Beer Dinner - Lavery Brewing Company

 
If you know me or anything about me, you know I love craft beer, and equally love hosting beer dinners.

Yesterdays craft beer dinner was a four course meal with beer pairings from Lavery Brewing Co. out of Erie, PA.
First Course we enjoyed an excellent Salmon Gravlox with small rye croutons, shaved pickled egg, dehydrated lemon wheels and a citrus honey mustard. Created to pair with the Imperial Red Ale. 

Chef and I are humble enough to admit when we didn't have it perfect. The beer excellent. The dish amazing. The pairing? Not bad, but a small miss in our opinion. We had hoped for a touch more heat from the curing process that could have been elevated by the hop forwardness of this American Red Ale. From a tactile perspective it was dead on, and again it was nice, not perfect. Sorry.

Course number 2 however, incredible!

A bowl of warm caramelized scallops and cauliflower were served in a bowl with our house bacon and leeks. Table side the potato soup was poured over the garnishes  to create a waft of smokey, sweet aromas from around the edges of the soup. The Imperial French Style Ale that the dish was created to pair with is an 11.5% monster that can't really be categorized due to its complex ingredients and massive hopping that is both sweet and hoppy. The pairing was absolutely incredible. The richness of the soup, the smokey notes of bacon, the bite of the leeks were just the right combination to hold hands with this "Triple IPA?" "Hoppy Saison?" 

The entree course, I thought was equally successful. As you can see from the menu, as an Irish-esque Brewery, we designed an Irish inspired menu, and what better month for it, than March? Their Dulachan is an excellent 5.6% IPA chock full of big hop aromas and flavors and named after the Irish Grim Reaper.The dish was a variation on corned beef, where Chef Critchfield sent brisket through a schedule of brining, drying, rubbing and slow roasting. It was then thinly sliced and served with traditional colcannon, fried leeks and an sauce made using the breweries 1847 Rye Stout. The bitter and creamy sauce was lightened by the citrus notes in the beer and the leeks paired perfect. The brisket, while less "corned" than traditional, was just enough meat to let the colcannon shine as the perfect partner to this beer/food match up.

Lastly we reach dessert! I absolutely love this smoked porter and I was so happy with the pairing tonight. Chef used our signature bread pudding to create a sticky toffee pudding with a toffee sauce, caramel brittle and vanilla ice cream. There is a very dry, smokey and actually some toffee note in the beer and the two complimented each other tremendously.

If ever there were brewers/owners/people you wanted to hang out with or host a beer dinner with, its Jason and Niki. Is it too soon to say "I love you guys?" Probably, but you get the gist.


Then the wheels came off!! Niki noticed that I didn't list the AbV of each beer on my chalkboard list of 20 taps, mayhem ensued! - AGtheDir

I'll be sure to share some findings more often and as always, Drink Good America! And for additional fun with beer, food and service, be sure to check out the other blog with Hunt Chef and I

Craft Beer Review: Tallgrass Brewing, IPA

I'll Start by saying that I had absolutely no intention of writing a beer review tonight. However, after just a single sip of this one, I put my clothes back on, grabbed my coat and went straight back to work, where my laptop was. Now, that really isn't that heroic of an effort, considering my office and my bedroom share the same parking lot. BUT BY GOLLY, I did it!

 For today's craft beer review I'm SLOWLY savoring an incredible IPA from Tallgrass Brewing Co. out of Manhattan, KS.

A gorgeous 16oz big boy can of 6.3% AbV, 60 IBU well crafted IPA. I poured it into a 12oz glass. I wanted a small portion to enjoy straight from the can too.

It poured a very pale, golden color with a tight soapy lacing.  It had a mild 1.5 finger head that dissipated at a normal pace.

The nose isn't quite what I expected, and it was excellent, as the hops have a charming citrus note that is backed by a scone-like bready note and sweet caramels.

On the tongue this baby was an absolute rock star! Smooth and velvety. Earthy and citrusy hops. Big, tongue coating, hop oils that linger forever. Also an oily caramel layer that just leaves an incredible feeling on the lips and tip of the tongue. I know that may sound like its too heavy, but it is such an incredible balance of flavors between the malt and hops, that this richness holds it in place for a very enjoyable, lengthy finish.

The portion I enjoyed straight from the can, did not sway from anything I've written, so we'll just leave it at that.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  And I beat that to death in the last paragraph

I'll be sure to share some findings more often and as always, Drink Good America! And for additional fun with beer, food and service, be sure to check out the other blog with Hunt Chef and I

BrrrrrrrrrrrooooooooaaaaaaaaaaOOOOOO! (That's the sound an elephant makes)

- AGtheDir

A Collaboration is Brewing: PA Beer Announcement

Two incredible Pennsylvania breweries are hooking up on a collaborative brewing effort to produce a East Coast style IPA worthy of respect!


