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In addition to receiving a steady stream of wines and spirits for review, I will occasionally be sent newly published books pertaining to wine and food. For the most part, I find these books to be rather mundane and lacking originality. I tend to imagine them on bookstore shelves keeping company with the other hundreds of books with the same recurring theme. So, when I was approached by a publishing house to take a look at a new book on cheese, wine, beer and cider pairing, I thought to myself, “here we go again, another book for the dust pile”, but I agreed to take a look.  CHEESE BEER WINE CIDER: A Field Guide to 75 Perfect Pairings is written by Steve Jones & Adam Lindsley and was published by Countryman Press on March 19th, 2019. Steve and Adam are both from Portland, Oregon. Steve is a well-known cheesemonger and bar owner of Portland-based Cheese Bar and Chizu. Adam is a book author and contributor to Serious Eats. This 224-page book is a cohesive exploration and pairing guide that makes you think outside the box and beyond the glass of wine when it comes to serving cheese. Not only does the book include 75 tantalizing cheese pairings for wine, beer and cider, but it is also a well thought out book that serves as an introduction and mini-course on such topics as “The 9 Rules of Buying, Storing, and Serving Cheese” and a chapter on “All About Alcohol”.  This is an easy read packed with information that is delivered in a light but informative and approachable style. The book is interspersed with lots of interesting and enlightening “Quick Bite” notes that elaborate on the various topics discussed. Here are a few examples of “Quick Bite”.  David L. Reamer, a West Coast based food, restaurant and lifestyle photographer, provided beautiful photos throughout the book.  Photo by David L. Reamer This book will appeal to the novice as well as the connoisseur. And I can assure you that CHEESE BEER WINE CIDER will definitely not be collecting dust in my house!
SRP: $24.95 Until next time… Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at wineknittercomments@gmail.com  A few days ago I tasted Hard Wired Nitro Coffee Porter from the Left Hand Brewing Company in Longmont, Colorado. The name alone conjures up all sorts of intriguing images and implications! Being a “beer” novice, the terms “Nitro” and “Porter” had me running for the books to decipher their meaning. For those of you who have no idea what it means either, let me begin by hopefully explaining the term “Porter”. According to Wikipedia: “Porter is a dark style of beer developed in London from well-hopped beers made from brown malt. The name was first recorded in the 18th century, and is thought to come from its popularity with street and river porters. The history and development of stout and porter are intertwined.” Of course, then I had to figure out what “well-hopped” meant! Left Hand explained to me that it just means the beer has significant or higher hops. That made sense! Back in the day, Porter was a blend of 3 different styles: old, new and weak ale that was varied in the combination of blending and staleness. It was quite strong compared to today. The terms “Entire Butt” or “Three Threads” were the common names given to it.  Today, American brewers have taken the whole process and style a step further by “well-hopping” the brew, using smoked malts or adding coffee or chocolate to complement the burnt flavor that characterizes this style. The hop bitterness has a wide range, which brings me to another term. “ IBU” stands for the International Bitterness Units scale, a gauge of beer’s bitterness. IBU measures the parts per million of isohumulone found in a beer. Isohumulone is the acid found in hops that gives beer its bitter bite. IBU’s generally indicate how bitter the beer will be. But depending on the beer and how it is flavored and balanced, that will be the determining factor. So, a higher IBU does not always mean the beer will be very bitter. Are you still with me? Good! Let me quickly tell you about “Nitro”. In the carbonation process of making beer, the gas used is either CO2 or nitrogen. CO2 beers have more carbonic bite whereas Nitro has a much smoother mouth-feel with a creamier texture. Enough said!
Alcohol: 6.0% IBU’s: 33 Hops: Centennial, Cascade Malt: 2-Row, Munich, Chocolate, Crystal, Carafa Have a super Friday!
Cheers! Penina  At the beginning of the week I met a friend for an “end of the day” drink. While he sampled various beers, I stuck with my tried and true vodka. As you might remember from previous posts, I am not a beer drinker. However, when the bartender poured us Keegan Ales Mothers Milk Stout for us to taste, I had to try it.  The dark brown color with a tan head reminded me of a root beer float. The aromas of chocolate and oats were very inviting. The palate offered chocolate, caramel and milk with a finish that was offset by a slight bitterness. All together, a nice blend of creamy flavors! The next time I get together with friends for beer, I know what I’m ordering! Keegan Ales was founded in 2003 and the brewery is located in Kingston, NY. Check out the website for more details. http://www.keeganales.com  I just landed in Naples, Fl. Check back soon for my travel adventures in this beautiful and bustling city. Happy Wednesday!
