I often wonder what my "objective" is with this blog. I don't post recipes, my punctuation is atrocious, my writing style has got to be difficult to follow for anyone other than myself, so why am I doing this? I think more than anything else I am trying to open your eyes to the full spectrum of culinary experiences available to you! Like so many things in life, you don't know what you don't know! I am here to point you in the direction of amazing food and drink, you just have to go get it!
What is amazing food without amazing beer? There are literally
thousands of breweries in North America alone, but the vast majority of those
breweries make the fizzy yellow stuff that blue collar workers drink by the
$12.00 CASE! Once again, I am NOT judging, I am just saying that if you want to
REALLY treat yourself to an amazing culinary treat, you do NOT go to Arby’s! I guess fast food, and Bud light is acceptable for tailgating, or a backyard barbeque, but when you are really ready to redefine what beer can be you need to treat yourself to something truly unforgettable!
This brings me to the greatest brewery to ever fill a bottle
(or can for that matter).
Hair of the Dog brewery was founded in 1993 in Portland Oregon by Alan Sprints. Alan brews only a few select beer styles, but once you have tried any one of them you will be ruined for all other beers for the rest of your life! I am so smitten with their beer called "Fred" (created to honor beer writer
and historian Fred Eckhardt) that even though I cannot buy it in the Midwest, I find ways to "acquire" it by any means necessary!
These beers range anywhere from 10% to almost 12% alcohol by volume (still less than wine). That being said this is no more a beer you would drink while mowing your yard than a $100 a plate fillet would be drive-through fare.
Any one of these beers is meant to be savored! In fact a single 12 ounce bottle of Fred may last me well over an hour. Each and every sip is an amazing sensory experience! The aroma, the flavors the fact that with every sip you realize you are one sip closer to your glass being empty, and it makes you enjoy it even more.
I know it was cruel of me to post this when you can't even by these beers in the Midwest, but there are MANY other exceptional beers to pair with your favorite meal. The food pairing science is no longer just for wine, and any GOOD "bottle shop" will be more than happy to help you pick a great beer for your next special dinner. Be it an ale, stout, lager, pilsner, IPA or bourbon barrel aged porter, it's bound to be an experience you will remember!
There are even dessert beers brewed with coffee, cocoa, and bourbon! Grab some flourless chocolate cake and share a bottle of Goose Island Bourbon County Coffee Stout with someone special and I promise you it will change everything you ever thought about "beer"!
"Cheers, Prost, and Salut" !
Don
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