30 Great IPAs to Drink Before You Die?

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Firstwefeast.com recently came out with a list of the 30 IPA’s to drink before you die. This list is supposedly complied by the following “beer experts”:
•Mike Lovullo, specialty brands manager for Union Beer Distributors
•Jimmy Carbone, owner of Jimmy’s No. 43; host of Beer Sessions Radio; founder of the Good Beer Seal
•Julian Kurland, Beer Director, The Cannibal Beer & Butcher
•Samuel Merritt, founder of Civilization of Beer
•Greg Doroski, brewer at Greenport Harbor Brewing Co.
•Mary Izett, beer journalist and host of Fuhmentaboudit!
•Anthony Finley, beer server at Proletariat
•John Holl, beer journalist and author of The American Craft Beer Cookbook
•Chris Schonberger, editor-in-chief of First We Feast

Do you want to guess how many Washington IPA’s made the list? Well, the answer to that would be 0. Think Oregon would fare better? You’d be wrong; exactly 0 Oregon IPA’s made the list. California dominated the list (no surprise) and I think that the beer list, because the experts all live on the east coast, really limited themselves to beers that are readily available there. Oh, and Pliny didn’t make the list, which is a huge surprise, considering Dogfish Head 120 Minute did, so they did not limit themselves to just single IPA’s. This is hardly a must drink before you die list.

The couple I agreed with –
Ballast Point Sculpin IPA – this is one of the better ones on the market.
Green Flash West Coast IPA – another great IPA from CA.

The one’s that I didn’t:
Cigar City Humidor Cedar Aged Jai Alai IPA – had it once, it was horrible.
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA – meh, it is a fine IPA, but not one I would say that you have to run out and try.
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale – another one that is fine, but Lagunitas Sucks is much better.
Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Wookey Jack – reviewed it a while back and it was fine, but not really going to blow you away.
Smuttynose IPA – I love Smuttynose beers, EXCEPT for their IPA. It is really non-descript.
Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra – Really, 2 Sierra Nevada beers on the list? They aren’t that good.

I doubt that you can honestly say that the “didn’t agree” with beers are any better than say Boundary Bay, Port Townsend, Ninkasi, Deschutes, Full Sail, Diamond Knot or Elysian’s IPAs. I think this might mean it is time to set up another blind IPA tasting…

The Earthboxes Are Here

by A.J. Coltrane

Continued from here.

Twelve days later and the Earthboxes have arrived. That seems to be about par for the course as far as these guys go and delivery time. (5-7 days to ship, 5 days for shipping.)

Dog toys in the foreground for size reference. I'm reminded of my dad always sticking a ruler next to stuff he'd photograph. — Dog toys in the foreground for size reference. I’m reminded of my dad always sticking a ruler next to stuff he’d photograph.

Of course, that means 24 cubic feet of potting soil to fill them up. 10 of the big bags of the stuff.

It's taller than it looks. I had to make two trips and fill up the back of the car each time. — It’s taller than it looks. I had to make two trips and fill up the back of the car each time.

Right now I’m leaning towards:

3 boxes of tomatoes (6 plants)

2 boxes of assorted peppers (12 plants)

1 box of zucchini (2 plants)

1 box of cucumbers (4 plants)

1 box of lettuces (8 plants. Hopefully something that can be continually harvested all summer.)

4 boxes of herbs (24 total plants. At least 6 basil, 4 parsley, 4 chives.. maybe some beans along the back of the boxes.)

I’ve got the Mother Earth News Almanac off of the bookshelf. (12th printing, March 1977. I paid $1.15 for it used, many years ago.) Maybe I can mix in some companion planting somehow..

Beer of the Week: NW Peaks Black Eldorado

By Iron Chef Leftovers

NW Peaks is a nano-brewery located in Ballard, literally inside of a converted trailer. They are a brewery with a small production system and are only available on tap at their brewery and a few select locations (check their website for details). What they lack in size, they make up for in flavor, brewing a number of the styles that you would expect (Pale, Stout, Saison, etc.) as well as a few interesting beers for their Mountain Beer Club (check it out here), in an ever rotating tap list. One of their recent beers was their take on a CDA which they called Black Eldorado (their beers are named after mountains).

