Thanksgiving meals, like Christmas, have a number of challenges when it comes to pairings. The turkey is sweet but can be rather flavourless. Sweet potato casserole can be extremely sweet indeed. There tends to be a lot of butter floating around, as well as cranberry sauce, gravy, and (at least in my household!) mustard sauce, [...]
It being Labor Day, and traditionally a cook-out kind of day, I decided to combine an old classic, a new twist, and something fantastic.
Burgers – who doesn’t like them? Brie – a cheese I have only recently discovered a liking for. And beer – the classic combo.
I went with the Indian Brown Ale from [...]
Continue reading about Brie Burger and Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale
I had the privilege of presenting a high gravity only beer dinner at the J Clyde on Saturday. I call it a privilege, but really it was a dirty job… but I did it, because I am That Kind Of Guy. No, no praise necessary. I Took One For The Team.
Grilled Gulf Shrimp served on [...]
Being a Team Player, I took on the onerous duty of working out which beers are best paired with pulled pork BBQ. I made the pulled pork myself, allowing a large chunk of pork to lie wreathed in mesquite smoke for 18 hours. It was indeed a hard task, but somehow we pulled through relatively [...]
Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan may be one of the most versatile beers to pair with food. I’ve tried it with a number of dishes with great success. One recent pairing inspired me to get all artistic and take a photo of a Southern Pecan bottle framed by my homegrown bounty of tarragon. Some herbs do better [...]
Continue reading about Tarragon Chicken Salad + Southern Pecan Brown Ale
Judgment Day is a Belgian-style Quadrupel brewed with raisins. It’s pretty well-received by the BeerAdvocate crowd. Lost Abbey seems to be getting mythical status with the BA folks, having no beer rated less than a ‘B’ and many beers at the ‘A+’ level. Whatareyougonnado? Belgian-style beers are exceedingly popular, for good reason. And no [...]
Continue reading about Lost Abbey Judgment Day + Chicken Wellington
Each year for Valentine’s Day my wife and I forgo the typical high-priced prix fixe menus and predictably poor service that accompanies dining out on Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve, and Mother’s Day. Instead, we indulge ourselves in a gourmet meal, which I prepare, followed by dessert, which my wife prepares.
This year, we settled on filet mignon, [...]
Continue reading about Two Brothers Opus 10 + Filet Mignon and Roquefort Salad
This may have been a once-in-a-lifetime pairing. I hope not.
This past saturday, the family and I went to The Exceptional Foundation’s Fifth Annual Chili Cookoff in Homewood Park. The event was widely advertised on Live 100.5 since a.) they were a sponsor, and b.) 100.5 artist Tim Brantley was one of the live performances, and it was ridiculously crowded. [...]
I’m a big fan of breakfast food. Huge fan. Most Saturdays you’ll find me cooking up some hearty breakfast containing eggs and/or bacon.
However, I never drink beer at breakfast, and have no desire to do so. So I’ve been intending for some time to do a “breakfast for dinner” thing to try a beer pairing [...]
Continue reading about Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier + Egg Sandwich
Re-visiting the St Ambroise Stout with a bit more of a challenge – paired with a nice spicy chili. Would the stout’s feathers be ruffled by the spice?
Of course not. The rich coffee flavour perfectly complements the chili and moderates the heat, without becoming harsh or unpleasant.
As for the brownies? Well… they are chocolate. See [...]
Continue reading about St Ambroise Stout with chili and chocolate brownies