Handmade Memphis

i'll be selling some wares at "thee most righteous" memphis taproom's handmade market this saturday from 11am - 3pm. the taproom is located at memphis and cumberland streets in the richmond section of philadelphia. if you've never been they have some awesome food and a great/ever changing beer selection. buy art & drink beer. thats a good proposition for a saturday.

hope to see you there!

Go on, you deserve it

You and your liver have been working hard for Beer Week. You should treat yourself to the Three Pigs in Blankets on the Memphis Taproom's brunch menu: hearty pork sausages robed in puff pastry, served with spicy house-made maple mustard. So good.

It don't hurt that their No-Repeat Beer Week is still going strong... beers on today include Lost Abbey Serpent Stout and Coronado Idiot IPA, both worthy pairings with the aforementioned pigs.

yes, they can

This is the best news I've heard since ... well... this.

[Now drinking: this.]

Rumours and sundries

Amanda and I went to Girard Avenue's Kraftwork for lunch last monday. We happened to sit next to the owner, manager and head chef as they were discussing how to get a 2-bell review out of Laban. Judging on the quality grub we lunched upon I don't think that will be too difficult. The "BL...Trout" was awesome, 'specially if you love rainbow trouts like I do. The Lefthand Polestar Pilsner paired perfectly. ALLITERATION!

For Papa Egan's 65th we went whole hawg and got bbq pulled pork and chicken from Bebe's BBQ in the Italian Market. On Sunday, Austin and I waded through a sea of humanity (also known as the Italian Market Festival) to the 9th St. shop. While we were waiting for our 4 (!) pork shouders and 5 (!) whole chickens (way, way too much for a bunch of yanks but so damned good) we were treated to complimentary pork sandwiches and this delicious tidbit: Bebe's is getting in on the food truck game. They've purchased an old Tastykake truck and are in the process of tricking it out. No word yet on when/where it will be rolling.

Also, we've been steady brewing some damn good beer. We supplied some of our Pale Ale and our Coffee Stout for an event at a local urban farm. The brews went over pretty well and we're hoping to do a couple other parties or events this summer. Next up is a Thai-inspired wit beer. Its our first time adding spices and fruit to the mix. Hope it turns out!

A Serious Burger

Resurrection Ale House is justly celebrated for its top-notch beer list and its inspired kitchen. But on a menu full of ambitious bistro fare, the hamburger stands out for its simplicity: a beef patty on a challah bun with pickled red onions and, if you want, Swiss cheese. A generous pile of fries sits alongside, flanked by a ramekin of curry ketchup. Compared to some other burgers around town, this plate is audacious in its austerity. No fancy bacon. No mushrooms. No lettuce or tomato.

And this burger doesn't need any of that stuff. It's so damn good, just as it is. The beef is clearly of high quality, even if Resurrection doesn't brag about its provenance on the menu, and perfectly cooked to order. The cheese adds richness, the bun is pliant but sturdy enough to sop up the juices, and the pickled onion brings the finishing touch of sour depth. The fries are nicely cooked. The curry ketchup -- I need to find a recipe. It's addictive.

With a Lagunitas WTF and Bell's Oarsman to wash down the burger, I was in heaven on my last visit. This is indeed a Serious Burger, worthy of your consideration.

Manhattan v2

Wild Turkey Rye, Vya Sweet Vermouth, Angostura, orange twist

New brew

Over to the right, we've added a section to the sidebar listing our current beer production. Chronicling our homebrewing was ostensibly the whole inspiration for this blog, but for some reason we haven't written about it much.

Anyway, on Sunday we brewed a 10-gallon batch of a "SMaSH" (single malt and single hop) beer, made with 20 lb. of Crisp Maris Otter 2-row pale malt and 6 ounces of Willamette hops. (Thanks to Suburban Brewing for the idea.) As always, ingredients were purchased from John Reynolds at Brew Your Own Beer.

Original gravity was 1.055 and we are expecting final gravity of 1.013 for 5.6% ABV. I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up higher since we were a little short in our pre-boil volume. We are using White Labs 007 Dry English Ale yeast (reusing the yeast cake from our previous brew), pitched at 64°F. Ambient temperature in my basement is closer to 60°F, so it should be a clean tasting beer without many fruity esters.

We plan to keg and force carbonate this beer, which should be ready for drinking around April 10.