The Perfect Portions - The Beer Thrillers

Enchilada Stuffed Peppers and Sunshine Pilsner

AmyMWolfe — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 03:02:14 +0000

Enchilada Stuffed Peppers

It feels like it’s been a minute since my girl Kristin of The Perfect Portion had the Enchilada Stuffed Peppers on the menu. Or maybe I just missed this dish. With the chilly weather creeping in on Central PA the past few days I almost felt the urge to grab the tropical stout from Troegs Brewing – but I can’t remember the last time I had a Sunshine Pilsner, so I grabbed for that classic from Troegs’.

(See Amy’s review of the Troegs Independent Brewing and Windy Bridges Brewing collaboration – Tropical Stout.)

This meal is a fabulous health conscious version of the rich Enchiladas. For more information on The Perfect Portion see my article: (We Can’t Always Be a Glutton Right? – Perfect Portions and Allusion Brewing Company) Choosing a Sunshine Pilsner to enjoy alongside this delicious meal was the perfect choice. The lightness of the pilsner definitely gives room for a Tex – Mex dish with flavors aplenty.

Enchilada Stuffed Peppers and Sunshine Pilsner

I shared the beer and the meal with my mom while hanging out at her house. Please peep the smurf glass. My mom and I both loved the pairing of the meal and the Pilsner.

Beer Review: Sunshine Pilsner

Beer: Sunshine Pilsner
Brewery: Tröegs Independent Brewing
Style: Pilsner – German
ABV: 4.5%
IBU: 45
Untappd Description: It takes the right ingredients, people and processes to nail the complex balance of two-row barley, zesty Saaz hops and lager yeast. Secondary fermentation creates natural carbonation that delivers soft notes of fresh-cut straw and flowering herbs. In the end, this bright and refreshingly clean American craft pilsner is our go-to when the sun is shining and makes us happy when skies are gray. We taste: bright citrus, flowering herbs, honeyed biscuit
Global Untappd Rating (as of 9.17.23): 3.45
Total Ratings: 75,000~ (as of 9.17.23)

The Sunshine Pilsner is a regular year round at Troeg’s. It comes in with a 4.5% ABV. It is described on Untapped as “It takes the right ingredients, people and processes to nail the complex balance of two-row barley, zesty, saaz hops and lager yeast. Secondary fermentation creates natural carbonation that delivers soft notes of fresh-cut straw and flowering herbs. It in the end, this bright and refreshing clean American craft pilsner is our go-to when the sun is shining and makes us happy when the skies are gray. We taste bright citrus, flowering herbs, honeyed biscuit. “ It has an overall rating of 3.45 out of 75.1k.

Someone’s horrible review on Untappd

That is a crazy low average. I looked at the numbers. The lowest rating come from those checking in doing a tasting of this. Is this light and smooth pilsner getting a fair shot if it is after a thick stout or a fruity ale? An example of one of the check ins from a tasting is, it is described as hoppy. Nowhere is this Pilsner described as hoppy. Also, since you just earned your newbie badge maybe we should just move on.

(It appears the majority of the reviews are in error or ones where people don’t understand the beer in question or what they are actually drinking, like the review I screen shotted here to the left.)

But after my delicious combination I finished off the evening with some salted caramel ice cream. Perfect ending.

(Speaking of Troegs Independent Brewing – we had a wonderful evening there on Thursday as the kick off of their Oktoberfest. Myself, Ben, my mother, and Scarlet enjoyed a wonderful evening out in the beer garden. We got the Bronzeit platter and the Bavarian Pretzel, for beers we had the Scratch 499 Rauchbier, the Scratch 497 Schwarzbier, Scratch 496 Salt and Lime Lager, the Hop Cyclone and the Hop Knife. We had a wonderful time and had amazing food and beer. Then Saturday – yesterday – night, we got to spend the night by the poolside and enjoyed the Bourbon Barrel Aged Triple Nator. You can check out our Instagram – The Beer Thrillers on Instagram – to see all of our pictures.)

