Isn’t that just peachy? In a world filled with consumerism, you can say someone is threatening your sales when their label and name are nothing like yours. That’s what Vampire Brands did with Clown Shoes’ Vampire Slayer brew. It’s happened with Sierra Nevada, Magic Hat, Lift Bridge and others.  What do you think about brands suing over name use?

In the Minnesota area? The Minnesota Historical Society has an installment right now that chronicles prohibition. Might be a fun date night if you have a penchant for history along with your taste for beer!

There is a discussion I have been participating in over at Beer Advocate, so seeing this article crop up felt timely. Are female craft beer drinkers really all that rare? There are several articles out there that broach the subject on women and beer… Especially since the craft beer boom. What are your thoughts on women and beer?

Good news, everyone! I’ve found a way to sneak beer to work! HR will never know – and you get to enjoy your favorites right at your desk. You can even invite your coworkers to join… if you like them enough. How, you may ask? BEEF JERKY.

Yes, yes, I know. There isn’t any alcohol left after the dehydration process… But the point is you get all that great flavor AND delicious meat.

Beef jerky couldn’t be any easier. I was inspired after reading a friend’s paleo diet blog where she took on beef jerky, so I thought to myself ‘Self, why don’t we do this, too? But with beer!'

And thus it began.

I bought top sirloin that had been precut and labeled as “stir-fry beef”. I could have bought and sliced some myself, but this precut lot made my first go very slick. I picked a few rubs to try out and then headed to the liquor store to find the perfect beer for the marinade. Most recipes I found call for a marinade with liquid smoke and Worcestershire, so I decided on a bourbon aged scotch ale (why not) and a smoked Baltic porter (because hells yes).

Next, I sliced my meat into about a finger width size strips, length-wise. I lightly sprinkled one side of the meat with my chosen rub and then used a meat tenderizer to gently beat the rub into the meat. Flip over and repeat.

After all the meat had been rubbed ad massaged, I tossed them into Ziploc bags and covered them in beer. Be mindful to poor slowly! The rub does cause the beer to get quite effervescent. Make sure to use enough to coat the meat, then squeeze out as much air as you can and seal.

I let mine sit for 8 hours – overnight. In the morning, it was jerky time. Using toothpicks I hung my meat between the grates of the oven rack, which I moved to the highest setting. Put some tin foil or a cookie sheet on the bottom rack to catch any drippings from the jerky.

I have a gas oven that I was able to keep at 150 degrees. Make sure you don’t go hotter than 160 or you will cook your meat rather than dry it. Prop the oven door open just slightly to let moisture escape and set the timer for 6 hours. I checked mine at 4 and it was coming along great. I ended up pulling it out at 7 hours. When it comes down to the wire, check your meat at hour 6. If it is still flexible, let it cook longer. You want that classic jerky bend where the meat is slightly crackly but not crispy to the point is just snaps.

From what I have found on the Interwebs, this jerky can last two weeks when refrigerated.

Here are my flavor combos from batch one:
McCormick’s Steakhouse Rub – Surly Smoke 2012 Baltic Porter for marinade
McCormick’s Smokehouse Maple Rub – Tyranena Shaggin’ in the Woods Scotch Ale for marinade

If you make your own rubs, excellent! Try them out with different beer combos. All in all, I used about 2.5 lbs of meat bought for 10 bucks and made about 10 3oz bags of jerky. This means that those 3oz bags you see for 3-4 bucks a piece… well you just made 30 bucks worth of jerky for a ten spot. Nice work, you.

This was one experiment I am glad to report has been a hit around the office and with my very own taste buds. It’s easy, it’s healthy, and it will save you money! Now get out there and spread the good news. Craft beer makes amazing beef jerky!

Last night we had folks over for the UFC Pay-Per-View. As with any good party, we had to break out some of the great beers to go with the wild fights. Carl, being the meat magician that he is, smoked and steamed a giant brisket all day long. What goes better with a smoked meat than a good smoky beer?

The first sniffs out of the glass are heavy with smoke. You get that burning wood aroma, like being around a meat smoker. The color was a dark brown that was moderately translucent. A thin tan head capped this beer off and dissipated quickly.

I have never really found a smoked beer that I am hog-wild over. Mostly, I think they taste like liquid Slim Jim's. I found this bottle at a store on clearance and knew well enough to just buy it without asking. I was pleasantly surprised.

The first taste is filled with that woody smoke from the aroma. As it washes over the pallet, the more complex flavors begin to shine. First was that meaty jerky flavor. Next came a warm boozy wooden taste. As it warmed and I continued to drink, the nuance began to become more noticeable. The bottle claims a fig, raisin and plum taste. They weren't kidding. There was a very earthy date and fig taste with the mild sweetness of raisins, mostly on the finish.

I was happy with this beer, though it is one I only wanted a bit of and not often. I would love to see this in smaller bottles so that I didn't feel like I wasted so much of something that had such a complex tone to it, overall. It was sippable, not drinkable. Smoke was a beer I will keep an eye out for in the future. As for the rest of the bottle? It just got used to make some beef jerky. Yep, I said it. Stay tuned for that post next week. Never let a good beer go to waste.

