Otter Creek Brewing Company - Stovepipe Porter

Otter Creek's Stovepipe Porter is a traditional porter that is available year 'round. It is a perfectly balanced porter using 2-row pale, Munich, Caramel 60, Chocolate, Carapils, and Roasted Barley malts and Chinook, Cascade, and Willamette hops. This combination gives this porter a bold spicy smoke flavor that is followed by a light roasted and coffee finish, with a slightly herbal hop aroma. It is almost black in color, with hints of dark brown throughout. This brew is excellent to help finish off any hearty meal, as a complement to chocolate, or just an afternoon libation.

Otter Creek's Stovepipe Porter is a traditional porter that is available year 'round. It is a perfectly balanced porter using 2-row pale, Munich, Caramel 60, Chocolate, Carapils, and Roasted Barley malts and Chinook, Cascade, and Willamette hops. This combination gives this porter a bold spicy smoke flavor that is followed by a light roasted and coffee finish, with a slightly herbal hop aroma. It is almost black in color, with hints of dark brown throughout. This brew is excellent to help finish off any hearty meal, as a complement to chocolate, or just an afternoon libation.

Arcadia Beer-Becued Pork Ribs

Murl agrees with us, we give this a unanimous "two paws way up" that this thick, fruity sauce based on plums, tomatoes, beer, and spices not only has genuine sinus-clearing qualities, but also beats the hell outta Kibbles and Bits or rawhide chewies. The well-balanced full flavor of this sauce complements pork so perfectly that it's hard to imagine eating ribs without it. Bone Appetite!

¼ Cup butter, olive, or other vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced and mashed with 1 teaspoon salt
1 cup pitted plums, fresh or canned, or whole cranberry sauce
12 ounces tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes in puree
12 ounces Arcadia Nut Brown Ale
2 large or 4 small beef or chicken bouillon cubes
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon bottled liquid smoke
½ cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon each ginger, cayenne, crushed coriander seed,
black pepper, cumin seed, and mustard seed
5-8 lbs. pork ribs, country-style, back or baby back
freshly ground black pepper and allspice

In a small skillet melt butter and sauté onion on medium-low until limp and translucent. Add garlic and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until onion is limp, set aside. In a blender or food processor, puree plums and tomato sauce until smooth. In a 3-quart pan heat beer to medium simmer and add bouillon cubes, stirring until dissolved. Add vinegar, liquid smoke, brown sugar, spices, sautéed onion, and plum-tomato mixture. Bring to a slow simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until very thick, 45 min. to 1 hr. Wipe ribs to remove fat and bone particles and keep whole to retain moisture. Sprinkle liberally with pepper and allspice. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Heat coals very hot and set grill close to them. Quickly sear ribs. Remove, raise grill to highest position, and place lightly oiled heavy-duty foil on grill. Puncture for ventilation. Place meat on greased foil, brush liberally with sauce, close lid, and cook until through and tender from 45-75 mins.

Source: The Great American Beer Cookbook, Candy Schermerhorn, Brewers Publications.

Hey Murl,

I was sitting back in my command post enjoying one of the beers in my shipment last night and I had a very deep thought. I wondered to myself if the little bubbles on the inside of the beer glass actually had a technical name for them. You know, industy lingo or whatever. Is that too weird a question for your column or not?

Sara McGaffy

Highland Park, Il

Sweet Sara!

There are no questions "too weird" for my column. In fact, the weirder the better. That way I can spend most of the space giving you grief about the question and perhaps avoid answering it altogether. So lets get to it. First off, I must probe as to whether or not you spend a substantial amount of your brain power on matters of such overwhelming significance to humanity. Before I researched your question, I came up with a few possible names for the little buggers myself like, "nasel ticklers", "fizzy bits", and "twinkle doodies". I was quite surprised and had to rewrite my original reply to be much less abrasive when I found out that your inquiry is in fact valid. They actually do have a name. And it ain't "twinkle doodie". Those in the industry refer to them as Brussels Lace. So, my dear, Sara, there you have it. Take this information and use it judiciously!

Woof!

Murl.