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Sour Cherries and . . . Beer?
I love sour cherries. How many summers did I spend climbing the tree in my parents’ backyard, picking sour cherries and making pies and canning them and making jams?
One thing we never did with the sour cherries? Make beer.
But maybe we should have tried.
Naked Weather
Santa Annas blow across San Diego county, warm and dry, making us feel like we're in Palm Springs. It's naked weather. Not that we're naked, but could be, comfortably, if we were so inclined. Eyes are burning and muscles feel heavy. Liquid. We sit outside. G mixes up a batch of Bourbon Belles, from Imbibe Magazine, hoping I'll like them, and I do.
I don't usually drink whiskey, but this bourbon drink is smoky and sweet and goes especially well with spicy BBQ potato chips. We chat about work. Travel plans. Then nothing.
Shoo fly. I'm sipping Bourbon Belles and an ice water. And holding very still. So I'm not so hot.
Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!
My favorite wine shop was a zoo this morning. No, it wasn't packed with early-morning wine browsers; it was packed with an astonishing number of animal-themed wine labels: Elephants, lions, giraffes, wolves, goats, peacocks, ducks, and kangaroos were running wild. Even mythical creatures like the dragon and—my personal favorite—the roogle (half bald eagle, half kangaroo) appeared.
I particularly appreciate the bottles that feature the picture of the animal to be eaten with the wine, such as this La Poule Blanche. A cute silhouette of a chicken and egg got me thinking about chicken salad with farm fresh greens, juicy ripe tomatoes, and shavings of parmesan cheese. Perfect for a light lunch with a glass of this easy-going white wine.
Tennis Whites and Good Beer
After an hour and a half of tennis under a hot afternoon sun, my friend and I were beat. In need of a pick-me-up, we naturally dragged our sweaty bodies to our favorite pub.
Is there such a thing as the perfect after-tennis beer? I was going to find out . . .
Continue reading "St. Bernadus Witbier (Belgian White Beer)" »
Not Your Lawnmower Beer
During these sit-outside, grill-some-meat-for-dinner evenings of summer, nothing quite completes the experience better than a well made drink. Margaritas are a standard as are numerous rum concoctions, but sometimes it's hot. Really hot. And all you want is a big tall glass of something cold with a little kick.
Enter the Michelada.
Sitting on the patio waiting for the charcoal to reach white-hot, I enjoy a cold sip. Spicy, salty, sweet and tangy with a crisp hoppy snap, it's the perfect partner to a small pour of reposado tequila, in this case AsomBroso La Rosa 3 month -- highly respectable on its own, but paired with the Michelada, the moment is complete.
Some Yankee beer makers have adapted the recipe and (to questionable success) produced a bottled version. Don't buy it. Something this good deserves some care and proper ingredients. Here's the build:
The Thumb Test
Neglected in the back corner of my wine cabinet sat two lonely bottles of port. Surely a great wine to keep on hand, yet I rarely consider opening one. No time like the present.
So, which one to enjoy? Forgetting anything about the particular bottles themselves—where I got them or who gave them to me—I asked my husband to choose. At first I thought he'd take a close look at the wine label, maybe read the carefully written, persuasive copy on the back...but no.
He gave them the thumb test.
And Drink by the Light of the Moon . . .
Hot summer night. Backyard patio. Full moon. Mediterranean fare. Beer was not the focus. The big pale orb in the sky and the wonderful feta and olives and hummus on our table were.
So we were looking for something light, refreshing, simple, easy. Yep, a pilsner fit the bill.
We Heart Tiki Time
G and I used to live near the Bali Hai, and on special occasions, we'd walk over, push up to the moon-shaped bar just before sunset, and order a couple Bali Hai Mai Tais. The rum seemed to pour endlessly from bottles held above the bartender's head. The first sip of this drink is a kicker ... and the rest goes down way too easy.
Slurping the dregs and sucking on the rum-soaked pineapple, we'd order one more Mai Tai to share. More than 1.5 of these, and the sidewalk won't stay straight on the walk home.
Breaking the Rules
Wine pairing advice is everywhere these days: Books, magazines, even iPhone apps are all trying to help me choose the best wine to complement whatever it is I'm eating.
One book came highly recommended: What to Drink with What You Eat by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. A fun and thorough guide, it not only pairs food with wine, but also beer, cocktails, tea, soda—even water—and teaches three rules to follow when searching for the perfect pairing.
Yet, the thought of rules brings out the rebel in me.
'Tis the Season for Summer Beers
“Oh, I’m stuffed.”
This was the general consensus among me and my friends after eating too much fabulous Salvadoran food at a restaurant we’d just recently discovered.
Still, a few of us managed to drag our bodies several blocks to a great pub anyway. And was I glad we did when I saw one of my favorite seasonal beers on tap: Avery’s Maharaja IPA.
Out of Our Comfort Zone
We sailed across the Pacific, winds at 30 knots, jib fully satisfied, two kids securely wrapped in life jackets and their mothers' arms. Yes, plastic baggies nearby. Angled and windblown, the journey was pure anticipation -- for the island, for dolphins and whales, and for Buffalo's Milk.
Best of Both (Wine) Worlds
A wine with lots of polyphenols, those heart-healthy compounds abundant in a glass of red, makes me happy. Unfortunately, a deep burgundy wine seems a bit serious for a summer evening with friends and board games. We've been trying a few wonderful white wines this summer, but this weekend I thought I'd try something a little...controversial.
"How about a rosé?" I asked.
I sensed a twinge of skepticism, but my guinea pigs...er...I mean, guests...were willing to give it a sporting try.
