St. Elmo's Brewing and Soursop Austin Soft opening Nov. 8th

Pouring the pho gravy over the Pho-Tine: fries, rice cake, flank steak from @soursop_austin #yum #media #atx @stelmobrewing

A photo posted by John M. P. Knox (@hopsafari) on Nov 3, 2016 at 5:25pm PDT

Tasting good food is a joyful experience. Tasting good food with great beer can be a wonderful experience. Tasting really amazing food with great beer is kind of mind-blowing. That is what happened at the sneak preview of St. Elmo Brewing and Soursop Austin. *Thank you to St. Elmo and Soursop for inviting us for a preview.

Angus Dry Stout @stelmobrewing #beer #yum #media

A photo posted by John M. P. Knox (@hopsafari) on Nov 3, 2016 at 5:11pm PDT

St. Elmo Brewing is a new brewery with alumini from Austin Beer Works, Bryan Winslow and Tim Bullock. Given Austin Beer Works’ impressive awards right from the start, the dedication to producing great brews was obvious at the tasting. The beers served at the sneak preview were on point and balanced. We’ll circle back to those as we take a look at Soursop’s food samples.

I was not alone in my strong feelings about the food served that night. We’ve all eaten really good food. And we’ve all had some life changing food. Soursop was life changing. The chef, Teddy Bricker, has built a remarkable vitae with stints at La Condesa and Qui Austin. The layering of different flavor profiles and textures into familiar and approachable foods was just perfect. It was a great blend of off the hook delicious with classic beer pairing food.

Teddy, the brains behind @soursop_austin, serves us a *$@%!!!! Amazing #Thai #icecream bun: #coconut condensed milk, pandan milk jam, jackfruit lime #caramel, rice crisp on a Martin's roll. #austin #southeastasia #sneakpreview #media #dessert

A photo posted by Jennie Chen (@misohungry) on Nov 3, 2016 at 6:06pm PDT

The first dish I sampled with the kaeng pa curry which includes grilled and curried eggplant, chili crisps, kaffir lime, galengal, and young peppercorns. The vegetarian dish is a bit on the spicy side if you’re not a fan of the capsaicin sweats. It paired really well with kolsch to clean the palate. I also tend to like IPAs with spicy foods, and the American IPA would have held its own against the curry. Some people don’t enjoy that type of pairing as they feel like it can intensify the spice, but I kind of like it.

The La Korenita sandwich and the Pho-tine were perfect with the American IPA as well. The La Korenita sandwich is a galbi-marinated pork and beef patty, kewpie-mojo, full sour pickles, melted Swiss, and topped with shoestring potatoes. It is no secret that I love burgers. I strongly believe in eating burgers and fries at least once a week as part of my patriotic duty. This sandwich holds one of the top three spots in my favorite burgers ever, and I have eaten many burgers.

The @soursop_austin food tonight is mind blowing amazing. These are the Ayan Goreng chicken wings. #austin #media #sneakpreview #asian #wings #southeastasia

A photo posted by Jennie Chen (@misohungry) on Nov 3, 2016 at 5:50pm PDT

The pho-tine is a play on the words to sound like poutine. This dish starts with a pile of fries, topped with 5 spice flank steak, ram ram, Thai basil, rice cake slices, and smothered with a pho gravy. The flavor of the gravy was aromatic with intense meaty goodness. I’m a fry fan. Get this dish. Have it with a beer. Thank Teddy later.

The ice cream sandwich of all ice cream sandwiches goes to the Thai ice cream bun. I list of components in this dessert was missing magic. There was some kind of fairy-dust-unicorn-magic in the ice cream sandwich. All my dopamine receptors were firing like a fourth of July parade. Maybe it was the coconut ice cream or the jackfruit caramel? Maybe it was the pandan milk jam? Something in there was magic. Pure magic.

St. Elmo’s Brewing and Soursop Austin are a welcome addition to South Austin. Be there to experience the magic.

The future of ice cream sandwiches? Thai Ice Cream Bun. #yum #atx #media @soursop_austin @stelmobrewing

A photo posted by John M. P. Knox (@hopsafari) on Nov 3, 2016 at 6:04pm PDT

St. Elmo’s and Soursop are a welcome addition to South Austin. Be there to experience the magic.

In the Heat of the Summer, You'll Wish You were at Alaska Brewing

Central Market has fun cooking classes with fun guests. When I saw that Alaskan Brewing was going to be hosting a class, I couldn't miss it. A big thanks to Central Market and Alaskan Brewing for having me as a guest.

