True Fall Food

Had a great fall culinary experience tonight, so I thought I'd share it.

I had some homemade pot roast with roasted carrots and potatoes and cabbage. Oh my word, oh my word. So few words can describe the sheer simple, hearty deliciousness of such a meal on a late-fall evening. If you have someone who knows how to slow-roast beef with all kinds of spices and other good bits and pieces of edible awsomeness, plead with them to cook for you one day. All credit goes to Big J on this one, thanks Madre!!

The food itself is warm, aromatic and the epitome of comfort food. Such a meal can actually make you appreciate the season or weather in which the meal is enjoyed during. You dig in and...BOOM! Especially if the meal is something you've enjoyed since you were young, this will always take you to a warm, comforting place.

What social lubricant can add immessurable pleasure to your dining experience? Soft drinks can't touch it, and don't even bring juice into this conversation, that's for the kiddy table.
Wine? Well wine can certainly be an excellent compliment to certain foods in the right situation, it's not really very versatile, especially with the hearty late-season fare we're enjoying tonight.
What about a crispy yet bland and ricey light beer from a major international corporation?
While those have their place, I would put those closer to the soft drink category with a 3% abv. level.

What else my friends, than a gorgous, carefully and lovingly created local craft beer?? Eureka!!
When you pair the right food with the right craft beer in the right season, you my friend reach a special level of meal enjoyment that few are lucky enough to reach. Tonight, we paired a delicious and highly-seasonal Bell's brew from Kalamazoo, Michigan with our roast. Bell's Octoberfest beer has just enough maltiness to swim in harmonious symphony with the rich, carmelization of our roast. A brown ale would also have fit the meal perfectly, but I had some of this excellent beer sitting around for a couple weeks and I wanted to have some of it while still fresh.

A good craft beer is a culinary experience in itself, so sit back and enjoy. All you need is one.

Here's to good eating and slowing down to enjoy the little things in life once in a while!