Saturday night curry

I can't get enough of Indian food. Unfortunately, I can't get enough of Indian food here in Tallinn, because it's either a) not very good, b) overpriced or c) not very good and overpriced.

Being from the "curry capital of the UK", I think it's only fair that I learnt how to cook Indian food before I could even walk. When other kids were learning to crawl, I was mastering the art of blending my own Garam Masala.

The problem is, no matter how hard you try, the home cooked version is never really as good as a restaurant curry. It was really pissing me off , that no matter what I tried to do, it was always lacking that "something". I even went through a stage of playing Indian music on my soundsystem when eating my home cooked Indian food - but it still wasn't the same.

So I decided to knock on the kitchen door of my favourite Indian takeaway in my home town of Bradford. I explained I was having difficulties in creating something as good as they serve, and although they didn't want to give me all their secrets, they did agree that I could come in the next day, and work through a service with them. Importantly, they said they'd show me the whole process A-Z of making a great curry.

That was ten years ago, and the methods they showed me that day, have been part of my curry making mantra ever since. The SAUCE - it's all about the base sauce. And oil. Loads of it (it may seem), but this helps to seal in the flavour of the spices.

And of course, BEER goes fantastically well with Indian food. It's no suprise that ale was much sought after when the British were in India. So much in fact, that a whole style of beer - IPA (India Pale Ale) was created for the troops who wanted something good to drink with their curry.  The hoppy, bitter, aromatic tastes of an IPA pair amazingly well with the spices of a good curry. Try having a delicate Sauvignon Blanc with the hot and spicy flavours of a chicken Madras. You won't taste the wine at all. Switch the wine for an ale, and all of a sudden, those spicy. earthy flavours compliment the drink in your glass.

So here's a recipe for a chicken dopiaza sagwala. A dish that contains double the amount of onions (do piaza - two onions), and spinach (saag). I'm pairing it with Mikkeller I Beat You- a fantastic double IPA which really works well with the spices and the spinach.

This is what Saturday nights are for - shit TV, good food, good beer, good company.

Chicken Dopiaza Sagwala.

What you need:

For the sauce:
900g Onions
50g fresh ginger
1.5 litres water
1 tsp salt
225g crushed tomatoes
1 tsp tomato puree/ketchup
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika

For the curry:
6 tbs oil
2 onions cut into rings
500ml curry sauce (above)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chilli powder
500g cooked chicken thighs (method below)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp fenugreek leaves
1 tbsp chopped coriander fresh
1 chilli chopped
450g spinach - fresh or frozen

THE SAUCE
This is what they told me is the difference between a good, and a great curry. Once prepared, it has a smooth texture with a pale golden colour. Apparently, every good restaurant has a large pan of the sauce always boiling, always at hand. It forms the base of all curries, from very mild to very hot - you just add additional ingredients. 

As it takes a couple of hours, I always make triple the amount so I can freeze it afterwards.

STAGE ONE
Peel and roughly chop the onions, ginger and garlic. Put the ginger and garlic into a blender with about 250ml of  the water and blend until smooth. Take a large saucepan, and put into it the onions, the blended garlic mixture and the remainder of the water. Add the salt, bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer with a lid on (otherwise your whole kitchen is going to smell of onions for a week) for about 45 mins.

STAGE TWO
Cool the boiled onion mixture down a little bit, then add half of it into a blender. Blend until absolutely smooth. It's quite important. Pour it into a bowl, then repeat with the other half Once it's all nice and blended, reserve about four tablespoons of it - you'll need this to cook your chicken later. Wash and dry your large saucepan.

STAGE THREE
Pour your tomatoes into the blender, and blend for about 2 minutes until perfectly smooth. In your saucepan, add the oil, turmeric, paprika and tomato puree. Add the blended tomatoes and bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes. It splatters a lot, but the end result is a thick, dark ketchup. Now add your onion mixture and bring to the boil again. Turn down and simmer for 25 mins. Stir occasionally, and try and skim off any froth that forms on the surface.

