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by snebbu

Endless Beer: the Spiegelau Refresh Stein

Man, sometimes writing here is hard. I had to test several different varieties of beer for this one. The Spiegelau “Refresh Beer Stein” is touted as an everybeer glass. While many beer enthusiasts believe there is a specific glass for a specific style beer, this glass is calling: “BS. Pour anything in me.” The company that brought us the IPA glass and stout glass continues to design glass for literally any beer. The Refresh Stein has a molded turbine design at the bottom of the glass. This turbine is meant to “recharge” the beer, releasing more aromas and increasing the carbonation. The only thing you have to do, is swirl the glass in order to activate the recharging of your beer. The glass also tapers to “enhance aroma.”

The challenge here was to test the glass with the various fall flavored beers. I tried the glass with a pumpkin porter, pumpkin belgian, various pumpkin ales, a kolsh, an IPA, wheat, stout, and more pumpkin beers. I was testing the glass based on several criteria:

It’s a Stine – is the design convenient for drinking?
Does the beer “re-carbonate” when swirled?
Is the aroma enhanced?
Is the flavor enhanced?
Does the glass enhance ANY kind of beer?

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by snebbu

Gingersnaps Gone Wild! Top Ten Gingersnap Recipes

Last week, one of my co-workers brought in a box of gingersnaps. Of course, I grabbed a couple throughout the day. As you know, I enjoy fall and all the flavors that come with it. However, as I bit down into the rock hard cookie, I nearly broke a tooth. In considering what to feature next on our top ten lists, I thought of some ways that would highlight the tasty flavors of gingersnaps without the risk of breaking your teeth. Therefore, we found the top ten gingersnap recipes! Links will bring you straight to the recipes. Let us know what your favorites are!

(Bake it in a Cake)

10. Pumpkin Cupcakes with Rolos, Gingersnap Crust, and Apple Cider Buttercream

Pumpkin cake, caramel, apple cider frosting, and a sweet and crispy crust? I’ll take two.

(Five Crafty Sisters)

9. Gingersnap Pumpkin Pudding

I’ve always had problems with pudding – a texture issue. But this may be something I’d at least try. A whole different take on gingersnaps…with PUMPKIN.

(strawberryplum)

8. Gingersnap Bread Pudding with Bourbon Butter

Stop drooling. You’re making a fool of yourself.

(Heidikins Cooks)

7. Chocolate Covered Gingersnap Pancakes

Screw chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes…lets get fancy up in here with sugar, spice and everything nice.

(Brown Eyed Baker)

6. Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

Now this is an excuse to get you through an entire box of gingersnaps…without the mere threat of breaking a tooth.

(Tasty Trials)

5. Gingernsap and Cranberry Pork Tenderloin

Some of us enjoy savory of sweet. Here, we have a combination of the two. With some sweet potatoes, it may even start to feel like Thanksgiving.

(The Humble Food Snob)

4. Gingersnap Beef Stew

I love me a hot stew on a Sunday afternoon during a football game. I never thought to add something sweet and spicy like gingersnaps to the mix.

(Fifteen Spatulas)

3. Fifteen Spatulas – Pumpkin Chip Gingersnap Ice Cream

If you truly have a sweet tooth, then you know ice cream never goes out of style. The flavors just change by season.

(Recipes for Our Daily Bread)

2. Pumpkin Gingersnap Crunch Cake

A pumpkin-spice take on an apple cobbler(ish) recipe sounds like a fall-flavored challenge.

(Food 52)

1. Gingersnap Pumpkin Icebox Cake

Eff the summer and its icebox cakes. This is where it’s at. Gingersnap cookies with pumpkin filling.

Don’t see your favorite? Tell us what it is!

For other top ten lists, check them out here!

by snebbu

Endless Beer: Fall Beer Roundup

It’s October. Now there is no excuse to not be indulging in some kind of fall flavored food or drink. Yes, I said fall flavored. Fall has many flavors, you know. If you are not enjoying the fall flavors, well there is some sort of evil hiding in the depths of your soul. For the rest of you, we bring you the 2014 roundup of fall brews. There are so many to choose from that it is hard to narrow it down to a list. But, with the help of several trusty breweries, we were able to provide you this handy list. Note that these aren’t just your typical pumpkin beers or Oktoberfests. These are in your face flavors or different twists on the typical fall beers. In order to categorize this list in the most helpful way, we’re trying something new: word association. After tasting each of these offerings, we thought of the first word or phrase that comes to mind. Reviews of each brew to come.

21st Amendment/Elysian Collaboration: He Said He Said

Refreshing and Sweet. The collaboration of 21st Amendment and Elysian is one of the most unique I’ve found for the fall. The trappist version of the He Said He Said is the refreshing part of this four pack. While the pumpkin flavor is at the forefront, the characteristics of a Sour Belgian Trappist come through with a crisp finish. Meanwhile, the pumpkin porter provides a sweet and nearly creamy rendition of a porter with extra pumpkin to boot.

Abita Oktoberfest

Toasty. The Abita Octoberfest is a classic lager with a sweet and toasty taste. The lager is a sweet classic Octoberfest with a pleasant roasted flavor and a hint of hops. The hops tone down the sweetness, making it a nice fall brew.

