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!

More Aussie beer!

Also of note at Beer Deluxe- Murray's Retro Rocket, a 2.8% IPA! I snuck one of these in too, because, why not? And declared it just grand, and full o' hoppy goodness.

What I didn't try? Feral Hop Hog- barrel-aged IPA, Wig & Pen Kembery Kolsch, Murray's Whale Ale wheat,  Boatrocker German Pils, & Scream Time (Thunder Bay) Steam beer.

Here's a peak at the Big Board O' beer at the other great Melbourne beer bar, The Local Taphouse. I snuck in for two quick beers, (and got scolded by my mum when I got home,) and enjoyed the "Doctor's Orders Synapse", a black saison, and  Moo Broo Imperial Stout.

The tap list at The Local Taphouse.

Yay! Free time!

Seeing as how my mum is doing great, I gave myself a night off from nursemaid/housemaid duties, and headed to "The City" to the wonderful Beer Deluxe. Three beers and three snacks later, and I'm happy as pie!

Double-fisted dinner. Raconteur IPA from Prickly Moses brewery with red lentil fritters.
Mountain Goat/ Matilda Bay collaboration abbey Dubbel with Spanish chorizo and poached figs with a sweet chili glaze.

The IPA was a classic American IPA chock-full of Cascade, Centennial & Chinook. 6.5% ABV, nice toasty malt, and great balance. A wonderfully tangerine citrusy IPA. It was kick-off night and I met the brewer.

The second dish was a plethora of different flavors- not something I would have made myself, but it did work well with the beer, which was a fruity, lightish-bodied abbey dubbel with some licorice notes.



I'm not much of a dessert person, but needed an excuse to order Murray's Black Night Porter.
And here it is- rich, creamy Panna Cotta. Perfect with the porter which had notes of dark fruit and a wee bit of roastiness.



Is beer a substitute for the company of one's husband? Round 2.

I think not.

But hey, there's some good beers here. And- I just realised I forgot to open that Young's Bitter with my roast lamb!!  

Is beer a substitute for the company of one's husband?

I'm doing my best to find out.

Adventures in the Antipodes.....

(....or not.)
I had to take a quick trip back to Melbourne, Australia recently to take care of some family business, and I didn't have ANY spare time, so I didn't get to any bars, breweries or restaurants. But, the good news is that the local bottle shops had plenty of good beers to keep in the fridge at my mum's place, including a few I'd not tried before, and the local food shops offerred a plethora of fantastic fresh fare for me to cook.

The beer on the far left was a simple lager brewed with NZ Nelson Sauvignon hops, and was delicious. The Pepperjack was a beer mixed with some Shiraz grapes and made in the Barossa Valley. Little Creatures was the staple in my fridge, along with Melbourne's Mountain Goat Brewery's Steam Beer (not pictured.)

 

 

 My mum lives in a predominately Greek area, and the local shopping centre reflected this with an abundance of fish markets featuring fresh octopus and fresh sardines! Cooked simply in a little garlic and olive oil, the elusive (to Detroit, anyway) sardines were just superb (though my mum said she preferred the canned ones!). Another evening saw us feasting on giant fresh shrimp over linguine. And another on duck breast with a pomegranate and balsamic reduction sauce. And, I can't forget the freshly caught rabbit, courtesy of a friend of my mum's, braised with prunes and James Squire Porter, and accompanied with Tasmania's Cascade Stout.

My only free two hours during the whole time away saw me at Acland Cellars, an amazing bottle shop that specializes in imports that nobody else has. Check out what I found there......(and the prices!)

Alaskan Smoked Porter!!

I resisted the urge to buy the Consecration to bring back with me, but kicked myself as I was eating the duck breast......

Have a Bonzer Australia Day!

Aussies love Two Hearted Ale....

See?
Our friends Miro and Barney, the Beer Ambassadors from Melbourne (Australia) spent the day (yesterday) having beery adventures in Michigan. After picking them up at the Amtrak station in Detroit (where they'd arrived from Utica, NY) we went on a wee tour of downtown Detroit, and then headed home for a brief stop so they could have a nice fresh homebrewed Kolsch, made by Mr Cicerone. Then- on to Merchant's for some beer shopping, and then to Ann Arbor where we lunched at the Jolly Pumpkin Cafe. I enjoyed the smoked tofu salad with some Luciernaga (on tap). The guys drank Bam & Bam Noire, and had the magnificent truffled fries, and a pizza each, which they proclaimed to be quite delicious. Ron & Laurie Jeffries chatted to us at the cafe, and then the affable Mr Turriff, AKA The Big Banana, took us on a tour of the brewery- a must for any out-of-town beer nerd.A stop at home to scoop up Mr Cicerone, and then on to Slows BarBQ for beers and dinner. Lots of meat and beers later - Dogfish Festina Peche, Liberty Street Clementine Lemon Thyme (exactly as it sounds, and delicious!), Rochester Mills Cornerstone IPA, Arcadia Angler's Ale, Celis White & Pandemonium Pale Ale- we headed home to taste the wares at Chez Cicerone and howl at the moon. This included Mr Cicerone's Rye Peppercorn Pale Ale, Batch 300 Rye Barley Wine, "Buster" Helles Doppelbock, and some Short's Anniversary Wheat Wine, Bahnhoff Berliner Weisse & Leipziger Gose that Barney & Miro had purchased at Merchant's. At this point I cried "Uncle", we abandoned the Brooklyn Black OPS that was supposed to have been a part of the evening's offerings, and we retired for the evening.

