HOT TRUB/BEER BASICS.COM
A newsletter of special interest to brewers,
members of the brewing community, chefs,
restaurateurs,
and members of the media that cover the beverage
alcohol business.
Vol. 2 No. 36 --- September 20, 2001
Edited by: Peter LaFrance peter.lafrance@beerbasics.com
Journalist, covering the beverage
alcohol industry since 1985.
Author of:
Beer Basics (ISBN 0-471-11936-9)
Cooking & Eating with Beer (ISBN
0-471-31879-5)
visit www.beerbasics.com
If you wish to be dropped from this list
please respond to this posting to peter.lafrance@beerbasics.com
include the word remove in
the Subject: line.
(The subscriber list is the sole property of the
publisher and will not be sold, given or otherwise distributed.)
===============================================
Greetings,
Welcome to Hot
Trub/Beer Basics.com ...
LATEST NEWS:
At least three
breaking stories affecting the beer industry, with probable repercussions
in the food service industry.
ASK THE PRESS:
This is a page that
reports the answers I receive when I ask members of the media a question I feel
has to be asked. All responses are presented as received.
PERFECT PAIRINGS:
This is a page of
responses to the question; "What is the perfect pairing of seasonal menu
and beer?" Each week I will pose this question to at least 50 chefs, brewers
and restaurateurs.
PROMOTIONS - EVENTS
- DINNERS - From this issue through one calendar year. (All are invited to send
events to be included: date, event name, brief description, contact name &
phone/web address.)
I invite your
comment and criticism.
PLEASE
NOTE:
I
will not be attending the Great American Beer Festival 2001 next week in
Denver, CO.
Please
contact me if you would like to file reports from the event.
Payment
can be negotiated.
Cheers!
Peter LaFrance
===================================
LATEST BREWERS NEWS:
===================================
(The first story is an article posted by Reuters news
service.)
NY Restaurants Offer Food for Soul After Attacks
By Christian
Wiessner
NEW YORK, Sept
16 (Reuters) - Making do with shortages of food, restaurants in lower Manhattan
have become part eatery, part psychiatrist office and part a rallying point in
the wake of Tuesday's attack on the World Trade Center.
With New York
still reeling from the destruction of the twin towers, restaurateurs said
feeding the soul has been as important as feeding appetites. Just having the
door open for regulars has provided an oasis of normalcy in a zone mostly
closed to non-residents.
"On the day
of the collapse, people were walking in that had come up from that area in a
daze and all covered in soot," said Joan Hilbish, general manager of Markt
Cafe and Restaurant on 14th Street. "There were a lot of reunions, a lot
of relief, a lot of tears. People just wanted a place to sit and take it all
in."
After the
attack, police initially blocked off south of 14th Street, with only rescue and
emergency workers or people who live in an area that stretches about three
miles north of the World Trade Center allowed in. Since then, authorities have
gradually opened parts of lower Manhattan to greater traffic, while the
National Guard stands watch in the financial district.
Markt, an
upscale restaurant serving Belgian fare, has offered food to police on duty in
the street as it gets by with limited deliveries. Other restaurants in lower
Manhattan, where business has dropped due to the attacks, have donated food and
helped local residents.
"We're not
getting things like linen deliveries, so yesterday we had to use paper napkins,
Hilbish said. "We're just doing what we can."
At the landmark
White Horse Tavern on Hudson Street, bartender Peter Doherty said the
establishment did not open on Tuesday because "we felt it wouldn't have
been appropriate."
CHEERING THE
TROOPS
However, on
Wednesday business was busy at Welsh poet Dylan Thomas' preferred watering
hole, with a large crowd depleting its supply of bread, burgers and beer until
workers went uptown on foot to bring supplies back to the Hudson Street locale.
"When a
National Guard convoy came down Hudson Street with lots of heavy machinery and
all the soldiers in fatigues and helmets, everyone just got up spontaneously
and went outside cheering," Doherty said. "It was very nice."
At the Caliente
Cab Co., a Mexican restaurant on Seventh Avenue further south in Greenwich
Village, the manager said the attack was having a "slight negative
impact" on business. But he was quick to say any hardship the restaurant
was seeing was nothing compared to "what other people are going through.