COOKING THE CHICKEN
You can cook this after you've reserved the onion mixture sauce. You can use it immediately to add to the curry sauce, or keep it in the fridge if you are planning to make the finished curry later on.

Cut the chicken thighs into equal pieces. You could use breast, but I think thighs make a much more tender dish. Place the oil, turmeric and onion mixture sauce into a pan and mix well. Cook on a medium heat until the sauce begins to darken in colour - about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and stir to coat well. Turn down the heat, put a lid on and cook for about 20 minutes. Once cooked, remove the chicken, leaving behind the sediment and put in a bowl to use later.

MAKING THE CURRY
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the sliced onions and chopped chilli and fry until they are see through, but not brown. 

Add the curry sauce, mix well and bring to a simmer. Stir in the salt, chilli powder and chicken. Cook on a medium heat for about 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Stir occasionally.

Now stir in the garam masala, cumin, ground coriander and fenugreek. Finally, add the chopped spinach and cook through for a couple of minutes.

Serve with basmati rice, garnish with chopped fresh coriander and pour yourself a glass of IPA. Bollywood soundtrack optional.

BBQ Ribs recipe - perfect Saturday night food.

For me, Saturdays are a good day for going to the local market, and getting something to cook for the evening. Saturdays are actually more relaxed than Sundays, in so much that you've got a night in or out to look forward to, rather than that unsettling wait for work the next day that happens on Sunday evening.
TV is pretty rubbish too - low brow, uncomplicated stuff. I like that. And I like to pair food to match. Something you can eat with your fingers on the sofa or in bed. Comfort food taking away Friday nights over indulgence, or lining your stomach for another night out.

It's fun to go to the local market, because you've generally got much more choice than a supermarket, both in terms of availability and freshness. Much cheaper too.

My typical Saturday dinner is often slow cooked. I've got time to get home around 3pm, stick the food on, and then settle down to watch some football on TV, before cracking open a beer or gin and tonic and prepping the food ready for about 8pm.

Ribs are perfect finger food, and if you can get hold of some good pork ones, then it's  simple and satisfying dish to make. I know that in America, they are seen as the Holy Grail of BBQ food, with literally thousands of "secret" recipes available on the net to follow. I've tried all sorts of methods, but this one is easy to make and you end up with great results. Pair them with fries and a home made coleslaw, and you've got the perfect TV dinner. Oh, don't forget the beer. I've gone for Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA. It's a great hoppy beer with a suitable malt back bone to compliment the smoky flavours of the ribs.

You'll need:

A large rack of pork loin ribs
1 tablespoon strong mustard
1 and a half teaspoons of paprika
2 tablespoons of ketchup
2 and a half tablespoons of dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of Worcester sauce
1 tablespoon of Bourbon (optional)

What to do:

1) Turn the racks curved side down with the wider end facing you. Use a knife to peel away the membrane from the bones. This results in much tender ribs.

2) Mix together the marinade ingredients and rub half of it into the ribs well. Put in a shallow dish and then put in the fridge for 3 hours or so. Turn it once or twice so that the entire ribs are coated.

3)Pre-heat the oven to 150c. Cover the dish tightly with foil, and cook for 2 and a half hours, basting every half hour. Remove the foil for the last 15 mins of cooking. Once done - the rack should end up floppy. Not burnt to a crisp.

4) Heat up a griddle pan, or heavy frying pan (or BBQ if you are outdoors), brush the ribs with the remainder of the marinade and cook until caramelised.

5) Serve with fries and garnish of your choice. As mentioned, coleslaw works well, and so does corn on the cob. And a beer of course.

Christmas cake

For me, it wouldn't be Christmas without a traditional cake to soak up some of the many beers, that most of us consume over Christmas. With this in mind, I always add beer to the recipe. Only half a bottle - that way, you get to drink the other half when baking.

