HOT TRUB@BEER BASICS.COM
Vol. 03 No. 15 --- 10 June 2002
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.
If you wish to be dropped from this list please
respond to this posting to peter.lafrance@beerbasics.com
Include the
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=================================
From Behind The Bar: Chris Halleron
On The Loose: Kurt Epps
On The Beat: Alan Wax
=================================
LATEST NEWS:
Brewpub Industry Growing Despite Recession
Beverages Fastest Growing Products Worldwide
NBWA Launches Healthy Beer Campaign in NYC
============================
(Part One of Two)
Rollin’ down the Raccoon River
By Kurt Epps
============================
PROMOTIONS –
EVENTS – DINNERS:
(All are invited to send events to be included: date, event name, brief
description, contact name & phone/web address.)
Summer 2002 series of “Cocktails in the Country”
World Beer Cup Gala Awards Dinner
American Homebrewers
Association 2002 National Homebrewers Conference
Gorge Games &
Full Sail 4th Annual Street Party
Music City Brewer's
Festival
Taste of the Midwest
- 16th Annual Great
=============================
CHECK THESE
OUT: Links to interesting sites.
=============================
FROM THE
PUBLISHER:
This week’s issue features the first of many columns by Kurt Epps taking us on a tour of some of this nation’s more interesting brewpub. If you have any suggestions for either Kurt or myself please let us know.
On
Saturday, June 8th, News Corp.'s FX cable-TV aired the "World Beer
Games", sponsored by Interbrew, Beer.com, and Hooters. The event was not
shown on RCN cable TV in Brooklyn, NY making my comments moot. Should anyone
feel the need to comment on the event I will post comments in the next issue.
Please
welcome Alan Wax, a new member of the HotTrub@BeerBasics
crew.
As always, I invite your comments
and suggestions.
Cheers!
Peter LaFrance
Publisher
=============================
LATEST
NEWS:
=============================
The
brewpub industry grew 0,1 percent in 2001 compared to 2000 according to the Institute for Brewing Studies’ (IBS) and reported in The New Brewer (May/June 2002).
Production rose to 671,679 barrels, despite the uncertainty after September 11
and the recession. The brewpub growth
seems connected to strong first and second quarters of the calendar year, which
offset the difficult third and fourth quarters.
The Institute for
Brewing Studies defines a “brewpub” as a restaurant-brewery that sells the
majority of its beer on site. The beer
is brewed primarily for sale in the restaurant and bar. The beer is often dispensed directly from
the brewery’s storage tanks. Where
allowed by law, brewpubs often sell beer “to go” and /or distribute to off site
accounts. [Note: IBS re-categorizes a company as a microbrewery if its off-site
(distributed) beer sales exceed 50 percent.]
An excerpt of the
analysis is available online at www.beertown.org
IBS 2001 Top 10
Brewpub Groups
(Measured by total
volume of beer sold; not including production-only breweries.)
1. Rock Bottom Restaurants (a)
2. Hops Restaurant, Bar and Brewery
3. Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants (b)
4. McMenamin’s Breweries
5. Big Horn Brewery (c)
6. BJ’s Restaurant and Brewery
7. Big Buck Brewery and Steakhouse
8. John Harvard’s Brewhouse
9. Wynkoop Brewing Co. (d)
10. Pyramid Alehouse
(a) Includes
continental Brew Moons, Walnut Brewery and three ChopHouse and Breweries.
(b) Includes Big
River Grille & Brewing Works Brewpubs, Rock Bottom Breweries of Charlotte
and Atlanta, A1A Alehouse, Ragtime Tavern and Seven Bridges Grille &
Brewery.
(c) Includes C.B.
& Potts/Bighorn Brewing Co., Humperdink’s/Big Horn Brewing Co. and C.I.
Shenanigan’s Chophouse & Brewery.
(d) Group includes
Phantom Canyon, Upstream.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Beverages Fastest Growing Products Worldwide
Prepared Alcoholic Beverages Top List
Led overwhelmingly by
“Prepared Alcoholic Beverages,” three of the five fastest growing Food and
Beverage categories in the global marketplace in 2001 were beverages. Water and
drinkable yogurts also made the top five, according to the market survey
company AC Nielson.
