12/07/2012                                                                                                     
Beer for Beer 
 

What I like most of about the end of the year besides the holidays, is storing and trading craft beer. To age a beer or trade for a beer is giving yourself a gift. To some, this may sound crazy. To others, it's just part of the craft beer experience.

  

Aging Beers

The hardest thing is to have the willpower to store the beer for a length of time and not drink it immediately. While aged beers are subjective to your own tastes, many beers, like fine wine, benefit from aging such as barleywines and imperial stouts, lambics and so on. Others, not so much. Beers with a short shelf life will just make the quality worse by aging. Sometimes the higher quality of the ingredients, the better chance the beer will age better. That's why we drink craft beer after all. I love beer fresh from the brewery, but a Cigar City Hunahpu imperial stout a year or two or even five years later? YUM. Some flavors may meld together while others are more pronounced. Of course, there are many rules when it comes to storing. You don't want your beer to skunk*, so keep it out of light and keep it cool. One great resource to use when it comes to aging and storing beer is from our good ol' friend, Beer Advocate. Use this storing guide for things to consider when aging beer.  

*Skunk: when a bottled beer has been light-struck (exposed to ultraviolet light) for a period of time causing to beer to spoil and taste funky depending on how long it has been exposed. 

 

Trading Beers

Another thing to get you excited for craft beer at the end of the year is to trade your beer for other beers. Trading beer with your beer friends is common nature to some people. Just because you've got your hands on a couple bottles of something special doesn't mean your other beer buddies have had the same luck or vice versa. An easy, fun solution... how about a trade? It gives you an opportunity to sample some beers that you may not have had before or been able to find. A beer that you have two of may be a prized jewel to someone who couldn't get it. You can trade a prized jewel for a prized jewel; a Cigar City Hunahpu for a Green Room Secret Spot Anniversary Ale--that's the fun of it. 

 

Drink Your Beer 

Drink your aged beer, your traded beer, or simply drink the beer you picked up the day of and enjoy for the holidays! 

 

Cheers, 

  

Brown Specialty Team

UPCOMING EVENTS
12-07-2012, 1:00 PM, TAMPA

Tampa Total Wine: Innis and Gunn Craft Beer Tasting from 1-4pm. ...�

 

12-08-2012, 4:00 PM, ORLANDO

Come out to celebrate Florida Craft Breweries at World of Beer UCF, Saturday, December 8th @ 4pm. We will have over 30 local beers on, meet the brewmasters or brewery reps, specialty beers, giveaways, raffles, and more! You won't want to miss this. ...�

 

12-14-2012, 3:00 PM, CLEARWATER

Total Wine Clearwater: Innis and Gunn Craft Beer Tasting from 3-6pm. ...�

 

12-14-2012, 4:00 PM, ST. PETERSBURG

St. Petersburg Total Wine: Innis and Gunn Craft Beer Tasting from 4-7pm. ...�

 

12-20-2012, 5:00 PM, CARROLLWOOD 

Drink like a local at World of Beer Carrollwood from 5pm--close, Thursday, December 20th. Featured Draughts from: Swamp Head, Green Room, Three Palms Brewing, and 7venth Sun... ...�

 

12-22-2012, 12:00 PM, TAMPA

Tampa Whole Foods: Innis and Gunn Craft Beer Tasting from 12pm--3pm. ...�

 

1-01-2012, WESLEY CHAPEL, NEW PORT RICHEY

Swamp Head is brewery of the month all month long at the Brass Tap in Wesley Chapel & the Brass Tap in New Port Richey during January. Drink like a local! ...�

NEW AND RETURNING PRODUCTSBeerfinder
VISIT OUR BEERFINDER TO FIND THESE PRODUCTS  
Ommegang Duvel Rustica   

This long-anticipated collaboration is their first Belgian-style Golden Ale. An elegant ale noted for using simple ingredients to create complex flavors and aromas. This collaboration has all the depth and breadth of Duvel's classic Belgian Golden Ale, along with rustic notes, including fruity esters from Ommegang's yeast. 8.5% ABV

 

 

Lazy Magnolia Timber Beast

A spicy, full-bodied Imperial Rye Pale Ale balanced with a generous dose of Zythos hops. Retreat to the back porch and be a little lazy. 8.0% ABV

Bell's Christmas Ale   

The basic inspiration for Bell's Christmas Ale was to create a sessionable holiday beer, using locally grown malt. In contrast to many other seasonals, it doesn't contain any spices: all of the dry, toasted notes & subtle toffee flavors come from the 100% Michigan-grown barley, custom malted by Briess Malting, while a blend of hops lend earthy, herbal aromas. 5.5% ABV

Bell's Winter White Ale

Taking its cues from Belgian-style white ales, Bell's Winter White Ale offers a lighter yet abundantly flavorful alternative to the traditional heavy winter warmers. Fermented with a Belgian ale yeast, this blend of barley & wheat malts yields a mixture of clove and fruity aromas, all without the use of any spices. Deliberately brewed to retain a cloudy appearance, Bell's Winter White Ale is a beer for embracing winter. 5.0% ABV

Highland Cold Mountain Ale

Our spiced winter seasonal complements all your holiday festivities. It is typically malty in body, lightly hopped, and rounded out with a delicious mix of spices that vary from year to year as we search for the best vanilla, hazelnut and other flavors. If you see it in the store, don't wait! 5.2% ABV