Cheers! Penina  In between negotiating deals yesterday, I took a little time to honor a friend and colleague’s birthday. Although it was too early to have champagne, we devoured the most incredible strawberry shortcake. And, I was delighted to learn that the cake came from a bakery around the corner from where I live. As the workday came to an end, my goal was to make a beeline for the pool and work off the cake. However, a few friends ran interference and invited me to celebrate the “blue moon”. I assumed that included a great bottle of wine…I was wrong. My friend, who follows my blog daily, saw my recent post about beer. Having a great sense of humor, he decided that there was no time like the present to start me down the path of tasting beer. Hence….  I was introduced to Blue Moon Belgian White. The beer is a Coors product made from white wheat, oats, Valencia orange peel and coriander. I will elaborate on the last ingredient later. The color was orange, bordering on copper. The aromas were orange, spice and dough. I immediately tasted oranges with undertones of spice and wheat. It was quite interesting and not like any beer I’ve ever tasted. http://www.bluemoonbrewingcompany.com  Fortunately, I only had a few sips of the beer, because 20 minutes later my palms started itching and I started coughing. I knew I was having an allergic reaction, but couldn’t imagine to what. My friend went on line and discovered that I had just ingested coriander, a life threatening food allergy of mine. Great! I popped a few Benadryl, refusing to even look at the Epipen. The rest of my evening was spent drinking water and watching everyone else drink wine. My exploration into beer tasting is on hold for now. However, the full moon was beautiful!
Happy Saturday! Cheers! Penina  As the day came to a close yesterday, I got together with a friend for a late afternoon/early evening swim and drink. As he drank his beer and I my vodka, I realized how little I really know about beer. I never developed a taste for it and am always overwhelmed by the choices when purchasing it to keep on hand for company.  My introduction to beer came at the age of 15, when I was handed a bottle of Rolling Rock at a party. I remember how cold and refreshing it was, but also sour and bitter at the same time. I think that I might have taken 3 sips and moved on to fruit juice.  I didn’t try beer again until I was in my early twenties and it was out of necessity. I was on a boat, out on the ocean on a very hot day in Miami. The only beverage in the cooler was beer. I was extremely thirsty and drank a whole bottle of Heineken. No…I didn’t enjoy it.  My last foray into “beer drinking” was about 8 years later, when a group of us went to Little Italy to dine on very hot and spicy calamari. My mouth was on fire and I grabbed the closest liquid to me…a Miller Lite. I gulped it down without really tasting it. I’ve certainly taken a sip of beer here and there over the years, but still have no idea what it’s all about! Perhaps it’s time to explore the world of beer and educate my palate!
Happy Tuesday! Cheers! Penina  We had big thunderstorms yesterday with lots of lightening. It eventually subsided, turning into a very sultry night.  I got together with a few friends for an impromptu evening of pizza, drinks and games. We were evenly divided between beer drinkers and vodka drinkers. Anyone want to take a guess at what I was drinking?  As the evening progressed, we ended up in teams with the beer drinkers playing against the vodka drinkers in a game of charades. We all laughed so long and hard, that my ribs are killing me today! Laughter is so good for the soul!  And…I’m proud to say that the vodka team won! Until next time…
Cheers! Penina  Spent yesterday organizing my house and ordering yarn for my upcoming knitting projects. Quite uneventful, but busy.  The evening certainly provided more entertainment. I ended up at a restaurant with some friends. Although the menu was less than friendly due to my food allergies, it was a fun “honky tonk” atmosphere. The night started with a round of Grey Goose on the rocks and then led to beer sampling. I won’t even try to describe…I’m not a beer fan!  The highlight of the night was Regina Bonelli, a NY Blues Hall of Fame artist, who rocked the house with her songs and energy! Headed to work now…yes…I know it’s Sunday. However, I plan to reward myself with a nice bottle of wine later!
Cheers! Penina |
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