Beer Pancakes Video

Well, here is the new Beer Pancakes video. Check out the recipe below to see how we made them.

Cooking with Beer Version 3.0: Beer Pancakes with Raspberry Lambic Sauce

So it's been two weeks since our last Cooking with Beer segment, and we wanted to switch it up a bit for our return. Beer's complexity is one of the best reasons to cook with it. Not only does it lend itself well to savory dishes -- our first two segments, for example -- but the rich notes of caramel, chocolate, coffee, dates, raisins, and even spicy cloves and nutmeg and sweet banana make beer a perfect match for any number of sweets.

Spice... banana... breakfast... hmm, pancakes?

These pancakes are quite dense but still spungy, with a hint of malty sweetness and a nuttiness lent from Ayinger Hefeweizen. Oh, and the sauce is as easy as turning on a burner.

Here's the recipe. The video will be up over the weekend.

Beer Pancakes with Raspberry Lambic Sauce
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
2 cups beer (I used Ayinger Hefe, but feel free to experiment)
2 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for cooking

For the sauce:
2 cups frozen raspberries
1/4 cup raspberry lambic
1 tablespoon honey

1. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, beer (add a bit at a time to avoid bubbling over), and cooled melted butter.

2. Combine raspberries, lambic and honey in a small saucepan. Set to medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

3. Add wet ingredients to dry, whisking it in 1/3 at a time. Be careful not to overwork batter; it should be a little lumpy. If too thick, add a few tablespoons more beer.


4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add about 1 teaspoon butter. Once butter melts, make the damn pancakes. Flip pancakes when bubbles appear across entire surface.

Serve with raspberry lambic sauce and (real) maple syrup. Enjoy.

Note: Tinkering with this recipe is a no-brainer. Chocolate stout and chunks of good bittersweet chocolate? Why not. Bananas added to the batter before flipping? Sounds delicious. Play around with it and let us hear the results.

Bell's Hopslam - A Late Winter Elixir

Ryan’s asked me to contribute a review to The Perfect Batch, and I’m happy to oblige, but first, a short introduction is in order. Unlike Ryan and Phil, I’m a few years post college and live in the DC area. When it comes to beer, my tastes are varied depending on my mood, the time of year, and, often, what it’s paired with. I can be happy drinking anything from a Miller Lite to a Hopback to a Chimay Grande Réserve. My favorite beers, however, tend to be the ones that carry a nice hoppy punch with a pleasant fruity balance. Unfortunately, since I’m working on my MA in philosophy right now, my time for beer drinking has been rather limited. Writing a thesis is not conducive to regular libation, but I’ll do my best to keep up, and hopefully I’ll have a bit more to contribute here when the time is right.

Ok, enough of that, let’s get the beer. About a month ago D.C. Foodies, a local blog that reviews area restaurant, posted a piece about Bell’s Hopslam. They really talked this brew up as a panacea for the dead-of-winter blues. These blues can be brutal in the dreary, gray, and mostly rainy DC winters, so I was more than eager to go in search of a tonic to at least lift the clouds in my beer drinking soul. That Saturday I trekked out to the local beer and wine mega-store and searched the aisles…first the six packs, then the cooler, then the cases, and finally the singles; my heart dropped a little more as each time I came up empty. Feeling more than a little dejected by the experience, I decided to make the last ditch effort that every guy hates…I asked if they had any in stock. Eureka! After the first clerk asked around, he discovered that they had received a shipment…only 4 cases and no more on the way - this is an extremely limited release beer that comes out January 7th and only runs into February…and still had a case in the back. I was later told that they don’t even bother putting this elixir on the shelves because of the cult following it’s gathered: if you don’t know to ask, you don’t get the brew.

Needless to say, this experience heightened my anticipation even more, so I rushed home and got one of the two six packs (at about 14 bucks a pop) into the fridge. And let me tell you…the search was well worth it. Hopslam is a towering exemplar of the double IPA style. It pours a dark amber with a dense-but-not-too-creamy white head. The aroma is strong of florally, slightly sour hops, but not so pungent as to make you feel you just stuck your nose in a fist full of hops (as some IPAs can be). The first sip comes across a little sweet, but then the hops catch up. A pleasant bitterness bites the tongue and the back of the palate at the end of each sip and lingers for quite a while. The sweetness that begins each sip and lingers through to the end is reminiscent of raisins and sweet melons and is a slight bit caramelly (maybe even a bit of molasses hidden away later in the bottle), and each swallow ends with a gentle waft of alcohol to remind you that this is one potent brew. All in all, this beer, though tremendously hoppy, is about balance. It’s a well done double IPA, perfectly hoppy with enough sweetness to mellow the palate and no surprises besides the buzz that comes on before you finish your first bottle. At an even 10% ABV it packs a wallop, and it’s just what the doctor ordered in the dead of the DC winter.

