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Beer and Food

What has happened to beer? What used to be just a simple carbonated yellow alcoholic beverage has become, well, drinkable. Even the Big Dogs in the US beer business are touting their "boutique" brands (now carbonated yellow alcoholic beverage with a cute label - sometimes).

But like all the things we have come to consume, we find that when you create something with a little love and attention, with good ingredients, you (for the most part) will create something very good. And in this case, head and shoulders over what we have come to regard as beer. Here in my neck of the woods, a man by the name of Fritz Maytag, started down this road and is now regarded as a microbrew icon, with his Anchor Steam beer.

But that is just the tip of the iceberg, because locally-owned microbreweries and brew-pubs are now becoming as ubiquitous as a reality shows on network TV.

So now, it begs for a cookbook to help us grow up with our culinary traditions to include beer and food on our table. And pair them like you would with food and wine. Enter Jay Harlow with his Microbrew Lover's Cookbook. Jay starts out with the basics of beer. Explaining the difference between ale and lager. Then moving into the flavor profiles of beers and how that relates to food. And finally, getting into the whole area of recipes with over 90 recipes. Each with its own recommendation for the accompanying brew (even if it's just a simple line like, "Whatever is handy.")

Jay has even included a couple of simple mantras. The one on the cover is to the point: Eat food, Drink beer. Yes!

The deeper one, inside the book, has more meaning and provokes great discussion, even if it is just as easy to remember: Eat Globally, Drink Locally. The idea being, our tastes in food have become more sophisticated, more global in scope. We think nothing of using Indian curry spices when we're cooking a Winter Squash soup. Or drizzling a Southwest inspired chipotle aioli over crab cakes. Ah, but when it comes to what beverage to serve with that dish, where do we go? Jay says, "Think local." That is, seek out your regions breweries and give their beers a try with your favorite international culinary creations.

Oh, and check out his book! While you're at it, take a look at his book "West Coast Seafood" (Sasquatch Books).