February 2018 - Porter and Floats

Our second pairing of the year (and of our own creation) was Porter and Floats.  We weren't sure if we wanted to have sundaes instead but we went with floats in the end.

We used Shake Chocolate Porter by Boulder Beer.  We put it over vanilla ice cream and once the foam settled down it was kind of yummy.

Social media post:
INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK
February’s food and beer pairing. Ice cream floats with a Porter! #boulderbeercompany #chocolateporter #foodandbeerpairing

TWITTER
February’s #foodandbeerpairing ice cream floats with @BoulderBeerCo #chocolateporter @Mike_Canan what's yours this month?

January 2018 - Blue Moon and Mussels

Our first beer pairing of the year using our new pairing list, created ourselves, is Blue Moon and Mussels.  My new book recommends this combination as part of their "Try this" section.

We used the classic Belgian White (wheat ale) with oranges of course served with mussels, crab legs, fettuccine, salad and bread to celebrate Andy's 31st birthday. (I just wish I had taken more pictures.)

 

Social media posts:
January #beerfoodpairing @BlueMoonBrewCo Belgian Wheat and mussels @Mike_Canan @WCPO

2018 Beer Pairing plans

We missed the last two pairings listed on the 2017 calendar and while preparing for 2018 found that the calendar from Red Cruiser on Etsy was no longer available.

So I bought the Beer Pairing: The Essential Guide from the Pairing Pros book from Amazon so we can create our own list. We have several months mapped out and all the beers chosen.  We will be using that book as well as a website (www.pintsandplates.com) I just discovered to create our own pairings.

The year will include seasonal beers and even Girl Scout cookie pairings as recommended by my new book.

Stay tuned!

October 2017 - Brown Ale & Chicken Pot Pie

While I usually make chicken pot pie in a pie plate, this time I tried a new recipe that called for individual cups.  It was Weight Watchers Individual Creamy Chicken Pot Pies.  And they were delicious!

We started out looking for Taft's Brewporium Brown Ale which we had heard was highly rated, Jungle Jim's did not have it because I think it may be only served on tap.  The next choice was Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale.  We found it (well we thought we found it) and realized on the way home that it was actually Dogfish Head Indian Brown Dark IPA.  It was fine with me because I love IPAs.

After a little more research we discovered that the Brown Ale had recently been morphed into the Dark IPA so it worked out perfectly.

It was a great pairing!

Social media posts:
Oct #beerfoodpairing brown ale & chicken pot pie w/ @dogfishbeer Indian Brown Ale which is now an IPA. @Mike_Canan @WCPO ‬

Next month is ESB and Buttered Popcorn which will certainly give us an opportunity to use Matt's Popcorn Popper!

#catchingup November 2016 - Pumpkin Pie and Oatmeal Stout

Better late than never...

Yesterday, I baked a pumpkin pie and had an oatmeal stout left in the fridge so I paired them to make up for missing this one.

Social media posts:

FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM

I missed the #beerfoodpairing for November 2016 but since I baked pumpkin pie and had an oatmeal stout in the fridge I used them for a tasty dessert combo. @mike_canan I’m catching up!

TWITTER

Missed the #beerfoodpairing for Nov 2016 but I baked pumpkin pie and had an oatmeal stout for a tasty dessert combo. @mike_canan #catchingup

September 2017 - Coffee Stout & Cinnamon Roll

One day late... we have all the stuff just never got a round tuit. (Thank you, Mrs. Jena, for that humor! I think of you every time I say it. #BigDoris)

Coffee stout proved to be a harder to find than we thought.  We looked at Jungle Jim's, even asked the beer guy and they didn't have any.  We ended up finding some at Kroger and grabbed it.  It was a brand we had tested there when the "free samples lady" was giving out samples.

I tried to figure out how to incorporate this into a meal and it occurred to me that we should just have Breakfast for Dinner.

I made egg and sausage casserole (an old recipe from Jean Woodruff) and combined it with Cinnabon rolls for a delicious combination coupled with Golden Road Brew Sunset Coffee (which by the way was yummy).

I was just sad Matt and Heather missed it.  It was a great pairing and it is definitely a beer I would pair with sweets in the future.

Our social media posts were:
September #beerfoodpairing coffee stout and cinnamon roll with @goldenroadbrew Sunset Coffee and @Cinnabon rolls. @Mike_Canan #yummy #breakfast4dinner

Next month is Brown Ale and Chicken Pot Pie.  Can't wait!

August 2017 - Helles & Grilled Bruschetta

For August the pairing is helles and grilled bruschetta.  Helles is a German Lager which seemed a little odd to combine with an Italian appetizer but that was the pairing in the calendar.

We chose Uinta Brewing Co. Fest Helles German Style Lager. Unita is a craft brewery in Salt Lake City. Unfortunately this beer is not listed on their website so I was  a little skeptical about it although they have quite a few other beers that I would like to try.
I did find a description on Untapped:

Fest is a delicate balance of malt and hops. With its bready malt character and grassy aromatics, this German style lager is the perfect go-to for late Summer drinking, lederhosen optional. 

The box and can were interesting.  We wondered what "compass cans" meant but if you look at the top of the can, you can see the compass.

The big surprise was... we loved this beer.  I would definitely get it again!

I used a bruschetta recipe I got from my cousin Mary Lou Stathopoulos a few years ago.  We usually don't grill it, but this time we did so I had to make a few adjustments but the ingredients were the same.

To top off the dinner we had grilled fish, pork on a stick and cucumber salad.  All was delicious and another successful food and beer pairing is in the books.

 

Twitter and Instagram: August #foodbeerpairing with @UintaBrewing Fest Helles and grilled bruschetta
Facebook: August #foodbeerpairing with @UintaBrewing Fest Helles and grilled bruschetta (Mary Lou's recipe!)

Next month is Coffee Stout and Cinnamon Roll.  The plan is to have this in the morning before leaving for the Renaissance Festival.