99 Bottles of Beer…

Yesterday we took the thought of “quenching” the summer thirst to a whole new level. Let’s just say we not only quenched our thirst for delicious brew, we indulged our appetites for great Cincinnati stories, and left the table hungrier to learn more about the science of beer-making.

No doubt you’ll agree that nothing sounds better than an ice-cold beer on any one of these recent roasty toasty days.  Well, yesterday we took the thought of “quenching” the summer thirst to a whole new level.  Of special guest Jason Roeper of Rivertown Brewery, Molly, Caitlin, and I asked the tough questions about home-brewing, craft-drafting, and heavy hop-lifting on our 55KRC show What’s HOT.  Let’s just say we not only quenched our thirst for delicious brew, we indulged our appetites for great Cincinnati stories, and left the table hungrier to learn more about the science of beer-making.

So Much to Learn

While I am a big fan of classic beer commercials—“real men of genius,” “tastes great/less filling,” “whatsuuuuuup?!?”—I’ll confess that going into the show I didn’t know a corny from a hop.  In fact, with the exception of their curvy glasses and the colorful fruits that decorate a good pour, I’m not sure I had a clue as to how to appreciate beer at all.  And now that I roll with a home-brewing crew (wink, wink), depending upon whom you ask, the aforementioned ads may be the only piece of the beers they promote that is, in fact, worthy of appreciation.  What I’ve learned is that for the drinkers to whom taste and experience matters, an honor-worthy beer is made in small batches, cooked for hours, and fermented for weeks under the watchful eyes of true craftspeople.  (Oh, and that a corny is a keg, and a hop is an ingredient.)

If you missed the live broadcast, you can catch the podcast right here.  You’ll be delighted by the efforts of people like Jason of Rivertown Brewery, Carla and Tom of Hoperatives.com, and Greg of CornyKeg.com to bring awareness and accessibility to the artistry of home-brewing and craft beers.  And you’ll be downright dazzled by the heavy medal Jason’s won along the way for his beer.  For nearly ten years before Rivertown even opened its doors, Jason was raking in the accolades for his craftsmanship.

New Uses for Old Beer

Now that you’re all lathered up about boutique beers—you know where to find them, how to make them, how best to enjoy them—I offer you some new ways to make use of the old beers in your fridge.  Since your wouldn’t want to waste the ones that “taste great” and are “less filling” before you replace them with the potable art, turn them into ingredients with the following recipes:

(Seasonless) Winter Brew pictured above

Man-inator Burger

Beer-Braised Pork Shoulder with Homemade BBQ Sauce
Beer Bread