Review for Russian River Pliny the Elder

Our first sample of Pliny the Elder. Having this tonight with our corn chowder, which is maybe not the most ideal pairing (or maybe it is), but excited to try it.

B:"It is, as a double IPA, pretty hoppy. But it's not painfully hoppy. I think I usually like things that aren't quite that hoppy, but still good for the hoppiness that it was."

M:"A little too hoppy for me."

Review for Ballast Point Yellowtail Pale Ale

B:"Well, I was going to say it's a little too light and not hoppy enough for a pale ale. But apparently this is supposed to be a kolsch. I think I liked it, but I was really expecting something more like a Mirror Pond but got something without any hoppiness and much lighter. Shouldn't the label have said kolsch? I'd probably need to taste again with a new frame of mind to make a better judgment."

M:[Didn't remember much about it 2 days later when I wrote this, but she simply said it was good she thinks]

Review for Ommegang BPA (Belgian Pale Ale)

Had this tonight with pizza.

M:"Mild hoppiness. Easy to gulp. Thirst-quenching. One of the ones that I would buy again."

B:"The perfect pale ale. Really like it."

Review for North Coast PranQster

Had this tonight with salmon. It's a Golden Ale.

Mary:"Sweet. A really good beer"

Brad:"I think my favorite golden ale. Really good beer. Not very hoppy but very full flavor. Would definitely buy again".

Review for Ommegang Rare Vos

M:"It's a little bit 'lighty'. A tiny bit sweet. Like 3 Philosophers better"

B:"Light lagerness, both in taste and aroma. Good, but probably like other Ommegang offerings better".

Review for Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

We've been looking forward to having this for awhile, but I sort of wanted a spicier dish to go with it to take advantage of the hoppiness. We're having the black bean and rice dish tonight, so I figured it would work out.

Mary:[I think Mary said she liked it]

Brad:[I think I thought it was good, but the high alcohol content made it taste sort of barleywiney, which I didn't like so much]

Review for Anchor Steam

Their flagship beer I guess. We only had one. Mary said she liked it, but didn't seem to emphatic about it. I couldn't tell if I really liked it or disliked it. It's got a unique taste to it (which reminded me of something, but I couldn't figure it out). At first I thought I really liked the unique taste, but towards the end I thought maybe I didn't. So I dunno. I'd drink it again.

Review for Lost Coast Alleycat Amber Ale

Brad:"Nice amber ale".

Mary:"Good. Sweetie I want to watch the show...."

Review for Flying Dog Tire Bite Golden Ale

We had this while taking a break in downtown Half Moon Bay with Mike and Frances. It was very light and refreshing. Not hoppy, and we liked it.

Review for Allagash Hugh Malone

Picked up the last bottle of this at Bevmo for obvious reasons. It was sort of on sale but still the priciest beer we'd bought yet ($15).

M:"Tastes like barley wine. Thirst quenching at the same time oddly enough. One of my favorites"

B:"Has the pale ale taste, but not very hoppy. Because of the high alcohol content, almost tastes like a barleywine. Very good"

Review for Stone Levitation Ale

Mary:"I really like it very, very much. It's spicy at the back of my throat. It's one of my favorites. I think it tastes really good with radishes"

Brad:"Sort of hoppy, but the hoppiness never hits you. Although once you look past the hoppiness, I don't know that there's a lot of complexity. I'm undecided."

Review for DogFish Head Aprihop

Mary:"Mmm.... Good. Tastes like beer but with apricots. It's not nasty like that other one [Festina Peche]. Tastes like a good salad beer [what we're having tonight]"

Brad:"Very nice. Good, smooth IPA with a noticeable apricot taste."

Review for Elysian Avatar Jasmine IPA

Bosun recommended this to us at Beer Revolution. Thought we'd try it with an Asian dish we're making.

Mary:"Tastes like a Belgian. Reminds me of Midas Touch. Not that hoppy"

Brad:"What Mary said sums it up well. I thought it was good. Definitely had that Belgian vibe to it. Was pretty good."

Review for Lagunitas New Dogtown Pale Ale

Brad: "Nice aroma. A good PA, but nothing that I'm super excited about"

Mary: "Hint of mint. It's okay"

Review for Flying Dogs Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale

Brad: "Not much aroma. Crisp, sort of harsh, hoppy bitterness. Not as good as my memories of their IPA. Probably don't need to buy again unless having a PA taste party or something. In some ways reminds me of Monkey Head"

Mary:"It's a little harsh on the palate"

Review for Deschutes Green Lakes Organic Ale

This review is from a day ago, and I lost my notes, but below is what I remember.

Brad:"Very good everyday beer. Reminds me of Deschute's Mirror Pond and would need to taste them side by side to really tell a difference I think."

Mary: [Didn't have much to say about it, but agreed with the above]

Review for Deschutes Twilight

Brad: "Very refreshing. It's not super hoppy, but hoppy enough. Very easy to drink, but not cider like or anything. I like it Great weekday beer."

Mary:"Not very hoppy. Good drinkin' beer."

Review for Deschutes Jubel

Mary: "Stouty. Thick. Cherry aroma. I do like it. It's the kind of beer I do like. I like stouts. I was just in the mood for something lighter and more gulpy because I had a lot of stouts the other night."

