yOu'Ve gOt aLE

What's Cooking: Chimay Braised Baby Back Ribs

2008-01-20T18:06:00.000-08:00

My first thought when I unwrapped that Chimay on Christmas morning was that I was one lucky guy to have Mrs. Snob. Who's wife buys them beer for Christmas?!? MINE!!!

Frankly it's been so long since I've had Chimay that I'm a little surprised that it has lasted this long. Today Junior wanted ribs for dinner, so I decided to braise them with Chimay. I know what you're thinking - "How can you waste a perfectly good Chimay on ribs?" (Unless you're thinking "What's Chimay?" in which case you should check here and here before you read any further.) Trust me, though, this was no waste of the beer.

Let's start with the beer. Chimay Red is a Belgian Trappist ale, which, with a mere 7% alcohol, is the weakest of the beers brewed by the Cistercian Trappist monks at the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Scourmont. Don't worry, it's plenty strong to knock you on your butt. Especially when bought in the standard 750ml bottle. This is one of the most highly regarded beers that you'll ever come across. Having said that, there are plenty of people who truly hate it.

I started the braising at about 11am with the oven on low heat (about 225 degF) and let it bubble away for about 5 1/2 hours turning them a couple times to be sure that all of the ribs had a chance to bathe in the Chimay. After they were tender almost to the point of falling off the bone, I finished them on the grill with a sauce made of ketchup (I know it's pedestrian, but it works just fine), olive oil, vinegar, brown sugar, chipotle pepper and adobo seasoning. I served the ribs with thick fingerling potato slices cooked in a covered saute pan with olive oil, sea salt, adobo seasoning and paprika.

Mrs. Snob says these are the best ribs she's ever tasted and I have to agree. The sauce is sweet and spicy and underneath the meat is saturated with the Chimay flavors. The meat was so tender we had to eat it with a fork (I wouldn't want to say it was too tender, but it was a challenge to grill without having it just fall to pieces.

Nom Nom Nom

Hooray Beer!

2007-11-21T22:12:00.000-08:00

No kidding. This may be the best beer slogan of all time.

King of Beers - Crap!

Tastes Great/Less Filling - Pshaw! (Oh man, look what you made me say.)

Hooray Beer! - Yes! Yes! YES!!!

Whether its making an ugly man look beautiful or getting some one's car keys by borrowing his pants, "Hooray Beer!" never fails to make the point that we should celebrate beer in all its glory. Check it out on YouTube

"Hooray Beer!", naturally, is the awesome ad campaign from Red Stripe Beer.

What I like, though, is regardless of whether they are booing the creepy foot doctor or the big headed friend, they are glorifying beer. And beer is what it's all about.

Hooray Beer!

Wunder Wonder

2007-11-13T20:04:00.000-08:00

Go for the beer.

Wunder Brewing is an old-time San Francisco brewing name. The original Wunder Brewing Company operated from 1896 until it was bought out in 1909.

The new Wunder Brewing Company was brought back to life by four friends - a brewer, a lawyer, a paralegal and a chef. Sounds like a dream team.

Mrs. Snob and I have been to Wunder Brewing three times so far.

The first time was for beer and desert. The beer was mighty tasty, but we had to do without the desert as the kitchen was closed. Instead, we got the freaky Japanese science fiction.

The second time was for dinner. I went British classic with the Fish & Chips and a porter. The porter was awesome, but the fish was mushy and fishy tasting. Beefy beef and cheesy cheese are good things, but fishy fish is just nasty.

Our third venture into Wunder Brewing was for lunch on a Sunday afternoon. Let me say here that walking into Wunder Brewing on a Sunday afternoon, your are immediately confronted with four large TVs pumping out the NFL's finest with various fans packed shoulder to shoulder at the bar. The testosterone overload of football and beer, however, is immediately doused when you open the Brunch Menu to find quiche and some hamburger thing with bacon and egg on top. Some might call it a balance, but, really, who comes into a bar to watch football, drink beer and eat quiche? Even in San Francisco that's stretching the limits of tolerance.

