MIA, part 2 August 12, 2009

Trojan horse replica

Some belated thoughts on my trip to Greece, Ukraine and Turkey… Guess I’ve just been too busy to get it all down, but I need to do so before it all gets lost in the abyss deep within my skull.

Upon leaving Athens, we set sail on a ship called the Silver Whisper. The problem with this was the fact that it’s a luxury cruiseliner where all the booze is included in the fare. So what’s the problem, you ask? The problem is that I’m trying hopelessly to document this after the fact and entire evenings may have been lost to that abyss in my skull prematurely because of alcohol-induced hazes. So I guess I’ll just write about what I remember…

Troy, near Çanakkale, Turkey

Çanakkele, Turkey is near the ancient ruins of what is believed to be the city of Troy referred to in Homer’s Iliad. Now at the entrance there are several imitation Trojan horses for people to climb up into. In the hot, muggy weather where you step outside and are sticky within minutes of leaving any air-conditioned sanctuary, I could only imagine how pleasant it would have been inside these Trojan horses. Almost like a stripper hiding in a birthday cake that had been forgotten about for a couple of days in the swamps of south Florida during the summer… and probably smelling almost as bad. So instead of climbing up into the faux Trojan horse, we opted to walk around these ancient ruins that date back to the 5th century BC. The ruins are currently being excavated and do not have much structure left to them aside from stone walls, wells, and a large stone ramp which were all a part of a small city once upon a time. Beyond the walls of this city are currently miles of farmland, and the Aegean Sea beyond. If nothing else, the view from the top of the ruins was very peaceful.

Opera house, Odessa, Ukraine

From there, we set sail through the Bosporus Straight into the Black Sea for Ukraine, and stopped in Odessa, Sevastopol, and Yalta. The port city of Odessa is considered the metropolis of Ukraine, but unlike other metropoli, there is an obvious lack of high-rises and very few people in the morning. It seemed like later in the day, people started coming out of the woodwork and it began feeling more like a city. There is some beautiful architecture, particularly their opera house, but the some of the older historic buildings, like the former palace of Prince Pototsky, that now serves as the fine arts museum, were left to decay.

Livadia Palace, Yalta, Ukraine

Sevastopol is a naval base for the Ukranian and Russian navies. Aside from this, the city was pretty unremarkable to visit. Besides being very hot and having a small shopping district, the highlight of this stop was watching a local dance group that performed some traditional local dances, including the Kozak dance. I remember watching culturally insensitive movies and cartoons as a kid, and wondering what this dance was all about; and then as I got older, wondering how one’s knees manage to stay intact throughout the dance. At any rate, it was quite a display of athleticism, but the show was so long that no amount of the performers’ clapping, singing, and wild dancing could keep me awake for the whole thing.

blue room, Livadia Palace

The claim to fame for much of this region of the world is their involvement in many wars. Among this history is the involvement in the World Wars. Yalta is the city where the Yalta conferences took place that determined the fate of much of Europe during World War II. The Livadia Palace where these conferences took place is a site to behold. It’s multitude of rooms and grandiose decor is a true reminder that things aren’t built the way they used to be. This stop in Ukraine seemed to be all about palaces, as evidently the trend during the Soviet era was to have one if you were anyone of importance. One interesting stop was “The Bird’s Nest” a castle that had been converted into… get this… and Italian restaurant. What?! Yes, and the food was nothing to write home about. Typically, I would stay away from such touristy things to do, but as it was a stop with the tour group from the cruise, we found ourselves dining there. The view was beautiful at least…

Ukraine… interesting country. Definitely not my favorite country that we visited on this trip. When people-watching, it seems like they primarily breed supermodels and prostitutes and sometimes, you can’t tell one from the other. There are a multitude of wafer-thin women who tower over 6 feet tall that still feel the need to wear 5-inch heels despite the cobblestone streets. The vibe is a bit cold and impersonal, and there are dicey dealers of black market caviar all over the place trying to sell you jars of their wares in broad daylight out of a plastic, obviously unrefrigerated, shopping bag.

View from Bird's Nest, Yalta, Ukraine

Bird's Nest, Yalta, Ukraine

Luckily after these stops, we were setting sail to Istanbul. More on that later…

Beer Dinner August 3, 2009

We had  a beer dinner last night, and it turned out to be a ridiculous amount of food and a lot of fun. I always enjoy trying to come up with new recipes that incorporate beer and then pairing the foods with various beers. As a rule of thumb, it’s always good to pair the food with the beer that you incorporated into the recipe.

