(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

Firestone's XVI Anniversary Ale. Here's an ale that should turn pretty much anyone into a Firestone fanboy. Even the Doxey has given his seal of approval. 

So what is this all about? Think a 13% bomb, one which should be a slap in the face, but is not. Instead it's a gentle lullaby, one that tells you everything is going to be OK. It's one of those beers so close to perfect, you will completely forget about how much you actually shelled out for it. It joins the exclusive club, frequented by the likes of the Abyss, which any ale longs to belong to.

But enough of the hyperbole.

The XVI Anniversary Ale pours dark, dark brown, with a finger of tan head, and some lacing on the glass. 

Sniff it, and there is surprisingly little alcohol to be found. Instead you'll discover a gentle sweetness, flanked by bourbon and oakiness. Put your nose all the way in there, and you'll find other details. Vanilla, certainly, and chocolate. Just keep sniffing and you'll dance with this for a while.

Having tasted this both on bottle and on tap, I was surprised to find the bottled version to be superior. Here you'll find a lot of coconut, something that was sort of hidden in the nose, and it actually dominates the flavor. From tap, I could hardly pick up on it. Strange. The vanilla flanks it well, with a nice oak hitting the back of the palette. You'll find chocolate and bourbon throughout, with just a little bit of an alcohol burn lingering. Not to the point you'd expect 13% to linger, mind you.

What really makes the XVI Anniversary Ale shine, though, is the mouthfeel. I can't remember ever having anything like this, but it truly and honestly feels like liquid velvet. Seriously! This is one of the smoothest beer I can think of, and it takes creaminess to a new level. It could be a result of relatively low carbonation, I don't know, or maybe it's simply magic. I'm willing to start believing.

The XVI Anniversary Ale is a stellar beer. It's also an expensive beer, coming in at around $20. This might be why it's relatively easy to find -- Yoke's on Argonne has a bunch stashed in their shelves.

But ask yourself this: Don't you think you're worth it? We think you're worth it. Go and treat yourself, just this once. There's no way you'll regret it.

Here's somewhat of an oddity: the meatza. This is pretty much what it sounds like, a pizza made primarily out of meat. Yes, even the crust. Particularly the crust. I'm sure this brings forth a few questions, but first, here is the recipe:

• 1.5 lbs ground meat (we used Italian sausage from venison)
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup marinara sauce, or any other tomato sauce or paste
• 2.5 oz almond cheese (or any other type of cheese, regular or substitute)
• 7.5 oz tomato (about 1/2 large tomato)
• Italian seasoning
• Any topping you want to add; you can, of course, remove any of our suggestions

Preheat oven to 450° while mixing the ground meat and egg. Add in spices if needed. Flatten meat mixture in a pan -- we use a Silpat mat in the bottom for ease of removal -- and put in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven, and set it to "Broil". Pour out any fat, and put toppings of your choice onto crust. Put back into oven when it's ready. Cooking time now varies; for us, it took about 8 minutes. You probably want to check on it before that, though.

Remove, let cool for about 5 minutes, put onto a tray, and cut into desired amount of slices. We made it into 8.

FAQ

Does this taste like pizza?

Not really. But it tastes like all the glorious toppings of a pizza made into a meat pie.

So I'll like this?

Not if you're a vegetarian. Otherwise, possibly? We liked it.

Do I need a knife and fork to eat it?

It might help, as it's a bit greasy, but the crust holds together surprisingly well.

How much meatza can you eat before the heart attack comes rushing?

One regular sized slice is probably enough for most. This stuff is filling.

Who came up with this insane concept?

There are a lot of recipes out there, most similar to the one above. Most come from paleo books or blogs. Feel free to make it un-paleo, though.

Make tonight a meatza night!

It is, apparently, impossible to mention Jacob Leinenkugel without pointing out they're owned by Miller, and that they somewhat ironically were co-founded by a different Miller. So with that out of the way...

Their Snowdrift Vanilla Porter has something going for it. Having tried it both on tap and from a bottle, it is definitely an inoffensive beer, with a nice flavor to it. Not perfect, sort of average, but it could be a whole lot worse.

It pours somewhere on the lighter side of black, which might not be the best indication as far as a porter goes. It still looks nice though, and with a decent, tan head, about a finger or so of it.

The nose is dominated by a mix of malts and chocolate; the vanilla is there in a restrained kind of way.

Really, the latter is kind of surprising when you taste it. Here the vanilla establishes dominance, but not in an overpowering way. The flavor is pleasant, and the relatively low 6% ABV makes it a decent sipper. The malts are here, but, again, in a surprisingly mild manner. It flanks the vanilla just fine, and I'd assume those just getting into porters would enjoy the flavor. That's fair, as it's quite good.

Sadly, though, the body is too thin. This kind of bugs me, as a porter should at least be somewhere on the medium scale, as far as I'm concerned. The flavor, in other words, is let down by the body.

Not to say the Snowdrift is scandalously bad. It's just kind of a bummer that it could have been so much better with a proper body. Give it a try, though. You might just enjoy it all the same.

Well, if it's news to us, it's news to us, and it may or may not be news to you: Brick City Pizza has opened on the South Hill, at 2013 E 29th, which is, we believe, the old Villagio location. Have a gander at their menu, if you so wish, and go check them out.

Our growler list has gotten a few updates. We've also added spots featuring growler fills at regular, cheap-ish prices, around $15 or less. Send us an email at team@spocool.com if you know of anywhere we should add.

Neither here nor there, but we're on Instagram. Yes, that's about two years after the rest of the world, which we're sure are leaving in droves after the service's updated TOS. Who are we to judge, though? Give us a follow if you want to see random photos with dumb filters. Our handle is, shockingly enough, spocool.

Fire brings word (to a guy named Chad) they're looking at a late January opening in downtown Spokane. They will be located in the old Moxie space, at 816 W Sprague. 

Speaking of pizza, the Perennials are returning to Spokane to play Pacific Ave Pizza. The free, all ages show goes down on January 29th. More info on Facebook.

Finally, the S-R brings word of a Palouse brew fest called The Palouse Cabin Fever Brew Fest. Paradise Creek, Riverport, and 12 String have been confirmed for the event, which takes place on February 9th. For more, check out their Facebook page.