Jen Blair Jen Blair

Beer & Food Pairing: Scotch Eggs & Scottish Ale

The Belhaven Scottish Ale paired perfectly with the vegetarian version. The caramel maltiness tempered the heat from the spicy Italian Beyond sausage as well as highlighted the Maillard flavors from the deep frying. The herbal and earthy hop flavors highlighted the beer horseradish mustard I paired with the Scotch eggs.

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Jen Blair Jen Blair

Beer & Food Pairing: Tofu Tikka Masala & British Brown Ale

I enjoyed Newcastle the best because it accented the earthiness of the tofu and basmati rice while highlighting the umami and acidity of the tomato-based sauce. The sweetness of the malt cut the spiciness from the chiles and spices to let the flavor really shine through and tamed the heat just enough that I was ready for another bite.

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Jen Blair Jen Blair

I Tried It: Beer & Halloween Candy Pairing

As an adult, some nights I spend my time looking over open enrollment paperwork, trying to decide which plan really feels like "me." Other nights I tell my husband not to fill up on dinner because we have seven different kinds of candy to pair with beer while we watch Stranger Things 2.

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Jen Blair Jen Blair

I Tried It: Extract Brewing

The very best way to think of the difference between extract brewing and all grain brewing is to think of the difference between using a cake mix and baking a cake from scratch.

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Jen Blair Jen Blair

Corks: More Interesting Than They Appear

I had never wondered about the corks in my beer (and sometimes wine) bottles beyond their abilities to put an eye out or to turn evidence of my beer drinking habits into quirky craft projects.

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Jen Blair Jen Blair

Dear Isinglass - How Are You a Thing in My Beer?

Even allowing for the fact that much of what we know about topics such as medicine and longstanding popular commercial products was the result of old-timey people saying "I wonder what this does. Death? Okay, then let's not do it quite like that anymore. How about when I do this?", getting from a fish to its bladder to use of said bladder in clarifying beer seemed like a huge leap. Like how many other things were people dumping in beer before they got around to thinking of drying a fish's bladder and then tossing it into beer?

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Jen Blair Jen Blair

How I Incorporated Beer Into My Wedding Without Making the Wedding About Beer

Obviously, beer is a very big part of my life as well as my husband's life. Beer was thing we bonded over first - we're both kind of socially awkward but talking about beer came easily to both of us. When it came time to plan our wedding, it would have been hard not to incorporate it into our wedding. However, as even the most minimal Pinterest perusal will show you, incorporating beer into your wedding requires a delicate touch.

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Jen Blair Jen Blair

Have a Case of the Jim-Jams?

My favorite term for a hangover is the jim-jams. So let’s say you find yourself with the jim jams. What do you do? Like hiccups, most people have their own “cure” for a hangover. Here’s the deal: there is no cure or remedy for a hangover. The only remedy is time, i.e. your hangover is probably going to be your whole day. However, there are several things you can do to lessen the effects of your hangover.

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Jen Blair Jen Blair

Becoming a Certified Cicerone: Part Two

Beyond the expense of the exam itself the other costs can up quickly. However, the good news is that if you don’t have a lot of cash to throw around, it’s still completely possible to have all the study materials you need for next to nothing.

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