Good advice on Growlers & what to eat with Oktoberfest
Thanks for the good advice yesterday on where we can get our growlers filled. Glad to hear that DuClaw, Ellicott Mills and Red Brick Station are keeping the tradition alive. I have never come across a definitive explanation of how the growler got its name. The explanation that makes the most sense is that the beer-carrying vessels used to be metal buckets. When an empty bucket slid across the bar it made a growling noise. Any other theories?
'Tis the season to drink Oktoberfest beers, but what do we eat with them? The folks at Beck’s and Anheuser-Busch, which distributes Beck’s in the United States, have some suggestions. Pair the beer with bratwurst or sausage, hearty chili, pumpkin pie and raisin bread, says a Beck’s press release. Raisin bread?
A cookbook due to reach stores in January, Great Food, Great Beer from Anheuser-Busch, suggests serving braised beef short ribs, roasted vegetables or a skillet full of sausages and potatoes with the beer.
A grilled brat, on dark rye, gets my vote for best food partner with an Oktoberfest. Any other favorite combos?
Comments
A trip to Liberty Road for Old World Deli. Coarse liverwurst on dark german bread with raw onions and spicy mustard. That, or anything sausage like with saurkraut
Posted by: mike | October 17, 2007 10:12 AM
A small group of us homebrewers/cooking enthusiast, including Les White and myself will be doing a cooking demo at this Saturday's Oktoberfest at Timonium. We will be utilizing Maryland beers in the recipe formulation as well as pairing a beer with the dish. I love Oktoberfest beers for any German style dish, but they also make great marinades for Pork and Chicken. I think I'm going to make a crockpot full of Kraut with Brats,Weisswurst and Bauernwurst with some Paulaner.
Posted by: Dominic Cantalupo | October 17, 2007 1:36 PM
bratwurst or sausage
That's straight from the Department of Redundancy Department.
Posted by: Hal Laurent | October 18, 2007 9:57 AM
This origin of the term "growler" comes from AllAboutBeer.com. You be the judge of their explanation.
"The term 'growler' originated as a result of children handling beer. The father or grandfather of the household would usually send the kid down to fetch a fresh pail of beer. If the child was not careful and splashed the beer out of the bucket, the old man was said to 'growl'.
Teenagers could make good money and get free lunch if they would show up at the factories and pick up the workers' beer pails to get them filled at the taverns. These entrepreneurs would use a long pole in order to carry a quantity of pails to refill on one trip. This task was known as 'rushing the growler.'
After Prohibition, refillable beer containers went away except in a few areas, most notably Baltimore. The breweries there produced a jar with a painted label, handle and lid to work as a growler. The jars were filled at the neighborhood bars, enabling the locals to transport home their fresh National Bohemian or Gunther beer."
Posted by: Mr Pilsener | October 22, 2007 9:03 PM