FatCat Brew Day: Mighty Munich Dunkel

I'm about halfway into brew day here looking to turn out a Munich Dunkel.  WTF is a Muchich Dunkel?  Turns out to be a good question because I didn't know either.  I thought it was basically a lager version of a stout (ale).  However when I did some research for my recipe it turns out to be something slightly different.  A heavy roasted character is forbidden from this style which would end the comparisons to a stout right there.  It appears to closely resemble an Oktoberfest with the exception of a darker, maltier taste.  A maltier Oktoberfest?  Sign me up!  Well here goes nothing.  Looking at the examples given from the BJCP guide, nothing jumps out as familiar.  This gives more credence to the fact you can homebrew stuff that you just might not find at the store.  With the obscure Roggenbier down, we are moving on to another obscure style, the Munich Dunkel.  Darker, maltier Oktoberfest anyone?

Cheers!

Ska ESB in a freakin' can

For the longest time I had the unsubstantiated notion that canned craft brew was inferior to its glass bearing siblings.  I didn’t have any facts to back up my opinion but I secretly held my ground against canned craft brew.  It took a long time, and a boat, to break my canned craft brew cherry.  Now I’m a canned craft brew freak.  One of my favorite IPAs is none other than Ska’s Modus Hoperandi, so I decided to give Ska’s ESB a shot.  ESB stands for Extra Special Bitter and is synonymous with the label British Pale Ale.  An ESB is generally less bitter with a subdued hop character when compared to American pale ales.  British ales rely more on yeast character and malt balance to create appeal in the finished product.

The Ska ESB poured with a small creamy head.  There was dull hop aroma followed by a bit of malt sweetness in the nose.  The mouthfeel was awesomely creamy and smooth.  The creaminess was followed by a very balanced malt character reminiscent of biscuits or toast.  The maltiness was balanced nicely with dull earth and pine notes from the hops.  Neither the malt nor the bitterness dominated the brew.  The real star in my opinion was the creaminess of the mouthfeel.  It’s one of those rare treats when a brew achieves that ideal smooth consistency to make the mouthfeel absolutely perfect.  Usually you have to turn to a German Bock or Oktoberfest to get that perfect smoothness, but this ESB nails it.  Did I mention the creaminess?

I’m sold!  I’m officially a canned craft brew fan.  This ESB is masterful and I would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone.  I will update this brew to FatCat’s Epic Brews List so check it out at the top of the page.  Keep in mind this is not comparable to an American pale ale and will not have that significant citrus hop character.  So don’t cuss me when you try this brew and it is not the predecessor to Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale or some other big American Pale ale.  Enjoy!

Cheers!

FatCat's 2011 IPA Shootout #2 Results!

We kissed summer goodbye with a bang, 8 IPAs worth of bang!  The gloves are off and we have a winner!

As always this was a blind tasting, meaning we had no idea which beers we were drinking.  We tasted each of our 8 samples and rated them 1-5, 1 being the worst and 5 being the best.  We are by no means beer judges and we rated the beers based on our personal preferences.  Do I like this beer more than that beer?  If yes then it gets a higher score.  As with our other shootouts we were surprised by the outcome and that my friends is the beauty of blind tasting.  We were down a man this tasting so there were only 3 of us: Me, Big Ed, and the newcomer Super Spiker Andrew.

And the winner is:

1.   New Belgium Ranger IPA                13.5pts

2.   Green Flash West Coast IPA            11.0pts

3t.  Stone Arrogant Bastard                    10.5pts

3t.  FatCat’s 11 Iron Horizon IPA          10.5pts

5.   Ska Modus Hoperandi                      10.0pts

6.   Stone IPA                                           8.5pts

7.   Founder’s Centennial IPA                  7.5pts

8.   Lagunitas IPA                                     6.5pts

FatCat’s Favorites:
Ranger IPA                5.0pts
11 Iron Horizon IPA 4.5pts
West Coast IPA        4.0pts

Big Ed’s Favorites:

Ranger IPA              4.5pts
Modus Hoperandi     4.0pts
West Coast IPA        4.0pts

Super Spiker Andrew’s Favorites:

Ranger IPA                 4.5pts
Arrogant Bastard        4.0pts
Modus Hoperandi       3.0pts
11 Iron Horizon IPA   3.0pts

Conclusion:

My personal favorites before the shootout would have been the Centennial IPA and Modus Hoperandi.  The Ranger IPA was definitely the sleeper of the group (at least for me).  I had passed on this beer so many times at the liquor store because it didn’t have that sexiness.  You know how rare beers or highly touted brews carry that extra “sex” appeal and you gotta have them?  The Ranger is always at the store, always in the build your own sixer, and is like the back up date to the prom.  I’ll try it out later if my other top choices aren’t available.  Our fates crossed the other day and I took the backup date to the prom, in doing so I discovered a stellar IPA that had to go into the shootout.  Now we have a beer Cinderella story.  The morale of the story is don’t take your back up beer dates for granted. 

