Crockpots and Mushrooms

[Romans 13:3]

I copied and pasted this from the Sam Adams website. The short answer is 'yes' it is a wheat beer. I am guessing that Europeans would appreciate many of their beers.

http://www.samueladams.com/world_of_beer.aspx

This beer's roots are in Belgium, and the classic Wit biers produced by Belgium's brewers. The style gets its name from the white, milky appearance of this unfiltered wheat ale. The brewers of Samuel Adams® beer, taking inspiration from the Belgians, have created a classic of their own. On the malt side, we use malted two row Pale barley, malted wheat, and Munich malt to give this beer a crisp, malty, cereal finish and smooth mouth feel. The hops used are Noble Tettnang Tettnanger hops. At the end of the kettle boil, we add a proprietary spice blend to give Samuel Adams® White Ale a unique and complex flavor, without being overpowering or cloying. The spice blend includes orange and lemon peel, dried plum, grains of paradise, coriander, anise, hibiscus, rose hips, tamarind, and vanilla. It is this special blend of spices that gives Samuel Adams® White Ale its unique character, complexity and refreshing drinkability. The beer is coarse filtered, leaving a white haze from the malt proteins. Our proprietary top fermenting ale yeast ferments the beer, imparting its signature character - bright and slightly fruity.

 

[Fish and Bread]

it's nice to talk about beers, isn't it?

There are days when I enjoy beer talk and searching the net for beer news more than actually drinking beer. It's a fun subject.

I am sipping a Sam Adams White Ale now. I think it is a very nice beer.

I tried some of the SA White Ale when it first came out in like January. I think it was a bit early for a spring seasonal -- too cold outside. But now seems like exactly the right time for it. I'm looking forward to picking up some more some day soon.

 

[Rebekka]

I copied and pasted this from the Sam Adams website. The short answer is 'yes' it is a wheat beer. I am guessing that Europeans would appreciate many of their beers.

http://www.samueladams.com/world_of_beer.aspx

This beer's roots are in Belgium, and the classic Wit biers produced by Belgium's brewers. The style gets its name from the white, milky appearance of this unfiltered wheat ale. The brewers of Samuel Adams® beer, taking inspiration from the Belgians, have created a classic of their own. On the malt side, we use malted two row Pale barley, malted wheat, and Munich malt to give this beer a crisp, malty, cereal finish and smooth mouth feel. The hops used are Noble Tettnang Tettnanger hops. At the end of the kettle boil, we add a proprietary spice blend to give Samuel Adams® White Ale a unique and complex flavor, without being overpowering or cloying. The spice blend includes orange and lemon peel, dried plum, grains of paradise, coriander, anise, hibiscus, rose hips, tamarind, and vanilla. It is this special blend of spices that gives Samuel Adams® White Ale its unique character, complexity and refreshing drinkability. The beer is coarse filtered, leaving a white haze from the malt proteins. Our proprietary top fermenting ale yeast ferments the beer, imparting its signature character - bright and slightly fruity.

Thanks for all the information, Don! It sounds like something I would like a lot.

There are days when I enjoy beer talk and searching the net for beer news more than actually drinking beer. It's a fun subject.

I have the same with wine - I gave up alcohol for Lent (except Sundays, and an occasional Saturday - alright, I slipped up a couple of times) but I still enjoy reading all my wine books. And I love talking about it, too.

I usually drink wheat beer only in summer. But when we go to a pub that brews its own wheat beer and I've never tasted it, I will drink it in winter, too.

 

[Rebekka]

By the way, I have a very good beer guide about Belgian (and Dutch) beers by Tim Webb: The Good Beer Guide to Belgium and Holland. Recommended.

 

[Antigone]

Thanks for posting the pictures! I've never seen anything like it. I do cook certain meats very slowly, but I put them on the stove with a thingy underneath (sorry, don't know the English word for - good grief, I don't even know the Dutch word for it ).

Braadslee?

The crockpot, by the way, is a hogedrukpan in Dutch, I think. I want one!

Was your beer brewed by trappist monks? Do trappist monks brew beer in the US? And what about other monks?

I have an amazing brain. It stores large amounts of the most useless information ever presented. That is why I know that official trappist can only be brewed by six different monasteries, all in Belgium. I also know this because one of these six is the monastery at Achel, which is really close to where I live. The monks used to run this tiny supermarket down there filled with delicious artisan products (bacon, mustard, chocolate, but of course mostly booze). It was awesome. These days, however, it's more like a regular supermarket.

