The Most Delicious Sour Beer and Quinoa Salad

Dating a brewer is pretty great — I highly recommend it. Not only do you get to learn about beer types and how they are made, but you also get to taste an expansive range of unique, expensive, and mouthwatering brews with a beer coach right by your side. Isaac has been coaching me in the beauty of beer for almost two years and I can say with confidence that I am his most dedicated and accomplished student.

Last night we went to a small home “tasting” event in Morningside, which, as expected, turned out to be a great opportunity to strengthen my beer knowledge and try many new beers. The highlight of my night was the Caractère Rouge from the Rodenbach Brewery in Roeselare, Belgium. The Rouge is a sour red/brown beer that puts all the other sour beers I’ve tried and slowly sipped into distant memory. This is what a sour beer is supposed to taste like — not too tart, not too sour, not too sweet, but wonderfully tart, sour, sweet in all the right ways and at all the right moments. If you’re a sour beer skeptic, try this and your mind will be changed. If not, then sour beers are not for you. I could drink this beer all night if I had the option and budget. If you’re interested in finding out more about Rodenbach, here is their website: http://www.rodenbach.be

Isaac and I brought one of our staple salad recipes to the party last night. It was a hit and complimented the meal and beers nicely. I also highly recommend trying out this recipe, and experimenting with different ingredients to cater to your personal palate. We’ve added roasted leeks, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries into the recipe before, but especially enjoyed the grouping of ingredients from last night’s mix. We hope you enjoy!

Isaac’s Harvest Salad

2 cups quinoa, cooked (1 cup raw)
1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
2 medium Granny Smith apples, cut into ½-inch cubes
½ pomegranate seeds
1/3 cup roasted almonds, coarsely chopped
½ large red bell pepper, diced
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
4 packed cups greens, such as arugula (rocket), spinach, or kale
1 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (more depending on taste preferences)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C).
2) In a large saucepan, add 1 cup raw quinoa with 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer the quinoa for 20 minutes or until done. Remove from the heat, let cool.
3) Toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Oven roast for about 30 minutes, stirring once, until golden and softened. Let cool.
4) Combine the quinoa, sweet potatoes, apples, pomegranate seeds, almonds, pepper, parsley, onion and greens into large bowl.

5) Whisk olive oil with vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Toss salad with dressing. Serve right away and enjoy!

(recipe adapted from Food & Wine’s “Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Apples” found here: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/quinoa-salad-with-sweet-potatoes-and-apples)