Menu items ran the gammit and we tried to do small bites of foods and small tastes of beers. Sarah made a pretzel bread panini with mustard seed gouda and salami. It was delicious with Dogfish Head’s 60 Minute IPA. She also made a “pub cheese” that had some sharp cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and Speakeasy’s Untouchable pale ale in it. Needless to say, it pairs nicely with a hoppier beer as well. Then we had some jalepenos stuffed with spicy Italian sausage, mascarpone, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. This worked with either the 60 Minute IPA or Ayinger’s Celebrator doppelbock. I always feel like hoppier beers pair best with heavier/richer foods, but the malt characteristics of the Celebrator were surprisingly good with these stuffed jalepenos. The high level of carbonation and relatively light body of this doppelbock probably also contribute to this.

The smoker was working double-time in preparation for this dinner and we were able to put out smoked pork ribs that were prepped with a dry rub and mopped with a beer-baste throughout the cooking process. The ribs were served with homemade Beer-B-Q sauce, which was a tangy sauce made with Spaten’s Optimator. The meat was falling off the bones and super-flavorful. The ribs paired well with the same beer that was used in both the baste and the sauce – Optimator. Ayinger’s Celebrator brought out the smokiness of the meats and the sauce, although the flavor of the beer seemed to get lost a bit in the mix. Likewise, these beers were good  with smoked brisket and Asian slaw served on a Hawaiian bun as mini sandwiches. Yum!

To finish off the evening, we had some grilled peaches with a dollop of Grand Marnier  and orange zest infused mascarpone cheese and a drizzle of a Lindemans Framboise reduction. This dessert was fantastic with Cascade Brewing’s Cascade Cuvee du Jongleur. We also had some caramelized goat cheese that was coated with dark chocolate, which was a very interesting savory treat. The flavor combination of St. Peter’s Cream Stout and the chocolate-covered goat cheese was a pleasant surprise because the sweetness of the beer balanced the saltiness of the chocolate-coated cheese. There was also a smokey Rogue River blue cheese that paired well with Dogfish Head’s Palo Santo Marron as the rich maltiness of this 12% abv beer could round out the sharpness of the cheese.

This beer dinner was a lot of fun, and a bit more free-form than the standard beer pairings as we all transitioned back and forth between the beers mentioned above, and several others as well, to see which beers paired best with each food. It was much more interactive and was a great learning experience. I’ll definitely be doing this more often!

M.I.A. July 28, 2009

Chania, Crete

Yes, I’ve been absent for months now. And it’s not so much that I haven’t been drinking any beer or going anywhere noteworthy…just a little hiatus.  Just got back from traveling for a few weeks to Greece, Turkey, and Ukraine. Not necessarily places known for beers and, truth be told, I drank mostly wines, champagne, scotch, and raki during these travels. Raki? What’s that you ask? More on that later. The beers that were available there were primarily pilsners, and pretty unremarkable. They went down smoothly when served very cold though, which is just what we needed when walking in the sun through some serious heat. You noticing the similarity in the beers that predominate the warmer regions of the world?

Mythos seemed to be the brand of choice in Greece. And for a change, I wasn’t being picky. I needed something cold and wet, and a few rounds of the beer in 1/2 L servings was the perfect thing to wash down the kebabs and souvlaki sold at tavernas throughout Greece. Each taverna had their unique recipes for each of the traditional dishes and all paired very well with beer. I love Greek food, but the one dish that was most amazing was not one that I’d even heard of in the Americanized versions of Greek restaurants in the states. The dish was made with a block of manouri cheese, crusted with sesame seeds and fried and served with macerated cherries. It was decadent, and an amazing combination of crunchy and creamy textures and savory, sweet and tart flavors. And to boot, it was an amazing pairing with raki, the local distilled spirit in Crete made with grapes and various grains depending on the distillery. It is essentially ouzo without the anise added, so quite potent but with a very subtle sweetness and aroma and taste of raisins. This dish was served at Ouzeri in Fira, Santorini. All of the other dishes were quite nice as well. The local wines that we had with dinner left something to be desired, but sitting on a terrace in the midst of the pristine white buildings built into the cliffs of Santorini and drinking well-into the night was an amazing experience.