"There
has been quite a bit of innovation lately, particularly in the beverage
sector," stated Jane Perrin, ACNielsen Managing Director of Global
Services, and the sponsor of the study, What's Hot Around the Globe - Insights
on Growth in Food and Beverages. "When we looked around the world, despite
all of the cultural differences that one would expect, certain types of
products resonate with global consumers - products that are healthy, convenient
and provide some excitement and innovation to their lives."
According to the
study, “… true product innovation was clearly found in the Prepared Alcoholic
Beverages category. Products such as "malternatives" and spirit-based
mixed bottled drinks added excitement to the category and drove growth. In
fact, Prepared Alcoholic Beverages topped the list, growing by more than 30%.”
Out of more than 90 categories reviewed, only nine grew by 10% or more in 2001.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NBWA LAUNCHES HEALTHY BEER CAMPAIGN IN NYC
By
Alan Wax
The National
Association of Beer Wholesalers kicked off a public outreach program promoting
beer as a healthy beverage and as an accompaniment for food.
The Alexandria,
Va.-based trade group on June 5 brought two health experts and beer maven
Daniel Bradford to New York City for a briefing and tasting with journalists at
the chic Tribeca Grand Hotel.
The event was the
first of a series of media events aimed at showing consumers that moderate
consumption of beer can be part of a healthy lifestyle, said Tamara Mlynarczyk,
a spokeswoman for the group, which represents 2,200 beer wholesalers. “There’s been so much medical research that
has come out over the last year.”
The effort, which
brought Harvard researcher Eric Rimm and Dallas medical expert Dr. Norman
Kaplan, Mlynarczyk said, is an expansion of the group’s focus, which has been
lobbying in Washington. It attracted journalists from CNN, daily newspapers and
such magazines at Details.
“Americans are
searching for healthier ways to live their lives,” Mlynarczyk said. “Beer can
be a part of that.”
Rimm is a researcher
and associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of
Public Health and the Channing Laboratory at the Harvard Medical School.
The Harvard
researcher outlined a variety of studies that looked at alcohol intact and
disease risk factors. He said alcohol offers protection against several of the
top 10 major causes of death, including heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
“Moderate alcohol
consumption is associated with lower all-cause mortality than either abstinence
or heavy drinking, primarily through reduced risk of coronary heart disease,”
Rimm said. He also cited research that those who drink beer consumption in
moderation — one 12 oz. serving daily for women, two for men — have a one-third
to one-half reduced risk of developing Type II diabetes compared to
nondrinkers.
Rimm also said that
when alcohol is consumed in moderation with a diet that is rich in folates, the
risk of breast cancer in women is not increased. Alcohol interferes with folate
metabolism and that folate is necessary for maintaining healthy cells. It’s
important to eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables when you drink alcohol,
Rimm added.
Kaplan, an internationally known
expert in hypertension on the faculty of the University of Texas Southwestern
Medical Center in Dallas, said he had done no research of his own on the
effects of beer on health. Nevertheless, he provided a review of numerous
studies done by others about the impact of alcohol consumption on health. Beer
drinking has equal, or perhaps, more beneficial in warding off coronary heart
disease, dementia and hypertension.
Bradford, who is publisher of All
About Beer magazine and president of the Association of Brewers, provided a
tutored tasting of various beer styles for attendees with beer ranging from
Michelob and Corona to Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout and Goose Island Porter. The
tasting was followed by a buffet featuring foods cooked with beers that was
created by Tribeca Grand executive chef John Delucie.
“A lot of people don’t think about
cooking with beer or pairing beer with food, Mlynarczyk said, adding that the
beer group wanted to follow on the success of the wine industry, which has been
promoting moderate consumption of wine.