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by snebbu

Cocktail O’Clock: Spiked Pumpkin Cider

Mulled wine is cute. Sure, for those cold fall days nearing winter, why not heat up some wine and mulling spices for a warm and alcoholic treat? But what about those nights that you need something more? Try something new for a change – a modified sweet and boozy night cap. Sons of Liberty’s pumpkin spice whiskey is offered with a few cocktail suggestions on their website. I decided to try out the pumpkin cider martini (with no martini glass). The sweetness of the cider is a good pairing with that of the pumpkin spice flavors. Then, you get hit with the booze and spices of the whiskey. For some extra sweetness, rim the glass with some cinnamon sugar…and some maple syrup. I may even try some syrup shaken in with the drink for some extra sweetness.

Sons of Liberty suggests making it pretty damn strong. I tried it strong at first, then tried it in equal parts. It all really depends on whether you want more sweetness or more of a boozy warming feeling. However, with such a sweet whiskey, the strong variation is not exactly overpowering because of the general sweetness of pumpkin spice whiskey to begin with. Try it out and let us know what you think! I may try a variation of this in the pumpkin tap sometime in the near future…

Spiked Pumpkin Cider

3 oz. Pumpkin Spice Whiskey (for a strong drink – 2 for sweeter drink)
2 oz Fresh Apple Cider
Crushed Ice

Add all ingredients to a shaker and shake vigorously. Rim fancy-shmancy cocktail glass with cinnamon sugar and pour. Garnish with apple wedge and cinnamon stick if you are REALLY fancy.

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by snebbu

Coffee Gone Wild! Top Ten Ways to Use Coffee

Need I remind you of the importance of this day? It’s National Coffee Day! Hopefully by now you earned that first of several free coffees today and are ready for more.

We perused the ES vault and found our favorite recipes that include coffee. There are cocktails for any time of day, sweet treats, and even some savory ideas. Only one recipe does not actually include coffee, but it was hard to leave out a coffee cake. Lastly, props to our trusty ES friend Baker’s Royale for contributing to the list! Here they are (in no specific order):

10. Caramel Clover

Jameson, Bailey’s, caramel, espresso. BOOM. Make it hot in the cold months and iced in the warm months.

9. Irish Cake Bombs

Little truffle-like cakes that pack a punch. The cake bombs offer a sweet balance between the bitter flavors of Guinness and coffee with the sweetness of a chocolate cake. Yum.

8. Serious Irish Coffee

No worries, you can make this cocktail in a glass that isn’t as fancy as this. BUT, what doesn’t sound good about rich, roasted espresso with sweet and warming whiskey?

7. Coffee Macaroons

Macaroons always seemed boring to me. What’s so special? But, now that these include coffee, I may be a bit more open minded about these tiny .baked goods.

6. Coffee King

Not REAL coffee, but the booze that takes like coffee mixed with cake flavored vodka. I’d give it a try.

5. Cocoa Crumble Ricotta Cake

Yeah, yeah, yeah – it doesn’t necessarily have coffee IN it, but it does have the WORD coffee in it. So get over it. I mean, look at it – you can see the creamy, moist layers of the cake. I’m sold.

4. Coffee Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Enough said.

3. BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Coffee adds an incredibly complex layer of flavor to meats. Add it to sweet BBQ sauce and now the sauce and the pork become rich and extra savory.

2. BEER: Stone Xocoveca Mocha Stout

My favorite Stone collaboration so far. Coffee, chocolate, cinnamon and pepper creates a surprisingly delicious drink! Oh yeah, and it’s in the form of beer.

1. Affogato

My favorite dessert. Ice cream topped with espresso makes me salivate just a bit. While this recipe is for the holiday season, you can also make it with some simple vanilla ice cream and espresso.

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by snebbu

ES Guide to National Coffee Day

Listen up! National Coffee Day is coming up on Monday 9/29 – do YOU know where you’re getting your free cup of Joe? You need to create a plan of action for the day. Unless you live in the boonies, there’s enough coffee chains to fund your day of free coffee goodness. Many of the chains don’t require a coupon or anything – those are the key stops. Check out the list below and start your plan now. Links provide the deets for each deal. Caffeinate early and often. IF we missed any – let us know!

Dunkin Donuts : Free Medium Dark Roast (then .99 Medium Dark Roasts from 9/30-10/5) (you may have to download the app)

Krispy Kreme: FREE 12 oz. Cup of Coffee

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by snebbu

Fall TV Frenzy! Pairings for Your Favorite Shows

The arrival of fall brings us the return of many of our favorite shows. Some enjoy the comedies, the cheesy chick flick(ish) shows, and others the thrillers. Regardless of what show(s) you prefer – they’re back! Several hours will be taken away from the time you thought you had in your day as you stare at the tube losing brain cells. The least you can do is feed your body with tasty food and beverages. For you we polled ~~our trusted ES focus groups~~ ourselves to determine the shows that we are looking forward to watching most, pairing them with our own crazy dishes. Plan some parties with your several friends and impress with creative themes and pairings. You’re welcome.

FOX – New Girl

A show about a girl living with a bunch of dudes (and her ex) but somehow they all get along. Crack open a pumpkin wheat beer that everyone can enjoy together and put together (or order) a buffalo chicken pizza. While some biased people out there liken beer and wings to men, there are plenty of women out there that enjoy it too. Like Jess, find common grounds and dig in.

Drink: Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat

Eat: Buffalo Chicken Pizza

FX – American Horror Story

Always a little creepy, and typically even more disturbing, American Horror Story merits something that will take the edge off while watching. The Séance Saison is a fall seasonal that adds fall spices to the mix to get you in the spirit. Also considering the fact that this year’s season’s theme is circus, we thought the best meal to pair with the theme would be circus food: corn dogs and some air popped popcorn.

Drink: Séance Saison

Eat: Corn Dogs with Popcorn

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