• 10Jun

    Great Beer Pairings Savored in DC!

    Savor splashed down in DC last weekend, combining great beer from throughout the USA with dishes the Brewer’s Association’s Executive Chef, Adam Dulye created for the 2016 show. Adam was one of the four speakers for the salon (class), Developing the SAVOR Menu. The speakers at the salon were: (from L to R) Steve Bradt of Free State Brewing Company, Steve Wildy of the Vetri Family of Restaurants, Kyle Mendenhall of Backcountry Gourmet on PBS, and Adam Dulye.

    Whenever possible, Adam starts by sampling the beer he wants to pair and then creating an appropriate dish to serve with it. But, sometimes the brew in question is being released at (or created for) the show and Adam has a phone conversation where the brewers describe a beer to him that they haven’t actual tried, which makes creating a appropriate pairing more difficult.

    Attendees left with Savor’s 2016 collaboration beer:

    “Allagash Brewing Company (Portland, Maine) and Deschutes Brewery (Bend, Oregon) teamed up to brew Pettygrove’s Chance, combining delicate Oregon and Maine malts and fermenting with a farmhouse yeast.”

    Below are images of some of my favorite brews and pairings of the evening:

    -JAY

    Permalink Filed under: Drinks, Etc Tags: , No Comments
  • 14Jun

    Celebrating the Beer Craft at Savor

    Last week was DC’s annual craft beer & food experience, Savor. I attend this event annually and have to say that this year’s breweries brought some wonderful examples of their work. This show is always great, but this year set the bar high for their future events. Below are some highlights:

    This is only part of the crowd since it is a very busy show.

    This is only part of the crowd.

    I attended a salon (class) entitled Little Breweries with Big flavors which featured the following breweries: 4 Hands Brewing Company, Fate Brewing Company, MobCraft Beer (which uses a innovative crowdsourcing model), and DC’s own Right Proper Brewing Company. Below are the beers we were served during the salon:

    -JAY

    Permalink Filed under: Drinks, Events Tags: , 1 Comment
  • 30May

    Next Week is a Good Week for Beer in DC

    St BernadusHere is Savor’s list of next week’s Savor-related beer events. Savor is already sold out, but that doesn’t mean you can’t attend the related events. Savor’s has a great lineup of attending breweries. Some of the following haven’t got Savor’s event list as of yet:

    Dcbeer.com’s Third Craft and Comedy showcase will be at the Big Hunt Monday evening at 7pm (free).

    Devil’s Backone‘s Brews Cruise is leaves from Alexandria Saturday 11 am ($60).

    Thursday Lagunitas will have a vaporizer set up at Smoke and Barrel to vape hops.

    They aren’t on Savor’s list yet, but below are some events at Churchkey. More details on these events, and Birch & Barley (their sister) events (including beer dinners) are listed here.

    • 4 Hands Brewing Company, Monday evening at 6 pm.
    • Wicked Weed Brewing, Wednesday at 4pm
    • Jolly Pumpkin, Tuesday at 4 pm.
    • Florida’s Cigar City & Funky Buddha, Thursday at 4pm
    • Kuhnhenn, Friday 4 pm.

    Also, these are not Savor-related, but there are St. Bernardus (from Watou, Belgium) events May 31st at Churchkey 4-7pm, and June 1st at Brasserie Beck 6-8pm. Details (from the Brasserie Beck people):

    Representatives will be on hand from both the Brewery and their importer, D & V International. As such, we’ll have one non-St. Bernardus beer as part of the event. We’ll definitely have special happy hour pricing for the St Bernardus stuff. The lineup:

    Bottles:
    St Bernardus 6 and 8 (dubbels)
    Tripel
    12 (Quadrupel)
    Oak-Aged 12 (Newly Released as of June 1!)

     

    Draft:
    St Bernardus Extra 4 (Belgian Pale Ale, originally a recipe from St. Sixtus/Westvleteren Monastery).
    St Bernardus 12
    Kazematten Grotten Sante (cave-aged brown ale from Belgium)
    BTW, twitter is covered in beer articles and listing for next week: https://twitter.com/search?q=savor%20dc&src=typd

    -JAY

    Permalink Filed under: Drinks, Events Tags: , , , , No Comments
  • 16May

    Savor Good Beer Pairings!