This morning, after a breakfast of Mr Cicerone's IPA, I dropped the guys at the Amtrak station, (along with the aformentioned Brooklyn Black OPS and a couple of cups) where they headed for Chicago. As I write, they are sitting at Hopleaf with Mr Daniels himself, enjoying the beers, food and hospitality of that wonderful establishment.

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The Aussies are Coming!

Our friends Barney and Miro, aka the Beer Ambassadors, are stopping over in Detroit tomorrow on their way to Chicago. We will be showing them our beery best, and have even prepared the bottle fridge to help them feel at home:


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Look! A Shiny Thing!

Life's been hairier than usual at Chez Cicerone, thus the lack of posts. We'll hopefully be posting from the AHA conference in Minneapolis this coming week, for all of you who cannot be there.

Meanwhile, check out what some of our friends from Oz are up to on their visit to the States: Beer Ambassadors! Good times....

Meat- the Aussie way

Rissoles
Fancy some Vintage Rump?
First time I've ever seen this (I'm serious!)....


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Aussie Retail recap

There are a lot of great imports available in Aussie beer stores, and way more USA craft beer than when we there 4 years ago.


More recent additions to the scene are Sierra Nevada, Great Divide, Left Hand, Firestone Walker (and we can't get it in Michigan!), Anchor, Flying Dog, Dogfish Head and Stone beers.

Note the prices above......that would be $28.99 for a 6pk of Sam Adams Boston Lager, $9.50 for an 11.2oz of Hitachino, $34.99 for a 6pk of Stone Oaked AB.

The average cost for a 6pack of locally-made craft beer was $20. Australia is not a cheap place to live!

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Our final hurrah

Our last night in Oz called for a special meal. That would be "fish & chips". The Australian way. Which means flake, heavily battered and deep fried, or "grilled", which means lightly battered sprinkled and fried on a hotplate. Mandatory sides (for me!) are potato cakes- thick slices of potato battered and deep fried, dim sims ***- steamed for me and fried for Mr Cicerone, chips (fries- thick cut), and battered and deep fried scallops, which have the roe attached (I am yet to find a scallop here that has the roe, and I have certainly looked). Other popular sides that did not grace our table that evening are battered and deep fried banana and pineapple, and chiko rolls.
NOTE- STEAMED & FRIED DIM SIMS NEXT TO POTATO CAKE, AND SCALLOPS (batter removed for photo) WITH ROE. And yes, that is a Red Hook glass, acquired by my bro-in-law while visiting here, and filled with Mountain Goat Hightail Ale.

This meal is not (but should be) featured in "This Is Why You're Fat".

***Anyone see Muriel's Wedding? When Muriel was discussing her fictitious boyfriend with Rhonda, and was asked his name, Muriel stuttered "Eeer, Tim. Tim.....Sims. Tim Sims." I saw the movie at its debut at the Chicago International Film Fest and was the only person in the room that laughed.

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Your Parma Update

This has been your parma update.

More Notable Snacks

We're winding down, getting bags packed for an early departure tomorrow, readying ourselves for tearful farewells, and looking back at some pretty fair fare...

Highlights:

YOUNG & JACKSON'S


Moreton Bay Bug spring rolls with lime dipping sauce
Salt & pepper calamari
Mountain Goat Steam Ale and Little Creatures Bright Ale

BEER DELUXE

First foray...


Bruschetta with boquerones
Grilled artichoke hearts, olives
Marinated mushrooms
Proscuitto

Lunch the next day....


Octopus Galician-style with sweet paprika
Fried whitebait with aoli
Semolina gnocchi with sage butter (On left, not dumplings, but thick slabs.)
Frites with aoli
We enjoyed a peppery saison from Temple brewing, and Mountain Goat Riwaka Pale Ale, with these delicious snacks.

ROYSTON'S


Peppered rare kangaroo fillet atop greens, with feta, olives, cucumber and red onion, enjoyed with Epic Brewing's pale ale
Chick pea and semi-dried tomato stew with fried halloumi, enjoyed with Mountain Goat Hightail, and Temple Special Bitter.

LOCAL TAPHOUSE


Charcuterie platter- prosciutto, pancetta, roasted eggplant, roasted zucchini, roasted red pepper, and O!, the most wonderful smooth, rich and luscious chicken liver pate (which we will be attempting to reproduce very soon).
Cheese platter with quince paste and dried fruits. The cheeses were not identified, but one was a washed rind "moderately stinky" cows milk, one was something akin to a gruyere, and one was a rich buttery triplecream.
All enjoyed with Bridge Rd Chevalier saison, and Mountain Goat Rapunzel.

