Resonant Constellation

250 years ago, Arthur Guinness signed a 9000 year lease for his St. James Gate brewery. While it may not be the best beer out there, you can always count on a Guinness to be satisfying. Let’s all raise a glass!

I believe I have discovered a project for the summer: making different types of bread. Last night, I had a great time making a rosemary bread (this was a yeast-intensive recipe that allowed me to get my hands dirty kneading), which turned out surprisingly well for my first attempt. Emboldened, I am now baking something called “Beer Bread.” With a name like that, how can I resist? I used Sam Adams Black Lager-we’ll see how it turns out. It already smells AMAZING and it has about 30 minutes left to go in the oven. If you are interested, here’s a link to the recipe:

BEER BREAD!

Om nom nom.

UPDATE: The bread is delicious beyond all expectations. I highly recommend it.

I have discovered that there are many things which heighten the enjoyment of beer, including temperature, environment, and glassware. These quantities are easy to control, but until recently I had very little glassware. I began with the Dogfish Head english pint glass that I won in a contest at a local pizza place and my Star Trek: The Experience mug. This is certainly better than nothing, but I wanted a bit more, so I began my first beer side-quest.

Next, I sought out and purchased a sampler pack of Chimay beer, a Trappist monk brewed masterpiece. The sampler pack includes a Chimay glass, a type of vessel known as a Trappist glass. It is basically a bowl with a stem and stand, and greatly improves the enjoyment of Trappist beers. Every time I pour into this glass, the ratio of head to beer is absolutely perfect, creating a very pleasing visual element to the experience.

I was satisfied with this arrangement for a little while, until I realized that most of the types of beers I was having were not meant to be served in the kinds of glasses I had. I then sought out and purchased (with the very last bit of money from a christmas gift card) what is known as a Larger glass. This is a taller, flared glass with gently curving sides. The effect is rather elegant when combined with a golden-colored beer, such as the Widmer Hefeweizen I am currently sampling:

As it turns out, I’ve now had this beer in three different glasses, and the Larger glass is by far my favorite. While it may not be exactly the right kind of glass for this beer (that would be a Weizen), it is very close, and complements the features of the beer nicely. If you have the opportunity to experiment with beer glasses, I strongly suggest it. Not only is it a fun process, it is also tasty!