Brewnotes

Obsessed by Cocktails

Ben Brouse — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:54:11 +0000

Over the weekend, we visited a restaurant (to be revealed later) that did something very neat – a cocktail menu. I had an old-fashioned. And this got me to thinking…

So what are the classic cocktails? Who serves them in Baltimore? Got a recipe? What makes it classic?

C’mon people, I need help.

Azul 17

Alyssa Brouse — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:31:37 +0000

A guest post contributed from my dining partner, my wife.

Tonight we had our first visit to Azul 17 on Snowden River Parkway in Columbia. We had a hankering for some sort of ethnic food and nearly sealed the deal with one of our favorites, House of India. However, we made a last minute decision to try this relatively new eatery. We both love Mexican food – one of our old favs is El Salto in Brooklyn. We both had high hopes to have found an "authentic" (thanks, Kevin & Ann) Mexican restaurant near the homestead.

The decor is very bright white, minimalist, and modern. The main dining room was mostly empty, so we sat at the bar. The bar stools were wobbly with VERY low backs, and not very comfortable. Large, high-quality TVs were mounted near the bar playing a slideshow of artistic agave pictures and food. Party-boy music played loudly. It wasn’t quite our style, yet we were still hopeful our food would be worth the trip.

There were many Mexican beers available by the bottle, and many, many tequila options (it IS a tequileria, after all). With only 4 draught options, I liked the choices – Dos Equis, Negra Modelo, Stella Artois, and Hoegaarden. I started with a glass of (properly carbonated) Stella and Ben had a traditional margarita. Ben’s margarita was a winner, so I had one also. Delicious.

The bartender brought us chips and salsa. The salsa was great; full of fresh flavor. The chips seemed a little stale, but that did not stop us from nearly emptying the basket, thanks to the salsa. We proceeded to order 2 Platos Pequeños (small plates): Tuna Azul and Chile Relleno de Queso. In addition I ordered 3 tacos, De Alambre (grilled steak with onions), Tacos de Salmon (you guessed it), and Chorizo Picante (spicy pork chorizo). Ben ordered the Enchiladas de Pollo (chicken enchiladas). I had expected our small plates to come first, followed by the tacos & enchiladas. However, food just came out as it was ready with no thought to the order. In the end, Ben stared at me while I ate my tacos and I stared at Ben while he ate his enchiladas. Oh well, this place isn’t exactly fine dining. It’s just a little disappointing how often this happens.

The tacos were the star of my meal, with my clear favorite being the salmon. It was cooked well, light, with nice heat balanced with sweetness, and full of flavor. The other 2 tacos were good, but not spectacular. If I were to return, I’d likely get 3-4 of the salmon tacos, or try something new. If you order the chorizo tacos, you should know that it is quite greasy; a puddle formed on the bar while I ate the other tacos.

The Tuna Azul was a good quality, nicely prepared piece of tuna, seared to medium rare with a flavorful crust. The tomato/onion/arugala/jicama salad was bland and after a couple of bites, it remained on my plate. The tuna itself would have been very enjoyable, had it not been for the overly sweet cranberry drizzle. It was so sweet that I did my best to scrape it off. I’m not sure what they were going for here, but they’d be smart to skip the drizzle, or devise a better match for the tuna.

Once the Chile Relleno arrived, Ben found the dish enjoyable, but understated. The chili pepper was cooked nicely, stuffed with a little cheese, and served in a tomato based sauce. All the flavors were nice but the dish was not memorable.

The Enchiladas de Pollo arrived after I finished my food, so Ben offered me a bite. The quality of the shredded chicken was good and the sauce was pleasant, but it left me thinking of tomato soup. Where was the bite? The rich flavor? I’m all for fresh and light, I felt the the dish was so light that it was lacking flavor and excitement. There was a very light crumble of white "queso fresco" on top. Perhaps I’m not accustomed to "authentic Mexican" food, but I missed some melty, cheesy goodness.

Looking back at the entire meal, it was all good, but unfortunately not GREAT. Howard County is home to so many fantastic restaurants, it’s not likely that I’d return this this one. If I’m craving Mexican or Tex-Mex, I’ll head over to Frisco’s for a yummy fajita sandwich or some mahi tacos. Oh, and El Salto still rules. More reviews here.

