BetterBeerBlog

The British Bankers Club in Menlo Park had a second Beer Dinner; this time, featuring the beers from Lagunitas Brewing Company. I had attended their very first beer dinner featuring the beers from English brewery Morland Brewing (aka Greene King). Even though I had a great time, I was very critical about the first beer dinner. There were many things that I felt could be improved upon and honestly, part of me wanted to attend this second beer dinner to see if any of these issues had been addressed.

First Course

Food: Pan Roasted Duck Breast with White Truffle Mashed Potatoes and a Balsamic Brown Sugar Reduction
Beer: Czech-style Pilsner, 5.4% ABV

Tasting Notes: The duck is moist and rich without being greasy or fatty. The balsamic sauce is a little on the sweet side while retaining all the characteristic flavors of balsamic vinegar. The potatoes are chunky and herbed while the greens have a little bit of spice heat on them.

Czech-style Pilsner pours out a brilliantly clear gold color with a short lived white head. The aroma is slightly sweet and has a lot of pils malt character with bright, slightly spicy hop aromas. The flavor is slightly sweet, bready, lots of pils malt with a little bit of cracker while hop flavor has a light spice and earthy character to it. Hop bitterness is medium/medium-high. This is a medium-lo/medium bodied beer with high carbonation and a crisp, dry finish. This beer is also the only lager Lagunitas brews and they try to keep close to traditional as they can using Czech yeast and Saaz hops for this beer.

Duck is bold choice for a first course. It is a strongly flavored meat, that in lesser hands, could end up either greasy or pungent. I really liked this course, I felt the duck was well cooked paired well with the pilsner. The beer’s carbonation helped to cut the richness of the duck while the greens had a peppery character that complimented the Saaz hops in the beer. I was feeling very good about this first course and had high hopes for the remainder of the dinner.

Second Course

Food: Grilled chicken terrine with a smoked paprika oil
Beer: Hop Stoopid IPA, 8% ABV

Tasting Notes: Up until I wrote this post, I had no idea a terrine was just a form of “meatloaf”. Damn those French and their fancy-schmancy words. I find chicken to be a neutral tasting meat to begin with. That being said, I had some difficulty picking out the flavors of the individual ingredients of the dish; the overall flavor profile could be best described as “muddled”. I did pick up a slight smoke flavor though.

Hop Stoopid pours out a brilliantly clear, pale amber color with a thin, short lasting white/off-white head. The aroma is very floral with grapefruit and citrus aromas. The flavor of the beer is hop forward; the hops have a tropical fruit, grapefruit, piney and resiny character to them while the malt flavors, caramel and toasty in character, definitely play second fiddle in this beer. Hop bitterness is high, lasting but not harsh on the palette. This is a medium-high/full bodied beer, highly carbonated with a slightly dry finish. According to Chris, the Lagunitas rep hosting the dinner, Hop Stoopid is made with hop oils for bittering.

As far as a pairing, the terrine and Hop Stoopid weren’t as successful as the first course. The muddled flavors of the terrine were rendered even more plain by the bright flavors of the beer. I also felt the intensity of the beer was a bit stronger than the dish, overpowering it slightly.

Third Course

Food: Chilled fennel & pea soup with fresh crab and chives
Beer: Lucky 13, 8.3% ABV

Tasting Notes: The soup is predominantly pea flavored with a bit of black pepper flavors and is salty. The table had trouble picking out the fennel, chives and crab in the soup. Pretty straight forward dish.

Lucky 13 pours out a clear brown color with amber highlights and an off-white head. The beer is slightly sweet, with roasted malt flavor and hints of caramel while the hop bitterness is assertive. The aroma echos the flavor. This beer is medium-high in body with matching carbonation and a slightly dry finish. Originally a 13th anniversary beer, it proved to be so popular that it was made into a seasonal beer.

As a pairing, this combination was a miss as well. I had some difficulty trying to reconcile the flavors of the beer and soup; I looked for similar, or at least complimentary flavors, and even considered contrasting the flavor profiles of each. It just didn’t make sense.

Fourth Course

Food: Polenta encrusted basa filet with sweet and sour eggplant relish and fingerling potatoes
Beer: IPA, 5.7% ABV

Tasting Notes: The fish was a little over salted but well cooked. The eggplant relish was a little sweet and had some spice heat to them as well. I found the potatoes to be a little overdone but provided a textural contrast to the relish.

The IPA pours out a clear, pale amber color with an off-white head. The beer is balanced, for the style anyways. There are toasted malt and caramel flavors along with a piney, resinous hop flavor with some citrus character. Aroma is similar. Hop bitterness is medium-high. The beer is medium/medium-high in body and has high carbonation with a slightly dry finish and an astringent mouthfeel.

I felt this pairing went relatively well; the hop bitterness matched the intensity of the spice head while the malt character of the beer is complimentary of the polenta encrusted filet.

Fifth Course

Food: French chocolate olive oil and sea salt tart with a lemon creme fraiche
Beer: Fusion 2, 6% ABV

Tasting Notes: This was probably the first dessert I’ve had where the main flavor wasn’t “sweet”. The tart was salty, nutty and chocolatey; it was thick, viscous and crunchy at the same time.

Fusion 2 poured out a dark brown color, clear with an off-white/beige head. Very roasty malt flavor with a slight nuttiness. Hop flavor is surprisingly bold with a resinous and piny hop flavor. This is a medium bodied beer with medium carbonation, a dry finish with an astringent mouthfeel. Unfortunatley, I didn’t note what intensity the hop bitterness was. Brewed in the style of an brown ale, Fusion 2 was much more hoppy than a more “traditional” brown ale (What a surprise. Lagunitas making hoppy beers?). Fusion 2 was a “single shot” beer, which means there are no current plans to brew it again. What I found interesting was this was the first time the Lagunitas reps hosting the dinner would be tasting the beer as well.

As a pairing, it made a lot of sense to pair an English-style dessert with a popular style of English beer. The roasty malt and nutty flavors of the beer compliment the chocolate and mimic the nutty flavors of the dessert respectively. The intensity of the dessert matched that of the beer as well.

Upward Trend

Overall, I think the Lagunitas Beer Dinner was a significant improvement over the Morland Beer Dinner. More things went right than wrong but the things that went wrong were significant.

Firstly, I’m glad to see a menu was printed. It’s one thing to see a menu online but who’s going to bring their laptops to dinner to keep the menu available? While half of us at the table had smart phones capable of doing so, I feel it would distract from the company at hand. The only other thing I would like to see on the menu is the paired beer listed as well.

Speaking of pairings, I think there was a much more cohesive flow to how each course came out. The lag time between when we received our beers and the food was very minimal and helped establish that those two things went together. Kudos to the BBC staff for keeping on top of things.

