Inside The Hills Market

Hop Head Week: IPA Beer Tasting

Beer lovers, get ready for another night of beer tasting with the lovely and talented Kristine Eley out on The Veranda. This Wednesday, May 23rd, from 7 to 9 p.m., she'll be pouring eight different IPA's for your tasting pleasure. This tasting is only $10 and now includes pretzels for palate-cleansing! Below is a guide to the selections we'll be trying, with descriptions from beeradvocate.com.

American Double IPA

Description:

Take an India Pale Ale and feed it steroids, ergo the term Double IPA. Although open to the same interpretation as its sister styles, you should expect something robust, malty, alcoholic and with a hop profile that might rip your tongue out. The Imperial usage comes from Russian Imperial stout, a style of strong stout originally brewed in England for the Russian Imperial Court of the late 1700s. Its application to an unrelated style makes little sense to many, so Double IPA is quickly becoming the preferred name.

You can thank west coast American brewers for this somewhat reactionary style. "Thanks!"

American Pale Ale (APA)

Description:

Of British origin, this style is now popular worldwide and the use of local ingredients, or imported, produces variances in character from region to region. Generally, expect a good balance of malt and hops. Fruity esters and diacetyl can vary from none to moderate, and bitterness can range from lightly floral to pungent.

American versions tend to be cleaner and hoppier, while British tend to be more malty, buttery, aromatic and balanced.

American IPA

Description:

The American IPA is a different soul from the reincarnated IPA style. More flavorful than the withering English IPA, color can range from very pale golden to reddish amber. Hops are typically American with a big herbal and / or citric character, bitterness is high as well. Moderate to medium bodied with a balancing malt back bone.

Rye Beer

Description:

Not to be confused with a German Roggenbier, a beers that fall into this category contain a notable amount of rye grain in the grist bill. Bitterness tends to be moderate, to allow the often spicy and sour-like rye characteristics to pull through.

And the specific beers:

Stone Ruination
Great Divide Hercules Double IPA
Three Floyds Alpha King
Otter Creek Pale Ale
Bell’s Two-hearted
New Holland Mad Hatter
Boulder Mojo India Pale Ale
Two Brothers Cane & Ebel

Tart Pan Adventures

In this month's issue of Everyday Food, one of Martha Stewart's many magazines, she sings the praises of the bottomless tart pan. My kitchen, while big and filled with lots of natural light, lacks a lot of the more sophisticated cookware on the market. Eventually, I'll get that big Cuisinart food processor of my dreams, or the salad spinner I've needed for so many years. But usually, I try to make do with what I have.

So I made a cherry tart recipe from the magazine in a regular pie pan a few days ago. And while it was delicious, it wasn't nearly as beautiful as the one in the photograph. Of course, I lack the professional food photography skills that Martha has available to her, which means that nothing comes out looking as perfect as her versions. Nonetheless, I decided that it was time to go out and get a bottomless tart pan. Too many compromised recipes, too many messy tarts, pies and cakes in my past.

On Saturday morning, I went to the thrift store, and picked up the beautiful stainless steel tool for less than a dollar. Shhh... Don't tell too many people about this option. It might put the chain stores out of business.

Yesterday, as I was getting ready to leave work, I was aching to put my new pan to use. Cutting and seeding the bing cherries from the previous recipe took way longer than I was willing to commit, so I decided to search for an easier recipe. I came up with this Banana Chocolate Tart recipe from Gourmet Magazine, found through epicurious.com.

As I went through the aisles of Hills, grabbing my ingredients, I decided to splurge a little and buy Ghirardelli chocolate chips and some of our fancier apricot preserves. I promise that the difference in using quality ingredients is always apparent, even if the outcome doesn't look like the picture.

It's going to take some practice, learning how to use my new pan, having the patience to evenly spread those graham cracker crumbs into every curve, but I think that it will be worth it. And I'll get to try a lot of lovely desserts in the process.

Banana Chocolate Tart

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum
6 firm-ripe bananas
1/4 cup apricot preserves

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Blend crumbs, butter, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt in a food processor until mixture begins to hold together and pat onto bottom and up side of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake in middle of oven until side of crust is firm to the touch, 14 to 18 minutes.

Sprinkle chocolate chips into hot crust and let stand 5 minutes to soften. Spread evenly over bottom of crust. Beat cream with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar and rum until it holds soft peaks. Cut bananas into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Whisk preserves and add bananas, tossing to coat. Spoon banana mixture into crust and top with whipped cream.

