Welcome to the 2010 Season!!

Sunday’s Tailgate Menu

Sorry Bills fans. We have to.

Badgerphan, our new hunting contributor Berlo, and I have finalized our menu for Sunday’s game at Lambeau.  We’ll be washing it all down with a fine selection of Wisconsin ales, but all that really matters is what’s on the grill…

-Pork tenderloin with an Asian peanut sauce marinade

-Stuffed chicken wings

-Venison bratwurst

-Bison burgers with sauteed onions and Wisconsin cheddar

BeerPod

A new feature at ROTQ: BeerPod.  A close look at what is in the fridge and iPod of our editors and friends.

August 2010:

iPod: Assembly of Dust: Some Assembly Required.  If this isn’t in your iPod…it probably should be.  AOD is not your typical “Jam Band”, not in the mold of Phish but more akin to Widespread Panic.  Jam Bands are known for long elaborate  musical improvisation with sophisticated musical arrangements.  AOD doesn’t often go for the long,  but plenty of the latter.  This Vermont based outfit (like Phish before them) has borrowed on this album from some of the music worlds most gifted artists for collaboration.  Appearing on this album are Richie Havens (Woodstock), acoustic savants Tony Rice and Keller Williams, as well as Phish’s Mike Gordon.  But the best collaborative moments are offered by Moe’s guitarist Al Scheiner and banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck.  This album has a little bit of everything and will definitely enhance your library!  Listen to the album free at this link!

Assembly of Dust latest album is outstanding.

Pairing beer with music is not easy and in many cases unnecessary, but we’ll give it a shot.  The AOD album mentioned above is electic, diverse, and sophisticated.  A beer that is new to the Wisconsin beer scene that is all the above is the latest work of genius from Dan Carey and the New Glarus crew.  To the dismay of many earlier this year the standard “Hop Hearty IPA” began to disappear from store shelves.  It was replaced by a marvelous new addition Moon Man No Coast Pale Ale.  Not as hoppy as the former, but a smooth substitute.  Hop Hearty has been downgraded to a a Beer we’ve known and loved (past tense) at the New Glarus site, intimating this might be permanent.  The Hop Hearty was better, but if Moon Man isn’t in your fridge, it probably shoud be!

New Glarus Moon Man

Christmas Gifts for Us

For those of us who enjoy sports, video games, tailgating, drinking, and gambling, it is sometimes difficult to get our significant others to get us gifts we really need. Do we need socks? Yes. Dress shirts? Yes. Do we really need them? No. The ROTQ staff has put together a list of 10 Christmas gifts all men REALLY need. We already have some of these; the others are going on the list.

10. Punch-Out for Wii.  A remake of the 1987 classic video game “Mike Tyson’s Punchout.”  With the Wii, you can even call it exercise while you send your opponent “into Bolivian.”

9. Camp Randall Fathead.  As Badger fans, this would make a great addition to any man cave.  You can even see Isaac Anderson dropping a pass.  Of course, there are other college stadiums to choose from.

8. Remote control cooler.  Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, but we all have a little Flounder in us.  Oh, and you can add lazy.

7. Powermat wireless charging pad.  You will find this on most websites top picks.  The ROTQ staff added up the cords in our homes.  174.  This drops it to nothing.

6. Your favorite stadium’s seat. When they tore down County Stadium, I pre-bought 2 stadium seats.  Very cool.  If you missed the fire sale of your favorite old stadium, this site might be able to help you out.

5. Avanti 5 ML Keg Dispenser.  If you can’t afford a tapper or two for your bar, this is the next best thing.  Straight from the tap taste, straight from your basement.

4. Beer.  Always a fabulous gift; ROTQ is recommending two beers for the holiday season.  Leinenkugel’s Fireside Nut Brown and Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale.  Enjoy!

3. Coleman RoadTrip Grill.  I bought one of these this summer.  It’s amazing!  Pop it up, turn it on and you are ready to grill within a minute.  You can also get some great accessories, which are already on my Christmas list.

2. NBA Jam Arcade.  Seriously.  How many of you out there would get this in a heartbeat?  One of the greatest arcade games of all time.  Boom Shaak-a-laaka!

1. Your own limo bus.  Yep, we’re in the process of buying and restoring our own limo bus for sporting events, brewery tours, and any other reason to get out of the house.  Get a few guys to go in with you and make it happen!

Pale Ale Review

Little goes better with food or conversation than a Pale Ale.  ROTQ takes a look today at their favorites.

For the purpose of this post we will NOT draw distinctions between the various types of Pale Ales which include Amber Ale an India Pale Ale’s as they are both made with ale malt and have that lovely hoppy, fragant feel.

10.  US Pale Ale: Middleton, Wisconsin-Capital Brewing Company.  Like many of these beers, this ale uses dry hopping as a brewing technique.  This technique of not pre-cooking the hops adds a wonderful hoppiness to the product.  Capital Brewery claims that they are America’s #1 rated brewery…not sure that I would agree but the US Pale Ale is a wonderful aromatic beer that pairs really well with red meat.  I find it interesting that Capital Brewery doesn’t give this ale’s International Bitterness Unit scores–the true measure of an ale.  I’d imagine it is somewhere in the upper 30’s.

Brewed in the Madison area, this Pale Ale is a classic deep colored ale that is best drank on tap at State Street Brats after a Badger win.

