Thursday, October 31, 2013

Plan Bacon

Plan B is a great place to go for great beer, creative burgers, and fine bourbon. This week they've added another B and another reason to go there - BACON.

It's Bacon Week at Plan B!!! I know!! Can you stand it??

That's just way too much awesomeness to not share, so hubby and I met up with some friends to partake in the crispety, crunchety, salty goodness. Much bacon was consumed; several pigs' worth, at least. We have no regrets.

Friend and fellow beer enthusiast, Kyle, was also at Plan B with his very own merry hoard of bacon eaters. Remarkably, Kyle had just emerged from a five year hiatus of bacon abstinence. Can you believe that?? Who can go FIVE whole years without eating bacon? It doesn't seem possible. Well, welcome back to heaven, dude. He remarked that he likes his bacon firm and not flaccid. I can't say that I disagree with that. 'nuff said.

Our server, Jessica, was the best! She was attentive, knowledgeable, friendly, and quite tolerant of our silliness!

When Plan B makes a menu for Bacon Week they don't mess around! Holy baconoly!









We started out with the bacon appetizer which was aptly named Bucket of Bacon. It was literally nothing more than a pile of crispy bacon served with a side of three dipping sauces. It was flippin' incredible.

And of course, a bacon cocktail was in order. Bacon Bourbon Apple Cider Fizz - bacon infused bourbon, apple cider, ginger, beer candied bacon, and an apple slice. Mmmm.

Everybody ordered a main course off the Bacon Week menu. They all looked so tempting, it was hard to choose. No, I take that back. For me, it was a no brainer. I got the Hog Tied Hamburger. The burger consisted of half beef, half apple juice brined ground bacon burger topped with maple syrup roasted pork belly, bourbon bacon butter country gravy, fresh arugula, and served on bacon cheddar buttermilk biscuits.

How to describe how it tasted? Hmm . . . this scene from When Harry Met Sally pretty much gives a good idea. Except I wasn't faking it.



Of course we had beer. All of the selections were good. A couple were great. So, let's get to it!

Deviant Dale's (8% ABV) IPA by Oskar Blues

Served in a stemmed chalice. It was a clear pale amber color with the remnants of the thick head. This beer has remarkable lacing; impressive!  The aroma was an enticing mixture of resinous hops and caramel malt.  The taste mirrors the aroma with a a mouthwatering combination of pine, grapefruit and spicy pepper hops offset by caramel and biscuit malts. This brew is the best of both worlds with a nice sharp bite of bitter hops balanced by lovely sweet malt. The finish is dry and bitter. The mouthfeel is medium with good carbonation.  Overall: very good.

Sofie (6.5% ABV) Belgian Farmhouse Ale by Goose Island

Served in a stemmed chalice. It was a clear pale gold.  The aroma was grainy with some fruit notes. The taste had a strong bready grain profile accentuated by banana, citrus and clove.  The wine barrel aging imparted a distinctive crisp quality that was, indeed, wine like.  The mouth feel was medium with lots of bubbly carbonation.  Overall: good.









Pranqster (7.5% ABV) Belgian Golden Ale by North Coast Brewing.

Served in a shaker pint. It was a hazy golden color with a skim of foam floating on top.  The aroma was typical of a Belgian style beer - banana, bubblegum, clove, juicy fruits, yeast. The taste was also very characteristic of the Belgian style.  Loads mouthwatering tart fruit flavors co-mingling with sweet juicy fruit flavors along with candy-like sweetness and spices. There is a strong grain presence, as well. The hops provide just the right amount of bittering to counteract the sweetness and create a good balance of flavors. The hops take over in the finish leaving a lingering bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium with loads of tingly effervescence. Overall: good

Brewer's Select Aries (8% ABV) an amazing combination of their Heathen Imperial Stout and Imperial Pumpkin Stout by Weyerbacher.

Served in a stemmed chalice. It was as dark as night with reddish orange highlights. This was an outstanding brew! All the characteristics of a good barrel aged stout combined with flavorful pumpkin ale. Malty, roasty, pumpkiny, gently sweet, spicy. All this with an incredibly creamy mouthfeel. So good! Overall: excellent!

Pale Ale (5.4% ABV) by Founders

Served in a shaker pint. It was a clear amber with the remains of a head intact that left behind nice lacing. The aroma is primarily grassy and citrus hops with some malty undertones. The taste was a fairly average and unremarkable pale ale. More hoppy than most with sweet malts to offset some of the bitterness. The mouthfeel is crisp and dry. It was good but nothing special. Overall: good.


Hard Pumpkin Cider (5% ABV) by Ace Cider

Served in a shaker pint. It is a bright, clear honey color. The aroma is promising with a mouthwatering combination of pumpkin and apples. The taste is somewhat disappointing. The flavors of pumpkin, tart apples, and pie spices come through but it's somewhat watery and lacking. It needs something - more oomph - and it just doesn't have it. Overall: meh.


It was a great evening of good good and drink shared with the best of friends. And bacon. Lots and lots of bacon. It just doesn't get much better than that!

Cheers!

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