Wakey Whiskey: Rogue Spirits Dead Guy Whiskey

by Eric Ducote

Good morning everyone!  Today is a big day around Baton Rouge (if the weather doesn't screw us over) with a few of my favorite festivals taking place.  Kicking off downtown today (and continuing tomorrow) is the Baton Rouge Blues Festival, and over at LSU's Rural Life Museum you can find the Zapp's International Beer Festival.  I've been attending both events pretty regularly over the years, and it's a little (okay, a lot) disappointing that both are starting at roughly the same time, but the good news is that there is plenty of time this weekend to do both if you choose!  That's certainly my plan.  

With a beer festival on my minds, I figured it would be the perfect time to try out a whiskey created by a company primarily known as a brewery, the Rogue Spirits Dead Guy Whiskey. I'm sure most of you out there have heard of Rogue Ales, an Oregon-based brewery that has been around for years with beers like the Dead Guy Ale and Hazelnut Brown.  Well, they also have their very own distillery in Newport, Oregon where they create three different whiskeys and two types of gin.  

Rogue Dead Guy Whiskey

The Dead Guy Whiskey is made from the same malted barley combination that comprised the malt bill on their Dead Guy Ale, primarily 2-Row with some Munich, Crystal 15, and a couple of locally grown malts as well.  This might seem like a departure from American whiskeys which use primarily corn but also wheat and rye, but distilling from a mash of malted barley is extremely common in Scotland and Ireland.  Malted barley is used almost exclusively in the production of both Scotch whisky and Irish whiskey, so with that in mind, I expected some similarities with those spirits in this offering from Rogue.  The Dead Guy Whiskey is then aged in oak barrels for at least two years in barrels exposed to the ocean.  Their barrel aging facility in Newport is exposed to the saltwater in a similar manner to the Lagavulin aging warehouse in Islay, Scotland.  

I'll be honest before getting into the review... I'm not a huge fan of Rogue beers, and I've tried a rum from them in the past that I thought was outright awful, so my expectation going into this one were pretty low.  That said, I'm always willing to give a beverage a chance, and the idea behind this one had a lot of promise, so I poured pretty heavy anyway.  The color is excellent, which was apparent before the pour, a deep amber that appears more rich than the two years of aging... perhaps this was a second use barrel or smaller barrel?  The aroma is much more like a lighter Scotch to me, with a bit of honey, some citrus, some floral notes, and a very pleasant alcohol character.  The taste is more of the honey note, with some vanilla oak character from the barrel aging, with maybe a hint of saltiness, but I certainly don't get the "ocean aging" on this one like I do in a bottle of Lagavulin or Jefferson's Ocean.  I'd bet that a few more years could really change this one for the better with the ocean aging they are going for.  It's really smooth though, very easy to drink with some extremely pleasant Scotch notes that remind me of a good Speyside single malt.  

I was seriously impressed with this whiskey, complex refreshing flavors that kept my attention throughout the pour.  This is definitely worth a purchase if you see it out in the wild! 

Feature Beer Friday: Flying Tiger's Heroic Hops IPA

by Eric Ducote

Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of Feature Beer Friday! We're staying in-state this week with an offering from Flying Tiger Brewery out of Monroe. This is one of the handful of Louisiana breweries that I haven't yet had a chance to visit, and in fact I don't think I've ever even been to Monroe.  I certainly don't remember ever visiting, and that's something that I'll have to change eventually... and when I do, a visit to the Flying Tiger taproom will certainly be in order.  

Flying Tiger Brewery (not to be confused with Flying Heart or Crying Eagle) takes their name from the Flying Tigers, a volunteer group of American pilots who defended China against Japan during World War II. They were commanded by General Claire Chennault, who grew up in small Louisiana towns near Monroe. 

Heroic Hops is one of four flagship brews produced by Flying Tiger, in addition to a rotating lineup of seasonal and specialty brews in their taproom. The Man At Arms Amber Ale, Burma Blonde, and Warhawk Kolsch (a ULM affiliated beer) round out their flagship offerings. Heroic Hops comes in at 5.8% ABV and 69 IBU, right in the wheelhouse for an American IPA. They describe the beer as, "Citrus, Sauvignon grape, and tropical notes fly forward as these hops blend effortlessly with a strong base of two row and Munich malts. Let there be no mistake, heroism is definitive…as is the beer you drink."  

Heroic Hops IPA by Flying Tiger Brewery

My first impression on pouring this beer is that it's hazier than I expected... I was expecting more of a traditional IPA look to this one but it's got a good bit of turbidity going on. I'm not saying it's as hazy as last week's Jucifer, but it's certainly not a filtered clear IPA either. The color is gold-to-amber, with a bubbly white champagne-esque head. The aroma is definitely strong with the sauvignon grape notes they described. I don't know if I would have picked that out without the description, but now that it's in my head, it's all I can think of when I smell this beer. There are definitely hints of citrus as well, but the sauvignon notes dominate in my opinion. The taste is a great follow through on the inviting aroma, with a fantastic balance of bitterness of tropical flavor, and the malt smartly stays out of the way to let the hops shine.  

All in all, this one really impressed me. I had only tried a few beers from Flying Tiger before, and wasn't sure what to expect from this IPA, but it has all the makings of a fantastic Summer weather back patio beer. Unfortunately this one isn't available in Baton Rouge yet, but next time you are up in North Louisiana, grab some, and bring a 6-pack down for me!

Cheers! 

