Remains of the Day: Wisconsin Swiss
by Brad
It's been awhile since we've had a Remains of the Day post, so it's good to get back at it. This edition comes to you courtesy of Midwest Ultimate's Wisconsin Swiss afterparty. The tournament party's beers of choice were from Madison's own Capital Brewery, and the selection included the famous Capital Amber, the delightful Island Wheat, and their summer seasonal, the Lakehouse Lager. I was blessed with the opportunity to bartend for this wonderful party, which of course meant I got to take a little home with me at the end of the day, so of course, pancakes.
As with all RotD, the downside is the beer is from the night before, so it's usually a little flat and not exactly the fairest representation. That being said, it's still beer, and it's only a day old, and they're becoming pancakes either way, so how pure it is might be debatable in the first place. Either way, the two beers we have today are the Amber and the Island Wheat.
Pretty much anyone who's been to Madison before has had Capital's Amber, an if you haven't, you're doing it wrong. The amber is delightfully malty while still being light enough to be drinkable (all the while clocking in at 5.8% ABV). The Island Wheat is a wonderfully summery beer that's crisp yet flavorful in all of its wheaty glory. As pancakes, though, the story gets much more interesting.
As with all RotD, the downside is the beer is from the night before, so it's usually a little flat and not exactly the fairest representation. That being said, it's still beer, and it's only a day old, and they're becoming pancakes either way, so how pure it is might be debatable in the first place. Either way, the two beers we have today are the Amber and the Island Wheat.
|
| Yes, those are water bottles in the background. And frozen pork shoulder. |
Prep/Cooking:
When it comes to batters, there wasn't anything particularly special about these two. Their distinct colors from beer form almost entirely vanished in the batter, and they came out looking almost identical from a color standpoint. This color indistinguishability carried through in the pancakes, as well.
There was one interesting property, though. I wish I had an explanation as to why it happened, too. Despite being pretty flat in beer form (no thanks to their wonderful storage mechanism), the amber pancakes were extremely bubbly while cooking. It was weird. I could see right through them the bubbles were so big/extensive.
There was one interesting property, though. I wish I had an explanation as to why it happened, too. Despite being pretty flat in beer form (no thanks to their wonderful storage mechanism), the amber pancakes were extremely bubbly while cooking. It was weird. I could see right through them the bubbles were so big/extensive.
|
| I'mma be poppin' that bubbly... |
Results:
The not-so-speciality of the batter carried through to the pancakes for the Amber, unfortunately. They weren't exactly bad, but there was nothing really about them to make them memorable or worthwhile. Much better in beer form. The wheat, however, is an entirely different story.
|
| Prepare yourselves |
One of the things I've discovered over the course of this blog is that wheat beers tend to make better pancakes than any other beer type I've come across, and the Island Wheat does not disappoint. The pancakes had a delicious, almost sweet flavor to them. The pancakes really brought out the wheat qualities of the beer all the while maintaining the crisp, summery feel it has in liquid form.
The Ternary Scale:
Amber
Pancakes: 1 - Meh. If you have it, try it, but I wouldn't go out of your way or really say it's something you have to have.
Syrup: 1 - Meh again. Didn't really help or hurt the pancakes.
Wheat
Pancakes: 2 - HOLY JESUS YES. These might be some of the best pancakes I've ever made on this blog. You need to make these
Syrup: 0 - I wouldn't bother wasting the syrup or the pancakes, as it didn't really help or hurt at all.
|
| Nom nom nom |
If you liked this post, share the love!