OPP IPA

One of the many advantages of living in an Asian neighborhood is cheap produce. And once in a while this ‘hood really outdoes itself and drops something at your doorstep for FREE.

Case in point: Some little refugee pomelos recently fled their crowded homeland garden and made their way over the rear border fence into our territory. Like good San Franciscans, we offered them sanctuary, no questions asked.

Welcome... Weeeelcome.

Pomelos are a southeast Asian citrus. Unlike the ones in the store, these backyard fog-grown versions are almost inedible on their own. And no one’s ever comes over for brunch and asked us for pomelo mimosas. So, what to do with these thick-skinned, thorny little escapees?  Well, as the saying goes…

When opportunity knocks: ferment it.

Here’s the story: Late last year, San Diego’s Ballast Point Brewery released a grapefruit-infused version of their Sculpin IPA. It’s freaking addictive. We were going through that stuff like a stripper goes through Summer’s Eve, and at $18 a six pack, it looked like one of us was going to have to sell a kidney pretty soon in order to keep us in beer. Thankfully, white boy (the genius behind Sunset Brewing) ended up brewing a clone called OG (Original Grapefruit) IPA and our bank account has almost made a full recovery.

Now, thanks to our mysterious neighbors to the east (no really, they have the yard to the east of us, and they are shrouded in mystery – all we know is that they’re quiet and there’s a lot of them), a sister beer - OPP (Other People’s Pomelo) IPA has been born. (recipe below)   

The zest of these bad boys packs a punch – super citrusy and sour. So much citrus oil, actually, that the zest burned a pattern in the plastic tray on our food scale. Their peel is hard and super thick.  Despite all that, the end brew could have done with more actual pomelo flavor. Don’t get me wrong; it was rad and we drank ALL of it. But in subsequent versions we've pumped it up with more zest. 

OPP IPA

American IPA

Type: Partial Mash                                           Date: 10/10/2014

Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal                      Brewer: Sergei Andruha

Boil Size: 4.27 gal                                             Asst Brewer:

Equipment: Pot and Cooler ( 5 Gal/19 L) - Extract/Partial

Boil Time: 60 min

Mash

End of Boil Volume 3.90 gal                              Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %

Final Bottling Volume: 4.60 gal          Est Mash Efficiency 82.8 % Fermentation: Ale, Single Stage    Taste Rating(out of 50): 30.0 Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Ingredients

Amt                               Name                                                                             Type           #      %/IBU

2 lbs Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 18.6 % 2 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 18.6 %

8.0 oz                             Caravienne Malt (22.0 SRM)                                        Grain          3      4.7 %

1.00 oz                           Amarillo [9.20 %] - Mash 60.0 min                               Hop            4      7.2 IBUs

0.50 oz                           Warrior [15.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min                                 Hop            5        29.5 IBUs

0.25 oz                            Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min        Hop            6        13.8 IBUs

0.25 oz                           Magnum [12.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min                               Hop            7        11.8 IBUs

0.25 oz                           Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min                             Hop            8      5.4 IBUs

0.25 oz                           Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min                                      Hop            9      9.1 IBUs

0.25 oz                            Crystal [3.50 %] - Boil 30.0 min                                    Hop            10    2.6 IBUs

0.25 oz                           Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min                                  Hop            11    9.8 IBUs

1.00 Items                      Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins)                                  Fining         12   -

1.00 oz Pomello Zest, Bitter (Boil 5.0 mins)   Spice    13        1.00 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Boil 0.0 min            Hop      14        0.0 IBUs

1.0 pkg                            California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [35.49 ml]        Yeast          15   -

6 lbs 4.0 oz                     Pilsner Liquid Extract (3.5 SRM)                                   Extract        16    58.1 %

2.00 oz                            Amarillo [9.20 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days                          Hop            17    0.0 IBUs

1.00 oz                            Simcoe [13.00 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days                           Hop            18    0.0 IBUs

0.50 oz                           Pomelo Zest, Bitter (Secondary 3.0 days)                     Spice           19   -

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.067 SG                          Measured Original Gravity: 1.046 SG

Est Final Gravity: 1.015 SG                               Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG

Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.9 %        Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.7 % Bitterness: 89.2 IBUs            Calories: 151.6 kcal/12oz

Est Color: 5.7 SRM

Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Light Body,

Total Grain Weight: 10 lbs 12.0 oz

No Mash Out

Sparge Water: 3.40 gal                                    Grain Temperature: 72.0 F

Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F Tun Temperature: 72.0 F Adjust Temp for Equipment: TRUE        Mash PH: 5.20

Mash Steps

Step

Name	Description	Temperature	Step Time
Mash In	Add 6.63 qt of water at 161.3 F	150.0 F	75 min

Sparge Step: Fly sparge with 3.40 gal water at 168.0 F

Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).