The buffet included: gravlax made
with Budweiser and cilantro paired with Michelob; chicken braised in DeGroens
Marzen paired with Gordon Biersch Marzen; salad with a Corona beer dressing
matched with Corona; shrimp in Leinenkugel Amber Lager with the same beer
alongside; grilled steak in a sauce made with Blue Fin Stout paired with
Anderson Valley’s Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout; Irish beer bread baked with
Summit Hefe Weizen and paired with Blue Moon Wit; beef short ribs braised in
Anchor Porter served with Goose Island Porter; Ciao Bella vanilla ice cream
floats made with Pyramid Apricot Ale, Stoudt’s Fat Dog Stout or New Glarus
Wisconsin Cherry Ale; and, finally, Chimay cheese matched with Ommegang abbey
ale.
============================
(Part One of Two)
Rollin’ down the Raccoon River
By Kurt Epps
============================
“Be sure to get over to Raccoon River,” said Rob Moline,
head brewer at rival Court Avenue Brewing Company. “Dave’s doing some great
beers there.” Clearly, this was not a Cheers vs. Gary¹s Old Towne Tavern
type of relationship.
So we headed over to Mulberry St., and there, adjacent to
the historic and elegant Hotel Ft. Des Moines, was the Raccoon River Brewing
Company. No afterthought this brewpub, it is open and airy and at peak can seat
400 diners and quaffers, and still allow for seven billiard tables on its
second floor.
The “Dave” in question was Iowa-born, Colorado transplant
Dave Coy a mild-mannered, soft-spoken, almost professorial-looking guy.
Figure 1:Brewmaster
Dave Coy of Raccoon River with sampler of his beers.
On this day, Dave was serving as, well, a server, due to an
unexpected absence of some waitstaff; but he was as cordial and helpful as
could be during the lunch hour crunch. Like many brewers, Dave had a wealth of
experience doing other things, including running a Sylvan Learning Center and
working for the GABF.
The Iowa State grad got his start by homebrewing in his dorm
room, though he doesn¹t give his early work high grades in retropspect. His
daughter Alli, now 11 and for whom Raccoon¹s root beer is named, would kick ³in
vitro² whenever Dave added hops to the wort in his home during his wife¹s
pregnancy.
I had a similar reaction to Dave¹s Bandit IPA, an
outstanding, well-balanced beer which, at 4.9% ABV, pushes the 5% alcohol
envelope set by Iowa, before beer gets classified as a malt liquor.
(Ironically, the regulation qualifies wine coolers as beer.) Not nearly as
aggressive as Rob Moline¹s IPA at Court Avenue Brewing up the street, a beer
for dyed-in-the-wool IPA fans only, Bandit probably appeals to a wider
audience. DITW-IPA nuts will enjoy it, too.
Much at Raccoon seems to bear the mark of “Alternative,”
from the structure of its P.A.W. Club to its delicious Vanilla Cream Ale, an
alternative to the raspberry wheats that seem to be standard transitional beers
and femme-lures at other places. My club soda-drinking missus raved about the
Vanilla Cream Ale, asking me if I was getting a growler as she downed nearly my
entire sample. Even Coy¹s Tallgrass Light, an interesting rice fermented beer, is
billed as alternative to what Dave calls “Barley Pop.”
More aggressive, but not overly so, was Homestead Red which
would qualify easily as a fine session beer; and South Station Steam was a
smooth, tasty, flavorful beer that came close to the IPA as a favorite. The
seasonal Dunkel Weiss, laden with wheat flavor and notes of banana and clove,
was also no slouch in the flavor department, either. Stonecutter Stout, a beer
dedicated to the stonemasons who built many of Des Moines fine stone buildings,
was complex, but with subtle, not strong, chocolate and coffee notes. Though
not as chewy as I like my stouts, it is definitely worth a try, especially for
novice stout-drinkers who are afraid of the “dark.”
For the young folks in your party, there is an exceptional,
not-to mention neat, Blue Cream soda (pop, to you Iowans) that is brewed on
premises along with Alli¹s Root Beer.
By all means, ask for the Beer Bread, but don¹t pig out on
it, unless you¹re planning to return the next day to eat your entree: the food
portions at Raccoon River were mammoth and absolutely delicious.
We were there for lunch. The missus had what she described
as an absolutely incredible order of Grilled Vegetables and Goat Cheese Panini.
At least that's what I could make of her commentary between the ummm's
and the omigods.