This recipe should be made at least a couple of weeks in advance. The cake needs "feeding" once a week with brandy, rum or in this case whisky. I'm choosing whisky this year, because I plan to pair the finished cake with a nice bottle of  "Ola Dubh 30", a a dark Scottish ale which has been matured in 30 year old Highland Park whisky casks.

Don't put marzipan on until a couple of days before. Let it sit overnight, and then apply the icing.  I'll post instructions nearer the date!
Serve on its own, or do as Yorkshire folk do and serve it with a nice lump of strong English cheese.
You can make a large round cake, or two loaf sized cakes with this recipe.

You'll need:
225g plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
200g butter
200g dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon black syrup/treacle
1 tablespoon orange marmalade
800g dried mixed fruits (raisins, sultanas, apricots, cranberries, dates)
150g glace cherries cut in half
100g lemon peel
100g orange peel
100g almonds cut in half
4 eggs lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
20cl dark beer (I used Mikkeller Santa's little helper, but any dark spiced Christmas beer will do)
Brandy, Whisky or rum for feeding

How to do it:
1) Preheat the oven to 150c. Grease a 20cm round cake tin, or a 26cm pound cake tin and line with baking paper (enough to come at least 5cm above the sides to prevent burning).

2) Sieve the flour, salt and spices into a bowl.

3) Cream the butter and sugar in another large bowl. Then mix in the treacle, marmalade and vanilla essence until light and fluffy.

4) Mix the eggs a little at a time to the mixture, adding a tablespoon of flour towards the end.

5) Fold in the remaining flour mixture until well mixed. Add the beer, not forgetting to pour yourself a glass while you are at it. Mix in the dried fruit, cherries, peel and almonds.

6) Pour the mix into your baking tin - make a small hollow in the centre to prevent cracking.

7) Bake in the oven for two/two and a half hours and test with a knife. It it comes out clean, then the cake is ready. If not, put in for another twenty minutes.

8) Take out and make some small holes with a knife. When cooled, pour over a tablespoon of brandy, whisky or rum.

9) Wrap in baking paper, and then tightly in foil. Each week, unwrap and pour a tablespoon of your preferred spirit over the cake.

10) A couple of days before you want to serve the cake, marzipan it and ice it. Instructions nearer the date!

11) Open another bottle of beer, pat yourself on the back, and look forward to Christmas. Be sure to hide the cake somewhere cool and dark. This will keep it moist, and also prevent anyone eating it!

A step by step guide to tasting beer.

I recently did a beer tasting event, and when I explained that it's important to taste beer the correct way, I got a few laughs. When I explained that, just as you do with wine, you have to look, smell and taste the beer correctly, I got even more laughs.

Why should wine get all the fuss, and not beer? Today there is virtually no aspect of social life from which beer is excluded, and seldom must the beer drinker endure the scorn of the surrounding wine tippler. Beer is exciting, beer is gastronomic, beer is as social as it has ever been - and beer is worth talking and reading about, and its also worth doing it right.

To appreciate a beer properly, you should always enjoy it from a glass and never swig it from the bottle or can, since doing so deletes the contribution made to flavour by aroma and appearance. A fine beer is deserving of a more thoughtful, planned approach.

1. Observe.

This might seem elemental, but brewers go to great lengths to give their beers just the right appearance. If you look closely enough, your beer could be telling you something.

 Clouding can be deliberate or not, excessive or incidental foaming could be a sign of infection or old age, and if the colour is darker than it should be for the style, oxidisation may be an issue. 

The beer should have a steady stream of bubbles rising from the bottom if it's a lager, less if it's an ale, resulting in a creamy white foam. The more foam there is, is usually an indication of the amount of hops in the glass. 

Certain glass shapes and sizes are designed specifically to enhance the tasting experience. For example, the over sized tulip glass for Duvel allows necessary foaming, the tall vase like Weissbier glass aids even distribution of the unfiltered beer, and the chalice style glass used for Trappist beers enables the warming of the beer in the palm of your hand. A stemmed wine glass with a broad bowl is the simplest way to present many styles of beer.

