Cooking with Beer: Drunken Sweet Potatoes

Ask this Brewette to bring a side dish to Thanksgiving dinner, you are going to end up with something cooked in beer.  The assumption that every brewer is a great cook goes right out the window with me.  My kind of cooking consists of one of three things: frozen pizza, microwave enchiladas, or crockpot chicken.  Faced with the challenge of making a side dish of sweet potatoes, I went to my nearest beer fridge.  I pulled out one of my brews, PBP (Peanut Butter Porter), took a sip, and was instantly inspired.

Drunken Sweet Potatoes
serves 8

* 4 sweet potatoes
* 22 oz of dark beer (I recommend H2 Brewing's PBP)
* Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Allspice
* Butter

1.  Open 22oz beer and drink.
2.  Start pealing and cutting four medium sweet potatoes
3.  Have another sip of beer
4.  Bring to boil 32 oz of water with 16 oz of beer.  Put in sweet potatoes.
5.  Let sweet potatoes cook for 30 minutes until soft.
6.  Drain potatoes and mash in a mixing bowl.  Add a smidge of butter, the rest of the beer, a pinch of salt, and some cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to taste.  You might want to add a bit of brown sugar if you like a little more sweetness.
7.  Put mash into an oven safe dish and reheat at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.
8.  Serve with a full pint of beer and enjoy.

Spice up your Turkey Day spread with a dish that will entice the beer lover in all of us.

Beervalation: Pyramid Brewery

Pyramid Brewery started back in 1984 in the town of Kalama, WA.  Over the last 28 years, they have made history with their Pale Ale being deemed America's first microbrew, along with having the first wheat ale available all year long post Prohibition.  Growing up in Seattle, I remember always seeing empty Pyramid Hefeweizen's bottles in my garage recycle bin.  Throughout my beer years, I have come to disregard Pyramid as a go to brewery in Seattle.  A happenstance stop last week changed my mind.

Looking at the beer available on their taplist, I was intrigued with all the unfamilar ones.  I quickly filled up my tasting board with five newbies.
Sample #1:  Fresh Hop Amber Ale (MacTarnahan's)
I'm a sucker for anything with fresh hops.  Blame it on my great grandfather, the hop farmer.  This amber was mildly malty which helped showcase the citrusy hop taste straight off the vine.  Clean and refreshing for any hophead to enjoy.
Sample #2:  Hop Tep 2
An American IPA with a mild citrusy nose, I enjoyed every sip.  At 6.7%, this was a hearty IPA, but not overpowering with malt.  In a head to head battle with Pyramid's Thunderhead IPA, Hop Tep would dominate.
Sample #3:  Super Snow Cap
Snow Cap is by far my go to winter warmer.  When I saw that there was a Super Snow Cap, I knew that it would become an instant favorite.  Same great flavor, same great malt profile, just a ton more ABV.  I think this brew would be fantastic on nitro.
Sample #4:  Chai Wheat
I have found that all hoppy beer drinkers have one thing in common.  Well, honestly, more than one thing.  But what I am trying to get at is that we all tend to love super strong coffee.  That being said, I find myself enjoying a hot chai every now again.  With only a few chai beers under my belt, I cautiously ordered a sample of Pyramid's Chai Wheat.  Finally, a brewery got it right.  A wheat beer was the perfect vehicle to carry the chai spice throughout.  This one sample made me daydream of a hot crackling fire, a DVD, and a growler full of this brew.
Sample #5:  Eye of Ra
Beer played a prevalent role in Ancient Egypt, much like Pyramid Brewery has played a vital role in the growing popularity of the American microbrew.  Used as a symbol of protection, the Eye of Ra also ensured the safety of the bearer.  This rye beer was aptly named as it would be a safe bet for whatever your style preference.  A little spicy, a little hoppy, a little malty, and a lot of goodness.

Whoever said, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" obviously didn't know Pyramid Brewery.  An inspiring leader for the 140+ microbreweries in Washington alone, the brewers continue to reinvent their styles and stretch their creativity.  Stop in, grab a sampler board, and be amazed.


Pyramid Brewery
www.pyramidbrew.com

Above the Bar: 2bar Spirits

With less than a month under their belt, 2bar Spirits already has all the support that they need.  Friends, old and new, gathered at their benefit on Wednesday night.  Not knowing much about the distilling world, I met up with Nathan Kaiser, owner and head distiller, to get a run down on how he got that full bodied vodka I quickly fell in love with from those huge sacks of wheat.

