BetterBeerBlog

Fellow Bay Area Beer Blogger Rob of Pfiff! held a beer and food pairing event this past Sunday aptly titled, “The New American Mavericks” showcasing some of the best of the “American wild ale” style. To explain further, I’ll take the opening paragraph from his menu:

As a style, “American wild ale” loosely assembles top-fermenting beers that have been purposefully introduced to fermenting agents beyond the typical assortment of beer yeasts, sometimes replacing them altogether. Strains of wild yeasts such as Brettanomyces, along with the lactic acid-producing bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Pediococcus, which are normally considered contaminants in beer- and wine-making circles, are employed to deliver unique sensory profiles by brewers who are willing to take risks as to both the unpredictability of the results and the perception of the public. Because while the difficulty of controlling the effects of these unorthodox, usually unwelcome microbes is enough of a dauting challenge, getting people to push their preconceptions aside about these strange elixirs is another matter.”

Possibly to sum everything up in a less eloquent manner, “These ain’t your daddy’s beers”.

Having put on a few beer and food pairing events myself, I was very interested to see my own events would compare and contrast to Rob’s. I was also curious to see how the beer and food pairings went but most importantly, I wanted to try some good beers.

Here are my quick notes on a course by course basis. I must say that some of my notes are better than others while some are downright sketchy and unhelpful. Here they are anyway:

• Beer: “Reserve Signature Ale”, De Proef Brouwerij, Lochristi-Hijfte, Belgium, 8.5% ABV
  Food: Hefeweizen steamed green-lipped mussels
  Notes: The beer reminded me of Reinaert Flemish Wild Ale, only lighter in aroma and flavor. There was a noticeable Brett character (barnyard, horse-blanket) that was tempered with sweet malt aromas and flavors with a slight spiciness followed by citrus notes. This beer also had a very interesting hop bill that included Amarillo, UK Phoenix, and German Brewer’s Gold varieties. I thought this beer paired very well with the mussels as the citrus notes of the beer were complimentary to the hefeweizen the mussels were steamed in while the spiciness of the beer played well with the rich, buttery flavors of the sauce. Whatever gaminess the mussels had was matched by the Brett character of the beer.
• Beer: “Ommegeddon, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY, 8.0% ABV
  Food: Arina goat gouda and roadside apples, drizzled with truffle honey
  Notes: Ommegeddon, when compared with the Reserve Signature Ale that came before it, had a more assertive Brett aroma, meaning more of those barnyardy smells. The “roadside” apples looked much like the apples in my own backyard, which I believe are Gravensteins. This was another successful pairing in that the dish seemed to echo a lot of what Belgian ales are known for. There are the ester, or fruity, characteristics that are often apple or pear-like while the truffle honey harmonizes with the slight honey notes Belgian ales are known to have. Lastly, the flavors of the gouda complimented the Brett characters in the beer.
• Beer: “Fifteen”, Avery Brewing Company, Boulder, CO, 7.7% ABV
  Food: Turkish figs under a dollop of mascarpone with orange zest.
  Notes: This beer was fermented with 100% Brettanomyces, so all that Brett character was in full effect. Of course, there were the barnyardish character, slight spiciness in both aroma and flavor plus I noticed a slight tartness in the aroma and flavor. This beer was brewed with black mission figs, hibiscus flowers and white pepper. With that in mind, a fig dish seemed to be a very appropriate and harmonious pairing. The mascarpone added a nice change in texture and complimented the flavors of the beer while the orange zest proved to be the element that tied both the beer and the food together.
• Beer: “Interlude”, De Proef Brouwerij, Lochristi-Hijfte, Belgium 9.5% ABV
  Food: Fra’ Mani salame Nostrano and Gentile
  Notes: The strongest beer so far, this beer surprised me with how much it resembled a red wine. There were the woodsy oak aromas and flavors and the alcohol notes. I sense a slight tartness and the more obvious Brett characteristics. I am not sure what “Nostrano and Gentile” is but I definitely recognized the salame on the table. The salami itself was very full-flavored, with much of that coming from the noticeable chunks of flavor also known as fat. In order to cut through those fats, you need a beer that is either highly carbonated or high in alcohol. Luckily, this beer was both and as such, it was a successful pairing.
• Beer: “Temptation”, Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa, CA, 7.3% ABV
  Food: Cypress Grove’s “Humboldt Fog” cheese on toasted sour wheat bread.
  Notes: As with all of the beers we had at this event, evident Brett character. This beer was tart, in a cidery sort of way. The pairing for this beer was suggested by the Russian River brewmaster Vinnie Cilurzo himself. This was probably the best pairing so far in the sense that the beer and the cheese complimented each other perfectly. When one ended, the other began and soon you were having cheese, then beer, then cheese and it all melded together. Nice.
• Beer: “Oro de Calabaza”, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Dexter MI, 8.0% ABV
  Food: Garden plucked Fairfax baby greens, tarragon and grapes in a simple vinaigrette.
  Notes: Not sure if you’ve been paying attention but the beers we’ve been trying have all been above 7% ABV. This is not a tasting for the light of liver. As a result, my notes get progressively worse as the event goes on. My notes for this beer simply say, “Some Brett…oak casks…alcohol notes…grapefruit?” I felt that this pairing may have been the least successful in that the tarragon overwhelmed the salad in my opinion. For those who don’t really know the flavor of tarragon, it’s like black licorice. I don’t really like black licorice but that didn’t stop me from trying to like this dish. In the end, because I don’t like black licorice, that’s the flavor that stuck with me the most.
• Beer: “Supplication”, Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa, CA, 7.0% ABV
  Food: Shredded pork “carnitas” accented with a red wine vinegar and cherry gastrique.
  Notes: Funny. As the notes on beer gets progressively worse the memories of the food remain relatively sharp. Still, by this point, we’re all feeling pretty good and note-taking is the last thing on my mind. The tartness of the beer is what is initially noticeable in the aroma but the sourness isn’t that long lasting, It’s very refreshing, actually. There’s a lot of fruit going on, some citrus notes and even a hints of vanilla and honey. The carnitas, by themselves, weren’t traditionally flavored and seemed to be more of a vehicle for he red wine vinegar and cherries. The red wine vinegar and cherries served to tie the two together as the red wine echos the tartness of the beer and the cherries may be found in some of the fruit esters from the beer.
• Beer: “La Roja”, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Dexter MI, 7.2% ABV
  Food: Wild plum and almond tart with a pinot noir cranberry glaze.
  Notes: I remember the tart much more than I do the beer. As the name implies, the tart was tart, yet sweet and oh-so-buttery-good. Rob’s wife Des baked this herself and it was really tastey. Taking the time to re-read what I’ve written so far, I’m coming to the conclusion that I may be more foodie than beer lover and that I’m just using this blog to justify indulging myself in good food accompanied by good beers.

