Your beer pairing suggestioneers are back this week with American Pale Ales. It is a welcome change of pace from the malty Irish and Scottish ales we had been drinking up to that point.  

Jason comes up with one of the most exotic Po-boy sandwiches I've ever heard of.  You'll have to listen to the podcast to find out what it is.

Pairing suggestions for American Pale Ales:

1. Cheese
2. Fried foods
3. Grilled foods
4. Pizza
5. Everything, except maybe dark chocolate.

10A American Pale Ale examples:  Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Stone Pale Ale, Deschutes Mirror Pond, Full Sail Pale Ale,

Serving Temp: 40°- 45°

Suggested Glassware: Pint Glass, Mug

Food Pairing Suggestions: Cuisine: American, Asian, Mexican. Cheese: earthy(Camembert, Fontina), nutty (Asiago, Colby, Parmesan) tangy (Brick, Edam, Feta), Meat: grilled meats (poultry, pork)

Jason and I talk about why I don't want to open my own beer store and explore the history and flavors found in Irish ales. Jason comes up with an unusual pairing and we roll with it!

Pairing suggestions for Irish Ales:
1. Irish cuisine.
2. Grilled meats.
3. Eel sushi with a sweet reduction sauce. 
4. Lightly smoked or nutty cheeses.
5. Desserts with toffee.

9D. Irish Ale examples: Three Floyds Brian Boru Old Irish Ale, Great Lakes Conway’s Irish Ale, Kilkenny Irish Beer, O’Hara’s Irish Red Ale, Smithwick’s Irish Ale, Beamish Red Ale, Caffrey’s Irish Ale, Goose Island Kilgubbin Red Ale, Murphy’s Irish Red (lager), Boulevard Irish Ale, Harpoon Hibernian Ale

Serving Temp: 40°- 45°

Suggested Glassware: Pint Glass, Mug

Food Pairing Suggestions: Cuisine: Irish or English. Meat: grilled pork, poultry, lamb chops

Jason and I do our first pints&pairings remote for this bonus episode.  We visit Surf Brewery in Ventura, Ca  and explore the beer pairing possibilities with Escabeche Bistro, a Mexican/French fusion food truck.

It is a long show and so the video had to be broken into three parts because YouTube wouldn't let me do it all in one or even two segments.  However, the podcast contains the whole show.

My favorite pairing was Chef Edgar's Chile Relleno (click the pic for the Chef Edgar's description) and Surf Brewing's Black Mild.

This is no ordinary chile relleno. Until I tried this one, I would've said I don't like chile rellenos (deep fried batter, soggy middle and soggy pepper. No thank you.).  Chef Edgar's example is at the opposite end of that spectrum, my beer drinking friend. A firm fire roasted pepper, with just a touch of smoke, stuffed with cheese and lightly deep fried.  The pepper is then coated with your favorite protein (vegetarian options are available) and drizzled with a wonderful heavy cream house sauce - kind of a sour cream but so much better. The house cream sauce has a little spice but nothing that is overboard.  I will stop now, but just know that I could gush on this dish for a long time. 

The Black Mild is a session beer coming in around 4.5%.  It is medium light body beer full of chocolate balanced by a wonderful hop presence and just a touch of smoke. This is a special beer because it started as a homebrewer recipe and may never be brewed again. If you like the beer as much as I do let them know and it may come back from time to time. 

The Black Mild's subtle smokiness resonates beautifully with the fire roasted pepper and grilled meats, if you're a meatatarian.  The carbonation level in this beer does elevate the spicy heat sensation a bit (a pleasant increase) but the malty flavors bring it back down quickly. 

Cheers my friend. 

Jason and I explore Scottish ales.  We give you a couple of tips on how to differentiate a Scottish Ale from a Scotch Ale. We also come up with some diverse pairing suggestions. 

...and Jason coins a new phrase, but you will have to listen to the podcast to learn what it is!

....hops have been used in beer since the early 11th century.

.....flowers and herbs such as Heather were used to bitter beer when hops were in short supply.

Food pairing suggestions for Scottish ales:
1. Traditional Scottish cuisine
2. Smoked meat
3. French Dip Sandwich
*listen to the podcast for more delicious suggestions.

9A. Scottish Light 60/-

-These beers are not typically found outside their country of origin because they do not age well.  If you have food pairing suggestions for this style please let us know in the comments.

9B. Scottish Heavy 70/-

-These beers are not typically found outside their country of origin because they do not age well.  If you have food pairing suggestions for this style please let us know in the comments.

9C. Scottish Export 80/- examples: Orkney Dark Island, Caledonian 80/- Export Ale, Belhaven 80/- (Belhaven Scottish Ale in the US), Southampton 80 Shilling

Serving Temp: 40°- 45°

Suggested Glassware: Pint Glass, Mug, Thistle

Food Pairing Suggestions: Meat: roasted meats, lamb chops, 

9E. Strong Scotch Ale examples: Traquair House Ale, Belhaven Wee Heavy, McEwan's Scotch Ale, AleSmith Wee Heavy

Serving Temp: 40°- 45°

Suggested Glassware: Snifter, Thistle, Tulip

Food Pairing Suggestions: Cheese: buttery (Brie, Gouda, Havarti, Swiss) Meat: Smoked Meat, Salmon

Jason and I catch up with each other and talk about mobile bottling units, the local music scene and my interview with Jamie Floyd of Ninkasi brewing.