Lots of beer and other things this time I promise!!!

Well this weeks has a lot of different things in it. I hope you all had a good Christmas and before I forget I hope you all have a great New Year. Looking forward to 2008 I plan on actually adding some real interviews into the pubcast instead of just me rambling all the time on random things

I've got Yuengling in here, some Magic Hat, Genny Cream Ale and others that you might want to take a look at. Also I visited Lunar once more.. Like that is something unusual. No Lodge this week but you can bet I will be there next week!

Two kind of neat articles
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Commissions Solar Array
and
St. Pauli Girl Readies 2008 Poster for January Debut

Ok I'll admit the last one is because the Paulie girls are hot!!!

Ok links and junk
Yuengling
http://www.yuengling.com/index.htm
Magic Hat
http://www.magichat.net/
Genny
http://www.highfalls.com/
Daffins Candy
http://www.daffins.com/
Me!!
http://murphyspubcast.mypodcast.com/index.html

Recipe!


Beer Cheese Soup
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Soups/Stews
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 cup butter
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon mustard
8 cups chicken broth
1 12 oz. can beer -- preferably flat
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
chopped fresh parsley
1. In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add celery, carrots,
and onion; sauté until tender but not brown. Remove vegetables with a
slotted spoon, reserving butter in soup pot. Place vegetables into a food
processor or blender; whirl until smooth; set aside.
2. In the soup pot over medium hat, make a roux with reserved butter, flour,
and mustard. Gradually add chicken broth, stirring constantly. Reduce heat
to medium-low and cook 10 to 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture
just comes to a gentle boil and is thickened.
3. Reduce heat to low. Add beer and stir to combine. Mix in pureed
vegetables and Cheddar cheese; simmer another 20 minutes, stirring
occasionally, until cheese is melted. Remove from heat. Serve in soup bowls
topped with Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Flossmore, Galway Tribes, and a good beer week.

This week I had a chance to travel a bit and try some new beers. I started out at The Lodge as I normally do, I had Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence. This was a very good beer. Deep rich dark chocolate and beer.. what else could one ask for? The wife got her holiday bonus so we thought what the heck lets go some place new. We are dog and cat sitting this weekend and since they live on the south side we though we would got to Flossmore Station Brewery. This place is great. The atmosphere is fun and inviting close but not crowded. The food was great!! They had a beer cheese soup made with their Station Master Wheat Ale. This soup was just great. I had the Rib Eye and Gorgonzola sandwich. It is served on toasted garlic chibatta bread. The whole thing was just so tender and juicy and full of flavor.

After this we headed over to Galway Tribes in Frankfort, IL This place is an outstanding beer bar with great food and a wonderful staff. It is my south side Lodge. Same idea with lots of good beer and food. You walk into this place and they make you feel like family. The Welcome is warm and authentic. You feel as if have always been there even if it is your first time. Niall (Nile) Is the Owner and a bartender there. This man know his beer and know how to share about the beer. Friendly open and full of energy. I think the staff gets it from him. They too are very nice and very happy to help find the right food and the right beer for just about any person. You won't leave this place hungry thirsty or unsatisfied for sure! As side note they will be on Check Please. a local restaurant review show.

Ignore the rambiling bits

Link time

Listen to me at
http://murphyspubcast.mypodcast.com

Flossomore
http://www.flossmoorstation.com/index.htm

Galway Tribes
http://www.thegalwaytribes.com/

Ommegang
http://www.ommegang.com/

Check Please wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Check_Please

Bells pouring in IL and a very cool beer cellar

This week was a fun week. I had my birthday at the lodge as all of you know. The food there is just awesome. Also I picked up a Kwak gift pack and had lots of fun trying to figure out how to beer and drink the beer with that glass. After a fashion I was able to figure it out. I suggest you pick on up and try it for yourself.