Beer: Smoke
Style: Baltic Porter
Brewery: Surly Brewing
ABV: 9.5%
Served from: Bomber
Rating: 4.5/5

It’s just about that time of year where folks will head out to the wine stores to gather up the finest in Thanksgiving appropriate wines to share around the dinner table. This year, I’ve switched gears completely and I will be offering up a variety of craft beers to go with our turkey and taters.

Anyone who knows me knows that this is very strange for me. I used to spend hours at the store, talking to wine professionals about the planned foods and what wines would be best… And this year, I take to the internet to find out if any of the million beers. Here are a few of the articles I’ve found!

GQ has a say, apparently. They would like all the classy men out there to know the best pairings for the man trying to impress his loved ones. On this list, I've got Rogue Ales Pumpkin Patch. It's definitely a contender for my family's celebration.

Serious Eats offers a guide to Thanksgiving beer pairings as well. They even include a little bit for dessert pairings. I do have a few barley wine beers, so they may be making a showing as well!

CraftBeer.Com has a pretty great list that divides their pairing suggestions out by beer style. I have surprisingly few on this list. However, there is a beer called Ninja Vs. Unicorn. I am fairly certain I would give my left arm to try one of those out. Also, all of this talk of Cigar City Brewing... I feel like I am severely missing out. A cucumber infused beer?! REALLY? Why have I not had this?

Last but not least, WineMag has a little piece on beers. Do I trust a wine site with my beer lists? Well, they rated a beer I have as their top choice, so maybe. I sometimes think of wine people like the Sharks and the Jets. There be turf wars up in here, yo. However... I guess the basic idea of pairings is universal between the Jets and the Sharks territory. Maybe we can just street fight dance our differences out.

Well there you have it. A quick little piece on Thanksgiving beer pairings where I tell you nothing but let others do the talking for me. I hope you've got a good list going for your own celebration! What will you be bringing to the table?
 

If you follow me on Instagram (which you should!), you know I made a beer can chicken this week and promised a recipe here before the weekend was through. I'm coming down to the wire on the weekend hours, so I figured I best get this puppy up on the blog!

I will start by saying that I have never cooked a chicken in my life. My husband is the primary meal maker in our house. I am a pretty good baker, and a very iffy chef. Lately, my husband has been encouraging me to branch out and learn more in the kitchen. A sort of embiggening of my comfort levels around foods.

The idea for the beer can chicken came from our buddy, Matt. I took it an ran. I have heard it said that you should never cook with a wine you wouldn't drink. Doesn't the same apply when it comes to beer? I mean, do you really want a Coors Light flavored chicken? I didn't think so.

The only can of beer I had in my fridge was Indeed Brewing's Midnight Ryder. Hmm... A Black IPA for a beer can chicken? I took to Google for advice. There wasn't much to be found until I dug deep and came across a recipe for a rub that looked perfect. This guy used 21st Amendment's Back in Black, so I guessed I was on the right track.

Here is the recipe, adapted by me, originally by Cork and Kegs.

Ingredients
3 - 5 pound chicken
1 can of Indeed Midnight Ryder
1/4 cup of coarse salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup smoked paprika
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1/2 tablespoon chipotle pepper (optional)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350. Unpackage and rinse your chicken well. Remove the giblets if you purchased one with the gutty whats still inside.

2. Use a paper towel to dry off the chicken and set aside.

3. Mix the list of spices together in a bowl to create your delicious spice rub.

4. Generously rub the spice mix all over the chicken. Be sure to get under the skin.

5. Crack open that Indeed Midnight Ryder and pour yourself half. This is yours for the remainder of the evening.

6. Pour about a handful of the spice mixture into the beer can. Insert the beer can into the chicken and place in a foil-lined baking pan.

7. Place the chicken in the oven. Enjoy your beer.

8. In about an hour, check your chicken for temperature. You're looking for about 165 degrees and clean running juices. If it needs more time, check back every 10-15 minutes until you've reached temperature. Remove from the oven and allow the chicken to rest for about 10 minutes.

9. Carefully remove the beer can from your chicken's behind. It is going to be superbly hot. Don't spill the beer. Don't drop the chicken. Get help with this if you need it.

10. Cut the chicken up and enjoy!

I have to say, this was a win in all categories. It impressed my husband, it impressed Matt, it even impressed me. I made my very first chicken and, aside from the hack job I did on cutting the chicken into portions, I was very happy with the results.

The skin on the chicken was juicy and full of flavor. The meat was tender and smoky from the Black IPA. The spice was just right -- just enough to make itself known at the party. This is going into rotation in our house for sure.

Next time you think of boiling your brats in Bud Light, I hope you remember this. Imagine how much better it would be with the awesome flavors of your favorite craft beer, instead of that bland beer imposter. Now go forth and spread the good news: craft beer makes cooking better.