Dai Nippon Jin...ger

Every two weeks or so we "treat" our friends to "Movie Night At The New Burton Theatre". This past weekend we screened a favourite, Dai Nippon Jin  (Big Man Japan).

9 of our friends (who *used* to love us) came by for dinner and the movie. Taking advantage of the Japanese theme, we dined on such delicacies as vinegared squid, seaweed-wrapped rice crackers, shrimp-flavoured chips,  edamame, oshinko, peanut milk soup (nobody actually tried this), and for the main course, udon noodle bowls with "add your own" chicken, "shabu-shabu" pork slices, shitakes, lotus root, baby bok choy, fried tofu and some very strange-looking mutant mushrooms that were delicious, wok-cooked with garlic and ginger.

Beers were plentiful; taking advantage, again, of the Japanese theme, we indulged in the wonderfully innovative beers from the Kiuchi brewery in Japan, enjoying JCA, Red Rice Ale, 3 Days Sour, and their Yuzu wine. (Plus some Karatamba sake, a favourite of mine).......

.....and, Mr Cicerone's titular Dai Nippon Jinger, and Smelly Monster IPA (We'd forgotten that the creature was actually called "Stink Monster").

Hai!

Happy Australia Day!

"This here's the wattle, symbol of our land. You can stick it in a bottle, you can hold it in your hand."

It's Australia Day. January 26. It commemorates the arrival at Botany Bay, Sydney Cove, of the First Fleet, led by Captain Arthur Phillip, declaring "here we are", in 1788.

For us it means another excuse to cook, eat and drink beer. Shame on me, but due to poor forward planning on my part I failed to secure the ingredients to make such Aussie delicacies as sausage rolls, pavlova, or a favourite, rabbit and prunes braised in Cooper's Stout. So, we ended up eating a pork tenderloin sauteed in a chipotle salsa, with Mexican rice. Delicious, but hardly Australian fare! (Beers to go with were Mikkeller Chipotle Porter, Mmmmm!, and Mr Cicerone's big, malty Citra IPA, which was a perfect malty contrast to the spicy salsa.). Post dinner Sam Adams Vixen proved to be lovely; but I couldn't find much chili flavour.. Chocolate- yes, slightly, and this beer DID taste like bock (malt forward, rich, pruney notes like Celebrator), and maybe just a HINT of cinnamon. (I wonder, if at a couple of months old, the chili notes have died already.) Regardless, it's quite lovely, and a nice follow up to dinner.

Here's to all things Dinki Di!

A belated New year's Eve post....

....in pictures.
 The evening started with  Bell's Q. Falls with cheese, and a great brown ale from Cisco of Nantucket.

Whiteout Wit from Anchorage, fermented wit Bret. Wow.

Say no more....(as good as ever.)

It's back after an absence, though this was an older bottle that held up really well.

When I looked at the pictures the next day I found this one.....Huh? When? Who?

This Week in Beer Packaging

Logbook notes:

#355 SunuvaBuster: Burnt toffee, bitter chocolate, coffee in aroma, bitter choc and coffee dominate flavor, long bittersweet Centennial finish. Dark, dark brown verging on black.

#356 Matmos: Veeerry faint spice, cardamom. Faint traces of ginger and cardamom in flavor. Lightly malty, a bit earthy from rye. Might be a faint cayenne heat in there somewhere. Clear dark amber.

#354 Buster 2011: Racked into 2 5 gallon carboys, each containing 2-1/4 lbs. coarsely chopped prunes. Good attenuation so far, down to 1.032 from 1.113. Bitter, roasty, sweet, alcoholic; a long ways to go, yet.

Movie must!

Jiro Dreams Of Sushi. Can't wait!