"The city
is really doing a good job, letting supplies get through if it doesn't
interfere with the bigger job at hand they are dealing with," said the
manager. "We've also been donating food and just trying to help any way we
can."
More restaurants
are shuttered the closer one gets to the destruction and gaping hole left in
the skyline by the now-gone twin towers. Since only the most essential
vehicular traffic is allowed to pass, many restaurants are not able to get
deliveries of food to serve patrons.
South of Houston
Street in the trendy SoHo district, a 30-seat French bistro called "The
Country Cafe" was open for business on Thursday, but not a soul was inside
at lunchtime. A woman working inside was not optimistic for the short-term.
"We're
hoping to get deliveries today, but we are very small, and we will be closed
tomorrow if we don't," she said.
STRANGERS MAKE
FRIENDS
Back up in
midtown Manhattan, which saw a few evacuations for safety reasons and has far
fewer traffic restrictions, the restaurant supply chain appeared to be holding
up well. But some said that as with downtown locations, having a place to go
and reflect on Tuesday's tragedy was as important as the food.
Bryan Reidy,
manager of Gallagher's Steakhouse at Broadway and 52nd Street, said the attack
had made friends of strangers.
"I had
three single gentlemen come in separately on Tuesday, told them each it was
about an hour wait (for a table) and before you knew it, they'd struck up a
friendship at the bar and asked me if they could sit together."
Reidy said there
were several restaurants in midtown closed over the past few days, but he
believed that had more to do with staffing issues than any problems with
supplies.
"Most
restaurants will carry enough to get them through a few days," he said.
"We dry-age our beef for three weeks, so we had no problems. We did run
out of fish, but we are a steakhouse, after all."
17:38 09-14-01 ©
Reuters
Bill Bergstrom, reporting
for Associated Press, files the story from Fogelsville, PA that - “Nearly 380
workers produced their final vat of beer this week as Pabst Brewing Co. makes
plans to close its last brewery.”
``Many of them plan to take
a couple of weeks vacation, and then start a job hunt,'' said Dave Haberacker,
president of Teamsters Local 12, which represents the brewery workers.
After cleanup work is
finished, Pabst will close the brewery on Friday. Jim Walter, chief operating
officer, has said the nation's fourth-largest brewing company is slashing costs
by becoming a marketing firm with about 200 employees that sells beer brands
produced entirely by other brewers.
“Pabst sold 10.8 million
barrels of beer last year, about 20 percent of it brewed at Fogelsville. That
compared with 99.2 million barrels sold by Anheuser-Busch, 42.5 million barrels
by Miller and 22.9 million by Coors.”
Miller, which already
produced 80 percent of Pabst's brands, will add about 2.4 million barrels a
year of production at its breweries in
Trenton, Ohio; Eden, N.C.;
and Albany, GA., to take over all Pabst's production.
The Business Wire reports
that Anheuser-Busch Inc. has begun a multi-million dollar expansion at their
Fort Collins, Colorado brewery.
Plans call for a 28%
increase in brewing and packaging capacity through the addition of brew
kettles, mash & lauter vessels, a 100,000 square foot warehouse addition
and a packaging area modernization.
After the expansion is
completed in 2004, the world's largest alcoholic beverage maker will produce
over 8.2 million barrels of beer annually at the Fort Collins site. The
additional capacity will also create 35 new jobs at the brewery that already
employs over 750 people.
Boston Beer Clears Hops
Inventory and Buys Back Stocks
Reuters reports that The
Boston Beer Company Inc. said on Tuesday it would take a charge of up to $5.6
million, denting fourth-quarter earnings as it writes down excess
inventories of hops and futures contracts to buy the beer-flavoring ingredient.
The report went on to say
that the Boston-based company said the charge, estimated at between $2.2
million and $5.6 million, would reduce fourth-quarter earnings by between 8
cents and 20 cents per share. After writing down excess inventory and disposing
of the unneeded futures contracts by the planned amount, the company said its
commitments would be brought "into balance with our current brewing volume
and hop usage."
According to the Reuters
report, “The company also said its board of directors had approved increasing
the size of its share buyback program from $40 million to $45 million. Through
Aug. 31, the company had bought back about 4.2 million shares for a total of
$33.7 million, it said in a statement.”
