“There is more food value in beer, than beer value in food…”

The history of Lenten beer proves this bit of beer wisdom to be true as well as humorous, since bock beer is the traditional beer of Lent. Bock is a strong lager beer with its roots in the German town of Einbeck. The beer became known as bock apparently due to a derivation of the word Einbeck. The town has been brewing the dark, strong lager since the 4^th or 5^th century. It is thought that the town leaders wheeled a hot kettle of wort around town from door to door. Each house would take a share and ferment the beer in the home.

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On a recent Friday evening, I made a long overdue first visit to the Bluegrass Kitchen on the corner of Washington and Elizabeth streets in Charleston’s East End. My mission was to eyeball the beer selection and, of course, share a few beers over dinner with my wife and friends. The first thing I noticed (besides running into a favorite bartender, Herb), was the absence of draft taps, so draft beer is not available. I can get over that, provided they have a good bottle selection.

The BGK did not let me down in this regard. I counted 20 or so specialty and/or craft beers just from what I could see in the back-bar cooler. That’s a pretty good selection by Charleston standards. I was in the mood for something bitter and refreshing, so I ordered a Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale, which is a fantastic example of the American pale ale style. The wait staff did not appear to automatically bring a glass with your beer. I asked for one just to be sure. They were really busy, so I did not have much of a chance to observe or test the wait staff’s beer acumen. Not that I would put anyone on the hot seat, but if you just ask a few open-ended questions you can tell soon enough.

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For the second year in a row, a proposed change of our State’s “archaic” beer law has been put forth, and is awaiting review in the house judiciary committee. The sponsors of HB2934 are delegates Morgan, Doyle and our own Carrie Webster, who is also the chairperson of the judiciary committee. The bill seeks to add the definition of “Craft Beer” to the current law.

As it stands today, West Virginians are only allowed to buy what the state defines as “non-intoxicating” beer, which is beer that is less than 6% alcohol by volume. Of course, the whole notion of non-intoxicating beer is a joke. The only reason the current definition was raised some years ago from 4% abv (3.3% ABW), was for the benefit of our friends, the Macro brewers. It was costing them money to brew a special lower-alcohol beer just for WV. We are one of the last states with such an outdated law.

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Beer Myth: Guinness is good for you
Beer Fact: Almost all medical experts agree that moderate consumption of beer and red wine provide a healthy dose of antioxidants via polyphenols (tannins). Bottle-conditioned beer has the additional benefit of high doses of Vitamin B6 from residual yeast. Dark beer such as Guinness, provide a higher rate of antioxidants to the body, than lighter beer or red wine. The antioxidants found in beer are more readily absorbed (due to smaller molecular size) by the body than those found in wine or even some vegetables! Roasted grain is the source of the antioxidants in beer.

The myth is confirmed, so drink up!!

I don’t know about you, but I am always looking for something different and interesting when it comes to food or drink. Authentic Belgian gueze lambic falls into the “interesting and definitely different” category. You see, the method used to produce lambic beer is one of the oldest on Earth. Lambic beer is fermented by wild yeasts and “noble” bacteria that give the beer a refreshing sourness and musty farmhouse character. Authentic lambic beer can only be brewed in the immediate surroundings of Brussels, Belgium, called the Payottenland. There are only nine small producers of the beer in the world, often making this beer a rare find.

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As today is Presidents Day, I thought it would be fun to write about how beer was a part of everyday life for many of the founding fathers and an issue on the minds of some notable presidents.

It is well known that our colonial ancestors thought beer to be an essential part of daily living. Even the puritanical Pilgrims did not see sin and debauchery in a pint of ale. The Mayflower was said to have landed at Plymouth Rock in lieu of a more southerly location due to a shortage of ale on board.

The revolutionary sprit of our founding fathers was nurtured over pints of ale and Madeira in taverns throughout Boston, Philadelphia and Williamsburg. George Washington’s personal favorite was an ale that some describe as porter. His Mount Vernon recipe called for the use of a sifter of hops and three gallons of molasses. I am sure this was a dark, cidery concoction at best, but in those days you used whatever fermentable sugar that was readily available.

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“If God had intended us to drink beer, He would have given us stomachs.“

-David Daye

Why not share your love of beer with someone you care about this Valentine’s Day? Here are a few ideas on how to pull this off right here in “Beer-starved” Charleston.

PAIRINGS: How a about a gourmet pizza along with a gourmet beer? Lola’s Pizzeria in South Hill’s serves up very fine specialty pies and a good selection of craft beers to go along with them. Just remember: keep the hop flavor and bitterness in tune with the pizza’s toppings. Spicier toppings will hold up better with hoppy beers. Put some thought into choosing a beer. I don’t think they serve a pizza that is spicy enough to match a real American IPA. Brown ale and Oktoberfest are good choices with a wide range of pizza.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: You could also try some wine on your love. John Brown has a few ideas over at his “Wine & Dine” gazzblog.

I have been living here in the Kanawha Valley since 1982, but I have not heard of the Gino’s “Pubwich” until earlier today. Shame on me…

I guess I am also somewhat of a food snob as well as a beer snob, especially when it comes to anything with an Italian overtone. This is mainly brought on by marriage, since my wife is a thoroughbred Italian (and a Leonoro of the spaghetti house fame.) I am not allowed to be impressed (nor am I, really) with quasi-Italian fare like Fazio’s and especially Gino’s. I know many of you will try to take me on as to my inclusion of Fazio’s in this essay; but all I can say to you from my very heart is that I am secure in the fact that each and every night since 1915 — which is when Leonoro’s opened — there has been a Leonoro making the sauce and cooking the spaghetti in the kitchen; and the recipe hasn’t changed since. Nuff said…

How did I get tangled in the Pubwich web? I received a coupon in the mail earlier today (I guess those things really work!). My long time brewing buddy, Tim, was over at the house while I was opening the mail. I could not help but to be suckered in on the name “Pubwich.” He immediately came back to me with the description of what it was, how it was made and how good it was. He definitely piqued my interest. We started a discussion about the proper beer to drink with the Pubwich.We decided a Dortmunder or Kolsch type beer could be ideal. That’s was it, I had to have one!

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