “canning line”. I’m totally into the canning movement.

The bus brought us back to the Sheraton. And from there I went back to Piece for dinner and a tweetup. Unfortunately, I missed the opening party at the museum. However, I had a fantastic time connecting with Internet friends, eating great pizza and drinking great beer.

Maybe too much beer. Thursday morning came really fast. Too fast, in fact. I did not make it to the conference until 1pm.

And now, I find myself spending a few hours writing instead of attending CBC events. So I will leave you for now, but stay tuned. I will update you again. Soon.

Cheers,

The Wench

This summer, craft beer advocates and film buffs will have two different opportunities to showcase their passion for craft beer and talent for videography.

The first event will the “first-ever” Short Pour Film Festival at the Monterey Beer Festival on June 5th. The Short Pour Film Fest will showcase original short films, clips from Beer TV shows, Vintage & Modern Beer Commercial, Music Videos about Beer, Movies about Beer and clips from “beer weeks” around the United States. Included will be lighthearted looks at brew, including personal stories about drinking beer and brewery films from “Brewers” who’ll reveal their secrets in beer making.

The 2010 MBF theme is, “The Celebrity of Beer.”

“Beer is now the celebrity of the beverage world, due to the quality of beer products available throughout the U.S. We can thank our great American Breweries (both big & small), import beer companies and beer distribution companies for giving us such a vast and diverse amount of incredible beer to enjoy.” –Jeff Mosses, event organizer.

All film submissions for the Short Pour Film Fest are free of charge to submit. First Prize (the best film submission) is an all expensive paid trip for two to attend the Beer Fest & Film Fest in Monterey. Event Contact: jeff moses — jeffmoses@nightthatneverends.com

The second craft beer film opportunity this summer is with New Belgium. Yesterday, New Belgium Brewing announced that it is seeking short digital, film and video submissions for the first season of its traveling cLips of Faith Beer & Film Tour. Chosen entries will screen in fourteen cities throughout the summer and fall of 2010. The top three winning filmmakers will travel to New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, CO for a private screening and beer dinner extraordinaire. For submission guidelines visit www.clipsoffaith.com.

“The cLips of Faith Beer & Film tour is a celebration of the innate creativity of both brewing and film,” said event director, Meredith Giske. “We’re looking for eclectic and creative short film submissions to complement the beers we are bringing from our Lips of Faith portfolio. These are some of the most creative beers we make, so it will be a one-two combo like you’ve never seen.”

Each stop along the fourteen-city tour will feature an outdoor screening of the collected films, a full tasting of New Belgium’s Lips of Faith (http://www.newbelgium.com/beer) beers and food from local vendors. All proceeds will benefit local bike non-profits. The series will run between mid-June and mid-October.

“At this point, we’re looking for you and your friends to create something original and fun for all of us to watch,” said Giske. “We’re looking for stories that touch on beer, whimsy or sustainability in the categories of comedy, drama, adventure, documentary or animation. The slate is completely blank and the possibilities are endless.”

To learn more about New Belgium’s cLips of Faith series or to submit content, go to www.clipsoffaith.com. Films will be judged by the creative team at New Belgium Brewing plus one celebrity judge. All submission materials are nonreturnable. There is no fee to enter. Good beers, good films, good luck!

So whether you are a craft beer enthusiast with a penchant for videography or are a videographer with a passion for craft beer, both of these opportunities are definitely worth looking into this summer. After all, what is there to lose? Nothing is the right answer….

Cheers!

As for the “white” fish, it all depends on what area of the world you live and what season it is … obviously, fresh fish is the best. I suggest a very light (in flavor) and flaky fish for this recipe. However, more meatier fishes (such as Halibut or Mahi Mahi) may stand up to the recipe yet need a slightly longer cooking time. One could also substitute chicken, if need be.

So here is the deal: I prefer my fish on the skin … straight from a fresh seafood purveyor. The best selection is something that was caught the day of purchase and has not been frozen. I understand that if you live in an area where you cannot get fresh fish within hours of its catch, you might have to settle for something that isn’t as “fresh” … sigh, that sucks but you gotta do what you gotta do.