 

[Rebekka]

Braadslee?

No, I mean an iron ring sort of thingy that you put underneath a pan to lower the heat (I use it underneath a braadpan when I make a stew) - grrr - what's it called, even in Dutch?

The crockpot, by the way, is a hogedrukpan in Dutch, I think. I want one!

I don't think it is, actually. A hogedrukpan (pressure cooker) cooks things more quickly than a normal pan, because of the pressure. A crockpot has an electric plug, which a pressure cooker doesn't have, and it cooks things extra slowly. I have a pressure cooker, but it's so large that it doesn't fit into my cupboards so I've never used it.

I have an amazing brain. It stores large amounts of the most useless information ever presented. That is why I know that official trappist can only be brewed by six different monasteries, all in Belgium. I also know this because one of these six is the monastery at Achel, which is really close to where I live. The monks used to run this tiny supermarket down there filled with delicious artisan products (bacon, mustard, chocolate, but of course mostly booze). It was awesome. These days, however, it's more like a regular supermarket.

I love those shops - you're making me hungry.
The Netherlands had a trappist brewery too, until a few years ago when Bavaria bought Koningshoeven brewery (where La Trappe is made). La Trappe is too commercial to be called a trappist now.
So I don't think trappists necessarily have to be Belgian. But at this moment they are. I don't know if monks brew beer in other countries, too - I would think so (because I would, if I were a monk in the right climate for beer ), but I have no idea really.

In order of (my) preference, the trappists are:
Rochefort
Westvleteren < St. Sixtus
Achel
Orval
Westmalle
Chimay

I like La Trappe (mostly quadrupel and tripel) as well, but they're not real trappists anymore. Never had their 'witte trappist', which shouldn't be called that because IMO trappist should be a protected name.

 

[Antigone]

No, I mean an iron ring sort of thingy that you put underneath a pan to lower the heat (I use it underneath a braadpan when I make a stew) - grrr - what's it called, even in Dutch?

I have no idea, but I know what you mean.

I don't think it is, actually. A hogedrukpan (pressure cooker) cooks things more quickly than a normal pan, because of the pressure. A crockpot has an electric plug, which a pressure cooker doesn't have, and it cooks things extra slowly. I have a pressure cooker, but it's so large that it doesn't fit into my cupboards so I've never used it.

I looked it up on Wikipedia, and since I've never used a pressure cooker, I couldn't tell you the difference if my life depended on it, but Crock pots are slow cookers that have their own heat source, meaning you don't have to put them on a stove.

Which, I mean, come on! I just use a really big frying pan (my mom has a great one. It's bright red, weighs about twenty kilo's, and has enough capacity to feed an orphanage for a week) and put the iron thingy underneath it. I have a recipe for this Turkish beef dish - takes about three hours of cooking, but...yum.

 

[Rebekka]

I looked it up on Wikipedia, and since I've never used a pressure cooker, I couldn't tell you the difference if my life depended on it, but Crock pots are slow cookers that have their own heat source, meaning you don't have to put them on a stove.

Which, I mean, come on! I just use a really big frying pan (my mom has a great one. It's bright red, weighs about twenty kilo's, and has enough capacity to feed an orphanage for a week) and put the iron thingy underneath it. I have a recipe for this Turkish beef dish - takes about three hours of cooking, but...yum.

Yes, I do that too. I don't need a crock pot. I use a cast iron pan (mine's bright red, too! But smaller than your mum's) and the iron thingy underneath it - the longer it stews, the better it tastes!

I would love to have that turkish recipe!

 

[Antigone]

I would love to have that turkish recipe!

I'll PM it to you sometime, I have to type it out anyway.
(The recipe uses an oven, but since our oven comes from the deepest pitts of hell and STILL can't heat anything, we use a pan. Mmm.)

 

[Rebekka]

Thanks!

 

[ShannonMcCatholic]

Yes, I do that too. I don't need a crock pot. I use a cast iron pan (mine's bright red, too! But smaller than your mum's) and the iron thingy underneath it - the longer it stews, the better it tastes!

I would love to have that turkish recipe!

I was going to write that I have a Dutch oven, too--but then realised how funny that was in cintext. In America- a cast iron pot with a lid is known as a Dutch oven.

However--using it means I have to use the electricity to heat the oven and keep it on for long perods of time. The oven is one of the most costly appliances to run--add to that--much of the year here it is 80+ degrees...and who wants the oven on then!?