The Green Flash West Coast IPA is a freakin’ beast.  It was clearly the most bitter of all the other offerings.  Unfortunately this was the first beer in the sampling and it totally destroyed our palate for the other beers.  However, we kept our composure and cleansed our palates with gallons of water so we could proceed.  The huge difference in bitterness between this brew and every other brew in the tasting raised my spidey sense that this may not be an “IPA” per se.  Could there be a rat?

I know what you’re thinking; Founder’s Centennial took next to last.  Didn’t Founder’s win your first shootout?  Yes, Yes it did.  As I mentioned, Green Flash was the first beer in the tasting and generally made every other beer after that taste the equivalent of a pale ale.  Guess which beer was number two?  If you guessed the Centennial IPA then you are correct.  With that being said the Centennial took the brunt of the palate destruction from the Green Flash.  Going with my hunch I did some research about the West Coast’s IBUs and it turns out it has 95 IBUs.  According to the BJCP guidelines the cutoff for an American IPA is 65 IBUs and therefore makes the West Coast not an IPA.  It’s an Imperial IPA and is a rat in this shootout.  Thanks Green Flash for screwing up my shootout with a blatant mislabeling of your product, you guys are awesome.

Based on my previous tasting of the Arrogant Bastard I found it comparable to an IPA in bitterness, hop character, and aroma.  It was quite a bit darker in color than the other brews but fared very well in our shootout.

I was stoked the homebrew tied for 3^rd in the blind tasting.  It was the most unique tasting brew in the entire shootout (my opinion).  All the other beers had the same type of “cookie cutter” bitterness character of an American IPA.  The 11 Iron in contrast had a minty/grassy bitterness making for a super drinkable and refreshing brew.  I do have to admit my clarity issue from dry hopping was very apparent.  It stuck out like a sore thumb so everyone knew which one was the homebrew.

As always I will review the top 3 brews in detail in future posts.

Cheers!

2011 FatCatKC IPA Shootout #2

Fall is fast approaching and Oktoberfests are muscling their way into most people's beer selections.  FatCat is holding on to the last shred of summer by offering up round two of the 2011 FatCat shootout.  The exciting part for me is this is the first time a FatCat homebrew will be pitted against the big boys.  My weapon of choice is FatCat's 11 Iron Horizon IPA.  Can it hold it's own?  Will the Founder's Centennial IPA remain the undisputed champion of Kansas City IPAs?

FatCat 11 Iron Horizon IPA
Stone IPA
Lagunitas IPA
Modus Hoperandi
Summit IPA
Stone Arrogant Bastard
Green Flash
Founders Centennial
New Belgium Ranger IPA

Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin'

7.5% ABV
64.20 IBU

With a name like Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ how could you resist? The name inspires your curiosity atoms to bounce around inside your cranium until you reach a breaking point. You are forced to make the purchase to prevent further brain damage from the kamikaze curiosity atoms. And that my friends is what happens when you can’t decide whether you want to try a new beer or not. With Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ in hand I inspect the packaging for any clues as to what style of brew this is supposed to be. With no indication of the style on the packaging, I have to use my powers of deductive reasoning. Based on the ABV and IBU it appears to be in line with an IPA.

The Little Sumpin’ poured with a super fluffy mushroom cloud for a head. The nose offered fruity notes with hints of citrus mixed in. This was a unique fruity aroma and is not something I’ve experienced before in anything that was not specifically a fruit beer. I took the time to enjoy the fruity aroma extensively before diving into the drink. The brew starts with a bit of malty caramel and then rounds out into a very nice bitter finish. The bitterness is the real star in the brew as it is very crisp and well blended without being overpowering. I didn’t pick up much in the way of hop flavor which is somewhat disappointing given the wonderful aroma I experienced beforehand. I enjoyed this brew very much and I was impressed by how well the bitterness blended with the malt backbone of the brew. I’m updating this to the FatCat’s Epic Brews list so check it out at the top of the page.

