I spent the week on Lake George, in the Adirondacks, so I got the chance to sample some local stuff. I always enjoy the beers from Saranac, including their aggressively hopped Pale Ale, and malty Adirondack Amber.
Another excellent local brew I found was Vermont’s Long Trail Blackbeary Wheat. This light wheat beer is one of the berry beers that have grown up in relation to the overly sweet and tart summer offerings that were very common years ago. Blackbeary is nicely balanced and fruity, without that harsh sweetness that accompanies many summer fruit fermented beers. I love their humorous labels.
I also had some very good coffee from Vermont – Green Mountain Coffee Roaster’s Harvard Blend. “A sophisticated blend of light and dark roasts.” Awesome stuff to wake up to, along with some clean mountain air.
I bought a bottle of Rich’s Game Sauce at Two Brothers Meat Market in Ticonderoga, and used it on a bbq’ed chicken and then for two different meals of pork loin ribs. This spicy sauce, made in Vermont is full of molasses and made a great marinade. The second rib meal was for around 13 adults, so I supplemented what was left of the sauce with some orange juice, lots of rosemary, and some ginger to marinate the ribs, which slow cooked on the grill for about an hour and a half. They achieved the proper ‘fall-off-the-bone’ tenderness that way.