Hoppy Goodness

Nugget Nectar, what a beautiful beer. Ryan can tell you that I love the beers that Troegs make. One of my favorite beers is the Hop Back and when I heard that Nugget Nectar was an even hoppier version, I had to try it.

This beer is a seasonal brew by Troegs that comes out every year around February. It is considered an Imperial Amber Ale. The moment you start pouring the beer the sweet hops hit your nose. There is a very fruity smell that is pleasant but not too sweet. The taste also does not disappoint. Just like the smell, you get a fruity aroma throughout your mouth. One specific flavor I picked up was peaches. Like I said, it has a sweet flavor but not in the sense that it feels syrupy. The taste then ends in a piney flavor.

If you like Amber ales or hoppier beers in general, this beer is nearly perfect for you. It has the great hop kick that I love but nothing to the point of being too bitter. Go get this beer!

Video

Well, just uploaded the video for our second cooking with beer episode. Enjoy!

Cooking with Beer, Version 2.0: Beer-Battered Bacon

Yes, I know. This sounds disgustingly gluttonous. And the end result is fit for a glutton -- but not disgusting in the least. Crispy bacon surrounded by a thin, crunchy tempura-like beer batter made with Penn Pilsner. To cut the richness, I stirred up a cool, tangy bleu cheese dressing with yogurt, chives, and some Spanish bleu I had in the fridge. Works great with the bacon.

Here's the recipe:

Beer-Battered Bacon

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dredging
12 oz. Penn Pilsner
1 egg yolk
salt, pepper and cayenne pepper, to taste
1/2 lb. thick cut bacon, cut into two inch pieces (slab bacon would work best, but my grocer was out so regular thick strips made do)
Peanut oil, for frying

1. In a large skillet, fry bacon pieces until lightly crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate; cool. While the bacon is frying, heat a few inches of oil in a large pot until it reaches 375 degrees.

2. For batter: Whisk beer into flour, adding half the bottle at a time. Once combined, add egg yolk, salt, pepper and cayenne.

3. When bacon has cooled, dredge in flour, shaking off excess flour. Coat dredged pieces in batter, working with no more than six pieces at a time.

4. Carefully lower battered pieces into oil, working in batches of a half dozen or so. Fry until lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and enjoy.

Note: Beer-battered bacon quickly devolved into beer-battered everything, as we had some batter left over. From our experimentation, we gleaned that this batter also works great with cauliflower, asparagus, hot dogs and bananas -- possibly the best combination. The banana, cut into fourths, melted inside the lightly crunchy coating, making for a delicate, cream puff-like dessert. The saltiness of the batter contrasted well with the super sweet banana.

A Couple New Beers...

But before that, a word on an old favorite. A few weeks back, at Zeno's of all places, I had my first taste of casked Troegs Hopback Amber Ale (5.6 % abv.). As a long-time lover of all things Troegs (a Nugget Nectar review is in the works - Phil), I was thrilled.

(For those unfamiliar with the term, cask-conditioned ale is unfiltered, unpasteurized and poured without CO2 or nitrogen. Thus, the final result is nothing short of spectacular: mildly carbonated, creamy with a lively, fresh nose. Real ale it's sometimes called, though I don't totally buy the usage.)

There's something about waiting for that beer engine to be properly pumped that really gets the saliva flowing. And my tastebuds weren't disappointed, nor were my other senses. Poured a deep, rich amber with a creamy 3/4 inch head. Great looking beer. Huge amount of sweet citrus upfront, with a piney background. The taste is nothing spectacular, a little more subdued than when served from a bottle. All in all, a pretty solid beer. I've been back for a few more.

Now to the new stuff:
1. Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra Pale Ale (7.2% abv.)
Poured a golden copper from a 12 oz. stubby bottle into a pint glass, about 1 inch of off-white head. Lacing stuck around nicely, in smallish clumps. Not much aroma: a little pineapply citrus and pine needle. First taste: a big burst of flavor up front, astringent hop bitterness. This followed by a hint of malty sweetness, then -- boom -- back for more hops, which fade into a nice lingering bitterness and a touch of alchohol. Feels a bit chewy in the mouth, with moderate carbonation. There's enough bready malt for good balance, making for a drinkable IPA. Crisp, not overly assertive but still with a nice hop punch: Torpedo's about what I expected from Sierra Nevada.