The question remains, what the hell style is this? This is a pet peeve of mine when beer companies fail to identify the style of beer on their packaging. As a consumer this vagueness makes me infinitely more likely to skip the offering all together. Why would I buy something when I have no clue of what to expect? I know this is an age of Craft Beer Enlightenment where beer companies refuse to be limited by “styles”. Ok that is fine with me but tell me what you are trying to accomplish. An IPA with roast malt, a wheat IPA, a brown ale with Belgian yeast, etc. After the tasting I’m thinking this is an IPA. Rate Beer categorizes it as an IPA and BeerAdvocate categorizes it as an American Pale Wheat. The Lagunitas website describes the brew as, “Cripsy Wheat and Pale Malt flavors with a Big Round & Juicy Hop Finish.” Based on the taste I would not have pinned this as a wheat beer so I’m not convinced a significant amount of wheat malt was used. In my opinion this is not a type of wheat beer. This brings us back to a good ol’ IPA, I guess that will have to do.

Cheers!

Belgian School - Founder's Blushing Monk

12.3% ABV

Blushing Monk is the first release this year in Founder's Back Stage Series.  First released in 2007 it has been four years since anyone has seen this brew on store shelves.  I personally have never experienced this brew before but when I stumbled upon it I couldn't resist trying it.  Fruit beers aren't usually my cup of tea so I approaced this tasting with a bit of apprehension.  In addition to the Raspberry character this is supposed to be a belgian style ale.  This should fit in nicely with FatCat's Belgian School right?  Well let's find out.

The Raspberry aroma immediately leaps from the bottle after the cap is popped.  Alcoholic Capri Sun anyone?  The Monk pours a dark red with a bright red head posted on top of the brew.  The raspberry aroma that was abundant out of the bottle is just as dominant in the glass.  All your senses are indicating you are about to partake in the consumption of raspberry juice with the beer nerd part of your brain wondering if there is any beer in there at all.  The mouthfeel is fairly thick for a Belgian style ale with some residual malt sweetness in the background.  The taste starts with deep fruit raspberry character and ends with some sourness.  The fruit/raspberry character is clearly dominating the taste profile but is supported somewhat adequately by the malt profile.  This is a Belgian Style right?  Ok palate start earning your money where is the Belgian?  If you really concentrate on the taste the Belgian yeast character appears in the distant background.  It is not a dominant trait in the flavor profile but can be experienced if you hunt for it.  The sourness does subside a bit and some additional malt character begins poking through as the brew warms. 

This is another one of those brews that pushes the limits on what can actually be considered beer.  It is completely dominated by the raspberry character and is fairly absent of traditional beer characteristics

(yeast,hops, etc.).  With all of that being said, to my surprise I thouroughly enjoyed this brew. 

Previous Belgian School Lessons:

Doodle Dubble
Trappist Rochefort 10
Ommengang Abbey Ale

 

Medal of Honor Homebrew

I've been following the story of Dakota Meyer and his receipt of the Medal of Honor for a few days.  It turns out he is the first living Marine in 38 years to receive the Medal of Honor.  According to the articles I've read he received the commendation after his actions while serving in Afghanistan.  A group of soldiers were stationed in a village where they were training Afghans to serve in the military.  The Taliban ambushed the site from a nearby mountainside pinning down both Afghans and US military with gunfire.  Meyer made several requests to his superiors to enter and assist in the conflict but was denied.  Meyer and Staff Sgt. Juan Rodriguez-Chavez took it upon themselves to drive an armored Humvee into the battle to assist.  They rescued 36 people before air support finally arrived.  Unfortunately five of Meyer's fellow Marines perished in the conflict.  Meyer was injured by shrapnel during the rescue.  Chavez received the Navy Cross for his part in the rescue.

When the Whitehouse contacted Meyer to arrange the Medal of Honor ceremony, Meyer requested to have a beer with the President.  President Obama obliged the request and met with Meyer over beers the day before the ceremony.  Those two meeting over beers brings back that sense of old school camaraderie that I think is dwindling quickly in America.  It seems the days are gone where people shared their days over a mug of beer and actually gave a damn about each other.  This leads to FatCat's thoughts of the day, "Slow down, smell the hops and share some brew".  