2. Smell.

Sniffing your beer can certainly draw strange looks from others when you are in a bar, but appreciating the aroma is essential. Humans can discern hundreds if not thousands of smells, yet only a handful of tastes, so when our brain combines the two to create flavour, it is the nose that brings the subtleties together. 

In an ale, try to detect fruity aromas. In a lager, look for notes of straw, hay or fresh cut grass. In a malty beer such as a Bock or Vienna, hints of toffee or caramel can be detected. IPA's can display citrus, pines and tropical fruits, and in Lambics, you can find musty barnyard scents.

3. Taste.

Take your time to discern the tastes within your beer, thinking about what is in your glass and your mouth.  

Sip slowly, allowing the beer to roll over your tongue and around your palate, appreciating the tones before you swallow. Then, before returning for another sip, consider the after taste - is it bitter or malty, sharp or warming, short or lingering? 

Creating a personal catalogue of the flavours you find is a good idea and is rewarding, but takes time. It becomes easier with experience and you'll soon be able to detect different flavours without referring to your notes.

Above all, trying to absorb what it is that you have just tasted will lead to a better appreciation not only of the beer just finished, but also of all subsequent beers you plan to explore.

4. Consider.

It's unlikely that your first impression of a beer remains unchanged to the end of the glass. Nor may it be set in stone by just one sampling. In the way that a song or work of art can at first be dismissed or even disliked, but then over time grow on you and become a favourite, so it is that some beers, unimpressive at first, may after full consideration become part of your regular drinking experience.

 It might even depend on the weather. A beer which your tried in the summer could be a firm favourite due to its refreshment properties, but fails to hit the spot in winter. It's often the same the other way around, which is why many of us don't drink or appreciate darker beers during the warmer months.

Once you get into the habit of tasting beer like this, you'll find flavours and aromas you never knew existed in beers. You'll also be able to identify reasons why the beer isn't performing as expected. Is it too cold - because temperature plays a key role in aroma and flavour. The colder the beer, the less it will taste. Is the beer foaming too much or not enough - maybe you've got it in the wrong glass?

It only takes a few minutes to perform each of the stages, but you'll be rewarded with a whole spectrum of tastes and aromas.

Make time for beer!

James

How things have changed.....

It's been a while since I last posted a blog. You see, I normally write when I am listening to football on the internet, and seeing as today is the start of the football season again, then it seems only natural that I pen something while in front of the laptop with a beer in hand.

Loads has happened since I last wrote. I'm delighted to say that Estonia has totally embraced the craft beer scene. More and more craft beers from Denmark, America and the UK are on sale, and more importantly, locally produced micro brewed beers are available and are selling out nearly as fast as they are made.

Pudel bar, which I'm part owner of, has grown from strength to strength, and it's not unusual to struggle to find an available table both inside and outside on a weekend. And this is a bar that got famous for being a "Saku free zone". Finally, drinkers in Estonia have a choice of some great beers, without being bombarded with 2=3 offers and free t-shirts. It also is good to see, that Tallinn's drinkers are happy to pay a little bit extra for quality, rather than look for the quantity of beer they can get for the money in their pocket.

And what can I say about Põhjala Brewery? They dared to challenge the current local market with some premium, niche craft beer. Starting out with just a few cases of bottles, they've now progressed to producing kegs of beer, being served in some of the main beer outlets in Tallinn. They are struggling to keep up with demand, and it's this demand that is driving more bars to stock their beers, and more "home" brewers to add foundation to their dream of starting their own brewery.  This year alone, I've been given about fifty different samples from home brewers, who are looking to expand their current production from friends to customers.

