We Drank Warm Beer…On Purpose!

The ever-increasing chill in the air and the heavy holiday meals call to mind the wonderfully warm beverages of winter. Warmed apple cider, egg nog and hot toddies have always been holiday favorites so when I read an article about mulling beers I knew we had to try them. The article mentioned several beers that would hold up well to being served warm; however, my local BevMo happened to only carry one. We tasted the recommended Duchese de Bourgognes (from Belgium). 

We filled our Crockpot about ¾ full with water, turned it on to high and waited for the water to reach a temperature of 130°F. This took one and a half hours. Luckily we had the tasty Autumn Maple by The Bruery on hand to tide us over. We placed the opened beers (but still in their bottles) to sit in the warm water bath when the temperature was about 100° and allowed the water bath to continue heating. With frequent water temperature checks from our candy thermometer we noticed that the beer inside the bottle was frothing a bit and pillowy, cotton-candy-like tendrils were poking out of the tops of the bottles. That just made it that much harder to wait to taste it! Finally the water bath reached the recommended serving temperature and we poured our beers into room-temperature pint glasses. 

The aroma was intoxicating and there was a unique head consisting of larger-than-usual air bubbles (compared to a cold beer). Holding the pint glass that was filled with warm beer was a new experience but the real treat was the feel of the frothy bubbles on the tongue. I could tell it was an excellent cold beer but having it warm really allows you to taste more elements of the beer. The effervescent bubbles, which lasted sip-after-sip, reminded us of drinking a really bubbly soda pop. But the bubbles which are usually associated with a cold drink, combined with the aromatic and tasty beer flavor was definitely a unique treat. The tasting was assuredly a success and a delight all around. 

 The article had mentioned that you could mix the warmed beer with certain spices (which is where the mulled term comes from) but this particular beer is already delicious without needing anything else. We will definitely be serving this warmed brew at future holiday parties.

Cheers!

-The Beer Dietitian

To hear my latest beer musings and what I am drinking, follow me on Twitter!

Pizza as a vegetable?!

It is a rare and amazing thing when a nutrition topic ends up being satirized on Saturday Night Live (my all-time favorite show). I think the pundits, Kermit and Seth Meyers, do a great job of tackling this controversial topic. Check them out here.

Congress recently passed a bill called the Agriculture Appropriations bill (a 401-page tome) that allows the tomato paste in a pizza served in the school lunch program to count as a serving of vegetables. The Obama administration, working together with the USDA, had plans to decrease the amount of starchy vegetables and tomato paste in school lunches but now with this new Congress-approved bill the school lunch program will not have to make these changes to the menu. The increasing cost of vegetables was cited as one of the reasons that the bill was adopted. 

Unfortunately all the hard work that several groups have done to change the status-quo of the school lunch program have been for naught which means that the choosing, preparing and serving the healthiest foods will need to be done at home. Most families do try to make healthy choices for themselves and that should be commended in this economy and fast food culture. It remains a wasted teaching opportunity for children if school lunches are not examples of whole grain, low sodium, fruit-and-vegetable goodness that so many dietitians, teachers, parents and other health advocates are encouraging. 

No matter what bill is passed, what guidelines are adopted or modified, stay strong and try to make the healthiest decisions for you and your family one meal at a time. Although we may not have Congress on our side, at least you have Kermit, Seth and the Beer Dietitian fighting the fight!

Buon appetito!

-The Beer Dietitian

To hear my latest beer musings and what I am drinking, follow me on Twitter!