The Prescription May 2009: Bourbon and Porter and Chicken

 ... oh my.

This month, a recipe for a Bourbon Barrel Smoked Porter to go with some Bourbon Honey Chicken. This recipe is a little heavier than last month, but is a good summer recipe for the grill. An ode to the grillmaster in all of us, if chicken isn't your thing, this could easily work well with pork, steak or even veggies (hobo style in a large foil packet on the grill?  why not).  In any case, mixing the marinade correctly and getting a good char on the food is key.  I used a wok for mine.  The BB Porter really serves as a good base for barbecue, already containing smoked malt, toasty oak, chocolate flavors, and a small amount of bourbon.  What you won't get are the bitter, roasty, and warming aspects of the beer, which I've chosen to pair with sweet and spicy notes in the marinade and glaze.

Bourbon Honey Chicken
Serves One. Adjust accordingly for more. 

Large Chicken Breast (I had a 3/4 lb boneless breast, adjust recipe accordingly)

Marinade:

1/4 Cup Bourbon Barrel Stout.  See recipe below, or find your own at the local store.
1 tbsp hot sauce (I chose to use the ubiquitous Cholula)
1 tbsp worchester sauce2 tbsp honey (any kind should work, I just used Grade A Wildflower found in the "honey bear")

Set aside 1/3rd of the marinade for the glaze. Marinade breast for 45 minutes to 2 hours. Cook chicken thoroughly and develop a good char.  Add 3 tbsp of honey to the rest of the marinade and top the chicken once cooked as a glaze.

Knockshock Bourbon Barrel Porter
5 Gallon Batch

9 lbs American 2-row
2.25 lbs Wyermann Smoked Malt

1.25 lbs Carafa

12 oz Munich

8 oz American Crystal 60L
10 oz American Chocolate
4 oz Amercian Black Patent
.25 Aromatic Malt

Mash at 143 Degrees for 50 minutes. Bring to boil.

Add 1 oz East Kent Goldings (6 AA) at 60 minutes.

Chill to 80 Degrees, pitch any "neutral yeast", aka, dry yeast or Calfornia Ale Yeast 

Ferment for 5 Days, Transfer; at 2 weeks add 2 oz of American Medium Toast Oak chips, soaked in 4 oz of Jim Beam for 2-3 Weeks.  Let sit in beer for 3 days, then bottle.  Ready to drink at 1 month to let the oak-beam flavor meld.  Also, before adding to the Beam, I would highly suggest boiling the chips 3-4 times (removing the water after each) to remove the tannins, and to toast them lightly in addition at the end to remove the water and add a nice, heavier toast to them. A good 20-40 minutes on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven should work nicely.

65% efficency

1.075 OG, 1.020 FG

27 IBU

36 SRM

April 2009

Lots of great beer events in April, including Belgian Beer month at the Toronado and Moylans and Deschutes at the Jug Shop . Pliny the Elder ... an old favorite, now in bottles and receiving pretty nice distribution.  Napsmith coming out with some great stuff, light delicate ales, that harken back to a simpler time (you can catch them at the Jug Shop May 8th).  Lots of Knockshock too, the simulated barrel beers are finished: Bourbon Barrel Smoked Porter, Barrel Aged Saison and Barrel Aged Blond.

Pliny the Elder

russian river brewery, IPA

Nose of fresh hops and resin, and bitterness. Hops have some pine but mostly grapefruit, orange and slight apple. Huge off white head. Light orange color with auburn highlights. Has some light legs.  Mouthfeel is light.  Fresh, strong pine and grapefruit flavors, pleasant background sweetness.  Quite bitter but not lingeringly.  Great fresh hop aspect for a bottled IPA.  4.6

Pikes IPA

pike place brewing

Nose of light esters, apple, more malt and toast balanced, with light toffee.  Light orange zest in the background. Light to medium orange in color, with amber highlights. Light bodied. Delicious, balanced well between the hops and malt.  Apple esters merge with orange, grapefruit hops well. Has a light lingering biterness in the finish. Nice version of a more British IPA, malt sweet esters balance well with the hops. 4.1

Alaskan IPA

alaskan brewery

Grassy nose, grapefruit, orange and definite lemon, with light resin quality.  Full off-white head, light lace, medium to deep gold in color with orange highlights. Light bodied. Flavor more subdued, less grassiness, more orange and light malt-caramel sweetness, toffee residue.  Medium to sweet finish, light bitterness.  3.7

Napasmith Pale Ale

napasmith brewery

Nose of light toast, biscuit, and esters, mostly apple and pear, with light pine-earthy hop in the background.  Low off white head.  Light gold in color with auburn highlights. Light body, rather dry. Lightly nutty flavor, with toast, caramel, biscuit and light hops, followed by apple and pear esters. Light finish, crisp but lightly creamy, with a light bitterness. Almost like a nice english bitter. Harkens to another era.  3.9

Herren Pils

braueri keesman

Nose of strong pilsner malt: biscuit and toast.  Deep yellow color with golden highlights, bubbly off white head that disappears quickly.  Light to medium body with a slight creaminess.  Rather sweet beer up front, light malt, toast, bread, but is quickly followed by a harsh bitterness, hops in finish are really earthy.  Lightly crisp, but bitter, finish. 3.3

Keyte Double Trippel

belgian dark strong ale, brouwerij strubbe

Soft malty nose: caramel, raisin, cherries, figs, with light banana and toffee. Deep tan, long lasting head; a little lace, but no legs. Slight haze, deep ruby color with chocolate highlights. A little slick on the palate, medium bodied. Sweet up front, with raisins, plums, soft malt and caramel, leading into a tart cherry finish.  Nice complexity to this beer, a "musty" one with still really strong character. 4.3