Other IMBC Happenings

We brewed up our first rendition of a Muchen style Helles.  We stuck to the traditional basics for this one and kept the gain bill very simple with almost entirely German Pils.  We hopped with Hallertau and Tradition, and are fermenting it with a southern German lager stain.  We utilized a multiple step mash, starting with a very thick and low temperature mash.  We added a couple hot water infusions and employed our RIMS for additional steps.  This will a 2 hour boil helped produced a wort that will be highly fermentable and should leave us with a beer reminiscent of our favorite German bier halls.  We're keeping a close eye on this one and will begin ramping up fermentation temperature once we see about 90% of fermentation complete.  Then we'll drop the temp back down and lager for 6 weeks.

Up next is some more Prohibition Ale.  Oh and we're on Instagram #idolmindsbrewingco and Facebook.  

Beer Pairing - 2013 Spring Edition Brewer's Notes

For our latest edition of our beer and food pairing, we went with 4 pairings and an opener.  The opener was one of our IPAs.  Batch number 2, if you're following.  We really like the clean bittering of this beer.  It has enough bitterness to balance out the alcohol and simple malt bill, without having a sharp bite to it.  Simcoe definitely dominates the nose, but you can definitely taste the columbus and centennial as well.

Our first course (which was actually served second due to technical difficulties), was paired with our spring seasonal Irish Red Ale.  Ours is a classic take on the style, harboring a malt forward beer with caramel dominating the flavor and aroma.  A subtle hopping helps to balance out the beer resulting in a traditional Irish style red ale that's not too sweet or filling.  This paired well with the Bistek.

Our second pairing (served first), was our Prohibition Ale.  The use of 6-row barley and flaked corn, combined with a blend of clean fermenting ale and lager yeast strains give this beer a very clean flavor profile that makes it perfect for daytime (or anytime really).  We paired this with the adobo lettuce wraps, and the clean profile of the beer really helped the adobo stand out.

Our third pairing was our SD Session Ale.  The bright tropical aromas, from generous late and dry hop additions of Simcoe, Amarillo and Citra definitely dominate this beer.  The smooth bitterness provided by the first wort hopping help keep this low ABV IPA sessionable.  The bright flavors of the beer complimented the  short rib/crispy rice goodness nicely.

Our fourth and final pairing was our Oaked Porter.  The smooth oak character, complimented by the chocolate and nutty characteristics of our Porter made this an obvious pairing for us.  The creaminess of the olive oil ice cream worked perfectly with the smooth oak/vanilla/chocolate/nut flavors of the beer.  Can you say beer float?

Overall, the pairing was successful.  The beer and food were well received.  We're shooting for a late summer pairing, so stay tuned.

Beer Pairing - 2013 Spring Edition Chef's Notes

Our latest beer pairing was held this past Saturday in Signal Hill. We were graciously hosted by some good friends. You'll notice a change in the menu style. We wanted the focus to be on our brews, so we shortened the food description and lengthened the beer one. 

Plate one was a wagyu bistek saltado. It was paired with our Irish Red. The red is our spring seasonal brew. Bistek is a traditional Filipino dish usually made with slices of beef sirloin slowly cooked with soy sauce and lemon juice. We fried the french fries using the cold start method. That method gave us the crisp we wanted with the fries. We wanted to change it up and used wagyu beef over french fries and added a jalapeno cilantro green sauce on top.

Plate two was an adobo pork belly lettuce wrap and apple fennel slaw. It was paired with our Prohibition Ale. The prohibition ale is brewed year round. Adobo is another traditional Filipino dish usually made with chicken stewed with soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic. We slowly cooked the pork belly to render the majority of the fat, stored it in its own juices, then threw it underneath a broiler to crisp it up. We finished the wrap with a reduction of the adobo sauce.

Plate three was a braised short rib and crispy rice over a kimchi sauce. It was paired with our SD session. The braised short ribs was modeled after the traditional Korean dish, galbi jjim. It's basically a sweet soy braise. For the crispy rice we took a traditional Filipino dessert, Sinuman, and made it with out the coconut milk and sugar. We seasoned it with mirin and salt, crusted it with panko, and deep fried it. We made the kimchi sauce with kimchi and the braising liquid. 

Plate four was an olive oil ice cream with candied bacon. It was paired with our Oaked Porter. Easily the all star of the night. We took a traditional egg based ice cream and added high quality olive oil. We used an olive oil made from arbequina olives. It gave a subtle grassy and floral taste to the ice cream. The candied bacon just took it over the top. As one guest put it, it reminded him of breakfast.

The idea for this pairing was to take familiar traditional recipes and change it up or re-use them in a unique way. We'd change up a few things technique wise, but overall, what we conceptualized to what was produced was spot on.

Stay tuned for our brewer's notes, and follow us on Facebook. You can also see more photos from the pairing on Instagram. Search for #idolmindsbrewingco.