Mario #1 was another place that we visited on Santorini that was a great find. It was on Monolithos beach and the waiter just walks you up to the fish cart, with all the fresh seafood on ice, and you order up what you want so that they can prepare it fresh. The seafood is amazing! Super fresh and a meal that I can eat every day! Sitting in the warmth of summer on a beach in Santorini, eating fresh seafood and drinking a Mythos…. that’s a vacation.

Lin and mom on the Acropolis, Athens, Greece

In contrast, Chania, Crete has a more old world feel. A slightly darker port town with small cobblestone alleys filled with charming small shops and restaurants. It’s a treat to get lost in the maze of alleys exploring the hidden nooks and crannies that were just outside the more touristic shopping areas. There were several great restaurants, and one of my favorites was, Tamam. It’s located in an old bath house with an outdoor seatin area. The food was fantastic after a long travel day and like most other restaurants in Greece, they’re open late. I don’t think anyone eats dinner before 10pm there, and it suited me just fine. The local wines that they featured were nice and dry compared to the very young, and often too sweet, wines that are found locally. And of course dinner comes with a digestif of locally produced raki. The seafood was great at Tamam. In fact, all the food was fantastic. This place is definitely worth visiting again! I was tempted to go back the following night although we were only in town for 2 nights. I succumbed to curiosity though and ended up at Portes. Also with good food and a very cute atmosphere at the end of a charming little alley with outdoor seating being most popular. I have to admit that I enjoyed the food at Tamam more, but this place is also very cute and the owner of the restaurant even shared her son’s birthday cake with us. Her 9 year old son had actually made his own ice-cream cake and it wasn’t bad. The restaurant is owned and run by a married couple, the husband making the food and the wife waiting tables. It’s the type of place that you’ve gotta support!

Ancient ruins under the floor of the Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece

The mainland of Greece was not as charming, but so rich in culture and history that it’s awe-inspiring just walking around the cities. The juxtoposition of modern and ancient worlds is fascinating! The perfect example of this is the new Acropolis Museum, a very modern piece of architecture, that is literally built right on top of the ancient ruins. The ancient ruins are preserved and worked into the exhibit via the thick glass panels that make up the floor so that you can see the ancient structures beneath you. It’s an interesting concept, almost as though you’re hovering in mid-air peeking in on a world that had long ago been abandoned. The museum is huge and leaves you with so many questions about the daily lives of past civilizations. This was a recurring theme on this trip, one that makes me truly appreciate how exposure to different cultures can make you feel more aware of the world around you, yet somehow less significant. More on this trip later…

The Bruery’s 1st Anniversary bash May 18, 2009

The Bruery celebrated the completion of their first year in existence this weekend and they did it up proper…. with a big ol’ party. Serving multiple beers from 2 bars set up in their brewhouse, Beechwood BBQ booth outside and an assortment of snacks beer-battered and fried. I didn’t get to try the BBQ (because I was too fixated on trying the beers) but I heard it was delicious. Jer and I did get out in time to try a deep fried twinkie, although the thought of it horrified me initially. To my astonishment, it was pretty good, particularly with the beer batter on it.

The crew at The Bruery were pouring what seemed to be their entire arsenal of unique beers. The beers featured varied, from light refreshing sour beers to very chewy strong ales. I have to admit it was difficult to drink much of the heavier beers that day because it was really hot and steamy in the brewhouse with so many warm bodies in there, but I managed to take some sips of some of the heavy hitting barrel aged beers. The Melange #3 which is a blend of bourbon barrel-barrel aged ales is very rich and malt dominated with distinct bourbon-like vanilla presence in it. It also had a strong presence of molasses on the palate making it very chewy. Papier, a brandy barrel-aged ale, which they had both on tap and were opening special release bottles of every hour was also very strong but with more of a hint of peaches. I thought that the high alcohol content was well-masked despite the massive 15% abv of the Melange #3 and the 14.5% abv of Papier.

I also really enjoyed the sour beers that was being poured that day. They had 4 very approachable sour beers that were are quite nice. I think that my favorite is still the Cuvee Jeune that I also had at LA CABAL’s craft beer fest, but the White Zin and the Gypsy Tart were also very refreshing and nice, considering the heat. I think the only draw-back to drinking so many sour beers that day was that I felt like I was starting to smell like vinegar… although that may have been in my head (Perhaps all this beer drinking at various fests and parties is actually pickling me!).

