Maple Coffee Brewtail

When hubby and I were in New Hampshire for vacation we stopped at Fuller's Sugarhouse to pick up maple syrup. While browsing the store I spied a bottle of maple cream soda made by Squamscot in the cooler. Next to the cooler were six pack of said soda pop.

I grabbed a cold bottle for then and the six pack for later.

On our way to our next next destination, I commented to hubby that I'll bet the soda would make an awesome mixer for a beer cocktail. Specifically, mixed with a hearty stout.

So, when we got back home whipped up this amazing drink with Granite Ledge Stout which is brewed by Canterbury Aleworks (a New Hampshire nana brewery).

Maple Coffee Brewtail

1 1/2 - 2 Oz Patron XO Cafe Coffee Liquor
6 Ounces Maple Cream Soda
6 Ounces Expresso or other Stout

Pour the ingredients into a pint sized glass. Stir gently. Enjoy responsibly.

Cheers!

Ale Flip

Hubby and I were lounging around celebrating the independence of our nation by watching patriotic movies. During one movie - Scarlet Coat, The (1955) - there was a scene where a robust gentleman poured beer, molasses into a flagon and then *gasp* mixed the concoction with a hot poker pulled from the fire.

WTF?

After a little poking around on the internet I discovered that this particular odd beverage is called an Ale Flip and that it was quite popular in colonial days. In fact, it was very likely that our founding fathers consumed a version of this beverage. The ale flip was the apple-tini of its day!

A flip is a classification of cocktails that is, in fact,  a mixture of beer, rum, and sugar, heated with a red-hot iron. The hot poker causes the beverage to flip - or froth - making the drink creamy and smooth.

Some versions of the flip include the addition of eggs to add texture and substitute molasses for the sugar. Sound familiar? Kind of like a classic winter beverage called egg nog?  They are actually very similar drinks. The difference between an egg nog and a flip is the omission of cream in a flip.

So, being in a patriotic mood and all, I decided to make a flip based on a recipe from Corin Hirsch's book Forgotten Drinks of Colonial New England.

I made it with Canterbury Aleworks Granite Ledge Stout. It is an interesting drink but unusual. It is velvety smooth, gently sweet but odd tasting.






Ale Flip

1 1/2 Ounces Rum
1 Tablespoon Molasses
1 Large Egg
8 Ounces Dark Beer (brown ale, porter, or stout)
Freshly Grated Nutmeg for Garnish

Pour the rum and molasses into one shaker pint glass. Crack the egg into another shaker pint glass and beat well with a fork.

Warm the beer in a small saucepan over low heat just until it begins to froth and steam; don’t let it come to a boil.

Pour the beer into the glass filled with rum, then pour the egg into the beer. Continue to pour the drink back and forth between the pint glasses until smooth and well-blended, then transfer to a mug or other clean and heat-safe drinking glass.

Grate fresh nutmeg over the flip and serve immediately.

Canterbury AleWorks ReVisited

After discovering Canterbury Aleworks last year during Bike Week, we made a point of heading back there this year.

Unfortunately, the Ale Man himself wasn't there. One of his lovely daughters was 'manning' the tap room and dispensing not only yummy beers but discussing the past, present, and future of the brewery.

There were several changes to the tasting room since last year. The place looks cozy, comfortable, and inviting.

I'd already had many of the beers on tap. But there were new-to-me brews available, too. Of course, I tried them all anyway.












Snappy Wit (5.1% ABV) is a Belgian WitBier
brewed with orange peel and coriander seed.

The aroma is grainy and spicy with orangy overtones.

The taste has a solid wheat beer profile with juicy orange notes and spicy coriander. The fresh flavors really come through. This is a delicious, well-crafted brew.

Overall: very good




Bright Idea (5.4% ABV) is a German Helles-Kolsch Hybrid

This brews is so flippin' good. It has all the crisp, freshness of a Kolsh with the gentle malty goodness of a Helles lager. This brew is light, bright, and super refreshing. Truly a bright idea from the Aleman.