Over at Beer and Whiskey Bros the questioned was asked, "What kind of beer was it?".  After some detective work it turns out it was the White House's homebrewed Honey Blonde Ale.  Chalk one up for homebrew!

In light of this national beer sharing show of camaraderie, if you know someone who has served in the military show your appreciation by sharing a beer with them.

Cheers!

How's Big Beer Holding Up?

Sales Loss (2006-2010)

According to an article published on MSNBC.com some of Big Beer's brands have been losing some major ground since 2006.  I would like to think these stats prove craft brew is slowly topling Goalith.  However encouraging these numbers maybe for craft breweries, there is still a looooonnnnnngggg way to go to achieve balance in the beer market.  Let's keep flinging rocks at that big SOB and continue supporting our local breweries.

Click the link below to see the full article:

8 Beers Americans No Longer Drink

Cheers!

So you want to homebrew?

I received an email from an individual wanting some advice on how to start homebrewing. If their is anything I love more than craft brew, it is homebrew. I do offer a word of warning, once you catch the homebrew bug you will become hopelessly addicted. You will not stop until you have 30 or 40 gallons of homebrew at various stages of production in your house. You have been warned!

First things first, we need to get some equipment. Unless you have some sort of equipment already, you will most likely need to order a kit from a retailer. There are countless online retailers and a couple of local shops to purchase from. I am going to mention the two retailers I am familiar with, Bacchus and Barleycorn which is the local shop and MidwestSupplies.com. Please note I am not paid in any way for my opinions and I have no financial interest in your purchasing decision. With that being said I purchase most of my all-grain ingredients from the local shop Bacchus and Barleycorn. I purchased my equipment starter kit from Midwestsupplies.com and purchase most of my replacement equipment from them. Bacchus' equipment is a bit too expensive in my opinion. However they do offer a frequent shopper card that gives you $20.00 back for every $200.00 you spend, so that is a plus.

There are two basic ways to make beer, extract or all-grain. With extract brewing you will be using a malt extract which will be either syrup or powder. This extract will be added to water, boiled, and provide the sugar needed for the yeast to convert to alcohol. All-grain brewing utilizes grain soaked/rinsed in heated water to make wort. The wort is boiled and is the sugar source for the yeast. Here is my guide for the necessary equipment for brewing extract brew. I will make a separate post regarding the equipment necessary for all-grain brewing at a later date. Here we go!

Mandatory Reading - HowToBrew.com

Bare Bones Brewing Equipment -

This is the equipment you will need to brew extract recipe ales up to about 6.0% ABV. These recipes will require you to boil 2.5 gallons of wort and will not require a secondary fermentor. It should be fairly easy to find a vessel capable of boiling 2.5 gallons and you can use your stove top to boil it. Bottles can be either purchased from a retailer or you can save the bottles after you drink your favorite craft brew. Bottles that are not screw top and have the single lip are suitable for your homebrew.

Midwest Supplies Basic Kit - $64.99

- Instructional Homebrewing DVD
- 6.5 Gallon Plastic Fermenter
- 6.5 Gallon Bottling Bucket with Spigot
- 8 oz Easy Clean
- Airlock
- Hydrometer
- Bottle Brush
- Bottle Capper
- Bottle Caps
- Bottle Filler
- Racking Cane
- Tubing

Not included in the kit but you will need:
- Long stem Thermometer - $10.99
- Funnel w/strainer - $6.10
- Bottles - 52 12oz or 28 22oz
- Big 15 gallon plastic tub (for putting your kettle in to cool the wort after the boil) - $5.00 Dollar Store/WalMart

Optional Equipment:

If you are wanting to now or in the future brew lagers, high gravity brews, or more than one batch in a 3 week period you will need carboys as secondary fermenters. I prefer glass but they do have plastic versions that will save you some money.  In addition to a secocondary fermenter, lagers require temperature control (extra fridge with manual controller $50.00) during fermentation.  Due to this added complexity of brewing lagers I would avoid them for your first couple of brews.  If you think you will ever brew all-grain you will need at least a 7.5 gallon brew kettle. So my advice, if you are investing in a brewing kettle do not purchase one less than 7.5 gallons or you will kick yourself in the butt later. Another option for brew kettles is to acquire a 15.5 or 7.75 gallon keg and cut a hole in the top of them. You can usually find the full sized kegs on Craigslist for $50.00. Also with 7.5 gallons of wort you will need to migrate from the stove top to a dedicated burner (turkey fryer).