The first course started with a seafood crostini. Crisp carbs topped with rich cheese and seafood? Yep. That's a win.

This lovely bite of heaven was served with the Freeride APA for a lovely contrast. Something this rich needs to be paired with something that can cut the fat.

For our second course, we had the orange IPA salad dressing over kale and orange segments. This was paired with a Icy Bay IPA which features a surfer on the bottle. Orange and bitter kale was a most excellent pairing for the salad and dressing. The beer was a great cleanser for each bite.

The next dish up was the amber glazed salmon served with veggies and rice. In addition to providing tasty bites and refreshing sips, they also provided us tips when visiting Alaska. There are many cruise options to Alaska. When you are there you can rent a car and blaze your own adventure. Get salmon when you arrive. It'll be super fresh if you visit at the right time of the year. Salmon breeds spawn at different times, so as long as you arrive during the correct window, you might be in for a treat. You can also go on a tour of the brewery. There are a number of ways to get to the brewery, and here are their recommendations if you aren't coming with a tour group.


Alaskan Brewing has only been in Texas for a few years, but they have been around the block and collecting their fair share of awards along the way. The Smoked Porter is absolutely delicious, and I highly recommend grabbing one of the vertical tasting boxes or keep buying the bombers when you see them available.

Central Market's Jordan Knowles and Alaskan Brewing's Terry Nance and Jon Blakley give us a toast!

Beer, Cheese, and Garrett Oliver - A Photo Post

Garrett Oliver came back for another tour of Austin. He comes every few years, and it is always a pleasure to meet Garrett Oliver. I've written about him before, and a blog post on his work wouldn't do him justice. But you get to enjoy some fun photos of his last appearance at the Draught House.

He always wins the "Best Dressed Man in Brewing" award from me. He's more put together than I am.

Antonelli's Cheese supplied the delicious cheese. If at any time Antonelli's is supplying the cheese, you want to be there.

Here's my unmolested plate and beers. Because I can just take pictures of a place without touching it.

While I don't have a long list of take-aways from this post, I will leave you with a short list of all the cheeses you should always have in the fridge in case company comes over.

• Cheddar
• Brie
• Goat Cheese
• Feta
• Blue cheese of some kind

And always have a variety of beers in the fridge to go with the cheeses.

2014 Great American Beer Festival Facebook Social Graph

The Great American Beer Festival of 2014 is underway, and my first post is a social one. It isn't specifically about the festival experience or beer as those will come later. This data was pulled on Oct. 3, 2014.

I present to you the Great American Beer Festival Facebook Page Like Network. This data is a network of pages that GABF likes, and their liked pages liked. Some of the connections are pretty obvious, but others are a little less so. Enjoy the graph and enjoy the festival, safely!

@JesterKingBeer Dinner at @UchikoAustin Photo Post

Here's a photo post from the vault.  Back in Jan. 2012, Uchiko did a fantastic Jester King Beer Dinner.  With American Craft Beer week around the corner, Uchi, Uchiko, and Uchi Houston will be hosting beer pairing dinner May 12, 14, and 18th.  You can grab tickets here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/uchi-specials-for-american-craft-beer-week-tickets-11466728293?aff=estw

Here's the photo evidence of the past dinner with Jester King.  I don't know what will be in this year's dinner, but it'll be just as kickbutt!











 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Samuel Adam's Cold Snap and the Longshot Contest

Samuel Adams throws an awesome brunch every year.  It is one of my favorite parties during GABF which includes the Longshot contest winner announcement, new beer announcement, and a menu of fantastic beer items. 

This year's highlight was the seasonal cold snap - a crisp beer flavored with subtle spices.  I really enjoyed this beer, and it is one of my favorite Sam Adams beers. It is set to come out in early January 2014, so it won't be long!

I have a confession to make about this brunch.  The creme brulee pumpkin French Toast (tiny piece at 4 pm in the photo below) was the highlight of the event.  It was just slightly crispy on the outside with a golden brown and delicious crust.  The inside was rich, creamy, and pumpkin-y.  That is why my jeans don't fit. 

Even with all the other delicious treats, the only one I can think about is the pumpkin creme brulee French toast. 

Here's the Longshot finalist beers. 

And the Longshot winners!

Three #Food, #Drink, and #Beer Kickstarters to Watch

Kickstarters aren't new, but they are somewhat new in food.  Last year, Salt and Time ran a Kickstarter to build out their brick and mortar store.  If you've been there, you're probably thanking all of those backers who made it possible.

Here's three other Kickstarters that you might want to consider.

