Tuesday, November 29, 2011

VEGANS DESERVE GOOD BEER TOO

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 Vegan friendly Veggie Burger and the ever accommodating Allagash White



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The Chemistry:
To you Vegans out there (or even cautious eaters in general): sure, it took a while but menus are becoming more accommodating throughout the foody-verse. BUT what if you want to enjoy a nice craft beer in a place with 18 digital screens and screaming football fans? Well you can have your veggie cake and eat it too at Mudville.  This week I've chosen a pairing that will fit you right in with the carnivores for gameday.

The first of the pair is a no-brainer. We've created this veggie burger specifically for you. It's made from scratch with 100% vegan ingredients (you know...carrots, tofu, beans, rice and a plethora of secret spices). If you're a vegetarian we'll add a dollop of tzatziki sauce on the side.
Now, for the significant other to this pair you might be wondering why one couldn't choose just any beer, right? I mean, after all, according to German Law Reinheitsgebot beer is supposed to be just grain, hops, water, and yeast right?! These are ingredients that any vegan/vegetarian can eat. Though these ARE the main ingredients for most beers of the world the lesser known fact is that there are some types of beers (ESB's for example) that may use isinglass as a clarifying agent. Isinglass is derived from cod bladder and so would not be considered a compliant food. And for those of you who thought "cask-conditioned" or "hand-pumped" ales are vegan friendly - think again. These brews are usually made with some sort of gelatin. So, I've chosen the totally vegan friendly White beer out of Maine's Allagash Brewery. According to my sources, Allagash Brewery and a vegan wine and beer source I like to reference, this beer is bona-fide vegan. Oh yeah, and this beer tastes great! Moreover, the style is very complimentary to the veggie products in the burger. There aren't lots of malts overpowering the flavors of carrot, rice and tofu. The crispness of the citrus notes in this particular white add a nice extra zing and the yeasty flavor resonate perfectly with any essence of roasted vegetables. At last!

Bon Apetit! 
P.s. For a nice vegan side addition ask for our grilled asparagus!
 Cheers!

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