Trout Season

Sometimes there's an up side to being slow at work- you get to go fishing instead! Mr. Chops brought back these beauties for lunch the other day. You just can't beat a couple of nice fresh trout. Just gut, dredge in seasoned flour, and fry whole. Serve with salad, and a beer of your choice. As Mr. Chops remarked, it reminded him of his trip to Germany. You know what would go well this spread? Schneider Brooklyner hopfen-weiss. This beer is a cooperative effort between, as you would assume from the name, Schneider and Sons and Brooklyn Brewery. Head brewmasters Hans-Peter Drexler and Garret Oliver both brew their own batches of the same beer recipe. Personally, my taste lends towards the Schneider Brooklyner, not the Brooklyn Schneider- however, it would be fun to compare and decide for yourself. I find the Schneider version is less sweet and more balanced with a lovely extra-hoppy finish- which is pretty unusual for a German brew. This is only the second year both breweries have released this special beer and supplies are limited. Last year, I had to wrestle the owners of more than one liquor store to buy the last bottles on the shelf that they had secretly been hoarding for themselves. Bastards!