Overall: very good

Chance (5.2% ABV) is a Single Malt And Single Hop brew.  Brewers often make this style of beer to break down what a specific malt and hop characteristics are. All of the Chance brews will have a different single hop for each batch!

In this case, the Aleman used  Columbus hops; a citrussy, earthy, somewhat spicy hop.

That pretty much describes this brew. Bright and citrussy with floral notes and resinous undertones. Mild and flavorful. Medium mouthfeel.

Overall: good.





Smoke House Porter (5.8% ABV) is made with malt smoked at nearby Fox Country Smoke House.

A solid porter that is big on malt and gently smoky. Roasty coffee and dark chocolate flavors come forward to compliment the mildly sweet smoky malt. There is a subtle bitterness in the background to balance all the flavors out.

Overall: good.

Cooking with Beer - AleMan’s Beer-B-Q sauce

Hubby and I visited a nano brewery when we were vacationing in New Hampshire a couple months ago.  Not only does Canterbury Aleworks have some pretty darned tasty beer but the brewery is situated in an amazing location.

Recently, I came across a link where the Aleman himself  - Steve Allman - was doing a cooking demonstration on a local New Hampshire television station. He was making a barbecue sauce using his beer.

The ingredient list includes a splash of this, a finger of that and a blump of something else. Oh, and as much Canterbury Aleworks beer as you can part with.  Yeah, that's not so easy, that's good beer!

The recipe looked so good I just had to try it.

We happened to have a growlerette of Canterbury Aleworks Granite Ledge Stout in the fridge.  My husband just about had a fit when he found out I was using it to cook with.  Kind of like the time he found out I opened his 30 year old bottle of whiskey to cook with.  ლ(ಠ益ಠლ)   

He said, what ever I cooked with had better come out my portion of that growler!  Good thing I didn't use it all, huh? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

The Aleman's recipe was somewhat ambiguous, so I decided to take a crack at deciphering it. I did good!  It was super tasty.

This tangy sauce is the perfect Beer-B-Q baster for anything on the grill. Build up a glaze by brushing the sauce often over meat beginning about 15 minutes from the end of cooking time.  

Use whatever beer you like but the Aleman says: Amber to darker-colored beers are best!



This is Bräuista's interpretation of AleMan’s Beer-B-Q sauce

1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1/4 Cup Sherry Vinegar
1 Cup Granite Ledge Stout
1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
1/2 C Tomato Paste
1 Tbsp Spicy Guinness Mustard
1 Tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
1 Tsp Kosher Salt

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Saute onion and garlic until the onions start to caramelize.

Add vinegar, beer, maple syrup, mustard, tomato paste, salt, pepper to taste.

Simmer and stir uncovered, about 20 minutes or until sauce thickens.

I used this sauce over a stout marinated flank steak; seared then glazed. Served with Beer'd Warm German Potato Salad on the side. Amazing!

Canterbury AleWorks

I've visited some small breweries in my travels.  But none has been as pint sized as Canterbury Aleworks.

This brewery, with it's one barrel system, is so small it can't even be classified as a micro-brewery.  It is a nano brewery.  And, as such, there are special laws in New Hampshire that apply to this special category of breweries.

A nano brewery is really not much more than a case of a home brewer gone wild. By law, these tiny breweries can produce no more than 2000 gallons of beer a year.  The upside is that nano brewers pay a discounted fee for their brewery license and they get a pass on some of the usual brewpub restrictions.  A downside is that they must self distribute their beer, but if you can get rabid craft brewers to come to you then that little problem is solved.  There is, of course, all kinds of other legal mumbo-jumbo involved but I'm not getting into that.  



I have to say this was absolutely the coolest brewery I've ever been to. It is located on a working family farm with chickens and oxen and geese and sheep.  The the bacon pod oinked at me and the barn kitties let me pet them. Yeah, I like the animals.  Besides the plethora of domestic critters, they grow hops and grain.  They also raise bees.  I could have spent the whole day wandering around enjoying the farm but I was really there for the beer.