Now this is just speculation but I think two of the beers were served with the wrong dishes. Specifically, I believe that Lucky 13 should’ve been served with Course 2 (Grilled Chicken Terrine) while Hop Stoopid should’ve been served with Course 3 (Chilled Pea Soup). I’ll explain further.

Normally, when one plans a beer dinner, special care is devoted to the serving order of the beers. Typically beers are served from lower alcohol to higher, least bitter to most. This is done to prevent the guests from being completely hammered right off the bat as well as preserving their palettes. Once a person experiences a certain level of hop bitterness, anything lower than that level will not really register. Now these are not hard and fast rules but based upon my research, the beer dinners I’ve attended and personal experience, this order seems to work out very well.

That being said, having an IPA (Hop Stoopid) come out before a maltier beer (Lucky 13), and then followed up by another IPA is a curious serving order to say the least. Looking at the Lagunitas 2010 Beer Line Up descriptions, Lucky 13 is described as “Big on Amarillo Hops and Rich Dark Malts for a Round and Huge, Smoky Flavor”. Doesn’t that sound like it would go well with grilled chicken terrine and a smoked paprika oil? Because of the full pours we were given, we had the opportunity to go back and try some of the beers with other dishes and Hop Stoopid did pair much better with the chilled pea soup and Lucky 13 was better with the grilled chicken terrine.

Bringing it all back full circle, having the beers printed on the menu along with their paired dishes may have helped avoid this error. Again, this is only conjecture on my part but I think I have a solid case.

“Full pours” was one of the main marketing points for this beer dinner. In many of the beer dinners I’ve been to, small pours (4-6 oz) have been the norm. I believe this is so guests can enjoy the beers with the food without getting wasted. I can see how BBC would hype up “full pours” in an attempt to not only differentiate themselves from other events but also to give the best value.

While I still disagree with full pours, at the end of the day it is up to the individual guest to decide for themselves how much they will be drinking. Because I was driving that night, I left a lot of beer on the table. It was a conscious decision on my part to do so and while I dislike wasting anything (food, especially beer), it was the right thing to do.

I would suggest the BBC change up their serving glasses. Pint glasses, while good for the casual consumption of your favorite beer, does nothing to enhance the character of the beer. I would suggest they switch to using wine glasses which would help capture the aromatics of the beer and improve its flavor. Moving away from pint glasses into more formal glassware increases not only the enjoyment of the beer but, as uppity as this is going to sound, gives the event a more formal air - this is a special event - and not your typical “let’s go to the pub because we’re too tired to cook tonight” dinner.

A slight criticism must be noted as to where dinner was served: outdoors. The previous dinner was served upstairs and I saw no reason as to why they changed this up. The BBC did have a slight funky aroma in the upper area but I’m not sure if it would be enough to warrant moving the entire dinner outdoors. Worst case, they could reserve the slightly raised section in the lower dining area for the dinner. The number of people who attended could have easily been accommodated in either space. Had this been a typical June evening, the weather would’ve been warmer and this whole point would be rendered moot. As it was, the evening was a little chilly and not everyone dressed in layers. At the very least, the outdoor tables allocated to the dinner could’ve been situated beneath the patio heat lamps. To our server’s credit, he did offer to move our tables over but the dinner was more than halfway through and we toughed it out.

Speaking of people who attended the dinner, it seemed that half the people who made reservations decided not to show up. This is disappointing I’m sure not only for me but for the BBC as well. I’m not even sure if they made any money on the dinner. My suggestion for the BBC would be to take down a credit card number for everyone who makes a reservation and to charge them regardless if they show up or not. I understand “life happens” and emergencies may pop up; nothing a quick phone call can’t remedy. But to completely disregard and event and no-show is… disappointing.

Overall

Despite the low attendance and possible switching of beers, the Lagunitas beer dinner was a vast improvement over the Moylands beer dinner. While the dishes varied in success, I could see a marked enthusiasm behind their preparation. It seemed like more thought was put into this second dinner and even the Lagunitas reps commented on how excited BBC Executive Chef, Tim, was in preparing this dinner.

A specially planned, 5-course dinner with full pours for $45 per person, in my opinion, is a solid value. I’m glad BBC is doing what they can to remain in this price range as I think this make the event more accessible to the general public. As much as I really enjoyed the Firestone Walker Beer Dinner at the Duck Club, at $75 per person, I can only go a couple times a year without it becoming fiscally difficult.

I wish the BBC much success with their beer dinners because I would love to have more events like this in the South Bay/Peninsula. I think it’s important to support craft beer in your immediate neighborhoods (not that Menlo Park is “immediate” for someone who lives in San Jose). I tire of people saying that there are no quality craft beer events in the South Bay/Peninsula, yet when one pops up, these same people fail to show their support. I’ve said it before, if you want these types of events, you need to ask for them. Better yet, when they’re available, show your support by going.

I am looking forward to the next BBC beer dinner. I’ve seen enough improvement to know this is something worth supporting and I hope to see more of you readers at the next one.

Instead of writing a bunch of smaller posts, I’m just going to go and combine them all into a single post. There are a few craft beer-related events happening this week that I’ll be heading to. I hope to see some of you around. Check out event details below.

Port Brewing Tasting at Wine Affairs

Who: Wine Affairs map
What: Special Beer Tasting featuring beers from Port Brewing
Where: Wine Affairs, 1435 The Alameda, San Jose, CA‎ map
When: Tuesday, June 6, 2010 @ 6pm - 8pm
Why: Because these beers taste good.
Cost: $8/person, FREE if you’re a Wine Club member.

List of Beers:

• Port Brewing Hot Rocks Lager
• Port Brewing Midnight Sessions Lager
• Port Brewing Anniversary Ale
• Port Brewing, Hop-15
• Port Brewing, Wipe Out IPA

Gordon Biersch Sommerbrau Tapping Party

Who: Gordon Biersch (San Jose)
What: Sommerbrau Tapping Party
Where: Gordon Biersch San Jose Brew pub (should be at all the GB locations though), 33 East San Fernando St. San Jose, CA map
When: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 @ 6pm - 8pm
Why: ‘Cause it’s summer, the weather is great and you’re thirsty.
Notes: Sommerbrau is kölsch-style beer. With the weather finally warm, I expect this event to be one of their most successful this year. After trying the kölsch from Faultline Brewing, I’m interested to see how they compare with each other.

Beer Maker’s Dinner featuring Firestone Walker

Who: The Duck Club Restaurant
What: Beer Maker’s Dinner featuring Firestone Walker Brewing Company
Where: The Duck Club Restaurant in the Lafayette Park Hotel, 3287 Mount Diablo Boulevard
Lafayette, CA 94549 map
When: Friday, June 25, 2010 @ 6:30pm
Cost: $75/person (exclusive of tax & gratuity). Call 925-283-7108 to make your reservations.

