GABF 2010 #5 - Media Lunch, Tears, and Stranahan's

As a media guest, I was invited to the media briefing luncheon which included lunch and a presentation. Throughout the lunch, brewery representatives shared many of their personal stories about the challenges and triumphs they encountered so far.  The central theme of the presentation was that craft beer was reclaiming it's place at the dinner table.  Wine is no longer the only seemingly sophisticated pairing beverage; beer's reputation is growing at an exponential rate.  The first course was wild forest mushroom strudel with frisee salad paired with Dry Dock Brewing Company's Bismark Altbier and Duck-Rabbit Schwarbier.  Kevin Delange of Dry Dock started his presentation with a word about the craft beer industry in Denver.  He called is "amazing" and it is.  Paul Philippon of Duck Rabbit (and I quote) said "the national brewing community is a$$hole-free."  Craft beer communities are awesome, and these were great statements to begin the lunch. I very much enjoyed the wild mushroom strudel (above).  The filling was incredibly woody, earthy, and I found that it complimented the Schwarzbier's smooth, malty, and full mouth feel. I'm not really sure what this means, but my notes read Steve Diderit - Twisted Pine heart dogs.  Next dish up was the lemon-ginger-lavender sorbet paired with the Twisted Pine Le Petit Saison (below).  I found that the pairing was refreshing, citrusy, with a bite and a kick at the end.  I'd have that Saison again. Perhaps next to a pool and a waterfall.  It was quite enjoyable. Next up at the microphone was Bob Pease to chat about the Brewer's Association.  The association promotes and protects the industry by increasing sales, educating media, importers, and distributors.  Some very interesting numbers about the industry were revealed.  Did you know that since 2003, American craft beer exports have increased by 246%?  31% of our exports go to Sweden, and 18% goes to Canada, and 18% goes to the UK.  I wouldn't have guessed Sweden as such a large importer of American beers.  Did you know that the sales of wine and spirit sales in the US still don't match the sales of beer in the US? Next up on the plate was the miso salmon beside double bone-in pork chop stuffed with pink peppercorn and apple relish, served with cabrales pumpkin mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables (below).  It was paired with the Alchemist Ouroboros Double IPA and the Cigar City Humidor Series IPA.  This was probably the only dish I did not like.  I loved both beers, but the dish itself was much too sweet.  The sauce and the pumpkin mashed potatoes did not pair well with the under seasoned meat or the beers.  It almost made the beers taste like a sweet syrup.  The blandness of the pork chip and salmon did not offset the sweetness of the sauces either.  The food did the beers a great disservice. However, to make up for the overly sweet main course, John Kimmich of Alchemist pub gave a moving monologue about his love for craft beer.  He spoke about how he discovered beer and developed a passion for it.  He met his future mentor, the late Greg Noonan, and begged for a job so that he could learn the art of brewing beer.  That first job was as a waiter, and well, it didn't work out so well for John, the waiter.  John, the brewer was another story.  His story of Greg Noonan was so moving that there were some wet eyes around in the room.  We rounded out the lunch with a milk chocolate cheesecake with dark chocolate ganache and raspberry (below).  It was paired with Choc beer Company's Signature Dubbel and Oakshire Brewing's O'Dark 30.  I really enjoyed the Signature Dubbel as it was extreme on the caramel, smooth, and with an apple-y and pear-y spiced finish.  That was one delicious and complex beer. After the luncheon, @Hopsafari and I went for a ride on the media tour.  We checked out Breckenridge Brewery and a really active batch of beer. We got to sample some Lucky U, which was really Lucky me! And then we visited Stranahan's Distillery where they have some gorgeous steampunky equipment.  They make whiskey here, fine whiskey. What I didn't know when I was visiting Stranahan's was that they were featured in a book I was reading.  I came home from Denver and saw a familiar photo (below) on the back of my review copy of Food Heroes by Georgia Pellegrini.  That man looks familiar.  Closer inspection revealed that it was Jake Norris from Stranahan's.  What a delight to get to meet and learn about the distillery, and then read about it.  Also, I really like the Food Heroes book.  The author chronicle 16 culinary artisans and includes a recipes with each chapter.  I've already made the homemade cheese recipe, twice!    A big thanks to the Brewer's Association and the City of Denver for hosting the lunch and bus tour.