Swamp Head Hoe Hoe Hoe 

After the primary fermentation for our Cottonmouth Belgian Style Wheat Bier is finished, we add fresh ginger, cranberries and Florida Orange Blossom honey and re-ferment to produce this slightly tart and colorful seasonal specialty. Limited production. 6.5% ABV

 

Hoppin' Frog Frosted Frog Christmas Ale 
The essence of Christmas is captured in this very bottle. Perfectly blended spices compliment Frosted Frog's rich malt flavors, creating the ultimate Christmas experience. Celebrate the holidays as you savor this very special seasonal offering. Limited production. 8.6% ABV
Shipyard Prelude Special Ale 

A rich, nutty, full bodied English Ale with an inviting amber hue and a hoppy finish.  Prelude is 6.7% ABV, making this seasonal specialty the perfect winter warmer. 6.7% ABV 

Look out for new products such as Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro now in bottles, Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout, and returning favorites like Samuel Smith Winter Welcome and other winter seasonal flavors.
*Check with your Brown sales representative for availability or products not available in certain areas 
BEER NEWS
Bronze Age "Microbrewery" Uncovered

By: Andy Young

 

The team excavated a mud-plaster domed structure, which it says was used as a kiln to dry malt and make beer 3,500 years ago.

 

The discovery also included "juglets", which the team thinks would have been used to help created beers of different flavours.

 

The excavation is taking place at the Early-Middle Bronze Age settlement of Kissonerga-Skalia, near Paphos.

 

Dr Lindy Crewe, from the University of Manchester who has led the excavation since 2007, said: "Archaeologists believe beer drinking was an important part of society from the Neolithic onwards and may have even been the main reason that people began to cultivate grain in the first place.

      

For full article 

Beer of The Week: Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout 

By: Mario

 

Thanksgiving has passed and its time to get in the Christmas spirit. Comforting flavors filled with spice help keep us warm in the winter months. Another signature of the Christmas month is chocolate. What better way to fend off the chill than with a rich chocolate stout. As such, this week's Beer of the Week is Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout.

     

For full article 

A-B Tech Again Sees A Need, Fills It

By: Asheville Citizen Times

 

North Carolina's community college system is nationally recognized for its success in preparing students for the workplace. Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College has just demonstrated anew why that is the case.

 

On Wednesday, A-B Tech unveiled plans for the Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast, designed to help local residents fill new jobs in Asheville's burgeoning microbrewery business, as well as in the making of wine and liquor.

 

Students will learn how to make beverages, but they will learn far more as well. They also will be shown how to market the products.

 

For full article 

VOLUME 8
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Central Florida
In This Issue:
Upcoming Events
Bronze Age "Microbrewery" Uncovered
Beer of The Week: Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout
A-B Tech Again Sees a Need, Fills It
Rare Vos Cheddar Cheese Cake

____________________  

Featured Mead
Cocktail
  

 

Orange Mulled Mead

 

-1 bottle of mead

-1 orange, quartered

-3 cinnamon sticks

-7 whole cloves

-7 whole allspice

-1 teaspoon nutmeg

-1 jigger of Grand Marnier 

-1 jigger of Goldschlager 

 

Put all ingredients in a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Heat and bring to a simmer, reduce and do not allow to boil. Let warm with the lid on for 10-20 minutes to allow the flavors to combine. Serve warm.
____________________
Featured Recipe
 

Rare Vos Cheddar Cheese Cake

By: Lynn Hathaway

 

We found this recipe for a cheddar cheese cake using Rare Vos and couldn't resist. The combination of the lemon, orange, cheddar and Rare Vos is going to make a very yummy treat for the holidays. 

 

Ingredients:

 

Crust:

 

-1 cup sifted flour

-1/4 cup sugar

-1 tsp. grated lemon rind

-1/2 cup butter - softened

-1 egg yolk

-1/4 tsp. vanilla

 

Filling:

 

-2 lbs. cream cheese

-1 cup cheddar cheese - fine grated

-1 3/4 cups sugar

-1/4 tsp. vanilla

-1/2 tsp. orange rind

-4 eggs

-2 egg yolks

-1/4 cup Rare Vos

-1/4 cup heavy cream

 

 

Directions:

 

For the crust:

 

Preheat the over to 500 degrees.

Mix the flour, sugar and lemon rind. 

Cream with the butter and add the egg yolk and vanilla.

Stir until a soft dough is formed. 

Press 1/3 of the dough onto the bottom of an 8 inch springform pan. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Watch carefully, as it burns quickly.

 

Let cool.

 

Press the remaining dough around the sides of the pan, coming to within 1 inch of the top.

 

For the Filling:

 

Beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy.

Beat in the cheddar cheese until well blended.

Add the sugar, vanilla, and lemon and orange rinds. 

Beat until smooth.

Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir in the beer and heavy cream.

Pour into the prepared crust.

Return to the 500 degree over and bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

 

Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees.

Bake for 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours, or until a tester inserted in the center comes our fairly clean.

 

Cool to room temperature.

Serve warm or chilled.

 

Serve this unusual cheesecake with fresh fruit slices.

________________

 

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