In talking with Jason Lavery, President/Brewer for Lavery Brewing Company, he gave me a little insight to the brew day with Full Pint Brewing scheduled for this coming Tuesday. The idea of doing a beer together sparked over a just by chance pint between Jason Lavery and Sean Hallisey when both of the breweries were in infancy stages, followed by another run in a few years later when Jake Kristophel of Full Pint called Jason to borrow some saison yeast.

Now the two breweries hang out on a regular basis at any number of Pennsylvania brew fests and as a solid community of beer heads would anticipate, a collaboration was born.

The well thought out IPA, will be brewed using Lavery's brewery in Erie, PA, now equipped with the resources to brew a big, hoppy, east coast style brew. After speaking with Jason about his general hop recipe, he said  "There are new hops on the market every year and I want to play with them all. This is a chance to experiment with some of them. So we chose Apollo, Bravo and Delta hops and then decided on Columbus to make out A.B.C.D. Its a light orange in color with a good amount of Vienna malt, Finnish pale malt, a touch of biscuit a bit of light Crystal malt for sweetness."

"Not exactly sure what the hop profile will be, but it will have nearly 4 pounds of hops/barrel, half of which are in the dry hop, so it will be very fragrant and aromatic"

As your humble supplier of info, I must personally say I love both of these incredible breweries, and after last years beer dinner I did with Full Pint and the upcoming dinner I'm doing with Lavery on March 28th, as well as my love for East Coast IPA, I couldn't be more excited to see the results!

STOP! Collaborate and Listen!
-AGtheDir

Craft CIDER Review: Arsenal Cider, Fighting Elleck

I always loved the the idea of the Cider House named Dickens!  For today's craft beer CIDER review I'm sipping on a local cider, made with local apples, that was hand delivered by the brewer in 1/6 barrels right to my door!

That's right! Bill Larkin of Arsenal Cider House in Lawrenceville, PA personally drove up 2 sixtels of fresh hard cider, straight to my door following a visit I made to their house just 2 weeks prior! My Brew-nette lover, Emily Kate, is a die hard for good cider and while we were on a date night to see one of our favorite musicians perform a solo acoustic show, I made sure to treat her to a buffet of glassware filled with excellent local cider.  


Im enjoying an 8oz pour on tap of a 8% ABV hard cider known as Fighting Elleck. And it will be waiting for you at The Stone House

It poured a very pale, straw color with bubbles dancing up and down the center of the liquid.  It had a very spritzy, soda like head that puffs and falls rapidly.

The nose provides that of tart Braeburn apples with hints of golden raisin and honeysuckle. There are also touches of fresh cut grass, like that of a New Zealand Sauv Blanc and yeasty essences.

The flavor was very similar and resembled that of a champagne, but with fresh local, hand pressed apples.  Bright, refreshing, grassy, and biscuit are the prominent features. It is hard to decide if this falls into the semi-sweet or the off-dry category, but Im going with semi-sweet. The combination was fresh and quenching. 

The mouthfeel was light bodied.  Fresh, crisp, tart.  The carbonation was mild and right for the style.  The finish on the cider can be lengthy and left the mouth watering and puckered.


I'll be sure to share some findings more often and as always, Drink Good America! And for additional fun with beer, food and service, be sure to check out the other blog with Hunt Chef and I

Click, BOOM!
- AGtheDir

Craft Beer Review: Helltown Brewing, Spiteful Saison

Craft Beer Review: Helltown Brewing, Spiteful Saison, Mt. Pleasant
If you enjoy today's review, please feel free to go straight to Hell(town)!

Brewed around the corner in Mt. Pleasant, PA by Helltown Brewing Company, Spiteful is a glorious version of a saison, and a personal favorite for me! I first met the guys of Helltown at a small local beerfest that was taking place in the summer 2012 at a neighboring resort. Nothing but a bunch of cool, laid back dudes that spend what little time they have outside of their "normal" day jobs, brewing awesome, hop forward and eccentric styles of beer.

This particular brew is bottled in a 750ml with cork and cage closure at 6.25% ABV. Now available in this format at The Stone House

It poured a super clear straw, with a white head that steadied into a nice 1.5 finger depth, was rocky and held tight.  The lacing, was pretty but short lived.  

I found a nice dose of citrus, white pepper, hay and mild barnyard funk in the aroma. Also to be found was a wheaty malt note and an hint of sweet esters.

Not found in the nose, but available to the taste was a slight nutiness that derives from this "style". You still enjoy the lemon pith, white pepper spiciness, and the farmhouse funk. The sour notes were very palpable and low.  

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Spicy and actively carbonated.  The carbonation provided a a little extra push of tang through the yeast.   The finish on the beer was medium longevity.

