Features

Whip-In, Austin - What's On Tap?

by Mike Pomranz, Posted Jun 24th 2010 @ 5:30PM

A weekly look at the draft selections in beer-friendly bars across the country.

How does a business go from a "straight up, honest-to-goodness, white trash convenience store" to one of the best beer destinations in the state of Texas? Well, bringing in a little outside perspective and a personal touch never hurt.

When Austin's Whip-In opened up back in 1986, now General Manager Dipak Topiwala would have used the quote above to describe his family store -- selling "crappy foods" and gasoline, competing for business with the Texaco across the street.

During those early days, though, one major deal helped seal Whip-In's fate. "Gas wasn't doing us any good," explained Topiwala. So his family made an agreement with their cross-street rival: "We'll give up gas, but you don't sell any beer."

Read on about Whip-In and find their recent draft list, after the jump...

Filed under: Drinks, Features

Harbor Fish Market, Portland, Maine - Ask a Shopkeeper

COMMENTS 1

by Chris Dudley, Posted Jun 23rd 2010 @ 11:00AM

Photo: Harbor Fish Market

You probably don't realize it, but you're already familiar with Harbor Fish Market. It's picturesque, historic storefront has served as a backdrop for numerous print and television advertisements, and it's the subject of countless paintings, photographs, and post cards. If you still can't see it, just close your eyes and imagine your ideal New England seafood shop: family-owned, rustic and quaint, packed full of uber-fresh maritime varieties, all lurking sleepily over a concrete floor, under wooden beams, and behind an unimposing facade that hasn't changed in forty years, free of all that is chic and fashionable. That is Harbor Fish Market -- the ideal shop for the salty sea dog that values quality above all else.

We recently caught up with Ben Alfiero who, along with his wife and two brothers, runs the business his father opened in 1969.

Read more about the family and fish market after the jump.

Filed under: Interviews, Features

Fear and Loathing in Foodie-land

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by Jason Best, Posted Jun 21st 2010 @ 3:00PM

Photo: bionicgrrrl, Flickr

There's a certain amount of liberal bourgeois guilt among those of us who are paid to spend our days sampling things like squab-and-foie-gras croustillant and then write about it.

We generally don't discuss it, except perhaps after we've reached the bottom of the second or third scientifically blended cocktail at a place like Death & Co. in Manhattan's East Village and otherwise exhausted ourselves trying to pinpoint exactly what it was that gave that $13 glass of whiskey its particular piquancy. Was it an infusion of Fuji apple? Or the spiced pear?

After all, the downside of decadence is the sneaking suspicion that when the revolution comes (admittedly a remote possibility), we'll be rounded up with others of our ilk -- film critics, art historians -- and shipped off to some gulag in Alaska to break rocks.

The same sort of cynical despair gives us all manner of indy films and just about anything written by Jonathan Franzen. it also gives us the occasional tirade by a food writer, in this case last Friday's blog post by LA Weekly's Amy Scattergood, "Top 10 Foodie Words We Hate: Starting with Foodie."

Filed under: Lists, Features

World Cup Beer: Round One Continued

COMMENTS 0

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Jun 17th 2010 @ 2:30PM

Last week, we announced Slashfood's 2010 World Cup Beer Tournament -- yesterday, round one of voting began with groups A through D. After the jump, vote for your favorite beer in each group for groups E through H. (And if you haven't already, be sure to vote for beers in groups A through D!) In this first round, two winners will advance from each group -- with a total of 16 beers advancing. Polls will close on Monday, June 21st; results will be posted on Slashfood Wednesday, June 23rd.

Need a beer refresher? Josh Bernstein gives an in depth look at all 32 beers in the brackets (click on chart to enlarge).

Vote for your favorite beer(s) after the jump.

Filed under: Drinks, Features

Round One: World Cup Beer - 32 Down to 16

COMMENTS 2

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Jun 16th 2010 @ 4:30PM

Last week, we announced Slashfood's 2010 World Cup Beer Tournament -- today begins round one of voting. After the jump, vote for your favorite beer in each group. The first round will pick two winners from each group -- a total of 16 beers will advance. Polls will close on Monday, June 21st; results will be posted on Slashfood that Wednesday.

Need a beer refresher? Josh Bernstein gives an in depth look at all 32 beers in the brackets (click on chart to enlarge).

Vote for your favorite beer(s) after the jump.

Filed under: Drinks, Features

Smoke 'Em If Yous Got 'Em, Philly Beer Week - What's On Tap?

COMMENTS 1

by Mike Pomranz, Posted Jun 10th 2010 @ 5:00PM

beer Photo: Bert Heymans, Flickr

For many, smoked beers (also commonly known by their German name -- Rauchbiers) are an acquired taste. Though some favorably describe these brews as a delicious mix of the flavors of beer and bacon, others lean towards the suspicion that someone may have ashed a cigar in their pint.

Though the Yards Brewing Company's second annual Smoke 'Em If Yous Got 'Em event for Philly Beer Week did offer up a cigar tent, most patrons paid their admission to pair a healthy selection of professional and amateur barbecue with a world class selection of smoked brews.

The self-described "one-of-a-kind event (translation: there's absolutely, positively nothing else like it in the world)" definitely delivered on the beer front, offering up an exotic mix of 32 drafts (not to even mention the sizable bottled selection) from across the country and around the world, as well as extremely rare selections and one-offs, and one 34-letter beer from Stewart's Brewing that drinkers would be hard-pressed to discuss on Twitter.