Drink more beer!
Amy

For More Information on Troegs Independent Craft Brewing

According to Untappd, Troegs Independent Craft Brewing is a regional brewery with 148 unique beers listed (despite them nearing scratch 500). They have nearly 2.3 Million ratings and as of 9.17.23 have a global average rating of 3.79. Their Untappd bio reads:

“Founded in Pennsylvania in 1997 by brothers John and Chris Trogner, Tröegs Independent Brewing is driven by a sense of adventure and curiosity. Our brewery has been built by family, friends and kindred spirits who share a love of great beer. Together, we all make Tröegs. You might know our Perpetual IPA, the best-selling IPA in Pennsylvania. Or the dark, malty and crisp Troegenator. You may have come across such iconic beers as Nugget Nectar or Mad Elf in your beer travels. Perhaps you’ve been lucky enough to try one or two of the hundreds of experimental Scratch Series beers we’ve brewed over the years. Whether you’re already a member of our extended family or you’re just getting to know our brewery, there’s always something new to discover with Tröegs.“

Amy’s Column Series

Since getting back to writing for the blog after a short hiatus, Amy has started up a weekly column style writing for the blog. You can find these articles here:

(And please take a moment to fill out Amy’s survey on her ‘Holiday Weekend and Bomber Bottles‘ column.)

Thank You For Reading

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MAPS OF BREWERIES

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We Can’t Always Be a Glutton Right? – Perfect Portions and Allusion Brewing Company

AmyMWolfe — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 03:03:09 +0000

Allusion Brewing Company – Baker Street Brown and the Cheeseburger Skillet by Perfect Portions

A Perfect Meal

We can’t be gluttons all the time, right? One evening a little while ago I decided to pair the Cheeseburger Skillet from the Perfect Portion and the Baker Street Brown Ale from Allusion Brewing Company. I’m not pretending to be any sort of expert on pairing food with which type of beverage. I am just gonna go with the motto of “I’ll try anything once”. But this combo was pretty darn good!

I’ve been trying to lose a little of this pregnancy weight and drinking beer as a hobby doesn’t really help with the loose weight part. So, I decided to pair my beer for the evening with a healthy meal from The Perfect Portion. When I first started going to The Perfect Portion (TPP for short) back in 2018 the cheeseburger skillet was one of the first meals that I tried. It’s still one of my favorite meals.

The two things I was hoping to find from a meal prep service was: 1. Flavorful meals and 2. That they didn’t leave me feeling unsatisfied. TPP nails both of these items. I should have known I’d be obsessed when the owner, Kristin Brunner, states right on her website “I LOVE to eat!”. She also states on her website “Our meals are made with fresh, whole, minimally processed ingredients and range between 300 – 600 calories depending on whether you order breakfast, lunch or dinner.”

The cheeseburger skillet reminds me of the creamy and cheesiness from the Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger skillet meal. TPP also pairs it with Zucchini fries. They are topped with Italian seasonings and Parmesan cheese. I was hoping for that to pair nicely with the Baker Street Brown Ale from Allusion Brewing Company.

A Perfect Beer

Baker Street Brown by Allusion Brewing Company (background) with the Cheeseburger Skillet (foreground) by The Perfect Portion

(Fun trivia: Baker Street is the home of Sherlock Holmes, and as you can see from the beer can label it has his address – 221B on the can. For some reason, I feel like a Brown Ale is the perfect beer for Sherlock Holmes. Watson would probably be a Witbier.)

Beer: Baker St. Brown
Brewery: Allusion Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale – English
ABV: 5%
IBU: 15
Untappd Description: Traditional Mild English Brown Ale brewed with English floor malted maris otter, English chocolate malts, and English Fuggle hops for a light drinking sessionable ale with hints of caramel and toasted bread. Sit back and enjoy one while you solve your latest mystery.
Global Untappd Rating: 3.75 (as of 7.30.23)

This tasty brown ale is described on the Allusion website as “Traditional Mild English Brown Ale brewed with English floor malted Maris Otter malt, English chocolate malts, and English Fuggle hops for a light drinking sessionable ale with hints of caramel and toasted bread.” For me it was definitely that maltiness that hits your taste buds first and then finishes with a sweet caramel taste. Allusion Brewing Company has quickly ranked in my top breweries I need to revisit very soon. Being there you felt like you were on an episode of Cheers. Other patrons of the brewery knew each other just from visiting the same brewery. Each time someone walked up to the brewery everyone was saying hello and greeting them by their name. It’s the sense of community for me I keep hearing the OG Karen saying while we were all sipping some brews outside a few weeks ago.

