Epic Brewing Sour Apple Saison

Epic Sour Apple Saison (8.1% alcohol): This beer from Epic Brewing Company in Salt Lake City, Utah pours a translucent, light yellow – almost the color of straw – with a white head that dissipates quickly. Tart apple can be picked up by the nose immediately, but I also noticed a bit of earthy spiciness, most noticeably clove? Sour Apple Saison definitely lives up to its name. This beer is brewed with Weyermann pilsner malt, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and other spices. As for flavor, the overall sourness dominates. However, I really enjoyed this brew. It was quite different than some of the other saisons I’ve had in the past as well as the sour beers I’ve tried (all on draft). Most of the sour beers I’ve tried are too sour. Epic Brewing did a fantastic job of balancing out the sourness as well as masking the high alcohol content of this beer. I would have guessed it had an ABV of 5%, but I was clearly wrong when I discovered it had more than 8% ABV. There are different batches of this beer, and some of them have 8.4% ABV, so take a look at which batch you are buying. Overall, I enjoyed this beer and would purchase it again. I found the sourness a bit overpowering after the first glass, so I would definitely recommend buying this to share! Cheers

Polenta Triangles

It’s hard to find a light dinner when you want something a little more substantial than a salad. I recently found this recipe for Polenta Triangles from Mostly Meatless Methods. Pair these with your favorite side for a flavorful dinner or lunch. These are also great to use for an appetizer – you can pre-cut the polenta triangles before a party and then heat them up in minutes when your guests are ready to eat. Save time and give your guests an appetizer that they won’t forget!

Ingredients:

Photo Courtesy of http://www.mostlymeatlessmethods.blogspot.com

• 1/2 cup polenta or cornmeal
• 1/2 cup amber ale (I like Fat Tire Amber Ale, but it’s not sold everywhere)
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 oz. feta cheese (crumbled)
• 2 oz. diced pimentos

Cooking Directions: (Makes 8 polenta triangles)

1. Combine polenta and ale in a small bowl.
2. Mix well and set aside.
3. Pour vegetable broth into a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
4. Add garlic to polenta/ale mixture.
5. Mix well.
6. Return to a boil, cover and reduce heat.
7. Cook for about 20 minutes over low heat.
8. Remove from heat and stir in feta cheese until it is melted.
9. Add pimentos and stir well.
10. Spreay an 8×8 inch square plan with non-stick spray.
11. Spoon polenta mixture into pan and spread out evenly.
12. Cover and place in the refrigerator for about one hour or until completely cooled and solid.
13. Warm of griddle. (You can use George Forman grill)
14. Cut polenta into four 4-inch squares and cut diagonally into 8 triangles.
15. Grill triangles until golden brown, flip and heat other side.

Dobrou Chut!

Pop Up Beer Garden: Yes, Please!

I go to Philadelphia for two reasons: Miss Tootsie’s fried chicken and beer!

On a recent trip, I thought it would be a great idea to use Siri to get around. We parked on South Broad Street, search local brewpubs and started walking. After two failed attempts to find what we were looking for – somewhere in the Redding Terminal Market and near Logan Circle (Logan Square) – we winded up at Con Murphy’s. We were hot, tired and thirsty; so we chugged our beer, headed toward the car and prepared to eat some phenomenal fried chicken.

As I was putting coins in the meter, I saw tons of people entering what appeared to be an empty lot. We checked it out and low and behold – The PHS Pop Up “Beer” Garden.

The Garden is an outdoor space to hang out with friends, have a few locally-brewed beers, enjoy some “picnic-inspired” food and just be outdoors. This is the first I have stumbled upon something like this, and I thought it was really cool.

If you’re in the Philly area, I strongly suggest stopping by. It was a great experience hanging out here for a couple of hours.

By the way – in case you were wondering – we did make it to Miss Tootsie’s after a few more beers!

Arugula Salad with Sweet and Sour Beer Dressing

When I think of recipes that call for beer, I usually think of something unhealthy. My brain naturally associates cooking with beer to the pub scene – burgers, beer cheese dip, beer-battered anything ect. But, that’s not the way it has to be! If you’ve read any of my “Beer Chef” posts, than you know I am always looking for something a little bit different. I was pleasantly surprised when I came across a recipe for salad dressing made with beer from Women’s Health. I’d never heard of such a thing. Finally!  I found this recipe for Arugula Salad with Sweet and Sour Beer Dressing.

Photo Courtesy of Levi Brown http://www.womenshealthmag.com

Ingredients: (Makes 4 servings)

• 2 tbsp. tamarind paste – You can find this at Indian and Asian Markets or the international foods section of your supermarket (TIP: If you can’t get hold of tamarind paste, you can use 1/4 cup of orange juice mixed with 2 tbsp. of lime juice as a substitute.)
• 1/2 cup fruit flavored beer – this recipe recommends using raspberry or cherry flavored (TIP: If you’re making this recipe in the summer, there should be plenty of fruit beers available. However, if you’re not sure what to get, Sam Adams Cherry Wheat is always a safe option.)
• 1 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp. coriander powder
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne powder
• 1/2 cup pecans roughly chopped
• 4 cups arugula
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
• 3 oz. crumbled feta cheese
• Salt – to taste

Cooking Directions:

1. In a bowl, pour 1/2 cup boiling water over tamarind paste and let sit for 20 minutes.
2. Place mixture in a blender with the beer, brown sugar, fennel seeds, coriander, cayenne pepper and salt.
3. Process until smooth.
4. In a dry skillet, toast pecans for 2 minutes stirring often (TIP: Don’t turn your burner on past medium-heat because the nuts will burn quickly!)
5. In a large bowl, combine aruguila, spinach and bell pepper.
6. Divide salad among 4 plates and top with egg slices, feta cheese and toasted pecans.
7. Drizzle the beer dressing on top.

Nutritional Information:

• 290 calories per serving
• 20 grams of fat (6 grams saturated fat)
• 16 grams carbohydrates
• 410 miligrams sodium
• 3 grams fiber
• 12 grams protein

Dobrou chuť!