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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

So many good beers, so little time…

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kris-beer

If you’re like me, you’re already thinking about what to toss on your grill or smoker this weekend.  I’ve got a dark rum soaked, brown sugar pack smoked salmon recipe that’s pretty tasty…and easy.  I just make it look a lot harder than it is so I can spend more time manning the smoker and drinking beer.

The bigger question is what beer will I be drinking while carefully tending the coals and wood chips.  It’s a lofty decision since as the father of 3 year twin girls, I don’t get a whole helluva a lot of chill time by the barbie with a beer.  I’ve got a tasty beer I picked up as a Society member to The Bruery, Melange 3, a 15.5% blend of Black Tuesday, White Oak and Papier.  It’s an ass kicker though so I may have to invite someone over to assist with my duties. That or put the girls down early and call it a date night.  Option B:  I can’t seem to get enough of the Logsdon Organic Seizoen Bretta we ran in March.  It could very well be my all time favorite saison.  Okay, I’m going to take a stance on that and confirm it right now.  Love that beer. Flavorful and complex as hell. Check Ken’s tasting notes on it:  http://www.beermonthclub.com/logsdon-farmhouse-ales-seizoen-bretta.htm.

I drink beer like I order food when eating out.  I study the menu ad nauseum, narrow it down to my top 2-3 picks and then order something else.  I’ll keep ya posted.

What are you grillin’ and drinkin’ to celebrate the arrival of summer this Memorial Day weekend?

Prost!

Brett’s Top Pick for May Beers

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lost-coast-8-ball-stout

For members who might not yet be aware, our May selections are up on our website, so for a sneak peak you can check them out here.

As newsletter writer for The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club’s 12-oz clubs and a member of the tasting panel, I thought it would be fun to highlight my top pick from among the six U.S. and imported beers we select each month.  Now for May, I must say it’s a very tough call because I think we’ve got a really strong lineup of solid beers that are all very on-point examples of their respective styles. Old Dominion and LostCoast are long-standing and well-loved breweries on their respective coasts, and I’ve been a fan of the Czech brewery Primator for quite a few years now.  But, since I’ve got to pick just one—that’s the rule (that I’m imposing on myself)—I’m going to give the nod to Lost Coast’s 8-Ball Stout. (My apologies to an old favorite of mine, Indica IPA—you know I still love you babe, don’t be mad, sometimes you just gotta have a stout!)

Oatmeal stouts are known for offering a hint of sweetness and a smooth, creamy mouthfeel due to the inclusion of oats in the grain bill.  8-Ball is a prime example of the style; it just gets so much right.  The beer’s mild sweetness balances well with the drying notes from the West Coast hops and roasted malts.  Those drying notes end up a little stronger in the finish, clearing the palate and preparing you for another sip.  Delicious and super-drinkable, this one is food-friendly but is great on its own too.  And, with the ABV coming in under 6% it’s certainly sessionable in my book, but it also packs enough flavor to work as a satisfying nightcap at the end of your day. Enjoy!

Serious BBQ and Craft Beer at The County Grill in Newport News, VA

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My new home away from home in Newport News, VA

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You ever just stumble into something too good to be true?  Well, that happened to me last week when I was in Newport NewsVA to visit my 93-year-old grandmother.  After flying cross-country all day, I checked into my hotel at 9:30 pm tired, thirsty and famished (I love ya Southwest, but man cannot thrive on peanuts and water alone).

I figured I’d be eating out of a vending machine that night, but asked the gal at the front desk if she knew where I could grab a bite that late on a Tuesday night.  Without hesitation, she told me I needed to head over to The County Grill,  “Some of the best BBQ in the state, hell, in the country”.  “Okay”, I said,”But I really need a place that has good beer too”. “That’s the place for you Mr. Calef”, she confirmed.  “Best beer selection for a hundred miles”.  I was sold and drove a mere 3 blocks to my destination.

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Scotty dealing some fine beers on a Monday night.

I bellied up to the bar and surveyed the beer list which was indeed impressive with such rarities as Hoppin’ Frog’s B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher, a 9.4% Russian Imperial Stout, and Smaltz’s Rejewvenator,  a Belgian Dubbel-German Doppelbock hybrid, brewed with dates and figs.  Started off local, with a nicely crafted American Porter from the St. George B.C. and moved directly into Stone’s Enjoy Before 5-17-13, a 9.4% imperial IPA (I needed to wind down a bit after the long day.  It did the trick). I was now primed for the BBQ and ran with what they’re known for, their pulled pork sandwich…It did not disappoint.

Guiding me through the extensive beer list was Scotty Batten, their well loved and very knowledgeable bartender.  Over the night I shared who I was and it turned out that he’s a current member of our Domestic-International Variety Beer Club.  Gotta love that.

All in all a memorable night…Enough so that I dragged my sister Annie and cousins back the following night.

Cheers!

Beer Pizza Dough Recipe

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We found this recipe from Beer Chow and thought that there is no better way to pair your favorite brew with pizza than actually using the brew to make the crust! So we thought we would share this recipe that can be grilled or baked and customized completely to your liking! 

