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Tag: Beer

  • Suds with Sophie: Bridge Up Brewing to Serve at New Door County Cherry Hut

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    I met up recently with Trent Snyder and Eric Kane to chat about their new venture with Jason and Laura Estes. It’s south of Fish Creek at the former Ray’s Cherry Hut and what was most recently White Cottage Red Door. Now called the Door County Cherry Hut, it’s set to open May 1 as […]

  • Suds with Sophie: The Art of the Blend

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    If you’ve taken a good look around at your local bottle shop – or read a few of my articles – you’ve no doubt been exposed to the latest craze: sour beers packed with fruit, vanilla, marshmallow and lots of other wacky ingredients. The base beers used for these zany drinks are a “sour beer,” but they’re […]

  • Suds with Sophie: A Beer for Every Dish

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    St. Patrick’s Day beer pairings When looking at pairing beer with food, there are a few simple rules to follow: location, intensity, compare and contrast. For St. Patrick’s Day food in particular, we should keep a few points in mind.  First, although Irish food is distinctive, it does have a lot in common with English […]

  • Suds with Sophie

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    In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, I want to talk about some of the heroes and historical icons of beer: women. For thousands of years – from its discovery until relatively recently – brewing has been women’s responsibility.  This first “woman of beer” was a goddess worshipped by the ancient Sumerians of […]

  • Suds with Sophie: Trappist No More, A Salute to Former Monastic Brewery Achel

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    The Belgian monastic brewery Achel – pronounced “Ak-ill” – has recently lost its last monks and therefore must lose its certification, although they can continue to call their brews Trappist Achel – they lose the use of an official Trappist product logo. Now you may be wondering, “What do monks have to do with brewing?” […]

  • Suds with Sophie: Is It a Porter or a Stout?

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    You’ve no doubt seen a distinction in beer between stouts and porter styles, whether at a grocery store or a brewery. Although these words might indicate a distinction today, their historical characteristics are not the same. In fact, the entire style – even in its birthplace of England – has changed drastically.  The story begins during the […]

  • A Rare Treat: Dark Sour Beers

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    If you’ve read any of my past articles, it’s probably become quite clear how much I love the sour revolution that’s taking place in today’s craft beer world. Sour beers – for those who are unfamiliar with the style – are made by introducing some sort of brewing bacterium into the beer to create tart […]

  • SUDS WITH SOPHIE: A Rare Treat: Dark Sour Beers

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    If you’ve read any of my past articles, it’s probably become quite clear how much I love the sour revolution that’s taking place in today’s craft beer world. Sour beers – for those who are unfamiliar with the style – are made by introducing some sort of brewing bacterium into the beer to create tart […]

  • Suds with Sophie: Giving the Gift of Beer

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    If you’re struggling to find a holiday gift for the craft-beer lover in your life, don’t fret! I have a few ideas that just might work out perfectly.  Purchasing beer for a friend can be difficult because of the large number of styles – and interpretations within those styles – that are available. Unless you’re familiar with […]

  • The Art of the Beer Label

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    Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder is not really how the third-century-B.C. Greek proverb was written, but in the age of craft beer and Instagram, it has become the mantra of brewery owners who are keen on turning beer browsers into beer buyers. By the end of this year, the Brewers Association […]

  • Hacienda Beer Co. to Release 4 New Beers on Black Friday

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    Beer lovers can order the new varieties in advance at linktr.ee/haciendabeer for pickup Nov. 27-29 at either the Hacienda North Avenue Taproom in Milwaukee or the Door County Brewing Co. Taproom and Music Hall in Baileys Harbor. New varieties include:  Velvet Bulldozer 2020 The 2020 Velvet Bulldozer builds on last year’s Black Friday release of […]

  • Suds with Sophie: Brewing Ingredients, Part 6

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    Yeast, Part 1 by Sophie Nelson [email protected] The final ingredient in beer – yeast – was essential but unknown even as recently as the 1500s, although beer had been made since at least 5000 B.C. In 1516, the Reinheitsgebot Beer Purity Law, introduced in Bavaria, limited the ingredients that could be used to make beer to […]

  • Just Here for the ‘Boos’

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    Beer and Halloween candy pairings – for real! by Sophie Nelson, [email protected] Just because trick-or-treating will be minimal at best this year, that doesn’t mean you should skip the candy purchases. Instead, have a spooky night at home pairing your favorite candies with some delicious beers! Pairing beer and food is almost never a one-perfect-pair […]

  • Peninsula Brewery Battle Results

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    The battle among five Door County breweries – Starboard, Ahnapee, Bridge Up, Door County Brewing and One Barrel – played out Sept. 26 at Sonny’s Pizzeria in Sturgeon Bay in the categories of stout/porter, pale ale/IPA and brewer’s choice.  Participants blind-taste-tested three beer flights and voted for their favorite in each round. The brewery with […]

  • Suds with Sophie: Brewing Ingredients, Part Five

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    Hops, Part Two by Sophie Nelson, [email protected] The last time we chatted about beer ingredients, I gave a little history and country-specific information about hops. The use of hops in beer, however, is much more complicated than simply throwing the little, green flower into some liquid. There’s a whole lot of chemistry behind the process, […]

  • Bits & Bites: Fall Food

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    Menus are changing along with the weather, so now is the time to revisit local establishments to see what’s new for fall – in a safe and socially distanced way, of course. Spicy, warm, rich and hearty come to mind when thinking about autumn dining and drinking, and there’s plenty to discover across the county. Here’s […]

  • Suds with Sophie: Celebrate Oktoberfest at Home

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    by Sophie Nelson, [email protected] Even though Oktoberfest events – from local shindigs to the weeklong event in Germany – are canceled this year, that doesn’t mean you can’t still celebrate at home! Many breweries nationwide are brewing up their version of an “Oktoberfest” beer, and some German imports are on the shelves as well.  Let’s […]

  • Peninsula Brewery Battle

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    For the first time, five Door County breweries – Starboard, Ahnapee, Bridge Up, Door County Brewing and One Barrel – will face off with blind taste tests to let members of the public vote for their favorite beers during the Peninsula Brewery Battle. A similar event has taken place the past two years, but on […]

  • Ephraim’s Budding Nightlife

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    The village of Ephraim – which had been the state’s last remaining dry town – is slowly changing its reputation when it comes to nightlife. Now when the spectacular sunset concludes over Eagle Bay, the twinkle lights come on, and the quaint courtyards and outdoor dining patios near Church Street illuminate the evening with a […]

  • Suds with Sophie: Grilling with Beer

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    by Sophie Nelson, [email protected] Now that it’s August, I hope you’ve had plenty of chances to get some grilling practice because now we’re going to talk about creating the perfect beer-and-grilling combinations.  Beer Can Chicken This is a fun, tasty and very easy recipe that involves shoving an open beer can in a chicken and […]