Are we in yoga class? Oh no, much better. We were at Dog Fish Head Brewery. After a great time at Go Ape — a zip line and tree top adventure course outside of DC — one must refuel! Of course you go to Dog Fish Head and there are so many choices. They are great and give you samples, if needed. I ended up going with Namaste…beer heaven. Perfect way to refresh after several hours outside. It was light, crisp and had perfect citrus notes.
Om.
I was at an Asian restaurant last week and they had a unique seasonal beer out that I had to try, though the true feeling was a few weeks old. Dominion’s Cherry Blossom Lager.
Dominion, I found out, is now part of Fordham. Nice and local! So, hence the celebration of cherry blossoms. The taste was pretty unique, a bit fruity, crisp and light. And the beer had little pink things floating in it, not sure what, but it looks pretty neat. Great way to start spring.
Not only does South Africa have amazing wine to offer but they have quite a few brews for one to enjoy. There were many opportunities to sample ales, lagers and more and add some names to my list.
My first, and ultimate favorite, was Carling Black Label. A bit dark and smooth. Apparently it’s the biggest selling and most awarded beer brand in SA.
The most common beer seen and available was Castle Lager. Light, crisp, refreshing. After that, Windhoek came around a lot. This one is from Namibia. Another light beer.
Beer has the same health notes as wine.
On a sunset cruise (while watching rhinos yawn and elephants swim across the river), I tried the Bohlinger’s Lager, made with maize, malt, hops and water. Pretty simple, just another light lager. This one is from Zimbabwe, and I was enjoying while in its country, near Victoria Falls.
The trip also brought a Golden Pilsener. The label says it’s Zimbabwe’s premier Pils, but per the site it’s brewed in Czech. It had a unique taste for a pils, just ‘off’ but still good.
There was also a Zambezi Lager to be sampled. Fairly traditional lager taste, but fairly light.
And finally, a cider, the Savanna Cider. Not super sweet, just dry, which was very nice!
It’s St. Patrick’s Day, another storm hit the area, which means there is no work. It even means I don’t get to teach class at the gym tonight. So, after meeting a friend for lunch (and walking there and back in the nice (?) slush and snow to attempt getting a workout) I was on a mission to get a (n)ice cold beer for the day. I stopped by a great local beer store in Bethesda, Beer, Wine & Co. to see what I could snag one bottle of vs. a 6-pack. Of course I couldn’t get Guinness or Harp in a single, so a bottle by great local brewer, Flying Dog, was suggested. It was their Lucky SOB Irish Style Red. Very nice and perfect for the day. Just a traditional red, crisp and what I wanted. And, they say it’s brewed with 4-leaf clovers, you can never go wrong with that!
A friend was traveling in Europe a few months back and was very kind and brought me back some German brew. Finally popped it open during the football games last weekend. It’s Holzar-Bier, which comes in a nice flip top, 1/2 L bottle. It’s 5.2% ABV and a dark amber. A tiny bit bitter, in a good way, and very unique. Will definitely see if I can find it around here.
I was very fortunate this week to be able to return to a restaurant I visited several years ago, though this time it was just for a basic corporate lunch. It was nonetheless just as amazing. The location, Brasserie Beck in Washington, DC. It’s a “contemporary European style brasserie” with a basic yet widespread menu. Both times I’ve been there they have made amazing accommodations for dietary restrictions (lactose intolerance). The first time the chef wanted to make something totally new as a challenge.
They are well known for their beer selection, boasting 9 Belgium drafts and over 100 Belgium bottles. Darn, why was I there on a business lunch this past time?
For my meal I enjoyed an amazing Diver Scallops Salad — Avocado, Citrus, Shaved Fennel and Rocket Salad. This is where they used oil to pan sear the scallops vs. butter.
My colleagues each enjoyed the Grilled Hanger Steak Salad — Mixed Greens, Charred Scallions, Warm Fingerling Potato Salad, Blue Cheese.
None of us had a bite of food left on our plates. Would recommend checking this place out for lunch, dinner or just a nice happy hour.
A friend had been telling me about a chocolate stout recently and I was quite intrigued. I lean towards IPAs and wheats but will try something off the wall. She had to wait to go home at Christmas to get this stuff as it’s hard to find around here. So, last weekend I finally had the great treat of sampling some Southern Tier Choklat. Per the bottle, it’s a stout brewed with chocolate — sounds deep. WOW, give me some gingerbread, dark cherries and dark chocolate to pair with this and heaven had arrived! It’s 10% ABV, super smooth and just disappears. You don’t need much. It comes in 22oz bottles so pick one up to share with a friend for dessert.
I’m going to have to check out some of Southern Tier’s other stuff, now, too. They are located in NY and have a nice menu.
And in the food world, a common thought when it comes to HOP is just plain old hops and beer. Bring me that IPA. And on the history of IPA, Wikipedia is once again that great place for just random info you never realized you were going to look up. If you want it, here’s your easy link.
There was a beer tasting yesterday of the wonderful Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. This phenomenal brewery comes to us from Chico, CA and has (biased opinion) one of the best pale ales. They were also sampling two other brews.
The Celebration Seasonal has a ‘medium-high’ hop level. They brew this with fresh hops (vs wet hops) and these are the “freshest dried hops to come from the fields, typically within seven days of harvest.” I could taste some tree in this beer, pine-y, in a good, seasonal way.
The other beer they had out was the Torpedo Extra IPA. This is definitely way up there in hoppiness (or you could translate that to happiness?) but the balance of flavors in it make it a very unique brew. Trees, citrus and just dang good beer!
Thanks Sierra Nevada for the hops, IPA and great brew.
Then, wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy one of those beers in the Sierra Nevada? The view there is amazing!!!
The snow ‘storm’ in DC brought a government shutdown. This was the first time I’ve ever been able to actually have a paid snow day! So, come 1pm, the snow was gone, the sun was out. What did that mean? Time to go (Christmas) shopping. I only had the intention of finishing off getting gifts for those on my list but when I went to the mecca of grocery, kitchen gadget, wine and beer store, things changed. After some discussion with the beer man and other shoppers of the current offerings, New Belgium’s (new) Frambozen came up. Nobody had actually had it for several years. The name itself screams raspberry then the description lures you into a brown ale. You can’t leave that poor thing sitting on the shelf! Had some a bit later. Very nice, smooth, nice hint of the fruit, but not overwhelming. Pick some up for a friend, yourself, or to take to a party to celebrate the season. Happy Holidays!
Saw an interesting article in USA Today this morning about old-school beers that just aren’t what they used to be. Some of the ‘big guys’ are losing steam as (awesome) microbrewers are making their way onto the red carpet of beer. There are nine brews many Americans no longer drink. Check it out.
(Photo: Tetra Images/Getty Images/Brand X)
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