Trevese Brewers Dinner and Beer Pairing
Devils Canyon Brewing Company will be working with Michelin star rated restaurant Trevese to put on a Brewers Dinner and Beer Pairing event at Trevese next Tuesday. I covered a little bit of this already in my last Hopinions post but I’ll expand on the dinner more. First, here are the specifics:
Who: Devils Canyon Brewing Company & Trevese restaurant
What: Brewers Dinner & Beer Pairing
When: Tuesday, July 21, 2009, 6pm
Where: Trevese, 115 North Santa Cruz Avenue, Los Gatos, CA 95030 map
Cost: $100/person, seats limited to 50 people. Call 408-354-5551 to reserve your spot.
That’s a steep price tag for dinner, I know. I think that if you are able to, you should give the beer dinner a shot. Keep in mind that you will be eating at an award winning fine dining restaurant. The courses that are being served that night will not be typical of their day-to-day menu. Everything will be crafted specifically for this dinner and to match up with beers from Devils Canyon.
In addition, this will be a hosted event where Trevese Executive Chef/Owner Michael Miller will be on hand to talk about the food and why the particular dishes where chosen to go with their respective beers while Jason Beck, brewmaster from Devils Canyon, will be there as well to talk about their beers. I love hosted dinners because I like to learn new things. What better way to learn about something than by talking to the folks directly responsible?
Here’s the press release that was sent to me:
Celebrate Craft Beer and Fine Dining - Brewer’s Dinner and Beer Pairing
Los Gatos , CA - Craft beer and fine dining aficionados mark your calendar! In the spirit of highlighting the versatility of craft beer paired with fine dining, Trevese Restaurant and Lounge owner and Executive Chef, Michael Miller, has been collaborating with Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company’s Head Brewer, Jason Beck, to prepare an evening of gastronomic and zymurgistic bliss.
The Brewer’s Dinner and Beer Pairing will begin with a craft beer and hors d’oeuvre reception where patrons can mingle with the executive chef, brewery owners and the head brewer.
Following the reception, guests will be seated along with the organizers for a stunning 4-course meal. Menu selection pairings will be expounded upon by Mr. Miller while Mr. Beck explains the unique qualities and nuances of Devil’s Canyon’s premium hand-crafted beers.
“So many people in the Bay Area are wine savvy.” says Marketing Director Daniel Curran, “However, I don’t think they realize how much more complex beer is than wine. By pairing first-class meals with first-rate beers it gives us the opportunity to educate the public and open them up to whole new world of culinary and brewing pleasure. I would highly recommend anyone who has experienced a wine pairing to attend. They are definitely in for an amazing surprise!”
The dinner will be completed with a special dessert pairing. Conversation and questions about the menu selections and beer styles is highly encouraged throughout the evening.
The Brewer’s Dinner and Beer Pairing will begin at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, July 21st, 2009 at Trevese Restaurant and Lounge, located at 115 North Santa Cruz Avenue in Los Gatos . Seating is limited to 50 people. The cost is $100 per person.
Reservations can be made by calling Trevese at 408-354-5551.
About Devil’s Canyon Brewery: Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company, located in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area peninsula, produces award winning, hand-crafted beers and Root Beer centered on the most premium ingredients. Brewed in Belmont , and self-distributed to over 120 taps on the Peninsula and in the South Bay.
The brewery’s name is derived from the original Spanish name for the City of Belmont . Prior to the 1780’s the canyon portion of Belmont was known as “la Cañada del Diablo” or Devil’s Canyon. Since opening their doors in 2001, Devil’s Canyon Brewery has won over 17 medals for their craft beers and recently received the 2009 “People’s Choice” award at the San Francisco International Beer Festival.
More information is available at http://www.DevilsCanyon.com
Speaking of wanting to learn more, I was able to stop by Devils Canyon Brewing Company (DCB) last week to interview DCB brewmaster Jason Beck. Here’s what he had to say.