=================================================
ASK THE PRESS:
(Edited for spelling, sometimes. Essential response
is unedited.)
This week I once again raise the
issue of beverage alcohol consumption at colleges and universities.
I attended Norwich University ('73), in Northfield, Vermont. The drinking age
was 18 years old.
Beer was available in the "Class Clubs" under the supervision of a
house-mother.
There was also off campus consumption.
The "Class Clubs" provided an ideal way to deter over-consumption. I
regret to say that dining was not an option.
Has anyone heard of an arrangement of this sort in any college or university
today?
Cheers!
Peter LaFrance
publisher
Send responses to peter.lafrance@beerbasics.com
=================================================
From: Craig Roche, owner Galileo bar & grill, Oklahoma
City, OK
Subject: Re: HOT TRUB/BEER BASICS Vol. 2 No. 35 --- September13, 2001
txt
As a student at the University of
Massachusetts, Amherst, '73-'77, I got my first jobs in the F&B business in
the university owned and operated bars and restaurants. At that time there was
a fine dining restaurant on the top of the Student Ctr., which also had 3
floors of the 6 as hotel rooms, and on the ground floor, a student
operated, for profit bar called the Blue Wall, named for the blue barricade
separating the legal drinking area from the "peanut gallery." Amidst
those turbulent times, the Blue Wall was a place where students and some
faculty gathered over beer and cocktails, and many learned to drink- or not to-
in that room.
I wish I could still fit
into my T-shirt uniform from then....
Craig Roche, owner Galileo
bar & grill, Oklahoma City, OK
===================================================================
From: Bob Paolino [ nowgohaveabeer@brewingnews.com
]
Subject: Question to all:
re: College/University Dining Clubs
Here in Madison, the UW does
have a rathskellar and there's plenty of
drinking there and on the
Terrace outdoors on the lake. They
check IDs for
student status or Memorial
Union membership, so that's a small control.
I'm
almost certain that they
check for age, too, but even in these prohibitionist
times, I see plenty of
people with beer who most likely aren't 21, so it's not hard
to find someone to buy a
pitcher. I can't speak for what goes on
in the
residences, but it's clear
that there's plenty of it in less supervised settings off
campus.
Not sure what more I can say
about today's situation, being too old to be a
student in that position and
too young to be a parent and have a kid in
university.
Now go have a beer,
Bob Paolino
Columnist, Great Lakes
Brewing News
============================================================
From: Casey Rascob, Esq.
Subject: Re: HOT TRUB/BEER
BASICS - Question to all: re:
College/University Dining
Clubs
Now, now, no one drinks in
college cause it's illegal.
We cannot condone this
activity.
Instead of moderate
consumption with some supervision we now have forced
"front loading"
consumption, to excess, prior to the college dance, with all
the fun that chugging hard
liquor is associated with (watch your shoes !)
Casey
========================================================
From: Chef Vinny [ ChefVinny@modernman.com ]
Subject: Re: HOT TRUB/BEER
BASICS - Question to all: re:
College/University Dining
Clubs
Sheesh Peter,
I think times have really
changed. When I went to school here in California
(early 1980s) the
universities really tried to stick firm to the legal
drinking age of 21. We had a
campus bar but you were definitely carded. Not
to say there wasn't any frat
house drinking, but I even remembered some
houses getting suspended if
under age students were caught imbibing. I think
today the rules are even
stricter with MADD and the alcohol-related deaths
at some universities. Poor
Jenna Bush just catch a break.
Vince Steinman
Chef/Author/Journalist –
Men’s Health/Modern Man
======================================================================
From: CDobens@magnetcom.com
Subject: Re: HOT TRUB/BEER BASICS - Question to all: re:
College/University Dining Clubs
Nope, the closest I’ve seen to a club like that is the student drinking club
at the University of Heidelberg, though I understand that such clubs were
common in Germany at one time. However, I just found out that Hillsdale
College, my alma mater, banned drinking in all fraternity houses. This is
hardly new, but the twist is that they are allowed to drink on the porch.