Drink Local....or if you don't live around here, drink someone else's LOCAL! Support your local brewer! Supoort PA beer. Support Pittsburgh Beer. Support a nano-brewer. For god's sake, just support good beer!

I'll be sure to share some findings more often and as always, Drink Good America! And for additional fun with beer, food and service, be sure to check out the other blog with Hunt Chef and I

To Hell and Back!
 - AGtheDir

Craft Beer Review: Somerville Brewing, Slumbrew, Snow Angel Imperial IPA

I start every blog promising to do this more often!  For today's craft beer review I type in pure, unadulterated joy!
Brewed in Ipswich, MA by Somerville Brewing Company, (AKA 'Slumbrew') Snow Angel is understood as the first in a series of hop concentrated ales to be experimented with and produced by Slumbrew and I can only call it luck that I received a bottle! I must be sure to give a big thanks to Mike Duhgus Johnson of FestPics, for taking the time to send me both the bottle and the gorgeous glass (as well as a small slew of other Slumbrew branded items. 

Not often enough, but sometimes, I am lucky to know some great people willing to make the effort to trade beers so that we may all expand our knowledge of the craft world. This was just that case. And while I generally wait for the right time to taste a freshly traded/shipped beer, I could not in this case

This hoppy love sits in a 22oz bomber at 9% ABV and a strong 80 IBU's.

It poured a super clear copper with specks of yeast cells that have fallen out of suspension..  The white  head puffed right up to a nice 1.5 finger depth, was very creamy but faded quickly.  The lacing, while gentle and fine, held to the glass for the majority of the first glass.  

I found a great deal of citrus and stone fruit forwardness in the aroma of the hops, followed by smooth grainy malt aromas and an apparent sweetness emanating from what I assume is the alcohol content.

Bitter, chewy, wilted floral, and citrus hoppy was just the beginning. I thought that it had so many different elements, that I found it hard to concentrate, but fun to search through. It was a roller coaster of hops, bitters, fruits, malts, fruits, bitters, hops. 

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Chewy. Sweet. Bitter.  The carbonation started strong, but I was surprised by the fade.   The finish on the beer was lengthy especially in the hoppy bitterness. oh, and it is imperial, so I hope I spell the rest of this review correctly.

I hope you can also find a way to taste this beer! Cheers to my dear friends Jeff and Caitlin! Keep Brewing! Can't wait to try 'Naked Hopularity'

I'll be sure to share some findings more often and as always, Drink Good America! And for additional fun with beer, food and service, be sure to check out the other blog with Hunt Chef and I 

Slum It Up!
 - AGtheDir

Craft Beer Review: Lavery Brewing Company, La Bealtaine,

Well, getting back at it here!  For today's craft beer review I'm going back in time to a few weeks ago when I experienced my first taste of a very interesting craft ale known as La Bealtaine.

Brewed in Erie, PA by Lavery Brewing Company this is introduced on its label as a "Hoppy American Wheat Ale" or "White Fire Wheat Ale"

While I'm sadly not drinking it right this second, because hot damn, it was good, I have all of my notes in front of me to be able to finally type this thing up.If it matters to you, I am currently sipping on some GLBC Conway Irish Red while I type.


If you would like to pause for a second and read their side label giving a brief but excellent understanding of the story behind this creation just look to your left

This baby sits in a 22oz bomber at 5% ABV and a perfect 35 IBU's. And I hope that I soon have it sitting, waiting for you at The Stone House

It poured a gorgeous hazy orange hue with glimmering specs of gold.  The eggshell colored head puffed right up to a solid 2.5 finger depth, was very frothy and dissipated slowly.  The lacing, while gentle and fine, held to the glass for the majority of the first glass.  There was also just a touch of yeast that fell out of suspension and to the bottom of the glass.
This was not a new'ish nose for me.  Note only do we have big fresh citrus floral hops, but we have a clean grain and cut grass aroma. I also get something of a peppery note, like white pepper. We also had a strong resin-y middle-punch. This beer had an awesome nose.  

The flavor was very similar with even more cheeky attributes.  Bright, refreshing, grassy, and hoppy was the intial hit followed by a very piney resin note and light snacking cracker breadiness. The combination was very fresh and quenching.  I enjoyed this great combination.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Fresh, crisp, sharp.  The carbonation was just right for the style and added an extra level of quaff-ability   The finish on the beer was lengthy and left the mouth watering and happy.  It was very solid for a beer that by American standards almost hits "session."

I know this is my first review in a while in general, and my very first from this brewery, so you wouldnt necessarily know how much I am falling in love with their offerings.  This one was particularly fun. 

I'll be sure to share some findings more often and as always, Drink Good America! And for additional fun with beer, food and service, be sure to check out the other blog with Hunt Chef and I

Slainte!
 - AGtheDir