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Grilled Cheese + Craft Beer


Can you believe that the 10th Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational is upon us? How time flies. And this year, Beer Belly is in charge of the beer. And that means a great list of breweries. So check out the information and head to the Rose Bowl for some inventive sandwiches and a serious beer selection….

“The Beer Belly family is happy to announce that we will be participating in this year’s Grilled Cheese Invitational (Saturday, 4/28).

Not only will we be hawking our infamous 4×4 Beer Belly Grilled Cheese, but our very own Chef Wes will be competing in this year’s competition.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned it’s that you folks love having a fine craft beer to accompany your grilled cheese. Well to that point, Beer Belly has been working with the GCI to organize/curate a Craft Beer Garden with proceeds benefiting Big Sunday. Show your support for your local brewers and for Big Sunday by swinging by and having a beer. We will also be selling our BB GC inside the beer garden, so come by have a bite and drink craft beer!”

Here are some of the breweries that will be participating:
Craftsman
Ladyface
Eagle Rock
Hangar24
Bootlegger’s
TAPS
El Segundo
Black Market
Golden Road
Stone
New Belgium
Lagunitas
Firestone
Monkish
Oskar Blues
Maui
Great Divide
Duvel
Ommegang
…and more being confirmed

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Triskedekaphobia

13 grains (Pale Two Row, White Wheat, Aromatic, Weyermann Chocolate Rye, Light Munich, Brown Crisp, Oats, Crisp Light Crystal, CaraMunich, Baird’s Chocolate, Lightly Peated, Simpsons Dark Crystal, Crisp Amber) and 13 hops (Bravo, Target, Columbus, Cascade, Delta, Warrior, Magnum, Apollo, Calypso, Perle, Galena, Chinook, Mt. Hood) were used in the brewing of an anniversary beer to celebrate Bottleworks’ 13th Anniversary.

Here is what Stone has to say about the beer that they made with the Matt’s of Seattle, “The result is an Imperial Porter loaded with malt flavors, and the hop notes run the gamut from citrusy and fruity to herbal, piney and spicy. This is a beer designed to drink fresh, or lay down and cellar for several years.”

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Brewbicle

Heard about this beer cellaring must have on the wonderful Beer O’Clock podcast.

The name is unfortunate (Brewbicle) but they look pretty good (and can be specially labeled too) and for the price look to be a pretty good deal, especially if you are buying more than one.
PHOTO FROM BREWBICLE WEBSITE

They can be reconfigured to different bottle shapes and can be stacked. The one thing that I would like to see is if they have a way to be locked.

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The Beer Allowance – April

Beer geeks don’t typically get beer at a major grocery chain. Either the selection is sub-par or the good stuff has been sitting for awhile because the typical buyer is picking up the cheapest or largest box of industrial water lager they can get into the cart.

But the Ralphs near me has really improved of late. Hangar 24. Dig from New Belgium. Some good Widmer bombers and I even saw Sublimely Self-Righteous on the shelf. So I have been making a point to buy beer there on occasion to endorse the changes. Letting my wallet do the talking and taking advantage of the fact that they are tracking my purchases and someone in data analysis will see that I started buying when the changes were made.

And one of those purchases was my April beer allowance money from my wife…..

I have heard good reports on the Discord and Outburst IPAs from Pyramid and throwing in a maibock and their decent but not exciting hefe is a steal. And like the first three months. I even saved a bit of my $20 to spend at the end of the year!

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Two L.A. Beer Events to choose from (or do both)

Option # 1
Beer may be one of the only liquids whose popularity outpaces that of the now ubiquitous, spicy, sweet rooster sauce. It’s only fitting then, that we bring the two together for a good cause. On Thursday, April 26th from 6-9PM, Library Alehouse will play host to The Sriracha Cookbook author Randy Clemens and El Segundo Brewing Company for an amazing evening of Sriracha-infused dishes and tasty adult beverages, all while raising money for charity.