Karen with the title belt (see our Instagram for more pictures)

I had a rough time deciding which 4 pack we were taking home after visiting Allusion to celebrate the March Tournament Win. The fact that I have 3 more of this tasty brown ale in my fridge makes me very happy and I think I’ll go crack one open now.

— Drink More Beer!

-Amy

Allusion Brewing Company’s title belt for winning The Battle of the Breweries 2023 Tournament

Amy’s Back

Amy with the title belt (check out our Instagram to see more pictures)

This is Amy’s first column back after two weeks. We’ve certainly had a busy few days and weeks. Real life and family stuff, trips out to Vandergrift, myself getting to go to two soccer (futbol) games at the Lincoln Field last Sunday, going out to Sworn Brewing Company and checking out their soon to be opening brewery, and much more.

So I’ll take the blame for Amy not having time to write. But she is back, and she has told me she actually has a few ideas of what she wants to write about. (She’ll also be part of the Sworn Brewing Company article alongside myself and Josh Doncevic returning to write as well.) So have no fear, Amy is back and will be continuing to write for us. Sorry for keeping her away from all of you the past two weeks and sorry to Amy for keeping her so busy.

-B. Kline

For More Information on Allusion Brewing Company

For more information about Allusion Brewing Company you can visit their very well designed website here: Allusion Brewing Company – Official Website.

The following comes from Untappd: Allusion Brewing Company is a micro brewery from Vandergrift, Pennsylvania. They have 57 unique beers and just over 5,200 ratings, with a global average rating of 3.84 (as of 7.30.23). Their Untappd description reads: Vandergrift’s hometown brewery, offering a consistent library of approachable beers taking the tradition of each style seriously. Craft beer is about bringing people together – come join our story.

For more information, you can find them at their social media pages here:

Amy’s Column Series

Since getting back to writing for the blog after a short hiatus, Amy has started up a weekly column style writing for the blog. You can find these articles here:

Brewfests with Anxiety (Amy’s original weekly column start)
I’ve Missed Drinking (A Look at Non Alcoholic Beers)
Beer and Pretzel Review: Legends and Lore (St. Boniface Brewing Company) and Garlic Parm Pretzels (Pretzels.com)
Peanut Butter Eggs, Easter, Beer, and YAH Brew’s Shimmy Shake (Beer Review)
Cox Brewing Company: Back to Their Roots
Amy’s Day Off
It Was All A Dream (A Visit to YAH Brewing)
Just Another Weekend (A Hike at Saint Pete’s Trail and Hares Hill Brewing)
I’m Pretty Darn Lucky (Happy Mother’s Day)
Ready to Kick of the Summer
Beer Review: Beer Devil IPA (Niagara Brewing Company)
World MS Day
Have you ever picked a beer based on the can art?
Happy Father’s Day
What is Your Summer Time Go To Beer?
Holiday Weekend and Bomber Bottles
Baby’s First Ffej
We Can’t Always Be a Glutton Right? – Perfect Portions and Allusion Brewing Company
You can find all of Amy’s articles here: Amy’s Archive of Articles.

(And please take a moment to fill out Amy’s survey on her ‘Holiday Weekend and Bomber Bottles‘ column.)

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

The Perfect Portions - The Beer Thrillers

Enchilada Stuffed Peppers and Sunshine Pilsner

Enchilada Stuffed Peppers

Beer Review: Sunshine Pilsner

More Troegs Independent Craft Brewing Related Articles

For More Information on Troegs Independent Craft Brewing

Amy’s Column Series

Thank You For Reading

We Can’t Always Be a Glutton Right? – Perfect Portions and Allusion Brewing Company

A Perfect Meal

A Perfect Beer

Amy’s Back

For More Information on Allusion Brewing Company

More of Our Articles About Allusion Brewing Company

Amy’s Column Series

Thank You For Reading