2015 seminars

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J & T Brews
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2015 seminars

#1 Post by J & T Brews » Thu Feb 12, 2015 4:53 pm

What does the membership of the guild want to see for seminars?

Its your Guild, so tell me what you want to see.

March seminar is keg/bottle washer time.

Some suggestions to get you started:

future topics if anyone is interested could be:
hop spider
stir plate
brew stand planning/development, where are you now, and where do you want to be? What do you start buying? Electric, Gas?
Kegging, (Plan on this, about Aug.!) Helps out Brew fest!
water filter/beer filtering, finning
Grain mills, motorization? tables, buckets?

Thanks,
James
J & T Brews

johnpepin
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Re: 2015 seminars

#2 Post by johnpepin » Thu Feb 12, 2015 5:24 pm

How about pairing with food, cheeses etc.

Maybe a seminar could be done or it could become a part of the beer style each month.

Or use of home brew as a component in various dishes. Chocolate porter cake using a porter throughout

Just thoughts as the dinner hour nears.

John Pepin

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Dale Wheeler
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Re: 2015 seminars

#3 Post by Dale Wheeler » Thu Feb 12, 2015 6:13 pm

Saving/washing yeast for repropagation.
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kevputo
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Re: 2015 seminars

#4 Post by kevputo » Thu Feb 12, 2015 6:32 pm

A few random ideas:

Off flavors (what causes them, how to prevent, etc)

Time saving techniques like no chill, BIAB

Cooking with beer, or maybe just beer/food pairing?
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JeffBryant
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Re: 2015 seminars

#5 Post by JeffBryant » Thu Feb 12, 2015 10:43 pm

Dale Wheeler wrote:Saving/washing yeast for repropagation.
+1 on this!
"What is with these people who ask me what my favorite type of beer is!!?? All of them, duh!"
Ferm 1: Surly Bender Clone
Ferm 2: Empty :(
Ferm 3: Empty :(
On Deck: Heady Topper Clone (Mmmmm... Hops...)
In the Hole:

J & T Brews
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Re: 2015 seminars

#6 Post by J & T Brews » Wed Feb 18, 2015 5:19 pm

I thought food and beer pairings, with all the styles would be a little long for my 15 minutes, so here is the prep for next month’s pairing and a revisit of this month’s tasting, Ciders!

I will try to give you a heads up on food pairings for the next meeting so you can create and bring some food dishes that are related to the beer style that we are covering.

Pilsner (March) food and beer pairings:

Pilsner, is usually served in a Pilsner glass, or a Pokal, at approximately 40-45 degrees.

Pilsner Glass (or Pokal), Typically a tall, slender and tapered 12-ounce glass, shaped like a trumpet at times, that captures the sparkling effervesces and colors of a Pils while maintaining its head. A Pokal is a European Pilsner glass with a stem. Benefits: Showcases color, clarity and carbonation. Promotes head retention. Enhances volatiles.

Pilsner beers pair with lighter foods, salad, salmon, chicken, Bratwurst. Mild white Cheddar is a recommended cheese. Light deserts, lemon shortbread, fresh Berries with Sabayon.
Sabayon is a food dish that I had to look up.

Sabayon is French for Zabaglione, a light mouse like Italian desert. It contains eggs, sugar, and white wine. Sabayon is also made with dry white, sweet, or fortified wines, or sometimes made with a port like mixture of wine and liquor.
Sabayon is usually served warm, either alone or as a dressing for fruit, pastry, or cake.

http://www.cookthink.com/recipe/12242/C ... sh_Peaches

This link is to a Chocolate Sabayon with fresh peaches. It also has an ingredient that I had to look up, Kirsch, which is a color less brandy distilled from fermented juice of the black Morello cherry!

Several resources provide different yet similar pairings of beer and Food. A different resource provides similar examples of pairings
Salads and light seafood such as salmon, tuna, trout. Asian food, Mexican food; spicy food. American Cheese, Muenster, Havarti and Monterey Jack cheeses. Recipes suggested were Tuscan Tuna, salad with Fennel, and sweet onion Quesadillas.

Last but not least there are apps for food and beer pairings.

iHops is a free app for iPhone and Android, Beer Match is an app on Itunes.apple.com for .99 cents. And beer advocate also has an app advertised.

As this month was cider, it is a simple beverage to pair with. Cider usually has a wide variety of flavors, and some fruitiness.
Think of ingredients you would cook with apples, such as pork chops, soft cheeses, butternut squash, roasted veggies, and crisp skinless poultry.

Choose Rich and Fruity ciders with fall classic meals and floral ciders in the spring to compliment the lighter flavors.
If you have a cider with citrusy notes, create a dish using citrus and fat to soften the acidy of the cider.

