HOT TRUB@BEER BASICS.COM
Vol. 03 No. 30 --- 13 November 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.
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this posting to peter.lafrance@beerbasics.com
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===========================
Publisher:
Peter LaFrance
Editor: Deven Black
From Behind The Bar: Chris Halleron
On The Loose: Kurt Epps
On The Beat: Alan Wax
Travel: Sharon McDonnell
============================
FROM THE PUBLISHER
===========================
===========================
NEWS & VIEWS:
===========================
BREWPUB THE SITE OF MINNESOTTA’S REPUBLICAN REVIVAL
INTERBREW BUYS ZHUIJANG BREWERIES
RETAILER PUTS BREWPUB IN THE BOTTLE – FOR NOW
GREAT INTERNATIONAL BEER COMPETITION RESULTS
============================
SPECIAL REPORT:
LUNCH WITH THE BREWER: STEVE HINDY
by Peter LaFrance
===========================
NEW PRODUCTS - PROMOTIONS – EVENTS – DINNERS:
===========================
2002 Edition of Double Bastard Ale
Bauer Nike Hockey And Labatt Blue Team Up
Left Hand Brewing’s Fall and Winter Brews
===========================
CHECK THESE OUT: Links to interesting sites.
=============================
============================
FROM THE PUBLISHER
============================
Greetings,
I do hope you are all beginning to sample this
year's batch of "Holiday
Beers" touched on in the last few issues.
This is the weekend I go out and pick up a case or two of singles and break out
the tasting notes. The results will be posted next week.
From now on the news will come under the title
News&Views. This is in order that I might make it clear that the pieces
chosen are important enough to make an editorial point as well as inform and
entertain.
Once again I am going to ask you all to comment
on a particular aspect of the brewing scene. This week I would like your
opinion of the prospect of PET containers becoming the container of choice for
brewers.
All comments will be posted in the order they
are received. You can respond to peter.lafrance@beerbasics.com
Cheers!
Peter LaFrance
Journalist/Author/Publisher
================================
NEWS & VIEWS:
=================================
BREWPUB THE SITE OF MINNESOTTA’S REPUBLICAN REVIVAL
Republican pundits postulated that Norman Coleman didn’t
have the voter base to defeat the Democratic Farmer Labor candidate Walter
Mondale. But the sight of the thousands who attended a memorial service cum
political rally held for the late Senator Wellstone restarted the campaign,
which had been on hiatus following Wellstone’s death. It also caused a backlash
among voters who objected to the political nature of the memorial service and
the booing of Governor Ventura, among others.
Less than forty-eight hours later crowds packed the garage
at O’Gara’s Brewpub in St. Paul to overflowing with Coleman supporters. Inside,
people chanted “Norm!” for senate. Coleman, and all the other Republican
candidates for statewide office spoke.
As you probably are aware, Coleman beat Mondale. Was it the
fact that the Coleman campaign got rolling in a brewpub that put him over the
top? Perhaps, but either way it comforts me to believe that, once again, a
tavern has been the midwife to a political career.
http://www.mndaily.com/new_site/article.php?id=3873
------------
INTERBREW BUYS ZHUIJANG BREWERIES
Interbrew announced last Tuesday, just days after it said it
would take a 70 percent stake in China's K.K. Brewery for $42 million, that it
will pay $19.5 million for the Zhuiang brewery in Guangdong province. Interbrew
also acquired the Nanjing Brewery in 1997.
Under the agreement, Interbrew will support the Chinese
company's plan to transform itself into a joint stock company and will also
back its stock market listing, scheduled for 2004.
Zhujiang, which has been cooperating with Interbrew for the
past 18 years, produced seven million hectolitres in 2001 and has a 50 percent
market share in Guangdong province.
"We will continue monitoring the market and we will
follow the opportunities that are there,'' said Interbrew spokesman Corneel
Maes during an official conference call.
http://asia.cnn.com/2002/BUSINESS/11/05/interbrew.zhujiang.reut/
(Publishers Note – When will AB and Interbrew start duking
it out in China? Let’s start a pool shall we?)
