Belhaven Scottish Ale Belhaven Scottish AleThis is considered one of the benchmarks of the "Scottish Ale" style, due both to its long history and its impressive quality. Scottish Ales have traditionally been more malt-oriented brews than the typically more hoppy English ale styles, and this is a prime example. This ale pours a crystal clear, deep amber-brown color, with a moderate head that reduces to a permanent collar and leaves good lacing. Strong toasty, nutty aromas are apparent immediately, merging into an impression of coffee grounds. Hops are very mild, but provide an earthy and lightly herbal impression. On the palate, we loved this brew’s silky smooth and creamy flavor and mouthfeel. There’s a soft, round impression from the start, with a mild buttery note. Toasty caramel flavors come forth amidst light residual sweetness, a hint of smoke, and a slightly peppery quality. Some pairing suggestions: lamb chops with gravy, flame-grilled chicken and veggie skewers (a little bit of char on these will really marry the smoky elements in the beer) or a well-done, pepper-seasoned London Broil. Serving Temperature: 45-50°F Alcohol by Volume: 5.2% Suggested Glassware: Pint Glass or Mug Oak Barrel Stout Oak Barrel StoutOld Dominion’s Oak Barrel stout is one of the darkest beers we’ve seen in a while. This baby is completely opaque and offers up an inviting, rich, dark head. On the nose, we found the vanilla beans added during dry-hopping to be very apparent, along with some notes of semi-sweet chocolate. There’s also a prominent smoke quality owing to the use of smoked and peated malts, along with an underlying caramel sweetness. On the palate look for an oaky woodiness to be prominent throughout as it intertwines with the smoky, charred, but not overly bitter malts. The hop contribution is subtle but earthy, while vanilla notes well up on the mid-palate, and the overall combination of flavors creates a bourbon-like impression at some points (although this is not a bourbon-barrel aged stout). Finishes quite dry with an herbal hop note, a touch of vanilla, and a light bitterness in the fade. Serving Temperature: 50-55°F Alcohol by Volume: 6.13% Int’l Bittering Units (IBUs): 28.1 Suggested Glassware: Pint Glass or Mug Malts: Pale, CaraMunich I, Carafoam, Wheat, Crystal, Smoked, Peated Hops: Magnum, Mt. Hood Penn Marzen Named by the late beer critic Michael Jackson as one of his top 24 favorite American beers, Penn Marzen is Pennsylvania Brewing Company’s January-April seasonal, which is fitting as marzen is traditionally brewed in March (Marz). Look for a beautiful deep amber/coppery color on the pour, with a creamy off-white head. Lightly sweet aromas of toasted malts are apparent, with caramel and a hint of brown sugar overlaid with a lightly spicy hop note. On the palate, expect a toasty, bready, and caramel malt flavor with some fruity esters coming through and a lager yeast impression. Hop bitterness is mild on this brew, allowing the malt to take center stage but providing enough of a counterpoint to keep the beer well-balanced. The creamy, finely-carbonated, medium body of this brew is a delight, and kept us coming back for more. Enjoy with some brats or knockwurst and sauerkraut. Prost! Serving Temperature: 45-50°F Alcohol by Volume: 5.3% Int’l Bittering Units (IBUs): 20 Suggested Glassware: Pint Glass or Mug Malts: Euro Pilsen (2-row), Munich, Cara-60, Black Hops: Hallertau Perle, Hallertau Tradition Floreffe Triple Floreffe TripleThe Belgian Tripel style is so named because these beers are brewed with significantly more malt than an abbey brewery’s more simple offerings. This version is brewed to an old recipe created by the monks of the Abbaye de Floreffe, and pours a beautiful golden-coppery color with a voluminous, pillowy head; retention is excellent. Notice a slight haze, which is expected in bottle-conditioned beers like this that referment in the bottle. On the nose, Belgian yeast offers its distinctive, dusty earthiness. Fruity aromas abound, with impressions of apple, peach, and pear, with berry-like undertones. There’s also a promise of sweetness, which ends up manifesting quite robustly on the palate. The fruity notes hit the palate upfront as the sweetness expands amid pale malts with a hint of caramel. Cane sugar is added to lighten the body of this big brew, as is typical for the style (the yeast convert the sugar to alcohol, which is thinner than water and lightens the feel of the beer), although at only 7.5% it’s quite mild for a tripel. Some mild phenolic (medicinal) notes are also apparent, along with an interesting spiciness that appears on the mid-palate along with mild bitterness and alcohol, providing a good balancing bite. Finishes drier, lightly tart, and with a lingering note of grain. Pair with a sharp blue cheese like Colston Basset or Roaring 40s Blue. Serving Temperature: 45-50°F Alcohol by Volume: 7.5% Suggested Gla

Want to pretend you are barbecuing in the dead of winter? Can’t wait to grill outside, but Spring snows intimidate you? Try this one inside under a broiler. This recipe was based on an original submitted by Al Williams. I added a few more ingredients and steps.

Ingreeds
1 lbs. chicken tenderloins cut into 1” long pieces.

THE RUB
? cup salt
3 Tbs. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. Chili powder
1 Tbs. garlic powder
1 tsp. Thyme or Basil

THE SAUCE
1/4 cup bourbon
2 Tb. Chili sauce
? cup brown sugar
2/3 cup crushed pineapple

Steps
Soak chicken strips in milk for 30 minutes.

Pre-cook back until it is almost half done (semi-translucent in the fatty area). Cut the strips in half, length-wise.

Mix and heat and set aside the sauce. [Pour remaining bourbon over ice with some water for the happy times ahead.]

Shake off milk and dust with the rub mixture. I lay the strips out on the broiler pan.

Wrap each chicken strip with a strip of bacon and secure rolled up kabobs with soaked toothpicks or on skewers. Place kabobs on a broiler pan so that bacon and sauce will drain.


Set rack near top or broiler and put on low-broil around 425OF.
Broil for 5 minutes then remove and coat with the sauce.
Broil another 3 minutes, remove and turn kabobs over to coat other side.
Broil for 5 minutes again.
Remove, coat, and broil another 3 to 5 minutes or until done.