Make Thanksgiving special: Serve your own
microbrew. CSP Photo.

We never review products we haven’t tested. So last month, THE NIBBLE office became a microbrewery, as we brewed our first batch of beer in the office kitchen with a Mr. Beer Micro-Brewery Beer Making Kit.

In the fermentation tank (a plastic keg), we combined hopped malt extract, unhopped malt, dry brewing yeast, a packet of fermentable sugars and water. We put the keg in a corner to ferment.

In two weeks, our brew was ready to be bottled for its second fermentation. In another two weeks, it was ready to consume. You can cut the four-week production time down to two weeks, but the beer will be less complex.

Finally, we took our first sip…and were more than pleasantly surprised.

The style was a little on the light side for us, but it’s exactly what most of America is looking for. It tasted fresh and lively—much more so than most beer.

If you use the shorter method of fermenting and bottle-aging (two weeks total), you can make twenty 12-ounce bottles of beer every week. The Premium introductory kit, $49.95, includes everything you need to make the first 20 bottles. After that, buy a refill kit for $17.99 and re-use the fermenter and the plastic bottles to make the next 20 (and on and on) for just 90¢ a bottle.

After you’ve made your first batch, you can experiment with fruit, spices and other styles of beer. All the ingredients to make many different styles of beer are available on the Mr. Beer website (see Refills).

For Thanksgiving, we’re brewing two darker varieties: Englishman’s Nut Brown Ale and Bewitched Red Ale.

Consider Mr. Beer for holiday gifts as well. It’s the gift that keeps on giving, 20 bottles at a time.

For more information, visit MrBeer.com.

Learn about the different types of beer in our Beer Glossary.

Some of the Premium Kit contents (stein
not included). Photo courtesy Mr. Beer.

The next time you drown your pancakes in sweet syrup, ask yourself what you’re pouring on that stack. Do you know the difference between maple syrup and pancake syrup?

Many bottles of what appears to be maple syrup are simply bottles of corn syrup with maple flavoring—but the picture of syrup-doused pancakes on the label makes you think otherwise.

The contents may be sweetly pleasing, but they’re not maple syrup. And the U.S. government won’t allow it to be called maple syrup—“pancake syrup,” “rich syrup” and other terms are devised by manufacturers.

Here’s what’s in a bottle of Mrs. Butterworth’s:

High fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, water, salt, cellulose gum, molasses, potassium sorbate (preservative), sodium hexametaphosphate, citric acid, caramel color, and natural and artificial flavors.

Ingredients are similar for Aunt Jemima, Hungry Jack, and Log Cabin syrups.

That’s a world apart from the natural maple syrup tapped from the tree!
 
 
Take The Taste Test

If you think you like commercial pancake syrups, try a side-by-side taste test. Buy a bottle of the real deal. The label will say 100% Pure Maple Syrup and there should be just one item on the ingredient list: maple syrup.

And that maple syrup has wonderful uses, far beyond breakfast.
 
 
WAYS TO USE REAL MAPLE SYRUP

Breakfast

 
Lunch & Dinner

 
Dessert

 
Beverages

 
 
RECIPE: MAPLE SYRUP-GLAZED PORK

Buy your favorite cut of pork: belly, loin, chop roast—there’s really no way to go wrong (see our Pork Cuts Glossary for inspiration).

Slather that pork in maple syrup, and hit it generously with some kosher salt and coarse black pepper. Then roast it the same as you normally would (the lower and slower the better, in our opinion). Baste with syrup often, ideally using some of the maple-icious pan drippings.

[1] What’s that on your pancakes: artificially flavored corn syrup? (photo © Stuart Burford | iStock Photo)?

[2] Real maple syrup is more expensive, but worth it. Imitation maple syrup, made from artificially flavored corn syrup, must say “imitation” on the label (photo © King Arthur Baking).

[3] Glaze a pork roast or other cut with maple syrup (photo © Williams Sonoma).

[4] Use maple syrup to sweeten tea and coffee (photo © Runamok Maple).

From pancakes to pork chops, 100% real maple syrup makes all the difference.
 
 
FOOD 101: DO YOU KNOW THE GRADES OF MAPLE SYRUP?

What’s the difference between Grade A and Grade B; or Grade A Light Amber, A Medium Amber, and A Dark Amber? It’s the strength of the flavor, with Grade B the most robust. Check out the details.
 
 

Three of six varieties of Honeydrop bottled teas and juices. Photo courtesy Honeydrop.

When Honeydrop Beverages debuted in 2009, everyone at THE NIBBLE loved the juice and tea drinks sweetened with a tablespoon of wildflower honey. We gave the drinks—more nutritious and lower glycemic alternatives to sugar- and HFCS-sweetened beverages—an enthusiastic review.

The company has since expanded the line: Green Tea, Lemon Tea and Lemon Ginger Tea have joined Blueberry, Blood Orange and Chamomile Tea flavors. The honey is sourced from regional beekeepers across the U.S. The drinks are all-natural and have only 70 to 90 calories per 14-ounce bottle.

The company has launched a “Buy a Bottle, Save a Bee” campaign. A percentage of profits from each bottle sold is donated to help fight Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), an epidemic threatening the global bee population. The funds help American beekeepers build and maintain new beehives, in order to replace the nearly 30% of honeybees lost each year to CCD.

Why Should You Care About Colony Collapse Disorder?

Since 2006, the honeybee population has been diminishing at an alarming rate, from a spectrum of causes known as CCD. More than producers of honey, honeybees are essential to pollinate one-third of all the produce grown in the U.S.—including 90% of apples and oranges and 100% of almonds grown, plus melons, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and numerous other crops. It’s a little-known problem that can seriously impact our food supply.

Bee a friend: Buy a bottle of Honeydrop!

Honeydrop is certified kosher by OU. The suggested retail price for the 14-ounce bottle is $1.99.

Honeydrop is available at leading natural and gourmet grocers nationwide, including Whole Foods Markets. There’s a store locator on the company website.

Learn all about honey in our Honey Section, including types of honey, pairing honey with other foods and honey trivia.

One of our favorite honeys is spreadable creme honey from Honey Ridge Farms. In original and in fruit flavors, it couldn’t be more delicious, on your table or as a gift. Honey Ridge Farms also makes lovely honey-flavored vinegars.