The Aleman - AKA Steve Allman - has taken his brewery off the grid.  Canterbury AleWorks is water powered and wood fired. His efforts at self-sufficiency and sustainability also extend to the brewery toilet, but I'll let you discover that particular wonder for yourself.

During my visit, the Aleman himself poured up ten individual and unique brews, including a couple that he pulled directly from the fermenters for my tasting pleasure.  It was a pleasure, indeed!  I can honestly say I liked every single beer; some more than others, of course, but the Aleman rocks!

In a time when many brewers are competing to make the biggest, boldest, most intense beers, Canterbury AleWorks recipes lean the other direction.  All the beers are simply good tasty beers with reasonable alcohol content.


Be Hoppy! (6.5% ABV) is a good solid IPA.  Plenty of hoppy goodness without tastebud stripping bitterness.  The mostly resin and floral hops meld nicely with mildly sweet malt to make for a good balanced brew.  Tasty.  

davESBeer (5.7% ABV)  is an Extra Special Bitter.  I actually had two different tastes of this brew.  One from the tap and one from the fermenter.  Why?  Because the one on tap was somehow off; not in a bad way which is why the Aleman was serving it up.  I liked the tapped version but the one from the fermenter was even better and definitely quite different.  The beer, as designed, is malty with hints of caramel and brown sugar.  It is way less bitter than I expected but it was very good.  I liked it.

Y U Do Dhat (5.3% ABV) is what the Aleman describes as an Acci-Dunkel Weizen. It was an accident gone right- Kolsch yeast in the heffeweizen.  The crispness of a kolsch mingling with the fruity goodness of wheaty heffeweizen brew made this a really interesting and tasty beer.  I think this mistake is a keeper!

Alter Ego (5.0% ABV) is a German AltBier.  Creamy in the mouth with nice carbonation.  Nutty roasty malts mingle with caramel sweetness complimented but a hint of fruit.  A good example of the style.  Yum!

Light Ale  (5.1% ABV) is a German Kolsch that is crisp and refreshing just like a kolsch should be.  A nice grainy back bone with just the right amount of bittering hops.  Clean and bright and quite delish!

Old Darn Bard (3.8% ABV) is British Brown Ale.  This brew might have converted me from being meh about brown ales to actually liking them. This is a nice light brown ale that is slightly sweet, a little nutty and totally slam-back-able.  Exceptional drinkablility in this one! Mmm, mmm, mmmm.


Granite Ledge Stout (4.5% ABV) is an Espresso Oatmeal Stout that has the creamy smoothness of an oatmeal stout with a nice hit of coffee flavor.  Roasty and mildly bitter, this brew offers up a mouthful of stout goodness but somehow manages to be light and quaffable. Yep, they roast their own coffee beans, too. Quite nice.

Canterbury Ale (5.5% ABV) is an American Pale Ale.  The tap was out on this brew but the Aleman gave me a pull from the fermenter.  Despite being at the less than optimal drinking temperature, this was a nice tasty beer.

Val-Halla Weizen (5.4% ABV) is a Bavarian Hefe Weizen.  This beer was by far and away my favorite beer.  Sweet, wheaty with all the amazing flavors that Hefeweizens are known for.  The banana flavor stood out the most but there was some clove lingering in the background and the finish had an almost bubblegum like quality.  Fresh and drinkable and, well, simply awesome!!  

Multigrain Weisscracker is a, well, obviously a witbier of some sort. A new brew by the Aleman, I got a taste straight from the fermenter.  A lovely cloudy as all get out lemon yellow. As the name implies,  the beer is grainy, biscuity with a good dose of wheat.  Light, fresh and very tasty.  I hope I get to taste the finished product.  That's good beer!

Uhm, I got so thirsty for a Canterbury Aleworks beer writing this blog post that I busted into my growlitta of Val-Halla . . . nom!