Top 5 Biere De Garde

November 20th, 2009 by Deron

What is Biere De Garde?

Thanksgiving is only about a week away (I swear I don’t know where the time goes), so I thought it would be an appropriate time to talk about my top 5 Biere De Gardes, French for beer which has been kept or lagered. Biere De Garde is a traditional farmhouse pale ale that has its origins in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France. Brewed in the late winter and early spring and kept in cold cellars for consumption later in the year, this keeping was primarily done to avoid problems with the yeast during the warmer summer months.

Biere De Garde and Saison

In many ways, Biere De Garde is a distant relative of Saison, with the main difference between them being that Biere De Garde has a rounder, richer, sweeter, malt-focused flavor, with a cellar-like, earthy, sometimes musty character that is difficult to replicate if you’re attempting to homebrew it, due to its indigenous yeast and molds. Another noticeable difference from this beer and Saison is its lack of spicing and tartness.

Biere De Garde Characteristics

Biere De Garde has a prominent malty-sweet aroma with a complex, light to moderate toasty character, and very little hop aroma, and if it is there it will be a bit on the spicy or herbal side. Appearance-wise, there is one of the widest ranges of color of all beer styles; some are light blonde, and some are dark brown, with any variation in between. Highly carbonated with a well-formed white to off-white head, Biere De Garde is one pretty beer. It tastes even better than it looks—it has medium to high malt flavor with a toasty, toffee-like sweetness, and that malt flavor will increase in the darker versions that you encounter. Hop bitterness will be low, but supportive, and there will be a La Divine Biere De Gardesmooth, lager-like character with some herbal and spice notes in the background. Smooth and silky, even though were talking about it in November, this is one of my favorite summer session beers when you need a break from all the pale wheat ales, Witbiers, and Hefeweizens.

Biere De Garde and Food Pairings

Now comes my main inspiration for talking about this beer—its amazing versatility with food pairing. It makes perfect sense that the indigenous beer style of France works so well with grub. Lamb and sausages are two big ones that immediately come to mind, and intense, fragrant cheeses are Biere De Gardes best friends; Livarot, Pavin, and Munster are three that are a match made in heaven. However, the biggest, grandest, and most perfect pairing is what you’re going to do next week—Thanksgiving dinner. I’ve talked about the herbal, earthy, musty notes in Biere De Garde, and these flavors match up incredibly well with what will be on your table. All those herbs that you’re going to use in your gravy, stuffing, on the turkey… they have very much in common with this beer.

Anyone who knows me well enough knows that one of my personal bibles is Garrett Oliver’s The Brewmaster’s Table, the last word on pairing beer with food. Upon first reading it years ago, one of the first suggestions in his book that I followed and took to heart was his suggestions with this beer and Thanksgiving dinner, and I couldn’t agree with him more. I outlined in a post last year how great this beer is with that meal, and encouraged everyone to ditch the wine bottles and go for the beer instead. I’m going to do the same again this year—it’s simply TOO good of a pairing to not try at least once.

Cheers!

Lost Abbey Avante Garde

Flying Dog Garde Dog

Russian River Perdition

Saint Landelin La Divine

Ommegang Biere De Mars

TAGS [ BIERE DE GARDE | BEST BIERE DE GARDE | BEER REVIEWS | THANKSGIVING BEERS ]

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The Art of Distilling Whiskey and Other Spirits

November 19th, 2009 by Gerg

During the holiday season I always seem to rush around from store to store and try to guess what my family and friends who seem to have everything could possibly want as a gift. I stumbled upon this book about distilling whiskey and really got into it. Tons of photos, diagrams and history about the process. Enough to get any whiskey geek, history buff or photographer interested.

This is perfect, I finally have exactly what I need… now how do I possibly get these books to everyone on my list without them realizing that I gave them all the same gift…

The Art of Distilling Whiskey and Other Spirits

TAGS [ WHISKEY BOOK | DISTILLING WHISKEY | WHISKEY GIFTS | LIQUOR GIFTS | SPIRITS GIFTS | DISTILLING BOOK ]

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Top Turkey Beers: Brews for Thanksgiving

November 19th, 2009 by Hannah

Thanksgiving is now just a week away, so if you haven’t yet decided on which beers to serve with your turkey, now is the time. You need brews that will stand up to the taste but not overpower it; a delicate balance indeed. My three favorite styles to pair with turkey dinner, and all the fixings, are Amber Ales, Oktoberfests and Brown Ales (English or American will do).

Looking for an even heavier push in the right direction? Ok, ok, I’ve got a bit more up my sleeve. Here are some of my personal choices for each of the three styles.

Amber Ale

Ithaca Beer Company Cascazilla
The first time I had this American Amber was at a beer fest that we attended about 2 years ago at Hamburg Fairgrounds. Described as "monstrously hoppy," this red ale packs a 7% ABV punch with a touch of sweetness behind the hops to pair perfectly with your turkey dinner.

Flying Bison Aviator Red
The maltier side of American Ambers, Flying Bison’s Aviator Red remains one of my true favorite brews (although I do enjoy a hoppy beer at times, my heart tends to pull to the malt overall) and another great beer to enjoy with turkey and all of the fixings. The caramel flavors with hints of cherries even pair well with the cranberry sauce!