I really wish I had some more beer news for you but I have been very bsuy this week with Xmas shopping and all that fun of the holidays.
Let me give you the links and stuff before I give a bit of news that I read the other day.
Coolest beer cellar
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21533483@N05/sets/72157603396620359/

Bell's
http://www.bellsbeer.com/index.php/home

Kwak Beers
http://www.bestbelgianspecialbeers.be/main_eng.html

Listen to me at
http://murphyspubcast.mypodcast.com/

Email
murphyspubcast@yahoo.com

The NEws below is from the Beeradvocate site but I found it intersting.
NEWPORT, OR (December, 2007) - On February 7, 1990, the Central Committee of the Soviet Union's Communist Party agreed to endorse President Mikhail Gorbachev's recommendation that the Party give up its 70-year long monopoly of political power. In the following weeks 15 Soviet Republics held their first elections and the Warsaw Pact was dissolved.Rogue is commemorating the historic event by launching Imperial Red on February 7th, 2008. Imperial Red is the newest addition to Rogue's award winning Imperial Family of XS products that include Old Crustacean Barleywine, Imperial Stout, Imperial India Pale Ale, and Morimoto Imperial Pilsner. The Imperial Family of XS products has been awarded 59 medals for taste and packaging, and are available in 750 ml ceramic swingtop bottles and on draft.Celebrating its second century, Rogue Ales is an Artisan Varietal Brewery founded in Oregon in 1988, as one of America's first 50 microbreweries. Rogue has 550+ awards for taste and quality and is distributed nationally and in 9 other countries. Rogue Ales also operates 9 embassies: Brewers on the Bay, Rogue Bayfront Pub, Rogue Wolf eel Cafe and the Rogue House of Spirits in Newport, OR; Rogue Distillery and Public House in Portland, OR; Eugene City Brewery in Eugene, OR; Rogue Astoria in Astoria, OR; Issaquah Brewhouse in Issaquah, WA, and Rogue Ales Public House in San Francisco, CA.

My Birthday, Craft packs, and LOTS of other random stuff

Ok this week is really random with my birthday at The Lodge, craft packs, Texas Dork Fish, and all kinds of silly things.

I'm 39 today so I think I'm just being odd.

I had a wonderful dinner with my wife today and we had a great time. Some German ladies had stopped in for lunch as well and they sang a few German songs that were just wonderful!

I talk about one of the first craft packs I ever bought from JW Dundees as well as a mixed pack from World Market.

So if you like check me out at
http://murphyspubcast.mypodcast.com/

email me at
murphyspubcast@yahoo.com

and Linkage time
North Country Brewing that will be on next week
http://www.northcountrybrewing.com/

The Lodge Beer list
http://www.bavarian-lodge.com/beerlist.html

JW Dundee's
http://www.jwdundees.com/JWDundee.aspx

and Mulled wine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glogg

Importand Day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_2

Thanks and have fun

Never take anything I say here as serious. O-Griffs is a nice place with nice people

Turkery, Accidental Aging wine and other random things

Well this week I talk about the pork dinner from last pubcast as well as dinner of at my friends house. We had a wonderful smoked turkey, home made corn bread stuffing and lots and lots of GREAT FOOD!! thanks guys

Also there is yet another gift pack so I can get more glassware YAY DUVEL!!

I give a brief explanation of how I came to better beer thru better wine. Its an odd circular route but hey it works for me. There is random things about squirrels and using beer to kill slugs.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/A_Wikimanual_of_Gardening/Slugs

Read thru it you will see it works :)

Also I had a question about some other good stouts and I give a short list of some of the ones to try
Guinness
Beamish
Murphy's Stout (family plug :) )
Young's
Victory Storm King
Old Rasputin
Edmund Fitzgerald

Also how I accidentally aged some beer that turned out great.

So that is a brief idea of what to look forward too.

Link time
Young's
http://www.youngs.co.uk/
Shiner
http://www.shiner.com/
Duvel
http://www.duvel.be/
Port Wine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_wine

Listen to me at
http://murphyspubcast.mypodcast.com/

and drop me a line
murphyspubcast@yahoo.com

thanks

Chimay, Glassware, Pork Roast, Winter Warmer

Well this week is a mix .. like most weeks are.
I went to Sam's in Downers Grove and picked up a chimay three pack with a chalice!!

It is way cool!!!

Here is the Chimay Site
http://www.chimay.com/index.html
Take a look around there is a lot to learn besides beer. they have cheese! Yum!

Ok now on to the food
http://recipesbycindy.homestead.com/RoastPork.html

I want to thank Cfahooligan on Beer Advocate for posting this.. It looks great and next week I'll let you know how it turns out.

Winter Warmer beer. I had the Great Lakes Christmas Ale. What a wonderful beer this is and I will have it with dinner for sure.

And finally Glassware

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/101/glassware

Lots to learn there. Check it out, its a great place to read up on glass styles and beer to put into them.