I import Mikkeller, Brewdog and several others to Estonia. Since I started two years ago, my orders have gone from two or three brands from each brewer, to two or three pallets (that's 72 cases) every couple of weeks. Just yesterday, I had a delivery of 15 pallets and I'm already looking to place my order next week, as I don't think that 1080 cases of beer will satisfy the demand of the 50 plus bars and restaurants that stock my beer.

What's driving this demand? I think it's the Estonian desire to be individual that is the main moving force. The Kalamaja distict, where Pudel Bar is located is getting more and more fashionable - it's an industrial setting which a couple of years ago was pretty much a "no go area". As prices have risen in the old and new parts of Tallinn, people have decided that they need to move away from the centre and into an area which is different, has attitude and potential. It's these same people who make decisions based away from the norm, who want to drink a beer that shares the same values as their lifestyle. They don't want a commercially produced beer which is for the masses, they want something that is alternative and with taste. It's no secret that we opened Pudel Bar up in this area, because we knew that there was a demographic who would visit the bar and keep it crowded week in week out. The knock on effect, is that the other bars in this area and around, are also stocking craft beers. These bars don't have the old attitude of "we won't sell the same beer as other bars", but rather "we want to be a select group of bars that serve beers that our customers want".

So what's up next for the Estonian beer scene? I can see a few more local micro breweries opening up, I can see a lot more restaurants realising the potential for matching good, quality beer with food, and I can see a lot more demand from customers. We've raised the bar to the highest level its been - and the only way is up. I can now start to import styles of beer that I didn't think were possible a year or so ago. Sours, barrel aged, smoked and high strength beers are now on my shopping list. Limited edition beers sell out within a few hours. Põhjala beers are being asked about in many bars. Supermarkets are ringing me up saying that they need to stock craft beer.

It's a nice business to be in at the moment, and the biggest reward is seeing the satisfied faces on the customer when they drink the beer. It's almost as good, as seeing the dis-satisfied faces of customers when they visit a bar that doesn't stock craft beer, and they move onto another that does.

Let's keep that bar raised high, and together we can work to make the beer drinking experience an excellent one.

James

Estonian micro revolution starting to get big.

Last weekend, I went down to Tartu to visit fellow beer shop owner, and beer geek Karmo. Karmo owns the excellent "õllepood Nr.1". The reason for my visit, was that there was a gathering of Tartu home brewers and Karmo wanted me to help judge their beers.

                                 

"Make sure you stay overnight" said Karmo, which I took to mean that there was going to be plenty of sampling going on.

Before I did the judging, I went next door to Möku, which is a nice little bar that has recently expanded its beer range. Lauri asked me if I'd like to give his staff a brief training session about some of their new beers, which of course I was very happy to do. Beer culture in Estonia has expanded so rapidly, that more and more beers are appearing on taps and in fridges each month - with the staff needing to know a bit about them. That in itself is refreshing - staff actually wanting to know about the beer they are serving. I think it goes to show that craft beer actually has a personality, with each having its own story to tell. Mainstream generic beers are boring - they all have the same life story - which is not really that exciting to tell the truth. So we had a good chat about beer, how it's made, why it tastes like it does bla bla bla, so much so that I over-ran and was late for my date by half an hour. I could have gone on for hours more.

                                     


So I arrived at Karmo's place, and there were already people there waiting for me. It was good to see that the usual photo fit of a home brewer wasn't present here. No socks, sandals and beards, but regular guys including two smartly dressed young educated gentlemen, a biker, a DJ and me. And Karmo - who has a beard and was wearing sandals with socks.



Now I have to admit - I'm not a fan of all home brewed beers. Some are very good, some are passable, but to be honest, most are pretty bloody awful. The people who make them, have to drink them. When you've spent a good few hours brewing and bottling them, you'll drink the sweat of your labours, no matter how it tastes. And what you'll also do - is give some to your friends and ask them to try  it. I get a lot of these - with requests of "honest feedback". Most of the time, I'm not entirely honest, but forthright enough to make sure that I don't get any second bottles sent to me.