From their website:

The name. The mountain. Eldorado is a majestic mountain and stands at8,869′, the 25th tallest peak in the state. Many hikers will be intimately familiar with cascade pass trail at the end of the Cascade River road. The commonly used climbers path leaves the road about 4 miles short of the cascade pass trail head. The relative burly trail climbs several thousand feet through forest, talus, and rock leading to the Eldorado glacier with great views of the summit and the rest of the cascade river basin. While these views are excellent the real treats come at the top of the eldorado glacier where you get views of the Klawatti-Inspiration-Mcallister icecap and is knife-edge summit ridge.

The Beer. We took our pale ale recipe, a nice light pale with citrus notes, and threw in some Blackprinz and chocolate malts to it to add some color a a slight roast note to play off of the citrus hops. Black Eldorado presents itself as a light, nicely balanced version of a cascadia dark ale. Light on the palate with a nice combination of light hops and roasty malts.

Malts: Pale, ESB, Wheat, blackprinz, chocolate. Hops: Apollo, cascade, chinook, centennial ABV: ~5.25%

This beer pours brownish-black in color with a short, white head. Lots of roast and chocolate with a floral citrus hop background that hides itself nicely behind the stronger aromas of the beer. The initial taste yields a good amount of roast malt and overtones of chocolate lingering nicely on the palate before yielding to the hops. There are light notes of grapefruit and citrus peel appearing magically after the initial roast fade and they continue to linger for a long while before finally yielding to a pleasant bitter ending. More roast and malt flavors with less hops than most CDA’s but a delicious treat to enjoy when it is on tap. Incredibly well balance and easy to drink, it has all of the hop character of a big IPA, the roasted qualities of a dark and the drinkability of a pilsner coming together in a beer that you could easily knock back a few.

Black Eldorao self-arrests at a final rating of a perfect 5 Ice Axes out of 5.

Beer of the Week: Stone Collaboration Saison Du BUFF

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Collaboration beers can be fun and produce some interesting stuff. Stone has been running a collaboration series for a couple of years now working with brewers from around the world to produce some interesting beers. One of the first ones from this series that I tried was the Saison Du BUFF, collaboration between Stone, Victory out of Pennsylvania and Dogfish Head out of Delaware. This bottle was from the second brewing and was a 12 oz. container which ran about $4.

From the Stone website:

Appearance: This beer pours a beautiful pale gold with a white head of foam.
Aroma: Pronounced herbal characters, a wonderful blend of sage, lemon thyme, rosemary. It has some very pleasant citrusy notes, perhaps from the lemon thyme and the Citra dry-hop. And the Belgian yeast strain contributes low level banana esters and a hint of clove.
Taste: The taste starts with the herbal blend in the forefront, and then is backed by a clean malt balance and a very nice citrus and tropical fruit-influenced finish. The finish has a substantial, but balanced hop bitterness and hop flavor. It is a very dry beer, and has a nice refreshing quality that makes it wonderful for this time of year.
Overall: This is the second time that Greg, Sam, and Bill have brewed this beer here at Stone Brewing Co., and this time we were able to get all the herbs from Stone Farms! How cool is it to brew with ingredients from your own farm? Very, very cool.

Stats: 7.7% abv, 52 IBUs

Malts: Pale Malt, Pilsner Malt, Wheat Malt, Flaked Rye
Hops: Centennial & Citra

BUFF pours hazy yellow in color with a white head. Lots of lemon and herbs on the nose with hints of grain and yeast – basically this beer smells like a saison should. The initial taste starts with notes of lemon followed by a medley of herbs and a hint of hops. The finish is dry and lacking direction – some of the time it is green and unbalanced and other times it is even with a distinct progression through the herbs. It is a beer that relies heavily on the olfactory senses as well as taste and it reminds me of a liquid herb garden. The alcohol is there but it is hardly noticeable, I just wish the flavors from the herbs were more consistent throughout the beer.

Saison Du BUFF was interesting but uneven and definitely not a beer that someone who was a casual beer drinker would remotely enjoy. I had higher expectations for this beer and was unfortunately let down.

Saison du BUFF lifts into your fridge with a somewhat disappointing 2 Thymus citriodorus out of 5.