So a crockpot is a great solution- I can use a very small amount of energy, leave the house while it's cooking (some family of my husband had a house fire and the wife asked the fire dept afterwards about the safety of a crock pot--to which he reponded that it's actually the safest way to cook and it's absolutely fine to leave it unattended), and not heat up the entire house while it's in use.

 

[Rebekka]

I was going to write that I have a Dutch oven, too--but then realised how funny that was in cintext. In America- a cast iron pot with a lid is known as a Dutch oven.

However--using it means I have to use the electricity to heat the oven and keep it on for long perods of time. The oven is one of the most costly appliances to run--add to that--much of the year here it is 80+ degrees...and who wants the oven on then!?

So a crockpot is a great solution- I can use a very small amount of energy, leave the house while it's cooking (some family of my husband had a house fire and the wife asked the fire dept afterwards about the safety of a crock pot--to which he reponded that it's actually the safest way to cook and it's absolutely fine to leave it unattended), and not heat up the entire house while it's in use.

Oh, so that's what a Dutch oven is! I heard the word before but didn't know what was meant.

I see your point. I don't put things in the oven for hours, either - I always make stews in a pan on the stove, on the lowest possible heat.

I have the smallest possible counter top, so for me a crock pot would be a waste of very precious space (also because we don't have a dishwasher). That's why we don't have anything electrical on our counter except a thing to boil water.

 

[ShannonMcCatholic]

Oh, so that's what a Dutch oven is! I heard the word before but didn't know what was meant.

I see your point. I don't put things in the oven for hours, either - I always make stews in a pan on the stove, on the lowest possible heat.

I have the smallest possible counter top, so for me a crock pot would be a waste of very precious space (also because we don't have a dishwasher). That's why we don't have anything electrical on our counter except a thing to boil water.

Stupid no counter space!!! We lived in a place like that- it was a pain!

I don't only make stews in my crock pot--but I think you are right, that I could make anything I make in there on the stove. If we move to a house with a fire place- I'll most certainly be cooking in that!!

 

[Rebekka]

Stupid no counter space!!! We lived in a place like that- it was a pain!

Yes, the tiny kitchen (grrr - I hate rental houses) is one of my bigger frustrations with the house we live in. (Another one is having only one toilet - so at night I have to go downstairs, and usually the cold wakes me up so I have difficulty getting back to sleep.) I'd love to have a huge kitchen, preferably with an AGA stove in a pastel colour.

I don't only make stews in my crock pot--but I think you are right, that I could make anything I make in there on the stove. If we move to a house with a fire place- I'll most certainly be cooking in that!!

How very Little House on the Prairie!

 

[Antigone]

Yes, the tiny kitchen (grrr - I hate rental houses) is one of my bigger frustrations with the house we live in. (Another one is having only one toilet - so at night I have to go downstairs, and usually the cold wakes me up so I have difficulty getting back to sleep.) I'd love to have a huge kitchen, preferably with an AGA stove in a pastel colour.

DO.WANT.

Actually, I think I'd prefer one of those stainless steel monstrosities - sure, they're not nearly as nostalgic, but they're easy to clean and user-friendly.

While messing about in the kitchen this afternoon, by the way, I decided that from now on, I'm going to spend money on good pots and pans. Because the stuff that my mum has kinda, um, blows.

 

[Rebekka]

DO.WANT.

Actually, I think I'd prefer one of those stainless steel monstrosities - sure, they're not nearly as nostalgic, but they're easy to clean and user-friendly.

While messing about in the kitchen this afternoon, by the way, I decided that from now on, I'm going to spend money on good pots and pans. Because the stuff that my mum has kinda, um, blows.

When I moved out of my parents house, all my friends laughed at me because I had expensive pots and pans, knives and even tablecloths - I didn't need anything anymore when I got married (years later). But I never regretted buying first quality kitchen equipment. They last a lifetime. It was money well spent (also, I didn't buy it all at once, it took me years).

 

[Antigone]

I know! I want BK pans. Those are heaven.

 

[Rebekka]

Yes, they're good. I have SIGG pans - Swiss. My parents got Lagostina (Italian) pans when they got married in 1969 - still as good as new.

 

[ShannonMcCatholic]

How very Little House on the Prairie!

LOL!! Well it's nice because I don't HAVE to cook that way


The pans I covet are Le Crueset...although I seriously love my Lodge cast iron skillets...

Antigone this is what I covet:

 

[Antigone]

I'd like something like this:

I won't get it, but I'd like it.