Strange approach. It might deter over-consumption, but more likely it
will
just leave a lot of people with the sniffles...and few cases of frostbite.
Lucky for them, we had some pretty big porches.
Chris Dobens - Journalist
cdobens@magetcom.com
======================================================================
From: Patrick Cargan [ carganp@earthlink.net ]
Subject: Re: HOT TRUB/BEER BASICS - Question to all: re:College/University
Dining Clubs
I graduated LaSalle Univ. in
Philadelphia in 1993. I have not heard of a
drinking arrangement like this. Many large fraternities obviously have
parties, but at LaSalle they started to have the parties off-campus. They
would provide buses to pick up people from campus and bring them to parties.
Many times the people at the parties were not of age and no food was
offered. Once the LCB and Feds busted one of these parties in downtown
Philly while I was in college. The fraternity lost its charter. The
parties
that took place off-campus were, for the most part, held in large halls that
could hold large groups of people. The one that got busted was held at a
popular outdoor eatery and the fraternity was tipped off during the day by a
phone call from the LCB to the fraternity president. The phone call was
received on the day of the party and the pres. dismissed it as a joke from
one of his friends. It ended up being the real thing and the party got
busted.
Patrick Cargan - Journalist
=====================================================================
From: Shyer, Kirby [ kshyer@labattusa.com ]
Subject: RE: HOT TRUB/BEER BASICS - Question to all: re: College/University
Dining Clubs
I'm with you.
How about our young
"unprofessionals?" It's not a class issue, it's a
cultural issue. Take away the mystery and prohibition, and you'll take away
some of the attraction to youth. Why not go further and talk about parents
teaching their kids responsible behavior quietly at home?
Kirby Shyer - Field
Marketing Manager - Labatt USA
=======================================================================
================================================
ASK THE BREWER:
This week I am asking those in the brewing
business:
"What is the major challenge faced by breweries
regarding food & beer events?"
Send responses to peter.lafrance@beerbasics.com
=================================================
From: brian van zandbergen [
bvanz13@netscape.net ]
Subject: food and beer events
I personally have attended
countless beer/food events at varying levels of participation.
I have gone as a consumer,
guest, guest consumer, server, host, speaker. I have planned and
organized dinners and attended dinners that were already planned and organized
for me.
The easiest part of food
beer events is the pairing of the food and beer. For me the hardest part is
generating awareness (publicity) and getting people to take these events
seriously (don’t get me wrong it is only beer after all however, a certain
amount of integrity must be maintained). For example, most beer events I
have attended have become a drunk fest before the final course.
The guests seem to lose
their manners. My only solution to this is to keep food and beer rations
on an appropriate level so that people do not become intoxicated. I
myself have a problem with this though because I don’t like it when someone
else tries to ration how much beer they think I can handle or would like.
Some-how the guests must be prepped to behave themselves.
The other issue is
generating awareness. Any beer event that I have attended that was properly
promoted was a success.
I attended one certain beer
tasting that lasted 4hrs. with-out a single attendant. After the event
several of the other reps and I went up-stairs at the same establishment for
dinner where we stumbled across a wine dinner with some thirty attendants.
This was a case of no
promotion. As I ate my dinner I couldn’t help but notice how quiet, well
behaved, and attentive the attendants at the wine dinner were. They
were seated in a manner that the guest speaker was always the at the center of
attention (not at separate tables where people are facing each other in a
social manner). I hope this helps you others out there.
I know it has helped me just
to think about it in detail.
Brian Van Zandbergen
Three Floyds Brewing Co.
===================================
NEW PRODUCTS:
(All products provided by breweries.
Tasting notes are done by the publisher in beer-clean
2 oz. straight edged tasting glasses between 0900-1000 in an aroma-neutral
environment.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome is
Back
Merchant du Vin announces
the arrival of Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome Ale.
Samuel Smith’s Winter
Welcome is a honey-amber colored ale with great depth,
balance and richness, a
creamy head, a floral aroma, and hearty malt flavor.
Samuel Smith’s Winter
Welcome Ale sports a special label that features original artwork each year.
The 2001-2002 Winter Welcome
bottle features a black grouse, a bird closely related to the quail. The black
grouse is an endangered species in England.