This is pretty much a repost of information I wrote about before. Check out the full menu.

A few weeks ago, the British Bankers Club (BBC) in Menlo Park had their very first beer dinner. I almost didn’t go because the beers featured were, to be frank, not too exciting. But to be fair, since I had never tried them before, how could I know they were “not too exciting”? I didn’t. I couldn’t.

It helped that Joey and Jen from Wet Your Whistles were there as well. In fact, they were the ones who sent us the invitation. Surrounded by good friends getting the chance to try new beers in a bar we haven’t been to before made the decision to go that much easier. I had never been to BBC before. I had heard a few good things about the bar from here and there but the opportunity to go never presented itself until now.

The BBC is an English gastropub. Gastropub is a portmanteau of the French gastronomique and pub (short for public house); the result is an establishment that serves “higher class food” to cater to upscale clientele. Uh… yeaaah (We’ll leave this discussion to another blog post entirely). The decor is English inspired; dark, ornate wood is used from the bar to the barstools, from the trim to the molding; stained glass windows echo the Tiffany lamps while bronze colored fixtures round the rest of the theme. Of course, no English pub would be worth their weight in fish and chips without the requisite English-style telephone booth. You can read more about the history and authenticity of the pieces here.

BBC not only sports a full bar, serving a variety of liquors and wines, but a decent selection of beers on tap and on bottle. While the beer list is decent, I have to think its expansion was either an afterthought or a recent addition. A couple of clues tell me this: first, if you look at the left-hand navigation on their website, “& Beer” is a distinctly different font from the rest of the navigation. Second, the actual page the link hyperlinks to is named “wines.html”. Lastly, beer is buried all the way at the bottom of the list. If you’re going to go through all the effort to bring in good craft beer, go the extra step and give craft beer its own section on the website or else it just continues to play second fiddle to everything else. I’m not really here to talk about the BBC’s website, I’m here to talk beer, beer and food.

Food & Beer

I will preface this section by saying that the dinner was a few weeks ago and I didn’t take any notes, at least not on the food. Not sure why. I guess I expected a menu of sorts to scribble my notes on but I’ll get to that later on in the blog. I’ve also paired the beer and food as they came out but I’m not 100% convinced this was the intent. Here it goes.

Tanner Jack, 4.4% ABV

Brilliantly clear, brown ale with no head. The color reminds me of whiskey. The beer is primarily malty; it is sweet, with caramel flavors and some toasted malt notes. The aroma is similar. Mrs. BetterBeerBlog says it reminds her of the caramel syrup you add to snow cones. The body is light, carbonation is medium-high and, despite the sweetness, the finish is slightly dry.

This is my first time trying all of these beers. I can see how Tanner Jack could be a nice, sessionable ale that Mrs. BetterBeerBlog would like to see more of. Personally, I think it’s a little too sweet for my own palette but I’d love to try and cook with this beer. This was our “reception” beer.

First Course - Shrimp Ceviche

Ceviche is a citrus marinated seafood, although in my own culture, we apply the same techniques to red meats as well. The acidity in the marinate denatures or “cooks” the food. Shrimp was used to make our ceviche and was prepared with mangoes, tomatoes, green onions and peppers. While I thought this was a tasty and refreshing dish, it was also unremarkable.

Hen’s Tooth, 6.5% ABV

Hen’s Tooth also pours out a very clear brown color with a thin, short-lasting white head. Similar to Tanner Jack, the beer’s flavor is composed of caramel and toasted malt flavors. The aroma is echoes the flavor. Unlike Tanner Jack, the hop bitterness is much more noticeable in this beer and comes in at about the medium/medium-high level. Even though the beer clocks in at 6.5% ABV, I’m not getting much heat in the aroma or warmth in the mouthfeel. Deceptive.

So far, Hen’s Tooth seems to be a stronger, hoppier Tanner Jack by several notches.If I were to order a second pint, it would be this beer.

Second Course - Fish and Chips

Fish and chips, would it really be an English pub without them? As much as I’d like to see something other than fish and chips at an English pub, it’s expected and it’s loss would be much more noticeable than a poor execution.

I remember the fish part of the equation being fairly good. The fish seemed to be beer battered and I remember the fish to be flaky. The chips, on the other hand, were shoe-string style and arranged on top of the fish. The dipping sauce seemed to be a little too mayo-ish for my tastes. While I think a more traditional approach to the chips would’ve been better, this was a 4-course dinner and getting full by the end of the second course would be a bad idea.

Abbot Ale, 5% ABV

This is a clear, brown colored ale with a creamy, white head. Served from the can, Abbot Ale has a lightly toasted malt aroma that is has a hint of sweetness on the nose, while the hop aroma is very low. The beer’s flavor has a toasted malt flavor with enough hop bitterness for balance. Abbot Ale is medium bodied with a medium-low/medium level of carbonation that gives the beer a creamy mouthfeel without the use of a widget. At least I didn’t hear one when I rattled the can about a bit.

This is the most balanced of the beers I’ve had so far. This is also the first time I’ve had these beers so this is an experience for me. John Bexon, head brewer at Greene King Brewing Company, says this is his favorite beer of the evening.

Third Course - Spicy Sausages

Normally it’s a bad sign when you look at a photo of something and you don’t remember how it went. I’m looking at the photo of the third course and I’m having trouble remembering how the accompaniments tasted like. I remember the meaty looking side with onions had a savory, meaty, gravy-like flavor to them but I draw blanks on what looks like corn and the purple sauce beneath the sausages.

I remember the sausages though. The sausages themselves were slightly salty but had a pleasant level of spice heat to them. The crust was flaky without being greasy. I had this dish for lunch the following day and while the crust had become soggy, the flavor of the sausages were still good.The thing about spicy food is they that they’re hot going in and hot coming out. What? Too much information?

Old Speckled Hen, 5.2% ABV

The flagship beer of Morland Brewing Company, this beer pours out a very clear brown with a white/off-white head. The aroma is primarily of toasted malt, slight caramel and with low hop character. The flavor is similar to the aroma, primarily malty with low hop bitterness. Old Speckled Hen is medium bodied with medium-low/medium carbonation and has a slight sour note in the finish.

To be perfectly frank, I had a hard time discerning the difference between Old Speckled Hen and Abbot Ale. The flavor profiles of both are very similar and they both had a slight creamy texture to them. Maybe the slight sourness in Old Speckled Hen would be the only tell of otherwise two, similar beers.

Fourth Course - Dessert

With the exception of the occasional doughnut, I am not a sweets person. I don’t remember when I lost my sweet tooth, probably sometime after high school. It usually takes an exceptionally good dessert to get me to wipe my plate clean, unfortunately, this dish wasn’t it.