As always the podcast is at
http://murphyspubcast.mypodcast.com/


Oh yeah the wassail song

http://sniff.numachi.com/~rickheit/dtrad/pages/tiWASGLOUC;ttWASGLOUC.html

ESB better Bitter Beers

Hi there its yet another new week. This week I have some news on Russian tap that pours beer four times faster than regular taps. Also some news on an aged beer coming from Lunar Brewing Company. I was thinking about things this Russian tap says it can do. I mean I know faster is better but their tap works on plastic bottles. I don't know about that.
Also the beer this week is an ESB Extra Special Bitters. One of my Favorite styles of beer.
Thanks for coming around to listen again.
Any way I have some links for you

Breckenridge Brewing
http://www.breckbrew.com/

Summit Brewing
http://www.summitbrewing.com/

Left Hand Brewing
http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/

Also always listen to me on
http://murphyspubcast.mypodcast.com

You can mail me at murphyspubcast@yahoo.com

Welcome to the DARK SIDE

Well this week we had a bit of a beer .. err I mean home emergency. Our fridge died so I had to get the apartment complex to let us use another fridge in an empty apartment. The beer though is staying here with me in a cooler.

Important things first you know. Also this week's cast is about dark beers and some of the things people believe about them. I think dark beers get a bad rep. because of the color. Dark means heavy and thick. yes some are but most are not and if people would give it a chance they would find out that these beers have a lot to offer.
As I said I did for get to mention my black beer chili so I will give you that recipe as well. as the links to the sites mentioned
Sprecher Brewery
http://www.sprecherbrewery.com/index.php
Leines' brewery
http://www.leinie.com/

Now for the chili
I use a crock pot to let is sit all day and get all kinds of tasty
1lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic
1 can tomato paste
3 cans tomato sauce
1 can black beans (or use red if you like)
2 table spoons of cumin (more or less to your taste)
1teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper
4 dashes Tabasco
1/2 cup green onions
1 flat black beer (I use Sam Adams black Lager)

Fry up the beef, onions and garlic
drain off the fat and place in the crock pot then add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and cook on low for about 6-8 hours.

Serve with a good dark beer, shredded Cheddar and corn bread and you got a meal.

Also thanks once more to The Lodge and hello Tim and Ryan I hope you are listening.
http://murphyspubcast.mypodcast.com

Inlaws, Stout, More Food, and Good Bars

Well another week has come and gone and we find ourselves here at the pubcast looking to what we have done and will be doing. I hope to get into more beer news and industry items as well but this week was not the week for that. Work was a mess and I had to see the inlaws. Any way on to the food and bars
Guinness Beef Stew
1-2lbs of stew meat cut in to 1" cubes
1 can flat stout(Guinness)
2 carrots
1 turnip
4-5 red potatoes
rosemary
salt and pepper
1 packet dried onion soup mix

Seer the beef in a hot cast iron skillet ( regular pan if you have too)
place in the crock pot and cover with the beer, onion soup mix and a 1/2 cup to a cup of water or beef broth depending if it is needed. Put the rosemary ( half a sprig) in cheese cloth and tie it up so you can fish it out later.

Let that cook for the day

Veggies
chunk up and toss with some oil salt and pepper and roast for 45min- 60min you do not want them to fully cook so if the pieces are small cut down you cook time. Crispy but not fully done is what you are looking for.

Take the beef and rosemary out of the crock pot and set to cool. Discard the rosemary bundle. Add the veggies and cook for an hour or till fork tender. If you like you can stir in a table sppon of tomato paste. It adds to the flavor Time may vary.
Add the beef back in and heat it all up then serve with warm bread.
Add a nice mug of stout and you are good to go.

For the best chicken I've had in a long long time
Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket
http://www.chickenbasket.com/

You want to stop and have a good time and a good beer
Kerry Piper is a place to see.
http://www.kerrypiper.com/

come listen to me
http://murphyspubcast.mypodcast.com/2007/10/Inlaws_Stout_More_Food_and_Good_Bars-52710.html

come talk to me
murphyspubcast@yahoo.com

Dinner and Friends

This weeks Pubcast is about a dinner I made and some people I met.
Lets get to the dinner
Shrimp and Cheese Quesadias with Sam Smith's Pale Ale
BLT Caesar Salad with Holy Moses White Ale
Roasted Game Hen with Sam Smith's Nut Brown Ale
Eli's Cheese Cake with Young's Double Chocolate Stout.

