1001 Beers

Beer No: 52
Page No: 921
Category: Specialty

May 15th...OC Beer Festival time.  As you can see if you flip through the pictures above, there were a lot of great breweries participating in the Beer Fest, and even though I didn't get a chance to visit even a fraction of the breweries due to time issues, we all had a great time (especially with 1/2 price tickets).  We decided to get pizza before the fest, so we headed over to Oggi's, but that took longer than expected and we weren't on the road until about 1:15 (the Beer Fest started at 1pm).  Unfortunately, the one lane road out to Irvine Lake was JAM-packed.  We crawled the few miles into Silverado and finally arrived at the fest around 2:20pm.  Over an hour to go 10 miles.  Not fun.

But once we got there, we had a great time.  As you can see, we visited Lagunitas, Karl Strauss, The Bruery, Angel City, Deschutes, Napa Smith, Firestone Walker, Ommegang, Port Brewing, Fireman's Brew, and, not pictured, New Belgium, Stone, Boston Beer Co., Bayhawk, Pyramid, Bootleggers, and Cismontane.  I'm probably forgetting a few more too, but it was a gorgeous day, the crowds were not too large, lines were small, and Metal Shop rocked.  I was a little fearful about how the whole day would turn out, but I was very happy with the event and I'd definitely make another trip out there - I'd just get there earlier.  I ran into my old boss and he had arrived a little before 1pm and didn't have near the amount of traffic we did.  Hopefully next year, the OC Beer Fest won't be scheduled on the same day as a Scout-O-Rama.

Getting back from the Beer Fest, the festivities continued at my house where we played a little beer pong, some Mario Kart, and then headed out to the Bruery to try even more beer.  They had a firkin of Rugbrod on tap aged with French Oak.  It was delicious.  I didn't have a chance to try their seasonal beer, Trade Winds Tripel at the brewery itself, but I did try it at the OC Beer Fest and it was quite good.  I also ran into Patrick Rue and talked with him for a bit at the festival where he explained that the keg they brought to the festival was "experimental" as the Trade Winds was keg-conditioned and turned out a little bit sweeter than he would have liked.  Either way, it was a wonderful experiment and I was very happy with the result.

So...back to the beer.  Like I said, we returned back to my place after the Beer Fest and I got out a nice Rodenbach to share.  One of my favorite beers (I love the Grand Cru a bit more, but the standard Rodenbach is just fine as well), the Rodenbach added a bit of tartness to my day that was lacking at the Beer Fest.  Most of the beers around the festival were blondes, pilsners, and light belgians.  There were a few strong belgians, a couple dopplebocks, and some stouts and porters, but mostly, the beer tended towards the lighter side.  There were definitely no sour or tart beers, nothing all that outrageous, so it was nice to have a change of pace back at my house.  Aged in oak tuns, the tart acidity of the Rodenbach stands out well and makes for a surprisingly refreshing beverage.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Rodenbach from Brouwerij Rodenbach (Palm)

Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste:  7/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 15/20

Rating: 3.7 / 5.0

Had from bottle multiple times. Pours ruby red / dark brown with a slight, quickly diminishing head. Aroma is tart, sour, acid, vinegar, cherries, and general sweetness / sugar. Taste is complex with sour cherries, acidity, oak undertones, and a wonderful wild yeast taste. Finishes dry, refreshing, and oaky. A lovely beer on a hot day, easy drinking, not too sour, almost as good as the Grand Cru.

Beer No: 23/1001
Page No: 636
Category: Dark

The second of the two Sprecher beers in the book, this Black Bavarian is a dark, velvety, malty delight.  I'm usually not a fan of the heavily malted beers that this one was modeled after (e.g. Paulaner Salvator), but this interpretation of a German Schwarzbier balances the malts well with a nice addition of hops.  The chocolate and roasted malt flavors linger after you're done drinking and I was pleasantly surprised by this beer.

I've got just a couple of beers left in the fridge and both are porters, neither of which will go that well with the homemade pizza that is about to be put into the oven.  I think I might go with a second beer from the 1001 today as I'm fairly certain I've got a Pizza Port Hop 15 chilling in my secondary fridge.  There's just something about hops that go well with pizza.  Maybe it's the bready/yeasty crust that balances well with the bitterness of the hops, or maybe I've just grown used to hoppy beers with pizza.  Either way, here's a quick recipe for your own pizza dough.

This recipe is from the awesome My Bread by Jim Lahey.  If you want to start making your own bread, this is the way to go.  No kneading required and I get a perfect loaf every time and the pizza dough is just as easy to make and turns out perfectly.

Enough for 2 13x18 inch pies.

3 3/4 cups bread flour (500g)
2 1/2 tsp instant or other active dry yeast (10g)
3/4 tsp table salt (5g)
3/4 tsp plus a pinch of sugar (~3g)
1 1/3 cups room temp (~72 degrees F) water (300g)
Extra virgin olive oil for the pans

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar.  Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until blended, at least 30 seconds.  Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the dough has more than doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

Oil two 13x18 inch rimmed baking sheets.  Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape half the dough onto an oiled pan in one piece.  Gently pull and stretch the dough across the surface of the pan, and use your hands to press it evenly out to the edges.  If the dough sticks to your fingers, lightly dust it with flour or coat your hands with oil.  Pinch any holes together.  Repeat with the second piece or refrigerate in an oiled plastic bag for 1-2 days or freeze for up to 30 days.

Top however you like.  Bake 25-30 minutes at 500 degrees F (I actually bake 20-25 usually or it burns a bit - just depends on your oven).  I also am trying right now to substitute the pans for a pizza stone I have placed in the oven.  We'll see how that turns out tomorrow.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Sprecher Black Bavarian from Sprecher Brewing Company

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 14/20

Rating: 3.6 / 5.0

Pours dark black with a tan head that disappears quickly. A slight ring lingered around the edge, but for the most part, a creamy beer with little carbonation. Aroma is roasted coffee with hints of chocolate, and not as much smokiness as I was expecting. It’s got just the right amount of hops to balance the heavy malts and the chocolate/roasted malt flavors are delightful. Not as heavy as a porter or stout, this creamy schwarzbier delivers.