Brad:"Strong aroma, maybe cherry. Heavy on the palate. Good for stout flavor but I like Deschute's other offerings better."

Review for New Belgium Trippel

We had this beer with black bean burgers. It doesn't say in the picture above but it's a 'Beglian Style Ale with Coriander'.

Brad:"A very light beer. Almost reminded me of a flavorful version of Bud Light (probably just because we haven't had a light beer in awhile). But after drinking it for awhile I think it has some good qualities for a light beer. Maybe a bit too light for me though, but good".

Mary:"Easy to drink. Good thist-quencher. Kind of beer I'd like on a hot summer day"

Review for Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence

We picked this up at Berkeley Bowl a while back (Mary's pick), and had it a few nights ago with beef burgers. One of the very few stouts we've tried.

Mary's review: Thick and complex. Everything I wanted it to be. Still don't know about pairing beer with dessert, but it sure went well with burgers. Also would be really good just by itself (for a snack!), it's pretty filling and flavorful enough to sip, reminds me of a flavored liquor. I love Ommegang!

Brad's review: "It's good... I'm still trying to decide how I feel about stouts"

Review for Flying Dogs Old Scratch Amber Lager

Picked this up to pair with a mushroom risotto dish we made.

Mary:"Smoky. Hickory. One of my favorites. Actually very unique. Lots of flavor in the nose"

Brad:"For the internal record, I didn't think it was 'hickory'. Maybe a bit smoky. I thought it was a really good beer. I don't know that I thought it was particularly fragrant or really all that unique, but it was good."

Review for Flying Dogs Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA

A worker at Berkeley Bowl recommended this beer to us. Thought it might go well with the tacos we're having tonight.

Brad:"A very manageable IPA. I don't know exactly what 'Belgian style' means, but the smell reminds me some of Ommegang's Belgian style ales. If it means using the same yeast perhaps that makes sense....Maybe my favorite IPA."

Mary:"Smells like an IPA but doesn't taste like one. Actually a little sweet. Fruit front hop back. It would be my favorite IPA except I don't think it tastes like an IPA"

Review for Stone Pale Ale

Picked this one up for the second day of this delicious bean and rice recipe (I thought a pale ale would go well with the spiciness from the serranos).

Brad:"A very good pale ale. Probably hoppier and a little more flavorful than Deschute's Mirror Pond"

Mary:"Mmmm. I quite like it. "

Review for Bison Brewing Honey Basil Ale

Picked this up at Berkeley Bowl to go with a salad we were having.

Brad: "Smells and tastes sweet. Refreshing, not hoppy. I can taste the basil".

Mary: "I don't know. It just tastes really good. A really good drinkin' beer."

Review for DogFish Head Festina Peche

I saw this beer at Berkeley Bowl and thought it looked interesting. I really liked DogFish Head's "Midas Touch" so I wanted to see if they could wow me again. Unfortunately, they didn't.

Brad: "Tasted like a boring, not very flavorful, cider".

Mary: "Uh huh. I don't like it"

Review for Ommegang Ommegeddon

We got this beer from our first trip to Beer Revolution in Oakland. It's a Belgian-style yeast ale (or "funkhouse ale" on the label).

Brad: "Very fragrant. Sort of tastes like honey. Really good. Would buy again. OMG I SPILLED IT!!!" and cries.

Mary: "Herby and medicinal. I like it a lot."

Review for Ommegang Abbey Ale from Brewery Ommegang

This is an Abbey Dubbel. I heard it won a Gold Medal of some sort.

8.5 % ABV.

The aroma was very inviting. The taste was good, but there wasn't anything surprising I guess. Color was fairly darkish.

Would drink again for sure, but like I said, it tasted like "good beer".

Review for Dogfish Head Midas Touch

This is the 2700 year old "ancient ale" recipe from Dogfish Head.

Transcribed from Mary:

Medium-bodied, beautiful gold color, gold specks of ....saffron? No foam. Bubbles like champagne. Smells like wine. Tastes like beer-wine combo. Complex.

I thought it was suprisingly good. No hoppy bitterness, but very tasty. At 9% ABV, you can feel even one bottle, especially on an empty stomach.

Roasted Potatoes

We made this recipe from Cooking Light for Easter, and everyone LOVED it. The artichokes weren't worth the trouble or expense, so I excluded them here, but it's a great way to roast potatoes.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 pounds small red fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Combine oil and potatoes; toss well. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for ~30 minutes or until tender. Place in a large bowl. Toss with butter and remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

Flowering Bok Choy

This is my new favorite green. Tastes completely different than regular bok choy. Much closer to broccolini. This recipe was originally for baby bok choy, but I've only used it for flowering. I'm sure it would be good with many kinds of greens.

4 bunches baby bok choy (basically, 1 bunch per person)
2 slices ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup water
A few drops sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil for stir-frying

Wash the baby bok choy and drain. Separate the stalks and leaves. Cut the stalk diagonally and cut the leaves across.
Heat wok and add oil. When oil is ready, add ginger and stir-fry briefly, for about 30 seconds, until the ginger is aromatic. Add the bok choy, adding the stalks first, and then the leaves. Stir in the soy sauce, sugar, and salt, and stir-fry on high heat for 1 minute.
Add the water, cover the wok and simmer for about 2 minutes. Stir in the sesame oil and serve. Serves 4.