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Craft Beer Blog from The Beer of the Month Club

A craft beer blog written by the experts of The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club

Our Owner’s Top 10 Picks Available in our Beer Store Now

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We asked our owner Kris Calef which 10 beers he’d pick from our inventory to get him through the quarantine. Here’s what we got back:

  1. Westvleteren XII (Only 10 bottles left! Call to order)
  2. Lost Abbey – Righteous Son Barrel Aged Old Ale
  3. West Sixth – Snake Eyes Imperial Stout
  4. West Sixth – Hop Static IPA
  5. Jopen & De Molen – Sin & Remorse Russian Imperial Stout
  6. Brouwerij De Molen – Bommen & Granaten Barley Wine
  7. The Bruery – Poterie Bourbon Barrel blended English-Style Old Ale
  8. Harpoon – Camp Wannamango Pale Ale with Mango
  9. Amager & Mikkeller – Frederiksen Vaesel Brunch Whiskey Barrel Imperial Oatmeal Stout w/ Vietnamese coffee
  10. Bruery Terreux – 2017 Mélange No. 9 Bourbon Barrel Sour Blended Ale w/ Ginger & Coconut

Order Online or put together your own dream-team-quarantine mixed case by emailing or calling us at 800-625-8238. Note: You may only purchase one bottle of Westvleteren XII and there’s not too much left, so you might want to act quickly if that one’s on your bucket list.

Thanks so much for supporting our small, family-owned business during these unprecedented times. It means so much to us.

Rare Beer Club Naming Contest with Pints for Prostates and Rowley Farmhouse Ales Finalists!

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The Rare Beer Club® thanks all who participated in the naming contest for our upcoming exclusive beer from Rowley Farmhouse Ales. We enjoyed reviewing the 220+ entries which were as fun and clever as in past contests. Thank you for that.

It’s always a challenge to whittle down a sizable list of great beer names to just three finalists, but John, Rick and I spent a couple hours laboring over our favorites and now you and your friends get to pick the winner!

As a reminder, here is how the upcoming beer was described for the entrants:

“It’s our homage to Scandinavian farmhouse ales, which are lesser known, but have been brewed longer than the classic Belgian and French versions. Our take on this historic style contains a portion of birch smoked malt and was mashed and lautered over a false bottom of locally foraged juniper.”

Without further ado, here are the finalists:

Smoldering Fjord
The Smoking Swede
Mäns Hälsa (“men’s health” in Swedish)

To vote for your favorite, visit our contest page!

Beer Popsicles: Lemon Pale Ale

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Beer PopsThis is not only a great recipe for summer barbecues this super fun frozen treat is perfect for any warm summer day! Try different combinations of beer and fruit to make them your own!

Ingredients:

  • ⅓ cups Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (approx. 4 large Lemons)
  • ¼ cups Sugar
  • 1 cup Pale Ale Beer

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together in a pitcher or measuring cup with a spout. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for at least 6 hours.

When ready to serve, run the molds under hot water until the popsicles release.

Depending on the beer you use, the level of sugar and lemon juice can to be adjusted to fit your taste.

Recipe and photo from: www.TastyKitchen.com

Super Bowl Foods & Craft Beer

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When preparing for Super Bowl Sunday, it’s important to make sure you don’t forget the craft beer! If your house is anything like most of ours, there’s going to be plenty of food around – so what craft beers make the best pairings?

When choosing a craft beer to accompany a certain dish, it’s often best to aim for a complementary flavor, but a contrasting one can work too. For instance, hot & spicy foods usually go great with IPAs, whose big, spicy hops match the heat and intensity of the food. But, a sweeter, maltier craft beer like a bock can help tame the heat while refreshing the palate.

Just like with food and wine pairings, you want to make sure you don’t have one member of your pairing dominating the other, so try to match the intensity levels of the craft beer and the food. For example, a barleywine will stomp all over a celery stick, and a bowl of 5 alarm chili will kick the butt of a pale lager – so keep the character of each of the components in mind.

Here’s a little guide we made with some of our suggestions for popular game day foods:

Beer-Pairings

Chips & Dips: Pale Ale, Kölsch, Blonde Ale, & Helles Lager
Veggie & Fruit Trays: Witbier, Hefeweizen, Pale Ale, Gose
Pizza: Vienna Lager, Pilsner, Saison, Schwarzbier
Chili: Amber Ale, Märzen/Oktoberfest, Porter, Sweet Stout
Buffalo Wings: IPA, Pilsner, Bock, Belgian Pale Ale
Burgers & Hot Dogs: Brown Ale, Dunkel Lager, Dry Stout, Scotch Ale
Chocolate Desserts: Imperial Stout, Fruit Lambic, Barleywine, Belgian Dubbel

Beer Caramelized Onions

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Beer caramelized onions are perfect to add to dishes like burgers, pastas, hotdogs, mac & cheese, or anything you can think of! Try them at your next barbecue and it is sure to be a hit!