Yelp has not been very kind to Wunder Brewing. In truth, Yelp can be pretty rough on new restaurants because the experienced Yelpers in San Francisco have pretty high expectations. Newly opened locales that haven't quite gotten it together are panned mercilessly and the early reviews of Wunder were almost universally poor.

Me, I'll stick with the beer. And the garlic fries. And, if you get served the bad Japanese science fiction instead of the Apple Crisp, have another beer.

Cheers!

What's Cooking: Porter Braised Baby Back Ribs

2007-11-04T19:43:00.000-08:00

Cooking with beer is one of life's great pleasures. Ok, maybe not as great as actually drinking beer, but it is another way to bring beer into your life and enjoy the special flavors that only beer can provide.

The beer for this dish was Black Martin Porter from Ballast Point Brewing Company in San Diego, CA. I've never tasted this beer, but I'm sure it will come up in the future. I got it on my last trip to the City Beer Store. Four bucks for a 650ml (22oz) bottle.

Since this is my first cooking post, I'll provide my warning here: I don't measure much when I'm cooking. Especially with spices, I tend to grab whatever strikes my fancy. You'll see measures like "a little bit" or "lots" much more often than 1 T or 2 Cups. The only exception is pie crust - I measure very carefully for pie crust (not the filling, mind you - just the crust).

Even for me, however, this dish took ridiculously little measuring. Put you ribs into a braising pan and pour in a bottle of porter. Place the covered braising pan into a 325 degree oven for about 6 hours. Finish the ribs on the grill with your choice of barbecue sauce and serve. Can it really be that simple?

Yes it can. Ok, the grilling part wasn't all that simple due to the fact that the braised ribs were falling-off-the-bone tender. I had to slide my tongs lengthwise under the ribs to turn them and they still fell apart.

How did they taste, already? I've never tasted the Black Marlin Porter and I neglected one of the cardinal rules of cooking with beer: cook with only half your beer so that you can enjoy the other half while the food is cooking. The ribs, however, were delicious. The porter provided a nice deep dark flavor and the hops carried through at the finish. The smokiness of the porter is a good match to the ribs and the intensity of the flavors stand up well during the long braising period.

Eat up!

Tasting: Alaskan Brewing 2007 Smoked Porter

2007-10-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

Brewed by Alaskan Brewing Co. of Juneau Alaska.

The Pour
Now that is a seriously dark beer. Almost black hole black, except for just a hint of dark brown around the edges. Even the pleantiful head is a nice dark caramel color.

The Taste
OK. The label does say "SMOKED porter", so it's natural to expect, well, smoke. And in that respect it delivers in spades. Each sip of this beer floods your mouth with a hearty smoke flavor that grabs your taste buds and wrestles them into submission. Once your taste buds are begin to arouse from the pummelling of the smoke, the hops arrive for the knockout. This is not your rich malty porter. No, with this Alaskan brew, you get washed in smoke and rinsed in hops. It makes for a pleasant long-lasting taste combination.

Thoughts
Really now. Who can think with all these flavors battling for dominance? Not me.

Bottoms Up!

Tasting: Allagash Dubbel Reserve

2007-10-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

Allagash Dubbel Reserve is brewed by Allagash Brewing in Portland Maine.

The Pour
"Pour slowing into a wide mouthed glass" is what it says on the side of the bottle. Belgian Ales are notoriously eager to produce copious head with only the slightest excess pour. This is a cork-topped 750ml bottle that pops like champagne when you - carefully - twist the cork. I took my time pouring the Allagash into my wide mouthed glass and was rewarded by a nice, but not excessive amount of head. The color is a lovely deep reddish brown.

The Taste
Oh, yeah. Now that's beer. Nice strong hoppy taste. Lots of yeast - there's a nice layer of yeasties at the bottom of the bottle. And malt. Let's not forget malt. Seven malts, they say. I'll take their word for it - all I can say is it's delicious.

Thoughts
All beer should be this good. There is a pretty dedicated Belgian-style brewing trend in the US. What makes a beer Belgian-styled? It's the yeast. Belgian yeast is different than that used for other beers and it imparts a distinctive taste unlike anything else. Oak barrel conditioning and traditional malts help, but it's the yeast that makes it Belgian.

