Tag Archives: beer

Vancouver Craft Beer Week

14 Monday May 2012

Posted by in Beer, Restaurant

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In less than a week, Vancouver Craft Beer Week will descend on the region. What does this mean? It means that all your favorite local breweries (as well as tons more from the region, the U.S., and even Europe) will be in town from May 18-26, 2012 to provide us (the public) with a sample some of their scrumptious brews. For a schedule of events, click here. Some events have already sold out, so don’t delay too long.

My husband and I will definitely take part in the festivities, and we may even create our own event with friends: a potluck beer and food tasting in the sun!

Here are a few of our favorite brews and brew/gastropubs in the region:

BEER

Boundary Bay | Tripel

Strong, pale golden, medium bodied ale with mild spice and fruit aroma. (9.3% abv / on-tap only / Washington)

Driftwood Brewery | Crooked Coast Amber Ale

Alt-style beer of Dusseldorf, with aromas of German hops and Munich malt. (5.1% abv / 650ml / British Columbia)

Driftwood Brewery | Farmhand Ale

Belgian farmhouse saison ale with subtle notes of spice. (5.5% abv / 650ml / British Columbia)

Howe Sound Brewing | Heffy Imperial Hefeweizen

German-styled wheat beer with banana and clove aroma; made with barley, wheat, hops, water and hefe yeast. (7.7% abv / 1 L / British Columbia)

Howe Sound Brewing | Pumpkineater

Pumpkin ale brewed with barley, fresh roasted pumpkin, hops, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, water and yeast. (8% abv / 1 L / British Columbia)

Lighthouse Brewing Co. | Belgian Black

Fermented with a Belgian Ardennes yeast strain with rich malty flavor and notes of plum and dark cherries; label artwork by Victoria, BC artist Michelle Landry. (9% abv / 650 ml / British Columbia)

Lighthouse Brewing Co. | Deckhand Belgian Saison

Rich, golden, Belgian farmhouse style beer made with Pilsner and Vienna malts and flaked wheat, soft malt flavor, and subtle notes of spice, pepper and fruit; label artwork by Victoria, BC artists Ryan Tree. (8% abv / 650 ml / British Columbia)

BREW/GASTROPUBS

Alibi Room

50 taps of local and imported craft beer and great, inexpensive food. Need I say more?

Bitter Tasting Room

A perfect place for a cold beer after a long day in downtown Vancouver. The space is small, so visit early or call ahead. Rotating draft of 8 craft beers featuring regional varieties, large selection of bottled beers, and small plates.

Chambar

Upscale restaurant featured in foodie magazines across North America. Extensive Belgian beer menu, plus their own speciality – Chambar Ale.

The Whip Restaurant and Gallery

8 regional craft beers on tap, with 1 rotating tap, and several rotating casks.

—-others we haven’t yet tried but are on our list—-

BierCraft Tap and Tapas and BierCraft Bistro

Features Belgian-style craft beer from around the world. Includes many North American and regional varieties.

Ensemble Tap

15 craft beers on tap plus 30 bottled, featuring many local varieties. Daily and weekly food and tap pairings.

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Irish Guinness Beef Stew

22 Tuesday Feb 2011

Posted by in Dinner, Entree, Meat, Recipe, Stew

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A few summers ago, my husband and I spent 10 days traveling throughout Ireland. One of our favorite things to do, after a long day of urban or rural hiking, was to find a pub and have a pint of Guinness, followed by a bowl of hearty, Guinness beef stew and listen to live music. This recipe is based on The Irish Pub Cookbook, that I picked up while in Ireland. To make it healthier, I reduced the butter, oil, and beef, and increased the vegetables. Plus I added some tomato paste and red wine vinegar for some extra flavor.

Serve over a bowl of mashed potatoes.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 lb sustainably raised, organic boneless beef sirloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • all-purpose flour for dredging
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 medium onions
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 1 (14.9 oz) can Guinness stout
  • 5 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
  • 4 parsnips, peeled and thickly sliced
  • 4 medium turnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1-2 tbsp organic tomato paste
  • 1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 3 tbsp flour

DIRECTIONS

  1. Season the meat with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. In a stockpot or large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the oil. Working in batches, cook the meat on all sides for 5-7 minutes, or until evenly browned. Remove from the pot. Stir in onions and cook 3-5 minutes, or until soft.
  2. Return all the meat to the pot and add enough of the beef broth and the Guinness to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 60-70 minutes,  or until the meat is nearly tender. Add the carrots, parsnips, turnip, and tomato paste and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until the vegetables and meat are tender and the stew begins to thicken.
  3. Mix 3 tbsp flour with 1/2 cup of stew liquid in a small bowl. Stir into the stew and cook for 5 minutes longer.
  4. Add red wine vinegar, season with salt and pepper to taste, stir, and remove from heat.
  5. Serve over mashed potatoes in shallow bowls.

Hominy, Chipotle Chili

22 Monday Mar 2010

Posted by in Dinner, Recipe, Stew

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This is a wonderful variation of chili. The chipotle creates a subtly smoky chili and the hominy adds a nice, unexpected texture. Serve with cornbread, sour cream, and chopped green onions and cilantro. (Recipe adapted from the New York Times.)

