Brewfest - KC Beerfest

May 22nd is coming fast. The KC Beerfest only 4 weeks away and scheduled perfectly on the heels of the Parkville Microbrewfest. I feel as if I was warming up my taste buds for the next round. With a national/international lineup of Laquanitas, Bear Republic, Ommegang, Great Divide, Dieu du Ciel (Montreal), Karmeliet (Belgium), Mikkeller (Denmark), and of course Boulevard and Free State, I'll be in brew heaven...well, after I bribe St. Peter with a $25 fee to let me through the gates.

Of course, with brewers from all over the nation, we can only assume the distributors and reps of many labels will be running the tasting tents. Yes, I understand this is a "beerfest" and not a "microbrewfest," but I believe in having a reputable resource of knowledge providing the tasting of the brews. I'm not saying that all beer reps are lacking in the knowledge department, but there's something to show when a brewery has actually employees explaining the fruits of their labor. I'm not referring to the "John.Q. I know everything there is to know about this beer" rep, but the one who is more concerned with how the brew gets you drunk vs how it tastes, how it's made, how it's different.

I can hear my pal, Yum,Beer!, explaining to me, "Imbibiliciousness, you're being so negative." Well, I don't mean to be so negative, but as I peruse the list of expected tasting tent tenants and run across the likes of Ed Hardy Beer and Heineken USA, I can't deny the picture of a 23 yr old kid in the latest Affliction outfit trying to explain the subtle nuances of the latest bud water 55 commercial. When his counterpart female states, ''that's so hot right now," I give the stink- eye and move on.

All in all, the festivities will be great, the people will be friendly, and the brew will flow steadily. I look forward to posting some of the more personable/intimate tasting notes to the blog and to seeing all of you there...except when I give you the stink eye. Cheers!

Brew Eats – Guinness Cupcakes

Yes, I wore an apron. Yes, I liked it.

My wife isn’t much of a brew fan, but she loves to help me enjoy the things I love. I give her much credit in helping to prod Yum, Beer! and I down the path we are on today. Given the amount of enjoyment I have found in this venture through brew, I wanted to find a way to include her in some of the fun. It was almost too perfect when she stumbled upon a recipe for Guinness Cupcakes. I knew the mountains of recipes she had been stockpiling would come to fruition at some point.

We can’t take all the credit. Mark Juhnke, chef and catering extraordinaire (Blue Pot Catering), posted the recipe on his blog for St. Patrick’s Day. I was worried that prep time would be forever and a day, but we were able to make them from scratch in about 20 minutes, and no more than 5 minutes for the icing. Obviously, it took some time to bake, but that granted the opportunity to finish the leftover Guinness and set the palate for some cupcake tasting.

I’m a bit of a batter freak, grabbing whatever kitchen instrument I can to get a taste of the deliciousness in the mixing bowl. The Guinness batter was amazing, not losing any flavor of the historic stout throughout. It was hard to stop and put the scrumptious sauce into the muffin pan, but, mind over matter, and a swat from my wife’s hand, the cakes went into the oven unscathed. The house (all 800 sq ft) was quickly filled with aromatic sweetness of malt and chocolate. 20 minutes of baking, 20 minutes to cool, a quick icing job and a dash of cocoa for looks, we were ready to try. The chocolate/coffee tones of the Guinness expressed well in the light cupcake. I was expecting something very heavy, but was pleased with a light and airy cake with just the right amount of chocolate to pay complement to the cream cheese icing. Very easy with an even tempered flavor, the recipe would complement a brew tasting session very well…something I will be considering with Yum, Beer! in the very near future.

Recipe: sugar, eggs, Guinness, a few more + some baking… see Blue Pot catering recipe blog for further instruction.

Serving Type: 1 cake

Color (hue and head): Airy chocolate cake w/ sweet ivory icing "head" and sprinkle cocoa on top. 

Aroma: Chocolate and Guinness

Taste: Chocolate with a stout brew background. Cream cheese icing a nice pairing in both color and sugary sweetness.

Grade: 90/100 (A-)

Music Pairing: Irish group, delicious title. Snow Patrol - Chocolate

Surroundings: Preparing to enjoy steaks, drinks and dessert w/ friends.

Brew News - FREEEEEEEDOM!!

Commence manly acts of heroism!!!

Today is a day that is only rivaled by our first step on the moon - On April 8th, 1933, America finally realized that it had been stupid since 1920 and officially made beer "legal" to drink again!

http://www.yoursforgoodfermentables.com/2010/04/beer-was-freed-today.html

Now, what I left out is that only 3-2 beer (3.2% beer, deemed non-intoxicating) was made legal on this day, but after being thirsty (legally) for 13 years I'm sure people didn't really care too much - a good "session" beer, if youwill. Hell, Kansas liked it so much that they STILL sell 3-2 beer in their grocery stores!

So do what we're doing today - head to your favorite watering hole, raise your glass, and party like it's 1933!