I enjoyed a Tallgrass Ale and Cheese soup, but I'd advise anyone who likes
crabs to try the Crab Tamale Cakes on the very diverse Appetizer menu, which
also includes a wonderful--albeit pricy--Coconut-Crust Shrimp and what looked
to be a scrumptious Chicken Satay with Thai peanuts.
Even their burgers are "alternative" offering things like Gouda
Cheese and Maytag Blue Cheese.
I'm a pushover for weird beer desserts, so the Stonecutter Stout float appealed
to me. But more erudite diners might fancy the Banana Chocolate Springroll as a
treat.
By the way, there's a decent Kids' menu for under four bucks!
One thing is certain: If I¹m ever in Des Moines again, I¹m
rollin¹ down the Raccoon River.
Raccoon River Brewing Company
10th and Mulberry St.
Des Moines, IA 50309
515-362-5222
dcoy@raccoon.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVENTS:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cocktails in the
Country is a two-day, two-night bartender training course
given by Gary Regan
at Painter's Tavern, Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY.
Dates:
June 24 - 26
July 15 - 17
July 29 - 31
August 19 - 21
$250 registration fee
includes: Transportation between Manhattan and Cornwall-on-Hudson.
Accommodation at
Painter's Tavern. All meals - including a four-course cocktail dinner prepared
by Chef Scott Palatnik. Four seminars
on the craft of the bartender by Gary Regan.
To apply for a
scholarship contact: www.ardentspirits.com
, or call 845 534 4298.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hotel Jerome, Aspen,
CO
12 June 2002
$95 Awards Ceremony
only / $225 Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner
MENU
First Course
Sugar and Spice Cured
Duck Breast
With Green Chili
Stone Ground Grits, Citrus Duck Jus
Second Course
Crisp Striped bass
with Wild Mushroom, Fava Bean Fricasse,
Melted Leaks and
Beurre Rouge
Third Course
Lemon – Thyme Sorbet
Fourth Course
Stout Brined Venison
Rack with Braised Red Cabbage,
Gold Potato Puree and
Sour Cherry Gastrique
Fifth Course
Chocolate Decadence
Torte with Guinness Style Ice Cream
With Warm Dark
Chocolate Sauce
Contact: Jessica
Gottlob, jessica@aob.org or call
303.447.0816, for ticket information
For more World Beer
Cup information, visit http://www.beertown.org/WBC/wbc.htm
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
June 20 - 22, 2002 at
the "Beer Friendly" Wilson World Hotel in Irving, TX.
The 2002 “Big Texas
Toast” conference will be a fun, educational gathering designed
to enhance home
brewers’ brewing skills and knowledge and increase home brewing camaraderie.
Event Highlights:
*Last-round judging
of the National Homebrew Competition
*Three days of home
brewing lectures and seminars
*Nightly events
featuring beer made from clubs across the United States.
Share good 'ole times
and homebrews in Texas!
Visit or contact
the Association of
Brewers at 888.822.6273 or
+1.303.447.8016 for
more information.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Cathedral Hill Hotel
Dinner with The Brew Master
Featuring Vinnie
Cilurzo / Russian River Brewery
Friday June 21, 2002
Dinner
1st Course
Seared Skate with
Brown Butter and Capers
Damnation Ale
2nd Course
Grilled Creekstone
Farms Hangar Steak with Potato Gratin and Roasted Shallot Sauce
Pliny the Elder
3rd Course
A Selection of French
Cheeses with Apple Fennel Walnut Salad
Temptation Ale
$60 Per Person
inclusive of Tax and Gratuity
Contact: Delsa Wong
Rendon (415) 674-3415
(If You Would Like To Stay with Us Rooms are
$65 plus Tax)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Saturday, July 13,
2002
For more information,
contact Aaron Bray 541-386-7354.
Operated by Octagon
Marketing, the Gorge Games is a preeminent weeklong
outdoor sport and
lifestyle festival July 13th - July 21st that takes place
throughout the
Columbia River Gorge, Oregon. Competitors vie for the gold in nine
disciplines: 24-Hour
Mountain Bike Racing, 49er Sailing, Adventure Racing,
Climbing, Kayaking,
Kiteboarding, Outrigger Canoeing, Trail Running and
Windsurfing. For more
information visit www.gorgegames.com .