So much for quick notes, eh? As with many other beer events, Sammy and I met a lot of interesting people. There were the Daves (one does beer and cheese pairings while the other is the buying manager for Healthy Spirits). Jessica from the Thirsty Hopster was in attendance and we met Jesse, a friend of Des visiting from New York.

While my notes were crap, none of the beer were. In fact, all the beers were of such high quality that it seemed a distraction to attempt to take good notes. The time I spent writing things down I could’ve spent engaged in good conversation or by having another sampling of beer.

With the exception of Jesse and maybe Alex, this was definitely an advanced beer crowd. I noticed a lot of name dropping of the different beers and vintages people have tried. On one hand, it’s nice to hear about all these different beers. It gives me something to shoot for, things to add on my “to drink” list. On the other hand, hearing all this talk and all these names being dropped can be intimidating to an outsider. It can be alienating, really.

When I think about the beer and food events I host, I immediately notice a vast difference in crowds. The people who come to my events tend to be mainly beer neophytes. They only know what they see at their local bars or what they see on TV and in San Jose, and that isn’t very much. The crowd at Rob’s could appreciate the complexities, nuance, subtleties or overtness of the beers we tried. Had I served these to some of the guests that have attended my pairings, I’d never see them again. Whereas this event was “preaching to the choir”, the events I’ve done to date could be considered more like “missionary” work.

While the $30 seemed a bit steep, the quality of the beers more than justified the cost. In reality, if you look at the caliber of beers we had and the number of them, $30 is a value. Some of the beers we had were vintages from years past taken from Rob’s private stash, with some nearing the 4-year old mark! Talk about patience!

Overall, this was a very good event with very good people. Had there been beer newbies, this may not have been as successful as all this good beer may have been lost on a young palette. Anyway, I’m looking forward to the next event and I’ll end this post with more quick notes on two “special” beers that some guests brought to the event.

• Angel’s Share by Lost Abbey - Exquisite beer. World-class by all definitions. A complex malt melody of dark chocolate, dark fruit notes, caramel, toffee, and even vanilla. Aged in bourbon barrels, the bourbon flavors are there as well. Definitely a “must-buy” and must buy in quantity.

• The Abyss by Deschutes Brewery - An incredible complex Russian Imperial Stout. Roasty, smooth, with molasses, chocolate flavors and hints anise and black licorice. Sure, I’m not a fan of black licorice but this beer had just the right proportion of that flavor that I didn’t mind. I was surprised to find it but it added to the experience instead of taking it away.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 2:03 am and is filed under Bay Area Beer Bloggers, Beer and Food Pairing Event, Craft Beer, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.