Flash in the Pan

Yes, the alcohol has been flowing freely into the Pan this week, though Old Engine Oil from Harviestoun Brewery wasn't a submission by a PR firm. No, I obtained my sample the old fashioned way: I bought it as a pub while waiting for the kids to get out of dance class. And a choice decision it was, prompted by the bartender, who recommended it after picking up a couple of cases for his own upcoming wedding.

The Alva, Scotland brewery has a way with fermented drinks, if this one is an example. On the ale's label are the words viscous, chocolaty, and roasty. I'm not sure about viscous, as it didn't glop out of the bottle, but chocolaty and roasty are two perfectly good terms. You can add a finessed balance between barley and hops (whole flowers only and not concentrates), and the resulting sweetness and bitterness. The head is thin, which is fine because you're not drinking soda. If you're interested in some of the technical aspects of the ale's composition, check here. My suggestion is to forget the technicalities and get hold of a bottle. Harviestoun suggests this as an after-dinner ale, but I found it going down pleasantly with a grilled curried chicken sandwich.

Labels: beer, opinion, product, review

Even if this brew didn't possess a complex flavor, with an aggressive helping of hops providing a nicely bitter after taste and an equally aggressive 7.2 percent of alcohol and brewed in the company's own facilities, and not jobbed out, Arrogant Bastard Ale would be worth buying for the attitude. On the front is the statement, "You're Not Worthy." On the back:

This is an aggressive beer. You probably won't like it. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth. We would suggest that you stick to safer and more familiar territory -- maybe something with a multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at convincing you it's made in a little brewery, or one that implies that their tasteless fizzy yellow beer will give you more sex appeal. Perhaps you think multi-million dollar ad campaigns make a beer taste better. Perhaps you're mouthing your words as you read this.

And it tastes great with a partly dried-out piece of chocolate cake obtained from the same food coop that had the ale.

Labels: ale, beer, product, review

Oh, I hang my head in shame for I am not worthy. The black and tan is a marvelous drink but tricky to pour, as you making a layered drink, with a base of ale supporting a cap of stout (traditionally Bass and Guiness, respectively). People try doing this with a pint glass and a bar spoon, pouring the stout over the back of the spoon, but generally the result looks like a glass of caramel-colored liquid.

Bass came out with something they call a brolly - English slang for an umbrella - that supposedly helps make the drink. They sent one over, along with a glass and bottle of ale, but the devices are still available for free through the end of the month, unless you live in California, in which case you have to pay a buck. Don't ask me why; I can't figure out anything about that state.

First clue I should have had that something was going to go wrong was what appeared to be two conflicting sets of instructions. In one, you tip the pint glass (the three-cornered Bass one is nice) on a 45 degree angle and pour the ale down the side. In the other, you pour down the center of the glass, creating a good foam, whatever amount that indicates. The two different instructions agreed that you get the glass two-thirds full, and then set the brolly atop the glass and slowly pour the stout through it so the dark liquid floats atop the amber.

But I let down the English and Irish parts of my muddled ethnic background when I couldn't get the damned stout to float. (I suppose that the Scottish part of me sat back, amused.) So much for the device making this easy, though in the press release, the Bass Pale Ale brand manager said that the device makes the black and tan "less challenging." Oh, good. Otherwise, I might have ended up with a monochromatic glass of liquid even faster than I actually did. Ah, well. When at first you don't succeed, have the barkeep pour another. I'll clearly have to continue practicing.

Labels: beer, product, review

The New York Times has a funny article - well, at least I was amused - about a negative correlation between the amount of beer scientists drink and the amount of successful papers they publish:

According to the study, published in February in Oikos, a highly respected scientific journal, the more beer a scientist drinks, the less likely the scientist is to publish a paper or to have a paper cited by another researcher, a measure of a paper’s quality and importance.

The results were not, however, a matter of a few scientists having had too many brews to be able to stumble back to the lab. Publication did not simply drop off among the heaviest drinkers. Instead, scientific performance steadily declined with increasing beer consumption across the board, from scientists who primly sip at two or three beers over a year to the sort who average knocking back more than two a day.