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Saturday, July 27,
2002
Hilton Park Downtown
Nashville
12 noon - 8 pm
Contact: Candace
Price Special Events Director
Clear Channel Radio
55 Music Square West
Nashville, TN 37203
ph- (615) 664-2484
fx- (615) 664-2497
candace.price@clearchannel.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Olin-Turville Park,
Madison, WI
10 August 2002 1-6pm
North America's
second longest running craft beer festival is presented by the Madison Home
brewers and Tasters Guild and features about 500 different beers from 100 of
the Midwest's
brewpubs, micros, and
regional breweries served in a beautiful lakeside park setting. Tickets, on sale now, are only $20 and must be purchased well in
advance. No tickets are sold at the
gate. Your ticket entitles you to a
beautiful commemorative glass, a detailed program book, and as many two-ounce
samples as you can responsibly taste--no steeenkin' pay-per-sample tickets like
many other festivals, because we don't want to deter our patrons from trying
unfamiliar beer
styles.
Food from local
restaurants is available for purchase onsite, and festive musical entertainment
is provided by strolling musicians.
Be sure to book your
hotel rooms well in advance because of a conflict with another large event
visiting Madison on our long-established festival weekend.
If you need
assistance with hotel availability,
contact Toni Kraft at
Kraft@mail.visitmadison.com.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2002
20 - 22 – 2002
American Home brewers Association 2002 “Big Texas Toast” National Home brewers
Conference,
Wilson World Hotel,
Irving, TX, Information: on the Web: http://hbd.org/nhc2002/index.htm or
Call the Association
of Brewers: 888.822.6273 or +1.303.447.8016.
JULY
26 - 28 -- 2002
Oregon Brewers Festival, Portland, OR.
13 – E.T. Barnette
Homebrew Competition, Fox, AK. Information: http://www.mosquitonet.com/~stihlerunits/ScottsDen/Beer/Events/Events.html
16 –18 - American Beer Month Challenge Cup Contact:
http://www.realbeer.com/challengecup
10 – 16th
Annual Great Taste of The Midwest, Olin-Turville Park, Madison, WI
7 – 8 -- Tavern Days
Celebration, Croton-on-Hudson, NY, 800-656-1212;
Contact: http://www.belgianexperts.com/
13 –15 – 10th
Annual Oktoberfest/MacTarnahan's Brewing. Contact: www.macsbeer.com, 503-226-7623
21 - October 6
--2002 Oktoberfest Munich, Munich, - Germany
21 – All About Beer Magazine's 7th Annual World Beer
Festival, Durham, NC. Contact: http://www.allaboutbeer.com/wbf
26 - Beer 2001,
Brussels, Belgium, 32 (0) 2 474 85 38;
Contact: http://www.beerexportexhibition.com/
3 – 5 -- Great
American Beer Festival, Denver, CO, 303-447-0816;
Contact: http://www.beertown.org/
19 - Ninth Annual
Shiner Bocktoberfest Concert, The Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, Texas. Contact: www.shiner.com Call: 1-800-5-SHINER
18 – 20 -- MBAA
Annual Convention, Austin, TX, 414-774-8558;
Contact: http://www.mbaa.com/
8 – 9 -- The 6th
Annual Great Northeast Beer & Cider Competition/ 9th Annual Great Northeast
International Beer Fest, Providence, RI.
Contact: Competition
Director: Gregg Glaser, 203-834-0800;
Contact: gregg@yankeebrew.com
Festivals of America:
Maury Ryan, 401-272-0980;
Contact: ryan@lovecraft.com
#####
CHECK THESE OUT:
THE FOOD REFERENCE
NEWSLETTER
Food History, Trivia,
Quotes, Humor, Poetry, Recipes
James T. Ehler,
Editor
HELLEN’S BRITISH
COOKING SITE
“I hope my site
reflects the rich tradition of British cooking in its broadest sense.”
http://www.hwatson.force9.co.uk/index.htm