BEAU KNOWS -- LA HOUBLON CHOUFFE

Every Friday, yours truly (Beau), will be highlighting one particular beer that we have on tap at Mudville. This craft beer will most likely be complex, hopefully well-balanced and otherwise delicious. This week I've chosen La Houblon Chouffe.

You may recognize the friendly gnome fella from their more popular blonde brew La Chouffe. With the Houblon they've done the unspeakable and created a Belgian IPA. And by that I mean a true Belgian IPA. They're located here

(A= Mudville9 B= Achouffe Brewery)

Inspired by all the craft beer American IPA and Double IPA's popping up in the US Market, Belgian brewers decided to experiment with hops (and to follow suit now there's been an increase of Belgian IPAs being brewed by American brewers...go figure). By and large, IPAs are considered way too hoppy by Belgian beer drinkers. Being one of the youngest breweries in Belgium (1980) Achouffe decided to take that leap of faith. Known for their unique flavor and balancing complexity they've nailed it in this quaffer's opinion.


If you have a minute (more like 20) check out an interview here with Chris Bauweraerts, Founder and Original Brewmaster of Achouffe. Caught when he was last in Philly (2009) the boys from Beers Of Legend asked him about all the special steps that go into creating Achouffe beer. 

Interview MP3 here

From the Achouffe site:

• Description :
  The HOUBLON CHOUFFE was brewed for the first time in 2006.  It is an ‘Indian Pale ale’ type of beer, with a harmonious balance between a marked bitterness (three types of hops are used to make it) and a pleasant fruitiness.  The HOUBLON CHOUFFE is unfiltered, and re-fermented in the bottle as well as in the keg.
• Packaging :
  330 ml bottle
  750ml bottle
  20 litre keg
• Alcohol :
  9% alc./vol.
• Original extract :
  18 °Plato
• Serving temperature :
  4 to 10°C (bottle)

Most likely these three hops come from the Northwest United States, by the way - Tomahawk, Amarillo, and Saaz to be exact. Like most all Belgian beers it comes out full of life in carbonation and you'll have a thick white head from the pour. The Saaz (a popular Pils hop) adds a citrusy, almost grapefruit nuance to beers. In this case it almost comes out as a pineapple on the nose and even throughout the finish. Like most Belgians the abv can sneak up on you...this little gnome creation is no different. The hops are definitely present yet this beer goes down easy. Everything I look for in a big beer.

Come in as soon as you can, this beer does not stick around very long. Ask me and I'll pour you a taste to get you started.


Cheers!

THE FISH AND THE OWL

As part of an ongoing weekly post yours truly will be picking one food menu item and pairing it with one of our 150+ bottle beers from our monster beer menu. Stay tuned each week for an informed, tried and true suggestion.

This weeks' winning couple is:

Mudville's crispy beer-battered Cod Sandwich and the award winning Hitachino Nest White Ale

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The Chemistry:

First let me ask, a show of hands...who doesn't like beer battered cod anything? Didn't think so. That being said, have you had a generous piece of fish dipped in a malty beer (Bluepoint Toasted Lager) batter and dropped into 375° oil lately? It quite possibly could be the crunchiest thing you'll ever eat. Science says beer batter is the only way to get that level of crispy awesomeness, in fact. I love it because there are so many layers to this classic dish: the crunch, the flaky fish, the buttery batter middle, not to mention any sauce you might be dipping this golden treasure in. Therefore you need a beer that can handle a couple different jobs. Battered fish (and chips) needs a beer that can cut through the oiliness of the food and offer complementary flavors – most notably a citrus tang to emulate a squeeze of fresh lemon on the batter. Enter the Hitachino White! The Japanese are no stranger to fish dishes so it sort of seems like a no-brainer. (But it snuck up on you didn't it?) Hitachino Nest White Ale (hailing from the Kiuchi brewery) has a wheaty/white base but has a bigger citrus hop flavor than the nose lets on. A grapefruit zest is all over the middle of this beer giving that necessary zing to the batter. Lemon schlemon. Trust me when I say these two are a match made in tastebud heaven.