Background
Like many other brewers, Jason didn’t start off in beer. He initially got his college degree in film making and anthropology. He then went to South Africa for graduate school where he studied developmental studies. While in South Africa, Jason got his start distilling liquor. He initially started off by making rum then moved onto whiskey. The base recipe for whiskey is not unlike that one would use for beer, minus the hops, and he started homebrewing soon afterwards.
At this point in his life, Jason was at a crossroads. He was starting to feel like what he was doing wasn’t what he was supposed to do. Coupled with the realization that he was brewing/distilling more than he was studying, Jason switched gears and came back home. Within two weeks of arriving home, he was working at Devils Canyon Brewing. Four months after that, he became their head brewer. Two years later, he’s talking to me.
People often ask him how he was able to make the jump from amateur to pro so quickly. Inspired by one of those cliché motivational posters that said, “Luck is where preparation meets opportunity”. DCB presented an opportunity and luckily for him, he was prepared to take on the role and was humble and knowledgeable enough to know where to look for things he didn’t know about.
Devils Canyon Brewing
The Devils Canyon Brewing staff consists of Jason, one full time assistant and about 3-4 part-time employees who’s combined hours is equivalent to another full time assistant. They have a 7 BBL brewhouse and are on track to brew 1200 BBLs this year. In addition to the DCB branded beers, they get contracted to brew “private label” beers as well as the DCB root beer. When you take a look at it, 1200 BBLs is the minimum amount of beer they’ll be brewing.
When I first visited DCB about a year ago, they were an extract brewery. Part of the reason Jason was hired was to “update” their brewhouse from extract to all-grain. DCB has been running all-grain for about 1.5 years now. DCB brews up 4 main brands: Full Boar Scotch Ale, Lager Diabla, Silicon Blonde Ale and Dedicated Amber Ale. In addition, they also have a Rye IPA and a Hades Habañero as well as root beer. You can view the beer descriptions here.
Another interesting thing to note about DCB is that they self-distribute. If you happen to see any of their taps anywhere, you can bet your bottom dollar that beer came from DCB directly to the bar or restaurant you happen to see their taps. Their 2 sales people double as their delivery guys. In addition, their sales people are knowledgeable about draft systems and can work answer any questions bar/restaurant owners may have.
Brewing Philosphy
Jason’s brewing philosophy can be summed up in a single word: balance. Jason views some of these “extreme” beers as “flash in a pan”. He believes that brewing a balanced beer will result in a lasting product and a lasting brand. This is most evident in their Rye IPA. The Rye IPA was more malty than I would’ve believed an IPA should be but there’s enough bitterness to let you know this is an IPA but not too much as to be nearly undrinkable. I found this beer to be highly drinkable and if you had to categorize this beer, I think of it as more of an English style IPA than an American.
Speaking of beer styles, Jason believes styles are important from a historical perspective. It’s good to know where these beers came from to get an idea of why they were brewed in a specific manner. In addition, beer styles make for a base in which people can discuss beer on equal terms. Jason says that beer styles are only limiting if you let them limit you. DCB believes in listening to their customers and while they may brew certain styles, in the end they eschew stylistic accuracy for customer satisfaction. At the end of the day, running a brewery is still running a business and you’re not going to be in business very long if you don’t listen to you customers.
Jason is open to participating in collaborative beers or even wood aging some of their existing styles but find that he is handicapped by their current position. The brew crew is soo busy fulfilling orders for their existing line of beers that they don’t have much time to play to develop more fun styles. In fact, they are almost near brewing capacity and will be expanding their brewery with the addition of another hot liquor tank. A possible move to a 7-day, multiple brews per day schedule is not out of the question at this point.
Well, that was the interview. Hopefully getting to know a little bit more about Jason will entice you to attend the brewers dinner at Trevese. I will try and get the full menu sometime today and post that up as well. Check back for further updates!
Mabuhay!
July 30th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
I own Hand_Crafted_Beers_dot_com and have not got around to developing it. If you or your company is interested in it please respond to this as soon as you get a chance. I will email you the details.