But, as one source pointed out, there's a difference between correlation and causality. Two things happening at the same time are not necessarily linked by one causing the other. And it would be possible to get this completely backwards. Maybe, instead of beer drinking causing lack of publishing productivity, it is low spirits over being at the back of the pack that pushes some scientists to seek consolation with barley and hops.

Labels: beer, news, science

While on a shopping excursion in the Brattleboro Food Coop, I came across a bottle of St. Peter's English Ale. Imported from Suffolk, England, the brew was good - round flavor with a pleasant hint of bitterness at the end. Unfortunately, my capacity for alcohol is limited, and I went through only half the bottle. But as we had some short ribs that needed tending to, I decided that a little braising would be in order:

Beer-Braised Short Ribs

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 4 lbs. short ribs
• 6 ounces beer (I used St. Peter's English Ale)
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped (optional)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp basil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp cardamom seeds

Directions>

1. Heat oven to 250 degrees F.
2. Mix flour, salt, and pepper together. Dredge short ribs in mixture. Heat 12-inch frying pan over high heat, add olive oil, and brown ribs on all sides. Transfer to dutch oven.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add onions and celery, cooking until onions are translucent. Add garlic and continue cooking until onions are browned. Add mixture to dutch oven.
4. Add beer to pan and deglaze. After dissolving all solids, add tomatoes, basil, bay leaves, and cardamom. Heat through. Add to dutch oven.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover dutch oven and place in oven. Cook for three hours. Serve with egg noodles.

Serves 4-6, depending on the appetites. I found that kim chi goes well with this dish, as do braised greens.

Labels: beef, beer, braise, casserole, entree, opinion, recipe, review

I'm kicking myself for not having remembered to review New Belgium Brewing's spring beer during the season, and it's probably off the shelves for the rest of the year at this point. But I'm mentioning it now because any regional brewer that can produce something this good bears watching - and addtiional tasting.

The company advertised Springboard in a way that usually puts me off - with the inclusion of Chinese herbs. By reflex I generally consider that a gimmick. But in this case, it's one that worked. The brewmaster added schisandra, gogi berries, and wormwood in addition to oats. The result was a full, rich fruity flavor with a hint of bitterness in the aftertaste, but one that was pleasant. I had an impulse while tasting and took a bite of some reheated spaghetti and my quick tomato sauce, and the combination was dynamite, so I suspect this would work with many acidic foods.

Now I just have to find some of the comapny's Skinny Dip summer offering.

Labels: beer, brewer, Chinese herbs, gogi, New Belgium, schisandra, wormwood

A weekly round-up of odd kitchen events:

• Culinary Criminals Inmates in a Bangalore, India prison like the food, made by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, so much that they're refusing to apply for bail. They also like the saffron uniforms. (AFP)


• Beersicle Brouhaha A suburban Washington, D.C. restaurant is getting heat for serving frozen beer pops because the liquid isn't in the original container or served immediately on pouring. And can you ask them to hold the ice? (AP)


• Three-Year-Old Served Vodka in Restaurant. Neat. A restaurant accidentally switched drinks and sent a three-year-old a vodka-based drink instead of pineapple juice. The family was still charged for the drink (no kidding). Wonder if they got to keep the kiddie cup.


• Chef TV Show Sued A manager at a New York Indian restaurant is suing to keep an episode of Gordon Ramsey's new show, Kitchen Nightmares, from airing. At the celebrity chef's behest, the restaurant fired the manager on the show. And you thought that the networks could be harsh. (Reuters)

Labels: beer, India, popsicle, prison, toddler, vodka, weird

Scientists in Australia are working with beer company Foster's on a project to power a giant fuel cell with brewery waste water. Researchers expect the 660-gallon fuel cell to generate 2 kilowatts of power - enough for the average household down under - while acting as a waste treatment plant and producing clean water as a byproduct. Holy Vats of Volts, Batman! It's just a way that people get juiced at the same time they get juiced.

Labels: Australia, beer, Foster's, fuel cell, power, science, water