This article was written by Breweries In PA Contributor Paired Pints.
Root Down was the second brewery I visited when I moved here. When I first walked in my ears were welcomed with chill 90’s rap and my eyes, old school kung fu movies. With some of my favorite interests checked off my list, I needed to try their beer. The jury has been out, their beer is consistently good but their dedication to the town is what really drew me into whatever they do. I asked every brewery what they liked about Phoenixville. They said, “P-Ville is an amazing small town with unwavering support from its residents for all the ‘mom and pop’ businesses. All the businesses find ways to support and work with each other to try and guarantee everyone’s success and this hasn’t been more clear over the past 10 months of Covid.”
They aren’t lying, this town really has pulled together in the face of the pandemic, especially Root Down. They created a beer that benefited one of the staples in our town, The Colonial Theater. The historical blob theater was able to see half the proceeds of that beer’s sales. This is just one example of how Root Down has helped make this my favorite town to live in.
The Beer
Lawng Jawnz Winter IPA comes from a love for American IPAs. Made with Pale malt, Vienna Malt with Citra and Idaho 7 hops and house yeast, I found notes of grapefruit peel and peppery pine. In the past I’ve successfully paired American IPAs with Indian Food. It was extremely important to incorporate the spices in the batter. Without the spices, the pairing would work but just be okay. The spice mix is what really elevates this pairing. This IPA comes in at 7% abv.
The Spicy Mango Jawn
1 Mango
3 Calabrian chilies
Calabrian chili oil
• Dice the one Mango into little cubes about 1/4” x 1/4” and add to a small pot
• Using a fork, extract one to three Calabrian chilies and add to the pot
• Add about 2 Tbsp of Calabrian chili oil
• Cover pot and let it sit on low for about an hour. Stir occasionally.
Battered Cod
2 Cod Fillets
Spice Mix:
2 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp Curry powder
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Onion powder
1/2 tsp All spice
1 tsp Trader Joe’s Porcini powder
Kikoman Extra Crispy Tempura Badder
Seltzer water
• Mix Tempura Badder and spices with a wisk in a large shallow bowl.
• Follow the instructions on the Kikoman Extra Crispy Tempura Badder but instead of water, use seltzer water.
• Fill a large pot of canola oil, enough to submerge a filet. Place it on your stove top and set to medium high.
• Pat dry the fillets with a paper towel and drop them in the badder.
• Making sure the oil has reached 375 F, gently add one filet.
• Cook for 8 minutes, rotating carefully with metal spatula
Potato Wedges
3 large Russet potatoes, cleaned
Vegetable oil
Flakey salt
• Cut the potatoes into long strips and let soak in a large bowl of cold water. This will help remove some of the starch.
• In a dutch oven or large pot fill with vegetable oil to a little over half way.
• Heat oil to about 300F.
• In small batches, cook the potatoes for about 3 to 5 minutes each.
• Place fries on a paper towel to dry.
• Reheat the oil to 350F and refry the potatoes until they are golden brown.
• Place fries on a wire rack and season with salt.
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