9.  Tyraenna Brewery: Lake Mills, Wisconsin.  Bitter Women IPA.  Registering a staggering 68 on the International Bittering Units scale this is the #2 ranked beer in that category.   The thing that sticks out about this ale is the deep color and hoppy aroma.  It is too bitter for the weak hearted, I have found that it pairs very nicely with hotter chicken wings.  If you don’t like hot chicken wings, this clearly isn’t for you.

This hoppy masterpiece is not for wimps.

8.  Wild Ride: Sand Creek Brewery Black River Falls, Wisconsin.  In this case, I have always doubted this beers 60 IBU scale.  I have done tastings where this beer has left me floored by its hoppiness brilliance.  Beautiful color and aroma, the finish is better than the start.

7.  Fat Tire Amber Ale: Fort Collins Colorado.  I first had this ale in 2006 in Sacramento.  I was immediately impressed, great color, beautiful aroma, very hoppy.  This is a great ale to gift to someone who may not know beer, has enough chops to satisfy eficianados and the layperson alike.  I have found this to be a very smooth entrant into this list.

Beginning its life as a homebrew for an aspiring engineer, this Amber Ale is our highest ranking Amber. A wonderful beer that is sure to please even the picky and ignorant.

6.  New Glarus IPA: the smoothest, least bitter IPA you can find.  Maybe the most aromatic beer on this list.  Pairs beautifully with all food.  A very impressive product from this upstart brewery.  Local distributors have told me that its scarcity comes from its overwhelming popularity.

Hearty Hop lives up to its name, coming it at an impressive #6 on our poll.

5.   Great Lakes Brewing Co. Burning River Pale Ale.  This is easily the most celebrated entrant on our list.  Probably would be higher if it wasn’t so hard to find.  Check out these credentials…From the official site:

• Gold Medal, 2008 World Beer Championships
• Gold Medal, 2007 World Beer Championships
• Gold Medal, 2006 World Beer Championships
• Gold Medal, 2005 World Beer Championships
• Yeah it’s that good…

Best credentials in America.

4.  Sierra Nevada Torpedo: the deepest color, highest AC%, highest IBU.  Took the industry by storm when it emerged in the early part of 09.  In talking to their brewmaster/owner–he believes this beauty will be the flagship of America’s 6th largest brewery in time.  Beautiful with steak.

So bitter it will leave you speechless.

3.  Sierra Nevada Pale Ale: the standard bearer.  The first that was widely produced.  The smoothest, most popular, and reasonable in cost.  IBU 0f 37 is very reasonable.

2.  Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale: biased?  Yes.  But to be fair, this brewery specializes in this and has pioneered the product.  In a visit to their brewery you can see why.  They grow their own hops, use mountain water, and have pioneered the cascade/dry hopping procedures.  This beautiful ale is one of the highlights of winter…it is the highlight from a beer perspective.  The only problem is that it is a limited product and goes really fast.  Bitter, aromatic, and bold.  Also has the best label on our list.

The worlds premier IPA, a great Christmas gift. I want a car that color.

1.  Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale: Four in a row?!?  Yeah, well…I tend to stick with the best.  The top ale on our list is a premier seasonal that went so fast it was difficult to secure even 6.  This 46 IBU item is the best combination of hoppiness, smoothness, aroma, and despite its seasonal status can be shared at a Christmas party or a mid summer barbecue.  It goes with all food and is invincible to criticism.  If I could take one 6 pack to a desert island…this is it.

Dude, make some more next year.

I first had this in California and tasted it after a long day at Yosemite.  You can imagine what that was like.  America’s most beautiful site with this?  Unfair…yeah, sorry.  I was told by their staff on a visit to Chico that it would be unavailable to us East of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  I guess they listened to my suggestion–expect to see it in greater quanity next year.  Imagine having this on tap with an angus tenderloin from hop fed cattle.  I don’t have to…if the taste is a picture–here it is.

Amongst the Sierra Nevada Mountains

Oktoberfest Beer Rankings

Tis the season to crack open a bottle of Oktoberfest/Marzen beer.  I am a huge fan of the style and stocked the fridge full of different Oktoberfests.  Not suprisingly, Wisconsin breweries have released some fantastic brews.  My top three:

 

3. Oktoberfest- Capital Brewery

 A deep golden hue with a smooth finish.  Lots of malt flavor with a hint of caramel.  As a huge fan of their Amber, I was also impressed with their Oktoberfest.

http://www.capital-brewery.com/ourbeers/oktoberfest.html

 

 

 

 

 

2.  Oktoberfest- Leinenkugel’s

Leinie’s has been brewing their traditional Marzen for many years now out of Chippewa Falls.  Really a tie for 2nd between Leinie’s and Capital.  Leinie’s gives a stronger finish.  Can’t go wrong with either one, although the Leinie’s is probably a little more known around the state, and the nation, for that matter.

http://www.leinie.com/oktoberfest.html

 

 

 

1. Staghorn Octoberfest- New Glarus Brewery

Ultimately, a huge surprise.  Easily my favorite Marzen.  Great color, smell, well balanced and very smooth.  High grades on drinkability. 

I’ll tell you what, there’s nothing quite like college football or sitting around the fire pit on a fall afternoon with an Oktoberfest in my hand to remind me why I love Wisconsin.  I will be enjoying some Sunday on my way into Lambeau.

http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/Beers.cfm?BeerCategoryID=2&BeerID=15