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Wolf Creek Pairing Series: Fire Grilled Artichoke

4/23/2014

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In addition to the regular #beersuggestioneers, this series features the palate and tasting experience of Shawn Burgert, a local wine expert, travel guide and photographer and videographer, who is also know as the Wandering Wino. 


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Fire Grilled Fresh Artichoke (seasonal): Served with roasted garlic aioli and balsamic vinaigrette





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Shawn's favorite pairing for this appetizer was the Howlin' Hefeweizen, a traditional style German wheat beer full of clove spices and banana. He liked how the beer took on the role of a white wine when it was paired with the peppery (lots of ground pepper added), vegetal components of the artichoke and soothed the palate.  The beer's malt flavor and mouthfeel also contrasts the freshly ground pepper on the artichoke. The yeast component of the beer also resonates with the freshly ground pepper creating a resonating base layer between the two.

Shawn also enjoyed how the lemony balsamic vinaigrette added a welcome contrast to the beer. The vinaigrette and the beer combined to make a new and exciting beer "cocktail".

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Jason had two pairing suggestions for this appetizer.  

First, he liked how the garlic aioli mixed with the Howlin' Hefeweizen. Together, the beer and the aioli mixed together to create a vanilla wafer/cream pie flavor. 

Second, Jason like how the garlic aioli mixed with the Full Moon Stout, a light quaffable stout full of roasty flavors.  When the beer and the aioli sauce mixed together they mimic a smooth milk stout texture that highlights the subtle licorice flavors that are usually hidden in this beer.

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I usually enjoy dipping and maybe even over dipping in sauces but I liked this appetizer more as is, without any of sauces.  My favorite pairing for this appetizer is the Rebel Rye, an American rye ale  with a solid malt base (slightly sweet, caramel-like) that balances the assertive hop flavors and bitterness.  The hop bitterness and the rye notes in the beer accentuate the freshly ground pepper while the hop flavor resonated with the vegetal nature of the artichoke.  The sweet caramel-like notes resonated with the slight caramelization of the artichoke sugars (a result from the grilling) and balances all the spice notes before you swallow.  

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Wolf Creek Pairing Series: Taos Egg Rolls

2/21/2014

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This series explores the beer pairing options available at the Wolf Creek Restaurant and Brewery.  My tasting partner for this session was Jason Hendrick, founder of Everybody's Hungry and my co-host on pints&pairings.  

Feel free to comment on any of these pairing suggestions, especially if you had another beer pairing in mind.

The Appetizer

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Taos Egg Rolls

Spicy grilled chicken, red onion, corn, cilantro, cheese, avocado & roasted peppers lightly fried & served with spicy avocado cream sauce and chipotle ketchup. 

This SoCal fusion incorporates all the great herbs, veggies and fruit that makes life here so wonderful and the side sauces give you the opportunity to spice up the egg roll, if you are so inclined.  The avocado sauce isn't an aggressive heat by any means, but it will add another layer of creamy complexity to this appetizer.  The chipotle addition gives the ketchup a decidedly Asian flair and does a nice job of balancing its sweetness.

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Jason's favorite beer pairing for this appetizer is the Winter Wonderland,  a winter seasonal filled with nutmeg, cinnamon and sweet malt.  This is one of those surprising pairings that come out of nowhere -really, who pairs a winter warmer with Asian food?  Well, we did and we were rewarded for it. Depending on the order of consumption you will get two very different tasting experiences.

1. Try tasting the egg roll first, then sip the beer.  The egg roll pulls out a hidden smokey note out of the beer and adds another layer of complexity neither had as solo bites.

2. Try sipping the beer first and then taking a bite of the egg roll. This sequence accentuates the sweet malt, cinnamon and nutmeg flavors that are found in the beer.  

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My favorite beer pairing for this appetizer is the Surfin' Monk, a hopped up Triple with sweet orange peel and cumin.  The hop profile in this beer helps the spicy heat of this dish explode, momentarily before the carbonation and the alcohol content cleanse the palate.  The malt sweetness resonates with the sweet wonton and corn (accent flavors in the egg roll) and creates a base layer that brings the beer and this appetizer together.  The cumin in this beer helps to dry out the finish, and it also adds one more layer of complexity to this appetizer. 


Alternate Pairing Option

Rebel Rye is an American Rye Ale (similar to a pale ale) with a solid malt base to balance the assertive hop profile (flavor and bitterness) and the spicy rye notes.  This pairing is all about taking the flavors in the egg roll and kicking them up a notch.  If you would like a little more spice, Rebel Rye's hop profile and spicy rye notes will do that for you - no sauces needed. The beer cleanses the palate nicely and its dry finish leave you wanting another bite and another drink.
A word of caution: One of the best parts of my job is being totally blown away by unexpected beer and food combinations (ex. Winter Wonderland and egg rolls).  On the other side of the coin, I do come across pairings that just don't work, from time to time.  Midnight Howl, a black IPA with a crisp, citrus hop flavor, pronounced bitterness and subtle roasty notes, is my goto beer at Wolf Creek. If I'm only going to be drinking a pint, THAT is the beer I'd pick.  However, Midnight Howl is NOT the beer you should pair with this appetizer because the egg roll accentuates the subtle roasty notes in the beer to an unpleasant ash-like flavor.  Save Midnight Howl for another appetizer or entree. On the bright side, I just gave you and me, a perfectly good reason to have two beers with dinner!

Seasonal Spotlight: Surfn' Monks Triple

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SURFN' MONKS TRIPLE - 9.5%
A So-Cal Belgian Triple Ale is brewed with Belgian Candi syrup, dried sweet orange peel, cumin, American hops, and Belgian Yeast. The result is a deceivingly strong ale with big, juicy citrus flavors, complex fruit flavors from the yeast, and moderate bitterness from the hops.


Surfn' Monk isn't a cloyingly sweet triple with a lot of alcohol heat or one of the crazy over hopped American-style Belgian tripels that miss the mark on balance.  Surfn' Monks Triple does have a subtle orange juice flavor and a well balanced hop profile.  The cumin helps to balance the sweetness and dry out the finish.

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