After the jump, read more about Smoke 'Em If Yous Got 'Em and check out the amazing selection of smoked beers from this year's event...

Filed under: Drinks, Features

El Bait Shop, Des Moines, Iowa - What's On Tap?

COMMENTS 0

by Mike Pomranz, Posted May 27th 2010 @ 5:00PM

Photo: el Bait Shop

A weekly look at the draft selections in beer-friendly bars across the country.

Who says Iowa can't be home to a beer haven?

Since 2006, El Bait Shop has housed over 100 draft beers (and plenty more in bottles) smack dab in central Iowa, making this "shop" not only a Des Moines beer mainstay, but a national beer destination as well, finding its way onto best bar lists in publications like DRAFT Magazine and Esquire.

Why does the U.S.'s 112th largest city need 105 draft lines? Well, where better than in middle America to feature American-made beers? That's the goal at El Bait Shop, according to bar manager, Charles Johnson. "We have the largest selection of American craft beer in the world," said Johnson, explaining what makes their draft selection unique.

It's hard to have more than 100 draft lines without delving into the large array of imported beers that a lot of bars lean on. By sticking with mostly American "micro" brewers, El Bait Shop not only supports smaller brewers, but has also found a way to separate their draft selection from the crowd. It also gives the bar the opportunity to show off some local Iowa brewers who's products don't always find their way to the coasts, like Great River and Peace Tree.

Find the giant beer list that gave El Bait Shop their niche after the jump...

Filed under: Drinks, Features

To Find Success, Butchers Stay Close to Home

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by Nichol Nelson, Posted May 27th 2010 @ 4:00PM

Photo: Getty Images

The shift toward local, sustainable eating has gone beyond farmers markets, CSAs, and restaurant menus and into a bloodier realm: butcher shops. In search of meat with traceable origins, consumers are bypassing mega-market meat counters in favor of small butchers where local cuts are king.

"Our goal was to create a place where people can come and feel good about what they eat," Joshua Applestone told Slashfood, who started Fleisher's Grass-fed & Organic Meats in Kingston, NY, with his wife Jessica in 2004. Their philosophy is paying off -- literally. Fleisher's has been a smashing success, drawing national attention (Applestone has been in a number of food publications and recently appeared on Martha Stewart's television show) and securing some of New York City's biggest restaurants as customers. All of the shop's meat comes from family-run farms and slaughterhouses within 50 miles of their operation in Kingston. Applestone says they made that choice not just to support local agriculture, but also to minimize environmental impact. (Shipping meat cross-country requires extra packaging, refrigeration, and fuel to transport.)

At John's Custom Meats in Smiths Grove, Ky., Amy Sipes and her husband John Rediess make no secret of their pride in local cuts, and they want their customers to question where mass-produced cuts originate. "Ever Wonder Where Your Dinner Comes From?" asks the banner at the top of their website. The couple is somewhat unique in that they process all of their own cattle. And what they don't raise themselves, they buy locally.

Filed under: Trends, Features

The Porterhouse's Wrasslers XXXX - Beer of the Week

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by Joshua M. Bernstein, Posted May 24th 2010 @ 5:00PM

Photo: JeremyBrooks, Flickr

Lately, nature has made no sense. Back in March, East Coast temperatures crested 70 degrees. But now it's late May, and instead of bright sun a bone-chilling rain has sunk the mercury to 50 degrees. That's just cold enough to crack a stout. Lucky duck that I am, I have a darn good Iri in the fridge.

Is it Guinness? Though I do sip the occasional creamy Guinness, my tastes run to the rich, roasty bitter end of the Irish stout spectrum. For that, I turn my taste buds to Dublin, Ireland's Porterhouse Brewing Co., the country's largest independent beer maker. Friends Liam La Hart and Oliver Hughes founded Porterhouse in 1989 with a simple mission: "They wanted to brew extraordinary beers with complex flavors," says Matthias Neidhart, of B. United International, Porterhouse's American importer.

To that end, the Porterhouse crew crafted a smooth, slightly briny oyster stout; a generously hopped Irish red ale; and the Wrasslers XXXX. It's a circa-1900s stout re-created from a bygone Irish brewery's recipe. Back then, brewers weren't afraid to make their beers flavorful, and Wrasslers follows that tasty template to perfection.

Filed under: Drinks, Features

Coq Au CheerVin - Fancy Fast Food

COMMENTS 2

by Erik R. Trinidad, Posted May 21st 2010 @ 1:00PM

Photo: Erik R. Trinidad

If you're a hungry carnivore spending any amount of time in the Carolinas, you will undoubtedly be stuffing your face with signature dishes like Carolina pulled pork or deliciously greasy fried chicken. And while you may enjoy an ice cold Carolina Pale Ale with your meal, the most cheerful way to wash it all down is with a nice glass of Carolina-born Cheerwine.

For all you Yankees who aren't privy to this sweet southern concoction, Cheerwine is a sweet and bubbly cherry soda unlike any other, with a deep burgundy color resembling a fine Pinot Noir. It's a popular soft drink in the south that is more "cheer" than "wine" (and more "cherry" than "cheer"), but we're going to pretend it's Pinot -- it looks like wine when you pour it into fancy stemware anyway.

Read on about Cheerwine and find the Fancy Fast Food "recipe" for Coq Au CheerVin after the jump...

Filed under: Fancy Fast Food, Features