January 2012
6 posts
Homebrew — Take Two
After struggling through my first homebrew, an all-grain honey ale from Brooklyn Brew Shop, I decided to back up and get comfortable with an extract brew this time out. I stopped in to see the boys at BrewCamp, the new homebrew supply shop in North Center, explained my situation, and walked out with a kit for a Baltic Porter from Brewer’s Best. I figured if I could simplify the process by...
A Pairing Fit for a King
I made a paella this weekend. While simple and rustic, this dish calls for a cornucopia of clams, shrimp, lobster, chorizo and chicken. But the most extravagant ingredient, by an order of magnitude by volume, is saffron. And as anyone who knows will tell you, don’t bother making a paella without it.
After stuffing my basket with WholeFood’s proteins, I swung by the beer aisle to...
Seriously missing summer right now
Even as I embrace winter, appreciate the snow that’s finally fallen, and finish brewing a porter to get through the long winter months ahead, I find myself reminiscing about summer today — sandwiches, IPAs and the office rooftop in the sun. Does anyone brew a beer with vitamin D? Sigh.
Gushing over glassware
If you drink a lot of beer, chances are you have a lot of glassware. Tulips dominated my tabletops for awhile, and are still a stand-by for most Belgians. Then I went through a phase where I sipped from 6oz tasting glasses to regulate temperature. And at any point I’d use a pilsner glass, a goblet, an English pint or torpedo — whatever the occasion called for. My cupboard is cramped.
But...
HUNTER/Gatherer
Justin Rheinfrank (@justrhein) is an interaction designer in Chicago and has joined me on a number of beer adventures. Every time I see him strike out into unknown territory he always returns home quickly — to his beloved IPAs. This guy has a serious tolerance for hops. He joined me a couple months ago for the Empircal Brewery tasting event and snapped some photos as part of the event coverage....
To the Bottom of The Abyss — a Five-Year Vertical...
In 2009 I received a gift from my Nike client in the form of Deschute’s famous imperial stout, The Abyss. She waited in line for hours to secure two bottles of the beer she’d heard me mention many times during my trips to Beaverton, Oregon that year. As a wine aficionado herself, I think she appreciated my passion for the good stuff. And thank god she got me two, or else this would have been the...
