Beer & Food Pairings

Posted in Beer & Food Pairings, New Releases, Troegs Brewing

Troegs Scratch #91 “Dunkel Lager” Taps This Week

Troegs Brewing (Hershey, PA) adds Scratch #91 “Dunkel Lager”  to the series this month. The recipe comes from Tröegs brewer Jeff Campbell. A traditional Bavarian dark lager brewed with Chocolate and Munich malts and German noble hops, Scratch #91 is smooth, rich and complex, but comes without the heaviness of many other dark beer styles.

Style: Dunkel Lager
Availability: Draft only
Arrival: 4/6/13

?? ABV 

Read more: Troegs

Posted in Beer & Food Pairings, Press Releases, Stillwater Artisanal Ales

Stillwater Artisanal And Lower Dens Announce First Collaborative Beer (PR)

Stillwater Artisanal And Lower Dens Announce First Collaborative Beer: “Stillwater Artisanal, Sensory Series V.1 – Lower Dens”

Lower Dens on Tour with Grizzly Bear, Extend Worldwide Tour Dates!

LOWER DENS TOUR DATES
09-27 Cincinnati, OH – MidPoint Music Festival *

09-28 Bloomington, IN – Russian Recording $

09-29 Champaign-Urbana, IL – Pygmalion Music Festival

09-30 Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre ^

10-01 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue ^

10-04 Portland, OR – Keller Auditorium ^

10-05 Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre ^

10-06 Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom ^

10-07 Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom ^

10-09 Oakland, CA – Fox Theatre ^

10-10 Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre ^

10-11 Tuscon, AZ – Club Congress !

10-12 El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace +

10-13 Austin, TX – Red 7 +

10-14 McAllen, TX – Fall Back Records +

10-15 San Antonio, TX – The Korova +

10-16 Dallas, TX – Club Dada +

10-17 Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s # @

11-27 Paris, FR – Le Nouveau Casino —

11-29 Haarlem, ND – Patronaat

12-01 München, DE – ON3 Festival

12-03 Berlin, DE – Kantine am Berghain

12-04 Hamburg, DE – Molotow

12-05 Kortrijk, BE – De Kreun

12-06 London, UK – The Forum &

12-08 Camber Sands, UK – ATP Festival

12-09 Brighton, UK – The Haunt

12-10 Bristol, UK – Louisiana

12-11 Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club

12-12 Manchester, UK – The Deaf Institute

12-13 Glasgow, UK – King Tuts

12-14 Belfast, IRL – Auntie Annies

12-15 Dublin, IRL – The Grand Social

12-16 Cork, IRL – Cork Operahouse

12-18 Istanbul, TR – IKSV


* w/ Dirty Projectors

$ w/ Night Beds

^ w/ Grizzly Bear

! w/ Half Moon Run

+ w/ Jennifer Castle

# w/ Wicked Poseur

@ w/ Bed Moves

& w/ Kurt Vile, Dark Dark Dark

Find more info at http://www.stillwatersensory.com


The Stillwater Sensory Series is a collaboration between Stillwater Artisanal and singular musical artists. In this first collaboration, Stillwater is working with Lower Dens to make an ale based on an interpretation of their song, “In the End Is The Beginning.” On the bottle itself, a QR code will link to an exclusive Lower Dens performance of the song. Ultimately, this is a true artistic collaboration that aims to create a full sensory experience – sound, sight, smell, touch, and taste.

“With Stillwater, we set out to create an environment of intrigue; from the visual aesthetics of the packaging to the lack of definitive style of the beer, subtle complexity is also our hallmark.. we are asking the consumer for consideration, to interact with the product,” says Brian Strumke, Owner / Brew Master. “It instantly rang clear to me that [Lower Dens] were seasoned mature artists.. there were hints of beloved nostalgia but nothing obvious or trendy; driving repetition with intricate overlays allows the listener to take the back seat for a ride while also tempting you to look deeper within.. these were all traits that I related to, from my days as an electronic music artist and now as a beer designer.”

‘In the End is the Beginning’ is taken from the band’s second studio album, Nootropics (pronounced No-eh-tro-pics), released earlier this year on Ribbon Music. The song is lengthy, contemplative: an end-of-the-world song wherein the narrator readies him/herself for whatever’s next.

“Brian explained the Sensory Series and immediately we were on board,” says band member Jana Hunter. “He took something we spent a lot of time on and put a lot of thought and ourselves into, and he offered the same.”

“White but not bright” is how I described the song and that is what I have set out to create with beer itself. Light in body and color intermingled with aspects of dark fruits and a floral earthy spiciness, gently accented with a hint of smoke” states Strumke. The beer itself will come in the form of individual 375ml bottles and also 20L kegs and initial distribution with span 35 states via Twelve Percent Imports – Brooklyn, NY.

