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CUTTING
THE MUSTARD
Mt.
Horeb Mustard Museum
Hop vines are trailing lush green cones, hanging in clusters from
the trellis in my beer garden, signalling the onset of harvest and
fall. With the seasonal autumn brews, such as Oktoberfests, try cutting
the robust malt sweetness of those beers with the sharp bite of mustard.
Thanks
to the resurgence of real ales, there are now more than a dozen brands
of hot English-style ale mustards imported to the U.S., plus a few
intrepid makers of beer mustards for the domestic market.
What
makes mustard such a perfect partner for beer? Its nose-tingling sharpness
includes a tangy, sour note that melds with the hops acidity in beer,
and is balanced by the thick malt residual sugars in dark lagers and
ales.
According
to Barry Levenson, curator of the Mt. Horeb Mustard Museum in my home
state of Wisconsin, "Allyl isothiocyanate is the 'nose-hit' substance
present in both mustard seeds and horseradish. Of course, many mustard
makers add horseradish for flavor and more 'nose-hit.'"
A recent expedition to Mt. Horeb Mustard Museum filled my shopping
bag with more than a dozen beery mustards, out of the 500 brands available
for sale. Another 2,000 or so brands of mustard are on display at
the museum, including a special display of European mustards, and
mustard memorabilia associated with baseball and hot dogs.
Most
beer mustards are English or American in origin--never French.
"The
English have a long tradition of using beer as a flavoring for mustard,
and that comes from the pub menu: mustards, bread, cheeses and ale,"
says Levenson. "But American microbreweries should really make
more beer mustards, since it is an easy way to promote their beers
to a wider audience."
A delectable Fuggle Mustard is made with Old Bob Bitter (ABV 12.5%),
by Ridley & Sons Country Chandlers of Essex-- the fine flavor
and aroma of Fuggles hops permeate the bite of the whole grain mustard
seeds and it is potent enough to make your eyes sting.
Blinking rapidly, I then sampled the Lakeshore Wholegrain Mustard
with Guinness Extra Stout from Tipperary, Ireland. Not quite the same
bite, so it could be paired with milder foods such as a roasted vegetable
salad, or a cheese sandwich. Taylor's Real Ale Mustard is nicely piquant,
from a food merchant that has been making mustards since 1830, longer
even than Coleman's mustard.
Most English ale mustards tend to be bitterer than American beer mustards,
in part because so many commercial yellow mustards in the U.S. contain
corn syrup or sugar. "Americans tend to go for the eggy, sweet
mustard sauces," says Levenson, "and the sugar masks the
flavors."
Not surprisingly, a "Seeds and Suds" mustard made with Mendocino
Brewing's Red Seal Ale was far too sweet for this taster, with a greater
quantity of brown sugar in the recipe, listed above even mustard seeds
in the ingredients.
A better balance between sweet and hot was struck by the Sierra Nevada
Pale Ale and Honey Spice mustard, which features the award-winning
ale's piney hops flavors and the smooth, palate-coating sweetness
of honey to gentle the mustard bite.
What goes best with mustard? Beer and pretzels, of course. A terrific
bar snack is a platter of pretzel sticks with assorted beer mustards
to dip and dunk.
NOTE: The Mt. Horeb Mustard Museum sells a gift box of beer mustards.
Call 1-800-438-6878 for a complete mail order catalog.
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