Beer Diary...

The evenings in San Miguel this time of year are clear and warm and the streets are uncrowded. It feels perfect for stepping out for a few beers with friends. I had heard of a recent addition to the San Miguel bar scene, a place called Drinks , that boasts a wide selection of specialty wines and hard to find Mexican and import beers. So, armed with an unquenchable thirst, I went to meet a couple beer loving friends to see if Drinks has what it takes to satisfy my desires for a good ale in Mexico. This discrete establishment is just a niche in one of the historic colonial structures located close to the jardin but carries a wide variety of interesting beer. Owner, Jose Antonio opened for business just six months ago after being so impressed with the quality of a barley wine he sampled that was brewed by Cucapa Brewing. He launched Drinks on the premise that, like himself, the people of Mexico are ready to expand their beer interests beyond the traditional 'claro and obscura...

Wow, what a week! My brewing adventures in Mexico this year culminated in another successful beer event held at 'El Burrito Bistro' in San Miguel de Allende. Owner Noren, came up with a great food pairing for the beers again this year. The meal began with appetizers to match my IIPA, a main course selection of either lamb, salmon or eggplant that paired well with a honey ale and dessert burritos with vanilla ice cream for the weizenbock. Everyone gave great praise for the food and the beer. Because we held this dinner late in the season here, the turn out was about half of what it was last year which led to a stress free evening compared to last year's frenzy. I got caught up in the moment, serving and talking about the beers with people, and didn't get the pictures I wanted. Fortunately, my friend Carlos sent me a few he had taken of the appetizer and dessert. Alas, no shots of the main course. Double India Pale Ale Weizenbock with dessert We've been her...

Guest writer and owner of 'El Burrito Bistro' Noren Caceres, writes about the upcoming event at her restaurant in San Miguel that matches homebrew with her specially designed menu. Second Annual Artisan Ale and Food Pairing Mark Taylor, Californian "Professor" of home-brew, is back with three San Miguel brewed ales to share with fellow beer lovers. His beer is not like what we pop open on a hot day or wash down with a spicy bite. His are flavors for thought, aromas that bear recollections, ales that develop and transform with each sip. This year Mark's brew is strong. Ales that taunt your palate between bitter and sweet, rich in hops, grains and spices, along with a high alcohol volume, creating a unique beer tasting experience. Pairing these beers with food is a challenge. Each beer is so rich, complex and complete on its own. The Imperial IPA is a beer "all about the hops," describes Mark. And indeed it is. It reminded me of a store I worked at during ...

Back in the day when I was fermenting in glass carboys and bottling my beer, I always came up against my feelings of intimidation when it was time to start a siphon, racking from one vessel to the next. My worries came from an exaggerated fear of contamination as I stumbled to get the flow started and fought with hoses as I lost it completely and attempted to start it over again. But after a short time I quickly became proficient at it and now it comes as second nature. These days, even though I use fermenters with valves for easy transfer, there is still the occasion when it's necessary for me to siphon and I also teach the technique in my brewing classes . The following steps illustrate what I have found to be the easiest and most effective way to siphon for the least cost in materials. Granted, there are some brewing devices on the market like Morebeers' sterile siphon starter and Northern Brewers' auto siphon , but this post is to show the beginner how easy and inexpen...

I'm going a little off the path of beer here, with a short review of this interesting find. While scanning the limited selection of beers in the local supermercado recently, desperately hoping for a miracle, (like stumbling across a Belgian ale or some other unique beer that had mysteriously slipped across the border undetected, and landed here on my grocery isle), an unusual product caught my eye and prompted me to spend some of my rapidly evaporating pesos. Not beer, no, but a canned and carbonated alcoholic beverage non the less. Cabrito, the tequila embued grapefruit drink. Not just plain old grapefruit juice but "El autentico de Toronja!" according to the label. Reading the can, I discovered that this modestly alcoholic beverage (5.8% abv) is made of carbonated water, tequila blanco, sugar and grapefruit concentrate. Tequila Cabrito or tequila kid ( like the goat ) in english, is a product made by the Tequila Centinela company in Jalisco, Mexico. From the Centi...