Saturday, January 14, 2012

Rogue Ales Beer Dinner in TX Hill Country January 27, 2012 - Westin La Cantera

Folks in the Hill Country of Texas should check Beer Dinner this out:

Don't be afraid to go a little rogue this 2012 year with your friends at The Westin La Cantera Hill Country Resort. On Friday, Jan. 27 at 7:00 p.m. in The La Cantera Grille, we are proud to host a beer dinner with Rogue Ales, an American craft brewery who prides itself in doing things differently. 

Five revolutionary handcrafted beers that go against the grain will be paired with a spectacular dinner menu, created by Chef Isaac Cantu and Chef Henry Wesolowski. These chosen beers have earned the highest awards at events including 2011 World Beer Championships, 2011 Great American Beer Festival, 2011 US Beer Tasting Championships and 2011 Mondial De La Biere. 

There are a limited number of tickets for this high-selling event, so please don't hesitate to make your reservation by calling us directly at 210-558-2305. 

Tickets are priced at $55 per person (not including tax or gratuity). 

Click here to download the menu and a list of the beers chosen for your consideration. 


January 27, 2012 

DEADLIEST CATCH TARTARES AND CEVICHES 
King crab and fresh vegetable 

DEEP FRIED “CHICORY”, PORK AND CHEESE 
Iberico ham, St. Andre, hazelnut and egg yolk 

DOUBLE STUFFED QUAIL 
Duck, foie gras and “cherry” 

INDIVIDUAL POT PIE 
Lamb and winter vegetable 

SOFT CHOCOLATE 
Espresso, meringue and oats 

ob:  I google'd "soft chocolate"  I came up empty handed, however the menu pairings are creative--this dinner should be delicious--especially intrigued by the topping and combinations of flavors & textures of the dessert. I would live to see photos, so tweet me @chocolatestout and let me know how this dinner & pairings go, and what the Sam Hill Soft Chocolate is!   If it were cheese, I'd select pairing Chocolate Stout with local farmstead Pure Luck Farm & Dairy's Hopelessly Blue, Del Cielo or  Sainte Maure. 

Cheers!


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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The world's best flavored stout - - complex, great mouthfeel, hint of bitterness

I crack up when I read the beer reviews like the one below from the World Beer Awards, especially when parsed into sound bytes. I just wish I had the nerve to do stand-up comedy (how many times fans of this beer have told me "you were great last night"...), but I'd blush myself off the stage in a heart beat.  Still, here is my list of fun(ny) soundbytes from the WBA review:
  • great mouthfeel
  • creamy
  • complex
  • hint of bitterness
  • great balance
  • fresh vanilla aroma
  • layered & inviting
Kudos to John "more hops" Maier and his crew at Rogue Ales in Newport, Oregon for brewing this elixir (which I adorn the label of), and for the other beers from Rogue Ales that scored WBA awards!  Yet another couple of awards in their caps. I'm thrilled Rogue Chocolate Stout beer was awarded World Best Flavored Stout  & The Americas Best Flavored Stout, according to worldbeerawards.com

Thanks to the contributors on Beeradvocate, this beer has 1800+ reviews with a score of 94,  (99 from The Bros!) and RateBeer which has 1877 ratings and a score of 99!


Rogue's 22oz (and 64, 101oz) bottle has food group symbols, as a suggestion for pairing this beer with food. The food symbols on Rogue Chocolate Stout are Beef and Dessert -- but I feel the strength of pairing this beer is with cheese!   Here are some of my favorite cheese pairings: 
I also love to blend this beer (Hole Mole')  and have also blogged some of my beer cocktail recipes in the past (Rogue Diplomat Gone Nuts) and will continue to blog new recipes here and on a new site, www.BeerMixology.com 

tags: @chocolatestout  @rogueales
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Teal Dragoness, a cocktail for OCNA 2012 Turn Up the Heat: A Celebration of Women Chefs

According to wikipedia, the color Teal is not even 100 years old, but its a color we know in nature (common teal duck, etc.) and has a broad range of tones in the green/blue spectrum.

Teal is also the color associated with Ovarian Cancer causes (as pink is for breast cancer).  For the 2nd year I created a signature cocktail for the annual Turn Up the Heat Gala in DC.  This charity event showcases & celebrates the talent of dozens of women chefs and restaurateurs from the DC Metro Area and raises money for a good cause.  Its a privilege and honor to be the only brewery & distiller invited to pour for past 5 years, and to have a signature cocktail for the second year.  My 2011 Teal Tonic was Rum based, the 2012 cocktail base is Rogue Spirits' Sprue Gin  distilled with 14 ingredients including traditional botanicals like juniper berries, along with Spruce and Cucumbers.

Teal Dragoness is the 2012 cocktail I created, inspired by OCNA, Women Chefs & Restaurateurs Assoc and the Year of the Dragon.

In a cocktail or wine glass, pour over ice and stir:
  • 1 part  Rogue Spirits Spruce Gin
  • 1/2  parts  Bols Blue Curacao  (just enough to create your shade of teal)
  • 1 part  Prosecco or equivalent sparking wine



Options:
  • Use Q-Ginger, tonic or club soda instead of Prosecco.
  • Add a splash of Midori if more green is needed for your Teal Dragoness.
Raise your glass ~ toast the women who are fighting and surviving Ovarian Cancer & wish them well, and toast those who are looking for and working on a cure.   Prost & Enjoy! 



A shout out to Karen Buhler - an amazing glass artist (and my sister-in-law) who also makes whimsical shot glasses (heat shots of people, buck shots of deer...),  tumbers & cocktail glasses, in addition to her collectible glass art.  My "Buckshot" shot glass is filled with the Teal Dragoness cocktail.


TURN UP THE HEAT -- Event Info:  
 “Turn up the Heat: A Celebration of Women Chefs” Gala will take place at the DC Ritz Carlton at 1150 22nd Street NW on Tuesday, February 7, 2012. Proceeds of the event will support our efforts to raise awareness, educate women and health care providers, and advocate on behalf of women with ovarian cancer.  Tickets start at $250 doe the 2012 Turn Up the Heat Gala. Your contribution is tax deductible above the $90 per-person cost of the dinner.   We hope you will join us!

Here is a list of  Chefs participating in 2012 Turn Up the Heat, February 7th at the Ritz Carlton, DC.

WASHINGTON, DC

MARYLAND

VIRGINIA

WEST VIRGINIA

Beverages



tags:  @chocolatestout @rogueales @ocna  #womenchefs
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