How to tell it's winter? Check the frig!
KONA AT LAST 1/7/13
Oops, forgot to mention that we ate dinner, too! Our first Poke ever (comparing to ceveche) was quite good in a soy sauce. It was seasoned with a bit of sea salt, which gave it a crunch now and then. Nice! Also great: Paniolo Burger with a slightly spicy papaya slaw. Save room for dessert!! Vanilla ice cream floats with Pipeline Porter. Need I say more?
BEER DRINKING IN HAWAII 1/6/13 A MAUI SURPRISE
We're discovering a few brews and old friends on our trip across the great Pacific. First, in Manhattan Beach, Cal, we learned about the Hanger 24 Brewery from Redlands, Cal. It's brewed in an old airplane hangar and is only available locally. Alt-Bier is a slightly hoppy lager with a little sparkly citrus aftertaste. Kind of refreshing for a beach day. Their Orange-Wheat tastes like sparkling Orange Juice. Pebbles says it's the best "fruit" beer she's ever tasted, which she loves, quoting Blue Moon and Shock Top.
Maui Brewing Company- Way, way better on tap than the cans we get in Houston. Highly recommend the Big Swell IPA. It's clean and flavorful with an icing of hops. Their Cocoanut Porter has a coconut flavor without the sweetness. Great with pizza!
Of course, Hawaii is the home of the Kona Brewing Co. That's our next stop today.
MY NEW FAVORITE BEER CHOICE 12/30/12
BIG BUSINESS BREAKS INTO CRAFT BEER MARKET 12/8/12
I was just at Kroger Supermarket and had a free beer tasting. Third Shift Amber Lager. I fell for the packaging, American consumer that I am! The smiling perky server told me this was a craft beer, made in Texas, although she didn't know where in Texas. It did have a tan label with blue writing. Kind of earthy, recycled, old blue jean kind of feel. It did say Coors in tine letters on the box. So, I googled it. Miller-Coors is trying to break into the craft brew market by making small batches on a local market. Blue Moon is an example of their success. Third Shift is actually brewed in Fort Worth.
So how was it? Third Shift Amber Lager is a lite tasting beer. The first thing you notice is how carbonated it is- almost like soda. It's a little sweet, but in a refreshing way. I thin it would work for me in the summer, or with a meal.
MONGOOSE VS. COBRA December 2, 2012
There's a secret little pocket of Midtown over on McGowen. Brian Caswell started it with Reef. Then Leon's Lounge, with the red phone booth out front, changed from a sleepy, old-grisly-guy, smoky joint to a hipster cocktail bar. Drinking made Easy - Houston. Right across the street from Leon's Lounge is a bar with no sign. (However, it does have it's own free parking lot!). They opened last June and are called Mongoose Vs Cobra. What their specialty is: Beers. Cocktails across street at Leon's, beers at Mongoose. Actually, Susan had a yummy "Ladies" cocktail there on Friday so it's not just about the beer. The sandwiched looeds pretty good. They serve giant pretzels a la Easy Tiger in Austin. And beef jerky. The beef jerky was a little hard but softened right up when you use it to stir your beer!
It's a cozy brick-lined bar with some seating out front along McGowen. Outside was kind of fun, actually, when the homeless man decided my new friend, Chad, was Barak Obama. Side note: Chad is not Black. Inside is a cozy brick walled warehouse of a place. On that brick wall is the beer list. They are listed by brewery, name, APV, oz. size of glass served, and price. All are not equal. Usually the more Alcohol By Volume, the smaller the glass. Which brings me to how I met Chad. People stand around reading this big list of 42 beers and actually start up conversations about which beers they've tried and which should they try next. Now Chad is an accountant. He noticed that the Sierra Narwaal St (stout) had an ABV of 12.2 (high) yet was still served in a 12 oz snifter. Therefore he got the most drunkenness per glass. A good value. Maybe Chad should be president of the United States.
I've been to Mongoose (as I like to call it) twice so far and have never been disappointed with the selection, service, or friendly other patrons. There's the "After Work" crowd, a lull, then a late nite crowd. I have, though, caught the bartenders making some mistakes (3) in their beer information. But only a Beer Snob would comment on that. And WE are not beer snobs!
THE 'OYs HAVE IT! November 16, 2012
We've been sipping our way through the Schmaltz Brewer's Hanakuh Box. All kidding aside, we loved these beers. Most of them are very dark and flavorful, Bud Lite it definitely is not! We even saw the double IPA on tap at our now discovery: Mongoose v. Cobra . Each bottle has a story to tell, written right on the label. Sweet 16 is made with 16 hops, 16 different malts, and is 16% APV. It's so rich and alcoholic tasting that it reminded me of Cognac and I had to sip it! Jew-bilation is aged in rye and bourbon casks and comes out thick and syrupy sweet. Still yummy - but is it rude to pour it over vanilla ice cream? If you like hops, Session Ale is dry hopped (I don't know- look it up!) It's light as an ale, very dry, and wildly hoppy. Works for me! If you are wondering, yes we are saving the bottles and have a great idea for the menorah making contest. We'll get right on that and post a picture. Then we'll let you know how to vote on it. I think we may have a winner!
'BREW Brew November 9, 2012
Read this first: Schmaltz definition
This morning I went to Central Market to the bakery. As I entered the door I said to myself "Remember- you are buying bread. And only bread. Bread."
Do not pay attention to anything new, intriguing, or unusual.
As I was passing the wine and beer department I saw a beer display. Actually it was in the middle of the aisle so I couldn't escape it. And it was an assortment pack. In a box. Of beer. Hebrew Beer.
(You have to know that I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood. So I can enjoy Jewish culture. Kind of like I can make fun of my Grandmother but you can't.) There was so much punny information on the box that I stood there for five minutes taking it all in! But buy it? Hebrew beer? Would it be like Manchevitz wine?
A beer manager walked by an assured me it was excellent beer and he loved it. He opened the box to show me how it contained the materials to make a beer bottle menorah. For the contest (info and link later). He tempted me with the Hop Manna IPA. Then the Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. double IPA with Rye malt. It was a one- two punch. The final blow was the Funky Jew-bilation aged in Rye and Bourbon barrels!
Well, read the box for yourself. And I'll be back to let you know how it tasted. Schmaltz Brew
October 15, 2012
Beer has become really fun these days with all the craft breweries popping up. Do you stick to domestic? Do you just stick to local? I have to mention my friend Rich who travels all over the country on business and tastes the local fare everywhere he goes. (Perhaps he will add some of his favorites to our list?). Of course there's the adventurous ones who brew their own. More about my husband on a later post!
I have created a spread sheet of all the beers I've been tasting in the past few months. It's designed to give you, dear readers, a chance to be tempted to try something new. The chart is set up so you can (hopefully) download it and sort it by types of beer or where it's from or, better yet, if it's any good or not. Keep in mind my beer of preference is any IPA and I shun wheat beer or fruit flavored Kool-aid types. Ah, now all I have to do is get it on line.............................................
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