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground organic, grass-fed beef
  • 1 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 large onions, chopped*
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, to taste, seeded and chopped (note: for extra heat, keep half of the seeds)
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed organic tomato (such as Muir Glen)
  • 2 15-ounce cans white hominy, drained
  • 2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, drained
  • 1 12-ounce bottle beer (such as Leffe)
  • 2 to 3 chipotles in adobo sauce, to taste, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Sour cream, for serving
  • 5 scallions, white and light green parts, sliced, for serving
  • 1 bunch chopped cilantro, for serving
  • Lime wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil. Brown the ground beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring occasionally until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and the chili powder and sauté for another 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl.
  2. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to pot and sauté onions, bell peppers and jalapeño peppers (and half of the seeds if you want extra heat) with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
  3. Return ground beef and any liquid in bowl to pot and add tomato, hominy, beans, beer, chipotles, oregano and bay leaves with 3 cups water. Simmer chili, partly covered, until it is thick enough for your taste, about 1 hour. Serve hot, garnished with sour cream, scallions, cilantro and lime wedges.

Cider Braised Chicken and Cabbage

21 Saturday Nov 2009

Posted by in Dinner, Entree, Recipe

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This is a hearty, flavorful roasted chicken dish inspired from the Irish Pub Cookbook. The chicken comes out extremely tender and savory, thanks to the beer and delicious roasted vegetables. Excellent served over mashed potatoes. (*Indicates CSA vegetable.)

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
  • Freshly ground salt and pepper
  • 2 large bone-in chicken halves, skin on (about 2 lbs.)
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 medium apples, unpeeled and diced*
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsely
  • 1 tbsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 head shredded cabbage*
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup Irish cider, or other beer (such as a belgian ale)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Season raw chicken with salt and pepper, on both sides. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess.
  2. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil. Add the chicken in batches and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Transfer chicken to a plate, and set aside.
  3. In a large ovenproof baking dish, combine garlic through cabbage. Toss with 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Add chicken pieces, covering with vegetables. Pour the chicken stock and cider over meat and vegetables.
  4. Cover with foil and bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, or until chicken is tender.

Happy Beer’Oween

31 Saturday Oct 2009

Posted by in Beverage

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BeerOween

In addition to all the fabulous pumpkin ales available this time of year, there’s also plenty of seasonal ales and lagers. Here are a few of our favorites. Thanks John and Sutton for a wonderful evening of socializing, beer drinking, and gourmet eating.

  • Rogue | Mogul Madness Ale
  • Dog Fish Head | Pangea
  • Dog Fish Head | Punkin’ Ale
  • Dog Fish Head | Palo Santo Marron
  • Brewery Ommegang | Rare Vos
  • Trader Joe’s | 2008 Vintage Ale
  • Victory Brewing Company | Weizen Bock

For more information about these and other great beers, click here.

The Rocky Mountain West Food Scene

30 Friday Oct 2009

Posted by in Food System, Restaurant

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Last week I traveled to Denver, CO for a work related trip. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and was pleasantly impressed by the city. From the network of community & urban gardens, trails, pedestrian bridges, and other bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, to the amazing selection of microbrews and restaurants. Considering how difficult it is to find good, scrumptious food while on the road, I’ve decided to expand the scope of my “seasonal culinary journey” to include my culinary and food system experiences in other parts of North America.

Saturday morning, I woke up early to attend a field trip of Denver Urban Gardens (D.U.G.). Below are a few pictures from 2 different sites: Atlantis Community Inc. (a community center in Denver for people with disabilities) and Fairmont School. Unfortunately, the weekend prior, Denver had its first frost of the winter season, so all the beautiful vegetables, except for a few winter greens, died.

Denver Urban Garden

Atlantis Community Inc.

Denver Urban Garden

Fairmont School, Denver

Winter Greens

Winter Greens, Fairmont School, Denver

After spending some time exploring the local Denver food system, I had the opportunity to try several delicious microbrews. My favorite included: Avery Double IPA, Avery Dougana, Great Divide Brown Ale, and Russian River Damnation. For more information, check out the beer page. I highly recommend grabbing a beer or two at the Falling Rock Tap House. They have over 50 regional microbrew beers on tap.

Sunday, I made it out to Denver just in time to grab lunch at The Kitchen, a fabulous restaurant in Boulder, CO that features locally produced produce and meat. Each day, the staff updates a large blackboard with information about growers and producers in the region that provide the restaurant with ingredients. The Kitchen is quite expensive for dinner, but decently priced for lunch. I recommend the portabello mushroom sandwich – delicious.

Other great restaurants I tried while in Denver include: Lola, Osteria Marco, Sushi Sasa and the Wazee Super Club. Everything I ordered was delicious. Try the roasted vegetable chile rellenos at Lola, the beet salad and mushroom panini at Osteria, the dragon roll at Sushi Sasha, and a pizza with sun dried tomatoes, pesto, and chicken at Wazee Super Club.

For more information about The Kitchen and other great restaurants, check out the restaurant page.