BrentKulman

Despite its name, Dos Equis Amber is actually a Vienna Lager (as is Negra Modelo), a style that was introduced to Mexico by Austrian immigrants in the late 1800s. It is distinguished by its use of Vienna or Munich malts which should produce a soft malt complexity with enough hop bitterness to produce a balanced, dry finish. Unfortunately, most Mexican breweries use adjuncts (probably corn) to lower their costs/appeal to American mass consumer tastes and this results in less malt complexity than the best examples of the style. One of the better Vienna Lagers is Sam Adams Boston Lager, so you could taste that side by side with a Dos Equis Amber to compare the differences. Sam Adams also used to make a beer that they labeled Vienna Lager but I have never tasted it. The Dos Equis is the green bottle is also a lager and fits into the American Lager category. By the way, I love Stone's beers and wish we could get them in NC. Their IPA is a hop monster. I have never tried their Pale Ale but I have a hunch I would really like it. I wish we had the beer selection you have in California.

I was at the annual Charlotte homebrew competition today, so I drank just about everything under the sun. My three favorites today: Irish Red Foreign Extra Stout Imperial IPA Susan - A Corona???????????? How can you drink that and a Shakespeare Stout? I should also mention that a few days ago, I went to an Avery beer tasting. My favorites there were The Reverend and The Maharaja.

Case and Keg Beer World has a good selection of beers if you make it as far south as Boca Raton. I know that is a hike for you but we in NC regularly drive 3 hours to buy the high gravity beers that are currently unavailable for sale in our state.

There are close to 100 recognized beer styles that are brewed and, being a lover of both wine and beer, I can tell you that the variety of beer styles is much more diverse than the variety of wine styles. The higher alcohol limits have nothing to do with making a Pale Ale taste better but they are essential in the production of many other styles. Let me also add that some beers, such as barleywines and certain Belgian styles, benefit from aging, the same as fine wine. The higher alcohol content is an essential element in the aging process. For more information: http://popthecap.org/index.php?module=page..._position=17:17 If wine were subject to the same restrictions, your comment would be the equivalent of saying that limiting red wines to cabernets and white wines to chardonnays would provide all the flavor that a drinker could want from a wine.

I just went to an Avery tasting in Charlotte yesterday featuring Adam Avery himself. The last beer we tasted was "The Beast," which sadly will not be available in NC even if the cap is raised to 15%. It was one of my three favorites along with "The Reverend" and "The Maharaja."

I haven't had that particular ale, although it is available here in Charlotte. I've tasted Black Sheep's Riggwelter Yorkshire Ale, which is a fine English Brown Ale. Here are my tasting notes: Appearance: Clear chestnut brown body with a nice head and plenty of lacing Smell: Caramel malt with a touch of bananas and raisins Taste: Lots of coffee flavor; starts out sweet but that is quickly overwhelmed by bitterness - some sweetness on the finish as the bitterness fades Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a fair bit of carbonation Drinkability: This is a nice brown ale, but it is quite filling The derivation of Riggwelter is interesting. From the website: Riggwelter: from the Old Norse: rigg-back and velte – to overturn. When a sheep is on its back and cannot get up without help, local Yorkshire dialect says it is rigged or riggwelted. There is a link to a map from the website. Mouse over the word "Contact" on the top right side of the home page and click on the link that appears. Masham appears to be in between Leeds and Newcastle in the Yorkshire region of England.

Although I don't think you can get this in Florida, Cottonwood makes an Almond Stout that might fit your bill for a sweeter style stout. It has a nice coffee-almond aroma and flavor profile. My only complaint about it is that it is a bit thin in its mouthfeel. Otherwise, an unusual but tasty interpretation of the style.

The interesting thing is that there is a real affinity between chocolate and craft beer that extends far beyond stouts. Chocolate malt (the barley strain, not the soda shop concoction) is an ingredient in a number of beer recipes, notably brown ales, altbiers, bocks, porters and stouts. Beers made with chocolate malt will have chocolate flavors of varying intensities. While this is the first I have heard of using beer as a filling for chocolate, the thought is not as far fetched as it might first appear.

Last December, I attended a vertical tasting of the last 15 years of Anchor's Special Ale and it was extraordinary how well the older beers were still tasting. It was also interesting to taste the subtle distinctions between the different "vintages." thus demonstrating that the brewmaster's craft is as worthy of recognition as the winemaker's.

I have been going for over 20 years but haven't been in a while. While I have her cookbook and often use her recipes, I think that success has had a negative impact on the restaurant itself. I don't know how much time Mama Dip spends in the kitchen but, as she ages, this has to be having an impact.

Having selected a bottle for WOW, I was and am concerned by the lack of response. I think the concept is great but agree with prior posters that the selections may not have enough variety to be of interest. Having struggled through the question of what to recommend, I think it is a natural reaction to try to identify something that is readily accessible and that will often lead to California. Perhaps a little more organization would be in order. I sure wouldn't mind if the forum host chose the wines with the specific intention of adding more variety to the choices. Participant suggestions could also be encouraged. I, for one, wouldn't mind being a passive participant in the process as I like the concept of comparing notes with others but don't really want the stress of trying to select a wine that will be both interesting and readily available again.