2bar, whose namesake comes from the five generation ranch in Kaiser's family, uses all Washington grown wheat, corn, and barley in their spirits.  By the time I had arrived to their new facility in SoDo,  Nathan had a batch in mid sparge.  Much like beer making, distilling involves getting the sugar from the grain in order to ferment into alcohol.  2bar was in the midst of sparging a 200 gallon batch.  The wort running off the grains into one of his four country women crooner named fermenters, was light and sweet.  Nathan used a refractometer, the same tool I used at Two Mountain Winery last month, to determine the sugar content.  Once the wort was in the fermenter and the yeast was pitched,  it would only be about seven to ten days until the batch was done.

2bar currently has Vodka and Moonshine, with many more ideas in the works.  Their vodka was unlike any vodka I have had, and you all know I have had a lot.  My thimble sample was full of flavor, and I enjoyed the trip it took across my palette.  Many times, I find myself wincing at straight vodka samples, yearning for a splash of tonic and a lime.  That was not the case with 2bar.  Eyeing a bottle to take home, I eagerly tried their Moonshine.  Unbeknownst to many, moonshine is just unaged whisky.  This sample once again exhibited Nathan's soon to be famous full flavored spirit style.    

Besides the obvious reason to visit the city's newest distillery, what brought me to 2bar was their Superstorm Sandy Benefit.  Nathan was in New York during 9/11 and was obviously moved by the recent devastation to the East Coast.  A silent auction, live music, appetizers, and free tastings enticed do-gooders near and far to stop by for a midweek treat.  With all profits going to the relief efforts, my arm wasn't twisted too hard to walk out with a bottle of 2bar's nectar.

2bar Spirits proved to be more than just another distillery. High quality products, personal tours, and conversations with Nathan and friends made everyone who walked through the door a part of 2bar's story.  This Hophead can only hope that one of their next creations includes a dry-hopped whisky!

      

2bar Spirits
www.2barspirits.com
2960 4th Ave S  Seattle 98134
Mon-Fri 4-7pm/Sat 2-7pm

Helping Seniors One Beer at a Time

Last weekend, in the quaint farming town of Snohomish, was a beer fest unlike any other.  Was it the heaping plates of German food?  Was it the life-sized Alf serving beer?  Was it the plethora of drink tickets and generous pours?  The answer is YES.

For the second year in a row, the Snohomish BrewFest invited beer lovers into their Senior Center for two days of tasty seasonal brews.  With 20 breweries ready to fill up my hefty 4oz tasting glass, I headed for the nearest tap handle.

Notable Beer #1:

Old Schoolhouse Brewery's Imperial Stout

One of their Brewer's Reserve beers, this imperial weighs in around 10% ABV.  Smooth, creamy, malty love swept across my palette.  Convincing my friends to try it wasn't difficult.  

Notable Beer #2: 

Paradise Creek Brewery's Pumpkin Porter
Located over in Pullman, WA, Paradise Creek has been making more appearances at beer fests around the state.  This season, I have tried dozens of pumpkin beers.  This PC Porter was impeccable.  It had the chocolatey malt with creamy pumpkin.  Extremely well balanced on both ends.

Notable Beer #3:
Big E Ales' Blackberry Ale
Usually I am picky about the fruit beers that I like.  This one had me at hello.  One sip and I was sold.    A dark ale at 7.2%ABV, I wasn't expecting the pleasant mouth full of jam.  Not sweet and syrupy, just wholesome blackberries.  Even after spending a few tickets at the Big E table, I yearned for more.  But, unfortunately, I was still in search of notable number four.

Notable Beer #4:
Iron Horse Brewery's High Five Hefe
I'm a little embarrassed to note that with all of my ventures over to E-burg to this brewery, I never reached for this hefeweizen.  Being a hophead, I tend to shy away from wheat beers.  Maybe if the sun is hot and the lawn needs to be mowed, I could make an exception.  (Who am I kidding?  I don't mow.)  Bottom line folks, I have been missing out.  This brew didn't need the obligatory lemon to spice up the often bland wheat taste.  With hints of honey and ginger, I could dream of drinking this brew all year long.

Besides the great beer, the Snohomish Beerfest was filled with kind people.  Hard to find these days in over crowded, filled to the max, festivals.  All the volunteers were there to help out this community's senior center, a well used building right across from the library.  With senior parents of my own, I know first hand how that social outlet for the retired can literally be a life saver.  And if I have to drink some beer to help, sign me up!


Snohomish BrewFest
www.snohobrewfest.com