------------
RETAILER PUTS BREWPUB IN THE BOTTLE – FOR NOW
Scuttlebutt Brewing Company, a microbrewery and restaurant
on the Everett, Washington waterfront, wasn’t planning to sell its beer in
bottles. Yet today local customers can find the brew in bottles, in the cold
box at Trader Joe’s.
After an owner of one of the Trader Joe’s played a round of
golf at Legion Park in Everett, he relaxed at the nineteenth hole with a
Scuttlebutt draft. He was impressed enough to later visit the brewpub "for
a bite and a beer."
When owner Phil Bannon told him that the beer was available
only on draft he replied that he was sure it would be a big seller in his
store, if was available in the bottle. In short order a deal emerged to sell
480 cases in 12-packs to Trader Joe's, distributed to 9 of the company's 10
stores in Washington, including those in Everett and Lynnwood.
The Scuttlebutt operation includes units in Snohomish, King
and Pierce counties. Bannon has been quoted as saying he has intentions of also
moving into Skagit and Whatcom counties.
Overall, Bannon expects production to be up 20 percent this
year to about 1,200 barrels of beer.
As far as his venture into the bottle, the Trader Joe's sale
remains an experiment. Bannon says both companies are "seeing how it
goes."
http://www.heraldnet.com/Stories/02/11/4/16032346.cfm
------------
GREAT
INTERNATIONAL BEER COMPETITION RESULTS
The 6th Annual Great International Beer
Competition was held on Friday, November 8, 2002, in Providence, Rhode Island,
one day before the 9th Annual Great International Beer Fest. One
hundred twenty-nine beers and ciders (including 29 imports) from 50 breweries
and cideries representing 13 states and nine countries entered the competition.
Thirty professional brewers and several beer industry journalists acted as
judges in a blind tasting format. First, second and third place awards were
presented in eleven categories of ales, lagers, ciders and alternative
alcoholic beverages. The judges knew only the style and subcategory of each
beer or cider.
The Results:
PALE ALE - 20 entries
1) Samuel Adams IPA, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
2) Rogue American Amber Ale, Rogue Ales, Newport, OR
3) Old Yankee Ale, Cottrell Brewing, Pawcatuck, RI
IPA - 10
entries
1) Point Break Pale Ale, Trinity Brewhouse, Providence, RI
2) Address Unknown IPA, Willimantic Brewing, Willimantic, CT
3) Buckeye IPA, Buckeye Brewing, Cleveland, OH
WHEAT BEER
- 9 entries
1) Hoegaarden Witbier, Hoegaarden Brewery, Hoegaarden,
Belgium
2) Wittekerke Witbier, Bavik Brewery, Bavikhove, Belgium
3) Wheat Cloud Hefe Weizen, Buckeye Brewing, Cleveland, OH
LIGHT ALE
- 8 entries
1) Genesee Cream Ale, High Falls Brewing, Rochester, NY
2) Leffe Blonde, Interbrew,
Brussels, Belgium
3) Paper City Banchee Extra Pale Ale, Paper City Brewery,
Holyoke, MA
FRUIT
& SPICE BEER - 8 entries
1) Harpoon Winter Lager, Harpoon Brewery, Boston, MA
2) Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
3) Samuel Adams Old Fezziweg, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
DARK ALE -
13 entries
1) Redhook Blackhook Porter, Redhook Ale Brewery,
Portsmouth, NH
2) Sierra Nevada Stout, Sierra Nevada Brewing, Chico, CA
3) Newport Storm Blizzard Porter, Coastal Extreme Brewing,
Middletown, RI
LAGER - 18
entries
1) Radeberger Pilsner, Radeberger Brewery, Radeberg, Czech Republic
2) Samuel Adams Golden Pilsner, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
3) Olde Buzzard Lager, Buzzards Bay Brewing, Westport, MA
STRONG
BEER - 19 entries
1) Samuel Adams 3 Weiss Men, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
2) Samuel Adams Utopias, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
3) Rogue Russian Imperial Stout, Rogue Ales, Newport, OR
AMBER & DARK LAGER - 16 entries
1) Trout Brook Octoberfest Lager, Trout Brook Brewhouse,
Hartford, CT
2) Harpoon Munich Dark, Harpoon Brewery, Boston, MA
3) Samuel Adams Octoberfest, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
CIDER – 4
entries
1) Hard Core Crisp Hard Cider, Hard Core Cider Co., Boston,
MA
2) Hard Core Golden Hard Cider, Hard Core Cider Co., Boston,
MA
3) Magners Original Irish Cider, Wm. Magner, Inc., Clonmel,
Ireland
ALTERNATIVE
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES - 4 entries
1) Raspberry Twisted Tea, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
2) Twisted Tea, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
3) Mike's Hard Cranberry Lemonade, Vancouver, British
Columbia
The 7th Annual Great International Beer
Competition and the 10th Annual Great International Beer Fest will
take place on November 7-8, 2003, in Providence.