Gourmet, January 2000

Constance Begue, Wine Director

Meet Wine Director Constance Begue. Constance, who grew up here in Worthington, is fluent both in French and the language of the grape. Her experience as a winemaker’s assistant at Domaine Emile Zoarick in Burgundy, France, as well as her expansive history in customer service, truly make Constance a gift to our Wine Department.

Her interests go beyond the grapevine, as well. Her passions include travel, baking, cooking and of course, wine. Constance likes to cook with the season and finds excellent value wines to pair with seasonal favorites. (There’s a good reason our wine department is right next to the produce selection.)

Her heart belongs to the soft and subtle reds of Burgundy, spicy Syrahs, and is opening up to the big Cabernets of the West Coast. However, when summer approaches, she finds herself longing for just about any refreshing sparkling wine.

Please introduce yourself to Constance, and she will make note of your personal preferences, bring in special orders and help you find exactly what you need. You can e-mail her today.

Salmon Roast Time

There's some confusion as to how long The Hills Market has been holding the Salmon Roast. Some say it's been fourteen years; others say thirteen. A former employee used to determine how long the event has been around by the age of her son; she was pregnant during the original event. At any rate, there's one thing that we know for sure: it's the event that defines the store.

Throughout the years, we've kept the formula the same: grilled salmon sandwiches, a side of cole slaw, Boar's Head hot dogs, ice cream, beer, and, of course a steel drum band. Our seafood director shows up early in the morning and fires up the grills across the parking lot. Then comes the team, a swarm of part time workers, who fight the good fight of keeping the table clothes from blowing away. Finally, as the first slab of salmon gets to the assembly line of sandwich makers, the crowd comes.

This year's Salmon Roast, like all the others, is on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, May 26th from 11.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. The event is free, and the menu is ala carte. Stop by for this neighborhood ordeal, this official opening of summer. Help celebrate the oldest - though we're not sure how old - tradition at The Hills Market.

Mother's Day is Near

I overheard someone in the store say, "My mother always told me not to plant flowers until after Mother's Day." Mothers tend to be sources of great wisdom. I've learned things from my mom that I just wouldn't know otherwise. For instance, egg shells sharpen the blades of a garbage disposal, while lemon wedges clean and disinfect them. Perhaps this is common knowledge. I don't know.

I did a walkthrough of the store today, taking pictures of things that I would want, if I were a mother.

Caesar Shrimp Salad in the Chef's Case. Delicious. And on sale. All of our shrimp dishes are on sale through the end of next week.

Candie, our Floral Director, brought in some absolutely beautiful baskets this year. Vibrant and healthy. Unlike any I've seen elsewhere.

These climbing plants are new to the store. I daydream about planting them in my own yard.

Pacifica candles and soaps are delicious, in texture and aroma. I love the Rosemary version of these candles; it makes my kitchen smell rich and comfortable.

Something exotic. Complete with directions for use in the cyrillic alphabet.

It's the busiest weekend of the year for the Floral Shoppe. Our ladies will be working on the counter non-stop until the holiday is over. Place an order; we'll deliver, too.

One of a few new figurines in our gift area that seem to truly capture the essence of motherhood.

If you want to experience some truly precious motherhood encounters, stand near the bakery and watch moms speak with their kids about the lobster tank. "Where do they go, mom?" Moms have all the answers.

First Beer Tasting Tonight!

We're bringing in four new beers for the premiere beer tasting tonight, the Ohio Tour of Beers.

Below is a sneak preview of those four beers, with descriptions by our lovely hostess Kristine Eley (with the help of beeradvocate.com). Our tastings don't require reservations, but they do start on time. She'll be pouring seven Ohio beers from 7 until 9 p.m. tonight on The Veranda. The tasting is $10, and doesn't include food. However, the grill on The Veranda will be fired up for your eating needs. I suggest the Grilled Portobello Sandwich.

*BarrelHouse Hocking Hills Hefeweizen, Cincinnati, OH

Hefe weizen

A south German style of wheat beer (weissbier) made with a typical ratio of 50:50, or even higher, wheat. A yeast that produces a unique phenolic flavors of banana and cloves with an often dry and tart edge, some spiciness, bubblegum or notes of apples. Little hop bitterness, and a moderate level of alcohol. The "Hefe" prefix means "with yeast", hence the beers unfiltered and cloudy appearance. Poured into a traditional Weizen glass, the Hefeweizen can be one sexy looking beer.