Samuel Smith’s Winter
Welcome is available in 4-12 oz bottles
in the 4-pack
or in individual, 18.7 oz
bottles.
For more information on any
of Merchant du Vin’s beers, go to
===================================
PROMOTIONS - EVENTS - DINNERS
* NEW LISTING
===================================
Announcing the Third Annual
Alpha King Challenge!
Rules:
1. Beer entered must be
bottled and sold commercially.
2. Beer entered must be a
minimum of 60 IBUs. All beer entered will be tested by Murphy's Analytical Labs
of Yakima, WA.
3. No Barleywines - all
other styles are fine.
To Enter:
1. E Mail your Fax # to
obtain an entry form to:
Alpha King Challenge
C/O American Brewer
bill@brewingnews.com
Fax: 716.689.5789
or you can find
the form online at http://www.brewingnews.com/alphakingchallenge.html
2. Send four (4)
12oz samples (or two 22oz samples) to:
Murphy's
Analytical Labs
7 West Mead
Yakima WA 98902
Tel:
509.577.8969
3. Bring two
6-packs (or six 22 oz. bottles) of beer to the Alpha King Challenge judging and
tasting to be held during the GABF in Denver.
Entrants who
cannot bring their beer to Denver will be notified regarding shipping
procedures at a later date.
Last Year's
Results:
Winner: Midnight
Sun Brewing -- Sockeye Red Ale
First Runner Up:
Goose Island Brewing -- IPA
Second Runner
Up: Deschutes Brewery --Jubelale
Past participants
have included:
Russian River
Brewing
Bear Republic
Brewing
Anderson Valley
Brewing
Pyramid Brewing
Oregon Brewing
Carlsbad Ale
Works
Lost Coast
Brewing
Full Sail
Brewing
Kalamazoo
Brewing
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Rock,
Rhythm & Brews Festival
Hello,
We regret to inform you that the
Brewfest will not be held this year. The Festival was scheduled for Oct. 5-6,
2001 at the Rogue Ales Brewery in Newport, Oregon.
I thank you for the time and effort you
went spent listing and posting this event on your website, but would appreciate
your assistance removing it and spreading the word.
For the festival goers who have already
booked their flights, rooms etc. Don't fret, there will be stuff going on
at our pubs to keep them entertained.
Again thank you for your help,
Michele Mecum
Marketing, Rogue Ales
(503) 241-3800
michele@rogue.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philadelphia
Beer Classes
Philadelphia beer maven Jim
Anderson will present educational events exploring beer styles,
flavors and compatibility with foods.
The following
sessions are now available.
-- 3 different 2-session classes at The Restaurant School in Philadelphia
throughout November 2001, contact: 215-222-4200
-- 2 different 1-session classes at La Campagne in Cherry Hill, NJ
10/16/01 & 11/6/01, contact: 856-429-7647
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENTS:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SEPTEMBER
21
-- Oak Creek SeptemBeerFest, Oak Creek Community Center, Oak Creek, WI,
414-768-5840
21
-- John Michael Kohler Arts Center Weiss Cream Social, Sheboygan, WI,
920-458-6144
21
-- San Diego Festival of Beer, San Diego, CA, Contact: Rachel Cano,
858-514-8500, doc@adnc.com
21-
22 -- Surdyk's Oktoberfest Beer Tasting, Surdyk's Liquors on Hennepin,
Minneapolis, MN, 612-379-3232
21-22
-- Music Fest NW 2001. Portland, Oregon http://www.musicfestnw.com/index.html
21
-- 4th Annual Vancouver Autumn Brewmasters' Festival, Vancouver, BC, Contact:
Doug Devlin, 604-879-6554
21-23
-- Chowder, Blues and Brews. Florence, Oregon http://www.florencechamber.com/EvChowder.html
