Plaka Bar, Hania, Crete

For a person, who doesn't drink, but is "obligated" to go to bars, I have to say that Cretes bars were something else. Plaka was one of those places that I don't know whether to hate or love. Really hippy place, small and I really feel out of my comfort zone, but again, there was something that really melted my heart: a dog. 

February in Crete was really cold. It was windy and stormy, but when we came to Plaka, there was a heater and infront of that heater, there was a little dog sleeping, warming. So cute. 

Place didn't give me anything else then this cute picture of cute dog and memory of purple walls... No thank you, for non-drinker, this wasn't my place. 

Saddlebock, Arkansas

Saddlebock is truely a brewery that got my sympathy. Even though I don't drink beer and even though they didn't have anything to offer me, I still liked it. How about that?

The company is quite young, they are coming up on their first year on the spot. The brewing facilities are... what would be the right word... "cute", "authentic" or "true DIY in the good way"? Coming through the door you will be in the tasting room, "the saloon". In the saloon, there is a long bar, made of beautiful wood. Every wall around you is made of metal sheets, really rustic or industrial, if you will. On the walls there are big windows, where you can see to the "brewing room" and to the "delivery room". "-marks becouse its all one "big" space, they are connected together so the little brewery has easy to brew, casked it and delivery it as easily as possible. 

Like I said, I didn't do anything else except sit on that bar stool and surfed in the net, but still I liked it becouse it was honest. 

Cheers to you Saddlebock. You did it well! Oh and don't forget to ask samplers!

- J

This is what they say about themselves:

And, unlike many of the big breweries, we don’t rush the fermentation process. We know – as brewers have always known – that you can’t rush great flavor. So we let our beers ferment until they achieve the multi-dimensional flavor and complex flavor notes you expect from a fine craft beer. 

If you'd like to learn more about our beers and our brewing process, come out to the brewery to talk to Steve, our brewer, take a brewery tour, and taste our great beers in the tasting room. Tours are offered every Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 pm. Like Saddlebock Brewery on Facebook for the latest news and up to date tasting room hours and tour schedules.

Coney Island

I loved the visit we made on Coney Island, New York. Just so legendary place, "the freak shows", worlds best Hot Dogs, and  of course for any beer fanatic, The Coney Island Craft Lagers. I couldn't tell you if they are good or bad, but the place is one of the "must see  once in the life time" -type of places I would recommend! 

Meissen, Germany

On christmas holidays we visited Dresden, Germany and while that trip we did a road trip to the villages and cities around Dresden. One of the towns was little charming city of Meissen. Lot of beer culture and lots of lovely places visit also for those non-drinkers. That may also be the christmastime talking inside of me ;D

Have to say, I love the German culture of beers. Yes, you should have something good to eat while you are drinking your beer! Love it!!

Bayerischer Bahnhof and its Gose in Leipzig

During our roadtrip in Germany, we visit also Leipzig. In Leipzig there is old railway station that is turned into to a brewery restaurant called Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei Bayericher Bahnhof. I have to say the food was great, I think beer was good too. =D Most of all I really enjoyed the surroundings. It was great to see how they have turned the old railway station into a restaurant. If I can remember correctly, they will make a changes in the area in the future, so I would happy to see how it turns and visit them again. And for beer-point-of-view it is a "must" visit so I think the visit here was a success. 

Here is what wikipedia says about Gose -type beers, what is strongly bonded with this place. 

"Gose

Gose is a top-fermented beer style of Leipzig, Germany, brewed with at least 50% of the grain bill being malted wheat.

Dominant flavours in Gose include a lemon tartness, a herbal characteristic, and a strong saltiness (the result of either local water sources or added salt). Gose beers typically do not have prominent hop bitterness, flavours, or aroma. The beers typically have a moderate alcohol content of 4 to 5% ABV.

Because of the use of coriander and salt, Gose does not comply with the Reinheitsgebot. It is allowed an exemption on the grounds of being a regional specialty. It acquires its characteristic sourness through inoculation with lactic acid bacteria after the boil.

Gose belongs to the same family of sour wheat beers which were once brewed across Northern Germany and the Low Countries. Other beers of this family are Belgian Witbier, Berliner Weisse, Broyhan, Grätzer and Gueuze.