2. Otto's Slab Cabin IPA (6.0% abv.)
As late, I've been trudging through Otto's portfolio with rapidity -- Spruce Creek Lager, Black Mo last week. I saw this listed on Zeno's menu Tuesday and figured, Why not another? Poured a light copper with a thick 1 inch head from a 22 oz. bomber -- minimal lacing stuck around. Smells of pine, caramel and faint citrus. First taste: nicely balanced. Some bittnerness, though not too much, is followed by a nice caramel maltiness. The finish is quite mild, with a lingering resiny bitterness. This a really nicely balanced brew with enough hops to pique my interest and enough toasted malt to keep me coming back for another sip -- exactly what I look for in a sessionable IPA. Plus, it's brewed right down the street from where I live. What could be better than that?

(Well, one thing might be: beer-battered bacon strips. Be on the lookout for the vid. and recipe tomorrow.)

Video Up!

The video for our first Cooking with Beer episode is up! We welcome suggestions for future episodes too.

Cooking with Beer, Version 1.0: porter-braised short ribs

It was all of about 15 degrees out today. That's cold, there's no other way to put it. Braised meat was a very good idea.

About a year ago I made a recipe for short ribs braised in coffee, wine and chilies from Mark Bittman. Hmm, I thought. What if I replaced the coffee with a nice porter, the peppers with some herbs? Thus this recipe was born.

Here it is, video to follow.

Short ribs braised with porter and rosemary

8 small short ribs (aprox. 3 lbs.)
1 large onion
3 cloves (or more) garlic
3 sprigs rosemary
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup beef stock
2 (-ish) 12 oz. bottles of porter
olive oil for browning
salt and pepper

1. Roughly slice onion. Crush garlic cloves. Meanwhile, heat oil in large, high-sided pan (with lid) or dutch oven, and preheat the oven to 300.

2. Liberally season short ribs. Brown the ribs -- really brown, be patient -- in hot oil on all sides.
3. Remove ribs to plate. Drain a bit of the fat from the pan. Add onions and garlic, cooking over medium heat until soft. Toss in some salt and pepper, too. Don't be stingy.
4. Add stock, beer, rosemary and bay leaf. Bring to a slow boil. Return ribs to pan.
5. Put it in the 300 degree oven for about 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until ribs are super tender.

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid

Per today's Daily Collegian, a couple of do-good state legislators have reintroduced legislation that would require a tracking system for kegs. Basically the plan amounts to filling out some paperwork that would correspond to a number affixed to a keg, thus making it easier for the cops to track down people furnishing to minors. (As the distributor owner in the story points out, many distributors, particularly those in college towns like State College, already require an array of paperwork when buying a keg.)

Similar saviors have been introduced, debated and voted down numerous times in years past, and hopefully this time's no different. Why?

A few great points, from a 2001 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story on a similar proposal:

"I would not put this on my list of the Top 10 things to do to stop underage drinking. I still think it's a good idea. It's just not on my short list of strategies," said Lincoln, Neb., Police Chief Tom Casady, who testified in favor of keg registration in Nebraska in 1993. Since then, Casady has come to believe its impact has been minimal at best.

"You can always get your beer in cans or bottles," he said.

Terry Wagner, the sheriff of Lancaster County, Neb., the rural area outside the city of Lincoln, said he had used the law occasionally to cite people who provide the kegs for underage drinkers. But as he and deputies have found out, college students don't let registration stop them from partying.

Wagner's deputies broke up a college party last summer at which beer was being stored in the back of a truck -- 180 cases of it. They could do little but shut down the event and confiscate the beer.

"We were never able to find out who bought it. Believe me, I got many calls from many of my friends offering suggestions about what to do with it," Wagner said. In the end, the beer was sold and the money donated to a food pantry.

Opponents in Pennsylvania argue that the law is impractical because it adds another layer to Pennsylvania's myriad liquor regulations and that it's an inconvenience to sellers and buyers.

Pay particular attention to that last paragraph. Key words: myriad liquor regulations, inconvenience. Exactly!

Uber-regulation and just-say-no-schooling does not work. I live in a college town with about 40,000 kids; I know this reality firsthand. When I was a freshman, we had a system for getting booze -- an age-old one used by freshmen down through history. Everybody had that older friend, brother, cousin, whatever, who would get the phone call early Thursday, Friday or Saturday night: "Hey, can you get us stuff?" The stuff would inevitably be some vile, cheap liquor -- the kind of stuff with one purpose only: get kids hammered. Making it more inconvenient for the legal populace to buy kegs won't do jack to curb that problem.

