Well, it's the night before our open house, and I thought it might be wise to get the recipes we'll be tasting down on the site here so everyone can try them at home.

We'll be sampling Phil's Pils with a Blue Cheese and Little Scrapper IPA Dip.

We'll also be sampling Weizen Heimer and grilling up some bratwurst basted with Weizen Heimer. They'll be finished off by dipping with a simple Dijon Mustard and Bulldog Amber Ale sauce.

Blue Cheese and Little Scrapper IPA Dip

55 g. butter
40 g. flour
175 ml. Little Scrapper IPA
160 ml. half & half cream
80 g. chopped fresh chives
30 g. Dijon mustard (one with lots of seeds)
115 g. cream cheese
180 g. bleu cheese
115 g. white cheddar
Crackers, bread sticks, whatever for dipping

1. In a large saute pan, simmer the butter, then add the flour and stir.
2. Add the Little Scrapper IPA and the half & half, stirring and simmering for a few minutes - enjoy the remainder of the bottle while finishing up!
3. Add the chopped chives, Dijon mustard and cream cheese - stir & simmer.
4. Add chunks of bleu cheese and cheddar a bit at a time. Make sure each addition melts before you add more.
5. Get your dipping material set, pour yourself and your guests a Phil's Pils, and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

The above recipe is from the book Extreme Brewing by Sam Calagione - owner of the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery.

Grilled Brats with Dijon and Bulldog Amber Ale Mustard

6 Bratwurst Sausages

1 Bottle Weizen Heimer

1/2 cup grainy Dijon mustard

1/4 cup Bulldog Amber Ale (drink the rest of the open bottle)

1. Get your grill smoking hot and cook the bratwurst through
2. during the grilling, keep any flames at bay by dousing the bratwurst with Weizen Heimer
3. between drinking your open bottle of Heimer, and grilling brats,
4. take your favourite grainy Dijon mustard and mix in the Bulldog Amber Ale to make a simple sauce

When the brats are cooked through, just serve them up with a simple potato salad and a bottle or two of Weizen Heimer. Enjoy!

Thanks in advance to everyone who's coming out to the open house - we'll have a great time.

Labels: Appetizer, Little Scrapper IPA, Savoury, Weizen Heimer

At our open house on December 9Th, 2006 we had some food pairings set out with our beers. One of the most requested recipes from that day is the simple fresh salsa we made called:

"Pico De Gallo"
1 x 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion diced (sweeter varieties work well for this)
1-2 crushed garlic cloves
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
3-4 limes, juiced and the zest from 2 of them
salt & pepper
Tabasco to taste (how hot do ya like it?)
1/4 tsp fresh ground toasted coriander seed
1/4 cup of good extra virgin olive oil

Basically, mix it all up then chill the salsa for a couple of hours before you use it. Nicole and I like this paired with Que Pasa Tortilla chips and half pints of Little Scrapper IPA. The flavours are usually stronger the next day, and it can be used on a great Huevos Rancheros for breakfast, too.

As a quick note, you're going to see that as I give out recipes, I have a tendency to leave out some measurements because they depend on your personal taste. I tend to like less salt and more spice to compensate - but that's just me.

In that spirit, here's some optional additions for your own twist on Pico De Gallo (add one or all - it's your choice):
1/2 cup fire roasted corn
1 cup smoked tomatoes (peel the skins off after cooking)
smoked Jalapenos (Chipotle Peppers)
a small can of green chilies
sun ripened black olives
black beans
grilled red & green peppers (remove the blackened skins)

Use your imagination - I've even had this on home-made chicken tamales and Chili's Relleno. Suddenly, I'm hungry...

Brewmaster Dave :)

Labels: Little Scrapper IPA, Mexican, Spicy