Apfelwein is served in a "geripptes", a glass with a lozenge cut that refracts light and improves grip (similar to a cut you might see in a crystal wine or sherry glass)—a holdover from the past, when some meals were traditionally eaten without cutlery.
Most establishments will also serve Apfelwein by the Bembel (a specific Apfelwein jug), much like how beer can be purchased by the pitcher in many countries. The paunchy bembel (made from salt-glazed stoneware) usually has a basic grey colour with blue-painted detailing.
Geripptes, usually in .25 liter servings, Bembel, 1 or 3 ltr.servings.

Hope to see all you culinary artists at the next meeting with delicious food pairings that go with Pilsner beers!

Cheers,
James
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Re: 2015 seminars

#7 Post by J & T Brews » Sat Apr 04, 2015 8:00 am

So to get you started on Altbier food pairings, our April beer tasting.

Everyone likes a great Altbier, like Booth Farms Firehouse Alt and a half dozen tacos!

Here are the basics of Beer and Food Pairing, from Examiner.com:
•Lighter beers are best paired with lighter foods. Likewise, heavy beers are a perfect match for rich and decadent foods. Similarly, sweet beers should be served with sweet dishes and tart beers with tart dishes.
•Beer should never be served with wine or liquor infused dishes. (I think this is a changing trend, with more barrel aged beers trending)
•If the meal is infused with a beer, that beer should be served with the meal.
•Hoppy (bitter) beers should be paired with meals that won’t be masked by the beer’s intense flavor.
•Spicy foods should be paired with malty beers to help cut the heat. (This is why Mexican foods are so popular in pairings with beer, Pilsner, Oktoberfest, Dark lagers, Bock, Doppelbock, Eisbock, California Common, American Pale Ale, American brown, Ale, English brown, Northern English Brown, Although Porters do not list Mexican food as a pairing, it does list Mole Poblano commonly associated with Mexican food!)
•Robust beers and dark chocolate are a classic pairing.

Altbier does have two separate categories and there is some crossover in beer to food pairings.
Category 7 – Amber Hybrid Beer (Northern German Altbier) – Hearty foods: roast pork, smoked sausage, grilled salmon; aged Gouda or crumbly Chesire; Almond or mape-walnut cake, pear fritters, cashew brittle. pork; sausage; burgers; cassoulet; mexican food; pizza; fatty fish: salmon, crab cakes. (Düsseldorf Altbier) – Hearty foods: roast pork, smoked sausage, grilled salmon; aged Gouda or crumbly Chesire; Almond or mape-walnut cake, pear fritters, cashew brittle. pork; sausage; burgers; cassoulet; mexican food; pizza; fatty fish: salmon, crab cakes.

Mid-intensity foods: roast pork, smoked sausages or salmon. Cuisine (German) Cheese (earthy; Camembert, Fontina) Meat (Smoked Meat, Game, Grilled Meat).

So bring those great salsa, Jalapeno cheese and chips style dips to the April meeting for a great beer and food pairing!

May will be Belgian Blonde beers.

Thanks,
James
J & T Brews

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Re: 2015 seminars

#8 Post by J & T Brews » Sun May 10, 2015 10:41 am

May beer tasting food pairings!

Belgium Blonde, May tasting.

Cuisine: Middle Eastern, Italian dishes, salads, chicken dishes, grilled foods, fish, shellfish and spicy foods.

General (Salad) Meat (Fish).

Glassware: Pint Glass (or Becker, Nonic, Tumbler), Mug (or Seidel, Stein).

Serving Temp, 39-45 degrees.

Cheese pairings, Brick, Edam, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack.

One beer food pairing commonality is malt and spicy foods, the more malty the beer is, the more spicy the food can be.

June is slated for Summer fruit ales.

Cheers,
James
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Re: 2015 seminars

#9 Post by J & T Brews » Wed May 20, 2015 4:07 pm

Rye beers curveball!

Beer tasting was switched from Blondes to Rye beers for May tasting, so not the category, but beers in general with rye as an ingredient.

What beer and food is best is your choice, so experiment! If you find a pairing you like, stick with it. Take note of complimentary and contrasting flavors. What is the objective of the pairing, pallet cleansing, or accenting subtle flavors? You do not want to overpower or over match flavors. A grilled fish portrays delicate tastes and an imperial stout would be too much and over power the fish. A spicy BBQ would over power a Wheat beer.

Hop bitterness magnifies spices in hot foods, yet the same bitterness can balance the sweetness, fattiness, and umami in rich foods. Bitterness can come from hops, alcohol level, carbonation, or certain types of roasted malt. Malt Sweetness balances hot, acidic food, and enhances fatty, and umami foods. Carbonation adds acidity, while hops add bitterness. When the two work together you have a palate cleanser. Carbonation and Hops together help cut through heavy or fatty sauces and food.

To make your beer pairing, look at beer style and the flavor of each. Some are very broad and would not “fit” with a singular or particular food type flavor. For example the third beer we tried, was Divide Sky Rye IPA, so you would use the IPA pairings as a starting place. Start with: IPAs because of their bitterness and usually high levels of carbonation are an excellent match with spicy foods. They can also handle very rich or creamy sauces where they provide a palate cleansing quality.