Often served with a lemon wedge (popularized by Americans), to either cut the wheat or yeast edge, which many either find to be a flavorful snap ... or an insult and something that damages the beer's taste and head retention.

Average alcohol by volume (abv) range: 4.0-7.0%

*Hoppin’ Frog B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout, Akron, OH

Russian Imperial Stout

Inspired by brewers back in the 1800’s to win over the Russian Czar, this is the king of stouts, boasting high alcohol by volumes and plenty of malt character. Low to moderate levels of carbonation with huge roasted, chocolate and burnt malt flavours. Often dry. Suggestions of dark fruit and flavors of higher alcohols are quite evident. Hop character can vary from none, to balanced to aggressive.

Average alcohol by volume (abv) range: 8.0-12.00%

*Great Lakes Holy Moses White Ale, Cleveland, OH

Witbier

A Belgian Style ale that's very pale and cloudy in appearance due it being unfiltered and the high level of wheat, and sometimes oats, that's used in the mash. Always spiced, generally with coriander, orange peel and other odd ball spices or herbs in the back ground. The crispness and slight twang comes from the wheat and the lively level of carbonation. This is one style that many brewers in the US have taken a liking to and have done a very good job of staying to style. Sometimes served with a lemon, but if you truly want to enjoy the untainted subtleties of this style you'll ask for yours without one.

Average alcohol by volume (abv) range: 4.0-7.0%

*Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA, Cleveland, OH
*Buckeye Hippie IPA, Bedford Heights, OH

American IPA

The American IPA is a different soul from the reincarnated IPA style. More flavorful than the withering English IPA, color can range from very pale golden to reddish amber. Hops are typically American with a big herbal and / or citric character, bitterness is high as well. Moderate to medium bodied with a balancing malt back bone.

Average alcohol by volume (abv) range: 5.5-7.5% 

Beer Tastings Scheduled

We already have quite a reputation for our wine department, which features over 2000 labels of wines from around the world. But I don't know that many people know about our wide beer selection. I didn't know how vast our beer selection was until this afternoon. Those of us in the Idea Factory at Hills have been talking about having regular beer tastings for about a year now, and we're finally putting together a schedule. Today, I compiled a list of all of our beers for Miss Kristine Eley, the host of our upcoming Beer Tasting Series. And, well. Wow. We offer a lot of beer.

After several meetings with Kristine Eley, a former resident of the Worthington Hills, we knew that she was the one that we wanted to host our Beer Tasting Series. She has been a craft brew fan for nearly 5 years, has  completed two of the Winking Lizard "Beers of the World" tours.  She has worked promotions for Killian's brand and for Anheuser-Busch and has visited their breweries. As far as specialty beers are concerned, she's cornered that market as well. Kristine worked the 2005 Portland International Beer Festival and flew out to Portland, Oregon to drive to Newport, Oregon just to visit the Rogue brewery. That's dedication. She has visited mass quantities of breweries and brewpubs all over the United States and is a regular at the Barley's mini Real-ale fests, as well as the beer tastings down at the North Market. Kristine spearheaded a local craft brew group called The Hopsnobbery Collective in which "we travel and bring back craft brews (with a theme) and take turns hosting beer tastings and conversation at our houses. " The members are all users of beeradvocate.com here in Columbus. So. We're excited to have her host our tastings. 

We're in the process of putting together the exact schedule, but it's pretty exciting. The tastings will be on The Veranda on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, from now (May 9th is the first one) until the end of the season. (Either September or October, depending on the weather and customer interest.) Each tasting will be priced separately, but they'll all be a value. Some of the tastings that she's organizing will include: Summer Beers, Belgian Beers, Microbrews, IPA's and Cooking with Beer. Sharpen your pencil for the perfect Beer Can Chicken Recipe!

The tastings won't require reservations. Instead, show up at 7 p.m. on the night of the tasting. You'll pay a small cover to receive pours of the seven to ten beers she's featuring that evening, and when you're done, you can purchase an extra bottle or two to enjoy on The Veranda. We'll be open for dinner during that time, so you can pair your stout or porter or wheat beer with grilled options from our menu.

Stay tuned for prices and an exact listing of the tastings throughout the summer.