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I was lucky enough to be the official photog of the 2012 edition of the South’s best beer festival, Brewvival. Here is the photo gallery. I want to thank Jaime and David from COAST Brewing and Rich and Scott from The Charleston Beer Exchange for putting on one hell of a great event. Lots of amazing “rare” beers and lots of great people. Talking to the participating breweries behind the scenes was a lot of fun. Looking forward to next year.

Highlight for me was Funky Buddha’s offerings. Everything I had from them was fantastic.

Photos below the fold.

I recently joined a beer exchange with a bunch of beernerd guys around the country hosted by fellow blogger and photographer beertography. Lucky me I was the first recipient on the chain. I received my box of beer this week and to my delight one of the beers inside was a sparkling 12oz tallboy can of Sixpoint Resin, a beer I’ve wanted to try since it was announced earlier this month. Sixpoint Craft Ales founded in 2004  made a name for itself selling kegs to local bars from their small brewery in an old filing cabinet factory in Brooklyn, NYC.  They made a splash when last year they started releasing their hop heavy style redefining (or undefining, or non defining… hard to say, they don’t mention a style on the packaging and they shy from it on their website) beers in modern cleanly designed cans. One of their newest beers, Resin, is most certainly a big Double IPA at heart with lots of hop aroma, flavor and bitterness but there’s more to it. A big malty caramel sweet background surrounds the hops and gives the beer a heavier “sticky” character. Yes sticky like Resin… well mostly.

It pours a medium mahogany color with a nice lingering tan head. The aroma is, as expected, full of citrusy, piney hops but lets you know there’s going to be some sweet caramel sticking its flavor in your face. Taste is more of the hops right up front, but fighting the sweetness to be first in line. It’s got the expected pine resiny (yes I did that), grapefruit flavor and bitterness expected from the hops with some floral and herbal notes and the ever-present malt sweetness that brings out some not quite dried fruit (huh?)… or something like that [mumble mumble]. It’s more than just straight malt sweetness, it’s got a little more complexity to it. Medium body but has a richness that gives it a feeling of stickiness and almost slick oiliness. Yes I used slick and sticky in the same description, but it works. It finishes long with more malt, light dried fruit with pine hop bitterness. I’ve read a few other reviews that claim letting the beer warm up from fridge temp improves it significantly. Makes sense. I only had the one can to try, but I’ll be sure to give that a swing next go around. And there will be another go around. I think they distribute in NC, hopefully I’ll be grabbing some next time I’m in the old North State. Here’s the final deal, if you like big hoppy IPAs and want to try one that’s not exactly in the same flavor  profile as any number of them and you don’t mind some extra sweetness, this is a beer for you. If you don’t, try something else.  Funny thing was drinking this and then trying an Ithaca Flower Power IPA soon after. Two totally different but fantastic “IPAs”. I’ll probably post my review of that up soon. –  IBU of 103 and ABV of 9.1% Recommended

Oyster roasts are South Carolina traditions during the cooler winter months. Build a fire, cover with a large metal plate of some sort, shovel on some oysters, top them with wet burlap and steam. Serve with beer. Enjoy.

Click photos to embiggen.

The brick and mortar World HQ of Charleston’s favorite BBQ food truck, Hello My Name is BBQ, and their signature sandwich, the boss hog. If you haven’t caught the truck you can now hit their stationary BBQ haven at 616 Meeting Street in Charleston right next to the off ramp from the Ravenel  bridge.

I love guanciale. It’s an extra creamy, fatty bacony, porky awesomness, cured with spices, but not bacon. Guanciale is cured hog jowls but it’s not smoked and has a stronger pork  flavor than similarly un-smoked pancetta.  With its creamy fine texture it makes a fantastic addition to pasta dishes. This recipe marries the rich porky flavor of the guanciale with tart, spicy vinegar peppers and tomato sauce.

You can find guanciale at any butcher shop that knows its business, but if you can’t pancetta will substitute or good quality bacon if neither is available. I got mine at Ted’s Butcherblock.

 Pasta

8 oz. guanciale sliced into thick flat match sticks

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + 1/4 cup for finishing

5 cloves garlic, sliced

2 cups tomato sauce (recipe to follow)

handful of fresh basil leaves, torn

1 lbs of Casarecce or other good quality, small shaped dried pasta

1/2 cup of sliced flat leaf parsley

1/2 cup of sliced spicy pickled peppers (recipe to follow)

1/4 cup grated pecorino romano

EVO pizza in Park Circle North Charleston serves some of the best pizza in the Charleston area. Made with locally sourced ingredients and great combinations it remains my favorite pizza in the lowcountry. While the amazing Pork Trifecta seems like the more appropriate pie for this blog, the Pistachio Pesto is my go-to menu standard there.