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Only one beer maker from Germany in the top 50? This poll, and the polls on beeradvocate always really skew towards extreme beer. Very hoppy, very strong... To pick a couple easy targets, Rogue and Sierra Nevada; but, not Schneider or Paulaner? C'mon! Erik ed. I didn't read the brewery list closely enough.

Sort of off topic. My wife and I were up in St. Helena, CA, and noticed they have a locally made soda there called Roto Frizzante. From the description on the menu, "non-sweet, vaguely citrus-like, with an attractive astringency," and bright red color, I knew exactly what it was. Campari and soda without alcohol. We tried some, it had more cherry and citrus to it than Campari; but, was otherwise an exact clone. I guess those Gott boys are spending their fortune on trips to Italy and wanted to bring the flavor back home... Erik

Cool! What a perfect 4th of July Cook-Off! I've made a couple pretty successful sorbets this spring using the freezer pan/pure method and have been looking for an excuse to buy an ice cream maker so I can give Gelato a try. I've had my eye on one of those Lello Gelato Juniors for some time now...

Huh! Interesting. I sure hope that is a case price! As far as I know, the only one of any of these beverages we can get in the US is the Pimm's No. 1. Erik

Something like this, except grilled? Sweet Tea Fried Chicken

There is a difference between the way they harvest the agave nectar for pulque and the way the do for tequila. I believe, for pulque, the process is more similar to tapping maple trees. A bit of the center of the plant is hollowed out, and then the liquid is siphoned off as it collects. I think I saw this on "A Cook's Tour" episode. For tequila, they harvest 7-10 year old plants, cut off the leaves, roast the pinon, pulp them, etc. Also, for pulque and Mezcal, they are less particular about which Agave plants they harvest nectar from. Tequila is supposed to come only from a single variety, Agave tequilana 'Weber's Blue'. From other things I have read recently on the web, more than the blight, it was a cycle of boom and bust that resulted in the "shortage". First there was too much Agave, prices went down, so farmers stopped growing it; but, at the same time there was an explosion of brands and popularity of tequila. Then there wasn't enough Agave and the blight. Now they are probably on track to normal again; but, it's like gasoline. Once they've got consumers paying a higher price, what incentive is there for them to lower it? The goodness of their hearts? Erik edited for usage

Not to mention the other extreme. Chicken that has been so heavily injected with who knows what that it no longer even resembles chicken. I got a safeway roasted "chicken" recently (I should know better). Not only was it incredibly salty and filled with amazing amounts of subcutaneous fat; but, the breast meat had been injected or brined to the point where it resembled not so much chicken, as chicken jello. Bleah! If Ham is this artificial it has to be called Ham and Water product. Why don't the same rules apply to Chicken?

Hi LindyCat, Pimm's #1 and Plymouth Fruit Cup are Gin blended with various secret spices, fruit juices, bitters, and extracts. They clock in around 25% alcohol. There used to be Pimm's numbers 1-6 with different base spirits. The only ones remaining in production are no. 1 (gin) and no. 6 (vodka). The most common use of them is: Pimm's, ice, and soda (or some citrus based soft drink) served in a tall glass with various garnishes. Very refreshing, refined, beverage traditionally enjoyed while watching Wimbledon. Well, anyway, more refined than a can of Lager. From what I've read recently, the most comparable mixed drink is the Straights Sling. Here is a topic from earlier this year with recipes and links to previous topics. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=66644 edited for stupid grammar

Here are a couple interesting pages... First should you want to order 24 000-litres, you can contact them here: http://www.graaffreinet.co.za/agavedistillers/index.html And another page from a south african info portal with more details about the whole operation and history of the firm...Apparently Blue Agave grows more or less as a weed in the Karoo area. http://www.safrica.info/what_happening/new...arootequila.htm To split botanical hairs, the South Africans are making their Agave spirit from Agave Americana or Century Plant, not Agave tequilana 'Weber's Blue'. This variety of Agave is allowed in Mescal; but, not true NOM Tequila. added note about Agave botany.

Seems bizarre to me. Anyone who sells by weight should let you see the weight (and price!) before wrapping. What if they guessed wrong and you needed another 1/4 pound? Do they give you another package? -Erik

I gotta say Chuck Taggert's fresh take on the Hurricane is a mighty fine Rum drink. The only change I make is to use Pomegranate Juice instead of Grenadine. Yum. Might have to make one when I get home. I'm also quite fond of a well made Planter's Punch. Though, good luck finding two recipes that agree on what is supposed to be in one. -Erik

We get wines pretty regularly from Bonny Doon. Irrespective of aging issues, I have found you do need to be a bit more careful when handling screwcap bottles by the neck than corked bottles. On at least one occasion, in the course of regular handling, I jarred the closure enough to barely break the seal between the mouth of the bottle and the closure. I didn't notice until the next time I looked at my stored bottles. Fortunately, it was just a day or so later, so I just refridgerated it and drank it up. Erik

I dunno about there; but, the problem here is all the brats I've seen sold in markets and butcher shops are smoked and/or pre-cooked. Real WI Brats are fresh sausage ala Italian Sausage. The two most popular methods for cooking are to either pre-cook them in beer and onions, then grill to order, or to grill and then store in simmering beer and onions. Our family always went with the first method. I grew up in WI and we always had Johnsonville. My parents tell me they can get them fresh frozen at Safeway in AZ. Usinger's has a website with online ordering and two day shipping: http://www.usinger.com/ Erik edited for usage