Beer Caramelized OnionsIngredients

  • 4 yellow onions, sliced ¼ inch thick
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon lager beer
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Melt butter and onions in a large skillet over medium high heat.
  2. Stir in brown sugar, ¼ cup of beer and salt; add onions and stir for 5 minutes.
  3. Turn heat down to medium-low and cook onions for 40 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in remaining tablespoon of beer.

Recipe and photo from: www.itisakeeper.com

Beerbecue Beef Flank Steak

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“There are very few things in life as beautiful as a glistening, smoky flank steak on a grill, being painted with beerbecue sauce. Any beer will do, but try to use something on the more aggressive side if you can. The subtle bitterness from the beer in the background really makes this sauce pop.” 

Beerbecue Beef Flank SteakIngredients

  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1/3 cup white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup strong beer
  • 1 (1 1/2-pound) trimmed beef flank steak
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Pour ketchup, molasses, and white vinegar in a bowl; add white sugar, 2 teaspoons black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, cayenne pepper, cumin, allspice, and cinnamon. Whisk until sauce is smooth. Pour in beer.
  2. Place flank steak into a non-reactive container; pour sauce over meat. Poke at least 100 holes per side in the flank steak using 2 forks.
  3. Cover container with plastic wrap and marinate beef 8 to 12 hours (up to overnight).
  4. Remove flank steak from marinade and pat the meat dry with paper towels. Pour leftover marinade into a saucepan, place over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes to make a basting sauce.
  5. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate. Season flank steak with salt and black pepper.
  6. Grill flank steak for 2 1/2 minutes; turn meat around on grate to a 45-degree angle to make diamond grill marks; grill for 2 1/2 more minutes. Repeat on second side, turning meat 45 degrees after 2 1/2 minutes and grilling 2 1/2 more minutes.
  7. Flip steak to original side and paint meat with sauce. Continue to grill until sauce has glazed onto the meat, about 30 seconds. Turn meat over and brush other side with sauce. Sauce will burn if cooked too long. Repeat 1 more time, brushing and glazing sauce onto meat for about 30 seconds on each side. An instant-read meat thermometer, inserted into the thickest part of the flank steak, should read 125 degrees F (52 degrees C).
  8. Transfer steak to a platter and let rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing lengthwise down the center; cut each half across the grain into slices about 3/8 inch thick. Drizzle slices with more sauce to serve.

Recipe and photo from www.AllRecipes.com. 

Girl Scout Cookies and Craft Beer Pairings

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If you’re like us, you can’t pass on buying a box (or ten) of Girl Scout Cookies on your way out of the store. While relaxing with one of your beers club brews, here are some pairings to help polish off some of those Girl Scout Cookies in the kitchen.

Thin Mints

Mikkeller – Santa’s Little Helper 2014
Fordham Brewing Company – Rosie Parks Oyster Stout
Smuttynose Brewing Company – Robust Porter

Samoas®/Caramel deLites™

Vliegende Paard Brouwers – Préaris Quadrupel
Clipper City Brewing Company – Loose Cannon
Mad River Brewing Company – Jamaica Red Ale

Tagalongs®/Peanut Butter Patties®

Mad River Brewing Company – Steelhead Porter
Grand Teton Brewing – Vintage 2014
Smuttynose Brewing Company – Old Brown Dog

Trefoils/Shortbread

Clipper City Brewing Company – Powder Monkey
Les Trois Mousquetaires – Maibock
Bent River Brewing Company – Paddle Wheel Pale Ale

Do-Si-Dos™/Peanut Butter Sandwich

Wells & Young’s Brewing Company – Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale
To Øl – Shameless Santa
Wychwood Brewery – Hobgoblin

Thanks-A-Lot™

Weyerbacher Brewing Company – Tango
Newport Storm Brewery – Winter Porter
Salopian Brewery – Entire Butt

Lemonades

Hofbrauhaus Wolters – Wolters Pilsener
Bent River Brewing Company – Mississippi Blonde
Grupo Cervezas Alhambra – Alhambra Reserva 1925


 Cookies-and-Beer-2015

 

Also check out our 2014 Girl Scout Cookie Pairings!

The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club

The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club | 1-800-625-8238 (Outside USA call: 949-206-1904) | P.O. Box 1627, Lake Forest, CA 92609