The Art of Complaining

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Former Top Cheftestant and all around douchebag John Tesar recently tweeted the following:

Why do people wait in line for hours for BBQ and then go to a rest. and then complain after waiting 10 minutes for a table ?

I think that the difference is that going out to certain BBQ places require advanced planning and waiting in line for 2 or 3 hours is an expectation whereas going out to a restaurant is really much more about instant gratification, although I have to admit, I once did wait 3 hours for a seat at a restaurant. Was it worth it, hell yes, but I am also a really patient person when it comes to things like that.

I really don’t like Tesar, but he has a point, although it depends on the circumstances. These are my rules for complaining, not anyone else’s:

If I have a reservation, my expectation is that I should be seated within 15 – 20 minutes of my reservation time, especially if the restaurant has a policy that they will give my table away if I am not there within 15 minutes of my reservation time. Look, I get it that sometimes there are circumstances that will cause a delay (and I am fine with that if you explain it to me when I walk in), but if I am waiting for 45 minutes with a reservation, you are definitely not doing something right and I am going to complain.

If I don’t have a reservation and the place doesn’t take reservations and I wait more than 15 minutes for a table and I see empty tables that are set for service, I am also going to complain. I sometimes wonder if restaurants realize how much business they are losing in this scenario. Ever y minute that I am standing in the waiting area means you are not producing revenue – putting a butt in the empty seat means drink and food orders coming in. Yes, you may be slammed, but if I am sitting down, I am probably going to order that second beer or another bottle of wine while I am waiting, an order that I probably would not have placed on a normal dining night and one that I am definitely not going to place in the waiting area.

If I don’t have a reservation and the place does take reservations, I think I have no right to complain about not being seated in any timeframe. The only time I would complain is if someone who walked-in after me with the same number of people got seated ahead of me and they obviously did not have a reservation.

Beer of the Week: Laughing Dog Pure Breed Citra American Pale Ale

By Iron Chef Leftovers

I really like the concept of a single hop beer. The great thing about them is that you really get to understand where certain hop flavors come from in the beers which use a combination of hops. When I found out that Laughing Dog Brewing out of Idaho was doing a single hop beer, well, I had to try it. I consider Laughing Dog one of the more underrated breweries in the US and I think they do particularly well with hops. The Pure Breed Citra American Pale Ale, their first entry into the single hop realm, came to me in a 22oz. bottle which ran about $5.

The description from the Laughing Dog website:

The first in our Purebred series of single hop A.P.A.s showcases the hop variety Citra. These are used for everything from bittering and flavor to aroma. The soft bitterness of the Citra hop makes this an extremely drinkable beer.
ABV 6.14%, IBU 67.8

Golden yellow in color and lots of carbonation on a slightly off white head. Strong notes of citrus dance around the nose with just a hint of grain lying in wait in the background. The first sip slaps you in the face – a very brief and pleasant bitterness quickly yield to a hop monster – lots of grapefruit and citrus peel, which lingers for a good few seconds before giving way to a light grain backbone and finally transitioning to a slight bitterness with hints of green hops in a long and pleasant fade. As the beer warms slightly, notes of peach show up on the nose and palate with the citrus, giving just a tease of sweetness before fading into the hop bitterness.

This is a fine beer which showcases the citrus aspects of citra hops in the best possible way. Grab your pooch and head on over to your local bottle shop and get yourself a bottle or three of this great beer.

Laughing Dog Pure Breed Citra American Pale Ale grabs 4 Best in Shows out of 5.

What Will Happen Next?

by A.J. Coltrane

The herb garden that came with the back yard has proven to be in a far from ideal location. We’ve had good success with Earthboxes in the past, so yesterday I ordered 10 more direct from the company, to go with the two that we already have. With shipping these came out to $31 each. (Retail on the Earthboxes with casters is about $54 — foregoing the casters and buying direct saves around $20 per unit.)

The nice thing about the Earthboxes is that they’re basically self-watering. There’s a reservior at the bottom of the box, and the water is drawn up to the plants by capillary action. Basil seems to love it, though I’ve killed it every time I’ve tried it any other way.