Follow the Money

Ben Brouse — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:34:34 +0000

Great post on the HoCo Rising blog. Sen. Joan Carter Conway’s fundraising reports are dissected and attribution is placed on the portion from the alcohol lobby (at least the ones that can figured out).

Couple this with the informative article from the Washington Post.

“The industry’s network of political action committees, 120,000 employees, and powerful distributors and wholesalers have contributed more than $1.3 million to state lawmakers since 2000, according to campaign finance reports.

They have also spent nearly $900,000 in the past five years to maintain a stable of lobbyists and lawyers in Annapolis whose firms have represented the industry for more than three decades, according to state ethics reports.

General Assembly sessions are kicked off with a roughly $16,000-open-bar reception for lawmakers and their families, and the industry’s wining and dining usually continues, such as with a $2,500 steak dinner Feb. 3 at Lewnes Steakhouse, an Annapolis institution. “

If you are still wondering why the Direct Wine Shipping Bill isn’t going to pass anytime soon, look no further.

Ryleigh’s Oyster Bar

Ben Brouse — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:10:24 +0000

Ryleigh’s is the latest offering in the building that used to house the original Sisson’s brewpub. Ryleigh’s offers many wines and has a few craft beer offerings. I really like the atmosphere inside the restaurant. The old brickwork is still intact but now supports several bars. The place is wide-open and there always seems to be a “buzz” in the crowd.

We started with the grilled calamari and the steamed mussels. The sauce with the calamari was delicious but sadly, the calamari was rubbery. The mussels were middle of the road – not bad but not great either. Onto our entrees, fish ‘n chips (Cod) and a steak sandwich. The fish was good, flakey and beer battered. The steak sandwich was really good. Charred flank steak, blue cheese and roasted mushrooms on a baguette. The potato chips were clearly homemade and were also quite good.

Sitting at the upstairs bar, the service was good but could have been better. The bartenders not only were covering the bar but all the tables upstairs. I appreciate their effort but they could have used some help.

My take – this place fits in nicely with the relaxed feel of Federal Hill. You won’t have you best meal ever here but judging by the number of patrons, Ryleigh’s is clearly popular. I felt the price point was fair and I’m sure I’ll be back at some point in time.

More reviews here.

Can you afford Maryland’s proposed alcohol tax?

Ben Brouse — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:25:41 +0000

The following letter regarding the The Lorraine Sheehan Health and Community Services Act of 2010 was sent to the delegates who represent me. I’m looking forward to hearing their responses. I’ve posted before about this topic. In case you missed those posts, look here. Comments are welcome.

Delegates Malone & DeBoy,

I would like to understand your position on House Bill 832.   I am concerned that this is an easy target to raise taxes without looking at the source of Maryland’s budget woes.   While I am not opposed to raising taxes, I take great exception to the following passage of the bill:

"Comptroller shall distribute the remaining alcoholic beverage tax revenue to the General Fund of the State".

If this bill was intended to raise funds for health concerns, why would any funds at all make it into the general fund? Beyond this, the rate of increases for the different beverage areas are astronomical.   My intelligence is being mocked when I’m told its $0.10/beer. In actuality, the percentage increases are obnoxiously and ridiculously high:

MD proposed tax rates ($$/gal):

beer 1.16 (1,288% increase)

wine 2.96 (740% increase)

spirits 10.03 (668% increase)

If the tax increase passes, our state alcohol beverage taxes will be four times the
national average for beer (highest in the nation; 2nd place Alaska at $1.07/gal), over three-and-half times the national average for wine (highest in the nation; 2nd place Alaska at $2.50/gal), and just shy of 50% higher than the national average for spirits (eleventh-highest in the nation; 1st place Washington state at $26.45/gal) [Source: the Jernigan paper referred to in the House bill preamble]. Please take into consideration the true impact of such a bill. Any way you slice it, this bill is bad fiscal policy and doesn’t solve any aspect of the looming budget crisis.   The only true way to solve the budget crisis is to reduce spending.

Looking forward to your response,

Ben Brouse

Update #1: I added the link to the figures that were cited.

