I suppose it was preordained that would eventually become a beer lover, because from early childhood I have been a lover of pretzels. For some reason, beer and pretzels simply go together. There are some crazy theories, but it seems pretty simple to me – pretzels are salty and delicious, making one thirsty for something else delicious, and beer fits that bill.

Unfortunately, I’m sitting here in the state which manufactures 80% of the US’s total pretzel supply and which has a long history of pretzel baking, but my pantry has only the most mediocre of pretzels. Ok, not the most mediocre of pretzels, that honor would go to Rold Gold and others of that ilk, but I don’t have the pretzels I really need to go with my Augustiner Edelstoff.

Fortunately, these days you of you outside of Pennsylvania can also order great pretzels. My recommendation starts with Martin’s Pretzels of Akron PA (which, strangely enough, is apparently also available in New York City, go figure). I have to say, though, that the online prices are a bit excessive. I’ll simply have to make it back out to Shady Maple and buy me another three pound bag. Unfortunately, that won’t last long.

My father has settled on another alternative, Uncle Henry’s from a small location up near Adamstown, PA (close to Stoudt’s brewery, if you want to kill two birds with one stone). Uncle Henry’s also makes a fine pretzel, and it’s cheaper mail order. You hear that, Martin’s people? Maybe too many New Yorkers ordering, but the rest of us won’t necessarily pay those prices if we don’t have to!

If you have to settle for a supermarket pretzel, look for Utz or Wege. They’re both good, solid pretzels, and in a pinch Snyder’s of Hanover will do as well.

If you haven’t tried a hand-twisted pretzel you really are missing something – give Martin’s or Uncle Henry’s a shot. Here’s a hint for you – the dark (also called burnt, see the picture) pretzels go great with a beer or, if you’re in the mood for dessert, a bowl of former Philadelphia favorite Breyer’s vanilla ice cream.

Now I really need a pretzel …

image from Uncle Henry’s

Post from: EveryJoe

Beer and pretzels

As a beer lover, I’ve often considered brewing my own beer. The possibilities seem endless – brown ales, pale ales, stouts, fancy Belgian-style beers – all for a little effort and at a significantly lower cost than the same number of cases of beer. That, and I’d truly understand and know my beers.

Then I looked a little closer, at a whole lot of cleaning, lugging pots and bottles around, more cleaning, stirring and mixing, more cleaning, some sterilizing for good measure. You get the idea. It was the thought of sterilizing a whole bunch of bottles that finally persuaded me not to try brewing, but I still feel as though my beer education is lacking something as a result.

If, after reading that, you’re still interested in brewing, the good news is that there’s a very comprehensive looking (and FREE) guide to brewing available on the internet. Even better, if you decide you like it and get sick of waiting for your inkjet to laboriously print that puppy out, you can buy a copy of the entire book as well.

If you’ve brewed using this guide, let me know, or if you can recommend other online brewing sources throw it in a comment for the rest of us.

Post from: EveryJoe

Learning to brew for free

It’s coming up on that time of year, and I’m here to help with a list of gifts for the beer geek in your life. Now, it’s not really that hard to come up with gift ideas for your malt beverage-drinking friends, and I’ve already suggested a few possible gifts (glasses and the “lagerhead” come to mind). Over the course of the next month, however, I’ll suggest a bunch more, so if you love beer or someone who does you’ll need to stop in frequently! 

My first suggestion is one which beer lovers will look at with some scepticism, but bear with me – if you’re determined to get a gift which keeps on giving, but you don’t know beer from broth, a beer of the month club can be a fun way to go. Sure, on a per-sixpack basis it’s absurdly expensive, and you may well end up with some mediocre beers in the mix, but you also can discover some nice beers in the process, and it’s always fun to open the box to see what’s there. Best of all, your beer lover gets a new gift every month for the next year, thereby remembering your generosity and feeling guilt over the schlocky gift he or she bought you.  

I think mine was the beer of the month club, but there’s also a micro beer club and others out there. If you’ve joined one of these and you love it (or hate it), let us know!   Image from beer of the month club 

Post from: EveryJoe

Gifts for the beer geek