In Belgium, brewing is a tradition with many recipes unchanged for hundreds of years. In the US, Belgian-style ales are undergoing amazing experimentation. Enjoy the ride.

Cheers!

Tasting: New Belgium Brewing Fat Tire Amber Ale

2007-10-23T21:25:00.000-07:00

Fat Tire Amber Ale is brewed by New Belgium Brewing of Fort Collins, Co.

The Pour
Fat Tire is New Belgium's signature amber ale inspired by the Jeff Lebesch's bicycle tour of Belgium. The beer produces and eager head and if you have a steady hand, you can make is stand well above the rim of your glass. The color is the slightly rusty golden color of ... amber. (what?)

The Taste
I'll admit up front that Fat Tire is one of my favorite beers for hanging out with a brew. Plus they sell it in cases at Costco.

What I like about Fat Tire is the clean smooth flavor with just a bit of hoppiness. All in all a really good beer that goes well with a variety of foods and hockey.

Thoughts
Yummy. Sip ... sip ... yum. Uh oh. I'm out of beer. But, thanks to Costco, I have another chilling in the 'fridge. Now, where did I put that bottle opener?

Beer me!

Tasting: Wunder Brewing Chili Beer

2007-10-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

The Venue
Wunder Brewing Company's new brew pub on 9th Avenue between Irving and Judah in San Francisco's Inner Sunset neighborhood. Easy access from MUNI's N-Judah, 43, 44, 6 and 66 lines.
Wunder Brewing has renovated the widely derided former Eldo Brewing location. The stairs walk you past the brewing area to a nice seating area that overlooks the long, winding bar. The bar is nice and long with comfy chairs and a sloped edge that makes a comfortable place to rest your arms, but a less comfortable place to rest your beer. The staff was attentive and sufficiently eclectic (we ended the evening watching bad Japanese science fiction on the big screen TVs).

The Taste
OK. So, Chili Beer is beer infused with habanero pepper. Hmm... I was too curious to pass it up. Fortunately, the bartender offered a sample to try before you buy. The Chili Beer was actually pretty good. A nice mellow spice that occasionally tickled your lips and tonsils. The habanero was nicely balanced with the hops and malt.

The Food
Sorry, I can't tell you anything about the food. Mrs. Snob and I ate dinner at the sushi joint down the street (the Hotei) and came to Wunder Brewing for beer and desert. The beer was good, but the kitchen was closed so we weren't able to try the apple crisp that we were hankering for. We'll try again another time.

Cheers!

Haiku

2007-10-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

Beer may only be
Malted barley yeast and hops
Says Reinheitsgebot

Tasting: Ettaler Curator

2007-10-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

The Pour
Hmmm... I normally like beer from the moment I pop off the cap 'til I drain the last drops out of my glass. This one, however, started as something of a disappointment. I came limply out of the bottle and produced no discernable head. Meh!

The Taste
Ettaler Curator is a dunkler doppelbock brewed by the Ettaler Klosterbauerei. A bock is a strong German beer and, so, a doppelbock is a stronger German beer. This one says 9% alcohol, but it really doesn't taste that strong. It is a nice dark brown carmel color with a surprisingly mild flavor. Of course, this is a lager and many lagers have softer, smoother flavor. This is true to the style, but I'd prefer a bit more intensity in the flavors and a pleasant head. Not outstandingly good, but not bad either.

Thoughts
I know it sounds like I'm disappointed in the Curator. In truth, I am, but I really don't want to be. It's a nice beer. Just nothing special.
I've always had a special love of doppelbocks because of the naming convention. Doppelbocks are traditionally names something-ator. Illuminator, Curator, Celebrator and Optimator - just to name a few. The naming possiblities go on and on. Would you rather drink Triumphator or Befuddelator? Me, I could use some befuddlement every now and then.

Last Call!

Introducing the New "yOu'Ve gOt aLE" Logo

2007-10-15T22:04:00.000-07:00

Tada!!!!