Bon Apetit!

P.s. you know coleslaw is a must anytime you have crunchy fish. You've been officially reminded.

Cheers!

THE DARK DEVIL SPOTTED AROUND MUDVILLE

Hey Gang, this week at your favorite spot in Lower Manhattan you might run into a few new fiendish characters. We're going all Frankenstein on some of Victory Brewing's classic brews to offer you some great beer cocktails to get you in the mood for Halloween.

THE DARK DEVIL: A 50/50 blend of Storm King Stout and the delicious Hop Devil Ale
creates the perfect hopped up Imperial monster.

So throw on your best Charlie Sheen wig, grab your angry bird and throw some of these monsters back with us at Mudville9. Who knows, you might leave as a whole new creature. 


Some other monster mashups to try: 

The Silver Back: 1/2 Golden Monkey and 1/2 Storm King Stout

The Don King: 1/2 Donnybrook Stout and 1/2 Storm King Stout

 Cheers!

OH HELLES YES! - Southwest Burger and Paulaner Munich

As part of an ongoing weekly post yours truly will be picking one food menu item and pairing it with one of our 150+ bottle beers from our monster beer menu. Stay tuned each week for an informed, tried and true suggestion.

This weeks' winning couple is:


Mudville's Sexy Tex-Mex Southwest Burger and Paulaner's Munich Hell Lager

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The Chemistry:

How's your Tex-Mextiquette? Okay, so imagine a half-pound Angus burger (cooked say, medium rare?) blanketed in cheddar cheese (or Pepper Jack!), topped off with caramelized onions and green and red peppers. Add salsa to fill in any gaps. Okay, now reach up and close your mouth and let's figure out which beer might go with that. As always, tastes can vary for each individual. This guy likes a nice Hell(es) Lager to accompany something with so much stick-to-your-teeth consistency. Beer in Bavaria is sometimes known as Flussiges Brot, or "liquid bread" especially the popular quaffing brew that is the Paulaner Munich Hell. This golden bombshell was the Bavarian answer (in the 1800's) to the swiftly invading Czech Pils as Germans started needing a malty, yet "bright" beer to wash down richer foods without overpowering the flavor. Almost 200 years later this straw blonde is still a favorite to complement any burger or brat in smart circles.
Bon Apetit!

P.s. don't forget to ask for extra jalapenos to spice it all up. The Hell will temper any burn (no pun intended).

Cheers!

THAI ONE ON - Thai Wings & Schneider Weisse Hefe-Weizenbier

As part of an ongoing weekly post yours truly will be picking one food menu item and pairing it with one of our 150+ bottle beers from our monster beer menu. Stay tuned each week for an informed, tried and true suggestion.

This weeks' winning couple is:

Mudville's tangy Thai Chicken Wings and the award winning Schneider Weisse Hefe

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The Chemistry:

These wings are no joke when it comes to complex flavor combination. We've seen it all before right? Thai peanut sauce, a little spicy, a little sweet...NO! This is made-from-scratch, visible-chili-pepper-flake, lick-the-plate Thai sauce. As I've mentioned before you want a beer, then, that doesn't compete for so many parts of your palate. A beer with big, rich malty flavors would get lost in the mix. So, you want to go with a nice, light (perhaps even creamy) German brew. For me the one and only Schneider Weisse Hefe comes to mind as the perfect addition to this meal. This typical top-fermented classic is agreeably spicy with hints of clove, nutmeg and apple that complement the savory wing meat. On the tongue it is fresh, clean and well-balanced. It finishes sparkling and with more hop flavor than bitterness which plays well with the pungent umami element in these Asian tongue twisters. Under the surface the spicy hefe yeast matches well with the herbal zing of the sauce while the citrusy acidity also balances out the cararmel rich sweetness.  Win/win/win.
Bon Apetit!

P.s. celery makes a great palate cleanser before your next beer, save one

Cheers!