You're Pretty When I'm Drunk

I signed up to be a member of BeerAdvocate.com this week. Dear lord, how I love this site! It will inspire me for years. And in looking over our past beers, I realize that I needed the help. Some have been great, some have been horrific. I know. But I'm dealing with some demons here. I used to be a beer snob. Light anything was never good enough for me. Too bland, too nothing, too flavorless. And then I decided that I should go on a diet. And now I drink lights because I don't have the will power to only have one of anything. If I did, I would pick one excellent full bodied beer, and be happy. But that's not me. I'm still watching my oh-so-girlish figure, so I can't go all out for the gutsy, heavy, dark beers all of the time. And it's summer, so I automatically want something lighter and colder. But I just can't serve Miller or Bud around here any more. I just can't DO IT. So I'm taking baby steps into more exciting beer lands. This week's beer is what The Husband & I have been drinking all week at home.

According to the Boston Beer Company:
Sam Adams Light is not just a lighter version of Samuel Adams Boston Lager® but rather the culmination of over two years of tireless research and brewing trials to create a flavorful Light beer. And it has proved to be worth the wait. Brewed using only the finest two row malt and German Noble hops it has a smooth, complex roasted malt character that is superbly balanced with the subtle orange fruit notes of the Noble hops. Sam Adams Light® finishes crisp and smooth without any lingering bitterness, leaving you yearning for more.

In Beer Girl language, it's a light beer that tastes more like a real beer. It has flavor. Some light beer drinkers will not like that about this beer. But that's why I love it.

I'm going to try for a patriotic tie-in, what with this being the Fourth of July weekend & all. Here's my half assed attempt, in VH-1's This to That in So Many Steps Style.

San Adams used Ben Affleck as a celebrity spokesperson....Ben Affleck dated Jennifer Lopez....who was in The Wedding Planner with Fred Willard....who was in Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle with Jamie Kennedy...who starred in the Boiler Room with Sean Caan....son of James Caan...who was in Dick Tracy with Dustin Hoffman...who played in Rain Man...with Tom Cuise...who starred in Born on the Fourth of July!

See? sam Adams IS Patriotic. :) Happy Holiday Weekend!

Take It Or Leave It

First things first. Intro the beer FIRST, and then say who's drinking it in the next post. Yes, excellent idea. And as my post title should tell you, if you don't want what I'm offering, don't take it.

There used to be a tiny little brewpub in this town. It was in a weird space, in a strip mall, owned and completely operated by a guy & his wife. There was only ONE brewing vat, and it was about 3 feet away from the bar, so it was truly a MICRO-brew place. This guy made the best beer I've ever had, and his wife turned out some mean pizza. They moved to Hawaii several years ago, and my life hasn't been the same since.

One of this guys' best brews was a Birch Porter. Yes, birch beer! But not like carbonated soda junk. This was dark, smooth, and I loved it. I haven't been able to find another like it. Birch beers are not all that common, especially in the midwest. I went on a virtual quest to find a birch beer, to order from anywhere & ship to myself, or at least go buy while I am going galavanting around the country this summer. And sadly, I came up empty handed. So if you know of where I can order real live alcoholic birch beer, PLEASE let me know. In the meantime, here's what I'll be tiding myself over with:

Birch Beam
8 oz of Birch Beer (soda)
2 1/2 oz of Jim Beam

Whine. It's just not quite the same.

Wild Honey

The beer today is Leinenkugel's Honey Weiss. The site describes it:
Select malted wheat, Cluster hops and a hint of Wisconsin honey give this unique refresher a clean, crisp, slightly sweet taste. Winner of four awards (Silver in the World Beer Cup®: 2000 & 2004; Gold in 2002 and Silver in the 1998 Great American Beer Festival®) in the American-Style Wheat Ale or Lager category.


Available in cans and bottles. Here is where you can buy Leinies. Mostly mid-west, so sorry to you coastal peeps.

My Homies

Found a fantabulous recipe for grilling steak, WITH BEER! Yeah. I love you, BeerAdvocate.

Stuff you need:
*Thick-cut, well-marbled steaks
*1 bottle of Dopplebock (Thomas Hooker Liberator, Ayinger Celebrator or even Sam Adams's Triple Bock)
*Broccoli (1 average-sized head, per person)
*Parmesan cheese (half a cup or so)
*Chopped garlic (as much as you want)
*Salt and pepper
*Olive oil (a few tablespoons)
*Yellow and orange tomatoes (1 of each, per person)
*Balsamic dressing

Stuff to do:
1. Get an airtight container, drop the steak in, and pour the entire bottle of bock over the steak. Seal the container and give it a good shake, then stick it in the fridge at least overnight or up to 24 hours, re-shaking occasionally.

2. When it’s time to grill, simply slap that doppelbock-soaked piece of meat on the grill and get cooking. Personally, we don’t like our steak cooked more than medium rare; anything more is a waste of meat and its goodness. And besides, you just killed any bacteria by soaking it in alcohol.

3. While the steak is grilling, steam up the broccoli, then mix it gently with the olive oil. Shake in the parmesan cheese and chopped garlic (to your preference), then add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Chop up the tomatoes length-wise into meaty slices, then arrange on a small plate and splash on just a bit of that balsamic dressing.

5. Recommended: You can always reduce the leftover beer marinade by cooking it down on low heat, then drizzle it over the finished steak. Feel no need to add anything to it; the beer is tasty by itself and even more so when blended with the juice from the steak.

Pair with more doppelbock beer, or contrast with something light, like a pale ale or lager. Now go forth and grill with beer ...

Damn, stomach, stop your growling. I *know* it's lunchtime.

Rainy Day

Today is FRIDAY. And FRIDAY is BEER DAY. And not just to please PlatinumGirl, although I'm sure she will be happy to see it, today's beer is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Beer review stolen from BeerAdvocate.com:

Pours out with a 1"head thats holds up most of the way, with some foamy lacing. Appearance is a gorgeous transparant amber color with lots of bubbles and a little yeast settlement. Absolutely beautiful. The aroma is all about the citrusy hops and piney spices. Very appropriate for a brewery located at the junction of the Cascades and the Sierras...very nice.Taste is even better....mirroring the aroma but with a slightly more bitter hop taste, some floral esters....yeast is very prominant here, even for a bottle-conditioned APA. Some grainy malts are subtle here(that's what I prefer anyway), just enough to provide some balance to those wonderful hops. Mouthfeel is great, with a medium body and the perfect amount of carbonation. Very crisp, biting finish and the best dry afteraste I've ever had in a APA or even an IPA, for that matter. This is THE preeminent West Coast pale ale, and for good reason. It's great by itself, or it pairs well with most anything. A favorite snack of mine involves paring it w/ jack, colby, and medium or sharp chedder followed by a jonagold apple when you're done with your beer. Try it, it's great!!