Cooking with Beer - Pear and Candied Walnut Salad with Hefeweizen Vinaigrette

It's not always easy to balance my love of beer with my weight loss plan. Of course, there's no way I'm cutting out beer. That is so not ever happening. Incorporating beer into healthy recipes is one way to include beer in my diet. 

This salad is not only fresh and satisfying but it has a wonderful contrast of tastes and textures. Sure to please the most discerning palates.

I used Laka Laka pineapple hefeweizen brewed by Horny Goat in the dressing. The mild, sweet taste of the beer complimented the tanginess of the vinegar and was wonderful in the salad. Delish.

Pear and Candied Walnut Salad with Hefeweizen Vinaigrette

4 Cups Spring Salad Greens Mix
2 Ripe Bartlett Pears, Halved, Cored And Thinly Sliced
8 Oz. Crumbled Feta Cheese  
1/2 Cup Chopped Candied Walnuts
6 Oz. Hefeweizen 
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Tbsp. Honey
1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh Ground Pepper











Pour the beer into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until it has reduced to about a 1/4 cup - 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. In a small bowl, Combine the beer reduction, garlic, honey, mustard, vinegar, olive oil, and a few grinds of pepper. Whisk until well blended. 

Arrange the greens on 2 plates. Top with the pears, walnuts, and cheese. 

Drizzle the salads with the vinaigrette.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Shebeen!!

Could it possibly be a whole year since Shebeen began brewing beer for public consumption?  Wow!

The tap room manager, Marissa, asked me to come to the anniversary party. Of course I would be there! A keg party!! Woot!

I arrived early with my posse and there were a few folks hanging around. Marissa immediately poured me a brew. My friends and I went into the new but unfinished tap room expansion to enjoy our beer.

Not too long after we got there the tap room was packed with people clambering for beer. Outside they were playing a beanbag toss game quaintly called cornhole; appropriately, the game is also known as lawn darts for drunks. Folks were also enjoying brews at the picnic tables and on the porch.

By the time we were ready to leave, we had to elbow our way to the door. I'd say the anniversary party was a raging success! The beer was pretty good, too!

Here's  to another great year of brewing beer at Shebeen!

Cucumber Wasabi (4.5% ABV) is a hazy honey brown. It smells and tastes just like both cucumber and wasabi. Impressive but weird.  I liked it but I'm definitely not in love with it. It's interesting to drink, for sure, but I don't think I could drink more than a glassful. This a brew worth trying, if for no other reason, than that it's it is unlike any other beer. Tasty but odd.



Pineapple Wheat (5.1% ABV) is a fruit / wheat beer. This is a darned good beer. It pours a clear honey gold with a nice lingering bubbly head. The aroma is boldly wheaty and big on pineapple.  The taste is a burst of fresh pineapple backed up by wheat and sweet malt. This is a pleasantly sweet, refreshing beer with not a hint of bitterness.  I once even made Beer Zucchini Bread with it. NOM!



Cannoli Beer (5.2% ABV) is an American Pale Ale. Served with a rim of powdered sugar and a sprinkle of cocoa atop the foam, this is a Shebeen favorite. The aroma is, well, like a cannoli. The taste is wonderful! The airy sweetness of the sugar and subtle cocoa enhances and sends the spicy ale over the top. This is the first time I had it on Nitro. I have to say I like it better without it. The nitro does something not so great to the otherwise awesome brew, in my ever so humble opinion.



Grand Cru (6% ABV) is a witbier. It pours a deep amber color. Smooth, fruity, juicy.  I think this was my favorite of the day. Smooth, fruity, juicy. Mild grains, malt, and sweet citrus combine to make an easy drinking brew. Nary a hint of bitterness. Perfect for a hot summer day. Wonderful.

Cooking with Beer - Beer Zucchini Bread

I had the fixins to make zucchini bread and had the thought in the back of my mind to make a loaf. 

After a visit to Shebeen Brewery, I was inspired. During a tasting, I sampled their pineapple wheat I knew I had the final ingredient for my recipe.

All I did was substitute the eggs in my regular zucchini bread recipe with a cup of beer and what I ended up with was a lighter, fluffier very tasty treat. DElish! 

I used Shebeen's Pineapple Wheat but you can use any beer you like. I'm thinking the spiciness of Shebeen's Cannoli Beer would be perfect in a recipe like this, but my husband's head would explode if I used that particular beer to cook with.  He practically had a spasm when he found out  I used the Pineapple.  It didn't stop him from eating it though.

