Whole Wheat Apple Pie: Celebrated National Pie Day 2015 yesterday with delicious Homemade Apple Pie, garnished with homemade Apple Jelly made from the fruit’s natural pectin; complemented by a tall glass of Gluten Free Traditional Dry Commonwealth Ciders. While there are definitely some great beers that would pair nicely with the dish, this Cider Pairing was full of flavor and avoided a potential beer pairing pitfall by ensuring that the apple-y flavors did not come off as acetaldehyde, an off-flavor in beer.

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Caraway Beet Soup with Smoked Salmon Toast Points: Today is Beer Can Appreciation Day and the 80^th Anniversary of Canned Beer, so it only seems fitting to celebrate the utilitarian Beer Can with a Beer Pairing using a Can Of Craft Beer. Since the sun is setting on this snowy day, even Mother Nature herself approves of using a can of Round Guys Brewery’s Sundown Saison to mark the occasion. The Caraway seeds in the Beet Soup matched the toasted ground caraway in the home baked landbrot (rye bread), while the lemon pepper-y flavor of the cardamom in the soup complimented the spicy orange-y flavor of the coriander in the bread; all while the aromatic French yeast and the floral, citrus hops in the beer tied the meal together.

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Pineapple-jell bottomed Coconut Cream Pie with homemade Coconut Ice Cream: What could match with the fruity, tropical, Pina Colada-like flavors in Cisco Brewers Lady Of The Woods better than a Beer Pairing using fresh white coconut meat and caramelized pineapple? A slice of home baked coconut cream pie with a fruity pineapple jell bottom spiced with winter spices and rum, a dip of silky smooth homemade coconut ice cream with crunchy chunks of Fly Joy Bars to provide a healthy textural contrast, and a smear of pineapple sauce for garnish; a great winter Beer And Dessert pairing to end the day with.

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Lemongrass Pork Banh Mi and Ginger-Carrot Soup: Another flavorful Beer Pairing for National Soup Month 2015; a complementary pairing of Hardywood’s Saison Rustica (a Saison brewed with a blend of various peppercorns, star anise, and fresh lemongrass) and a homemade Asian inspired Soup And Sandwich combo. While the flavors in the meal were delicious on their own, the beer served as a bridge; bringing together the lemony-pepper of the Banh mi and the gingery-licorice of the soup in an affectionate embrace that elevated the meal in a way that would have been impossible without the beer.

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Resting White Tailed Deer: snuck up on some sleeping whitetails (nestled in among the grass) on an early morning hike; managed to get a few photographs before the herd fled with their tails in the iconic alarm posture.

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Mushroom Bisque Soup and Mushroom Toast: time to continue National Soup Month 2015 with a satin smooth Mushroom Soup Beer Pairing. The earthy flavor provided by the roasted Cacao Nibs and raw cacao powder in Modern Romance  (a dark ale born from collaboration between Midnight Sun Brewing Co’s and Modern Dwellers Chocolate’s) complimented the soup’s woodsy mushroom notes, while the beer’s spicy chili provided perfect punctuation, counterbalancing the meal.

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Pennsylvania Dutch Style Chicken Corn Chowder with Cracked Corn Porridge Bread: there’s nothing as warming as a delicious Beer Pairing with some home cooked comfort food to thaw the body and rejuvenate the soul (after finishing the day off shoveling show). This Pennsylvania-Dutch inspired meal went great with Pennsylvania’s own Troegs Beer’s La Grave, a well carbonated, bottle conditioned Belgian Tripel that was able to cut through the rich, flavorful, pressure-cooked chicken stock.

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Lobster Roll: three live lobsters, cooked, picked, and combined with mayonnaise, herb infused  butter, celery, apples, and tarragon; lovingly sandwiched in-between home baked whole wheat rolls (made with Jovial Foods organic einkorn four, Old Bay spice, and clam juice), then garnished with homegrown (in a cold frame) micro-greens and strips of homemade Old Bay tomato leather.

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Buckwheat Linzer Cookies: Santa gets enough Milk And Cookies, give him what he really wants for Christmas Eve 2014, Beer And Dessert! These flavorful and (more) healthy whole grain cookies show off one of the best aspects of Home Canning, being able to savor the taste of fresh, early summer berries even when in winter’s icy grip; and what better to pair with the sweet flavor of local strawberries than New Glarus Brewing’s Strawberry Rhubarb.

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“Jewish” Apple Cake: this moist, dense (dairy free, so it can be served with a meal containing meat) cake is the perfect way to end the Hanukkah 2014 season. While some of the olive oil was left in the recipe (a traditional custom for Chanukkah), most of it was replaced with sweet homemade Apple Sauce (canned earlier in the fall at the peak of apple season, in preparation for winter) making for a healthy, tasty dessert. Served with The Wild Beer Co’s Ninkasi (Iduna Cru), a New Zealand hopped, Belgian-Style Saison, with Wild Yeast and Somerset apple juice.

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