These special food items, adapted from and inspired by The Sriracha Cookbook, will be available for the evening, and can be purchased a la carte:

– Honey-Sriracha Glazed Buffalo Wings
– Jalapeño Poppers stuffed with Sriracha Cream Cheese and Bacon
– Sriracha-Cucumber Hummus
– Plus a unique Sriracha-infused dessert (TBD)

From the folks at El Segundo Brewing come the following beers:

– Blue House Citra Pale
– White Dog IPA
– Hyperion’s Stout on Rum-Soaked Oak Cubes

These three El Segundo beers will be available for purchase individually or they can all be enjoyed together as a flight. 50% of all Sriracha Tasting Menu purchases, $1 from every beer and $2 from every El Segundo flight will be donated to Share our Strength, a non-profit focused on ending childhood hunger.

Option # 2
West 4th and Jane and Brewery Ommegang will host a unique event thatpairs five craft beers from Ommegang with modern-American cuisine from Chef Ryan Turner. Menu items like Hamachi Tom Ka Gai Crudo, Blade Runner Beet Salad, Chicken Fried Quail and Waffle and house made dessert will be paired with Witte, Hennepin, Abbey Ale, Rare Vos and Three Philosophers from Ommegang.

WHERE:
West 4th and Jane
1432A 4th Street (between Santa Monica and Broadway)
Santa Monica, CA

WHEN:
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
7 p.m.

COST:
$65/person, not including tax or gratuity.
Reservations are required and can be made by calling 310.395.6765

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Preservation

First there was Commonwealth by Ninkasi that helped out the city that they call home and now Marin Brewing is helping out the parks which have really been taking a budgetary beating from the state of California.

“Marin Brewing Company announces the release and limited distribution of Preservation Ale, a session beer created specifically for the 40th Anniversary of Marin County Parks.

Preservation Ale is mellow; an easy drinking beer, not too hoppy, not too crazy. Marin Brewing Company owner Brendan Moylan has always been a huge supporter of Marin’s local parks and preserves. “The outdoor scene in Marin makes the county the great place it is. Marin County Parks are our backyard and it’s important to give our support to those who work to protect our beautiful community! During these tough economic times, Marin County Parks needs our support more than ever.”

So it was only natural for the brewery to lend a hand, (and a limited-edition beer) in order to properly celebrate the 40th Anniversary and raise awareness of our open spaces and local preserves in the county. The official release date and kickoff party for a “Summer of Celebration” commemorating 40 Years of Marin County Parks is on Thursday, April 19th at 5pm, at Marin Brewing Company, 1809 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur, CA. All proceeds from the sale of shirts will be donated directly to Marin County Parks. “It’s wonderful have a Marin institution support our ongoing efforts to provide low and no-cost outdoor opportunities to Marin residents and visitors,” says Linda Dahl, Director and General Manager of Marin County Parks, “we appreciate the support of Marin Brewing Company during these tough economic times.”

Marin County Parks is dedicated to educating, inspiring and engaging the people of Marin in the shared commitment of preserving, protecting, and enriching the natural beauty of Marin’s parks and open spaces. Local visionaries in the 1960s and 70s started a heroic movement to preserve critical natural lands and family farms in Marin. Their efforts resulted in creation of two National Park Service units, the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, and voter approval of the Marin County Regional Park District (now Marin County Parks). In the past four decades, Marin County Parks has acquired hundreds of undeveloped parcels from willing sellers, totaling more than 20,000 acres. Much of this acreage became open space preserves—now 34 in total. The preserves are complemented by four regional parks with a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities- from boat access to ball fields and a swimming pool.”

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Drinking with My Mom


In this “every once in awhile” series, I either send a bottle to my mom and get her review or she sends me a bottle and we both review it. That way, she gets some L.A. beers and I get my Portland beer fix.

This time around, I sent her cans. 16oz Golden Road cans of their Point the Way IPA and Hefeweizen. And to add another twist, she grabbed some friends to get their reviews. Mom was partial to the IPA. Though she thought it was more a pale. Name aside, she liked it.

The Hefe got good marks. “nice light summer beer” and “very mellow” The citrus did not come through but the cloudy banana that are hallmarks of the style certainly did.

The IPA impressed at first but the vibrancy and flavors faded as it warmed. But the balance was done well.

As a bonus, the Ninkasi / 21st Amendment collaboration was also sampled. The dates didn’t shine through, in fact a creme brulee taste was noted as well as barley wine notes to it. Certainly an interesting addition to a tasting.

Now I have to decide what next to send to my Mom.