I do remember the ice cream was made from Old Speckled Hen. It had a slightly spicy character that I wasn’t sure came from the beer or if they added crushed peppercorns. I’m not a big fan of ice cream but I thought the ice cream portion was the better part of the dessert. The cake itself was unmemorable but the part I felt that didn’t work the most was the sugary crust the cake was embedded. It was hard, crunchy and seemed as if it were made completely from heated sugar, then quickly cooled. I can appreciate a juxtaposition of textures but this dessert was all over the place; gooey, soft to crystalline crunchy.

Olde Suffolk Vintage Ale, ~9% ABV (fresh)

Olde Suffolk pours out a very dark brown color with amber colored hues and a tan head. I taste caramelized malt flavors, not unlike cola, along with bits of molasses. Oaky flavors round out the flavor profile and lend some astringency to the mouthfeel of the beer. The aroma is primarily sweet, low hopped, although my notes also indicate I experienced a little bit of metallic aromas. This beer has a medium-high body with a surprisingly high carbonation.

At this point, my notes are a bit suspect and I readily admit to having issues reading my own writing. This is definitely a beer that needs to warm up to be fully enjoyed. From my notes, John Bexon said this is a blended beer with one of the beers being a 12% “Old 5x” that is barrel aged for a minimum of 2 years and a smaller BPA. While the website lists this beer as being 6%, my notes have a “9% fresh” scribbled down. Pathetic, I know. I’ll need to find another bottle of this to have and properly enjoy.

John Bexon - Head Brewer, Greene King

Despite what I’ve written above, I had a great time at this dinner, absolutely fantastic. Some of this can be attributed to my table mates, all of them were great conversationalists and made for a very fun evening. The other, larger portion can be attributed to John Bexon, head brewer at Greene King, who unbeknown to me was in attendance.

Morland Brewery was the original company that brewed the beers above. John Morland, a farmer, started the brewery up in 1711. Morland Brewery ceased to exist as a separate entity when it was acquired by Greene King in 2000. While the company may not physically exist anymore, its beers are being brewed by Greene King.

John Bexon started off the evening by approaching our table and talking to us about briefly about the history or Morland and of Greene King before going into the basics of brewing. He never left. I found Bexon to be knowledgeable, entertaining and charming. He was a wealth of information and having him first talk and then dine at our table was nearly indescribable. While he carefully worded some of his answers, he was, for the most part, forward with his answers to our many questions.

Of all the brewers I’ve had the privilege to speak to, John Bexon represents more of the business side of the brewing industry. The beers Greene King produces are targeted for the widest possible acceptance and he is keenly aware of this. Many of the beers in the Greene King portfolio would be considered… boring… by many craft beer fans, especially those of us reared in the traditions of West Coast hoppy ales. That being said, Bexon told us that the Greene King portfolio we see is only a part of what they make. Greene King also brews up over 20 types of cask conditioned ales for the various brewpubs they supply. Because of the cask conditioning, very few if any of these beers actually make it to our shores, let alone our side of the country.

The only way to go is up

Despite all the fun I did have, this initial beer dinner had a lot of faults. First, there was no printed menu. I remember seeing something on Facebook but when I went back to Facebook to get a complete listing of the dinner’s dishes, the event listing was gone. I am going to go out on a limb and say that a printed menu is a must have for any beer dinner. It gives the people attending an idea of what’s coming down the pipe setting expectations as well as giving us someplace to scribble notes on (well, it gives me a place to scribble notes on).

Second, there was no sense any of the dishes and the beers were paired together. Food pretty much came out then it was ready/we were ready for it and the beers were out much sooner. For a beer dinner to be successful, especially a paired beer dinner, the food and the beers should come out nearly at nearly the same time. In many beer dinners I’ve been to, the beers were poured out a few minutes prior to the food being brought out but it was close enough to feel the two were connected.

Third, the pourings were generous, perhaps a little too much so. Having a full pour of Tanner Jack in the beginning as a reception beer is fine. We understand the food is still getting prepared and a full pour gives everyone something to handle while waiting for dinner to come around while also helping to relax as they arrive from work. Having full pours during the remainder of the dinner is borderline negligent on the part of the BBC. Yes, many of these beers are lower in alcohol; yes, I do have the option of not finishing everything. But can you really trust people not to do something the know is wrong? For this particular dinner, you’re talking about 5 full bottle per person with the last beer a not-to-be-taken-lightly 9% ABV. Many of the better beer dinners I’ve been do have limited the pours to about 4-6 ounces; just enough to get a taste of the beer and to wash down dinner with.

Fourth, this one isn’t necessarily a “must have” but I would like to see an equal emphasis on both the food and the beer, especially at a gastropub. Don’t get me wrong, having John Bexon at our table was a rare treat but it also would’ve been cool to see the BBC Chef out and about asking people about dinner and possibly explaining why they chose a specific dish to pair with a specific beer. I am curious as to the “why” of something as well as its execution. It also allows me to measure up the dish to the idea of the dish, if that makes any sense.

Overall

For their inaugural beer dinner, BBC has a bit of work ahead of them before they do another. Luckily many of the issues I outlined above I consider “low hanging fruit” and can easily resolved. If all the BBC did for their next beer dinner was resolve those issues, I think it’d be huge improvement and right step in providing a great experience for their customers.

I thought it was great of BBC, along with the help of distributors Wine Warehouse and Total Beverage Solutions, to bring in John Bexon of Greene King to talk about his beers. It’s not uncommon for the brewer to talk about their beers at a beer dinner at your local brewpub but when the brewery is located in another country, I think it’s pretty special.

At $30 per person, I thought this beer dinner was a great value for the money, quite possibly the cheapest I’ve ever paid for a beer dinner. Many other beer dinners feature an exceptional menu and/or rare beers but are also priced far beyond my means. There have already been a few dinners I’ve attended alone simply because Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I couldn’t afford for both of us to go. As someone who’s planned and hosted a few beers dinners of my own, I know exactly what goes into planning and executing these types of events and know a good value when I see one. If BBC keeps to roughly the same price point, I think they will be filling a much needed segment of the beer dinner spectrum.

Despite some of the shortcomings of this inaugural beer dinner, I am looking forward to future events from the BBC. I give them a pass for a first attempt as no one ever gets it right the first time, or the second time, or even the third time. There is always room for improvement.

Oh, now that I’ve tried these beers, can I say with authority that they’re “not too exciting”? Yes and no. Some were interesting beers that I will probably pick up in the future while others I’ll just leave be.

In an age where 8 out of 10 business fail, making it to year 3 is considered to be a success. Now, multiply that times 10 and what you get is Sierra Nevada Brewing Company - one of the pioneers of craft brewing -  celebrating their 30th Anniversary.