Says State Rep. Scott Conclin's chief of staff, "It is no secret here in State College that we have an alcohol problem. And anything we can do we can do to help curb alcohol issues in State College, we will do."

We do have a drinking problem, but it's a cultural one stemming from our demonization of one of humanity's oldest drinks. Underage drinking cannot be cured in a vacuum, by the wave of a magic wand ("just say no," neo-prohibitionism, sales restrictions, keg laws). We have to change the way we think about beer and normalize our relationship with it and other booze before addressing anything else.

Tuesdays with Zeno

Phil and I decided to head out into the State College snow to Zeno's tonight.

Last Friday, owner Dave gave me a sample of Dogfish Head Red & White, a Belgian Wit brewed with coriander and orange, fermented with Pinot Noir juice, and aged in oak casks (89% of the batch) and Pinot barrels(the remaining 11%, then the batches are mixed). Needless to say I had to try this one again, a full 10 oz. pour, so I did tonight.

Poured a murky, orangish-amber -- quite cloudy-- with a half finger head into a globe glass. Smell: citrus, pleasantly sweet, a little typical Belgium ester essence. First taste: sweet, wow this is sweet, but not cloying. I could tell from the first sip that there's a lot going on. Sweetness fades into a little orangy citrus, other fruity/florally qualities: maybe pear? I let this sit and warm for a bit, and the head gave way to a nice outer ring with moderate lacing. This is a great beer to look at. As it warmed, I picked up a little more fruit (typical trippel-style tastes) and also some vanilla on the finish. Then some notes of Pinot began to appear as well. Overall quite tasty. The mix of oak aging and Pinot is really interesting, unique. And at 10 % this was dangerously drinkable. Glad to have tried it.

Sadly my next two didn't quite live up to the first, though they were both Pa. brews -- a real plus in my book -- and fairly tasty.

#2. East End Big Hop (draft), from the tiny East End Brewery in Pittsburgh.
Poured a dark reddish amber. A creamy 3/4 in. head with very tight carbonation. Another gem to look at. But the smell and flavor just aren't there. Frankly, there's not much aroma: faint citrus, a little sweet grain. First taste: astringent, slightly pineapple bitterness up front. I really wanted to like this more than I did. Very muted, subtle hop flavor with a malty, caramel finish. I could have a few, definitely, if in the right company. Nothing great, though.

#3. Otto's Spruce Creek Lager (draft), from Otto's Brewpub in State College
Wasn't sure what to expect here. Beer Advocate calls this a Vienna lager. I grew up stopping at Spruce Creek Tavern, home of the famous tray of fries, en route to Penn State games, though, so the name reached out to me. Poured a yellowish, apple cider amber. Minimal head, no lacing-- could be the glass. Smells grainy, sweet. First taste: a little malt, a little caramel, fades into grain. Very quaffable, but not great. Having drunk the first two, I can't do this beer its proper justice, so I'll just leave it at that.

Here's Phil's take:

Tonight was definitely fun. I got to try three different beers, all very unique and tasty in their own right. First up, Old Dominion Oak Barrel Stout (draft).

This beer poured a nice black color with a big, creamy head. The first smell you get from the beer is a dark chocolate with roasted malts. Not surprisingly, the beer tasted exactly how it smelled. It had an incredibly rich, creamy texture while tasting like dark chocolate. There was very slight bitter hops at the end but nothing overpowering. As the Stout warmed, it developed an almost milky vanilla, adding to the complexity.

The De Ranke XX Bitter (draft) was my second beer for the night-- completely different from the Old Dominion before it. It poured a golden color with a nice thick head; it was fit for a king. The beer gave off a unique minty aroma while also having hints of apple cider. The beer ended up tasting like the smell, almost a herbal medicine quality to it. This beer was also considerably more bitter than the Oak Barrel Stout. As it warmed though, the slight metallic bitterness eased up which helped its drinkability.