- 7.5 gallon stainless steel brew kettle - Midwestsupplies.com - $79.99
- Glass Carboy $29.99
- Turkey Fryer Burner - Bayou Classic @ Homedpot.com - $49.97

Ingredients:

For your first two or three batches I recommend you order a recipe kit. These kits will have all the ingredients you need to make a batch of brew accompanied by detailed instructions. The only recipe kits I have personally used are the Irish Red and Cream Stout from Midwestsupples.com. Both of these kits procuced delicious brew so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. The local shop Bachuss also has ingredient kits available. Once you get the mechanics of making homebrew down, you can venture out on your own and start developing your own recipes. In developing your own recipes I find Brew Your Own magazine and the book Designing Great Beers to be valuable resources. Along with these publications you can search the ever expansive Internet for other peoples ideas. My recipes with tons of others are posted at Hopville.com and I have found some good recipes at MaltoseFalcons.com.

- Irish Ale Recipe Kit - $26.99 for 5 gallon batch

Local Shop:

Bacchus & Barleycorn
6633 Nieman Road
Shawnee, KS 66203
Phone: 913-962-2501
www.bacchus-barleycorn.com

Jamaica's Dragon Stout

As I mentioned earlier the Jamaican Dragon Stout was the saving grace (as far as beer is concerned) of my recent vacation.  Without the Dragon Stout I would have been stranded on a tropical island with Red Stripe and Heineken as my only barley based beverages.  AHHHHHH!!!!!!  Nightmare averted and Jamaican Stout acquired.

The Dragon Stout is an export stout weighing in at 7.5% ABV.  It pours with a big three fingered head which recedes fairly quickly.  The head gives way and releases a somewhat strange grassy earthy aroma.  The grassy aroma is not one I’m particularly familiar with but gives the brew an inviting hot weather beginning.  The mouthfeel is fairly thin for a stout of this ABV but again would be conducive to hot weather consumption.  The brew begins with a big shot of grainy maltiness mixing in with toasty bread character.  There is not the typical roast or chocolate notes I’ve become accustomed to in stouts.  Usually I would consider the absence of roast character a negative but the malty breadiness brings depth to this stout.  The malt finish brings a subtle molasses character that hits you in the back of the throat.  Molasses gives way to the grassy character which was apparent in the nose.  I’m not sure what types of hops they use in this brew but it reminds me of a milder version of the Hopluia IPA.  They both have that grassy minty signature from their hops.  This is unlike any stout I’ve tried before and the unique complexity makes it a treat.

Cheers!   

Cancel the Search Party FatCat Has Been Located!

Where the hell did FatCat go?  Don’t panic, cancel the missing person’s reports, FatCat is back!  We took a family vacation to Jamaica and have returned unscathed.  Before leaving I did some research about the beer choices in Jamaica and the outlook seemed rather bleak.  There are two breweries on the island, Desnoes and Geddes brews what appears would be the majority of the beer (Heineken, Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, Red Stripe/Light/Bold, Dragon Stout), and Big City Brewing Co. which brew three stouts.  It seemed odd to me that stouts would be the only other style available besides pale lagers.  Jamaica’s climate is very hot and humid so a thick sweet stout would not be my top choice for refreshment.  However being the stout junkie that I am, the opportunity to try stouts which I will never get to try again excited me. 

The good news, this was an all-inclusive resort with unlimited drinks.  The bad news, they served all of their drinks in plastic kid glasses that probably held less than 6oz.  The only thing missing was the little sippy lid and a bib.  They think they can deter FatCat from consuming mass quantities of alcohol with children’s cups?  Amateurs.  A couple days into the trip I purchased my very own bamboo mug which held probably 16oz.  So I drank my fair share of free Red Stripe out of my bamboo mug.  The bamboo mug definitely had an earthy/woody character giving the otherwise bland lager some depth.  However by the time you reached the bottom of the mug the character became somewhat overbearing.  Bamboo mug 1, sippy cup 0.  Bad news part II…the only beer available was Red Stripe.  Now don’t get me wrong, Red Stripe is not a terrible beer but is a beer that is a bit too sweet for my taste as a pale lager.  The sweetness becomes overwhelming after a “few” beers and usually sends me looking for an alternative beverage.  A member of my travel party headed to the gift shop and purchased a $15.00 sixer of Heineken.  The Heineken is not a favorite of mine but did provide a drier alternative to the Red Stripe.  Safe to say I consumed various concoctions of rum to make up for the absence of beer selection. 

