Leffe Blonde Mussels | Cooking with Beer

From beer brats to beer bread, I like to cook with beer every chance I get. It's always an experiment, but not always good one. (Like the time in college I tried to make a beer cheese fondue with a Miller Lite and lost my appetite in the process.) Brats and bread are easy-peasy, though. So this past weekend I felt like doing something a little more adventurous... another experiment of sorts. With seafood. Specifically, mussels.

The Cellar Peanut Pub | Oskaloosa, Iowa

I hail from the small town of Oskaloosa, Iowa. In recent years, cool new businesses have been popping up all over Osky. From a cool coffee house to antique stores to a bookstore housed it what was one of Osky's first banks. And now, Marty and Betsy Duffy have added a pub to that roster.

Extra Decadent Guinness Extra Stout Brownies

This decadent dessert combines two of our favorite things: chocolate and dark beer.  We baked these goodies last winter using Guinness Extra Stout.  (The recipe only uses up two of the bottles, so we got the rest of the pack to enjoy!)

What You'll Need:

- 1 cup all-purpose flour

- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

Stone RuinTen IPA | Stone Brewing Co.

Last weekend, Greg and I visited a new favorite little drinking establish in the New Bohemian District of Cedar Rapids. It was our second visit to the charming corner bar Parlor City Pub and Eatery... and we already had our "usual spot" at the bar to sit down at.

We drank quite a bit of beer last Saturday at Parlor City. Unfortunately, we weren't good little beer-reviewers. Chatting with a couple about local hot spots and breweries to visit, we kinda sorta forgot to jot down notes about the brews we sipped. And on the same day, my immune system decided to surrender to some random summer sickness that I'm just now getting over. (Blahhh.)

Your Brain on Beer vs. Coffee

Finally, I know the science behind how my two favorite beverages interact with my brain. Ernest Hemingway must have really been onto something when he said, "Write drunk. Edit sober." Turns out, beer (and other alcohols) helps your brain relax, become more receptive to inspiration, and get down to creativity. Coffee, on the other hand, helps you get down to business.  

It's all right here in this interesting article: Coffee vs. Beer: Which Drink Makes You More Creative?  Check it out. And then check out this nifty infographic:

Beer and Brats Festival at Millstream Brewing

This is a little bit late, but on Saturday, June 29 Greg and I ventured over to Amana for Millstream Brewing Co.'s Beer & Brat Festival. The stormy day cleared up just in time for the fest, where Amana Smokehouse and Meat Market served up delicious mini brats to pair with Millstream beer. The brats were soooo good. (As was the beer, too, of course.)

White Star Alehouse, Round 2 Two Hearted Ale & Dead Guy Ale

To commence our four-day 4th of July weekends, Greg and I hit up a local drinking and dining establishment in downtown Cedar Rapids. White Star Alehouse has an excellent beer menu with dozens of beers on tap and twice as many in bottles. I love the historic building, vintage accents, and relaxing atmosphere. It's definitely a gem where you can try a variety of brews, devour delicious food, chat with your friendly and funny server, and easily while away a couple hours. I wish the above photo did the bar justice. It was very casual, elegant, and cool.

As mentioned in the Round 1 of this beer review post, we chowed down on a delicious appetizer of chicken avocado egg rolls. Avocado, chicken, red onion, and sun-dried tomatoes fried up in a crisp egg-roll wrapper and dipped in either fresh cilantro salsa or sour cream and chives. It makes my mouth water just to describe them and see that photograph. Want. More. Right. Now.