Recipes
Quesadias
1/2 lb of fresh (or thawed frozen) shrimp
table spoon of fajita seasoning (look in your spice aisle)
teaspoon of chili powder
tablespoon of Cumin
pinch of salt and pepper
juice of one lemon
1 cup grated Mexican white quesadia cheese
1/2 cup of shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
6-8 tortillas (depending on how full you make them)

Combine the shrimp, lemon, and spices and let sit for about 15min then saute' in a little bit of oil until the shrimp are just turning pink through out.
Place the shrimp on a paper towel to drain and heat up a large skillet (cast iron works best)
take one tortilla and place some white cheese on it (as much as you desire)
Place the drained shrimp on the cheese and top with the jack and cheddar.
Place another tortilla on top and place in the hot pan.
Keep an eye on them so the do not burn. Once the one side is browned flip and brown the other side till the cheese is nicely melted. Cut in fours and serve.

Quick and easy BLT Caesar Salad.
Look for the bagged version in the stores (its much easier)

Roasted Game hens 1 per person (I made four)
4 Cornish game hens
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 table spoon rubbed dried sage
1 table spoon of dried Basil
stuffing mix( you can use store bought if you like)

Darin and pat dry the chickens
Combine the sage, basil and butter into a bowl.
Rub the herb butter on the chickens and under the skin
Fill with stuffing mix if you desire (So people might find this unhealthy so skip it if you like)
Place them in a roaster and cook at 350 for about 1 hour and 20 mins. (check the temp. after an hour. You want them to be about 180 degrees in the thickest part.)
If they are getting too brown cover with foil.

Stuffing.
1/2 a yellow onion
1 stalk celery
box of croutons (flavored if you like)
2 cups of chicken stock (store bought)
1/2 stick of butter
salt, pepper, basil, sage to taste

Dice up the onion and celery then saute' in the butter until softened
Begin to add the croutons slowly as they absorb the butter begin to add the stock (you may not use it all)
Continue to add the crumbled croutons until you have made the amount you like (I go for the whole box even though I do not need it all but its good)
Add Stock until you get the consistency you like.
Season to taste.


Desert
Buy Cheese Cake :)



Ok, Link time

Eli's Cheese Cake
http://www.elicheesecake.com/

And the place to listen to me

http://murphyspubcast.mypodcast.com/

Thanks for coming

:note I am not a professional cook so use my recipes at your own risk.

Chill in the air

Ok maybe not today with the temp hitting 75-80 here in Chicagoland but there is a chill in the air coming and with that it makes me think of hearty beers. One of my favorite styles of beer is the Brown Ale or some times called a Nut Brown Ale. They might not be the hearties of beers but they make me think of fall and cooler weather. Maybe it is the lower hop presences or just the color of reddish brown to dark brown that reminds me of fall. The leaves are changing (well they should be if they had not been fried this summer), there is a chill and the sun sets earlier.

Sitting on my porch with a mug of Sam Smith's Nut Brown Ale and watching the leaves dance in the wind is one of the joys I get from this time of year. Oktoberfest beers have passed on with the weather and the Stouts and Bocks are not in season yet (Yes I know you can get them all the time now). A good warming stew for dinner and another mug of brown ale completes the day for me. I think as beer drinkers we appreciate slower paced things like an Autumn sunset and the slow change of the leaves. Too much of our world is rush and get this done, hurry up and do this, faster we need this now. Take the time get yourself a good mug of ale sit back and relax.

Do you have a favorite brown ale or fall beer that lets you sit back and relax a bit and watch the leaves? Leave me a comment or send me an email to murphyspubcast@yahoo.com. Also I am still looking for guest to be on the Pubcast with me. I have not yet bought my digital recorder but I will soon. If you are interested in being a guest let me know

Thanks and May you always have a clean shirt, a clear conscience, and enough coins in your pocket to buy a pint!"

Beer tour 2007

Hi and welcome back. This is a special edition this week. My sister came for a visit so I took her round to some of my favorite spots and had some of my favorite beers.
First the beer list as promised
Pranquster From North Coast 9.5%avb

Lunar
54 E. St. Charles Road Villa Park, Illinois, 60181
Moonbeam Steam 5.5%
Harvest Moon 6%
Orbitor Doppelbock 8%

The Lodge (http://www.bavarian-lodge.com/)
Erdinger Oktoberfest Weissbier 5.6%
Ayinger Brau Weisse 5.1%

Rock Bottom Lombard
94 Yorktown Center Lombard, IL 60148
Demon Sweat 5.5%

Goose Island Clybourn
1800 North Clybourn in Chicago.
Dunkle Weizenbock 8%
Beerhunter Brown Porter 5.8%