Life is too short for bad beer. So I take a sip, and if I don't like it, then it gets poured down the sink.  Which is interesting in itself. I told an Estonian friend that I pour the beer away if I don't like it, and he looked at me shocked. "But it's free" he said. "How can you waste something that is free?" he asked. Whereas my viewpoint is that if I didn't pay for it, then I'm losing nothing by pouring it down the drain.

So when I was told that there was going to be over 20 different beers to try, I tried to work out how I was going to throw away the beer I didn't like - when I had the guy who made it sitting right in front of me.

                                       

As it turned out, it was pleasantly suprising. There were 28 different beers, which at times was a bit of a chore - because not all of them hit the mark. Some of them were not, how shall I put it...."to my taste". As all the narrative was in Estonian, I did my best to work out the ingredients, and in one beer I was sure there were bananas. A banana IPA I wrote on my tasting notes. When I submitted my feedback, I was given looks of astonishment and hilarity. "What sort of bananas do you have in England?" They all laughed. The beer didn't have any banana in it at all. Shame it tasted like it did. Drainpour!

But on the whole the beers were good. Some were excellent, with one Imperial Black IPA in my opinion, being good enough to sell to the public. It was the overall winner out of the bunch, with an IPA brewed by the same brewer coming in second place.

                                       

I left Tartu smiling, not only because I had tasted some nice new beer, but because I managed to sell six copies of my book to these home brewers too. That's the hotel sorted then ;)

So what's happening in Tallinn? What's not happening in Tallinn is more to the point. Talk of the town this month is that a new beer bar called Pudel has opened up in the up and coming area of Telliskivi. I'm lucky enough to be co-owner of it, and once again I'm glad that I decided to enter the beer industry when I left University, not sell washing machines like my old man wanted me to. The great thing about being involved in small scale bars, is that you get to pick and choose what brands you sell. If you're boring and want to make a sure fire profit, you go with the major brands, and basically sell your soul to them. If you are a bit more gung ho, and want to work hard at making a profit by being non mainstream, then you get to play around with some interesting beers, hoping that the fact you are being different will bring the punters in.

                                               

Pudel has its foot firmly in the non mainstream camp. It has the largest selection of beers in Tallinn (read, Estonia) with many of the brands making their debut. Punk IPA, Baltic Frontier, Thornbridge beers are all on tap, and there are world class ratebeer 100/100 beers on the shelves in the name of Mikkeller George Cognac Edition, Nelson Sauvignon and Trappist beers from Rochefort, Achel among others.



One of the other co-owners, also happens to be a brewer. Not a kitchen or garden shed brewer, but a full on "we're gonna make so much we're gonna keg it" brewer.  They call it Põhjala, which means Nordic Territory in English. They've been putting together a few brews, sampling it (I get bottles too, and I'm pleased to say that I don't have to drain pour them), re brewing it, sampling it over and over to ensure it's ready. Ready for what? Bottling and kegging with the intention of becoming the first Estonian micro/gypsy brewed beer available to buy in Estonia. They are so intent on becoming the best, that they learnt and borrowed resource from the best. Two of the brewers spent a week at Brewdog, and then Brewdogs brewer came over to Estonia to help them put together the beer.

Next Friday, the 8th of Feb in Pudel bar, the boys will be having a launch night for their new beer. It's called ÖÖ, which means Night in English. It's a Baltic Imperial Stout coming in at 9,5% abv, and like the name suggests, is a black as the night. Look out for the Facebook invitation - the brewer from Brewdog will be coming over too, so it's a great chance to try the beer and ask questions to the guys who created it. The very cool thing is that the beer is packaged in Key Kegs, which uses compressed air to dispense. No gas enters the beer, which means you get to taste it just as the brewer intended.

Just to whet your appetite for the 7th, I managed to blag myself a bottle, and reviewed it.

It's a 33cl bottle (50cl at 9,5% abv would be too much), with a striking design on the label. It depicts a black night, with twin, vanilla coloured moons, reminding me a bit of Tatooine's binary sunset in the Star Wars film.