    I attended Savor (the huge beer show) in Washington, DC  last night. I sampled some great beer at the show, and will show you some of the highlights. Let’s start with the oysters, which of course are great with beer.

    The Choptank Oyster Company was shucking their Choptank Sweets (Chesepeake Bay oysters), and serving them with lemon or one of three great sauces (ok, one was really a Champagne gelée so if more of a condiment) . The oysters were tasty, and my favorite of the three sauces was the Szechuan Chilli Mignonette, but the shucker’s favorite is Agave Kaffir Sauce.

    I attended a Salon (class) at the show: The Art of Pairing Craft Beer and Jerky. The presenters were Justin “Duke” Havlick (Duke’s Small Batch Smoked Meats), Mike Lawinski (FATE Brewing Company), and Jason Oliver (Devils Backbone Brewing Company).  Salon description: “Duke’s Small Batch Smoked Meats teams up with Devils Backbone Brewing Company and FATE Brewing Company to show attendees that smoked meats and jerky make for a quick, easy, versatile and most importantly, tasty partner for craft beer. Four beers will be perfectly paired with smoked meats and jerky from small batch producer Duke’s.” (Yes, they were good pairings.)

    I was new to FATE’s products, but they have only been in business a but over a year. FATE and Duke’s Small Batch Smoked Meats are both based in Boulder, CO.  Devils Backbone is local favorite for me since it is brewed in Virginia (and is excellent).

    Green Flash & Pork Belly

    I like Green Flash, this beer, and Pork Belly Brioche, but IMHO this was an unsuccessful pairing; the beer overpowered the food.

    My favorite of the 4 jerky’s was the Island Teriyaki Beef Jerky because I loved the chewy (but not tough) texture; it was paired with Devil’s Backbone’s Schwartz Bier, a German Style Black Lager. I very much enjoyed FATE Brewing Company’s Moirai IPA (with it’s grapefruit reminiscent scent and flavor); It paired well with the Sweet Bar-B-Q Braised Pork Strips. The Spicy Bar-B-Q Beef Brisket Strips are nice because they are from a different cut of beef and is spicy; they were paired with FATE’s Barrel Aged Baltic Porter. The Traditional Dry Rub Beef Jerky is for the traditionalists; as someone who didn’t grow up eating jerky, it’s a tough chew for me since you have to gnaw on it. The Traditional Jerky (smoked with hickory and hops) was paired with Devils Backbone’s Striped Bass Pale Ale. BTW, Duke’s Shorty is delicious as well, although it was not part of the salon tasting.

    Most of the beer pairings were spot on, especially the ones paired with dessert. Below are some of the highlights. Yes, wild/sour beers and dessert pairing were common themes this year.

    -JAY

     

     

    Permalink Filed under: Drinks, Etc, Products Tags: , No Comments
  • 29Apr

    Put Next Week’s Beer Events on your Calendar!

    Savor-Crowd-577x1024For beer lovers who won’t be attending Savor, the huge (sold out) American craft brew event is May 9th and 10th or the 2014 RAMMY Awards, you can still attend some great (and related) beer events.

    Many of the breweries that will be in town for Savor are planning events the week of the show. Click here for the official list of these events. The City Tap House events are not listed individually on Savor’s website (but are all listed under one entry for the 8th), so rather than miss them on the calendar, check them here. Three of the four Jack Rose Dining Saloon events are not on the Savor calendar, but you can find them here.

    Tuesday, May 6, 2014 from 6:30 PM to 9:00: Leading up to the always-sold-out SAVOR American Craft Beer + Food Experience (May 9-10), The Fainting Goat will pair four savory and sweet spring dishes with craft Atlas brews – one being an exclusive Fainting Goat cask ale created just for the event – while guests can meet and chat with Atlas head brewer Will Durgin. You can obtain ($45) tickets here.

    Hardywood Park Craft Brewery is planning the following Savor related events:

    – Tap invasion event at Rustico Arlington on 5/8 with Cigar City

    – Tap invasion at Bier Baron 5/9 with Green Flash and Funkwerks

    – Tap invasion at Meridian Pint on 5/10 with Firestone, Funkwerks, and Elysian.

