Back into the swing of things

I am making an effort to be on schedule this week, we will see how it goes... A few things before we get to this week's beers. First, PLEASE send me suggestions for beers to try, beers to look for or just fun beer stuff. You can message me on Facebook, email me at hoppybeergirl@gmail.com or you can leave a comment, right here, on this blog. The second thing is really more of an interesting thing for you, even if you can't make it to the Beer School 101 in Crystal Lake, IL at Duke's Alehouse and Kitchen, you should check out the website for the monthly beer classes.

Okay, time to get down to brass tacks...

This week we had two beers from two of the biggest craft breweries in the nation, and yes, I know one is no longer considered a craft brewery after being purchased by Anheuser-Busch, and yes, I understand the controversy (and complaining) about the purchase. But my thought is, wait and see if anything changes for the worse before we get upset.

Demolition from Goose Island

First up, Demolition from Goose Island (I repeat, I am not swearing them off until there is a drop in quality).Alcohol by Volume: 7.2%. There is an interesting story behind this beer, it was developed as a thank you to the people who kept the Brewpub open as there was construction going on around them.
Color: Golden and clear

Taste: Nothing really knocks your socks off here. It is a good beer with a nice hops flavor while you can still taste the yeast, but nothing overpowers you.

Musings: I liked this one, I thought I could drink it all night without getting sick of it or having weird tastes in my mouth; though with 7.2% alcohol per volume it probably is a beer you shouldn't drink ALL night. It was a good quality ale that was good on its own (and good with cheesy beer dip). Blake wasn't very impressed with it, I think it is because he is sick, but that is just my opinion. I will definitely be having Demolition again. I think that if you don't want something that is too different or as my mom says, "weird beer", this is a good place to start exploring something different without leaving your comfort zone.



Theobroma by Dogfish Head



The second beer we tasted was Theobroma from Dogfish Head. 9.0% alcohol per volume. This is another one of the Ancient Ales from Dogfish Head that I am such a fan of (yes I know I am a nerd). You really need to read about this one whether or not you try it, which I think you should.This is a beer brewed with cocoa and ancho chiles, and is based off of a reciepe gleened from the chemical make-up from residue on Aztec pottery.
Color: Surprisingly red-gold rather than dark like you would expect for a chocolate beer
Taste: Like nothing you have ever tasted before! This beer tasted like Mexican hot chocolate, like a chocolate stout, and like a crisp spicy ale all at the same time.
Musings: This beer is an experience unto itself. I really liked it, even Blake liked it which is unusual as you may know by now. This beer has so much going on, but it isn't overpowering. Theobroma is easy to drink, and it is easy to imagine why this was the drink of the gods. I really think that you should try this beer, not just because I am a history nerd and there is such a rich history surrounding this, and not just because I am a beer dork and it is so far from what you have had before, but because it is an amazing beer-ience.

Happy Wednesday on Thursday...

I am a day late on everything this week! I only had a couple of suggestions for pairing food with beer, and they all involved cheese in some way. Not that there is anything wrong with it, I actually tried one of the recipes that I was sent, Cheesy Beer Dip.

            How about using beer as a marinade? I have marinated pork chops in black ale and cooked potatoes in lager, but one of my favorites is Cerveza Shrimp!

Medium, cleaned raw shrimp

1 bottle of hoppy beer (or cheap Mexican style beer aka Corona)

2 limes

4 cloves of garlic

2 tsp cumin

Black Pepper

Salt

Chipotle in Adobo sauce (optional)

Cilantro

Cut up the garlic and put half in large freezer bag with shrimp and the bottle of beer, add salt, pepper, cilantro, cumin and lime juice from one lime.

Let marinade for about 2 hours… more if you want.

With a dash of olive oil, start cooking the remainder of the garlic until soft, on low heat.

Drain some of the liquid (about half the liquid) and pour contents into hot sauté pan.( this is where you would add one  diced chipotle and a tsp of adobo sauce from the can into the mix)

Cook until shrimp is cooked through and serve with rice and sliced lime for garnish.

Here is the Recipe for Cheesy Beer Dip

Cheesy Beer Dip

2 pkgs(8oz) cream cheese

1 envelope dry Ranch dressing mix

1/3 cup beer

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

in large bowl, beat together cream cheese, beer and mix( you may add more beer if necessary to mix)

stir in cheese. serve with pretzels

Thank you Cathy for contributing your recipe!

This week’s quiz is an interesting tid-bit about global beer consumption, so Enjoy!

And please don't be afraid to email me abotu anything beer related