A bounty

I finally made it back to Savory Spice Shop, where I picked up an array of goodies to inspire our cooking for the next few months:

Korean Chile Threads (for kimchi)
Korean Aged Black Garlic (super excited about this stuff!)
White Sarawak Pepper
Vietnamese Sweet Lemon Curry
Bengal Bay Panch Phoron
Dehydrated Morels (expensive but still cheaper (per serving) than a nice filet. Valentines's dinner perhaps?)
Red Thai Curry

Top Beers of 2009

Continuing the annual tradition, here's my list of my favorite beers I had in 2009.

Victory Festbier – Oktoberfest (aka Marzen or Marzen Lager) is my new favorite style, and this is the best Oktoberfest I've ever had. Perfect malt profile and nicely hopped too. I had it on tap at the Publick House in October and was pleased to find it in my local beer store when I returned to Colorado.

Great Divide Hoss Rye Lager – Love the lumberjack-inspired packaging, loved the beer even more. Brewed with rye, giving it a different but pleasant taste. This is a perfect example of my ideal beer: clean and crisp but with lots of well-balanced flavor.

Allagash White – I’ve had this beer plenty of times before. Now that I’ve moved away from New England and can no longer drink it, revisiting it made me realize that it’s one of my favorite Belgian-style ales ever.

Real Ale Full Moon Pale Rye Ale – I had this beer at a Hill Country picnic outside of Austin, Texas. It was the second rye beer that caught my eye, but with more hops that the Great Divide rye lager. If you’re getting tired of the same old styles, try a version brewed with some rye rather that reaching for the next big extreme beer. The flavor difference can be subtle, which is great if you don’t like having your taste buds burned off with 140 IBUs.

Magic Hat Spring Fever Odd Notion – This pale ale/wheat beer hybrid is the perfect summer beer. It’s a shame we don’t get it in Colorado. And I don’t even like wheat beers very much.

New Belgium Transatlantique Kriek – A lambic/lager blend with an interesting story and great drinkability. It’s been knocked for not being as full-flavored as a typical lambic, but that’s why I loved it. If only a single bottle didn’t cost as much as two six packs, this would be my go-to beer.