The band has spent a lot of time touring since the release of their debut album Twin-Hand Movement in 2010, including recent stops at festivals both here and abroad such as Pitchfork Music Festival, Primavera, among others. Lower Dens will hit the road again later this autumn and will see them perform at this year’s installment of ATP’s Nightmare Before Christmas and include support dates with Kurt Vile and Grizzly Bear. A full list of dates are below.
Praise for Stillwater Artisanal:
“an existentialist commentary on a brewer imposing his own view on the beer universe. ” -Washington Post
“Top 10 most influential craft breweries today.” -Huffington Post 2012
“#2 Best New Brewer in the World – 2011” -Ratebeer.com
Praise for Lower Dens’ Nootropics:
“Richly detailed, dark, and ethereal, the album is a feast for sound-first listeners drawn to expressive shifts in color and tone.”  — 8.2/10 Pitchfork

“Sometimes trance-inducing, sometimes wildly dynamic, the album is a sumptuous, woozy feast that proudly dances on the lines between nirvana and reality.” — 8/10 Spin

“It’s an ambitious mission statement to go along with a richer sound.” — NPR
Lower Dens is:
Jana Hunter
Will Adams
Geoff Graham
Nate Nelson

Lower Dens online
http://lowerdens.com/
http://facebook.com/lowerdens
http://www.ribbonmusic.com/label/lower-dens/

Posted in 5 Rabbit Cerveceria, Beer & Food Pairings, Brewery Expansions, Distribution Expansion

5 Rabbit Brewery To Ship To Ohio

5 Rabbit Brewery (Chicago, IL) just announced they are expanding distribution to Ohio.  I had a great conversation with Issac Showaki about the move and the future.

Distribution

The brewery initially started distributing to Cook County, Illinois.  That covered most of the metro area.  In December, 2011 5 Rabbit tacked on the suburbs.  Starting this week, the whole state of Ohio will start receiving 5 Vulture, and 5 Rabbit.   5 Lizard and a new offering will arrive in Ohio in May.  But wait! What about the rest of the home state of Illinois?  Issac tells me that the timing to  enter Ohio through Cavalier Distributing was right, so they jumped at the chance.  The rest of Illinois will get 5 Rabbit’s tasty lineup by the end of this summer.

Production Location

5 Rabbit is in the process of building a full scale production brewery.  The 30BBL brewhouse will be open by the end of the summer on Chicago’s south side.   The first year of production, Isaac expects to do about 4,000 barrels.  The facility could produce just shy of 40,000.

 

Posted in Beer & Food Pairings, Millstream Brewing Co, New Beers
Posted in Beer & Food Pairings, New Beers, Penn Brewery

Penn Brewery Weizen

Penn Brewery Weizen.

This authentic wheat beer, brewed in the southern German tradition, won the Silver Medal in 1997 and the Gold Medal at the 2000 Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. Penn Weizen is top-fermented, cask-conditioned, and very effervescent with a slight hint of tangy clove flavor.

Style: Wheat Beer
Availability: 12oz bottles, Draft. Spring-Summer Seasonal.

5% ABV 

Posted in Beer & Food Pairings, Beer News

Savor Releases Beer & Food Line up

2 of the world’s top chefs.  70 craft brewers.  Together you get some the the most mouthwatering pairings under one roof.  The chefs are Adam Duyle from Monk’s Kettle in San Francisco, CA.  The other – Teddy Folkman of Granville Moore Gastropub in Washington, D.C.

Check out the list to see the chef’s notes on food/beer pairings, including 21st Amendment, Alaskan Brewing Company, Avery , Dogfish Head, Deschutes, Boulevard, Nebraska Brewing & many more.  Even if you aren’t going to Savor, read the list. Get some ideas.  Example from Troeg’s pairing:

Flying Mouflan (Barleywine)
Paired w/ Hickory-Smoked Beef Riblet
As Troegs likens this beer to hops dipped in candy sugar rolled in cocoa nibs we can think of nothing better than beefy fatty ribs dipped in peach and rolled in smoke.

Troegenator (Dopplebock)
Paired w/ New York Style Cheesecake
Dark fruits and toffee add another layer to the cheesecake while the boozy finish cleans the creaminess right up

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Posted in Beer & Food Pairings, Cool Stuff, Goose Island Brewing

VID: Goose Island Pairs Beer & Chocolate

Valentine’s Day is a couple of days away.  Forget the wine & champagne, break out the chocolate and beer.  They pair quite well together.  John W. of Goose Island Brewing in Chicago, Ill puts a few together for you.  Even if you don’t get Goose Island you might a learn a couple of things about your own pairings…