I'm not sure I understand why a basic BBQ wouldn't be up my alley. Is there something I should know about this place? I've only been to Durham 2-3 times, so I really do need to know. ← I'll have to disagree about Bullock's BBQ. It's pretty mediocre in my opinion although I do like their side dishes and chicken. If it's BBQ you are wanting, Allen & Sons on 86 just north of Chapel Hill is where you want to go. A few words of warning about the place, however. When it is at its peak, it is among the best BBQ places in the state. They are not always on form, however, and I have had some mediocre experiences there. Also, they have a unique, warm BBQ sauce that contains butter. If you are not experienced with NC BBQ, always use the sauce sparingly. Unlike other areas where the sauce is as much a part of the show as the meat, in NC, it's all about the meat and the sauce is just used as a moistener. Also, you might want to check out chowhound.com/south as there are a lot of recommendations on Durham at that site.

You are likely to get a much better response to this question at beeradvocate.com Check out the Groups section of the website and post either in the Homebrewing or South Atlantic sections.

Not Mayhaw, but Louisiana does not have a limit on the abv. Only six states have the limit: NC, SC, WV, AL, MS, and AR. If you are unfamiliar with the Pop the Cap campaign to remove the limit in NC, check out the activities at their website Pop the Cap If you are so inclined, now is the time to do something about it as there is legislation in front of the NC House to remove the limit. Pop the Cap is urging everyone to write letters to the members of the House Committee as well as their own representative to help get the legislation passed.

Before we get into this, I should state that I am not a fan of Merlot as I generally find it too tooty-fruity for my palate. So, with that preface, here goes: I've got a a bottle of the 2001 vintage. Appearance: Medium red/purple, relativley viscous, with lots of nice legs Smell: Cherries, blackberries and plums Taste: Starts out with a burst of somewhat sweet cherry-flavored juice; in the middle, my tongue starts to dry and this sensation is followed by some acidity that makes my mouth water and, finally, some very soft tannins that build, somewhat, as I consume the balance of the glass Drinkability: Overall, very fruity, just as I expected; straightforward Merlot characteristics; very approachable, with nothing challenging to the palate. Bottom line, there is nothing wrong with this wine if you like the straightforward cherry fruit style

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Sautee in olive oil until caramelized. Then toss with balsamic vinegar.

Well, it has taken me a while, but I finally got around to tasting this wine. Here are my notes: Appearance: Medium magenta body, with lots of nice legs running down the side of the glass Smell: Blackberries, cherries, a little herbacious and quite a bit of alcohol on the nose Taste: Rather light bodied, with very light cherry fruit, soft tannins and a bit of acid; a moderate amount of oakiness Overall evaluation: Quite pleasant and would like to taste it again in a couple of years when some of its raw tendencies dissipate; would pair nicely with lighter meats

Don't make the mistake of defrosting them in the microwave, as you will quickly wind up with cooked egg whites. I freeze my egg whites in small glass containers and defrost them by running them under hot water.

When I was in Munich the only schweinhaxen I ate were spit roasted so while perhaps they can be boiled to good effect, I never experienced it. By contrast, when I returned to this country I went on a binge to find restaurants that served them and all I found were the boiled version. That was a tremendous disappointment and my conclusion was that eating boiled schweinhaxen was about as exciting as eating boiled ribs.

I've had them boiled and they are quite insipid. The Bavrian spit-roasted method is the way to go, and after visiting Munich around this time last year, I know why bandregg is seeking to duplicate the experience on this side of the pond.

I'm not where you are, but I can assure you that you'll have no trouble finding them in the US south. Especially this time of year when Ham Hocks & Black Eyed Peas is practically the required dish for folks in that region.Just call them ham hocks. You should be able to find them at any local grocery store. ← The problem is that in the south, the hocks are smoked.You need fresh hocks.Here is a source:https://www.bavariasausage.com/shop/index.p...ecategory_id=59

I've had this once before and your instincts are right. Cold beers will assault your taste buds so if you are seeking to actually taste beer (as opposed to quaffing it to cool down on a hot day), I find virtually all of the darker beers are much better when only slightly chilled. Make sure you serve it in an unchilled glass as that will impact the flavor as well. If you like the chocolate bock, you should also try Rogue's Chocolate Stout or Young's Double Chocolate Stout. I wasn't crazy about the Sam Adams Chocolate Bock and I much prefer those other two. Also, a lot of craft brewers make beers with chocolate so you might want to keep your eyes peeled for examples that might be available in your area. (If you are really nice to beergirl, she might let you try the Fantome Chocolate. One of the most unique beers I have ever tasted - instead of the bitter chocolate you find in most beers made with chocolate, the Fantome tastes more like malted chocolate.)

Samuel Smith's is not alone; a number of the other English brewers also bottle their beers in clear bottles despite all evidence of the dangers of doing so.

I like the Black Forest Brewpub in Farmingdale. Not sure how far it is from Patchogue but worth a stop if you are in the area.