============================
SPECIAL REPORT:
LUNCH WITH THE BREWER: STEVE HINDY (PRESIDENT – BROOKLYN
BREWERY, BROOKLYN, NY)
by Peter LaFrance
I give the brewer I interview carte blanche as to the choice
of where to meet for lunch. Hindy’s choice was not a surprise. Gramercy Tavern,
a white tablecloth sister to Danny Meyer’s Union Square Café, offers an
eclectic beer list featuring both the Brooklyn Chocolate Stout and Pumpkin Ale.
As we sat down to enjoy our beers and appetizers I began by
asking Hindy when it was he discovered that there was more to beer than buzz
and fizz.
“It was when my wife and I toured Europe in 1973 just after
we got married. It was that obligatory Eurail Pass and hitchhiking tour. That
started my education about beer.”
“I realized the US beer, you can’t taste the flavors until
it warms up and then you don’t like what is there. It was obvious it wasn’t
good beer.”
Hindy said that after that he began drinking imported beer
and started a career as a reporter with employment at an assortment of
newspapers in the New York metro area, covering the Karen Ann Quinlan,
“Hurricane” Carter and “Fat” Tony Provisano trials in New Jersey. In December
1976 he landed a job with AP in Newark. Then, as he put it, “I got divorced and got it in my head that I
wanted to cover a war.”
He applied for the Beirut desk and in eighteen months had a
working knowledge of Arabic and was in Beirut in March of 1979.
“That was amazing five years. I covered the Iran rebellion
and rise of Ayatollah Khomeini, got kicked out with the hostage situation but
went back in with the Iraqi army during the Iran/Iraq War. After that I was
assigned to the Cairo desk and was sitting three seats behind Anwar Sadat when
he was assassinated.”
Throughout his tour of the Persian Gulf area he encountered
a network of American embassy home brewers. He told me of a number of
operations involving delivery of brewing material via diplomatic pouch, but it
wasn’t until he was stationed in Cairo in 1981/1982 that he tasted some
“terrific light ales and amber ales.” However, all good things come to an end
and, with two children in tow the romantic lifestyle of “foreign correspondent” was wearing thin.
Back in the United States the family was settled into an
apartment on Eighth Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn and Hindy went to work for
Long Island Newsday.
“When I left the AP they threw a party and gave me a
going-away present of a home brewing kit. So I started making beer in Brooklyn.
My downstairs neighbor was Tom Potter, an MBA working with Chemical Bank,
looking to start his own business. Spent weekends watching our kids and
sampling each others brew.”
“Tom thought the idea of a small brewery was crazy. The big
breweries were consolidating. Brewing was not a growth industry. But that was
the summer of 1986. We watched the Mets win and drank homebrew.”
“One day at Newsday I did a Lexis/Nexus search for
“microbrew” got back a six inch high pile of paper. I took that and continued the “sell job” on Tom.”
In 1986 Tom went to the National Microbrewers Conference in
Portland there were 26 breweries represented and he wanted to talk to all of
them about brewing and they all wanted to talk to the New York Banker. He came back convinced that microbrewing was
a real good idea.
After rising close to half a million dollars, they began
looking for a brewer for the beer they had designed. They started with F.X.
Matt.
Hindy recalled that, “F.X. Matt almost shouted me off the
phone. “What makes you guys think you know what you are doing?” We were almost
ready to brew at Schmidt’s when my wife suggested that I call Matt one last
time. So I called again started talking about my plan “We have the money and…”
He listened and said, “What do you do for a living?” I told him I was a
journalist. He said, “Really? I always wanted to be a reporter.” He opened up
and we talked about writing and journalism. At the end he invited Tom and be up
to the brewery. That was the beginning of our relationship with that brewery.