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Beer At The Source

We had the opportunity to visit the Mountain Goat brewery this past Friday night. Wednesday and Friday nights, they open a bar in one half of the warehouse that is home to the brewhouse equipment.


It appears to be very popular with people of all ages, and one reason has to be the beer. We enjoyed a couple pints of the excellent Riwaka pale ale, and Mrs. Cicerone had a pot of Hightail Ale dispensed through a Randall full of Galaxy hops. Your humble correspondent found the Randallized beer to be far too chlorophyllic to enjoy, but Mrs. Cicerone didn't mind. The Riwaka hops, derived from cross breeding Saaz with a New Zealand strain, give a fine, smooth, citrusy and floral character, without any noticeable harshness or pungency. At 4.8%, it's pushing the limits of what I'd call a session beer, but its smooth drinkability and many flavor nuances keep it interesting across multiple pints. Also on tap was Rapunzel, a strong Belgian golden ale, but we were wary of such strong beer before dinner. 'Twould have to wait for another time and place....

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Here's the koala

That would be us with pots of Koala Pale Ale, an American style pale, courtesy of Rusty Waters/Phillip Island Brewing who just happened to have their taproom right next door to our cabin at Phillip Island we just spent the past few days at... Noice!

Memorable Beer Excursions

THE LOCAL TAPROOM
Wow. A great find. Incredible beer selection, knowledgable staff, beautiful draft system, appropriate glassware. We drank us some fine beers on a couple of different occasions, and heard us some err, not so fine singing by a duo, one of who was sporting the strangest "hair do" I've seen. Some highlights:
Bridge Rd Chevalier Saison
Coopers Extra Stout- on tap! Even better than anticipated.
Feral Brewing JME10, a limited release Shiraz barrel-aged Belgian-style strong ale.
Mountain Goat Rapunzel Tripel
James Squire Orchard Ale

Check out the draft list:



BEER DELUXE

A second wonderful experience. We were treated like royalty, and drank of the establishment's finest. Matilda Bay's unfiltered Alpha Pale Ale, Murray's Extra Porter, Holgate UXB (a strong bitter brewed especially for Beer DeLuxe, and O! it was marvelous), Moonshine Scotch Ale, Holgate Beelzebub - a Pinot Noir barrel-aged dry-hopped barley wine, and later that evening, (after we returned from a quick one at the James Squire brewpub,



and our Mrs Parmas adventure,) Murray's Anniversary Ale, a French oak-aged barley wine that was elegant and nuanced.


And yes, that's Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale (2004- our anniversary beer) and Bell's Expedition Stout in the background. We took these, and a bottle of Founders Nemesis to share with the Beer DeLuxe folk. All were extremely happy and declared Nemesis to be one of the best beers they'd had. Once again I'll say that the staff at Beer Deluxe are truly fantastic. Their knowledge and passion for great beer is remarkable. Thanks (again) Barney, Wilson, and all the staff at Beer DeLuxe for a memorable 6th wedding anniversary.

Some Retail Opportunities

We are able to buy a few British beers here that we can't get at home, despite being a wee bit farther away now. Right now we are revisiting the remarkable Golden Glory, which we enjoyed last time we were here. It's an English Summer Ale flavored with Saaz and peach blossom extract. It has a peachy, floral aroma, medium bitterness, and a moderate clean maltiness. We also enjoyed Badger's First Gold, a single hop varietal bitter, which was fine, indeed. A can of Brain's bitter had us both grinning, and Worthington's White Shield, a real Burton pale ale, is still a minerally, hoppy wonder. We also have acquired a bottle of Fuller's Golden Pride that will be coming home with us, and a bottle of Mann's Brown Ale that might....

Mostly, though, we're drinking Aussie beer. The craft beer scene has exploded here in the last few years, and we're not going to be able to sample everything even in our immediate vicinity. Tonight we are going to sample the beers at the brewpub right next door to where we're staying. (No conceivable excuse for skipping that....)

The great Melbournian delicacy

"Parma", as in "chicken/veal parmigiana". It's everywhere. It was a staple of every pub's "counter meal" during my "night out at the pub" days in the 70's & 80's, and there it still was during our last trip to Oz in 2006, the notice outside every pub proudly advertising "Pot & Parma". **

A quick foray into the Elsternwick pub the other day did not fail to disappoint with the sight of a well-dressed business woman lunching alone on, you guessed it, a Parma.

And, behold this sign outside a pub we passed recently.

Field research led us to "Mrs Parmas" , a restaurant devoted entirely to the art of Parma prep, for dinner over the weekend (it was actually recommended to us for its good beer menu!)And, here 'tis.....Eggplant "Parmageddon" for Mr Cicerone, and Veal Parma atop a bed of mushy peas for me. Good beer-sopping food indeed!

** A "pot" over here is a 10oz glass of beer.....