Ah, beer and bratwurst. A match made in heaven. Among the many beers and treasures Dave brought back from far off Deutschland was a tube of Develey Mittelscharfer Senf, a medium spicy mustard. It feels a bit odd to squeeze it from a toothpaste tube, but it's cleaner and has a better "aim" than plastic squeeze bottles. I also like my mustard on the hotter side, yet this is far superior to anything that comes in a bright yellow bottle. Add in some Swiss on a steamed bun, a little sauerkraut, baked herbed fries, and you're in business. As for the beer...
Sierra Nevada of Chico, California was one of the pioneers of the craft brewing trend back in 1980 and has maintained independence and high quality since then, even as its popularity has soared. While they're best known for their Pale Ale, I popped open a Sierra Nevada Porter to go with this meal. 5.6% abv, 12 oz. bottle. It's toasty and nutty with medium bitterness and a short finish. While this is definitely dark it's not overpowering, and has a nice toffee element from the malts. It's a good introductory porter if you're looking to get into more full-flavored beers.
They also make one of my absolute favorite beers, Bigfoot. It's a traditional Barleywine, a more powerful, higher alcohol style that was more popular a hundred years ago, but has found a new audience today.
4 comments:
that may be my favorite meal.
that also may be why I need to lose a few El Bees...
Joe,
You and me both, bro. :) But once in a while a nice pale Weißwurst is just what the doctor ordered.
One of the best sausages I ever ate was made by a guy that used to hunt feral pigs down in Mississippi. He'd shoot one of these monstrous boars and then make the world's greatest bacon, kielbasa, and other delicacies. The kielbasa was the sort of thing you dream about for years afterward.
Cheers,
Benito
a young man that used to work for my wife would bring her every year a length of venison sausage made by his cousins in Arkansas. Man, it was fantastic in pastas and on pizza, but we haven't had it in a long time alas. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is our default beer at Belmont.
Fredric,
Sausage is really perfect for game, since you can combine the hearty flavor of the meat with pork fat to avoid dryness. I had some elk sausage a long time ago that was delicious. Also elk chili, elk burgers... A decent sized elk can yield a good 300 lbs. of meat, which tends to last for quite a while.
Cheers,
Benito
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