1. Do you like to cook with beer?  How about drinking beer while cooking?  Regardless of which you like to do, here's a great book for you.  Lucy Sanders is a well-respected contributor to the craft beer community.  Her latest book, Dinner in the Beer Garden, is a must for all those aficionados out there.  Her other books: Grilling with Beer, Cooking with Beer, and The Best of American Beer and Food are available on Amazon.

Go ahead, click on the Kickstarter, and get yourself the latest addition to Lucy's line up of books.  Get some other cool things too, like a conversation with Lucy!

Sample recipe layout and design by Libby VanderPloeg

2. Genki-Su: Japanese Tart Tonic drinking vinegar is pretty tasty.  Takako was nice enough to send some sample bottles to me, and I was pleased.  Unfortunately, I missed posting this before their Kickstarter ended, but I'm posting anyways.  I can't make any claims about the health benefits as I've only had a few servings, but I can tell you that the flavors are pretty awesome. 
Don't be put off by the word vinegar.  You mix them with club soda, juice, or some other liquid in a 1:6 or 7.  The final product (when mixed with club soda) is like an exotic soda.  My favorite is the yuzu.  Also, I am posting this because after the Kickstarter is finished, they are planning to distribute in Whole Foods in Texas, Washington, Oregon, and California.  There will always be opportunities to purchase it later. 


3. Locapour is the brainchild of Mike Langford.  You might know him from NomX3.  I've known Mike for a long time now, and our passion for beer hasn't faded.  I can't say enough nice things about the beer community.  The people are just awesome, simply awesome.  I support anyone and everyone who showcases are local craft brewers.  I must also mention the Beer Diaries, another video series about beer, here as well.   More videos, more beer, more friends.  :o)  Your contribution to his Kickstarter will support future episodes.
Here's a sample video:

The Austin Food and Wine Festival Meaty Fire Pit Photos

The Austin Food and Wine certainly has morphed from last year's feedback.  Major positive changes for layout and venue changes was a much needed. Not only did we lack the dust storms at Auditorium Shores, the festival grounds were also a bit smaller and cozier, in a good way.  There was enough space to walk, but enough excitement around to entertain. Additionally, the Grand Tasting Pavilion was set up in such a way that it never seems crowded even when it was open to all festival attendees. 

There were beers there too.  Wine, beer, we like it all. 

The Grand Tastings also featured Chef Showcases this year.  See some of the coolest business cards above.  Austin chefs rocked their dishes, which was a great added value over last years grand tastings.  Attendees were exposed to more foods, and local chefs could participate without having to tax too many resources. 


Another great addition was the fire pits in the center staffed by Jason Daddy and Tim Bryne's team on Saturday and Jack and Bryce Gilmore and Rene Ortiz's team on Sunday.  This allowed for attendees to taste foods outside of the demos and grand tasting.  This little piggy was prepared by Tim Bryne.

This little turkey is being roasted by Jack and Bryce Gilmore's team. 


I'm on my way to the final day of the festival (I voice to texted this post) and I'm very excited to see what the weather this year was absolutely marvelous we were blessed with sunny skies and just little bit of rain at the very end of Saturday night.  Overall this weekend was a total success.  I'm leaving with many more friends and great memories.

Those are some super jumbo shrimp by Bryce Gilmore of Barely Swine. 

Make your Own Wine or Beer Sling for Festivals

I'm a self-proclaimed food festival veteran now.  After attending food events day in and day out, I've learned a few things that I'd like to share.

1. Wear comfortable shoes.
2. Bring a portable charger for your phone or other electronic equipment.
3. Sunblock.
4. Baby wipes.
5. Bring your own silverware.  Most people know by now that I carry a set of chopsticks, fork, and spoon on my persons.
6. Sunblock, yes, again.

 

My Wine Sling.  Or Beer Holder.  The name is not important. 

Another big design issue at festivals is that most human have two hands.  When you add a plate, glass, and silverware (not to mention camera), your hands get a little full.  Humans would be more efficient if we had several extra hands.

An item that can alleviate is the glass sling, appropriate for beer or wine events.  I already have a smaller beer sling for the Great American Beer Festival, but I didn't have a larger one for LIVE FIRE or the Austin Food and Wine Festival this weekend.  Here's instructions on how to make one in less than 30 seconds with items you probably have in your house.


Tools:
1. Koozie.  Any kind.  I have dozens of these left over from previous events.
2. A lanyard.  The kind with two clips are more stable, however, a single connection point is fine as well. I had tons of these from previous festivals and conferences. 
3. Sharp scissors.


