They still make our bottled beer and also do a great job. In fact F.X. always
credited us with teaching him “dry hopping” and the differences between yeasts.
That relationship has been one of the keys to our success.”
BROOKLYN BREWERY TODAY:
On tap for early 2003 will be a new 12-pack of Brooklyn
Lager. According to Hindy the Brooklyn Lager product has been growing beyond
expectations. “Lager, a year ago, was 40% of our sales. This year it is 48% of
sales, and the draft has been growing 26% yearly.
With the final signatures affixed, the Boston Craft Brewers
Guild will be sold. Hindy told me that the New York Craft Brewers Guild is also
on the block and he is expecting a resolution to finalizing negotiations in a
week or so.
“The sale will make our investors happy and we can finally
focus 100% on Brooklyn Brewery.”
=============================================
LETTERS TO THE PUBLISHER
=============================================
From: Karp's Homebrew Shop [alant@homebrewshop.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2002 5:40 PM
Hi Peter,
I think you might check the facts on the hops article. If
you check into
it, you might find that a hop grower on Long Island has sold
hops to Long
Island brewers. I might be wrong here, so don't take my word
for it, but I
think that Southampton Publik House used NY hops a few years
ago.
Alan
======
From: Byrne, Kerry [KByrne@MFS.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 30, 2002 9:38 AM
Hey Peter,
Great newsletter as always...I
just wanted to quickly correct an item from
the boston business journal article referenced in the
Harpoon story.
The BBJ story says
that Harpoon will double its capacity. Actually, the new brewhouse will
quadruple Harpoon's capacity (from 240 barrels a day to 1,000). The BBJ
reporter may have been confused by Harpoon's intent to double production.
However, with four times the capacity, they have ample room for growth above
and beyond that intent.
I wrote a story
about this last week in the Herald and have pasted the text below (it's no
longer available on the Herald site for free). Perhaps I should have sent it
along when it came out.
Hope all is well,
KJB
======
BEER DINNER 101 ANSWERS –
From: Fryorama@aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2002 12:00 PM
Peter,
I teach a course at the Illinois Culinary Arts Institute on how to pair food
and ale. My experience has been to keep it simple.
There are basically two ways to approach this. One, match the food with
beer, or two cook with the beer, or even three, a combination of both. I
usually focus on number two, to teach the range of flexibility that good beer
lends to cooking.
Dark beers, are a great marinade for red meats. Pilsners can be
incorporated in baked goods or batters. Ales are great in soups and
sauces. Porters and stouts make for interesting desserts. Lambic
makes wonderful vinagrettes.
For a restaurateur, stay close to your current menu. If you are a meat
and potato type of place, don't go off on some exotic tangent. If you are
a fusion restaurant, don't make fish and chips. Remember you want to
accentuate the food, not hide it.
I think 4-6 beers is a reasonable amount of sampling. Any more than that,
people will lose their taste buds, especially when dealing with higher alcohol
beers, like barley wines or whiskey stouts. Always remember, it's a
sampling, not a frat party.
John Freyer
Freyer Marketing
============================
NEW PRODUCTS - PROMOTIONS – EVENTS – DINNERS:
============================
Bauer Nike Hockey And Labatt Blue Introduce New Hockey Skate
Line
Bauer Nike Hockey, the world’s leading manufacturer of
hockey equipment, and Labatt Blue, the #1 selling Canadian brand in the U.S.,
are joining forces to promote the launch of the Bauer Supreme Classic ice
hockey skate line.
Starting in November
2002, Labatt Blue and Bauer Nike Hockey will unveil a comprehensive, branded
promotional campaign merging the launch of Bauer’s Classic Supreme skate line
and the ongoing success of Labatt Blue.
Each ad will feature a bottle of Labatt Blue in Bauer’s Classic Supreme
skate. The program will include consumer print, trade and point-of-sale
materials such as case cards, table tents, pennants and banners.
The program will also feature apparel premiums, point-of-purchase
and a website consumer contest on both www.labattblue.com and www.bauer.com.