At the end of the day, I was tempted to try to take a growler of the Cuvee Jeune home, but talked myself out of it to get a growler of the Humulus Ambre instead. It’s a Belgian-style amber with nice hop characteristic to make it clean and a great session beer. I figured that a half-gallon of this would go down more easily and make me smell a bit better to friends and family. After all, I hardly think that self-preservation is meant to be taken that literally.

At any rate, I’m glad to see that The Bruery is doing so well, particularly during difficult economic times and since they make such unique beers that you would think that only beer geeks would enjoy them. However, it again shows how ready SoCal is for it’s very own craft beer culture. And their success definitely goes to show that good beer is truly still an affordable luxury. Cheers to many more anniversaries to come!

The Inaugural Craft Beer Fest LA! May 12, 2009

Yes, this post is a little late, but that’s what happens when I’m spending so many days in a beer induced haze from going to all these beer events. Beer season is in full swing! This past Saturday, LA CABAL (Los Angeles Craft and Artisanal Beer Appreciation League) hosted their first craft beer fest at the Echoplex. It was a huge success considering how many people showed up! There were great beers, all from California. Some of the featured breweries were Stone, Green Flash, Craftsman, Ballast Point, Telegraph, Port Brewing, Sierra Nevada, and The Bruery. The foods that were presented at the event were also good, but the beers definitely took center stage.

My favorite beer of the event? Surprisingly, it was the young lambic called Cuvee Jeune by The Bruery. Perhaps it was the heat trapped in the building but what seemed to be too many warm bodies packed into a windowless, indoor space. But, in my mind, this beer was really good! It had a nice earthy sourness, that was not overpowering, and a light body and clean finish. Cuvee Jeune proved to be a perfect refreshment for this event and also served to clean my palate between snacks. It paired great with a soft, creamy, super-sexy cheese brought by Hot Knives, called Cana de Oveja. Yum… I’ll be re-creating that pairing at home sometime for sure!

As far as the rest of the goings-on of the Craft Beer Fest, there are too many good beers to name and overall, the event was very well-thought out. I loved that sheer variety of the beers and foods! There were great local bands and even a “Craft Beer Roundtable” featuring some of the local beer scene’s heavy hitters discussing the finer points of cultivating the much needed beer community that has traditionally been missing from Los Angeles. The organizing snafus were relatively minor considering this was the first Craft Beer Fest put on by LA CABAL, and it was really the best case scenario for the beer community that there was this much un-anticipated support for this type of event. I would definitely recommend future LA CABAL beer events to anyone willing to listen, and hope to see a continually growing beer community there! It’s super-fantastic to see that Los Angeles is primed and ready for more good beer!

Craft Beer Fest – Los Angeles May 8, 2009

Again faced with the issue of so many beers and so little time… I’ll be heading out to the Echoplex tomorrow for Los Angeles Craft and Artisanal Beer Appreciation League’s (LACABAL) first craft beer festival. It’ll be nice to have a festival in Los Angeles that’s truly devoted to craft beers rather than the ones put on by the brewing industry giants masquerading to be something else. (Yes, you know what I’m talking about…) Looking forward to a good day. More to come after I try all those beers!

Southern California Homebrewers Fest May 3, 2009

SoCal Homebrewers Fest

This weekend was the Southern California Homebrewers Fest at Lake Casitas. It’s a camping, beer drinking extravaganza where many California homebrew clubs get together and showcase the best of their beers and their craftsmanship with building portable tap systems. Contrary to the name of the festival, there are actually homebrew clubs from all over California, and homebrew afficionados seemingly come out of the woodwork (perhaps from the very woodworkings of the home-made tap systems) to join in the festivities. There’s nothing like the combination of two of my favorite things, nature and beer. Actually, the campsites are so tightly packed with RVs, cars, tents, and beer drinkers that there is little semblance of being out in nature aside from the painful absence of sinks with running water, showers, and nice fluffy beds. Some people may argue that the smell of all the warm, beer-soaked, unwashed bodies that are packed into the area is the essence of “nature”, but it’s generally not my definition of it.