Jay D's Bites: Barbecue Buddha Bowl

by Liz Courville

Are you trying to reduce your meat consumption? Looking for some meal ideas that aren’t salad or just super bland? Well you are in luck. Because this Barbecue Buddha Bowl is probably one of the most satisfying meals!

The combination of complex carbohydrates from the rice and sweet potato, the high protein content of tofu, plus the vitamins and minerals coming from the leafy greens and tahini dressing creates a well-balanced meal that isn’t a compromise on flavor! Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue Sauce adds that sweet and salty barbecue coat over the tofu, you won’t even miss the meat! Try this out on your next “Meatless Monday,” or make it like, every day… it’s just that good!

Barbecue Buddha Bowl

serves 2
(Vegan, Gluten-free)

Ingredients:
1 (14 oz.) pack of extra firm tofu
½ cup Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue Sauce
2 cups brown Supreme Rice, cooked
½ ripe avocado
1 cup kale or spinach
½ cup tahini
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup sweet potato, cubed
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp sea salt

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Press tofu for 15-20 minutes to remove excess liquid.

Place tofu into a medium sized bowl and add in ¾ cup Jay D’s Barbecue Sauce. set some aside for drizzling over baked tofu once finished. Mix together gently. (Marinate over night for best results.)

Place tofu on a flat pan lined with parchment paper and do the same for the sweet potato cubes.

Once oven is preheated, place tofu and sweet potatoes in the oven. (Tofu should take 20-25 minutes, sweet potato cubes should take 15 minutes.)

While the tofu and potatoes are baking, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, water and sea salt to create a dressing for the greens.

After tofu and potatoes are finished, scoop out 1 cup of cooked brown rice into 2 separate bowls. Slice the ½ of an avocado into ¼ into cubes or thin slices.

On top of rice, scoop out ½ of the baked BBQ tofu, ½ of the baked sweet potato, ½ cup of greens drizzled with ½ of the dressing, ¼ of an avocado - into each bowl for a completely satisfying meal!

Feature Beer Friday: Gnarly Barley's Jucifer IPA

by Eric Ducote

Good morning everyone, and welcome to another riveting installment of Feature Beer Friday here at Bite and Booze. I'm going to keep trying to feature a mix of local, regional, national, and possibly even international brews in this space, but naturally being in Baton Rouge my beer fridge is going to contain more locally available brews than not.  The good news in that regard is that there are no shortage of Louisiana breweries putting out some excellent brews.  

With that in mind, this week's offering is coming to you from Gnarly Barley Brewing just down I-12 in Hammond.   Gnarly Barley was established in 2014 by husband and wife team Zac and Cari Caramonta.  Like many brewers before and since, they got their start homebrewing before turning their passion into a full blown business.  Currently the brewery is open for tastings on Fridays from 5 to 9 and on Saturdays from 12 to 5.  If you are ever looking for something to do on those days, it's easily worth the short drive to Hammond, but of course drive responsibly. 

Gnarly Barley's Jucifer IPA

Today's offering from Gnarly Barley is the Jucifer IPA, their take on the extremely popular hazy "New England" IPA style, or just NEIPA for short.  The style is finally recognized by the BJCP as it's own distinct type of specialty IPA, and the impression is described as: "A refreshing hop-driven pale ale showcasing fresh, juicy, fruity hop flavors and aromas. Moderate bitterness and low malt flavors only play a supporting role, preserving approachable drinkability. Deceptively soft, creamy mouthfeel gives way to a crisp, dry finish characteristic of all American IPA’s. Singularly hazy but still attractive to those who appreciate an intense hop experience." 

Now on to the review... 

Jucifer comes in at 6% abv and 79.5 IBU, and pours a hazy bright golden color that's perfect for the style, with a frothy white head that lingers for minutes.  The aroma is strong with grapefruit and blood orange, in my opinion, strong citrus flavors with a hint of tropical tones.  The taste is more of the same, with an excellent blend of citrus and tropical flavors with just the right amount of underlying bitterness to accentuate the hops but prevent a harsh acerbic finish.  At 6% this is a smooth easy drinker that will always have a place in my beer fridge.

Cheers! 

Jay D's Bites: Pork Egg Rolls

Easy to eat, and a crowd favorite, these pork and cabbage egg rolls are a spin on the classic European dish, cabbage rolls. Using ground pork and cabbage along with Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet Rub, this eggroll packs a punch of flavor. The Jay D’s Louisiana Molasses Mustard  mixed with sour cream adds a nice tang.

Pork Cabbage with Molasses Mustard Dipping Sauce

makes ~14 egg rolls

Photo: Jordan Hefler Photography

1 package of egg roll wraps

1 lb ground pork
½ head/2 cups cabbage, diced
¼ cup carrot, small dice
1 small onion, diced
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet Rub
½ cup tomato sauce
½ Tbsp kosher salt
1 egg, beaten for egg wash

Molasses Mustard Sour Cream Dipping Sauce:
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup Jay D’s Louisiana Molasses Mustard
Pinch of salt

Heat canola oil to 350℉ in a skillet. In another skillet, brown ground pork. Add carrots, onions, and garlic, then saute until soft. Add Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet Rub, tomato sauce and salt. Cook for 6 minutes, then set aside to cool. Take an egg roll wrap and brush each side with egg wash. Place 2 tablespoons of filling on wrapper and fold up the corner. Fold the left and right corners into the middle and continue to roll. Fry both sides of egg roll until golden brown and delicious. Serve with molasses mustard sour cream.