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Left Hand Brewing’s Fall and Winter Brews
I wanted to let you know that we have Warrior I.P.A on tap
in the Tasting Room! This years batch
was wet-hopped with Warrior hops and dry-hopped with Amarillo hops. Can you say DEEELICIOUS? Get it while you can! We will be pouring it pints and growlers
until it's gone...
We also have Milk Stout and XXXmas Ale on the way. Both will be available in the next two
weeks...the exact date is yet to be determined, but I will keep you updated.
Don't forget that we are open on Sundays now. That's right...every Sunday you can stop by
the Tasting Room from noon-5pm and sip on a pint with Justine. In fact...this Sunday, in honor of me
turning yet another year older (boo), stop by with this email and receive a
$1.00 off every pint I pour you. If I
have to work...it might as well be a party!
I hope everything is going well for you and I hope to see
you soon. Thanks for your support!
Justine Miller
Retail Manager
Left Hand & Tabernash Brewing Company
1265 Boston Avenue
Longmont, CO 80501
Phone: (303) 772-0258
Fax: (303)
772-9572
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2002 Edition of Double Bastard Ale
Stone Brewing Co. has released the 2002 edition of the
infamous Double Bastard Ale in both 22oz and 3Litre bottles.
At 10% alc.vol. and an even bigger flavor profile, Double
Bastard Ale is a bit "more angry" to say the least. Laggards and lazybones can learn more about
this perplexing subject by visiting the official Double Bastard Ale portion of
the Arrogant Bastard Ale website
Stone Brewing is located at 155 Mata Way in San Marcos, CA
and recently made the 2002 edition of the Inc 500, which recognizes the 500
fastest growing companies in America. Arrogant Bastard Ale is currently
distributed in 15 states. For more info, go to www.stonebrew.com,
www.arrogantbastard.com or call the brewery at (760) 471-4999.
=====================================================================
=====================================================================
REDBONES NORTHWEST BREWERS BANQUETS
Dates: Mon, Nov 18 & Tues, Nov 19, 2002 @ 7:00 PM
Throughout November, Redbones taps a selection of Northwest
craft beers rarely available in the East. Two dinners highlight the
month. They feature speaker/brewers: Dick Cantwell from Elysian Brewing, Fred
Bowman from Portland Brewing, Steve Lovin from Siletz, Fal Allen from Anderson
Valley, and Sebbie Buhler from Rogue.
Location:
Redbones
55 Chester Street
Somerville, MA
Admission: $35.00 per person, tax and gratuity
included
Reservations: Required. Call 617.628.2200
For information: Call 617.628.2200 or visit www.redbones.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NOVEMBER
16-17 – Beer Festival Weekend, The Resort at Split Rock, One
Lake Dr., Lake Harmony, PA, Phone contact: 800-255-7625
22-23 – 10th The Great Canadian Beer Festival, Victoria,
British Columbia, Phone contact: 250-383-2332,
Web contact: www.gcbf.com
DECEMBER
6 – FARMHOUSE WINTER WARMER DINNER, Emmaus, PA, Phone contact:
Chris Adams 610-967-6225
6-7 – Harpoon Christmas Party, Boston, MA, Phone contact:
617-574-9551 ext 3, Web contact: www.harpoonbrewery.com
7 – Holiday Craft Beer Festival, Durham , NC, Contact Phone: 919-484-1128
Contact Email: beerhntr@verizon.net
14-15 – 7th Annual Kerstbierfestival (Christmas Beer
Festival), Essen, Belgium, Web contact: http://home2.pi.be/gmarch/eng/kerst_eng.htm
14 – Brewmaster's Festival, Taos Ski Valley, Taos, NM
2003
JANUARY
17-18 - 9th
Annual Great Alaska Beer and Barleywine Festival, Anchorage, AK, Phone
contact: 907-562-9911
Annie Chavez, Web contact: showpros@gci.net
31 – February 2 – Miami Beach World of Beer Festival: Miami Beach, FL, Phone
contact 305-754-5886 Web contact: info@worldofbeerfestival.com
#####
CHECK THESE OUT:
THE FOOD REFERENCE NEWSLETTER
Food History, Trivia, Quotes, Humor, Poetry, Recipes
James T. Ehler,
Editor
james@foodreference.com
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