Trap Rock and another try at the mozz

Took a trip out to Trap Rock with R on Saturday. Inspired by the Beer Stained Letter blog? Perhaps.

The beers were excellent - I had a sampler, myself. I particularly enjoyed the seasonal William Tell ale. A very well balanced British style ale. And you really have to love a brewpub that has three lagers on tap. How great is that.

The food, however... was awesome. I had "fall off the bone" ribs and a pulled pork sandwich that was truly top notch. As good as anything I've ever had in real BBQ country. Tried some of R's lobster spring rolls and they were quite tasty with three different dipping sauces.

There were some dudes at the bar when they got there who quickly excused themselves to retire to the upstairs dining room. Turns out that was the only place to watch the Yankees game. Turns out all of the restaurants owned by the same group have no TV at the bar - this according to our very friendly barkeep. We had a very nice discussion with our new friend about the merits of that tactic. It seems a bit stodgy at first to sit at such a quiet bar, but then you realize that you're not surrounded by a bunch of jabroni's just getting loaded watching the game and it's kind of nice.

Got home and took another stab at making mozz. The first few times we tried the pot-on-the-stove method of cooking the curd, as we were really trying to go the more traditional route. This time around there were some problems with cooking the curd, so we tried the microwave method on a desperate whim to save the batch. Well, let's just say that there's a reason that the microwave method is recommended. Mozz came out very good this time. It could definitely be better - a bit rubbery and dry. But we'll get there.

Next stop - cheddar.

Also... dipped into the Portland stash, again!

Carrabassett Pale Ale: Definite diacetyl up front with some toasty malt and earthy English hops. Definitely presents itself as an English style ale. Light on the palate with flavors that are just like the aroma. Dry, significant bitterness, and moderate carbonation. An easy drinking beer. The diacetyl is not the end of the world, but sometimes you want a little warning before you buy that kind of a beer. Just sayin'.

Chamberlain Ale: Bright copper with a thin white head. English hops - mild, earthy, fruity - with a bit of diacetyl. A bit of sweet malt in the aroma. Caramel malt and some earthy hops in the flavor. Hops come on stronger. Finish is malt balanced - not as bitter as I expected. All in all, the kind of beer you'd expect from The Shipyard.