"Wheat" news and stories

If you're a big fan of Sierra Nevada Wheat, you might want to begin stocking up now...

Earlier in the week, I passed along information from a Sierra Nevada press release announcing the addition of a new year-round offering due later in 2009 called Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen, a German-style wheat beer. In that post, I stated: "My only question would be that...Sierra Nevada already has a wheat beer: The aptly named Sierra Nevada Wheat. Obviously wheat beers come in many different styles...but it'll be interesting to see how these co-exist."

Well, after speaking with a number of representatives from Sierra Nevada during Philly Beer Week, co-exist they will not. "Kellerweis will replace the Wheat," stated Assistant Brewmaster Terence Sullivan, which was later confirmed by one of the sales reps. Turns out Sierra Nevada Wheat, an American-style wheat beer, has seen slumping sales for quite some time now, and though the beer has been with the company since it's early days, they've decided its time to part way.

It's a sensible move: At the time of its conception, Wheat was one of the first of its kind, but the beer is a bit mild by today's standards. Kellerweis will have more of the bold flavors we've come to associate with a Sierra Nevada beer. And enthusiasm over the Kellerweis was running extremely high. "We can not wait for people to try this beer" was a regular refrain from the SN team. Send one my way, boys!

Locally milled, boutique flour is a growing trend.

Grande dame of Italian cookbooks Marcella Hazan has a new memoir.

A classic Frank Bruni takedown of a restaurant that's more about seeing and being seen than the food.

Eric Asimov writes about a radical California winery.

The Minimalist does summer soup.

An uncooked plum sauce is perfect for drizzling over pork tenderloin. With recipe.

Source

I've always been thankful that I'm not allergic to anything. I breathe a sigh of relief every time I get to say "not that I know of" when the doctor asks if I'm allergic to anything. At the same time, I've always felt really bad for people who do suffer from food allergies. Lactose intolerance? You poor thing! What? You can't eat wheat/bread? I just don't think I could make it.

I realize that if you are one of the people who can't eat certain foods you get used to it and take it in stride. And of course, food labels are enormously useful in helping people avoid those dangerous foods. Even though there are more, manufacturers are required to list the top eight, which are responsible for 90% of allergic reactions. I'm sure all of these look familiar to any careful label reader!

1. wheat
2. soy
3. peanuts
4. tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, etc)
5, milk
6. eggs
7. fish
8. shellfish

I love bread, but I don't let myself eat too much of it. The reason? Like so many other people in the US, I am concerned about my waistline. Don't get me wrong, I eat bread. I just try to eat it in moderation. However my days of limited bread consumption may soon be over, as cereal scientists are working on creating a kind of wheat that produces flour with fewer available calories.

When I first saw this article at Inventor Spot, I was mighty skeptical. The title and early portion of the article make it seem as though the wheat being developed actually has fewer calories. However, as I read further, I realized that the wheat simply has fewer available calories. Because of the way the wheat is genetically altered, a portion of the calories are indigestible by our stomach acids and acts more like dietary fiber.

I know that the wheat currently available is genetically modified, but it's not the kind of GM wherein genes from another species is introduced. Instead, certain aspects of the wheat's genetic information have been turned off. Cereal scientists are working on growing this wheat by natural breeding rather than genetic modification.

If you're wondering where I got all this information, I have a secret weapon. My friend the cereal scientist explained Inventor Spot's article, albeit in pretty technical language. If you want to read what he has to say on this subject, just continue reading after the jump.

My favorite summer indulgence, by far, is the Sea Dog BluePaw wheat ale. Of the several blueberry/wheat beer concoctions I've tried, Sea Dog is the smoothest, with the most natural, satisfying blueberry taste. It's a strong, solid ale with just a hint of real Maine blueberries, and no fake aftertaste.

But the best part isn't just the beer: it's what comes in it when you order. In Boston, at least, it comes to you with a smattering of fresh blueberries floating on top. Each surrounded by teeny bubbles, as you sip, they slowly sink down to the bottom, resulting in quite a pleasing display of physics (trust me, the process becomes more entertaining with each glass).

My friend and I started calling it the "poor man's sangria." But you can also call it delicious.