    2014 RAMMYS Beer Program of the Year finalists are holding these in-house promotions Thursday, May 8:

    RFD SavorStarting at 6pm, Birch & Barley & ChurchKey will feature drafts and casks from Surly Brewing Company at The Surly Brewing Company Draft & Cask Takeover. With no fewer than 10 rare and elusive Surly drafts and casks on tap, don’t miss the opportunity to taste amazing ales otherwise unavailable in Washington, DC.

    Brasserie Beck will keep the RAMMYS celebration going throughout the day with an all-day $10 Antigoon Beer and Brats Special. Opened by Chef Robert Wiedmaier in 2007, Beck’s stunning and spacious bar boasts the city’s most comprehensive Belgian beer list outside Belgium with nine draught beers and over 100 offered by the bottle.

    Granville Moore’s will have special promotions that evening, but they have not yet been specified.

    Lyon Hall’s spacious patio will feature a fabulous Pig Roast/BBQ May 8th. Executive Chef Matt Hill will roast two whole pigs and serve it up with his gourmet side dishes and desserts made by Executive Pastry Chef Bridie McCulla. Beer Director David McGregor will be holding court outside, pouring special draft offerings from house favorite breweries and hosting a special tasting session of “Barrel-Aged” Beers that have been cellared at Lyon Hall.

    Mad Fox Brewing Company Executive Brewer and CEO Bill Madden will host brewery tours at 5pm, 6pm and 7pm, where guests will learn all about the brewing process and even have the chance to sample the freshest beers straight from the fermenting vessels of Mad Fox’s state of the art brewing facility. After the tour, congregate at the massive 63 foot bar and enjoy over 18 drafts on tap among a variety of other products like the 2011 Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal award winning Kellerbier Kölsch.

    -JAY

    Editor’s Note: It turns out that Goose Island is hosting DC beer events this week (4/29-5/3).

    Permalink Filed under: Drinks, Events Tags: , , No Comments
  • 15Jun

    Some of the Best Things We’ve Eaten Recently #8!

    We’ve been sampling some great food lately lately, so let’s talk about some of the highlights.

    At the Saturday morning Courthouse Farmer’s Market, I purchased Cavanna Pasta’s Artichoke-Pesto Cannelloni ($15, think manicotti). The package has 3  frozen cannelloni per pack, and comes with heating instructions. My oven needed more time to heat up the frozen pasta than recommended in the instructions, but the end product was delicious. Some of the ingredients included basil, shallots, garlic, and pine nuts. Cavanna is based in Richmond. Arrowine carries Cavanna‘s products (and charges an extra $1 for the cannelloni).

    At the Clarendon Farmer’s Market I purchased a small Chocolate Salted Caramel Chess Pie for $10 from Livin’ The Pie Life, and although it was a bit pricey, that pie was well worth the money. It was truly delicious. They sell other varieties and give samples so that you can taste the pies.

    We tried a couple of nice desserts at the Tysons Corner Sheraton. Their Salted Caramel Vanilla Crunch Cake is a pudding cake containing rich caramel and creamy custard, topped with caramel popcorn bites. They also served Ice Cream from Moorenko’s (about whom we’ve written about previously a couple of times). The ice creams are all made with local produce. Flavors change weekly. We tasted the White Chocolate Mint & the Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip.

    9:30 Club‘s Sound Bites featured some great dishes including the Boriquen Lunch Box‘s (Puerto Rican food truck) Pastelon, a sweet plantain and meat casserole with green beans, red and green peppers, onions, garlic, and tomato sauce. It is topped with cheese and I like to describe it  as “plantain lasagna.”

    Also at Sound Bites, Jose Andres‘ Pepe food truck made great Spanish food, including the Botifarra Burger and a ham & cheese sandwich (yes, there is a version in Spain). I did not try their mac and cheese.

    The Lamb Jam featured some great lamb dishes including Poste Moderne Brasserie‘s Lamb Carpaccio, and Bibiana‘s Stuffed Lamb Shoulder. I still vividly remember Bibiana’s Lamb Raviolis from the Lamb Jam’s media preview the previous year. I also very much enjoyed Heavy Seas Imperial stout, which tasted a bit like chocolate.

    Editor’s note (9/2/13): La Forchetta is now knows as Al Dente.