The Berghoff
17 west Adams St Chicago IL
Lager 5.4%
Dark Lager 5.4%

The others

Streeters
50 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL

The Signature Lounge
http://www.signatureroom.com/
Hancock Tower
875 N. Michigan Ave

http://murphyspubcast.mypodcast.com/2007/10/Beer_tour_2007-48914.html

Books, A vampire, and a Church

Well it seems I have made it to my second real pub cast.
This week I reviewed three beers

Traquiar House Ale.. A wee heavy
Nosferatu... A Great Lakes American strong ale
J. W. Lees Harvest Ale a Port condition barley wine

Also I had said I would make it to the Lodge for a Review and a chat with Mr. Van Housanbrouk. It turns out due to a toe injury I could not make it... Sorry

I did how ever pick up some great books

The Brewpub Cookbook By Daria Labinsky and Stan Hieronymus
and
Premier Beer a Guide to America's Best Bottled MicroBrews By Elaine Louie


After chatting them up and talking about things I found in there I mentioned some great Brewpubs and here they are

Flatlanders
http://www.flatlanders.com/

Micky Finns
http://www.mickeyfinnsbrewery.com/

Church Brew Works
http://www.churchbrew.com/

So if you have any suggestions or comments you want to give me send me an e-mail to
murphyspubcast@yahoo.com

Oh and the link to the show

http://murphyspubcast.mypodcast.com/2007/10/Books_A_vampire_and_a_Church-46833.html

Thanks a lot and may we always have a pint in our palms

Sept 30th 2007 First Pubcast

Hi there ..
Well welcome to the first actual Murphy's Pubcast. This week I reviewed two beers and reviewed The Lodge. I know its rough and choppy but hey I am learning this as I go.

Links you might want to look at.
Founders Brewery
http://www.foundersbrewing.com/home.php

Great Lakes Brewing Company
http://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/

Chef Paul's Bavarian Lodge AKA The Lodge.
http://www.bavarian-lodge.com/

and to see my beer reviews
http://beeradvocate.com/user/profile/Taelec

Thanks for coming around and Thanks for listening.
Oh yeah the Link you might need to hear this pubcast.

http://murphyspubcast.mypodcast.com/2007/09/First_Real_Pub_Cast-45082.html

Getting underway

Well it seems I have things all lined up and I will be getting underway this weekend. I hope to update the Pubcast each Saturday or Sunday. The blog I may update more often if I can get off my behind in do just that. A preview of this weekend will be a new beer review by me and a review of my favorite beer bar in the Chicagoland suburbs, Chef Paul's Bavarian Lodge in Lisle. Its a great place with a great beer list. I'll give you the link at the end of this little update.

A little about myself, I started into craft beers about 4 years ago. Since then beer has become a very big hobby of mine. I have spent time learning about beer and its origins, the brewing of beer, the many styles of beer and the many many kinds of beers offered out there. I think my only regret is that I did not do this earlier in life. I have learned quite a bit about beer and the more I learn the more I realize I still need to learn. I have not made my own beer yet. I hope to do that someday just right now I don't have the space to do it properly.

Oh I like to collect the bottle of the new beers I try. Right now I think I have around 150 to 180 different beer bottles. Also I have begun to collect the correct beer glass for each style of beer. An interesting fact on how I got into craft beers. I found them through a wine festival. I was at the Pennsylvania Wine Festival at 7 Springs resort in PA. They had great selection of PA wines. There was this one booth that had ciders and beers. I tried my first craft beer there. A Victory Prima Pils. Damn what a good beer. After that I started searching out better beers.

Shortly after that time I moved to Chicagoland. My then girlfriend helped me search out more and better beer. Recently that girl friend became my wife and she still helps me find better beers through out the Chicagoland area.

So that is a little history of me. I'll have more to share this weekend.

May we always have a clean conscience, a clean shirt, and a pint in our hands

Murphy

http://www.bavarian-lodge.com/
As promised the link to The Lodge

Welcome

My name is Murphy and this will be an ongoing blog and eventually a podcast on Beer, Pubs, and Brewing in general. I live in the Chicagoland area and during my time here I have met some very interesting people who are involved in the world of Beer. I hope to bring some new ideas and some fresh thoughts to the Beer. Also I hope to share what I have learned over the years as well as the knowledge of those I have met.

Thank you for coming to see me and if you like this site please spread the word and let your friends know.

Below is the link to my Pubcast

http://murphyspubcast.mypodcast.com/