The pour is nice and thick, and it is at this moment when you realise that the beer is as black as the label. It comes out like a sludgy engine oil, building a thick creamy foam which is coffee cream in colour. It's the sort of head Guinness drinkers like to boast they can rest a penny on top. Except this one didn't require any nitrogen or 181 seconds to pour.

                                   
                                     
The aroma is as you would expect (if you are experienced at this game) of a Baltic Stout. Loads of roasted scents such as burnt oak, coffee, caramel, liquorice, spice, raisins and alcohol. It's worth pointing out, that the head has diminished from its original state, but is still there, almost like a vicars collar on top of the beer.

The taste is similar to the aromas you pick up - but there is a little sweetness too, almost like black syrup or molasses. It's not overly bitter, and any bitterness that is picked up is mostly from the malts rather than the hops. It's nice and smoky, and has a good depth of flavour, starting with smoke, which turns into chocolate, which then turns to dark fruits. The alcohol is there, but it's very well hidden, making this an easy 9,5% beer to drink.

The finish is smooth, but also a little salty. I'm not sure if this salt is intended, as it gives a little medicinal saline finish to the beer - which doesn't really fit in with the rest of the flavour portfolio. I'm not talking sea water salt, but just a little hint towards the end. Normal people probably won't notice it at all. Such is my curse for being a geek.

                             

The overall impression of the beer is that it's very good. It's up there in style with such luminaries as Mikkeller Black Hole, and Brewdog Alice Porter (which maybe even had the same brewer). Of course the real success story of this beer will be its loyal, Estonian fans. Estonian beer geeks have always been hunting for that really good beer made by one of their own, and now they have one. There is talk of more styles coming from them, including one called "Topelt Nelson", which is a dry hopped IPA using the Nelson Sauvin hop. Looking forward to that.

So, if you want to check out the new bar, and also check out the new beer, and also check out the brewers - then put a date in your diary/iphone/Samsung for the 8th of Feb. Check out Pudel Baar on Facebook for further updates. This stuff is great in bottle, but I suspect it will reach another level on tap.

Hoppy Christmas!

Christmas is a time for taking it easy, eating large amounts of food, and drinking more than your daily limit of alcohol.

Lots of people are realising that it's just as acceptable to bring beer to the table, as well as wine. But what beer goes best with Christmas food?

Christmas food, especially in Estonia, is particularly heavy. It's more often than not a little fatty too - think goose, pork, turkey and roast potatoes. There are some spices involved, such as black pepper, cloves, caraway and nutmeg. Sauces play a big part, with meat gravy, cherry, apple and orange all served as accompaniments.


That's a lot of flavours. But fortunately, there are plenty of beers to match.

Traditional Christmas beers are dark, and more often than not, contain a combination of spices similar to the ones I've already mentioned. These are great to go with smoked hams, pork and traditional Estonian food. Blood sausages and dark beer are a match made in heaven. You can even cook with dark beer. Sauerkraut slowly simmered in a dark Christmas beer stock, is a real crowd pleaser.

Here's a recipe taken from the excellent Estonian Nami Nami blogspot. www.nami-nami.blogspot.com

BEER BRAISED SAUERKRAUT

Serves 12

1KG Fresh Sauerkraut
100 grams soft brown sugar or honey
1 tsp salt
500ml strong dark Christmas beer
Pinch of caraway seeds
50g butter

Mix all ingredients in a large saucepan and heat on a medium setting. Stir every now and again until the cabbage is golden, soft and caramelised. Should be about an hour.

I'd then pair this with a dark Christmas beer when eating. The caramel, burnt sugar flavours in the cabbage, go absolutely hand in hand with the roasted, caramel malts and spices.

What if you're having duck or goose? I'd go for a fruit beer. Especially a cherry one. The acidity of the beer cuts through the fat of the bird, while the subtle fruit flavours provide a beautiful counterpoint.