History

Gose was first brewed in the early 18th century in the town of Goslar, from which its name derives. It became so popular in Leipzig, that local breweries started to make it themselves. By the end of the 1800s it was considered to be the local style of Leipzig and there were countless Gosenschänke in the city.

Originally, Gose was spontaneously-fermented. A description in 1740 stated "Die Gose stellt sich selber ohne Zutuung Hefe oder Gest" ("Gose ferments itself without the addition of yeast"). Sometime in the 1880s brewers worked out how to achieve the same effect by using a combination of top-fermenting yeast and lactic acid bacteria.

Gose was delivered, still fermenting quite vigorously, in barrels to the Schänke. It was stored in the cellar with the tap bung closed but the shive hole left open, so that the still-active yeast could escape. Only when the fermentation had slowed to a point where no yeast was emerging from the shive hole, was the Gose ready to bottle. The barrel was emptied into a tank, from whence it was filled into the characteristic long-necked bottles. These were not closed with a cap or cork, but with a plug of yeast (Flor) which naturally rose up the neck as the secondary fermentation continued.

By the outbreak of WWII, Rittergutsbrauerei Döllnitz, between Merseburg and Halle, was the last brewery producing Gose. When it was nationalised and closed in 1945, Gose disappeared. But only until 1949, when the tiny Friedrich Wurzler Brauerei opened at Arthur-Hoffmann-Straße 94 in Leipzig. Friedrich Wurzler had worked at the Döllnitzer Rittergutsbrauerei and was the only person who knew the secret of brewing Gose.

Before his death in the late 1950s, Wurzler handed on the secret to his stepson, Guido Pfnister. Brewing of Gose continued in the small private brewery, though there appears to have been little demand. By the 1960s there were no more than a couple of pubs in Leipzig and possibly one in Halle that were still selling it. When Pfnister died in 1966 the brewery closed and Gose disappeared again, this time seemingly forever.

In the 1980s Lothar Goldhahn, who was restoring a former Gosenschenke, Ohne Bedenken, decided that it was only fitting that the revived pub should sell Gose. After quizzing drinkers to ascertain its precise characteristics, Goldhahn began to search for a brewery to produce his Gose. None of the local breweries were keen on making such an odd beer, so eventually he chose the Schultheiss Berliner-Weisse-Brauerei on Schönhauser Allee in East Berlin. The first test brews were made in 1985 and production started in 1986.

After briefly disappearing again in 1988, Gose is today in better health than it's been for half a century. No less than three German breweries currently brew it: Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof and Familienbrauerei Ernst Bauer in Leipzig and Brauhaus Goslar in Goslar."

taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gose January 11th

For Now, Cheer! 

- Jaana

Visit to Weihenstephan, Freising, Germany

October, while we were on our trip to Milan, Italy, we had 6 hour stop in München. My boyfriend suggested that we would visit the worlds oldest brewery Weihnestephan in Freising. It was... intresting. We took a bus from Münich to Freising and from there we hiked to the Weihnestephan. The nature was beautiful, very movie like, yellow leaves, German mountains and so on. But the last part, the horrible stairs to the top were screeming bloody murder! Thank God we took a bus back becouse my legs were killing me. 

The history of worlds oldest Brewery starting from year 1020. That's old!

Becouse I'm not so into beer, I took a cup of hot coco and German delicate Plum Strudel. 

In Freising there is lot of bears to be seen and this goes down to 6th century. More about this subject you can read from here.

I have to admit, I got addicted to pretzels. I had to have them! Om-nom!

Unfortenately I have nothing to say about the beers, maybe the wiser half of mine would someday tell you more about the subject. ;D

Cheers, Jaana.

Novemberfest 2012

My boyfriend and his friends have just a great tradition. He celebrates Octoberfest on Novermber, calling it a Novemberfest. 

