Mascarpone beer floats recipe

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Unless you are a die hard beer lover, chances are high that you have never heard of a beer float. The concept is simple-delicious ice cream topped with delicious beer, the same as a root beer float. While the concept may seem gross to those who are accustomed to drinking mass produced, domestic beers, those of us who enjoy craft beers are most likely open to the idea. If you are looking for something hedonistic to try on a warm summer night, this beer float featuring homemade mascarpone ice cream will truly delight!

MASCARPONE BEER FLOATS

• 2 cups Mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Framboise lambic beer

Directions
Blend the cheese, milk, sugar and lemon juice in a blender or food processor until combined. Finish making the ice cream according to the directions of your ice cream maker. Once ice cream is ready, Add a scoop or two to a glass and top with the beer. Serve with a spoon and straw. Enjoy!

Bottoms Up! Rivertown Brewing's Hop Bomber Pale Ale

Hop Bomber Pale Ale from Rivertown Brewing Company is described as:

"an American pale ale named after the famous B-24 Liberator bomber. This beer has a wonderful malt backbone from the use of dark English crystal malt and spicy fresh rye malt. It is dry hopped with two varieties of American hops for a crisp, refreshing flavor". 

Here are my interpretations of this beer.

Appearance-Hop Bomber from Rivertown Brewing pours a dark honey hue with a very thin head and almost no lacing.

Smell-The smell of this brew is sweet and perfumey with a hint of spice.

Taste-An interesting blend of hoppy bitterness paired with malty sweetness and a touch of spice. Each flavor is distinct but nNo one flavor overpowers this brew.

Mouthfeel-Medium body and carbonation make this beer a quick drink. It is a little dry.

Overall Impression-This is a good all around beer. I was expecting the hops to be a little more assertive, but it is a very easy drinking beer. Pair this beer with tangy cheese, such as feta, asiago or parmesan, steak, prime rib, roast beef or lamb dishes.

Hop Bomber is brewed locally by the Rivertown Brewing Company from Lockland ( Cincinnati), Ohio. It is available for sale in 12 ounce bottles or on draft. Bottles may be purchased as a six pack or as a part of a variety sampler. It can be purchased in bottles at Heather's Coffee and Cafe, located in Springboro. For more information, please visit the Rivertown Brewing website or Facebook page.

How to host a holiday beer tasting

The holidays are a time when friends and family get together and celebrate. If you are wanting to host an adults only gathering this holiday season, you may want to consider hosting a beer tasting. These events are not only fun, but when done right, they can be quite festive and educational as well. As with the planning of any social gathering, there are certain steps that need to be undertaken to ensure your event's success.

Compile your guest list. Ideally, you want to invite between six and ten people to a beer tasting. Any more than that can be difficult to manage and the time and expense spent planning can quickly climb out of control. Request that your guests refrain from wearing heavy perfume or cologne, as this can interfere with the tasting process.

Choose a theme. Since this is a holiday tasting, it would be a natural assumption that you will be serving seasonal beers. This doesn't have to be the case. You can also choose to serve a variety of beers from a particular region, a specific brewery or of a certain style. Plan on serving six to twelve different beers, three ounces per guest.

Plan your menu. You will need to serve food to your guests during your beer tasting. They will need something to cleanse their palates between samples and the food will help soak up the alcohol they are ingesting. Simple snacks such as popcorn, pretzels and crackers are fine. If you want something more elaborate, consider a cheese tray and fresh fruit. For a truly memorable event, base your food menu on the beers you will be serving. If you need inspiration, visit Beer Advocate or the websites of the breweries you will be serving for food pairing ideas.

Go shopping. You will want to serve the freshest beer possible, so go shopping as close to your event as possible. Try to avoid buying beer that is stored at room temperature or that has been exposed to direct sunlight or excessive fluorescent lighting. These factors can all impact the taste of your beer negatively. Make sure to buy extra beer for the after tasting festivities. Once your beer is safely home, store it upright and in the refrigerator, preferably between 45 and 55 degrees F. If you don't have enough glassware to serve your guests, now is the time to stock up. You don't want to serve beer in plastic or paper cups.

Determine tasting order. Typically, you will start with the lighter beers first, easing into those with heavier alcohol content. You can also start with the brew that is lightest in hops and move towards the hoppier brews. If you want, you can create a tasting menu that lists all of the beers you will be serving and the order you are serving them in so guests are clear on what brew they are tasting. Feel free to include any information about each beer that you think your guests will appreciate.

Prepare for your guests. Make sure you have the following items on hand for each of your guests: a clean, clear tasting glass, a glass or bottle of water for palate cleansing, pen and paper for note taking and your tasting menu, if you created one. You will also need a swill bucket for rinsing glasses between samples. Be sure to bring your beers to the appropriate serving temperatures for each style. Lagers, pilsners and wheat beers are best served between 45 and 50 degrees F. IPA's, dobblebocks, abbey ales, lambics and stouts are best served between 50 and 55 degrees F. Stronger beers should be served between 55 and 60 degrees. The general rule of thumb for serving temperatures is that the higher the alcohol content, the higher the serving temperature.

During the tasting. As your beer tasting kicks off, encourage your guests to use all of their senses to fully experience each brew. They should be looking at the color and clarity of the beer, they should note the size and color of its head. They should smell it and enjoy the subtle aromas it gives off. Remind your guests to write down their impressions and to share them with others. One guest may notice something another overlooks.

After the tasting. Make sure your guests have a designated driver or other safe means of getting home. If someone can't make it home safely, prepare the couch for them and allow the to stay over. You want to be a safe host as well as a fun one.

Bottoms Up! Helles Lager from Rivertown Brewing

Helles lager, from Rivertown Brewing Company, is described by its brewer as:

"true symbol of our German heritage. A rich, crisp, full flavored Bavarian style Lager brewed with the finest imported German barley, choice hops, and natural water". 
 