Oktoberfest

Samuel Adams Oktoberfest
Although I’m not a huge fan of everything Samuel Adams, I do enjoy their Oktoberfest brew, plus they’re generally easy to find for most of America, and therefore a good bet for your Thanksgiving dinner. Crisp carbonation and good balance keeps your palate clean throughout the meal.

Custom BrewCrafters Oktoberfest
Slightly sweeter than the Sam Adams offering, Custom BrewCrafters Oktoberfest Lager features molasses-like malts with hints of hops for proper balance. If you prefer your brews to have a heavier mouthfeel, choose this chewy brew over the Sam Adams Oktoberfest for your holiday feast.

Brown Ale

Newcastle Brown Ale
Newcastle Brown Ale offers a nutty, slightly chocolaty nose and taste that pairs well with the sweeter side of your turkey dinner. Medium bodied with light carbonation, you can enjoy a few of these throughout the meal but probably not too many.

Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale
I wouldn’t describe this American Brown as a session beer either, but it definitely has more balance between hops and malt than the English Brown Ale above, so if you’re looking to pair a brown ale with your meal but require a kick of hops to better stand up to your food, this is a great way to go. Its champagne-like carbonation is a nice addition too.

Have your own beer and turkey pairing suggestions? Please share them with us! Plus, check out Deron’s suggestions from last year.

TAGS [ BEER PAIRING | BEER AND TURKEY | THANKSGIVING BEERS | BEER REVIEWS ]

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Black (and Tan) Friday

November 18th, 2009 by Gerg

Black Friday. Blah. I always hated getting up at 5 am, getting shoved out the door by my mom who "had to get those deals," and waiting in sub-zero temperatures for a doll for my sister. When I finally was old enough to fake sleep through it all and save my dad from this menace too, I was able to stay out of the rat race.

Finally as it draws near to my son’s first Christmas, I find myself pouring over toys and junk that will soon fill my living room and need to be donated to a needy cause in the next year or so when he outgrows them.

I have to say I’m glad that the internet has grown up enough that I don’t even have to leave the house to start and finish my shopping. In fact, I’d like to propose that instead of celebrating Black Friday (an insane American tradition) we should celebrate Black and Tan Friday! Imagine this, getting up late, eating lunch, pouring yourself a black and tan later in the afternoon, and starting and finishing your shopping in less than an hour. Sounds great to me. I’ll see you online, Black and Tan in hand.

Happy Holidays to Me

TAGS [ BLACK FRIDAY | BLACK AND TAN | BLACK AND TANS | GUINNESS SPOON | BLACK AND TAN SPOON ]

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Back By Popular Demand: The BrewTender

November 18th, 2009 by Hannah

You begged. You pleaded. You promised us your first born… and, although we’ll pass, finally they’re back. BrewTenders are here and ready for self-serving your hoards of friends, family and the like.

BrewTender Party Pitcher

That’s right… these are self-serving 80-ounce beer and drink pitchers, which save you time and energy so you can better enjoy the festivities yourself. Plus, they light up, adding even more to your party décor.

The BrewTender features

  • a removable ice chamber, which eliminates dilution from melting ice
  • a lazy-susan style rotating base that’s perfect for pub or dining tables
  • a bar style tap handle for easy dispensing of beer, cocktails, juice, iced tea or anything cold
  • an internal beverage and ice lighting system
  • and is available in red or black

Get yours now for only $59.95!

TAGS [ BREWTENDER | DRINKTENDER | BREW TENDER | DRINK TENDER | PARTY PITCHER ]

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The $18,000 Bottle of Beer

November 17th, 2009 by Liz

Hindenburg Lowenbrau BeerWhen the Hindenburg airship went down, taking the lives of 38 people and injuring another 60 on May 6th, 1937 much was lost. The Hinderburg, carrying 97 passengers on board, was destroyed within a minute while attempting to dock at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey.

Fire Chief Leroy Smith of the Matawan Fire department in NJ came across a fire-damaged bottle of Lowenbrau Beer and took it from the wreck site.

This week, that bottle of beer went to auction and fetched the sum of £9,400, but "with buyer’s premium, the bottle will cost the purchaser £10,810," or around $18,000 USD. That price gives it the world record for the most expensive bottle of beer ever sold. A $400 bottle of limited edition Carlsberg previously held the record.

Who needs Pabst when you can buy Hindenburg?

TAGS [ HINDENBURG | LOWENBRAU BEER | BEER AUCTION | BEER NEWS ]

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A Customer’s 4-Tap Fridge, Finally Finished with Help from KegWorks

November 16th, 2009 by Hannah

Check out this rad 4-tap keg fridge that one of our customers just finished creating, with faucets, tap plugs and other pieces of equipment he picked up from us:

4-tap keg fridge

Jon, I’ve gotta say, we are seriously impressed. Thanks for passing along the photo!

TAGS [ KEGERATOR | KEG FRIDGE | DRAFT BEER EQUIPMENT | BEER FAUCETS | KEG REFRIGERATOR ]

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