In previous years, themes have been such as Belgium and Germany, this year was Black November, that there were also a little "theme America". The difference with the previous celebrations, that this year boyfriend did all the brews himself. They, BF and his friends, had brewed three different types of beer, and in addition had already done their own cider, so the list was impressive. In addition, they found a bottle self-made beer from three years ago. I wish I would understand the beauty of beers becouse they said that the 3 years old beer was one of the best beers they have tasted, so it supports the idea that some of the beers grow like wine, finer with time. Also this year (party becouse of me) there was food involve

In fact, of course, I am extremely excited about this subject, I'm a long time been organizing a variety of small get-together, but only with two people, now I got to really organize more people just at the right get-together, WONDERFUL!

The list was K1P's (brewery name) Ale-style beer Black November, K1P Reunion Indian Pale Ale aka IPA and K1P El Viejito aka Chili-Chocolate Imperial Stout. I wish I had a taste of this, and I tried to follow when this was served, so I could taste a little bit, but I lost that opportunity at some point ... However, I did get promise that I will get a taste of this still somewhere, yay! Then, there was still K1P's Mickels Hard Cider, or very dry apple cider. This, too, somehow I just missed, but I did get opportunity to taste it later. Let's say it was very dry. As I watched the women guests, they were digging it. To cider people it worked. I do not know much about the hobby of beer and how much other enthusiasts to put their own beers, but this really convinced me totally! Looks very intelligent hobby. Its art!

The menu was created based on our trip to New York City, where we visited many breweries and also a Fette Sau, the greatest barbeque -theme restaurant I have ever visited! From Fette Sau we stole the idea to Pulled Pork in form of Pulled Pork Sliders with marinated onion rings (they were fantastic!!) and barbecue sauces. In addition, the previous night's tomato-onion salad "leftovers" and "sausage fest" aka three different sausages and three kinds of mustard tastings as well. The Dessert was Kriekmousse so that too supported the beer theme.

Pulled PORK

Pork shoulder (for example, a couple of pounds a piece, depending on the amount of eaters)

spices/Rub spice mix (our spice rub was combination of smoke-flavored rub mixture and chilli, salt and pepper).

Pigskin "stabbed" First of all, in order to produce holes. Then the shoulder is rubbed a little oil and then spice rub as well. Shoulder is left "the fat", ie the leather upwards. In fact I put the shoulder to marinade for a day in the refrigerator before I put in the oven. I put the pork under the foil, but this isn't necessary. The oven temperature was low, 110 degrees. When the meat was 93 degrees, piggy was ready. The fat was melted through the meat making it smooth, tasty and fall apart easy. So easy that the meat felt of from the bone.

KRIEKMOUSSE (6-8 servings)

4 dl cherry beer (Kriek)

1 lime juice

1 lime zest, grated

100 g white chocolate

2 egg yolks

250 g quark (although I replaced this with whipped cream)

250 g of mascarpone

 Grate the lime zest and squeeze the juice.

 Add to saucepan cherry beer and lime juice. Boil together until the liquid is reduced to half.

 Melt the white chocolate in beer -limejuice mix.

 Remove the pan from the heat and whisk the egg yolks set. Let it cool down.

 Whisk in quark and mascarpone.

 Decorate the mousse with grated lime zest and enjoy with the cherry beer.

MARINATED RED ONIONS

4 red onion

½  dl red wine vinegar (although I used white wine vinegar)

1 dl  sugar

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Peel the onions. Cut onions into thin rings as the mandolin or a knife. Combine with other ingredients and leave to marinate at room temperature for one hour. Season with salt and pepper.

ONION-TOMATO SALAD

 beefsteak tomatoes or a couple of smaller standard

medium onion

good olive oil

(Basil)

Black pepper

Tomatoes and onion into thin slices / rings and a plate. With olive oil and spices. That's it.

I must say that this was a very pleasant task. I have a dream that the next time I would use even more beer in cooking. If the world was perfect, I could even see what beers will be served, and to make the food fully in support the beer, but then it would loose the spontanius. Now it was nice, that people could get what ever food when ever they wanted. I had an absolutely amazing time, thanks to all the guests, and, of course, to my babe! You are wonderful! Thank you for showing me what the wonderful world of brewing is all about!

There was also something for us not-so-much-alcohol-thank-you -drinkers. 

And because there were so many glasses around, we put an initials to every glass. Helped a lot during the evening! It actually caused a lot of conversation also! It was fun!

Also big thank you for all of you, who found your way to my blog. Cheers!

- Jaana