Update #2: Both Delegates responded that they were opposed to this bill. I will be watching.

Irish Uprising

Ben Brouse — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:02:10 +0000

A malt-focused beer with an initial sweetness and a roasted dryness in the finish.

My first hoorah into the Irish Red style (BJCP 9D). Not really my favorite but I had to brew either this style or Scotch Ale for the CRABS March monthly competition. Calling this the “Irish Uprising” due to the yeast tricking me. Very slow to start due to some over chilling but once it got around 65F things really took off.

This recipe is originally taken from Jamil with a few minor tweaks.

Ingredients:

11.25#	2-row Maris Pale Malt
6 oz	Roasted Barley
6 oz	Crystal 40L
6 oz	Crystal 120L

Hops:

0.7 oz	Kent Goldings	5.0% AA	60 Min
0.5 oz	Fuggles	5.0% AA	60 Min

Yeast:

(2) WLP004 – Irish Red Ale ~@65F

Yield:

5 Gallons

Stats:

OG: 1.056

IBU: 25

SRM: 17

Maryland Wine Bill Fallout

Ben Brouse — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:58:57 +0000

Tom Wark writes the Fermentation blog. In it, he describes the absolute mockery of testifying before a committee that isn’t going to do anything regardless of the testimony. Yes, this is how democracy really works in Maryland. Too bad it was regarding the proposed Direct Wine Shipping bill (HB 716) that I’ve talked about so much before.

Victoria Gastro Pub

Ben Brouse — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:42:35 +0000

Stopped in here for a a casual Sunday afternoon lunch and a few beers. This isn’t the first time we’ve been here but I’ve never written about it before. Alex, the bar manager, keeps an incredible beer list. I really dig seeing something new every time I stop in. This trip, on draught, I encountered Allagash Hugh Malone and Troegs Nugget Nectar – both very tasty. My only complaint – all the beers are high octane! I would prefer a few few more session beverages.

Now to eating – I had a Mushroom and Swiss KOBE burger. Exceptional, full flavored burger; couple that with smoked paprika fries and I can’t imagine a better lunch. My wife had the roasted beet salad, with blue cheese and toasted nuts. She was very pleased with the salad and remarked that it was nice that it wasn’t dripping in dressing and it was a good value.

My take: definitely a place to check out. I like the bar better than the dining room. Some of the food can be a little over the top but the draught and bottle list is worth a stop alone. Other reviews here.

2010 Maryland Wine Bill is Dead

Ben Brouse — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:24:51 +0000

According to this article in the Baltimore Sun, it looks like the bill is dead. My older coverage is here:

(03/04/2010) Maryland Wine Bill Update
(02/18/2010) Sen. Joan Carter Conway Singlehandedly Kills MD Wine Bill
(02/08/2010) Maryland’s Wine Siege Continues
(09/20/2009) Maryland Direct Wine Shipment
(09/07/2009) Maryland Has Arcane Liquor Laws

I’m not really concerned with whether or not you agree with this legislation, but you can no longer argue the fact that Maryland’s legislature is run via back-room deals and special interest money. The fact that the majority of the committee supported the legislation, but the legislation was not allowed to come up for a vote overwhelmingly proves this.

The irony is that Maryland, still known as the “free state”, uses a moniker that was earned during the 1920’s during protests of the federally mandated prohibition of alcohol. Yes – I live in the “free state” unless I want to drink wine from that other country none as California.

Weyerbacher Hops Infusion IPA

Ben Brouse — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:55:50 +0000

Weyerbacher, a north-eastern Easton, PA brewery, seems to be turning out quite a bit of brews. I was able to taste the Hops Infusion IPA on cask last Thursday @ Metropolitan.

I was told there were 7 hops in this beer and was able to pull out 4 of them. I had never heard of Pilgrim prior to this tasting.

This beer offered an assertive hop profile that stuck with you long after you were finished with your pint. Tons of citrus notes and caramel malts. Overall – it was an extremely pleasant IPA and nicely executed example.

Current Beeradvocate Rating: B

	beer	1.16 (1,288% increase)
	wine	2.96 (740% increase)
	spirits	10.03 (668% increase)