Ask the Porter for Baltic Avenue
So, here it is, a new Year. And, it’s time for a New Beer. There are many beer holidays throughout the year, like New Beers day in April and Drink Beer Day in September. Some are general. While others are more specific. Well, today is national Baltic Porter Day. So, we’ll say this one is pretty specific. And, it’s the first one of this year. So, get those pint glasses out. We’re getting set to ride that beer train throughout the year. To start: Ask the Porter for Baltic Avenue. Because this journey feels like a trip around the Monopoly board. And, Baltic Porter is just what we need right now in the chilly January days of North America. It is a heavier beer that has “port like” qualities.
According to the “Beer Judge”:
To translate: it’s a heavy beer that starts out sweet, then opens to be more malty and fruity with chocolate, caramel, and coffee flavors. In other words, heavy malt, light hops, rich, heavy, dark beer with a high alcohol content. Yeah, I thought you’d like that last part.
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Did Catherine the Great Ask the Porter for Baltic Avenue?
If you aren’t familiar with the term Baltic porter, there is probably good reason. It isn’t widely used. The term Imperial Porter is more common. But, technically, there is a difference. You have English, Baltic, and Imperial porter, all from the same family. The difference is in the amount of dark roasted malts and the alcohol content. English porter has a moderate amount of Dark roast and alcohol. Baltic is heavier with an alcohol content between 6.5 and 9.5. Imperial is a name added thanks to Catherine the Great. But, it is still basically a Baltic Porter.
Okay, the Catherine the Great thing has you intrigued? Well, in the 17th century, the British Anchor Brewing company (not to be confused with the American one) developed the art of brewing porters. And, they made some connections in the Baltic states who had connections to Russia. So, the brewer developed a heavier, higher alcohol porter to sell to the Baltics, who in turn sent it on to Russia. Apparently, Catherine the Great was quite enamored with the beverage and asked for it specifically. So, the name Baltic Porter referred to the version sold in the Baltics, and the ones sent on to Catherine became Imperial porters. Or, so the story goes.
So, what’s the deal with Stouts and Porters?
So, if The difference between different types of porters isn’t confusing enough, it’s time to muddy the waters a bit. What’s the difference between porter and Stout? Ironically, the original stouts earned the name stout porter. They were a richer, darker version of porter. That distinction is probably the most apt today. While some argue that stouts are bottom fermented ales, while porters are top fermented lagers, that turns out false. They are both usually top fermented. Then, there are those who argue stout has a higher ABV (alcohol by volume). This is definitely not true. The longest standing distinction is that porters use malted barley and stouts use unmalted. This does apply in most cases. But, there are definite exceptions to the rule. So, really, the only distinction left is the thickness and color. Stouts are just heavier versions of porters in most cases.
But, even that doesn’t hold true across all brewers’ interpretations. You can definitely get some heavier porters and lighter stouts. Think of it like coffee. Porters and stouts are like dark roast vs espresso. If you try a Starbuck’s dark roast it’s going to be heavier than your local donut shop’s espresso (if they have one). We now live in a world of Artisanal everything. So, the “artists” get to pick their own name and distinction. While this is great for the proliferation of new and exciting beers, it does muddy the waters om what is and isn’t a porter vs stout. So, for the sake of sanity, let’s call a stout a heavy porter as it was when it first came out.
Now, you can Ask the Porter for Baltic Avenue. And, when you get there, tell the local brewer his stout is merely a Baltic porter.
Enough of the beer nerd talk, let’s drink
All this talk of Russian Monarchs and semantics of nomenclature is enough to drive one to drink. So, let’s suffice to say that Baltic Porter is a heavy, sweet brown ale with high alcohol. And, let’s get down to drinking it and eating food that goes well with porters. It is January, so a heavy dark ale will go well with winter comfort food. And, since we are discussing Baltic Porter, let’s look to that region for today’s menu.
Those familiar with Polish Food will recognize today’s recipe as a variation of perogies (Meat filled Dumplings). This is a Baltic version from Estonia. We have taken some liberties with the recipe, though. Often, they have a ham and egg stuffing. But, we did a savory meat and herb stuffing today. We did incorporate a regional favorite: cabbage. For our recipe, we serve it with a variation of a stroganoff sauce, mushrooms, wine, demi glace, and sour cream. You can use your own variation if you like. What better way to enjoy a beverage beloved by Catherine the Great. So, Pour a pint of Baltic porter and prepare to leave the winter outside.
Herbed Pirukas with Wild Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients
- For Dough:
- 1.5 Cup Milk
- 1 Tbsp Cane Sugar
- 2 tsp Kosher or sea Salt
- 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1/4 Cup Warm water
- 1 Tbsp dry active yeast
- 4 Cups AP Flour, plus more for rolling out the dough.
- For Filling:
- 1 Cup Diced White Onion
- 1 tsp Chopped Fresh Garlic
- 1/2 Cup Fine Diced Cabbage or Brussel Sprouts
- oil to cook
- 1/2 tsp Ground Allspice
- 1/2 Cup Fine diced Gruyere Cheese
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Thyme
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Marjoram
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Parsley
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Sage
- 1 Lb Ground Beef, pork or other meat
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- For Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Shallots
- 2 Cups Assorted Wild Mushrooms, Diced
- 1 Cup Sherry or red wine
- 1 Cup Demi Glace (reduced Beef or veal Stock)
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Marjoram
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the Dough: Scald the Milk, remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Allow to cool to about body temperature, below 120 degrees. While that is heating and cooling, put yeast and sugar in warm water. Mix until it dissolves. Let it bloom for about 10 minutes until it becomes frothy.
- Use a mixer with dough hook or mix the dough bu hand in a mixing bowl by adding the yeast to the milk and butter, and fold in the flour. Knead until a firm dough forms. Add more flour if it is too wet. Coat the dough with oil, cover with plastic and allow to rise for about 30 minutes.
- While the dough is rising make the filling: Saute Onion and garlic in a light coating of oil until translucent. Add in the meat and break it apart. Cook it through. Add in the cabbage and cook until it is just softened.. Add in the cheese and herbs and remove from the heat. Stir well until the cheese melts and the filling becomes scoopable. Set aside.
- Make The Sauce: Saute the Shallots in a small amount of oil or butter until translucent. Add in the mushrooms and cook until soft, stirring as needed. Add the wine and cook down until it has almost all evaporated. Add the Demi glace and cook down until it coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the sour cream, season with salt and pepper, and add the herbs.
- Remove the dough from the pan. knead it in flour for a couple turns. Roll out the dough to less than 1/4 inch thick. Do it in workable pieces. Cut out 3 inch circles of dough. Put a generous amount of filling into the center of each circle. Dip fingers in water and close the dough up by pinching the folds together. You should end up with oblong dumplings. Make sure the dough is well cinched so the filling doesn't leak out.
- Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy pan over medium high heat. Fry the dough until golden brown. Flip sides to cook evenly. Alternatively, you can cook them in a pan with very little oil to get a crisp browning on either side. Then, pop them into a preheated 400 degree oven for about 5 to 10 minutes to finish cooking them all the way through. Serve with the mushroom sauce.