Ken Grossman started off as a homebrew shop owner. He then decided to get out of the homebrewing business and make the jump to the brewing business. Grossman never looked back and 30 years later, Sierra Nevada is the ultimate amateur-going-pro story.

To celebrate 30 years in business, Sierra Nevada has decided to brew a series of 4 collaborative beers with other pioneers of the craft brewing industry. The first of these 30th Anniversary beers - Fritz and Ken’s Ale - was brewed in conjunction with Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing Company. The celebratory dinner was held at Anchor Brewing and here is my recap of the event.

First Course

Food: Crisp, poached farm egg, peppered salmon bacon, poached asparagus, Meyer lemon.
Beer: Sierra Nevada Weizenbock & Anchor freshly fermented beer (in between courses).

Food Tasting Notes: Poached egg is crispy, seemingly panko crusted. Despite this, the yolk is still gooey and runny. The asparagus were well done, soft yet still crunchy. The salmon bacon, slightly salty and fried, makes for a nice counterpoint to the soft, gooey egg and asparagus. I felt the dish paired well with the beer, the wheat character gave the course a little “breakfast” feel while the alcohol of the weizenbock helped to balance out the thickness and richness of the egg yolk.

Weizenbock, Sierra Nevada

Cloudy, gold color with white head. Lots of banana and lemony citrus esters in the aroma. Slight alcohol note but only after the beer warms up some. The flavor echos the aroma with a slant towards the lemony/citrus flavors. There is also a noticeable wheat malt flavor. Hop flavor is low, as is the hop bitterness. This is a full bodied beer with medium-low/medium level of carbonation.

The interesting thing about this beer, according to the distributors at our table anyway, is that you cannot get this anywhere. They pulled this out specifically for this event. I normally expect weizenbocks to be darker because I often think of their flavor profile as being a 50/50 split exhibiting nearly equal characteristics from both a traditional hefeweizen and a bock. But I remember that Maibocks and Helles bocks are lighter in color but still pack the punch of a regular bock. That’s what this beer is like.

Anchor Freshly Fermented Beer

Very hazy, nearly opaque burnt orange color. Aroma is wort-ish, slightly sweet, grainly malt & a little yeasty. Flavor has a muddled sweetness with medium hop bitterness, hop flavor is woody with an earthy/yeasty flavor throughout. The body is medium-high with no/low carbonation. This beer is 2-day old Anchor Steam pulled fresh from the fermentor.

I thought this was an interesting beer to try. It’s an unfinished beer and tastes as much. I often try my homebrews in various stages of completion and it’s cool to get a peek into the brewing process from the vantage point of my tastebuds.

Audio of Ken and Fritz from around the first course. Ken talks about the weizenbock while Fritz muses about the craft beer community. (2:18)

Second Course

Food: Malted Barley Cake, ragout of Sonoma duck and morels, pea puree
Beer: Anchor Humming Ale and Sierra Nevada Estate Ale 2009 (served in between courses)

Food Notes: Duck is lean yet tender; flavorful without being fatty. The barley cake is a little difficult for me to describe as there’s nothing in my regular diet that comes close. It’s like a thick, grainy/barley porridge that was made into a cake, breaded and then fried. I liked it a lot. The white morels have an earthen richness and melanoidic sweetness. The Humming Ale’s assertive hoppiness really cleansed the palette but may have dominated the pairing a bit.

Anchor Humming Ale

Slightly hazy, gold color with a sudsy white head that left good lacing on the glass. Aroma is pungent and earthy. Humming Ale’s flavor is hop forward with a medium-high hop bitterness while the bready malt flavor takes a secondary role in the beer. I had a bit of trouble trying to pull out the hop flavors though. This is a medium bodied beer with medium carbonation. It is dry with some of the astringency in the mouthfeel coming from the hops.

Brewed to commemorate 30 years of brewing at their current location (if you take a moment to think about it, Anchor has been brewing at the same location for as long as Sierra Nevada Brewing has been around), Humming Ale is a showcase of the  little known New Zealand hop Nelson Sauvin. If I remember correctly, Fritz Maytag said they picked up these hops from a small, family run hopyard.

Sierra Nevada Estate Ale 2009

Clear, amber colored beer with a white/off-white head. Aroma is pungent with slight citrus an piney notes. Malt aroma is slightly sweet with caramel character. The hop flavor is similar to the aroma while the hop bitterness is medium. The malt flavor is toasty with caramel notes. This beer is medium bodied with medium/medium-high carbonation. Hop bitterness lasts into the finish.

While not really related to the dinner at hand, this beer makes me want to grow my own barley, reap it, malt and kiln it just so I can say I brewed my own “estate” ale.

Audio of Ken and Fritz talking during the second course. Ken and Fritz talk a little about their company’s respective histories, geek out about brewing science and give the details about the Estate Ale, freshly fermented Anchor Steam and Humming Ale. (16:42)

Third Course

Food: Beef Short Rib “Carbonnade”, cippolini onions, favas, spring carrots, smoked potato puree
Beer: Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Double IPA and Anchor Porter

Food Notes: Short rib was awesome; perfectly cooked, juicy, fall-apart tender and a nice balance between meaty and fatty flavors. Onions were a bit heavy handed with rosemary flavors while the spring carrots were a good balance between softness and crunch firmness. This dish went well with both beers for different reasons: the porter because the smoked potato puree and melanoidic quality of the rib echoed the flavors of the beer while double IPA’s bitterness really helped to cut through the fat of the dish to cleanse the palette.

Anchor Porter

Very dark brown, almost black with a tan/brown head. Aroma is slightly smokey with coffee undertones and a noticeable alcohol quality. Anchor Porter has a low/medium-low level of malt sweetness with an almost burnt malt flavor with a little bit of smoke and molasses character. Hop flavor and bitterness are both low. This is a medium bodied beer with medium carbonation and a slightly dry mouthfeel.

Hoptimum Double IPA

Clear, pale amber color with an off-white head. Hop aroma is pungent, citrusy, catty/garlicy with slight pine character. Malt aroma is sweet, almost syrupy. The flavor is similar to the aroma with a pungent and citrus note and fresh garlic character as it warms up. Hop bitterness is high. Malt flavor is sweet enough to be noticed but definitely takes a back seat to the hop character of the beer. This is a full bodied, medium carbonated beer with slight hop astringency in the mouthfeel.

You won’t find Hoptimum Double IPA in bottles or on tap. If you do, consider yourself lucky as this beer was the result of Sierra Nevada’s infamous Beer Camp.

