Months later

Wow, I haven't updated this thing in forever. Not that my longtime interest in food and cooking has somehow fallen out of my life, that will never happen... but it has, like many other aspects of my post college era, switched gears. My interest in beer which I've had the past year has given way to a pursuit of perfecting southern american and southern italian culinary staples. Dirty South, two ways. Beer was a natuaral thing to explore while I didn't have a fully stocked kitchen or the time to make daily meals. Working at Fowler's food and wine was also a help as I could booze on the clock with Old Rasputin in a solo cup. I do feel like its a natural breaking point though. I am happy with what I've learned about beer and want to try something new. Before that transition, I will do a quick DUI down memory lane and recount some of my favorite beers and things that I will take with me. First off, as a wino and someone who used to sell wine as well as a beer head, I really cant stand the snobbishness directed towards and the stigma associated with beer drinkers. I'm not talking about the people who like to unwind with some friends with a few bud lights. They could give less of a shit about the wine community. I'm talking about the beer heads, foodies who really enjoy beer. Wine drinkers hate on these people and for no real reason. Most wine folks haven't really tried good beer at all. Trappist beers pair as well with steaks and red meat as many full bodied wines, so don't give me any sass winos. Try some soft cheese dusted with celery salt, some dijon and a chimay blue and if you don't like that, we'll just have to call it a difference of opinion. Seasonal beer drinking is also a new thing for me. Just as you wouldn't want to regularly eat ice cream during the winter, its not a good idea to drink stout during the summer. Darker beers are best reserved for the winter and lighter ones for the summer. I will also use this space to publicly appologize to the american beer community for regularly dissing on their biz. America has some great beer. Its just that, like the rest of culinary culture in the US, its found at the grassroots level. America is all about craft beer which is microbrewed and sparsely distributed. You have to ask around to see whats out there. Three Floyd's in Munster, IN is actually one of the best breweries on the planet. Their dark lord imperial stout is actually the second best rated beer on beeradvocate.com. I have yet to be disappointed with one of their products. I hope to have someone get up to munster to secure me a shipment of Dark Lord.. They only distribute in person and their batch for last season sold out in 4 hours!!!!

To complete the story that I began two posts ago, I did make it to Saint Sixtus Abbey in Westvleteren, Belgium. Westvleteren 12 is simply amazing and must be tried. Its worth the ridiculous journey. Take a train from Brussels to Poperinge and then have someone at the train station who speaks Dutch call Bellbus to take you to Westvleteren for the In de Vrede Cafe. Damn, it really is the best beer on the planet. I won't even try to describe it here because I will sound hopelessly fake. Other greats belgians to try are: Duvel, Chimay Blue, La Chouffe, DeKoninck, Orval, and Leffe Blonde. My favorite German beer is Celebrator Doppelbock and my favorite Czech beers are Budvar and Klaster Lager. As for domestics, go for Dogfish Head 90 min IPA, Three Floyd's Dreadnaught, or Rogue Dead Guy Ale. Yep, I'm down with the American IPA's. Thats what we do well.

Ok, thats the end of my beer study. I look at those paragraphs and laugh. I swear I'm no alcoholic. Those beers are too expensive to be enjoyed in large quantities so you can't over drink anyways. I am happy with my knowlege base now and would like to move my interest to cooking meals again. Beer is also much easy to explore than wine. For the most part beers aren't vintaged and beer is easier and cheaper to try than a bottle of wine. There are also many more vineyards and wine regions. Its a good starter to wine, though, especially for a college student. The most expensive bottle of beer I've seen is like $30 (for a liter though) but the most expensive bottle of wine I've seen is $20,000. Finally, I'm trying to be more healthy now and in addition to to running more I'm curbing beer consumption. It was fun while it lasted though. Anyway, onto food.

My mom and I went up to Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard this past weekend. I signed up for an online membership to the zagat survey and looked up a few places before I went. I took my mom to The Brewster Fish House in Brewster Mass and it was amazing. I had a plate of ridiculously fresh raw oysters and we both had five spice lobster done with sort of a asian-fusion vibe. The restaurant was tiny with great attention to detail and a baller white wine list (and I'm not big on white wine). It was great. The next day we went to mom and pop fried seafood restaurant in Oak Bluffs in Martha's Vineyard. It was my first lobster roll and damn was it good. My mom, an onion ring enthusiast, enjoyed their rings. We rented bikes and biked between Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, which is a beautiful ride along the ocean. At the end of the weekend, I begrudgingly said that the north east was "OK." I still contend, however, that the soul of this country resides in the midwest and the south. Oh, wait... bluegrass and bourbon are now cultured? Ya buncha no good johny-come-latelies...