(＾◡＾)

Pineapple Wheat Zucchini Bread

3 Cups Flour

2 Tsp Cinnamon

1 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Baking Powder

2 Cups Sugar

1 Cup Pineapple Wheat Beer

1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Canola Oil

2 Cups Zucchini, Shredded

1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts

Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.

In a mixing bowl, stir to mix the dry ingredients together. 

Mix in the remaining ingredients, stir until thoroughly combined but don't over mix.  

 

Pour into a buttered 9x13 baking dish.

Bake for 50 minutes or until top springs back when tested.

Enjoy!

A visit to Shebeen

I was first introduced to Shebeen beer at a brewfest in June.  At the festival, I got the opportunity to sample three of Shebeen's brews and chat with Rich Visco - Headbrewer/Artiste/Mastermind/Man-behind-the-madness.

I took me a couple months, but I finally made the trek to visit the brewery.  The brewery is small but impressive, the tasting room is charming and comfortable, and the staff is friendly and eager to pour. Oh, yeah, bring it on! And, bring it the lovely Terry did! That girl knows how to pull a draft beer like nobody's business!

After sampling a few wonderful brews, another Shebeen staffer, Mike, gave us a nickle tour of the brewery. I fully appreciate them allowing me to venture beyond the tasting room door considering the major upheaval and hubbub going on back there. Especially, considering my prodigious aptitude for clumsiness, which is almost as great as my love of good beer. And that, my friends, is saying something!

Shebeen is in the process of installing upgrades to their brewing system. Major upgrades. They're going from three little one barrel tanks to four huge thirty barrel tanks and two shiny new fermenters! They were physically in the process of positioning these tanks while I was back there checking things out. The energy and excitement in the brewery was palpable. Hopefully, now they will be able to keep up with the ever increasing demand for their yummy brews.

In one corner of the brewery was a big crate. Concealed within is the breweries new canning machine. That's right, Shebeen in a can. How cool is that?? Coming soon to a store near you? That remains to be revealed.

Rich was running around like a chicken with its head lopped off - sans the blood. Despite that, he took a few minutes to stop and talk to me. We talked about the upgrades, of course, but he showed off one of the casks he will be using for whiskey barrel aging - he'll be doing a double rye porter soon! But don't get too excited, barrel aging takes time.  

We chatted about other things, as well. I was sworn to secrecy but there are even more amazing things going to happen at Shebeen in the coming months. There are even a couple new beers in the works. It's all good and it's all awesome!

German Cerveza (4.7% ABV) is a kölsch brewed with agave nectar. It was interesting, to say the least. It poured a clear liquid gold with a nice but quickly diminishing head.  The aroma is somewhat grainy and sweet, very inviting.  The taste is bright with a strong presence of malt and grain.  Nary a hint of bitterness; however, the agave makes its presence known in the finish with a lovely sweetness that clings to the back of the palate. Really, quite nice. Overall: very good.

Irish Pale (4% ABV) is pale ale. It pours a rich amber with a big head that dissolves into the beer leaving behind a wisp of foam. The aroma is malt forward with a hint of grain and hops.  The taste resembles the smell;  caramel malts, mellow hops and grain. Pleasantly bitter without biting balanced by the sweetness of the malt. Light and sessionable.  A great beer to drink any time for any occasion. Overall: very good.

Pineapple Wheat (5.1% ABV) is a fruit / wheat beer. This beer was my favorite of the day. It pours a clear honey gold with a nice lingering bubbly head. The aroma is boldly wheaty and big on pineapple. Enticing. The taste is a burst of fresh pineapple backed up by wheat and sweet malt. This is a pleasantly sweet, refreshing beer with not a hint of bitterness.  Overall: excellent

Cannoli Beer (5.2% ABV) is an American Pale Ale. Served with a rim of powdered sugar and a sprinkle of cocoa atop the foam, this is a Shebeen favorite. The aroma is, well, like a cannoli. The taste is wonderful! The airy sweetness of the sugar and subtle cocoa enhances and sends the spicy ale over the top. I could drink this ALL day long. Or for a liquid dessert at the very least. The taste clings to the palette. Mmm, so good. I also drank this without all the fixins and the beer stands very well on it's own. Cinnamon and nutmeg come forward making for a gently sweet, quaffable brew. Delicious! Overall: excellent.

A big thank you to Rich and his staff for making my visit so delicious and eventful.  I left the brewery very happy with a growler each of Pineapple Wheat and Cannoli. I'll be back soon!