Asian Lager Showdown January 31, 2009
Posted by pinchaque in Adventures in Beer.Tags: beer, lager-showdown, lagers
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Lagers of Asia
With my worldwide lager challenge winding down, it was time to attack the Asian lagers. Although you may not think of Asia as a beer culture, it was not difficult at all to round up 6 examples of beer from that corner of the world.
One of the difference to the other regions is that I’d actually had several of these before. The Japanese contenders–Kirin, Asahi, and Sapporo–I’ve liked in the past. I had also gotten some Tsing Tao as a gift from a Chinese coworker a few years ago. How will they stack up when the proverbial blindfold is on? (I say “proverbial” because, alas, I don’t actually do this blindfolded because that would be messy. I just have Amanda distribute the beer into our pint glasses and then I don’t know which is which.)
The only beer from this grouping that was truly vile was Singha. It just really had an off flavor that got it dumped into the sink
Tsing Tao had a surprising and distinct molasses flavor, which added a pleasant sweetness to an otherwise blandish brew. Sapporo was also on the sweet side but had a better overall profile. Kirin had a rich hoppiness that landed it close the top. But in the end the honey profile of San Miguel gave this Filipino beer top honors in the showdown, even though it was moderately lighter than the others. The final rankings were:
- San Miguel – Philippines
- Kirin Ichiban – Japan
- Sapporo – Japan
- Tsing Tao – China
- Asahi – Japan
- Singha – Thailand
The Hunt for (Unbeknownst to me) Kelli Rudick January 25, 2009
Posted by pinchaque in Music.Tags: guitar, kelli rudick, lestats, Music
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Kelli Rudick playing the array mbira
This is a story of finding something you have lost and never thought you’d get back, thanks to some luck, perseverance, and paying attention to email.
A few years ago my favorite folk artist, Richard Shindell, played in San Diego at the venerable Lestat’s Coffee House. I’d driven up to LA a couple of times to see him at sold-out McCabe’s shows, so I took off from work early, scarfed down a couple of fish tacos at El Zarape, and headed over to Letstat’s about 90 minutes before the show so I could be first in line. Little did I know I could have shown up 5 minutes beforehand and still been first–I think there were 15 people total at the show. Richard Shindell was awesome as always, and I even got to meet him afterward and thank him for visiting SD (even though few others appreciate him here!) and making such great music.
Anyway, one of the opening acts really stood out. I remember seeing her come on stage, seemingly small and timid, but then she started playing the guitar. She was hitting it like a drum, tapping the strings, using a loop box, sounding like a 20-person band. It reminded me a lot of Steve Tibbetts, perhaps not too much in style but more in the uniqueness and innovation of what I was witnessing and hearing.
The best part was when she pulled out a instrument she said she was just starting to work with–a massive thumb piano, which I later learned was an Array Mbira. Again–it was magic, inventive, charming.
Unfortunately, I am woefully incompetent at remembering people’s names. A couple weeks passed, the month changed, and Lestat’s updated their performance calendar. There’s no history on their site, and my feeble google searches for “guitarist who opened for Richard Shindell at Lestat’s San Diego” went unanswered. She had mentioned something about moving to New York soon, but to no avail in the google search-world. I had to admit defeat: I had no idea of who she was, how to buy a CD, or where to see her again.
Fast forward a couple of years, and here I am getting my San Diego CityBeat emails with “Digable Sounds”–live music I should check out. “Brooklyn-based Kelli Rudick makes beautiful experimental music using electronics, loops and a nail violin. See her live at Lestat’s at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15.” Wait a second (I said to myself), that sounds familiar. Sure enough–it was her!
Kelli Rudick playing the guitar neck
So Amanda and I went to go see her, toughing it through another experimental guitarist who was far more strident and cacophonous. But in the end it was everything I remembered–Kelli Rudick is awesome. She’s technically talented at guitar of course, but also incredibly unique and creative in her approach to the instrument and her songs. She uses different chords, repetition, tapping, etc. to create a mural of music that is at once engaging, organic, and harmonious.
Kelli Rudick tapping body of guitar
Since the previous time I’d seen her she had released a CD, No One Knows You’re Foreign. I picked that up of course and also chatted with her for a couple minutes after the show. It’s always a treat when the artists mingle with the audience, and I can speak with the talented people who make such awesome music. The good news is that, even though she lives In New York, she’s coming back to San Diego in March! I’ll be there, and until then I’ll be patiently watching her page for the tour dates.
Stuffed Pizza and UK Lagers January 18, 2009
Posted by pinchaque in 101 Things, Adventures in Beer, Cooking, Food.Tags: 101things, beer, lagers, pizza, stuffed pizza
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Pizza stuffing components
The time had arrived to topple another food challenge from my 101 things list: Stuffed Pizza. I think stuffed pizza has a sort of mystique. That might be because it’s different than your average pizza–not every restaurant does it. And those that do seem to have a long wait for tables and for baking. Lefty’s Chicago Pizzeria here in San Diego does a great job. Our first trip there we called ahead for pick-up since the pizza takes an hour to cook. We got a large Monster of the Midway, which fed the two of us for a few days. You have one slice and you’re stuffed! Much different than thin-crust pizzas, where you can eat half a pizza and still crave more.
Anyway my stuffed pizza began with the James McNair Pizza book recipe, which I’ve used before for standard pizza. For stuffing I went with our favorites to give a great chance for success: Italian sausage, roasted garlic, jalapenos, onion, bell pepper, and pepperoni. I didn’t put any sauce in — just canned diced tomatoes, drained and tossed with salt and Italian herbs. For cheese I used whole milk mozzarella.
Stuffed pizza before baking
I used a springform pan for the pizza, oiled it up, and put the dough in. About 2/3 of the dough was used for the bottom crust, bringing it most of the way up the sides. Inside went the cheese, toppings, tomatoes, and more cheese. After putting the top dough on, I pinched the dough together to seal, sliced the top to let air escape, and brushed the top with olive oil (reserved from the roasted garlic).
Stuffed pizza after baking
It took about 40 minutes total to bake, starting out at 475 and then lowering when the crust browned quickly. The crust sealing came undone in some places, but not fatally so. Getting the pie out of the pan was easy thanks to all that olive oil.
Slices of my stuffed pizza
After letting it sit for a few minutes, I cut it using a chef’s knife. The crust was a little tough, so that made cutting difficult. But it tasted awesome, and the flavors blended together perfectly. The parmesan cheese didn’t stick on top very well, so next time I may try the variation that puts the tomatoes on top of the whole pie.
UK and Italy Lagers
Is there a better companion for stuffed pizza than beer? How about cheap lagers from the UK, ex-UK, and Italy? That’s right, it was also time for another round of my world beer challenge! I had high hopes for Harp and low expectations for Fosters (Australian for “beer”), but blind tasting waved its magic wand yet again.
Lagers in their assigned glasses
Peroni was just plain disgusting, so that was dead last. All the others were pretty good! Steinlager had a rich flavor, but some unwelcome bitterness. Herp, Moretti, and Fosters were all pretty close, but in the end here were the results:
- Fosters – Australia
- Birra Moretti – Italy
- Harp – Ireland
- Steinlager – New Zealand
- Peroni – Italy
In a surprise move, Fosters takes the win and moves on to the final round! Only two groups are left to go: Asia and Germany.