Now go experiment with what pairing you like!

June is slated for Fruit beers tasting, and RIMS or HERMS seminar, or a panel discussion with no seminar or tasting.

Cheers
James
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Re: 2015 seminars

#10 Post by J & T Brews » Wed Aug 12, 2015 4:57 pm

Ok August is for Saison style beer tasting.

It should be stated at the outset that what beer is best with what food is completely subjective. If you find a particular pairing of food and beer to be enjoyable, stick with it.

Lighter beers are best paired with lighter foods. Likewise, heavy beers are a perfect match for rich and decadent foods. Similarly, sweet beers should be served with sweet dishes and tart beers with tart dishes.

So food pairings could be; Cheese, Chevre (Aged), or Triple Crèmes.

Saison is another style that seems to work with almost anything but the most delicate flavors (avoid it with poached fish for instance).

Not much more, and my fall back is always Mexican food, which pairs well with 95% of beers out there.

Next month, September, the tasting list calls for Oktoberfest beers.

Bring your food experiments to the meeting!

Cheers,
James
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Re: 2015 seminars

#11 Post by J & T Brews » Tue Sep 08, 2015 9:54 am

September Oktoberfest Beer pairings

September food and beer pairings, September is scheduled for Oktoberfest beer.

Oktoberfest beer falls into a group of like beers listed here. Bock Beer, Brown Ale, Dark Lager, Oktoberfest Beer, Sweet or Mellow Porter or Stout*. The asterisk indicates to look for chocolate, caramel and roasted coffee notes. I list these because next month Porter is on the list for October tasting.

Cheese to pair with Oktoberfest beers are: Swiss-Style Mountain Cheeses (Comte, Emmental, Gruyere). Food to pair with Oktoberfest beers are:

Spicy foods should be paired with malty beers to help cut the heat. (This is why Mexican foods are so popular in pairings with beer, Pilsner, Oktoberfest, Dark lagers, Bock, Doppelbock, Eisbock, California Common, American Pale Ale, American brown, Ale, English brown, Northern English Brown, Although Porters do not list Mexican food as a pairing, it does list Mole Poblano commonly associated with Mexican food!)
The old BJCP guidelines call for Oktoberfest to be: “Smooth, clean, and rather rich, with a depth of malt character. This is one of the classic malty styles, with a maltiness that is often described as soft, complex, and elegant but never cloying.”

So our old fall back of food for Beer pairings, Mexican, Spicy food is on point this time with the Oktoberfest beer tasting.

Let’s see all the Mexican and spicy snack dishes you can concoct bring to this meeting!

Thanks,
James
J & T Brews

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Re: 2015 seminars

#12 Post by J & T Brews » Wed Oct 07, 2015 9:01 pm

With the change in tastings, October Fest foods this month!

Thanks,
James
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Re: 2015 seminars

#13 Post by J & T Brews » Wed Nov 11, 2015 9:53 am

Bring Food, Bring Food!

November is slated for Wood aged and non aged counterparts. Typically you will see stouts and porters in this wood aged category. You could also see sours

Smoke Flavored/Wood Aged Beer
Smoked beer is more versatile than you would think. Obviously it pairs well with smoked meats and fish (bacon, barbecue, smoked salmon etc.), the flavors are complimentary. It also goes well with strongly flavored ethnic food like Mexican or Chinese, really, give it a try.

Porter
Porters present a rich roasted malt character often with chocolate like flavors. Their bitterness derives more from the roasted malt than hops, although American versions tend to have the citrus notes of Cascade hops as well. An amazingly versatile style with food, Porters work well with caramelized meat (especially beef) and sweet sausages (like Italian). Anything with chocolate either in a dessert or a sauce (think Mexican mole) is a very complimentary match.

Stout
Think of Stout as a more assertive version of a Porter, but with many similarities. There are differences between the Irish, British, American and Imperial versions, with the hop bitterness increasing from Irish to Imperial. Most of the dishes that pair well with a Porter work just as well with a stout, especially chocolate (the bitterness of an Imperial stout provides contrast to the sweetness while complimenting the chocolate). As stouts can range from semi-sweet to sweet, they can be a great pairing with many desserts. They work well with cured meats (ham and corned beef). Noted brewer and writer Garrett Oliver (check out his The Brewmaster’s Table, the definitive book on beer and food) notes that Irish stouts work can well in a contrasting rather than complimentary context. He pairs them with shellfish (oysters, mussels, lobster and crab) and oily fish (anchovies, sardines bluefish but not delicate fish).
Sour Ale
These beers are characterized by a strong acidic quality that makes them a great match for rich fatty foods. They also work extremely well as a contrasting flavor for all types of shellfish. The fruit lambics, being sweeter, are a better go with poultry and certain desserts. Avoid drinking a fruit lambic with a dessert made predominantly with the same fruit (i.e. don’t have Kreik with cherry pie), there is such a thing as too much of a complimentary flavor.

Thanks,
James

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