So yes, I am writing on yet another wheat style beer, however I have not been shy in admitting that they are by far my favorite type of beer. I promise the next Beer Porn will branch out to another variety and style of beer, but for now, deal with it and give in to the greatness that is hearty wheat beers. Sitting down to a night of a few beers, snack and hockey watching, I elected to go with a beer I had tried before, but not is quite some time; Sierra Nevada’s Kellerweis. The Kellerweis is the all year wheat offering from Sierra Nevada Brewery, which is based out of northern California. The brewery’s biggest seller is the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale which has won multiple awards. The Kellerweis certainly was a tasty brew as well.
Sierra Nevada Kellerweis
After my first sip of the beer, I felt like it was a pretty standard Bavarian style wheat beer. Seemed to have the smooth mouth feel, the familiar warm feeling and a bite of spice to end the sip. However, as the beer warmed up a bit towards room temperature, the flavors became a bit more intense. It is a little bit lighter than my favorite wheat beer (favorite beer of any kind for that matter) Hoegaarden and the bite of the spice exemplified the look. The notes of clove and banana were there, but not quite as heavy as some other Bavarians on the shelves. The beer sports an alcohol content of about 4.8% which is also slightly lower than other beers in it’s category. If I have a choice, I would opt for a Hoegaarden or heavier wheat given the chance, yet this beer was very enjoyable and easy to drink. The Kellerweis may actually be a nice introduction into Bavarian wheat style beers if you generally are a lighter beer drinker. The lower alcohol content and the only subtle use of spices could prove to be enjoyable to almost all beer drinkers.
Those of you who have read to this point are now in for a treat, a little bonus if you will. As I mentioned above, I tried this beer out while watching some hockey and enjoying a few snacks. My favorite snack is without a doubt Guacamole. I have spent many a year perfecting my Guacamole recipe, and this will be the first time I have shared the recipe, so damn it, feel privileged.
My recipe has the same core ingredients that almost every guac recipe sports, however give mine a try and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Also, make sure you note that I adjusted the spice levels to my personal liking, so use this as a base and tweak away friends.
Ingredients:
- 2 ripe (slightly soft to the touch) Hass Avocados
- 1 lime
- 1 large shallot (about 2-3 T diced)
- 1 medium Roma tomato (or a few cherry tomatoes)
- 1/2 jalapeno (seeded and diced)
- 2-3 T Cilantro (chopped)
- 2 t sea salt
- 1 t pepper
- 1 t cumin
- 1 t garlic powder
- 1/2 t red pepper flake
- 1 t (small drizzle) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
- Cut avocados in half, score with knife and scoop out into a bowl
- Squeeze the juice of 1 lime on top of the avocado
- Mash the avocado with the lime until desired smoothness (I prefer a few chunks of the avocado left)
- Seed then dice 1/2 jalapen0, dice shallot (can substitute red or white onion on preference) and chop cilantro and mix into avocado
- Cut tomato in 1/2, squeeze the juice and seeds out, dice and add to mixture
- Toast salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder and pepper flake for 30 t0 60 seconds over MH heat, or until the fragrances are released from the spices
- Add the spices and drizzle of EVOO and mix thoroughly
As I mentioned, feel free to add and subtract from the spice amounts depending on taste. The toasting of the spices is key to releasing the true flavor of them and YES the cumin is necessary! Give it a try and I’m sure you won’t go back to your old guac recipe.
Cheers and enjoy!
