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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2016)
Polk County Living Polk County Itemizer-Observer • September 21, 2016 7A HOP & HERITAGE EMILy MENTzER/ Itemizer-Observer The Boy and Cub Scouts wait to perform the presentation of the colors at Saturday morning’s Hop & Heritage Festival in Independence Riverview Park. Wet weather put a damper on some activities, but not all By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — The weather didn’t cooperate for the Hop & Heritage Festival on Friday and Saturday in Independence. The hot air balloons were canceled because of wind — but the pilots from the Ex- perimental Aircraft Associa- tion Chapter 292 served an impressive stack of flapjacks. Rain drizzled on the festi- p.m. and fireworks were canceled. At the Cooking with Beer contest, desserts took center stage. Darlene Hudlow won best appetizer with her bacon- wrapped beer brats. Emily Daigle took top honors for her Rogue Hazel- nut Brown Nectar brownies. Ta m m y a n d K e l l y Carmichael won best bread with their recipe for beer bread. val for most of the day on Saturday, totalling 0.73 inch- es. The contests went as planned, as did music and some games — and the pets in the pet parade weren’t bothered one bit. Vendors and fireworks technicians, on the other hand, were effected by the rain, which came down harder as the afternoon wore on. Vendors closed down at 6 Bacon-wrapped beer brats by Darlene Hudlow, from teaspoonsf.com EMILy MENTzER/ Itemizer-Observer A West Salem High School student plays a ghost in the Cooper Block tower during the annual Ghost Walk in downtown Independence Friday evening. 3 packets of bratwurst 1 package of bacon (16 ounces) 2, 12-ounce beers 2/3 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon wasabi powder 1 teaspoon dry mustard Deli mustard for dipping Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 425. Line your jelly roll with foil or parchment paper. 2. Pierce each of your brats several times with a fork. 3. In a large skillet, place half of the bratwursts and pour in 24 ounces of American lager. Once the beer is close to boiling, turn it down to low and let the brats simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes. The brats are done with they are no longer pink on the inside. 4. In the meantime, cut your bacon in thirds. 5. In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, wasabi powder and dry mustard to- gether. 6. Now that the brats are done, let them cool until you can handle them. Then cut the brats in thirds. 7. Wrap a piece of bacon around the brat. Roll them in your sugar mixture and place them on your baking sheet with the bacon flap side down. 8. Bake for 20 to 25 min- utes. Let them drain on paper towels before serving. 9. Add mustard to your serving plate and let them eat! Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar Brownies by Emily Daigle JOLENE GuzMAN/ Itemizer-Observer 4 eggs ¾ cups super fine sugar 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped 6 tablespoons unsalted butter ¾ cups all-purpose flour ¾ cups cocoa 1 ¼ cups Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter 8-inch square pan. 2. Combine eggs and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. 3. In medium sauce pan, over medium heat, melt bittersweet chocolate, white chocolate and butter. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and beat into egg mixture. 4. Stir in flour and cocoa. Whisk in beer. 5. Pour into pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean. 6. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack. 7. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve. One of the many contests at Hop & Heritage is a Homebrew Competition. Reporter Jolene Guzman volunteers as guest judge Beer Bread by Tammy and Kelly Carmichael By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — Six beers went head-to-head during the Homebrew Com- petition at the Hop & Her- itage Festival on Saturday. Only one would earn its maker the title “Homebrew Master.” A three-person judging panel — Dennis Marks, of Salem Home Brew Supply, Na t a s c h a Cro n i n , w h o launched the contest in 2013, and yours truly — was given the responsibility of selecting the beer-making champion. A note on my judging qualifications: I’m no expert on the intricacies of brewing beer, but I know good beer when I drink it. The contest had two cate- gories, session-style beers (lighter, refreshing beers with low-alcohol content) and Hop Proud beers (those that showcase the aroma and flavor of hops, such as American pale ales and India pale ales). I have an admitted prefer- ence for brews that could be described as hop proud over sessions, but like I said, I know a good beer when I taste it. Scott Slater’s session-style entry fits that description — and my judging partners agreed. We crowned Slater, of Jefferson, Homebrew Master for 2016. His winning brew earned 119 points out of a possible 150. It was his first competi- tion. Slater said he began brew- ing in 1990, but stopped after several years because he wasn’t thrilled with the outcome of his efforts. Years later, his son in- spired him to take up the hobby again. He re-intro- duced himself to the art of brewing with extract kits. “After a year and a half, I was enjoying the results, but wanted to step up my game,” he said. He started brewing with whole grains a few years ago and decided to put his cre- ations to the test on Saturday. Slater said he took a “what the heck, alright” approach to entering the contest. If he was, Slater shouldn’t have been surprised with the win. “I think it’s pretty cool,” Slater said. Karen Hans, of Mon- mouth, took second for ses- sion beers. For Hop Proud beers, Cole Brown and co-brewer Steve Richards of Independence brewed the top entry in the category. Kirk Studach, of Lyons, took second and Gabriel Williams, of Salem, took third. E LEGANT F LORAL 3 cups self-rising flour 1/3 cup sugar ¼ cup Tuscano pepper cheese, shredded 12 ounces 10 Barrel Sinister Black beer Directions: 1. Put self-rising flour, sugar and shredded cheese in mixing bowl. Mix and form a well. 2. Add Sinister Black Beer and mix until well combined. 3. Divide into eight mini loaf pans. 4. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 5. Brush tops with butter. 6. Remove from pan onto rack until cool. GAIL OBERST/ for the Itemizer-Observer Dennis Marks, Natascha Cronin and Jolene Guzman take notes during the Homebrew Competition at the Hop & Heritage Festival on Saturday. 24 Hour Service Pick Up & Drop Off 135 SW M ILL S T ., D ALLAS B OUTONNIERES & C ORSAGES 20% Discount Mention this ad. Get Home Safe, Call Your D.D... starting at $10 503-623-LOVE Merlin D. Berkey (971) 240-1208