Carbonation and Storage

Carbonation Type: Bottle                                  Volumes of CO2: 2.3

Pressure/Weight: 3.61 oz                                 Carbonation Used: Bottle with 3.61 oz Corn Sugar

Keg/Bottling Temperature: 70.0 F                  Age for: 30.00 days

Fermentation: Ale, Single Stage                       Storage Temperature: 65.0 F

Notes

SF Beer Week - Dim Sum and Belgians

San Francisco Beer Week is here. Across the Bay Area taps are spewing the modern day versions of frankincense and myrrh; stuff so precious that you ordinarily can’t get it. Nope, not even on the interweb. Not at that trendy bar with skinny bartenders in suspenders. Not even in beer trades with people on the other side of the country, most of the time. Thanks to Amazon and Netflix, we’ve lost touch with what it feels like to not be able to get whatever we want, whenever we want it. We become insane with lust for anything unattainable, so Pliny the Younger and Dogfish Head 120 bring ALL the lumbersexuals to the yard during Beer Week.

Beer Week’s a nightmare for anyone with FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).  There are 600 events over 10 days. Even if you quit your job and damn your liver… you’ll still miss out. So you have to choose: What wondrous events are too sweet to miss? Not to state the obvious, but this 7 course Szechwan Dim Sum and Belgian Beer pairing at Mama Ji’s was not an event I was willing to just hear about from friends after it happened. 

Dim Sum in the Gayborhood? That has a 15-line beer sonnet on their menu? Oh yeah, this is livin' the DREAM, people.

What we done came for. 

Best pairing of the night - seafood shumai with the Lucifer Golden Ale. For this, I would storm the Emperor's castle wearing nothing but granny panties.

Turnip cake. With sausage and beer. As god intended.

Hard to remember the last time I saw three different types of beer glasses at a Chinese restaurant. Oh yeah wait, it was NEVER.

Pork Buns and Vegetarian Buns. Vegetarians... thanks for making this a world that has fewer pork buns in it. I hope you're happy. 

Oh good lord, I'm so full, I couldn't possibly.... 

Well OK, fine, maybe just one.

Lady, stop bringing food out here. Are you trying to kill us? Pack this up to go please, for the love of all that's holy. Wait, wait! ...leave that beer though. 

Usually when I eat this much I get my picture on the wall, or a free t-shirt, or something. So... just sayin. No? Well screw you - pack this stuff up too then.

The Chairman Food Truck

Tired of food trucks phoning it in? Riding the wave of food truck mania and slinging mediocre food? 

Check out the Chairman's legit Gua Bao... 

  
Can't get by on clever names and fancy truck-wrap graphics alone. But it doesn't hurt. 

Pork and pork and chicken and pickle and buns. Oh my. 

Happy Dumpling - Stonestown Farmer's Market

When I grow up, I'll eat dumplings for breakfast. Every. Day.

In the long tradition of anthropomorphizing dumplings. 

Break me off a piece a dat.

Positive reviews? Propaganda? Both? 

This dumpling is all about that bass, no treble. Extra thick wrapping would kick a Xiao Long Bao's delicate little booty. 

Kimchi Bacon Burger

This was supposed to be the first generation ‘test run’ of a more sophisticated (read: complicated) burger that would evolve to incorporate Korean BBQ ingredients like Asian pear and ginger and stuff. But after tasting this beast, the verdict was that it would be hard to improve on it. Kimchee and pork are like lemon and garlic. Like Frankie and Dino. Coffee and doughnuts. Mario and Luigi. There’s a reason those matches have endured for decades; an alchemy that doesn’t need much messing with.

So smoke a bowl, cook this burger, then call in sick for work tomorrow ‘cause you’re gonna have to spend all day in the gym to work this one off. 

Kimchi Bacon Burgers (makes 4 burgers)

1 lb ground beef

1/4 lb ground pork

6-7 pieces thick cut smoked bacon

Sriracha mayonnaise (mayo + sriracha to taste. I use approx 4:1 mayo to sriracha. If you think mayo in a jar is grody (and it is), here’s a recipe for idiot-proof homemade mayo:

http://www.kitchenkonfidence.com/2013/04/homemade-olive-oil-mayonnaise )

Hamburger Buns

1 1/2 cups Kimchi

½ tsp salt

Thoroughly mix beef and pork together with your hands, adding salt as you go.

Form meat into 2 patties, making the center of the patty thinner than the outside, so it doesn’t bulge up in the middle when you cook it (so annoying).

Cook burgers on the grill, in the broiler, in a pan, whatever. You know how to make a burger. Medium rare, unless you’re one of those “well done” people, in which case that’s something you should definitely be disclosing on your online dating profile. Toast up those buns.  Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until it’s browned but not crispy, otherwise bacon shards will be flying all over the dinner table.

Spread a generous amount of Sriracha mayo on both buns, add burger, and top burger with kimchi and bacon.  Serve with side of more spicy mayo for dipping your tater tots or oven fries into.

NOTE ON THE KIMCHI: I recently made a version of this one from my homegirl Maangchi:

http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/easy-kimchi

So easy even white people can do it. I omitted the salty squid because I just straight up chickened out on it, and cut the recipe by about 75% so I didn’t have to go out and buy a bigger house. It’s very bomb, very delicious, and the bonus is getting to watch the videos in which Maangchi take adorableness straight to 11.