Instructions:
1. Flatten out the koozie so that it is fairly flat.
2. Use scissors to cut a slit about 3/4 to 1 inch from the top end of the koozie on one side.  If you have a laynard with two clips (two connection points), repeat this process on the other side. 
3. Pop open your koozie, and attach the lanyard by clipping or threading through the slits.
4. Insert wine or beer glass. TADA!








*If you dislike the look of your koozie (the one in this picture was ugly), turn it inside out.

*For more stability with wine glasses, pull the stem through the bottom of the koozie.  Standard koozie sizes fit most wine glasses fairly snug.  It would take quite a bit of force for your wine glass to fall out the bottom. 

Amazing @JesterKingBeer dinner @SWB_HyattAustin

I'm going to give a little background about the Southwest Bistro.  They've got Chef Paul French in the house who is mixing it up and setting a new standard for SWB.  The entire restaurant and hotel is taking  locally sourced to a new level.  Food. Thoughtfully Sourced. Carefully Served. is the Hyatt's new motto.   I was gifted with several small jars of pickled fruits and veggies made by Chef Paul, and they were well received by many who sample them.  If you had hesitations about Southwest Bistro, throw them out the window.  I've vetted the new Chef Paul.  I can't promise a perfect experience, but I haven't had a bad once since his arrival.  In additional to checking out their new staff and suppliers the week before, I was invited to try out a five course pairing dinner with Jester King.  Jester King is one of the newer breweries in Austin, with a fast growing fan base.  Their beers are distinct, intentions, and leaves nothing to change, except for the locally captured yeast.  Let's start the food porn.  The first course was a delicious bite of Summer.  Pecos watermelon, Blue Bonnent Bibb, and a splash of St. Germain.  This refreshing dish was paired with the Jester King/Mikkeller Drink'in the Sunbelt Hoppy Wheat Beer.  I must admit. Having come from the coast, I'm particularly fond of dishes with shrimp well-done.  This shrimp was served with the Noble King Hoppy Farmhouse Ale. Richardson Farms Chicken, sweet corn cake, goat ricotta, mole, and watercress served with the Wytchmaker Farmhouse Rye India Pale Ale.  Sweet chicken + hearty corn + cleansing IPA = win.  This dish was thoughtfully orchestrated.  Crunchy bitter kale with sweet peaches, and bacon wrapped pork belly.  I appreciated the veggies that did a great job balancing the flavors of the fatty pork.  I smile.  The dessert was a peanut butter ice cream and spiced peanuts in a chocolate cobbler.  The cobbler was amazing with the Jester King Whiskey barrel rodeo stout (which contains kopi luwak coffee).  The roasty beer with vanilla undertones was the perfect complement to the sweet and bold chocolate.  Congrats to the Southwest Bistro and Jester King for an amazing dinner!

2012 Great American Beer Festival Kicks up the Food

In my previous post, I talked about how food was really important to beer now.  I think the food this year was vastly improved on all fronts.  The food at the media lunch was excellent, and the word was that the food at the concession stands during the sessions was also improved.  Additionally, the food at the Farm to Table Pavilion was really good this year too.  See for yourself!

Why thank you, Viking!  I love the range.  Just kidding.  I only wish I could take it home. 

This fabulous panna cotta with a deep fried hop flower was really tasty.  Bitter and floral hops with sweet, creamy panna cotta was amazing. 

Here's a shout out to some local breweries.  Jester King's Weasel Rodeo was paired with a dark chocolate cake. 

And another Jester King Noble King paired with fatty meats and sundried tomato. 

This was a very tasty grilled Hawaiian ahi paired with Acradia Sky High Rye. 

This is a classic pairing.  Fatty, I mean flavorful sausage paired with Smuttynose IPA. 

And another classic pairing. sweet chocolate paired with Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale. 

I can't really claim that these are a tasty pair, but aren't they good looking pair?  Rumor is that Firestone Walker is coming to Texas soon!

This was an intriguing brittle.  Crispy pork skin brittle.  Ohhhhhhhhh yes...........!

The chefs didn't play around this year.  Not at all. 

Portion sizes were nothing to snicker at either!

I'm pretty much in love with this dish.  Salmon skin.  You had me at salmon skin. 
'
And a really BIG piece!

There's Sebbie from Rogue Ales.  I love that woman!

The Cheese Society made sure that everyone got their fill of cheese this year. 

The cheese tasting line was about 90 minutes deep.  We really, really love our beer and cheese!
Congrats to the production team that pulled off a fantastic beer and food experience this year!