    La Forchetta is a new upscale Italian restaurant of Roberto Donna‘s in DC (nowhere near a metro). They have a cheese list and a cured meat list, and I enjoyed the Castelmagno cheese (cow, sheep, and goat milk). The Grilled Whole Branzino served with Broccoli Rabe and Salsa Verde was excellent. I would go back there for it, although it was a daily special. In general, the restaurant is supposed to excel at fish dishes. The children at the table next to us (the restaurant has a neighborhood crowd) were attacking their pizzas, so we decided to try a pizza with salami, and the pizza was good. The staff seems to lean towards the Tiramisu (it’s huge!) and Cartoccio Siciliano (fried sweet dough filled with sweet ricotta cheese) but we decided on the Bambolino (fried dough balls rolled in lemon sugar with a hot chocolate sauce) and the Zuppa Inglese (chocolate cream, rum sponge cake, hot vanilla sauce). Both desserts were excellent.

    Savor 2012 was last weekend, and it is an amazing beer show. I attended the CraftBeer.com Taste-Off Challenge, and got to see and taste 4 beer experts’ (3 are brewers) beer pairing skills. They had to choose a beer to pair with a rhubarb crisp, but they were not told lavender honey would be added. The 4 contestants were Jeff Hancock of DC Brau, Mike McManus of Brewery Ommegang, Chuck Silva of Green Flash Brewing Company, and Matt Bean of Men’s Health Magazine and Spike TV. While I was torn between Chuck’s choice (Belgian Trippel) and Matt’s choice (Allagash Coolship CERTES), and ultimately voted for Allagash Coolship CERTES, the winner turned out to be Mike’s choice (with Ommegang Aphrodite), my third choice. The DC Brau beer was El Hefe, and I beleive that the stealth addition of lavender destroyed the pairing, which was not Jeff’s fault.

    I sampled a lot of beer at Savor! Some of my favorite beers from Savor include Flying Dog‘s Chocolate IPA, Ithica Beer Company‘s Apricot Wheat, American Beer Company‘s Caboose Oatmeal Stout (I loved this) and Breakaway IPA, Fat Head Brewery‘s Sorcerer (paired with Pork Belly Mole), Bell’s Brewery’s Wild One Sour Brown and Smoked Vienna Lager, Hardywood‘s Singel and Mocha Belgique, Founders Brewery Company‘s Curmudgeon Old Ale, Maui Brewing Company‘s Coconut Porter, Willimantic Brewing Company‘s Flowers Infusion and Pony Espresso Stout, and Ninkasi Brewing Company‘s Believer (which was served with an awesome dish, Red Chile Braised Goat).

    -JAY

    Al Dente Ristorante on Urbanspoon

    Permalink Filed under: Events, Products, Restaurants Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , No Comments
  • 13Mar

    SAVOR 2012: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience…Is Back!

    Picture by JAY of DCFüd. Only a portion of the crowd.

     

    Last year I wrote about the beer show, Savor.  It was an amazing show, and it is back. It is not easy to get tickets for this, so I am sharing this info with you just minutes after receiving it.

    -JAY

    —————————————————

    2012 SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience

    Food and Drink Enthusiasts Descend Upon D.C. for One of America’s National Treasures—Craft Beer

    What:

    Presented by the Brewers Association, SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience is the premier beer and food pairing event in the U.S. In its fifth year running, SAVOR provides guests the chance to sample craft beers from 74 small and independent craft brewers, representing eight geographic regions across the country. To complement the craft beers, attendees will enjoy a reception-style sampling of delicious sweet and savory appetizers from a menu designed by BA Culinary Consultant Chef Adam Dulye of The Monk’s Kettle, and a select group of chefs specializing in beer and food pairings.

    Guests will also have the opportunity to interact with some of America’s most innovative craft brewers during educational salons and workshops.

    When:

    Friday, June 8 and Saturday, June 9, 2012

    7:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. ET

    Where:

    National Building Museum
    401 F Street NW
    Washington, D.C. 20001

    Why:

    While overall beer industry sales have declined, the craft brewing community continues to see increased sales and growing market share, along with praise for its quality, small-batch beers. SAVOR is a delicious opportunity for consumers to interact with the personalities behind the brands while enjoying the epicurean art of craft beer and food pairing. The experience will delight any palate.