I've made this common internet recipe for Double Cherry Pie many times using frozen Cascadian Farms Cherries and never had any difficulties. I like tarter pies, so usually reduce the amount of sugar to 3/4 cup, and often substitute some or all dried cranberries instead of dried cherries. Very tasty.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n.../a104159D26.DTL According to this article today, the agency blocked the third test, despite the conflicting results. It sounds like the only reason the third test got done at all, was it was ordered by the agency's internal watchdog, and the Ag Secretary didn't find out about it until it was already underway. Not to mention, the article states the folks who did the second test in America did a second IHT test, and thought, "The tissue looked abnormal but, since the experimental method is not scientifically verified, the Ames lab did not report the result." Confidence inspiring, all around. -Erik

I cook Chili, Jambalaya, Pork Shoulder, etc. all the time in my cast iron dutch oven. The thing you don't want to do is leave your food sit in it after you're done cooking. Empty it immediately, rinse it out, if need be salt scrub, dry, re-apply thin coat of oil, and heat until smoking. Also, really strong or aromatic flavors and spices will get added to the bouquet of the cast iron seasoning and stick around. Just sort of an FYI, if you're going to braise pears in it one day. Erik

I'm not mbanu; but, I can answer this question. The more traditional method of making gin involves infusing a distillate (or even the mash) with the botanicals and then redistilling. I've read Gins like Gordon's, Plymouth, and Beefeaters are made this way. I would also assume all the older Dutch Jenevers are made this way. Some of the newer gins have a "gin head" filled with botanicals, and instead of infusing, they pass the distillate through the "head" during the manufacturing process. I've read Bombay does it this way.

I think with the garlic cloves in the cooking water, you throw away more flavor than you get in your potatoes. Another thing to do, if you don't want to oven roast garlic, is just to peel, halve, and simmer it in a small pot on top of the stove in the milk, (cream, chicken stock, butter, olive oil, whatever,) you are going to add to your potatoes. Garlic also typically takes longer to cook to tender than potatoes do, so you want to start it simmering, (or roasting,) a bit before you start your potatoes.

They are a small chain with stores in San Francisco and Redwood City. I will email your egullet address with their original message. It is too long to post in the forums. Their take on the bill is very similar to Mayhaw Man's. That this is an attempt by very large Wholesaler distributor interests to prevent, "California retailers from servicing customers outside of California unless the transaction is run through the wholesale tier at a significant cost." Erik

I received a note from a local wine merchant about a bill currently before the California Assembly. Is this information really accurate? "The CA Senate passed a bill on June 17th (SB 118) that is now before the Assembly and soon will go to the Governor. The new law will PROHIBIT direct shipment of wine from California retailers (and retailers anywhere) to California consumers." "California law currently allows ANYONE (including the anti-alcohol forces and the wholesalers) to ENFORCE the prohibitions of the ABC Act, which would include the new law. This new law endangers the ability of every merchant in the state (over 70,000 retailers) to sell wine for shipment to consumers and could in one fell swoop send the industry back to 1935. It cuts off consumer wine shipments from licensed and respected wine merchants all over the United States; that is as anti-consumer and anti-business as one can get. The recent amendment to SB 118 seals off California from interstate commerce in wine from the retailer tier of the industry."

Speaking of small local places... Has anyone been to Canteen yet? My wife read the recent review in the Chronicle and has been intruiged since. Might have to be our next destination. Erik

On tap last night at Toronado. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA. An excellent example of East Coast IPAs. Not as sharp and a bit more balanced than some extreme West Coast IPAs. Be interesting to do a comparison tasting between Victory Brewing's Hop Devil and Dogfish Head. Maybe have Stone and Bear Republic's IPAs on hand for comparison. Dogfish Head Immort Ale. Strangest beer I've had in a while. For what it is worth the initial flavor/smell was nearly exactly like Don Amado Reposado Mezcal. How they got a beer to taste like that, I have no idea. Tasted another drinker's Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA. 20% ABV. Not even sure this qualifies as beer or what setting would be appropriate for consumption. I just hope you aren't driving. Also tasted another person's Dogfish Head Raison d'Etre. This probably would have been nice, if I had any taste buds left. Should have tasted this one first. Speakeasy Brewing Bootlegger. I'm normally a pretty big fan of Speakeasy's beers, but, after tasting the above, this one underwhelmed me. For Speakeasy, it is very restrained in its hoppy character. Seems most similar to a German Style dark beer. Nice to see them experimenting outside of their normal flavor profile. Anchor Brewing Bock. Not that impressive. The general consensus was it tastes and feels exactly like the Christmas beer without the spices. Erik

By the way, Nijiya is a chain with several other locations in California. They even have a Website. Erik

Well, as long as they have Campbell's cream of mushroom soup available, the possibilities are limitless. I can't wait to see a deconstructed tater tot casserole. Or is tater tot casserole already a deconstructed something else? I'd lay money on a Moussaka of some sort from Cora. Erik

Woo! My nuts arrived from Mount Lassen today, after some UPS mixups yesterday. What a nice smell they have. Looking forward to staining my fingers and cutting board tomorrow AM. Erik