Gnomegang brings enticing, seductive warmth to the table

There’s a new blonde in town. Gnomegang is her name, and she’s the artful and assertive centerpiece of a mixed eight-pack from Ommegang, the iconic New York brewery that connects Belgian styles with American tastes. Gnomegang’s impressive measurements are 9.5 percent ABV, a rating of 92 at www.beeradvocate.com, and $18.99, the price of the eight-pack at Habersham Beverage. She’s not a tepid American blonde, but rather a smooth, silky date who is, in the words of a beeradvocate.com reviewer, “dangerously drinkable.” You can anticipate notes of fruit, spice and yeast. It’s a delicious mix that charmingly cloaks the high alcohol content. Gnomegang was produced in a partnership between Ommegang and Brasserie d’Achouffe, a brewery located in the Belgian Ardennes. Ommegang and Brasserie d’Achouffe are owned by the Belgian powerhouse Brouwerij Duvel Moorgat, whose other products include the highly regarded Duvel golden ale. Given this sort of heritage, it’s no surprise that the other three beers in the mixed pack are also first rate. Hennepin, a Saison named for the Catholic priest who was the first European to visit Niagara Falls, is another of the world’s great beers and merits a 93 at beeradvocate.com. Rare Vos, an amber ale that is a stellar choice for dinner, scores a 91 at beeradvocate.com. And Witte, a Belgian-style wheat beer that will go great with hot weather, if it ever gets here, comes in with an 85 at beeradvocate.com. For more information on these beers, and the rest of the splendid brews in the Ommegang family, go to www.ommegang.com.

A stout-hearted recipe recommendation

Last month, when the Harpoon Brewery crew was in Savannah as part of its 3,400-mile run from Boston to Key West and back, I met its three members at Perry Rubber Bike Shop and was impressed with their vigor and enthusiasm for beer and athletic endeavors. I was already familiar with Harpoon, and counted UFO and Leviathan among my personal favorites. At that time, I also friended Harpoon on Facebook, and signed up as follower on Twitter. Thanks to that decision, I’ve been able to enjoy a delicious slice of Boston that I’d like to share with my blog readers. Harpoon, through its digital marketing section, has come up with a recipe for Irish Stout Cupcakes. Check out the link at http://shout.lt/qXT1. My wife, a baking goddess, made these on Sunday afternoon, and just getting to lick the bowl after preparing the batter was worth every bit of the effort to make the cupcakes. They were a huge hit at a party we went to that evening. If you’re looking for something for a St. Patrick’s Day party, this will win you raves, complements, and requests for the recipe. Serve them with, of course, some Irish stout.

I find myself cap in hand

I was pretty proud of my bottle cap collection after I’d magnetized some 130 caps last month to the front of the beerafrator in the garage. The collection covers a wide range of breweries, including several in Belgium that don’t market their products in the U.S. Seeking a little more information, I typed “beer bottle cap collection” into Google, and quickly learned that I’m not even navel lint when it comes to this particular avocation. There’s a community forum at www.beeradvocate.com on the subject. One guy is saving enough caps to cover a table top; another collector says he has been saving these caps, also called crowns, since 1979, and now has some 20,000; and, then there’s this guy at http://imgur.com/QXUt355, who has an entire wall lined with them. There are also serious collectors who are willing to pay for these caps. At www.bottlecapman.com, an old Old Milwaukee caps sells for $6; a Falstaff cap, complete with a Georgia tax symbol, goes for $8; and a Patrick Henry crown will set you back $30. There’s also a yearly conclave for these collectors, held under the auspices of the Crowncap Collectors Society International. It will be awhile before I apply for membership.

Progress depends on the perspective

We set out at 9 a.m. or so on Sunday morning, heading out to the islands, a familiar group jaunt to Burnside, Beaulieu, Isle of Hope and Dutch Island, that usually covers 35 miles or so. But, as we approached the on ramp to the still barricaded, still uncompleted, very last section of the Truman Parkway, somebody yelled out, “Let’s take a right,” and up we went. Once we crested the ramp, the view was spectacular. The Vernon River was glass smooth, and the marshes on both sides went back for miles. It was also impossible not to notice large, carefully sited houses whose occupants had enjoyed quiet, verdant views for years, and who now find themselves fronting a traffic, rather than a tidal, flow. As for the project itself, that statement in the Savannah Morning News – It’s not finished yet – was real accurate. We passed several trucks full of workers, there was construction on both sides of the parkway, and there were some sections that needed paving and or painting. Still, I’m no highway engineer, and it certainly may be ready for the next scheduled opening ceremony. As for the folks in those houses, I’m guessing they’re in no hurry.