Tag: beer

Oktoberfest!

October 21, 2014 • 10:44 am

by Greg Mayer

Jerry has been enjoying Bulgarian cuisine, and I’m he sure will continue his reporting, but I thought I’d report on a stateside culinary event. Southeastern Wisconsin is noted for its German heritage due to its large number of German immigrants. One of the traditions they brought with them is Oktoberfest, a fall celebration associated in the US with German beer and food. I’ve never been to an  Oktoberfest in Germany, so I can,’t say how authentic the American versions are. In the particular place in southeastern Wisconsin where I am, the immigrant heritage is actually more strongly Danish and Italian than German, but there are plenty of Oktoberfest events, so I went with some companions to Ashling on the Lough, an Irish bar, to experience their Oktoberfest.

Spaten Munchen at Ashling on the Lough, Kenosha, Wis., 18 October 2014.
Spaten Munchen at Ashling on the Lough, Kenosha, Wis., 18 October 2014.

Most important of course is the beer. As I had tried some of the beers they were featuring for Oktoberfest on previous visits, I decided to have a blind tasting of the two I had liked most, Paulaner Marzen and Spaten Munchen. The bartender poured two small glasses of each while my back was turned, and I then tasted them. The winner, by a nose: Spaten!

We actually began with Bloody Marys, which are a house specialty. The vodka comes from a large bottle of hot peppers, where it becomes infused with the pepper flavors. They also add a quick pull of Guinness to the drink. The garnishes are string cheese, pickle, beef stick (a Wisconsin specialty), pimento-stuffed olives, lemon slice, and lime wedge. In addition, one of my companions brings marinated asparagus and bacon (pre-cooked, of course), which we add to the mix. On the side there is a chaser of Harp, a Canadian beer (which was once made in Ireland, hence its use in an Irish bar).

Bloody Mary, Ashling
Bloody Mary, at Ashling on the Lough, Kenosha.

With the first drink having so much to eat in it, I did not require much more, but my companions ordered the “Munich burger”, a passable hamburger, made more German by having sweet German mustard and sauerkraut as the condiments. The sides, German potato salad (a common Wisconsin recipe– not sure how German it is) and potato pancakes (crispy, not the more traditional pancake-y kind) were good.

Munich burger.
Munich burger.

 

German potato salad.
German potato salad.

I went for something lighter than the full meal: German beer and cheese soup. The bartender gave us a taster, and it was quite good, so I went for the full bowl.

German beer cheese soup.
German beer cheese soup.

The beer was Hofbrau (not sure if it was the German original or made in US under license; there’s a mix of the two in the US, and most brewers with overseas operations try to make it hard to figure out exactly where the beer is coming from), and the cheese a mix of cheddar and Irish (naturally) white cheddar.

We had gotten there early, so the first of two bands, the Brewhaus Polka Kings, was setting up as we finished. The band members were wearing lederhosen. I had thought polka was more Polish than German, but one of my companions reminded me of the popular Liechtensteiner Polka with German lyrics, and Liechtenstein is a German-speaking principality. Perhaps a reader with more knowledge of the popular music of Mitteleuropa could enlighten us.

Evolution 2013—Refreshments

July 15, 2013 • 3:28 pm

by Greg Mayer

Because the Snowbird Resort (where this year’s Evolution meetings were held) is an “all in one” resort isolated from anyplace else (kind of like Jerry’s casino-in-the-desert for TAM), pretty much all of the food was produced in house. And it was generally quite good. Unfortunately, I neglected to take many pictures. So we’ll have to settle for dessert.

Apple strudel and German chocolate cake at Evolution 2013, Snowbird.
Apple strudel and German chocolate cake at Evolution 2013, Snowbird.

Above are the desserts from the last night (June 25) banquet, apple strudel and German chocolate cake. I had the strudel and my colleague Sher Hendrickson had the chocolate, but she gave me a taste. Both were very good, but the strudel was especially delightful. The banquet had an “Oktoberfest” theme: bratwurst, red cabbage, spaetzle, etc.

I was somewhat surprised to find that Utah, despite the predominance of the anti-alcohol Mormon Church, has a very healthy craft beer industry. Here’s the hands down favorite at the conference:

Empty bottles at Evolution 2013.
Empty bottles of Evolution at Evolution 2013.

So why does Wasatch Brewery have an Evolution Amber Ale? To protest attempts to bring intelligent design into Utah schools!

Why they made this beer.
Why they made this beer.

The Wasatch Brewery has a history of humorously standing up for their rights and tweaking the theocratic impulses of the Utah government. They first made their name with Polygamy Porter and one of its slogans: “Bring some home to the wives.” (For those unfamiliar with U.S. history, the Mormons had to renounce polygamy, which they had previously embraced as divinely ordained, in order for Utah to be admitted as a state. Mormons have had a hard time living this down ever since, and there are schismatic “fundamentalist” Mormon sects which still practice polygamy.)

Polygamy Porter. Is that supposed to be Joseph Smith with the beard?
Polygamy Porter. Is that supposed to be Joseph Smith with the beard?

To punish Wasatch for Polygamy Porter and other advertising they didn’t like, the Utah legislature increased taxes on beer. The brewers’ response? A “Salt Lake Beer Party” and a new beer, First Amendment Lager with the slogan, “Give me liberty, and give me a cold one!”

1st Amendment Lager
1st Amendment Lager
Back label of First Amendment Lager.
Back label of First Amendment Lager.

In addition to the three above, I also had Provo Girl Pilsner, but on tap, so I don’t have a label to show you; it’s made by Squatters Beers, which seems to have some relationship with Wasatch, but I’m not sure exactly what. All of these beers were quite good, and although I can’t rule out that the setting and the company made everything taste better, I really think the beers were good.

Wasatch Brewery has about the only corporate “mission statement” I’ve ever seen that seems the least bit authentic or appealing:

Our Mission: To make the best ales and lagers possible. To achieve commercial profitability, while maintaining the highest level of social responsibility. To have as much fun as we can legally get away with.