Brewforia Blog

With Fall comes Cider

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:29:23 +0000

Cold weather is upon us. Everywhere you look it’s evident, from the trees turning color and dropping their leaves to the pumpkins on your neighbor’s doorstep. Halloween decorations and temps in the low 50's – all signaling autumn is here. What better time to drop by your favorite bar or sit by a fire and drink a glass of the season’s best hard cider?

Traditionally associated with England, ciders and perries (pear cider) have been a staple for centuries. Call for a glass of Cider in an English pub and you can find a range of choices, from a clean, sweet, amber-colored, sparkling drink, to a complex, dry, and cloudy, oak-laden brew. Many will argue that few beers can match good cider for lightness and complexity.

In early America, cider was considered “the drink of the people” from farmers and laborers to the founding fathers. Ciders were such a part of early American life that even today you’ll find cider apple trees along the roadsides of New England. The Temperance Movement and Prohibition were very hard times for brewers and cider producers and ultimately none of the cider producers of the time survived.

With the birth of the craft beer industry in the U.S. in the 80’s and 90’s interest in traditional hard ciders began to increase and we saw smaller regional cider companies begin to crop up around the country. These companies were centered in New England, the traditional heart of cider country, but people in states like Oregon, Washington and Idaho which also have sizable apple harvests were rediscovering the craft as well.

Hard core enthusiasts will insist that real "Cyder" must be from the first pressing of Cider Apples, a descendant of the Crab Apple. It must be fermented in its own yeast and unpasteurized. It’s worth noting that Cyder with a “Y” is an old distinction between the “best” first pressing of the apples and Cider with an “I” represents the second pressing and any after. To make a traditional cider, the apples are pressed to make pulp and the apple pulp is covered in cloth and formed in a block. These blocks are piled and layered under a press to form a "cheese". After the juice has been squeezed out, it is left to ferment naturally in oak barrels - then blended to the cider maker’s taste. Traditional ciders average 6-8 percent alcohol, but there are a variety of ciders out there with a varying ABV.

For American distributors, retailers, restaurateurs and Chefs cider has been an enigma. The lack of a sound understanding of cider and its nuances has led to it being marketed as a beer alternative, usually in competition with products like Smirnoff Ice or Bacardi Breezers. This is unfortunate. What they miss are the amazing range of flavors and styles in cider and how they can perfectly pair with some of the toughest dishes out there. From, a hard sparkling cider paired with a fresh salad, to a crisp light cider paired with spicy Asian cuisine, hard cider fills the food pairing niche between wine and beer.

If you’re interested in exploring the world of ciders, you’re very fortunate to have an ever widening choice of import and domestic ciders to choose from. A noteworthy player in the American Craft Cider arena is Blue Mountain Cider Company with their Farmstead Hard Cider and Dry Creek Hard Cider. For Imports, it gets no better than Aspall Dry English Cyder made with a blend of "base" cyders and light sparkle. For the "serious" side of cider, look no further than Domaine Dupont Cidre Bouche Brut, an old-school French cider maker.
Cold weather is upon us. Everywhere you look it’s evident, from the trees turning color and dropping their leaves to the pumpkins on your neighbor’s doorstep. Halloween decorations and temps in the low 50's – all signaling autumn is here. What better time to drop by your favorite bar or sit by a fire and drink a glass of the season’s best hard cider?

Traditionally associated with England, ciders and perries (pear cider) have been a staple for centuries. Call for a glass of Cider in an English pub and you can find a range of choices, from a clean, sweet, amber-colored, sparkling drink, to a complex, dry, and cloudy, oak-laden brew. Many will argue that few beers can match good cider for lightness and complexity.

In early America, cider was considered “the drink of the people” from farmers and laborers to the founding fathers. Ciders were such a part of early American life that even today you’ll find cider apple trees along the roadsides of New England. The Temperance Movement and Prohibition were very hard times for brewers and cider producers and ultimately none of the cider producers of the time survived.

With the birth of the craft beer industry in the U.S. in the 80’s and 90’s interest in traditional hard ciders began to increase and we saw smaller regional cider companies begin to crop up around the country. These companies were centered in New England, the traditional heart of cider country, but people in states like Oregon, Washington and Idaho which also have sizable apple harvests were rediscovering the craft as well.

Hard core enthusiasts will insist that real "Cyder" must be from the first pressing of Cider Apples, a descendant of the Crab Apple. It must be fermented in its own yeast and unpasteurized. It’s worth noting that Cyder with a “Y” is an old distinction between the “best” first pressing of the apples and Cider with an “I” represents the second pressing and any after. To make a traditional cider, the apples are pressed to make pulp and the apple pulp is covered in cloth and formed in a block. These blocks are piled and layered under a press to form a "cheese". After the juice has been squeezed out, it is left to ferment naturally in oak barrels - then blended to the cider maker’s taste. Traditional ciders average 6-8 percent alcohol, but there are a variety of ciders out there with a varying ABV.

