Brunch has a reputation for being reserved for special occasions, like Easter or Mother’s Day. While those are excellent reasons to enjoy it, the beauty of brunch is that it’s perfect for any occasion that allows for relaxed indulgence with friends and family. We created our Tex-Mex Craft Beer Brunch menu and paired it up with delicious brews to provide the perfect excuse to enjoy brunch any time of year.

Our Migas Quiche comes straight out of Austin where we first experienced the flavors of this Tex-Mex version of scrambled eggs. We’ve added a corn tortilla crust and turned the scrambled eggs into a savory pie filled with onions, bell peppers and green chilies. If you make it a day or two ahead of when you plan to serve it, reheat it in the oven or serve it cold with salsa and salad.

This dish goes well with a malty ale, such as The Pike Brewing’s Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale. The sweetness of the malt and the light smoky flavor of this brew brings out the comforting flavors created by the Maillard reaction in the quiche.

Ever thought about time travel? If visiting the past were possible, it’s likely that most readers would wander into a pub to try the beer. Imagine comparing today’s beers with their predecessors, discovering how they smelled and tasted.

Time travel doesn’t exist, but one can fly to Dayton, Ohio to delve into beer’s past. Dayton is home to the country’s only historic production brewery, Carillon Brewing Company. Part museum, all brewery, Carillon is a unique product of Dayton History, a non-profit committed to preserving the Gem City’s past. The brewery is the latest addition to the 65-acre Carillon Historical Park, which features buildings and exhibits that date from the city’s founding in 1796 to the present, including one of the Wright Brothers’ flyers.

Editor's Choice Events

Bacon and Beer Classic
New York City, NY
April 22 - 23

In the world of culinary arts, there are some flawless combinations. Peanut butter and jelly? Yummy. Strawberries and bananas? Yes please. Tortilla chips and salsa? Can’t get enough. However, there is one pairing that inspires extreme devotion and has also birthed an entire genre of festivals nationwide. I’m speaking, of course, of the almighty duo of bacon and craft beer.

In fact, this combination is so revered that one of our Editor’s Choice events this issue focuses solely on that pairing. We’re proud to announce that the Bacon and Beer Classic is an Editor’s Choice for our spring 2016 issue!

Judging Process
Our reviews are conducted in a single-blind tasting format. This method provides the best opportunity to rely on facts and to avoid favoritism, ensuring a level playing field for all brewers. It serves both the industry and the consumer to have unbiased and objective scores from qualified experts. To best implement this approach, the Judges Review is open to those with established experience as a Master Cicerone® from the Cicerone® Certification Program or as a judge that has accomplished the rank of National or higher from the Beer Judge Certification Program. In the single blind tasting format, judges are presented with a chilled, properly poured beer and given its style category. Scoring is then done on the following basis using a 100-point scale:

Score Breakdown
100 to 96: World Class – You need this beer in your life.
95 to 91: Exceptional – Don’t hesitate.
90 to 86: Very Good – A brew to savor.
85 to 75: Average – Somewhat unimpressive.
74 and below: Not Recommended – Just walk away.

97 Rating – DESTIHL Brewery – Wild Sour Series: Flanders Red

Responses from DESTIHL's founder and brewmaster Matt Potts.

Who came up with this beer's recipe?
I did.

What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)? 
Flanders Red is a unique representation of this style with deep flavors of tart cherries, making it one of the more unique canned sours on the market.

Where does this beer’s name come from? 
The Wild Sour Series as a whole gets its name from the fact that we have never purchased a sour culture from a lab, and that our wild microflora strain used in all of our sour beers was naturally cultured from the local terroir.

WEST 
(AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY)

Hop Turn IPA
Alaskan Brewing Co.
Juneau, AK

Meltdown Double IPA
Midnight Sun Brewing Co.
Anchorage, AK

Pineapple Sculpin
Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits
San Diego, CA

Watermelon Dorado
Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits
San Diego, CA

Pace Car Racer
Bear Republic Brewing Co.
Healdsburg, CA

Natura Morta Boysenberry
Green Flash Brewing Co.
San Diego, CA

Hooloomooloo
Modern Times Beer
San Diego, CA

by Carolyn Smagalski 

Wolf in Cask Clothing

On the silver screen, bravery manifests itself through larger-than-life adventure and a cast of thousands. But in real life, even a common British nurse can earn the title of hero. During World War I, Edith Cavell, a Red-cross nurse from Swardeston England, assisted in the escape of over 200 Allied servicemen from German-occupied Brussels to Holland. She faced a firing squad in 1915, just before her 50^th birthday. Her execution stunned Europe.

In a show of unity, two national newspapers established the Cavell Nurses’ Trust in 1917, which still functions today, serving nurses in times of personal hardship.

In the tiny city of Bree, in the upper right-hand corner of Belgium, Bert van Hecke is meticulously crafting B.O.M., or Belgian Original Maltbakery packages with a glint in his eye.

Before you dial Interpol, these aren’t your standard incendiary devices. These packages are chock-full of personally-roasted malt, along with meticulously-blended hops and sugars designed as ready-to-brew kits for professional brewers. Only the creator knows exactly what’s inside.

Bert van Hecke is the founder of B.O.M. Brewery, which is not a brewery in the traditional sense, but a gypsy brewing and malt roasting company.

Bert van Hecke is the founder of B.O.M. Brewery, which is not a brewery in the traditional sense, but a gypsy brewing and malt roasting company.

Creature Comforts Brewing Co., the highly acclaimed home of Tropicalia IPA, will debut its third bottle release this weekend. Emergence is an American Wild Ale aged in wine barrels for over a year.

Following the wild success of its first two bottled offerings, See The Stars Imperial Stout and Brettomatic Hoppy Pale Ale, Emergence will surely be hard to find after its debut this weekend.

Here is a release from Creature Comforts:

ATHENS (March 4, 2016) – Creature Comforts Brewing Company is set to release its first 750-mL bottle of 2016 early this March. Emergence is a balanced, mixed culture, tart blonde ale fermented in wine barrels for a full year. This limited-release beer has an ABV of 6.2 percent and is Creature Comforts' second barrel-aged Brettanomyces beer to be released in 2016. Emergence is a beer that Creature Comforts uses to showcase the beauty of wine flavors and nuances of oak fermentation that can be developed in a beer when using fresh barrels.    

PARTNERS
Flying Saucer Draught Emporium
Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers
The Original Craft Beer Club