What could be better for the new "yOu'Ve gOt aLE" logo than beer glasses. Ok, actual beer, maybe. But this will have to do.

For the curious, this was created in Lineform using beer glass shapes that were inspired by Art Deco shapes. I like the full glasses with a nice head of beer at the top and the slash of reflected light down the side. The colors are some of my favorites. Mrs. Snob and I painted a guest bedroom in these colors and it was so peaceful that we often slept there ourselves.

Cheers!

The Nature of Beer

2007-10-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

Back in college, the little beer store around the corner from The Ranch ran ads stating "Mom Sez: 'Beer is Food!'".
At the time we thought this was perfect because we were poor college students who could either afford to buy food or beer. We drank The Industry Standard - Busch beer. It wasn't what you would call good beer, but it was $3.99 a 12-pack. Cans. And Mom said 'Beer is Food'.
What is beer? It's only four simple ingredients: water, malted barley (or wheat), hops and yeast. Four ingredients that prove that the whole can be greater than the sum of the parts. From these humble ingredients come an amazing variety of flavors from the mundane (Busch) to the complex (Chimay). What makes beer, then, must not be in the ingredients, but in the art of the brew.
In the brew, there are thousands of variations that can be combined and commanded by the brewmaster. How long do you toast the barley to arrest the spout? Toasting the barley for a longer time takes the flavor of the resulting beer from a sweet champaign to a golden ale, to a rustic amber ale, to a rich dark porter, to a thick stout. What hops do you use? Hops control the bitterness of the beer and contribute to much of the aroma. Yeast is used to produce the alcohol but can also contribute a unique flavor of its own - particularly in wheat beers where the malt flavor is very mild.
It is the brewmaster that blends these flavors the way that a painter combines colors. From this pallet the brewmaster creates their art for us to enjoy. Every beer I pour I admire the artistry that went in to creating the subtle colors and flavors in the brew. With every beer that I drink, I celebrate the artistry of the brewmaster.
And I remember 'Beer is Food'.

Haiku

2007-10-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

Foam rises skyward
Fragrance of hops fill my nose
My taste buds quiver

Tasting: Ayinger Brau Weisse

2007-10-13T20:05:00.000-07:00

Ayinger Brau Weisse is a German hefeweizen brewed by Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer in Aying Germany.

The Pour
Aaaah. I love beer. This has a wonderful light yellow color and the head froths up eagerly but settles down quickly. The beer itself is nice and cloudy, the way a hefeweizen should be. Even the sound of the bubbles bursting is pleasant and the aroma is classic.

The Taste
Hefeweizens are typically light bodied beers that are a popular way to beat the summer heat. We don't get much in the way of summer heat in San Francisco (plus it's like October, already), but this beer is still mighty tasty. Ayinger has given this a nice mild wheaty flavor with just a hint of sharpness to tease your tongue. The Brau Weisse is a top fermented ale with an alcohol content of 5.1%. That's light enough let you enjoy two or three after working outdoors in the hot sun. The smell is pretty yeasty and there is still quite a lot of settled yeast in the bottom of the bottle that didn't come out when I poured the beer. The yeast in the beer is staying suspended as it should.

Thoughts
This is a nice clean light-colored hefeweizen. The flavor is quite good and the aroma is great. I could definitely drink this again.

Beer me!

Welcome to You've Got Ale

2007-10-12T23:44:00.001-07:00

I remember my first beer. It was horrible. It was a little bit like licking an ashtray. My second beer was also horrible. Licking the ashtray and chewing up the butts. The third was not so horrible. The forth, fifth and sixth beer were... well, not *good*, but they were doing the trick. After that my memory was pretty much toast.
So, how do you go from being a beer swilling teenager to being a beer snob? Years of practice and a preference for flavor over buzz. Not that I mind getting drunk, it just wasn't enough. Over time I've come to like good beer and not like crappy beer. It doesn't stop me from drinking the occasional crappy beer. Such is our relationship to beer.
In this blog, I'll share my thoughts on beer and I hope you'll share yours as well.
Cheers!