The plan is to “terraform” a very sunny slope near the house and group the Earthboxes on the former slope. (It’s steep enough that it’s kind of a hassle to mow anyway, so… two birds with one stone!) I’m leaning towards leaving the slope terraced, rather than leveling the whole thing out, which leads to the next point…

I also plan to construct or purchase some sort of a low-slung greenhouse/ tall cold frame to (hopefully) extend the growing season and increase yield, though a terraced slope is going to mean either constructing a custom greenhouse or figuring out some other funky solution. Once I have the greenhouse I can start throwing more money at cool techie stuff like this.

So…. what to plant? Recommended:

2 per box: Artichokes, Eggplants, Tomatoes, Zucchini

4 per box: Cucumbers, Melons, Squash (vining)

6 per box: Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Greens, Herbs, Hot Peppers, Strawberries

8 per box: Beans (bush), Flowers, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuce, Okra, Salad Greens

10 per box: Beets, Onions, Spinach, Turnips

12 per box: Beans (pole), Carrots, Corn, Garlic, Peas, Radishes

I’m figuring at least four tomato plants (two boxes) and at least 6-12 basil (1-2 more boxes).

Other than that…. suggestions?

Beer of the Week: Reuben's Brews Doubloon's India Wheat Ale

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Yay! Another Reuben’s beer review! I admit it, I love their beer and with the ever changing tap list they have and the 5 minute walk to the brewery from the Iron Chef abode, it makes for an easy place to review their beers. One of their recent new additions was their Doubloon’s India Wheat Ale. Clocking in at 50 IBU and 6.9% ABV, I had to give it a shot.

This beer is golden in color with a nice grain and citrus nose – lots of wheat and grapefruit with hints of malt. The initial sip delivers a pleasant grain shot, yielding to grapefruit and citrus peel before finishing long and slightly bitter. Being a wheat beer, it was drier than I expected (think more like a kolsh than a wheat beer in terms of sweetness, not flavor) and showed more hop character than I expected given the IBU. Despite its higher alcohol content, the beer goes down easily and well-balanced, so it could sneak up on you if you are not careful, especially if you find yourself having 2 or 3. This beer is different than most hoppy beers on the market and is a nice change of pace if you are looking for something interesting with a great deal of hop character, but don’t want to blow out your palate with a giant hop bomb.

Doubloon’s IWA from Reuben’s eases into port on a score of 4 Spanish Galleons out of 5.

Beer of the Week: Reuben’s Brews Doubloon’s India Wheat Ale

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Doubloon’s IWA from Reuben’s eases into port on a score of 4 Spanish Galleons out of 5.

This Little Piggy Went to Market…

By Iron Chef Leftovers

…and this little piggy came home, with me…

Thanks to the folks at Sea Breeze Farm, I was able to try something that I have always wanted to – roast a pig’s head. This is more of the FYI post rather than the recipe, since that is a much more involved writing process, so I will post the actual details of that later. They were kind enough to split it in half, leave the skin on (which is not easy to find) and even gave me the tongue, which I am looking forward to using at a later date. This meat itself was delicious and was probably one of the 5 best pork dishes I have eaten.

A few things I learned from doing this:

If the food is looking at me, I need to name it, so I named it Pig after the character from Pearls Before Swine (real original, I know).
A blowtorch is not the best way to remove any remaining hairs from the pig – buy a disposable razor.
I am not used to roasting pieces of meat that are terribly uneven and I need to work on the technique to better suit my oven.
When you don’t have a roasting pan that will fit something properly, heavy duty foil wrap and a baking sheet work really well.
Trying to carve a pig’s head with a knife is an interesting proposition – you really need to get a feel for where the bones are.
It is easier to tear the meat off the head rather than carving it – there is meat in places that you will never be able to get to with a knife.
Glazed pork skin has the consistency of rock candy and is sweet, salty, crunchy and fatty – basically the best thing you will ever eat.
The meat and fat under glazed pork skin remains volcanic for long periods of time.
A friend suggests that half a pig’s head will feed 2-3 people for 6 lbs.; mine was just over 7 lbs. and I could have fed at least 5-6.
There is less meat than you would expect, but there is a healthy amount of fat and fat makes you fuller quicker, so you eat less than you do with lean meats.
The snout and ears are still two of my favorites, but there is something special about eating the jowl and cheek.

More info and the happy pictures after the jump.

Continue reading “This Little Piggy Went to Market…” →