Making your own pizza dough from scratch is simple and fun. The best part about this recipe is that you can use your favorite beer to create a great tasting beer pizza crust. While you can use a lot of different styles of beers for this beer pizza dough, don’t use a beer that has a higher SRM than 13 or 14, otherwise your pizza dough will look burnt before you’ve even cooked it. I found that most American and German wheat beers work best with this beer crust. You can use the same beer to pair with the pizza when serving, or if your toppings are unique and strong in flavor you can pair a beer that might be more appropriate.

Yields: 2- 16″ pizzas or 5- 8″ individual sized pizzas

BEER PIZZA DOUGH INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup room temp Beer (insert favorite craft choice here, I lean towards Bell’s Oberon most of the time)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 3 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (or 1 and 1/2 packets)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup corn meal
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • extra flour as needed

PROOF YOUR YEAST

In a 2 cup Pyrex liquid measure add beer, sugar and pinch of salt. Stir in the yeast and allow to stand for 5 minutes, or until yeast starts to foam.

BeerChow-Pizza-Dough-2MIXING YOUR BEER DOUGH

To your mixing bowl, add flour, corn meal, Beer / Yeast mixture (that’s the stuff in the Pyrex proofing), salt and oil, and beat on medium speed with the dough hook attachment. If the dough is sticky or tacky, knead in a little flour. Continue to beat until your dough is thoroughly combined and has gathered into a single mass.

Oil the inside of a large bowl, turn to coat bowl completely with oil but not having a lot of oil gather on the bottom, use a paper towel if necessary. Add your dough into the bowl.

BeerChow-Pizza-Dough-3PROOF YOUR BEER PIZZA DOUGH

Preheat your oven to 175 dF. Set your dough on top of your stovetop right where the heat from the oven would vent out. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel. I prefer to drape part of the towel over the top back part of the oven and then over the bowl to allow the oven heat to vent into your bowl.

BeerChow-Pizza-Dough-4This technique will create a warm-humid environment for proofing. Dough is ready when it has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. About 15 minutes into proofing turn your oven off.

To shape the dough, place dough on a floured surface and lightly flour the top. With floured hands, or a bench scraper, cut your dough in half. Shape 1/2 of dough into circle. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to 3/16″ thickness or as thin as possible with still being able to move dough around.

COOKING / GRILLING BEER DOUGH METHODS

I prefer to use this beer dough for grilling pizzas. This may sound impossible to take pliable dough and grill it, but actually it’s quite simple.

After you’ve rolled out your dough into it’s appropriate size place on a floured wood pizza peel board or something similar like a cutting board. Brush the top side liberally with Olive Oil. On a preheated medium-low-heat grill, flip your pizza dough, olive oil side down right onto the grill. If you happen to botch this part gently lift and pull on the dough to straighten back out. Close lid and grill for 3 to 4 minutes and then turn 90 degrees (for great grill marks). Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes covered and remove from grill back on to your board with the uncooked side down on your pizza board. From there it’s back to the kitchen to top the crust with your favorite toppings and return to grill. Grill on medium low heat turning 50 – 60 degrees (in one direction, not temperature) every two minutes as to not burn the bottom. Depending on what sort of food load you’ve put on top of your crust cooking times will vary. I find it usually takes about 7 – 9 minutes to melt your cheese thoroughly and get very slight caramelization.

To bake your beer pizza crust: Preheat oven to 450 dF with pizza stone inside. Spread corn meal onto surface of a of a baking sheet or pizza peel. Add shaped dough to peel, top dough with sauce, cheese, toppings etc. Slide pizza from peel to stone in oven and bake for 13 – 17 minutes depending on how you like your crust and the amount of toppings you’ve added.

pizza-on-board-beer-pairing

Recipe and photos from www.BeerChow.com

Welcome to The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club’s Blog!

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Beer of the Month Club PanelWe’ve been kicking around the idea of adding a blog to our site for a couple years now as a way to keep you informed on what’s going on at The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club and The Rare Beer Club™ so we’re really excited that the time has finally arrived!

So we’ve had a fair amount of time to think about and ask our members what kinds of content you’d like to see here and on our Facebook page. At the end of the day, we want you to drive what you see on this page so we’ll be listening carefully.

Out of the gate, you can expect to see:

  • Detailed descriptions of our up and coming featured beers well before they hit your doorstep
  • Rare Beer Give-Aways
  • Details of special offerings to members of The Rare Beer Club™
  • Recent discoveries and reviews from our beer panel
  • Surveys requesting which breweries, beers and beer styles you’d like to see in the each of our four beer clubs
  • Exclusive Facebook promotions and discounts

We’ll also be digging up information on beer festivals and events, sharing some of our favorite recipes to pair with the current month’s featured beers, and posting our Member of the Month winners.

We’re passionate about beer and eager to create a community around it. Join us for the ride!

Prost!
Kris Calef
President

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