Finally, quite possibly the most interesting for last, Hair of the Dog Adam. Now, before I describe the beer, I should give you a little background. Hair of the Dog is a small brewery from Portland, OR. You should have seen the look on my face when I realized that Zeno's had a few bottles of their beer. You see, Hair of the Dog doesn't distribute outside the west coast and a few random places, so I was incredibly surprised to see it here. I figured that the only way Zeno's could have this beer was if one of the owners had gone to Oregon and brought some back. The bottle that was brought to me confirmed my suspicions: it was a bottle of Adambier from batch 63. The beer is currently around Batch 72 so by my calculations, the beer that I was holding was at least four years old. My mouth watered as I anticipated the opening of a bottle conditioned beer aged for a few years.

I was not to be disappointed.

Hair of the Dog Adam Batch 63 (bottle) has some of the most unique smells and tastes that I have ever had the pleasure to come across. This is not your "get drunk" beer (although it will get you close). This beer is very strong and was probably more then the original 10% abv when I drank it. This beer is something you have while relaxing by a fireplace and reading a book. It is akin to sipping on a fine cognac. The beer immediately hits your senses as you pour it into a glass. It has a very thick and sweet smell, almost like dried fruits. The beer has a nice dark color with a bubbly head that dissapears quickly. The taste is similar to what you smell. It is a mix of dried fruit sweetness, roasted malts and alcohol. Ryan even mentions that it reminds him of a chocolate cake with bacon bits that he had a chance to try at a local Austrian restaurant.

All in all, it was a good night with good beer. Remember, enjoy the beers you drink and don't be afraid to try something new every once in a while. There are so many different kinds of beer out there that it would be a shame to limit yourself to a few.

Hate to beat a dead horse...

But wow! Six titles. What more can be said. Is there a team out there that better typifies its city, its fans, than the Pittsburgh Steelers?

Kudos to the Cardinals -- Larry Fitzgerald, Kurt Warner and company put forth a valiant effort.

The wings were spicy, sweet, crunchy. The bleu cheese sharp, cool and tangy. The Yuengling started flowing around 5, and a few later, I can still say I enjoyed it, really enjoyed it. As I said in the first post, there's a mood and a setting for every (well, almost every) beer. Today was a nice day for a Yuengling. Played nicely with the wings, cutting through some of the spice. I would've like something with a little more hop bite, a little more oomph and flavor to work with the garlicy, spicy, tangy, peppery wings and accoutrement. But there's something about drinking a Yuengling -- a little flavor yet traditional Pennsylvanian, American football lager. It's a true representation of where we could be as a beer-loving people.

I know, I know. It's no Iron City. But there was something right about it.

What to look for this week:

• A couple new (our first, including a guest post by 71) reviews
• First "Cooking with Beer Thursday": porter-braised short ribs
• Whatever Phil has cooking, which I'm sure will be interesting

Happy winning, Steelers

Super Bowl, The Office, and Beer

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers for winning the 43rd Superbowl!




What an amazing game. I was sitting at the bar watching what could have been one of the most exciting games ever. My friends and I were starting to worry when the Cardinals scored with only 2:30 or so remaining, but big Ben prevailed.

Anyway, I guess I should say something about beer in this post... So I'm sitting here in my apartment watching the Office and I notice that the one beer I keep going back to is the trusty Yuengling. Something about the beer is so drinkable and tasty -- so good. It's crispe, not overly hoppy, and incredibly sessionable. The cheap price also helps make this something you can always keep in your fridge.

Anyways, back to the show.

Super Bowl and Beer

Today's the day.

After two weeks of hype -- We've gleaned that Troy Polamalu is a really, really, really nice guy. That ex-O. Coordinator Ken Whisenhunt might hold the trick to stifling the Steelers. That the Cardinals have sucked for 40-odd years. That the Steelers are looking for one for the, um, other hand? That Barack Obama is rooting for the Steelers and is having a bipartisan party Sunday evening -- guess he doesn't have much else on his platter. That... you get the point. We've gleaned a lot, from the totally inane to the only slightly -- it's finally time to play football again.

This isn't just any old game. It's the Super Bowl. (Former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle originally wanted to call the game, which came to fruition after the NFL and AFL merged in the early 60s, "the Big One." I think he was on to something.)

How does a life-long Steelers fan mark this joyous occasion, this Big One? With 18 lbs. of chicken wings, and enough celery, carrots and bleu cheese dressing to satisfy an army of hungry rabbits. Oh, there'll be beer too. Pennsylvania beer: the eminently drinkable Yuengling Lager (4.4 % abv). Clean, nicely carbonated, touch of malty sweetness, grainy finish -- I've drunk so much of this I have trouble fully describing it. I like it, enough said.

I'm heading to the distributor to pick up a last minute addition to the party. I'll let you know what I settled on later.

Here we go Steelers, here we go!