Wine and Food Foundation's Tour de Vin - Oct. 7th

Even though Austin is located in the center of Texas, cultural cuisine and wine is still within our reach.  The Wine and Food Foundation of Texas is hosting the 6th Annual Tour de Vin, a globe trotting adventure for your palate.  Wines from France, Argentina, Italy, and Chile will be showcased along with tasty treats from local restaurants.  Here's a short list of participating restaurants: Buenos Aires Cafe, Cipollina, Fogo de Chao, Foreign & Domestic, Jack Allen's Kitchen, Maria Maria, NoRTH, Portabla, Rio's Brazilian Cafe, Silver Whisk, StrEAT, and The Turtle.  There might be some names that you don't recognize yet, and that can be remedied.  Last year's event was the first time I was introduced to StrEAT, and it is still one of my favorite foodie finds.  It is incredible how brand new foods to me could taste so comforting.  See the food porn below and read about last year's event here.  If you'd like to discover some new tasty eats and taste some delicious wines, tickets are $50 per person for Foundation members and $75 per person for the general public. To purchase Tour de Vin tickets (available in September), or to become a WFFT member, visit www.winefoodfoundation.org or contact the Foundation office at 512-327-7555.  The event is Thursday, Oct. 7th, 2010 from 6:30 - 9:00 at Whole Foods Downtown. Bunny Chow from StrEats. Pionono from Buenos Aires Cafe.  Hint: They have booze in them.  Fete Accompli's Special was a creamy dip served on a cracker.

Prepare to indulge in Beer and Food Events

Even though we've been back from the Great American Beer Fest, playing catch up with work has been pretty horrific.  As you know, Oktoberfest events are rampant over the next few weeks as are  food events.  Here's some that you might want to know about.

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Software Advice's Party - Thursday, September 30th at 6:00 PM - 714 Congress Ave.

New cool kid on the block, Software Advice, is celebrating their 1st birthday in Austin with a party.  There's a few reasons to check them out.

1. If you're into software, technology, or friends with people in those areas, this is a great place to network with your peers over some beer.

2. They're having a keg of Live Oak Brewing. Enough said. :o)

3. Check out this cool time-lapse video of last year's party.  As you can tell, I like to walk around, quickly. 

 

2010 is shaping up to be a great year for Austin Texas. The city was named “Best City for the Next Decade” by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, “Best City for Job Growth” by Monster.com and it ranks number one in the “Small Business Vitality Rankings” by Portfolio.com. We feel lucky to be among the businesses that now call Austin home.  It has been a little over a year since ERP Software Advice moved to Austin from San Francisco. It is one of the best strategic decisions our company has made. Austin’s business-friendly climate has helped us weather the economic storm and grow our company at the same time. Not to mention, it’s a fine place to live.
 

To celebrate our one-year anniversary, we are hosting our second “summer bash.” We'll serve hors d'oevres, free beer from Live Oak Brewing Company and live music from the PolySky band. The party is Thursday, September 30th at 6:00 PM. For more information, visit: www.budurl.com/saparty. We would love for you to join us, and bring your friends!

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Austin Beer Week (Oct. 24-30) this year looks like it is going to be pretty hectic.  It looks like the system allows people to self-submit events, so it isn't easy to distinguish if the events are hosted by an organization, individual, or other.  I'm not posting the events individually because there is a plethora of them.  But nonetheless, enjoy safely!

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The Draught House is turning 42 on Saturday, Oct. 23, 1-10 pm!  That means beer olympics fun.  Check out their busy schedule here.
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NXNW 9th Oktoberfest to benefit three local charities -  October 16, 2010, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and
October 17, 2010, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.                   
Join NXNW for an Austin tradition! The annual Oktoberfest is back for its ninth year and is aimed to be fun for all ages. While the music of local bands Oma and the Oompahs and Sauerkrauts fill the air, Chef George will prepare traditional German cuisine to enjoy with special NXNW-crafted brews.  NXNW encourages attendees to donate $2 at the door. All Oktoberfest festivities will benefit three independent nonprofits: the Breast Cancer Resource Centers of Texas, Pet Pals of Central Texas and Central Texas Dachshund Rescue.

NXNW Oktoberfest will feature something for everyone: kids rides, face painting, artists’ booths, brewing demonstrations, and a balloon artist. On Sunday, there’s even an all-breed dog costume contest at 2:30 p.m. and a Weiner dog costume contest at 3 p.m. for the four-legged friends!             