Audio of Ken and Fritz talking during the third course. Ken talks about the Sierra Nevada Estate Ale, Hoptimum while Fritz talks about Anchor Porter, they both talk about the difficulties of selling a “new type” of beer in the early days and Fritz pokes fun at the English.  (13:49)

Fourth Course

Food: Maytag Blue, panna cotta, walnut-pepper brittle, warm cornmeal maladeines
Beer: Our Special Ale (Anchor Christmas Ale) 2000 and Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine 2005

Food Notes: Maytag Blue was soft, creamy and salty. Caramel madeleines were good while the citrus pieces were intensely tart. Putting all the pieces together resulted in a rich, flavorful and layered dish with each flavor distinct yet balanced. While I felt that both beers worked with this dish, the Christmas Ale’s seemed to work a little better.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2005

Clear amber color with no head. The aroma has sherry and almond notes indicative of oxidation as well as noticeable alcohol character. The flavor is similar to the aroma augmented with a surprisingly medium-high level of hop bitterness that lasts into the finish. This is a medium/medium-high bodied beer with medium-low carbonation and a slight warming sensation from the alcohol.

While I have often said that I like to drink beers when they’re fresh, as that’s the way most brewers intend you to drink their product, there’s something to be said about the flavors that develop from slight oxidation. Not enough oxidative character lets you know the beer has flaws while too much oxidative character will render a beer nearly undrinkable. This beer is right on the edge of having just the right amount of oxidation and too much with the balance leaning towards too much as the beer warmed up.

Christmas Ale 2000

Very dark brown with amber/ruby highlights and no head. Has a woody aroma and prominent spice character that reminded me of mulling spices. Woody/spiced note in aroma translates well into the flavor but the malt character of the beer is flat while the hop character is faded. The beer is medium bodied with medium-low carbonation and is slightly dry.

This was a weird beer. I was glad to have tried it but I’m even more glad that it was served in a smaller amount as I don’t think I could’ve finished off a pint of this stuff. I am not a huge fan of spiced beer, there’s something about mulling spices that I never really took a liking towards and after 10 years of aging, the mulled spice character really comes forth in this beer giving it a woody character and a spice note I can’t discern. I’m sure I’ll remember it once Christmas rolls around again and I’m at Michael’s shopping for ornaments and other decorations.

Anchor head brewer Mike Lee wasn’t particularly enamored with either of these beers as he’s an old school brewer who believes that a fresh product is the best product. He is not a fan of aging beer and he is especially not a fan of intentionally soured beers either. Unsurprisingly, he’s a man cut from the same cloth as Fritz Maytag as Maytag has the same opinions about beer.

Audio of Ken and Fritz talking during the fourth course. “Good publicity” from Fritz, aging of Bigfoot from Ken, the Christmas Ale characteristics from Fritz and many more stories. (23:07)

Fifth Course

Food: Warm TCHO Chocolate-Old Foghorn Cake, caramel, Old Foghorn ice cream, raisin compote
Beer: Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Ale – Fritz and Ken’s Ale

Food Notes: Raisin compote is cloyingly sweet for my tastes; there is a caramelization in the flavor that is reminiscent of Belgian Dark Strong Ales. The cake is moist and tastes like bittersweet chocolate. The ice cream provides a nice compliment to the chocolate cake. I think the beer overpowers the cake and ice cream a little but but if you add in the compote, it makes for a little better pairing.

Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Ale – Fritz and Ken’s Ale

Very dark brown, nearly black with a brown head. The aroma has a deep roasted, nearly burnt quality with a moderate level of smokiness. The flavor is slightly sweet; the malt character is mellow with burnt and smoked malt character. Hop bitterness is a surprising medium-high/high level. This is a full bodied beer with medium-high carbonation.

I was pleasantly surprised by this beer. Knowing what I know about Fritz, I find him to be a man of tradition, especially when it comes to the beers he brews. That being said, I fully expected the stout to be strongly rooted in the Russian Imperial Stout style. I didn’t expect the smokey character of the beer at all but I like it’s inclusion. The beer changes character as it warms up and will change over the years, at least that’s what the majority of the brewers I’ve spoken with have said. Anchor head brewer Mike Lee told me that a couple of test batches were developed at Sierra Nevada’s pilot brewery and the 30th Anniversary Ale – Fritz and Ken’s Ale is the result of the tasting process. It’s a straight-up recipe, no blending with any of the other test batches.

Audio of Ken and Fritz talking during the fifth course. Both talk about the Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Ale and a final toast. (5:32)

Overall

For the most part, I felt that dinner was a success. There were some pairings that worked better than others but nothing really stood out as unsuccessful to me. I felt that the beers that were chosen for this evening were interesting, especially when it came to the older vintages of beer. What I really would’ve like to see, although it probably would’ve been a pain in the ass, would’ve been a side-by-side comparison of the vintage beers with their fresh counterparts. As anyone who’s aged beers knows, a beer’s character changes over time. With some of the night’s vintages hovering around the decade mark, juxtapositioning the vintage against a fresh pint would’ve been quite the treat.

The staff of the catering service was provided good service, in my opinion. They were all professional, helpful and accommodating. I’m not sure what kind of cooking set-up the catering company had but they did a bang-up job with the food.

Whether or not the actual cash value of the food and beers equaled that of the cost of dinner, $100 per person, remains to be seen. At that price point, I couldn’t afford to purchase another ticket for my wife to join me (which is too bad as I know she’d love a lot of the dishes served). Personally, the cost of the dinner is but a small price to pay to have two of the early pioneers of the craft brewing industry in one room at the same time talking about their past experiences. Ken Grossman has forgotten more about brewing than I might ever learn; this holds even more true for Fritz Maytag.

The two elder statesmen of craft brewing would come up between courses and talk about their experiences or answer questions. As respected as Grossman is within the industry, he readily deferred to Maytag in most instances. I don’t think Grossman had much of a choice as Maytag has this uncanny ability to just hold a room in the palm of his hand. The only person I know of today who has this same ability and charisma is Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head. More often than not, Maytag would finish telling one of his stories only for Grossman to stand there for a moment in contemplation before saying, “Yeah, I don’t have anything to top that”. Hilarious.

In any event, this was definitely one of those Once in a lifetime events I felt I needed to attend. I almost decided not to go because I’d be going by myself but in the end, I met up with many familiar faces so it didn’t seem like I was alone. Despite how I may have looked that night furiously scribbling away notes in my notepad, I had a wonderful time. In my haste to jot down my thoughts, I completely forgot to take photos with some of the people I met there. Thanks to Wes from @bjornidentity for keeping me company. Big thanks to Sierra Nevada’s Bill Manley for all his efforts in planning the menu and for putting on the event. Big thanks also to Mike Lee, Anchor’s headbrewer, who sat at our table and gave us insightful stories to add context to some of Maytag’s comments. There were a lot of other notable people there that night but I don’t want to seem like I’m just name dropping at this point.