For American distributors, retailers, restaurateurs and Chefs cider has been an enigma. The lack of a sound understanding of cider and its nuances has led to it being marketed as a beer alternative, usually in competition with products like Smirnoff Ice or Bacardi Breezers. This is unfortunate. What they miss are the amazing range of flavors and styles in cider and how they can perfectly pair with some of the toughest dishes out there. From, a hard sparkling cider paired with a fresh salad, to a crisp light cider paired with spicy Asian cuisine, hard cider fills the food pairing niche between wine and beer.

If you’re interested in exploring the world of ciders, you’re very fortunate to have an ever widening choice of import and domestic ciders to choose from. A noteworthy player in the American Craft Cider arena is Blue Mountain Cider Company with their Farmstead Hard Cider and Dry Creek Hard Cider. For Imports, it gets no better than Aspall Dry English Cyder made with a blend of "base" cyders and light sparkle. For the "serious" side of cider, look no further than Domaine Dupont Cidre Bouche Brut, an old-school French cider maker.

With fall comes cider by Brewforia Beer Market is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at brewforia.com.

Fire Roasted White Chili with Chicken

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:56:39 +0000

I don't know about you but when fall rolls around I tend to crave spicy, hearty soups, there's really nothing better on a cold fall night than to sit down to a big bowl of steamy goodness. It's with this in mind that I have started to develop a line of recipes that everyone can enjoy especially with an frosty craft beer.

The first recipe in the series is my Fire Roasted White Chili with Chicken which is one of my all time favorites and is very healthy and full flavored. Here's what you will need to get this recipe started.

Ingredients

3 Skin on Chicken Breast
1 Tbls Ground Cumin
2 Jalapenos Chiles
11/2 Tsp Ground Coriander
2 Anaheim Chiles
1 Tbls White Pepper
2 Poblano Chiles
3 Tbls Kosher Salt
1 Whole Yellow Onion
Juice of One Lime
6 Cloves Garlic
3 Minced Scallions
2 Small Tomatoes Diced
3 Tbls Fresh Cilantro
2 Tbls Olive Oil
3 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Can Cannelloni Beans
2 Cups Chicken Broth or Stock

Equipment

1 Stock Pot or Large Saucier
Tongs
Ladle
Chef’s knife
Food processor

Preparation

Place whole chiles under oven broiler or over direct flame until skin is charred on all sides then set aside to cool.

While the chiles are cooling liberally salt and pepper chicken breast and place stock pot over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering place the chicken breast in the pot skin side down for 4 minutes then turn for an additional 3 minutes. At the end of the last 3 minutes remove from the pot and put to the side.

While chicken is browning halve the chiles and remove the seeds and dice the Poblano’s, Anaheim's and a large yellow onion into 1/4 inch pieces and mince the Jalapenos. Dice your 2 tomatoes into 1 inch pieces, crush your garlic and add all the vegetables to the pot along with 1 cup of chicken broth. Once this reaches a simmer remove 1 cup of the vegetables and place in the food processor along with half a can of beans and puree until smooth then add back to the pot along with the remaining beans and broth.

Bring the soup to a heavy simmer and add the salt, white pepper, coriander and cumin. Remove the skin from the chicken and add it back to the pot and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken and shred it then place it back into the pot along with the lime juice, fresh chopped scallions and cilantro. Simmer for 5 minutes and serve with fresh lime wedges and cilantro leaves.

Rogue Mierfest Oktoberfest Lager

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:03:16 +0000

The Details:
Malts: Durst Pilsner, Durst Munich and Weyermann Acidulated
Hops: Oregon Perle
Yeast & Water: Oktoberfest 2633 yeast & Free Range Coastal Water

Maierfest pours a brilliant honey color with a thin off white head. Clarity is crystal clear enought to read the paper through. The head dissipates quickly leaving just a trace floating on the surface and clinging to the inside of the glass.

Aroma is slightly musting with sents of dry autumn leaves and hay which seems fitting in a autumn seasonal. I slightly acidic bite is the first thing you notice as you taste this beer and it makes this beer perfect with roast meats or salty buttery pretzels. The malt notes tend to linger on the tongue leaving a pleasant sweetness.

The ABV on this beer is 5.6% so its about 2% higher than a tradtional Oktoberfest beer but about average for the American craft versions of this traditional brew. With this extra octane don't plan to have many of these but enjoy the one or two you do have. So go get yourself a great big soft pretzel, some whole grain mustard, a girl in a dirndl and sip on a Mierfest from Rogue.

* Rogue Mierfest Oktoberfest Lager by Rick Boyd is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at brewforia.com.