Camping woes aside, the festival actually had a great showing and was well-organized. There were more beers than I could taste in a single day, albeit a long day. Well, actually, I may have been able to taste all the beers, but it certainly would not have ended well (and praying to the porcelain god in the form of a campground toilet is unthinkable in my world…. eeew!). There was a surprising number of English milds and bitters, but they do go down smoothly while being out in the sun all day. There were also abundant other styles of beers ranging from fruited lagers, to Belgian strongs, to sour beers. There were also beers available to taste from some commercial brewers like The Bruery and Alesmith. The event organizers had managed to get some good guest speakers (Peter Zien from Alesmith and Mitch Steele from Stone) to inspire the homebrewers who are looking to improve their products and maybe even go pro. Then there were some local bands that played music until the end of the festival at 10pm.

view of lake from SCHF

Ale Camino beertaps

Surfboard taps at Foam on the Brain

After all the festivities of the day, the Maltose Falcons (SoCal’s largest home-brew club) has the aptly named “Dead Palate Society” tasting. It happens late in the evening after the closing of the fest where the members of the club get together and “bring out their dead”. In other words, the funkiest, strongest tasting commercially available beers are brought out because everyone’s palates are presumably so deadened after an entire weekend of tasting different beers. It’s an entertaining event that goes on until the wee hours of the morning.

The event was a lot of fun and it’s always great to see how far the long reach of the beer-community extends. People from all walks of life, coming together for a common purpose – to share their beers.

me and dad-in-law at SCHF

Southern California Homebrewers Fest April 27, 2009

Putting myself together in preparation for what will surely be a good weekend. I’m hitting the Southern California Homebrewer’s Fest at Lake Casitas this weekend. Looking forward to checking it out. Jer will be bringing some of his Black Mild and the 2008 Jubilee, a spiced olde ale. There are plentiful entertainment, beer activities and homebrews that will be served up over the weekend and it will undoubtedly be some entertaining people watching. More to come after the weekend!

Apres Snowboarding April 19, 2009

Fifty Fifty Brewing

After a long day of snowboarding (yes, there’s still snow in the hills), there’s nothing more relaxing than loosening the boots and having a beer! And who doesn’t love a good happy hour? Whiskey Creek in Mammoth Lakes, California has a great happy hour where all the menu items are half-price, and pints and pitchers are discounted as well. Oddly, the one exception to the happy hour prices are desserts. Luckily after glutting yourself on all the food and beer that you order, there’s no room anyways.  It always amuses me to see people order twice the amount of food because it’s half the price…

The second floor of Whiskey Creek is where the bar is at, and where this happy hour takes place. It is also the home of Mammoth Brewing Company. Overall, their beers are pretty good, with some styles being much better than the others. Two worth checking out are the Double Nut Brown and the Epic IPA. These beers both go well with the pub foods that are typical on their menu and are pretty true to the beer-styles in which they’re brewed. The crowd that this place draws after a good snow day is crazy, and since the happy hour only goes on from 4p-530pm be sure to get there early to grab a table!

Another great apres snowboarding place to hit, requires first that you be in the North Lake Tahoe area. But trust me, this place is well-worth the travel. Hands-down, one of my favorite brewpubs is Fifty Fifty Brewing Company in Truckee.  They have a lot of great tasting beers and you can get a sampler for a fantastic price!  If I remember correctly, you can get a generous sampler of 8 of their beers for around $15. Their beers taste great, and the food is also great. They also have growlers and bottles that you can take with you when you leave, and you’ll want to. Their Imperial Eclipse Stout is a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout that is very strong and rich (the way most mountain cougars like their men). The deep vanilla and bourbon flavors in this beer are great and paired well with the chocolate mousse cake that we had for dessert.

Other good places for a refreshing beer after a day of snowboarding were mentioned in a previous post on Salt Lake City. And, of course, Colorado ski resort areas have no shortage of great brewpubs to visit. Traditionally, it seems like California has had fewer good breweries per capita than some of the other southwestern states. But it’s good to see that it’s improving and that California is on it’s way to being a heavy-hitter in the craftbeer world. So, what are you waiting for? There’s still time to play in the snow a little and enjoy some great beer and food afterwards. It’s the closest definition I’ve got to a perfect day in the winter or spring.

Paradox by Brewdog April 3, 2009

Very dark. Aroma has a hint of bourbon, raisins and toffee. Malt forward with full-body and full-flavor. Subtle roast, some vanilla and very smooth. Everything an imperial stout should be. Delicious!