Wild Goose Brewing Company - Wild Goose Oatmeal Stout

Just knowing that this tasty nectar is brewed with a combination of two row pale, torrified wheat, crystal, rolled oats, black patent and chocolate malts makes you want to crack one open right damn now! Well, it does us anyway! The Goose’s Oatmeal Stout hopped with Czechoslovakian Saaz hops. You’ll find it opaque black in color with a tan, coffee colored head that holds well. Note and an inviting nose of coffee bean and oats. It’s certainly full-bodied with rich espresso flavors that meld together with the hops. A very impressive beer, it ends with a smooth, warming finish.

Three Floyds Eggplant Pasta

½ cup olive oil
1 medium eggplant, peeled & diced
Salt and pepper
6 ounces smoked ham, cubed
1 cup Three Floyds Burnham Pilsener
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 lb. large tubular pasta such as penne
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Put in the eggplant, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 10 min., until it becomes soft. Stir in the ham, and fry 2 min. Add the lager and rosemary, and bring to a boil. Reduce the liquid by half. Put in the peas, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir the cooked pasta into the sauce, and cook for 30 seconds to heat through. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with plenty of Parmesan cheese, and serve. Serves 4 adults, 2 Italian American teenagers or a big dog that was locked out last night.

Source: Real Beer and Good Eats; Bruce Aidells & Denis Kelly; Alfred A. Knoph, Inc., 1992.

SOURCE UNNAMED - After the Great American Beer Festival, in Denver, all the brewery presidents decided to go out for a beer. The guy from Corona sits down and says "Hey Señor, I would like the world's best beer, a Corona." The bartender dusts off a bottle from the shelf and gives it to him. The guy from Budweiser says "I'd like the best beer in the world, give me 'The King Of Beers', a Budweiser." The bartender gives him one. The guy from Coors says I'd like the only beer made with Rocky Mountain spring water, give me a Coors." He gets it. The owner of one of the small microbreweries sits down and says "Give me a Coke." The bartender is a little taken aback, but gives him what he ordered. The other brewery presidents look over at him and ask "Why aren't you drinking one of your beers?" and the brewery president replies "Well, if you guys aren't drinking beer, neither will I." Not sure I’m buying into this one…Sounds a bit suspect!

BEERWIRE - Bloomberg reported recently that an employee at Coors Brewing Co. accidentally flipped the wrong switch, thereby flushing 77,500 gallons of beer into a creek. The beer wound up flowing into Clear Creek, south of Golden, CO, killing thousands of fish. A warning was issued by The Colorado Department of Public Health for people to avoid the creek due to a bacterial risk that could lead to illness. At the time of the ill-timed flushing, the beer was fermenting in tanks when it was washed through a wastewater treatment plant and into the creek. Investigators have not decided if fines are appropriate. Toss a little flour into that creek and wheel over the Weber for a Serious Fish Fry! It’s really about the only good use for a Coors anyway…

REAL BEER PAGE - Hemp Beer Hits New Zealand. Five thousand bottles of German-brewed hemp beer became the first of its kind to be legally sold in the southern hemisphere last winter when New Zealand authorities allowed the beer into the country. Rockpool, the only bar in Christchurch selling hemp beer, charges $8.00 a bottle! For $8 buck a throw, you’d think you could smoke it too!

Dear Murl,

Okay, Here’s a tough one for ya Murl. Can you tell me exactly why it is that my beer spills out of the bottle when I open it?

Jimmy Doogan

Glen Ellen, IL

Yo Jimmy!

Is it safe to assume that you generally have a healthy buzz at all times, Jimmy my boy? Do you also have difficulty pouring your beers into a glass, your mouth or other receptacles? Kinda like in the movie Airplane when the guy says he has a drinking problem and pours the beer into his cheek? Try sitting down before you open the next bottle or maybe only open them in the tub or when you know your dog is around to lap up any mishaps!

Wait a minute. Were you talking about beers you’ve bought or homebrews? The homebrew thing makes a little more sense there, James. Okay, I’m gonna back off a bit and assume that was the case. As you may or may not know, there are certain bacteria that get off on contaminating your precious nectar and when they do, it’s not so unusual for the beer to come blastin’ out of the bottle when you open it. See, they’re kinda of like havin’ a bacteria party in there. I mean, you know they’ve got plenty of beer, right? And that leads to some serious procreation and other questionable activities and after awhile, there’s just not enough room for all the little buggers in the compact 12-oz. Condo you’ve provided and they gotta get out! If you prime your beer with sugar, your brew goes through a second fermentation which can have the same effect as well. So my advice, Jimmy, is to bust out the Pine Sol and scrub down the equipment a bit more next time and back off on the sugar amount you prime with pal!

Woof!

Murl.