The other beers available at the gift shop were Guinness Foreign Extra Stout and Dragon Stout.  I declined to purchase the Guinness due to the price and the fact I can drive to any store in the KC metro area and purchase it.  The Dragon Stout is one of the Jamaican stouts I was in search of so I was fortunate it was available in the resort gift shop.  I will be reviewing the Dragon Stout shortly.  Unfortunately I was unable to locate any of the other stouts on the island.  Red Stripe, Heineken, and Guinness dominated every store I visited.  With Dragon Stout in hand the vacation was not a total disappointment in terms of beer purchases. 

Our vacation was wonderful and we had a great time.  We went on the zip line excursion which was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  For those of you who don’t know what zip lining is: you get strapped into a harness, find high ground, hook onto some sort of cable spanning from one high place to another, you pray the cable and harness will hold your weight, you then lift your legs and hurdle through the air until you reach the opposite platform somewhere high up in a tree.  I am terrified of heights so I was apprehensive to say the least before the trip.  Of course the Mrs was gung ho and you can’t look like a sissy in front of your lady.  After it was over I considered it one of the greatest things I’ve ever done.  Now the Mrs wants to go higher and faster…God help me.






After enduring a week of Red Stripe in sippy cups, arriving home I had no choice but to purchase a giant German mug with a 1 liter can of Oktoberfest beer to balance the universe.

Steak with a Craft Brew Flair!

This past weekend was the Mrs's birthday and she requested steak for her celebration dinner.  While steak can be a tasty treat all on its own, I was in the mood for something a little different.  I hit the web in search of a delicious variation on how to prepare a prime choice of beef.  I struck gold!  I found a recipe by Guy Fieri named Java Crusted New York Steak with Stout Glaze.  Coffee on a steak?  Sounds strange but I was sold when I saw the stout glaze.  I ran it by the Mrs and got the go ahead to continue with the mission.

Here's the recipe as listed on foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup medium grind Italian Roast coffee
• 1/2 cup black peppercorns, freshly cracked
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1/4 cup granulated garlic
• 11/2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
• 11/2 tablespoons paprika
• 4 (1 1/2 to 2-inch) thick New York strip steaks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 16 ounces stout
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Combine coffee, peppercorns, 1/4 cup brown sugar, salt, garlic, cayenne pepper and paprika in a small bowl. Press firmly onto steaks. Let steaks rest, covered, for 30 minutes at room temperature.

To cook, heat oil in a large saute pan until almost smoking. Add steaks and sear 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Do not overcrowd the pan. Use 2pans if needed. Remove steaks to a baking dish and finish cooking in the oven until desired doneness. Remove to a cutting board or platter and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, bring stout to a simmer in a small saucepan and reduce by about 1/3. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. After steaks have rested, pour any juices from the cutting board into the sauce, and serve with steaks.

I know what your thinking, because I thought the same thing.  Steak without the grill?  I had my doubts as well but was comforted by the thought of a stout glaze.  Onward soldier. 

What stout to choose?  There was no question I would turn to the Sam Adams Cream Stout. 

The recipe called for a medium grind French roast coffee for the rub.  I know NOTHING about coffee.  I don't drink coffee so I was lost on what to choose.  At first I had some Foldgers in the old shopping cart but realized it was enough to make 90 cups of coffee.  The thought crossed my mind that perhaps I should get a smaller amount.  I ventured back to the coffee aisle and was greeted by a The Roasterie representative who was very helpful in choosing the Euro Bistro Blend.  The Roasterie is a local KC company of which I was happy to support.  According to remarks on the recipe I cut the ingredients for the rub in half.  I still had some rub left over even after cutting it in half. 

The Mrs proclaimed that this was the best steak she had ever tasted.  She was not a huge fan of the stout glaze but the rub was a hit.  I was in agreement and will definitely use this recipe again.  I liked the stout glaze but it seemed to be a bit too sweet.  I will cut the brown sugar in half the next time I use this recipe.  Looking for a different way to cook your next steak?  Why not spice it up with some locally roasted coffee and some craft brew?  I put the FatCat seal of approval on this recipe.

Cheers!