Louisiana: Hunt for beer and supplies

Today we had lunch in Lafayette at Don's Original Seafood and Steakhouse. For an appetizer we enjoyed fried alligator tails and crawfish bisque. The tails were done just right but the bisque seemed a bit thin. For the main entree, I ordered the crab platter; fried soft shell crab, crab au-gratin, stuffed crab, crab gumbo and some other crab dish, plus a baked potato, with no crab. If your going to call it a crab platter, why stop at the potato? Go ahead an stuff some crab in there too! Not a bad dish, stuffing was a bit dry but the meal was enjoyable overall. For an beverage accompaniment I had the Louisiana Abita Amber with just enough flavor to come through the rich food but not to overpowering.


Next we stopped at Macello's Wine Market to view the beer selections. They have a nice selection of Belgium beers as well as other imports and the largest selection of local beers.

Abita Pecan Ale
Abita Restoration Ale
Abita Jocamo
Surprisingly no Abita Christmas beer?
Dixie Lager
Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager
Heiner Brau, local microbrewery. Marzen style.
Full Sail LTD #02
Corsendonk(Cant find in Austin)

Our next stop was Joey's Meats a good place to pick up specialty foods and frozen Cajun favorites. In addition to restocking our freezer we picked up a fresh frozen rabbit and turtle meat! I enjoyed a wonderful rabbit dish in Belgium with a beer gravy and I would like to replicate it. Below is the rough plan for the dish, partially in French with translation help from Marie.

Lapin avec biere aux pommes de terre et petits onions et sage.
Rabbit cooked in beer with sage, onions and potatoes.

1 clean rabbit, quartered, seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic, coat in bag of flour.
1 - 2 large onions sliced into rings
New potatoes, sliced
Carrots
Garlic minced
Green Onions, chopped and tipped, save tips for garnish
olive oil
sage, rosemary, thyme, other spices TBA
Abita Pecan Ale, or other amber ale. (I think Corsendonk was used in Belgium)
Flour for gravy.
Chicken stock or water.

Sear the rabbit on all sides then remove, Saute sliced onions and garlic in large roasting pan, add new potatoes, add spices and turn up heat. When hot add rabbit, then deglazewith beer. Lower to simmer, let cook for 30 -45 minutes,water may need to be added during cooking. Skim fat, remove rabbit then use flour for gravy. Use reduction as gravy.

(Check cooking times, etc, still under development) (Uncle Doc's recipe has cooking time of 2 hours, talk about good has 45 minutes)


Tempura Fried Turtle Meat with pepper piquant or sweet and sour sauce.
(See Uncle Doc's recipe for turtle soup)

No recipe yet.

Louisiana: Thanksgiving Day, Gourmands vs Burgundians

Today is Thanksgiving I am in Louisiana with my wife and her family to enjoy the holidays. I have brought along a selection of seasonal and Belgium beers to sample and make notes. The tasting selection is:

Tripel Karmeliet
Delerium Tremens
St Arnolds Christmas Ale
Widmer Snow Plow Milk Stout
Breckenridge Christmas Ale.



Triple Karmeliet 8.1% ABV Belgian Ale
Thick long lasting head with a tight bubble pack, lots of lace on glass. Fruit aromas with a slight fruit aftertaste. Golden honey in color, malt on back of the throat.

Delerium Tremens 8.5%ABV Belgian Ale
Light honey color, less malt taste. Three fingered thick head, tight bubble pack.

St. Arnold's Christmas Ale.
Thin Head, orange copper in color. Bananas on nose? Smooth with nice
mouth feel.









Widmer Snow Plow Milk Stout
Heavy roasted malt on nose, with roasted malt taste, dark chocolate in color. Very thin head, heavy roasted coffee flavor throughout.

Spoetzl Brewery: (97) Bohemian Black Lager

Spoetzl Brewery
603 Brewery
Shiner, TX 77984

Shiner Bohemian Black Lager

Shiner decided to re-release it 97 beer as one of its regular lines of beers. Pours jet black, thin head that dissipates fairly quick. Dark roasted malt taste, nice and smooth mouth feel with a clean finish. Label and taste is different from when it was released as the 97 year anniversary beer.

Available in Austin: Yes

Sam Adams Utopias are back

The limited edition 2007 batch of Samuel Adams Utopias will be presented in a numbered, bronze-colored, ceramic decanter shaped like a brew kettle and will have a limited release of just 12,000 bottles. For the first time this year, people who purchase a bottle will also be eligible in most states to receive a Samuel Adams Utopias custom- designed Riedel snifter.

Full article here

Drink a beer after you exercise, it's good for you!

"In fact, the researchers at the Granada University in Spain came to the conclusion after examining 25 students who were told to do strenuous exercise in temperatures of around 40C until they were close to getting exhausted.

Half of the students were given a pint of beer to drink, while the others received the same volume of water after the workout. Subsequently, the team measured their hydration levels, motor skills and concentration ability.

Prof Garzon said the re-hydration effect in the students who were given beer was "slightly better" than among those given only water. Based on the studies, the researchers have recommended moderate consumption of beer -- 500 ml a day for men or 250 ml for women -- as part of an athlete's diet.

It may be mentioned that past studies have revealed that sensible drinking of one or two units of beer a day could help reduce the risk of heart disease, dementia, diabetes and Parkinson's disease."

Read the full article here.

Fertile concept in beer advertising.

Brazilian brewers Nova Shin has created a unique way to advertise it's new non-alchoholic brew. They are taking the combination of attrative women, beer drinking and fertility to a new level! The models have been photoshopped to look pregnant, but the shock value is well established.

This isn't very suprising considering it came from Brazil, the country that brought us Carnival, maybe even the thong bathing suit. I wonder if they set up tastings in maternity or baby stores?