This description, while adequate, comes off as a bit vague. Here are my interpretations of this beer.
 
Appearance-Helles lager pours a golden yellow hue with some sediment; very little head and little lacing.

Smell-This lager offers a crisp, clean-almost grassy-scent; sweet and fresh.

Taste-Tastes clean and smooth. It is neither hoppy or malty-strikes a nice balance between the two.Tastes similar to its smell-somewhat grassy.

Mouthfeel-Medium carbonation and a little thin; crisp flavor.

Overall Impression-Nothing stood out to me as exceptionally good about this lager, but nothing stood out as exceedingly bad, either. It is a very easy drinking brew that would be perfect on a hot summer day. When pairing with food, this unassuming beer will work well with Mexican, barbecue, burgers and salty snacks such as chips, pretzels and popcorn.

Helles Lager is brewed locally by the Rivertown Brewing Company from Lockland (Cincinnati), Ohio. It is available for sale in 12 ounce bottles or on draft. Bottles may be purchased as a six pack or as a part of a variety sampler. It can be purchased in bottles at Heather's Coffee and Cafe, located in Springboro. For more information, please visit the Rivertown Brewing website or Facebook page.

Bottoms Up! Shock Top Lemon Shandy

Several months ago, I was sent several bottles of Shock Top's Lemon Shandy to review and I am just now getting around to tasting them. First, I want to apologize to the powers that be at Shock Top Brewing Company for taking so long to review their product. Second, I need to apologize to my taste buds for not trying this seasonal brew earlier. Shame on me!

Shock Top's Lemon Shandy is described as:

"Brewed with two row and six row malted barley and five different types of hops, this Belgian-Style Wheat Ale is then combined with citrus peels, coriander, natural lemonade flavor and a hint of sugar for a subtle sweetness. The end result is an incredibly refreshing, crisp and smooth beer that hits the spot as the thermometer heats up. "

I always read a brewery's description of the product with a grain of salt-they always want you to be titillated by their words so you will rush out and buy it. Well, for once in my life, I agree wholeheartedly with words gleaned from a product page. Here are my interpretations of this beer:

Appearance-This brew pours a bright hazy yellow hue that is topped with a fluffy, fast receding white head. The head reduces quickly to a thin amount of lacing that tops the beer and the glass.

Smell-Lemon Shandy has a very light scent that is reminiscent of wheat bread and fresh lemon.

Taste-Upon tasting this beer, I was immediately struck a bright lemon flavor that is neither overpowering nor cloying, like so many lemon flavored foods are. It fades to a malty sweetness that leaves you wanting more.

Mouthfeel-The feel of this beer is very light, very wet and lightly carbonated, making it a very easy beer to drink on a hot summer night. It appears much more bubbly in the glass than it actually is on the palate, which was a pleasant surprise.

Overall Impression-I was very impressed with Shock Top's Lemon Shandy. Other reviews on the internet are not so positive and I'm not completely sure why. Some complain that it is too weak while others say it is too strong. I felt it struck a nice balance between sweet and tart. If you are expecting the flavor of a hard lemonade, you will most certainly be disappointed. However, if you are looking for a lightly flavored wheat beer to enjoy when the temperatures soar, Lemon Shandy should fit the bill nicely. I would recommend serving this beer with the lighter flavors of summer-fruit and cheese trays, salads and fish dishes.

Bottoms Up! Black Lager from Guinness

I will never forget my first experience drinking a Guinness Stout. It was while visiting the Ohio Renaissance Festival with my dad sometime during the 1990's. Up until then, my beer experience had been very limited and I was unsure of what to think about something so dark. We overheard a husband and wife discussing her first taste of a Guinness and she described it as "urine filtered through a dirty sweatsock", but she wasn't quite so eloquent with her words. That obviously colored my opinion of the beer and I wasn't too thrilled with it when I took a sip. Since then, I have experienced a huge range of beers, from organic fruit ales to oatmeal stouts and all kinds of other specialty beers in between. I am now able to fully appreciate Guinness without comparing it to unpleasant things.

Guinness describes its black lager as:
"Guinness Black Lager is an easy-drinking lager, so it’s a completely different product from Guinness Draught, which is a nitrogenated stout. Lagers and stouts are made in quite different ways. Lagers are brewed for longer at lower temperatures for a crisp, refreshing taste. This is what we do with Guinness Black Lager. But we use our signature roasted barley to bring a new taste to lager, combining the refreshing taste of a lager with the character of Guinness."

Here are my interpretations of this beer:

Appearance: Dark and unable to be seen through. It has a very light, airy, ample fluffy head that is  light tan in color. Head fades to some light lacing in the glass.

Smell: This beer smells quite yeasty and bready. There is a definite alcohol presence in the scent of this. There is also a light malted smell with a hint of molasses.

Flavor: Guinness Black boasts of a deep, roasted flavor, I didn't find this brew as bold as I was expecting it to be. There are some malt flavors and light spicy/hoppy finish with a slight sweetness in the middle.

Mouthfeel: This feels very thin for depth of color. I was extremely disappointed that this lager wasn't "heftier" feeling. Beers is crisp with medium carbonation.

Overall: I am well versed in the differences between lagers and stouts, but judging by what Guinness was hoping to accomplish, I was let down by this beer. It was nowhere near as hearty as I was expecting it to be. It IS a decent beer-very crisp, very clean with a lingering bitterness on the palate. The nature of its aroma and taste turn sweeter as it warms. I would serve this beer on a hot summer evening with flavorful foods, such as smoked or grilled meat, bbq, Latin American or German foods. For more information about Guinness and their family of beers, please visit them on the web, Facebook or Twitter.