As for the recipe, it is freaking easy as all get out. You could be the worst cook in the world and pull this off…

Baked White Fish in Wit Beer Lemon Butter Caper Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 Fillets of a Flaky White Fish (I like Trout or Snapper)
• 2 Lemons
• 1/2 cup Belgian Wit Beer
• 2 tbsp Butter (or sub 1/4 cup olive oil)
• 1/8 cup capers
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice one lemon into 8 thin rings. Cut the 2 tbsp of butter into 8 slice.
3. In a glass baking pan (Pyrex if you have one), place the fish fillets skin down. Pour the beer over the fish. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the fish.
4. Place 2 rings of lemon and 2 slices of butter on each fillet. Sprinkle the capers evenly over all the fillets of fish. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
5. Bake for 10 minutes or until fish is fully cooked.
6. Serve with your choice of starch and vegetables. Pair with the same Belgian Wit used for cooking!

CHEERS!

To each their own, right?

The other day I opened up what I will refer to as an “old” IPA. It had lost most of its, once very pronounced, Pacific Northwest hop aroma and flavor. Instead of being the bitter pine & citrus “hop bomb” that I wanted, it leaned more towards the caramel malty end of the spectrum. Seeing as I wanted a really dry & hoppy IPA, I was disappointed. The beer was still good, don’t get me wrong. But it wasn’t what I wanted.

I refused to waste the beer. And so I began brainstorming a way to cook with it. At the time, I was craving curry (something spicy to pair with the IPA — ya know?). And so I racked my brain a bit about how to incorporate beer into a curry dish. That is when I discovered a DOUBLE way to use it in one single dish — The Korma Chicken bowl.

The recipe I developed was an adapted version of a recipe I used to make when I worked at a restaurant called “The Northstar Cafe” in Columbus, OH. Korma sauce was one of my favorite things to prep in the kitchen. And the “Korma Bowl” was one of my favorite dishes to eat.

As I noted before, I did find two ways to incorporate beer into the entire dish. The first is in the sauce and the second is in the rice.

Ingredients

• Chicken (or pan-fried tofu) — cut into “bite size” pieces
• 1 c. Basmati Rice
• 4 c. (24 oz.) IPA — malty, not too bitter
• 13 oz. can of Pure Coconut Milk (none of that lowfat crap)
• 1 Large Yellow Onion — diced
• 16 oz. can of Whole Tomatoes
• 1 Jalapeno — finely minced
• 1 “knob” Raw Ginger — peeled & finely minced
• 4 cloves Raw Garlic — finely minced
• 1/4 c. yellow raisins
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1 tbsp Curry Powder (use more if desired)
• 1 tbsp Garam Marsala
• pinch of Cinnamon
• pinch of Nutmeg
• Salt & Peper to taste
• 1 tbsp Nut Butter (cashew preferred, but almond and peanut will suffice)
• Variety of veggies (suggested: broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, bell peppers) — cut into bite size pieces

Korma Sauce Instructions

1. In a medium pot on medium heat, melt the butter. Add minced garlic, jalapenos and ginger. Allow the ingredients to “sweat” out. Then add the yellow onions. Saute the onions over medium heat until they are translucent.
2. Mix in the spices. Add the can of whole tomatoes, the  yellow raisins and 2 cups of the IPA. Bring to a simmer. Cook over medium-low heat for about 25 minutes. Break up whole tomatoes as they soften.
3. Add coconut milk and cashew butter. Cook on medium low heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Allow to mixture to cool slightly and then, batch by batch, add the mixture to a blender. If you have never blended hot ingredients (like for soups and sauces) in a blender, it is VERY important that you are very very very cautious. Otherwise it will be a disaster.
5. Blend VERY small amounts at a time. DO NOT seal the lid on tight. Instead, leave a little bit of the lid open. When you first start blending, pulse it a few times before blending it smooth. Pour out the blended mixture into a new pot. Repeat until the entire batch it completely pureed and smooth.

Preparation

1. Cook the chicken as desired. I suggest stir-fry, but healthier versions will work as well.
2. Prepare the rice — for every 1 cup of rice, use two cups of beer. The rice will completely absorb all the the beer, giving it tremendous flavor!
3. Steam or stir-fry your veggies of choice.
4. To serve: Fill a bowl about half way with rice. Top the rice with the chicken, vegetables and korma sauce.
5. Garnish with a dollop of plain yogurt and cilantro.
6. Pair with a hopped-up IPA

CHEERS!