Most people hate the taste of beer to begin with. It is, however, a prejudice that many people have been able to overcome. Winston Churchill
I'm usually a wine kind of girl, but that doesn't mean I would ever turn my nose up at a beer. An icy cold beer in the perfect situation can turn a good day into a great day and probably the evening as well. Beer drinknig is an absolute must when on the patio at Veracruz Mexican restaurant, lounging on the beach with a good book, walking around the Masters tournament, Thirsty Thursday (you can't beat a dollar beer) during a summer Greenjackets game... the list can go on, but I'll let your imagination run wild.
My love affair with beer started when I was a very young child and stole a sip from my dad's open bottle. Even back then, I loved the taste, the smell, the bubbles, but I was just a little too young to have more than one stolen sip. I've nutured those warm, fuzzy feelings over the years with lots and lots of beer drinking practice.
I've traveled a lot in my 26 (almost 27, yikes!) years, and I've been fortunate enough to travel when I've been legal to partake in the nightlife. One of my favorite activities is sampling local or specialty beer when visiting a new town, city or country. Even if it's not local, I tend to find a drink and stick with it the whole way through. In Greece, I enjoyed Mythos Light and Heineken all night, every night. In France, I fell in love with Kronenbourg (not to be confused with the more common Kronenbourg 1664). In Boston, I spent a lot of time at the Irish pubs downing pints of Boddington's. In New York, I was very fond of the $9 Amstel Lights. In Athens, GA, Bourbon Street's $1 Natural Lights put a smile on my face every time. In Charleston, you would often find me with a Yuengling in hand. In Memphis, my order is always a Fosters draught. At Fripp Island, there is always a cooler stocked with Miller Lite next to my beach chair. In Santa Fe, I sipped a Santa Fe Pale Ale at every pit stop.
I'm not a beer connoisseur, and I don't pretend to be, I only know what I like. If I'm not in Europe, I want a light-ish beer. In Europe, I want a heavy beer. This is simply because refrigeration is almost nonexistent in Europe, and they can get away with warm beer because the product is such hight quality and so darn good. Heavy beer tastes like the way beer is supposed to taste, and I like it. In the States, we like our beverages a little, ok a lot, colder than room temperature. Personally, I could care less about room temperature water, I do enjoy a cool Coke, but I must insist on an almost freezing light beer. With it being that cold, it kind of tastes like a symblance of a room temperature heavy European brew. Not quite as good, but the idea of fewer calories makes a night of heavy beer drinking a little easier when the thoughts of my morning run enter my mind.
Anyway, now that we've established that I'm no connoisseur, I know that Santa Fe Pale Ale is exactly the kind of beer I want to drink all night long. Santa Fe Pale Ale is brewed by the Santa Fe Brewing Company, New Mexico's first microbrewery. It feels light, but it still has some weight to make it smooth and still taste of hops and malt. Ice cold or room temperature, you have yourself winner. Even though Santa Fe is in the heart of Margarita country, I found myself craving a Santa Fe Pale Ale every time the temperature rose above 75 degrees. Don't get me wrong, I had my fair share of Margaritas, but the thought of a Pale Ale at the end of the road kept me going all day long.
After our exhausting days of shopping, mom and I would stop in the nearest restaurant bar and order a round of cocktails, mom a Margarita and me a beer. Instead of bar nuts, Santa Feans eat chips and homemade guacamole during their happy hour, and I couldn't complain with that. Who needs germ infested bar nuts when you can have fresh, creamy guacamole and corn tortilla chips? For my taste, guacamole must be full of ripe avacados, fresh lime juice, and spicy jalapenos. When you read the recipe, you will find an ingredient, cilantro, notciably missing. I try to omit it in everything I cook because I have a serious aversion to the herb so this recipe contains none. If you love it, by all means, knock yourself out.
Chunky Guacamole
4 ripe avacados, chopped in 1" pieces
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup tomato, finely diced
1/2 to 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
3 tbs. fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper
Hot Sauce to taste
Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl. Stir making sure not to break down avacados. Serve with warm, fresh corn tortilla chips and an icy cold Santa Fe Pale Ale.
No comments:
Post a Comment