    Ticket Info:

    Beginning April 3, 2012 (10:00 a.m. MT), a limited supply of SAVOR presale tickets will be available exclusively to American Homebrewers Association and Brewers Association members.

    SAVOR tickets will be available for purchase to the general public starting April 5, 2012 (10:00 a.m. MT) via Ticketmaster.

    For Friday and/or Saturday:

    General Admission Ticket: $120 per ticket (Limit of 4 total tickets per customer)
    Private Tasting Salon and Educational Salon Tickets: $30 (General Admission ticket purchase for same night of the Salon required. Limit of 4 per customer.)

    Supporting Host: Reyes Beverage Group

    Supporting Partners: Abita Brewing Company, Brewery Ommegang, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Samuel Adams, Craftbeer.com

    Supporting Breweries: Allagash Brewing Company, Boulevard Brewing Company, Brooklyn Brewery, Devils Backbone Brewing Company, Flying Dog Brewery, Full Sail Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing Company, Rogue Ales, Saranac Brewery, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

    Supporters: Brewers Supply Group, DRAFT Magazine, GreatBrewers.com, Oak Beverages, Inc.

    Attendees will receive a limited edition collaboration beer from Boulevard Brewing Company and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company as an exit gift.

    All guests will receive a 2012 SAVOR commemorative tasting glass.

    In addition to pairings, attendees can choose from a variety of artisan cheese samples, coordinated by the American Cheese Society.

    The Choptank Oyster Company will once again host the popular oyster bar.

    Website:

    SavorCraftBeer.com

    ——————————————————–

    Check out my friend’s Costa Rica Tours and don’t forget to use the code “TOUCAN” to save money. He has some group tours that you can join.

    -JAY

    Permalink Filed under: Drinks, Events Tags: , 2 Comments
  • 20Jun

    Beer & Chocolate: A Savor Salon

    Savor was a few weeks ago. I enjoyed the beer and food pairings. I attended one of the salons and a media tour, which took about 80 minutes out of actually seeing the show. So, I never found the oysters or tried the cheeses, but I still ate and drank quite a bit.

    I do love chocolate, and chocolate and beer can go together quite well. I did see some chocolates made with beer

    Flying dog (from Frederick, MD) paired a chocolate they make with Raging Bitch (IPA) and blood orange with (you guessed it) Raging Bitch. Great piece of chocolate and great pairing with their beer. Biagio should carry it. I’d love to see more beer and chocolate combinations in stores (like Coco Sala‘s Father’s day item, stout chocolate truffles).

    The crowd was too large to fit in one picture.

    I attended the beer and chocolate pairing salon. Fred Bueltman of New Holland Brewing (based in Holland, Michigan) paired his beers with Gail Ambrosius‘ chocolates (from Madson Wisconsin). Ginger Johnson of Women Enjoying Beer was his Co-host. The chocolates and beer were quite good as were the pairings.

    The pairings:

    • Golden Cap (Saison Ale 2008) with a Cointreau Truffe
    • Dragon’s Milk (Ale aged in oak barrels, 2007) with a Shitake Truffle (which I skipped due to a mushroom allergy).
    • Black Tulip (Trippel Ale, 2008) with a Lemongrass & Ginger Truffle.
    • Pilgrim’s Dale (Wheatwine, 2008) and a Seasalt Caramel.
    • Night Tripper (Imperial Stout, 2008) and Cinnamon & Cayenne Truffe)

    While I don’t often enjoy (oak aged) Chardonnay, I loved Dragon’s Milk ale.  Too bad I’m allergic to the paired truffle, so didn’t try it.  Night tripper is similar to barley wine.  Black Tulip is made with Michigan beet syrup.

    I’m looking forward to next year’s Savor.  I’m hoping they add a day next year so that the show doesn’t sell out as easily, and more people can attend.  As is, thousands of people attended.

    Related beer news (from my inbox):

    “Senate Small Brewers Caucus Established:

    Boulder, CO • June 20, 2011—The Brewers Association (BA) shared the news today that the Senate Small Brewers Caucus has been established. The formation of the Caucus was led by Senators Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), who support the role of America’s small and independent brewers as an engine of economic growth in the country.”

    -JAY

    Permalink Filed under: Drinks, Events Tags: , , , , , , , No Comments

Categories

Archives

Pages

Blogroll