There are some other photos I took that are at the end of this post. I hope you enjoy them and hopefully they’ll give a little more context into the evening. If I ever make enough money from my banner ads, the first thing I’ll do is upgrade my camera so that you won’t have to be subjected to crappy photography. In fact, head over here for some really good photos of the event.

BetterBeerBlog friend Sean Paxton, aka the Homebrew Chef, has asked me to pimp this event out for him. He is a talented, innovative and passionate man and his beer & food events never fail to impress. You can check out his website for full details or just read a little further.

I will add that $98 seems a lot of money for a dinner but 8-courses is a lot of food, especially when specifically paired with 9 can’t-really-find-em-at-your-local-corner-market-liquor-store beers.

Who: Sean Paxton, Firestone Walker Brewing and De Proef Brewing
What: Collaboration: A Beer Dinner featuring Once Chef, Eight Courses, Two Breweries, Nine Beers and You.
Where: Mercedes, 653 Commercial Street, San Francisco, CA map
When: Thursday, February 11, 2010 @ 6:30pm
Why: It’s SF Beer Week… and why the hell not?!
Cost: $98 (inclusive of food, beer and gratuity)

Menu:

Aspall Cuvee Chevallier Double Fermented Cyder

First Course
Local Fromage - Cowgirl creamery Mt. Tam, Humboldt fog goat cheese, dried apricots, cinnamon smoked almonds, malt crackers, Saison Imperiale beer jelly, white pepper infused 30 year old aged honey

De Proef Brewmaster’s Collaboration Signature Ale with Tomme Arthur

Second Course
Union Barrel Smoked  Day Boat Scallops - atop Reinaert Flemish Wild Ale braised Belgian red endive, Les Deux Brasseurs Ale biere blanc and micro herb salsa

De Proef Brewmaster’s Collaboration Les Deux Brasseurs Ale with Jason Perkins

Third Course
IPA Ceviche Margarita - Fresh halibut cured in citrus juices, Union Jack IPA, mangos, red onions, peppers and chilies, topped with an IPA foam

Firestone Walker Union Jack

Forth Course
House-Made Sausage - Sonoma pork, infused with Sauserful of Secrets, thyme, dried fruit and caramelized shallotson a bed of lentils, drizzled with a chorizo amarillo hop oil

Firestone Walker Bourbon Barrel Aged Saucerful of Secrets 2007

Fifth Course
Local Pork Belly - Braised in Zoetzuur Flemish Ale on a bed of parsnip purée, Flemish ale reduction, raddish pickle

De Proef Brewmaster’s Collaboration Van Twee Ale with John Mallet

Sixth Course
Belgian Tamale - Bison short ribs cooked “canronade style” in Van Twee, onions, shallots and thyme
stuffed into a sweet potato masa pillow, Black Xantus TCHO mole, beet foam

Firestone Walker Velvet Merkin

Seventh Course
French Flan - DBA beer caramel topped with dark chocolate Lozen Boer Abt pot de crèmepork fat shortbread cookies, malted mascarpone chantilly cream

Firestone Walker - Double Barrel Ale, 100% Oak Aged on Cask

Eighth Course
My Sweet Valentine - Chocolate truffles made with Pete Slosberg

• Van Twee Ale Caramel in a Dark TCHO Chocolate Shell
• Black Xantus Caramel with TCHO Cocoa Nibs in a Dark TCHO Chocolate Shell
• La Grande Blanche Brittle Infused with Blood Orange and Milk Chocolate in a Dark TCHO Chocolate Shell

Firestone Walker XIII Anniversary Ale

A week ago, Sammy and I attended a Belgian Beer Dinner at the Duck Club at the Lafayette Park Hotel. The event was hosted by Nicole Erny from the Belgian beer bar, The Trappist. It was a fun night filled with great beer, great food and good conversion.

You can read the full review of the event on Beer Connoisseur.

UPDATE: The Beer & Chocolate Dinner at Firehouse has been CANCELLED. We apologize for any inconvenience this cancellation may have caused. There are many tough lessons taken away from this experience but at the end of the day, if we can’t put on an event we can be proud of, we’re not going to do it.

I must admit, I was a little worried about this event. SF Beer Week is less than two weeks away and the menu wasn’t set just yet. At least it wasn’t set until this past Sunday. We were able to do a dry run of the menu plus beer and I can say the pairings are solid as well as tasty!

We’ve been working hard to bring an event like this back to the south bay while keeping prices reasonable. I hope to see many of you there!

Here are the details:

Who: Firehouse Brewery
What: Beer & Chocolate Dinner
Where: 111 S Murphy Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 map
When: Friday, February 12, 2010 @ 7pm
Why: Because chocolate is good; beer is good! Together they’re great!
Cost: $55 (pay when making your reservation)

Event Description: Chocolate? Beer? But of course! Join Firehouse Brewery as they host their 2nd Annual Beer & Chocolate Dinner. This will be a 4-course affair pairing the beers of Firehouse Brewmaster Steve Donohue with savory dishes featuring chocolate in ways you may not expect. Dessert will feature truffles from Xocolata Confections.

Menu

First Course
Dish: Sweet Potato Soup with White Chocolate Creme Fraische
Beer: Hefeweizen

Second Course
Dish: Sweet & Bitter Greens with Chocolate Vinaigrette
Beer: Pale Ale

Third Course
Dish: Cocoa Espresso Short Ribs, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
Beer: One Tun Imperial Stout

Fourth Course
Dish: Assorted Truffles from Xocolata Confections
Beer: Scotch Ale/Barleywine

Seating is limited so please call 408-773-9500 to make your reservations today. Your credit card information will be necessary to secure your reservations.

The Eat Real Festival will be happening in Oakland August 28-30. What is the Eat Real Festival, you say? Well, here’s a little tidbit I picked up from their website:

Founded in 2008, Eat Real Festival is a social venture created to inspire eaters to choose tasty, healthy, good food. Through a vibrant, local festival in Oakland, CA, and a focus on delicious and sustainable “street food,” Eat Real puts eaters in contact with the real people — the farmers, chefs, and producers — who make our food. Eat Real Festival will donate a percentage of its profit to several California organizations promoting access to healthy and affordable food, entrepreneurship and economic development.

Street food is a real staple in many countries and I think it’s a shame that it’s not more widely accepted here in the United States. When I traveled abroad in Thailand and Malaysia, we ate almost exclusively from street food venders. Some of the best meals I’ve had.

In addition to all the good food, there will be a beer tent featuring some of your favorite Northern California breweries. Dave McLean from Magnolia & Alembic is one of the principle collaborators of this event and I suspect he will be calling in many of his Bay Area brewing buddies to help out.