22
-- Midwest Beerfest, Wichita, KS, Contact: Guy Bower, 316-788-9227
22
-- California Brewers Festival, Sacramento, CA, Contact: Paul Adams,
800-754-2261
22
-- WQPT Brew HaHa, Davenport, IA, Contact: Vivian Dougherty, 309-796-5031
22--7th
Annual California Brewers Festival, Sacramento, CA, 800-754-2261, www.calbrewfest.org
22
-- Stone Brewing 5th Anniversary Open House. San Marcos, CA, http://www.stonebrew.com, 760-471-4999
22--WQPT's
Brew-Ha-Ha, Moline, IL, 319-355-9494
23-24
-- Fremont Oktoberfest, Seattle, WA, 206-706-9869, www.washingtonbrewfest.com
23
- 23 -- Sippin' by the River. Penns Landing Festival Pier, Philadelphia, PA http://www.sippinbytheriver.com
24
-- Grateful Deaf Beer and Chocolate Tasting, with Fred Eckhardt, Rockyard
Brewery in Castle Rock, CO gratefuldeaf@hotmail.com
24
-- Beer & Chinese Food with Mat Schaffer and Kerry Byrne. Boston
Herald food critic and beer writer pair beers with a Chinese banquet
prepared by the staff of the
King
Fung Garden in Boston's Chinatown, Contact: 617-353-9852
27-29
-- Great American Beer Festival, Denver, CO, 303-447-0816, jessica@aob.com
, http://www.beertown.org/GABF/index.htm
27
-- Seventh Annual KROC World Brewers Forum, Denver, CO, brewstraveler@adamsco-inc.com
30
-- New York City. Slow Food and Craft Beer Tasting at the Puck Building www.brooklynbrewery.com
OCTOBER
6
-- Fifth Annual Branwell Oktoberfest, Bramwell, WV, contact: George Sitler,
1-800-221-3206, gvsitler@hotmail.com
6
-- Viking Brewing Company Oktoberfest, Dallas, TX, Contact: Ann Lee,
715-837-1824
6
-- World Beer Festival, Durham, NC, 800-977-BEER, www.allaboutbeer.com
6
-- Waffles and Puppets at Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY, 607-547-8184, www.belgianexperts.com
6-8 --
9th Annual NBC-10 International Oktoberfest, Newport, RI, 401-846-1600, ext.
221, www.newportfestivals.com
6-9 --
Brewers' Association of America Conference, Chicago, IL, 919-530-8140, www.brewersadvocate.org
7-19 --
MBAA Brewing & Malting Science Course, Madison, WI, rjacobson@mbaa.com
13
-- DOGtoberfest, Portland, OR Contact: Gary Geist, 503-236-3555 www.Luckylab.com
13
-- 10th Great Eastern Invitational Microbrewery Festival, Adamstown, PA,
717-484-4385, www.stoudtsbeer.com
13-14 --
Grand Old Portsmouth Fall Brewers Festival, Portsmouth, NH, 603-422-7503
23 -- 4th Annual WhiskyFest, Marriott Marquis, NY Contact: 800-610-6258, www.maltadvocate.com
27
-- ASH Octoberfest, Tempe, AZ, 480-775-2660, www.azbrewers.com
27
-- Washington Cask Beer Festival, Seattle, WA, Contact: Doug Hindman, dhind@quidnunc.net
27
-- Ashland Oktoberfest, Ashland, OR, Contact: Robert Mathis, 541-944-4198
NOVEMBER
3 -- The 8th Annual Maine Brewers' Festival, Portland, ME, Contact: Gritty
McDuff's Brewing Co., 207-771-7571 eastcoastevents@mindspring.com
4-7 --
MBAA Annual Convention, Guadalajara, Mexico, 414-774-8558, www.mbaa.com
9-10
-- 8th Annual Great NE International Beer Festival & 4th Annual NE Beer
& Cider Competition, Providence, RI, 407-274-3234, www.click2beers.com
9-11
-- 3rd Annual Orlando Beer Festival, Orlando, FL, Contact: Dayna Garrison,
407-224-5767
17
-- 2nd Annual Whiskies of the World Expo, San Francisco, CA, Contact:
888-748-2400, www.celticmalts.com
30-Dec
2 -- Holiday Ale Festival, Portland, OR, Contact: Chris Crabb, 503-228-3119
(info), 503-282-1583 (media), crabbsoup@earthlink.net - http://www.holidayale.com
30 - Dec 1 -- Great Canadian Beer Festival,
Victoria, BC, Contact: gcbfoffice@pacificcoast.net
###