Category: food

Oddtoberfest 2011

Bratwurst with Dusseldorf mustard, hot sauerkraut, and relish; traditional German potato salad; and, green salad

My Oddfellows Lodge holds an Octoberfest dinner every year, cleverly titled, Oddtoberfest. As a Lodge we do a lot of fundraising and community outreach projects, but not Oddtoberfest. For Oddtoberfest we just sit back eat a big meal, drink a lot of beer (which the Lodge brews itself) and eat cakes. It’s pretty great. Oh, we also learn what Octoberfest is all about. Want to give it a guess? Don’t cheat! Just guess… Done? If you guessed it had something to do with the bored, pampered, royalty of Europe you are correct. Give yourself a gold star.

The Oktoberfest tradition started in 1810 to celebrate the October 12th marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to the Saxon-Hildburghausen Princess Therese. The citizens of Munich were invited to join in the festivities which were held over five days on the fields in front of the city gates. The main event of the original Oktoberfest was a horse race.  Anniversary celebrations were held annually thereafter that eventually became larger and more elaborate.

Now you know that you and every dumb frat boy in this country celebrating Oktoberfest is a disgusting Royalist pig. Learning is fun!

Anyway, what I really wanted to talk you about today was Dusseldorf mustard. Which until Oddtoberfest 2011 I did not know existed. I don’t know anything about how mustards are made but this was some spicy, tart stuff. Like no mustard I’d ever had before. All I know was that it was delicious and now I have to find some, you should too.

 

Beer of the Week #3: Wailua

 

Kona Brewing Company's Wailua Wheat Ale

From the label:

Wailua is Hawaiian for two fresh water streams mingling. This was just the inspiration we needed for our aloha series wheat ale brewed with tropical passion fruit. A refreshing, citrusy, sun-colored ale with the cool taste of Hawaii

From their website:

Swimming in a fresh water pool at the base of a cascading waterfall is what we all imagine we would find in paradise. On Maui, follow the old Hana Highway and you will find such a place – Wailua Falls. This plunging cascade of clear water is the inspiration for our Limited Release Wailua Wheat Ale. This golden, sun colored ale has a bright, citrus flavor that comes from the tropical passion fruit we brew into each batch. Sit back, relax and enjoy paradise anytime.

I can pour a pint, let me tell you!

The first thing I noticed is how fruity this beer is! Furthermore while there is a hint of citrus as the quotes up above mention the more noticeable flavor is passion fruit. Please note that when I say this beer is fruity I’m not talking cocktail fruity, hard cider fruity, this is very much still a beer and while the passion fruit flavor is strong it isn’t sweet. The beer has a clean, crisp finish and leaves a satisfying passion fruit aftertaste in this mouth.

This beer is only sold during the spring and summer and that is a shame cause I’d drink it year round. But, since it’s only around for the BBQing months I hearitly recommend picking this beer up next time you’re grilling instead of Corona or other domestic lager.

Rating (out of five):

 

 

 

I wasn’t expecting to have a five star beer yet but here it is. So in it goes to the newly created False(B)blogic Hall of Beers.

 

Beer of the Week #1: Midas Touch

Cause beer is golden?
Midas Touch by Dogifsh Head Craft Brewery

I like drinking beer. I like drinking beer more than I like drinking wine and slightly less than I do drinking ciders. I’m not quite sure where hard liquors fit in that rating system, but it isn’t important. I’m kind of a snob though and am not content with merely swilling done the child, mild piss that is bulk brewed American beer regardless of how difficult it is to make said beer taste the same wherever it is brewed. My hat off to the brewmeister for being so technically proficient it’s just a shame what you’re brewing is so tame and boring…

Anyway, I’m lucky enough to be a member of a food co-op that has a phenomenal beer selection (their wine selection is pretty good too) as well as to live in a city that can support a beer tasting room. So, I’m never at a loss when I want to try new beers. Seeing as I’m doing all this drinking I might has well share my findings with everyone else.

A note: I’ve never done this before and so I’m not going to pretend I know how this works. My process here is going to be much like wine sampling: sniff, swill, spit, repeat, and then swallow (sounds dirty, I know. Grow up.)

The first beer of the week? Midas Touch, a handcrafted ancient ale with barley, honey, white muscant grapes & saffron. From the brewer’s website:

This recipe is the actual oldest-known fermented beverage in the world! It is an ancient Turkish recipe using the original ingredients from the 2700 year old drinking vessels discovered in the tomb of King Midas. Somewhere between wine & mead; this smooth, sweet, yet dry ale will please the Chardonnay of beer drinker alike [sic].

That is fascinating! And would have helped me purchase this early if any of that had been printed on the label!

I have the strangest pint glasses...

Back to the tasting; let me… where are my notes?Ah, here the are! This is what I wrote down, “lovely, rich amber color, hoppy aftertaste, subtle hints of wine and fruit… Wish I was better at describing beer to folks.” Don’t ever say I wasn’t honest with you dear reader! Despite the ancient recipe, honey, and grapes this beers flavors were mild to medium and were easily overwhelmed by the hop finish. I imagine it is at its best chilled extra cold and enjoyed outdoors with some BBQ.

Rating (out of five):

 

Spring Garden 2011: A Time to Reap

The spring/summer of 2011 garden's "Ultimate Form"

September has brought with it cooler days and cooler nights and that has slowed down the garden as well. We haven’t harvested a zucchini or tomato in weeks and the beans and cucumbers have begun to wither on their own. It is getting late in the season anyway and D is excited to put the fall/winter garden.  So, today we did a complete once over of the garden harvesting everything we found and then pulled it all out. The harvest turned out to be mostly green tomatoes; Diana has never had any before and I figure now is the perfect time to introduce them to her (fried, of course).

Half way there... Hey, stop staring at my wife!

In addition to tearing out the garden I turned over the soil,   “harvested” all the compost that was made this year (about a bucket and a half), and cleared out 1/3 of the vermiculture composter. The compost and worm castings and compost were then worked into the garden plot and everything was lightly watered. We’re going to let it lie for a week, or so, and then plant the winter garden. Much like last year we are going to plant a lot of greens (chard, spinach, kale, arugula, celery, etc.) I only hope that this year isn’t as wet as the last…

Soil enriched, turned and watered. I'll probably manure it too before we plant the winter garden.
Last fruits. All those reds tomatoes were completely hidden. That is what I get for growing monstrous tomato plants...
...and just a little more

Lastly, we found a couple of these enormous caterpillars while tearing everything out. These guys were as long and thick as my index finger! Anyone recognize it?

Is this a Caterpie or a Weedle?

 

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