I will be at the Eat Real Festival in to promote Beer Connoisseur magazine. For those who don’t already know, in addition to blogging about beer on BetterBeerBlog, I also blog on the Beer Connoisseur website. As of this post, Beer Connoisseur, in conjunction with the folks at Eat Real Festival, will be giving away free passes to the Eat Real Festival for the next 30 subscribers to the magazine who use my promo code: FBC-0110. While the festival itself is free to get into, a ticket to the beer shed will cost you $20 advance/$25 day of.

In the interest of full disclosure, whenever someone signs up for a subscription using my promo code FBC-0110, I get paid. It’s not much but I do get a little bit of money. Blogging is not a very lucrative endeavor, this is a labor of love for me, so any support you can give your local blogger would be appreciated. To date, I have earned enough money to buy a pint of beer but I can’t afford to tip. My goal is to earn enough money to buy to pints and leave an appropriate tip. One pint for me, one to share. Help a blogger out!

Eat Real Festival website: http://www.eatrealfest.com/

Beer Connoisseur website: https://www.beerconnoisseur.com/

The Trevese Brewers Dinner featuring the beers from Devils Canyon Brewing Company (DCB) took place just about a week ago. I did the main write up on Beer Connoisseur (BC), you can read the post here. I’m not going to spend a great deal of time rehashing what I wrote about on BC. Everything I wrote there still stands but I’d just like to expand on a couple of things I just barely touched upon there.

Before I get into the criticisms, I’d just like to say that I think DCB did a great job at the Brewers Dinner. I can’t say enough good things about the people at DCB. Jason, Chris, Jim, John, Kristiann do a fantastic job brewing good beer in a relatively beer-desolate part of the peninsula. Their passion for craft beer shows whenever you talk to them and it shows in the final product. If you happen to see their taps around the Bay Area, don’t hesitate to support them. It’s through our continued support that small, independent craft breweries such as DCB can continue to make the craft beers we love to drink.

At the end of this post, I will have embedded two videos I stitched together from that night. Let me know if you found any value to them. It’ll help me decide if I should continue with the videos or if I should just focus on the other stuff.

Now, onto the criticisms.

This first item, it’s not really a criticism more than it is what happened. Outside of the DCB crew who attended the dinner, turnout was pretty small. Many things could have contributed to this. First, the date of the dinner kept on changing. It was originally supposed to be held on July 7th but kept getting pushed back for a variety of reasons. Eventually a stake was driven into the ground and July 21st was the hard date. Fortunately, Sammy and I were still able to make it. Second, I’m not sure if this event was promoted enough. I feel that I didn’t do enough on my own blog to support the event and I promise to do better in the future. Even so, one can’t really pin all your hopes on a single blogger. Third, I think the $100/person price tag was a huge hurdle for many people to jump over. I will readily admit that I was able to secure a discount to the event, which made it easier for me to attend. I’ll talk more about the price point a little later.

Having hosted several beer/food pairing events in the past, I can tell you first hand the South Bay craft beer scene is horrible. By no means am I pointing fingers at the South Bay brewers, it’s more a reflection of the general attititude people here have. There’s just no respect or appreciation for good beer. Most people I know get their beer education from the commercials on TV. It’s rare to get a great turnout for any of the South Bay beer events I’ve been to outside of beer festivals, so I would’ve been very surprised had the Trevese Brewers Dinner sold out.

My biggest criticism, and one I barely touched upon, was the lack of Trevese Executive Chef Mike Miller’s participation in the dinner. The press release stated that Chef Miller and DCB brewers would be out during the reception to talk to the guests as well as talk about the dinner as it progressed. DCB held up their share of the billing but Chef Miller was notedly absent. Not only was Chef Miller absent during dinner, it is my understanding he left right as dinner was over. I don’t even remember him coming out to thank us for coming out to his restaurant.

I can only speculate on why Chef didn’t make himself available during the dinner. I’m hoping that it’s because they were short handed and he needed to stay in the back to help out. I’m hoping he left early because sort of emergency popped up that he needed to take care of. Frankly, any other reason would leave me disappointed. At the very base level, I was expecting to be able to talk to DCB brewers as well as the Chef of Trevese and not all my expectations were met. DCB held up their end of the bargain but Chef Miller fell short on his end.

When the Executive Chef of a Michelin Star-rated restaurant skips out on his own event without notice, that doesn’t paint a really good picture of him or his restaurant by extension. As someone who really enjoys good food, I was looking forward to hearing Chef talk about the dishes, what was his inspiration and why he made the culinary decisions he made. Call me curious. His absence fills me with questions and doubt. You could tell from the way Jason talked about his beers that he has a real passion for what he does. I was looking forward to hearing the same from Chef Miller but obviously, it wasn’t to be.

Was it worth it?

This is a tough question to answer. Assigning worth or value to something implies it is in comparison to something else. That’s just how currency works and by extension, monetary worth. The short answer: no, it wasn’t. Let me explain further.

The first $100/person dinner I went to was the Gold Medal dinner I went to last year in Boulder, Colorado. The Gold Medal dinner was easily worth the $100/person cost, in fact, I would’ve paid more. The breweries in attendance were Allagash, Avery, Dogfishead, Russian River and Lost Abbey/Port Brewing. As you can imagine, Rob Tod, Adam Avery, Sam Calagione, Vinnie Cilurzo and Tomme Arthur (respectively) were all in attendence to talk about their beers indepth as well as relate a few stories of the time in Europe together. This was a 5-course meal paired with 2 beers per course from different breweries. It should go without saying but the food that night was awesome. Like I said, I would’ve paid more for that dinner so while $100/person may seem like a lot, it was a fraction of what the true value was. Still, the Gold Medal Dinner is the benchmark for future $100 beer dinners. Ridiculously high expectations, I know but would you be any different?

All that being said, I cannot honestly say the value of the Trevese dinner matched the Gold Medal dinner. Nothing against DCB but had there been 4 additional breweries that night, I would be 4 additional breweries closer to saying it was of even value. Both restaurants cook at such a high level that it would’ve been a wash had the number of courses matched up. Most importantly, the chef of The Kitchen in Boulder came out during every course to explain what he did and why. It was great to hear about the food portion of the beer/food dinner. Most of us were there for the beer anyway so to get background information regarding what we were eating was the proverbial “cherry on top”.

The thing is, I’m not even asking that Trevese lower their price. I’m not going to sit here and say that Trevese shouldn’t have charged what they did for the dinner. They know the price of their time and skill and that’s the the number they came up with. I am okay with that. I am mainly pointing out that my expectations weren’t met and that when compared to another $100 beer/food dinner, the other dinner provided more value for the same price. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think it’s too much to expect what was promised or to wish for more value for the cost.

Despite all this, I would support another Brewers Dinner at Trevese, assuming of course Sammy and I could afford it. There’s just not much happening in the South Bay with regards to beer and fine dining so when the opportunit presents itself, I do my best to support my local craft beer scene.

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!