Here's a selection of my recommended dark traditional Christmas beers, which will go nicely with a dish of Pork, Saurkraut, blood sausages and all the trimmings

A Le Coq Jouluporter.
A nice traditional Baltic Porter, with some spices, and nice dry bitterness from the roasted malts.
Puls Joulu Legend.
Not as bitter as it's other Estonian counterparts, but a bit more spiced. Some nice juniper taste.
Brewdog Christmas Porter.
Lots of roast malts, chili and chocolate in this one. I think it'd go great with blood sausage.
Mikkeller Fra Til Via.
Super roasty, bitter, dry porter. It's got cloves, cumin and coriander in it. Christmas in a bottle!
Santa's Little Helper 2011 Speyside whisky edition.
Serve this after the meal in a 4cl glass. Super peaty, super whisky, super woody. Super!

Of course, there has to always be an alternative Christmas. Just as we've seen that the trend in beers is moving towards hop forward, refreshing beers, the same has happened with Christmas beers. Danish Brewer To Øl states on it's beer "Snowball":

"Enough heavy dark obnoxious sweet super malty x-mas and winter beers. When you eat heavy duck with fat gravy, the last thing you want is another heavy sweet malt liquor!
NO! you want something that can help you sink the dinner, ease you stomach and cleanse your throat"

I've got to admit I agree with them. Quite often my plate is so crammed with food at Christmas time, that I'm struggling to fit any liquid down my gullet. As I've mentioned before, temperature plays a big part in "drinkability", and for me, I prefer a nice cold beer sliding down my throat as I'm eating my third helping of turkey, than a heavy porter. If we take turkey as an example, it's often served with lemon, or has been basted or stuffed with lemon. Think of some of the modern beers packed with fresh new world hops - citrus, grapefruit and pine. These flavours will absolutely sing with a lemon basted turkey.

Here are some of the beers which should be served chilled at the table, and will provide a nice refreshing zing with your turkey:

To Øl Snowball.
A hopped Saison style beer. Nicely carbonated, it's almost like a sparkling wine. Refreshingly hoppy.
Mikkeller Hoppy Lovin Christmas.
An IPA made with ginger and pine needles. Really refreshing, with a great ginger bite towards the end.
Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale.
Not a Christmas beer as such, but contains cloves, cardomon, cinnamon and other "Xmas" spices.
Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted. 
Again, not a Christmas beer, but it's got so much lemon zest, that it just works so well with white meat and fish.

And now we come to fruit. As I mentioned, a good cherry lambic will provide a little acidity to cut through the fat of a goose, turkey or piece of pork, as well as giving a bit of sweetness which goes nice with the meat. If you are going to serve some sort of sauce - like a cherry compote, or some cowberry jam, why not stir a little fruit beer into it just before serving? A glass of cherry beer with goose, chicken, turkey, duck and even pork is a real treat. You'll find that even those who say they don't like beer, will be totally amazed at what they are drinking. I'm willing to bet money that even Granny will love a Belgian fruit beer!

Ok, here's my recommendations:

Kasteel Rouge. 
The old favourite. I have yet to find someone who doesn't like it.  Hate beer? It's my trump card. Loves duck.
Lindemans kriek. 
Takes the cherry up a notch. Expensive, but worth it. Expensive because it contains so much fruit.
Baltic Frontier. 
Made with sea buckthorn. Super bitter, but this and some fatty meat are a match in heaven. Great paired with lamb.

So there you have it. And as I always say - if it doesn't work, sit back and decide why it didn't and try something else. That's the great thing about beer - there is ALWAYS a beer out there that will go with your food. Christmas time is an occasion to relax and let things come to you - maybe you'll just happen to stumble across a beer which you find a total favourite, and you'll make some food that goes with the beer, not the other way around :)

A big Happy hoppy Christmas from me, and a big thank you for all that read this blog!

Have a good one!
James