Heavy Seas Alehouse

Caroline: Before we left Baltimore, we went to Heavy Seas Alehouse for lunch with my dad. It’s in an awesome old industrial building that dates back to the civil war! They use seasonal food most of which is made with beer in some way. We felt right at home…

AAARRRGGHHH!!!!!!!!!

Caroline: We got 2 tasting paddles to share between the 3 of us so we could taste as much as possible.

We had the Heavy seas classic lager, classic pale, golden ale, Märzen, their Peg Leg imperial stout, the Loose Cannon  American Hop3 IPA and a Belgian Tripel that was a recipe from a home brewer who had won a competition.

Kris: My 2 favourites were the Loose Cannon IPA and the Peg Leg Imperial Stout.

Caroline: DITTO. how boring of me, but those were my favorites as well. The stout had coffee and syrupy-ness and enough hops to balance it out. Yum.

Caroline: To start we had fresh oysters with a mignonette and cocktail sauce. They used their Heave Seas Lager in the Mignonette instead of the traditional cider vinegar. Delicious.

Kris: The Heavy seas lager was a great match with the oysters. They would also go really well with the Peg Leg stout. The oysters were super fresh and the mignonette made with beer was an interesting twist.

Kris: The Loose Cannon IPA battered onion rings with whole grain Dijon & old bay/saffron mayo were cooked perfectly and a great snack to enjoy with the tasting paddle.

Caroline: They marinated the onions in beer before they fried them. This made the onions nice and tender and prevented that annoying bite where the whole onion comes out of the batter when you eat it!

Caroline: The angus Beef burger was on a ‘spent grain’ roll, meaning they used grain from the beer mash to make the bread. How genius is that?? They also caramelized the onions in the Peg Leg Stout which gave them a more complex sweetness, it really added an extra something. We matched the burger with the Heavy Seas Marzen.

Kris: The Shrimp Salad Sandwich with thick cut smoked bacon and a side of organic greens was super tasty too. A great match for the sandwich was the Heavy Seas Golden Ale.

Caroline: To finish off the meal we got some complimentary spent grain choc chip cookies. Perfectly bite size.

Kris: Overall we had a great experience at Heavy Seas Ale House. Great Beer, Great Food and Great Service. If your still thirsty, I recommend checking out Max’s Taphouse in Fells Point which is a short walk from Heavy Seas. It has over 100 beers on tap and 350 by the bottle. Definitely one of my favourite Beer Bars in America!

Caroline:  Overall, lunch was extrARGHdinary!

 

 

Duck Neck Sausage and Ale Chutney matched with my IPA

Kris: It’s been a bit hectic lately, so it has been a while since posting on the blog.
We’re back!
It’s Autumn (Fall for Caroline) and eating Duck matched with some hearty ales is my favourite way to enjoy the crisp Tasmanian evenings this time of year. I am also starting to enjoy the fruits of my labour after busily homebrewing the last couple of months. I thought my Tasmanian IPA would be a great match for some homemade Duck Neck Sausage with Ale chutney.

Duck Neck Sausage and Ale Chutney

1 duck neck

1 duck breast

20g almond meal

20ml thickened cream

fresh sage

fresh oregano

2 garlic cloves

1 rasher bacon

3-4 walnuts

olive oil

salt and pepper

1 large potato

4 brussel sprouts

40g butter

2 ripe tomatoes 

1 small brown onion

1 red chilli

100ml IPA

40g raw sugar

fresh parsley

Method

Thinly slice the brown onion

Fry on a medium heat in some olive oil until translucent

Add finely chopped chili and sugar

 Cook for a few minutes

Add the beer and tomatoes

Season with salt and pepper

Simmer the chutney until thick (about 25 minutes)

Stir through some finely chopped parsley

Chill the chutney in the fridge

Chop the duck breast and blitz it in a food processor until minced

In a bowl combine the duck mince, almond meal, cream and a few chopped walnuts

Add some finely chopped sage, garlic and oregano 

Add some finely diced bacon

Combine all the ingredients

Season well with salt and pepper

Cover and set aside

Remove the fat from inside the duck neck

Stuff the duck mince mixture into the duck neck

Make sure it is packed really tight with the mixture

Using toothpicks, seal up each end of the duck neck

(I left the sausage uncovered in the fridge overnight. It dried it out and makes the sausage more crispy)

Thinly slice a large potato

Preheat an oven to 200 C

Fry ther sausage on a medium heat until the duck skin is brown and crispy

Place the sausage in the oven and cook for 15 minutes

Fry the potatoes in the left over duck fat in the fry pan

Steam the brussel sprouts for 10 minutes

Refresh in ice water

Remove potatoes and fry the brussel sprouts in the butter and a clove of crushed garlic

Season the potatoes and brussel sprouts with salt and pepper

Let the sausage rest for a few minutes and slice thickly

Plate it up with the fried potatoes and chutney

Serve with a side of the brussel sprouts

Kris: I bought a whole duck and seeming it was such a nice day outside, I thought I would drink some of my IPA and carve up the duck.I removed the neck, the legs and breast. Make sure you have a sharp knife.I used one breast and the duck neck for this recipe. I am going to do Duck confit with the legs and the other breast. The rest of the duck I am going to roast and use in a Vietnamese style soup.

 Kris: I am pretty happy with my home brew IPA. Its 6.5% and I used all Tasmanian grown hops. It has a good balance of biscuity malt and hop bitterness. I think I will dry hop it more next time to get a bigger, fruity hop aroma . It was a great match with the Duck Neck Sausage and Ale Chutney too.