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Central Market North Lamar and Central Market Westgate are hosting their own brew events from Sept. 22-Oct. 5th.  Again, the events are plentiful so please check out the links for a full list.  Also, for the food and beer nerd in you, check out the gastropub events.
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Go Texan Round-Up - Sept. 27- Oct. 1
Love to support local?  Love to eat? This week is the Go Texan Round up.  All across Texas, restaurants are participating by sourcing food from Texas suppliers, and some restaurants are event donating a portion of their proceeds to a local food bank.  Not only are you going to be supporting local farmers and growers, you'll also be supporting organizations that help feed the hungry.  If you're interested in giving the Texas Department of Agriculture your feedback, you can earn a chance to wine win some pretty fantastic prizes.  The bed and breakfast prize at Messina Hof looks pretty tempting!  If you're a Twitter fanatic, check out the Twitter contest.  Use the #GOTEXAN hashtag to tweet your eats. 
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Chefs Under Fire  Finals - October 25, 2010, 7:00 PM AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center – 1900 University Avenue – Austin, Texas 78705
Last night was the Austin/San Antonio Regional Chefs Under Fire Compeition.  With tables of tasty bites and drinks in had, attendees watched as five chef's battled for the change to compete at the finals.  The deserving winner was Chef Erica from Max's Wine Dive (below).  She'll move onto the next competition which will be held at the AT&T Executive Center on Oct. 25th.  Make sure you pick up a ticket before they sell out!

Photo by John Knox

GABF 2010 #4: Session 1 - Food, Beer, and Condoms

Day One of the Great American Beer Festival Sessions was bustling with excitement.  With many familiar faces and many new ones, the energy in the hall was high with excitement.  I'm a bit of a planner so I knew which breweries I wanted to hit up before the flood of thirsty attendees came rampaging through the isle.  I grabbed @windaddict and @beachbumchris, and we jumped into the fast growing New Glarus line.  By the time 5:20pm rolled around, the line was already 50 people deep, and we were happily at the front. 

The reason for my quick jump into the New Glarus line was for the delicious raspberry tart.  I had tried some last year, and I couldn't wait to try it again.  Apparently neither could anyone else as they ran out halfway into the session.  This raspberry tart is incredibly sweet and fruit as you'd expect, almost like a raspberry soda.  While this type isn't as common in the beer world, it surely is a coveted one.  The Enigma is a wonderfully delicious sour brown ale.  Smooth, sweet cherry, barley, and vanilla notes in an oh-so-complex marriage, it is absolutely delicious.  Congrats again, New Glarus, for impressing my palate once again.


This photo by John M. P. Knox.

Prior to the session, I was lucky enough to interview Alaskan Brewing outside of the flurry of activity.  I was interested in what the brewery representatives thought about their Fire and Ice: Beer and Seafood Throwdown session on Saturday night, but I got some pretty interesting inside scoop about the brewery.  Nestled in a town of 30,000, Alaskan Brewing's reach extends far and wide.  The line to sample their beers at the first session was fairly steady with smoked porter being a popular request (photo below).  The smoke porter had an amazing dark, rich color and a smoky aroma that is sure to make any Texan barbeque connoisseur green with envy. 

At the rare beer tasting, Alaskan Brewing will be sampling their smoked porter aged in Jack Daniel's barrels.  I'm pretty stoked about that one.  Other fun things that the brewery does is allow their employees to come up with new recipes in a small batch.  Recipes that are well-liked are moved up into bigger batches and potentially brewed for distribution in bottles.  Some of the interesting brews that may or may not have made it to distribution are the mango wheat, gluten free, white ale, stone brew, and double black IPA.  The stone brew is pretty interesting as they tried to brew it with stones, literally.  The stones weren't for the flavor, but rather for the heat.  I'm told that the stone recipe wasn't tried again. 

If you are catching their Saturday night session, look for salmon poached in Alaskan Amber with red pepper garnish and lemon drizzle and Dungeness crab salad.





Photo of Charlie Brown from Alaskan pouring a sample by John M. P. Knox.

As part of my media package, I was also given a ticket to attend the Farm to Table Pavilion where beer and food are paired.  The food was prepared by the Culinary School for the Rockies, and the beers were donated by the breweries.  Let the food and beer porn begin!

House made pork sausage with smoked fingerling potato and mixed cabbage and pear slaw served with Victory Brewery V12.

Spice cake with roasted pear compote and honey goat cheese cream served with Stone Brewing Co. Sawyer's Triple

Mini Rosemary Buffalo burger with Windsor Dairy Bleu Cheese and Caramelized Onion on a Brioche Bun served with Stone Brewing Co. Saison du Buff

Hazel Dell Wild Mushrooms and Thyme with Creamy Polenta served with Odell Brewing Co. Woodcut #3

Tripple M Bar Ranch Lamb Polpette, mint pesto, goat cheese, curry pinenuts, micro basil, balsamic reduction served with Ninkasi Summer Radiant Ale

I really loved this New Holland Brewing Company bottle.  The pig is flying.

Sebbie from Rogue Ale gifted me with this hilarious "family planning device."  I love that is says "Rise Up!"  I'll report that it is slightly larger than the one I got at SXSW Music.