Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Titletown vs. Brooklyn

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vs.

If you’re a regular Bulletin reader, you probably already know I’m a huge Green Bay Packers fan. It’s really the only professional sports team I have any loyalty to whatsoever. I have rooted for other teams in other sports, but the Pack has been my number one team since I was literally for years old. So on Sunday, of course, they’re playing the New York Giants in the NFC Conference Championship Game, which will decide which team will play the New England Patriots (probably) in the Super Bowl on February 3.

It’s obviously a big game for both places where the teams are located and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Green Bay Mayor James J. Schmitt have placed a friendly wager with one another on the outcome of the game. The bet has been reported in both New York (in Newsday) and in Green Bay (on WBAY Channel 2).

If the Giants win, Mayor Schmitt will send Bloomberg a gift basket from “World Cheese Champion” U.S. Specialty Cheese, featuring 10 pounds of assorted cheese spreads; 20, 16-ounce aged natural strip steaks from Smithfield Beef; 3 pounds of chocolates from Beertsen’s Candies; and a pair of cheese wedge sunglasses.

If the Packers win, Mayor Bloomberg will send a specially made 10-pound New York-style cheesecake from Carnegie Deli in Manhattan; a case of Brooklyn Lager from Brooklyn Brewery; and 20 pounds of Porterhouse steak from Peter Luger Restaurant in Brooklyn, along with six bottles of Peter Luger steak sauce.

It’s nice to see Brooklyn Lager representing New York, but where’s the Wisconsin beer? Titletown Brewery is right there in town. How about a couple of growlers of Titletown’s Mediator, a Belgian Dopplebock. Hell, my friend Todd Ashman, who’s now with Fifty Fifty Brewing used to be the brewer there. There beers are decent, at least the few I’ve had a GABF. And I love their name.

If not Titletown, even though it seems the most appropriate, there are even three other breweries in Green Bay. There’s Green By Brewing, with their Hinterland Beer, also on Dousman, and then there are two Legends Brewhouse & Eatery locations.

In the end, it probably won’t matter because hopefully Green Bay will win the game and Mayor Schmitt (with his great beery name) won’t have to pay up at all, instead receiving a nice care package from New York City. Fingers crossed.

The Titletown Brewery on Dousman Street is located in an old Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Depot.

 

Great Food and Beer on the Horizons

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Last night I attended a lovely little beer dinner in my neck of the woods, at the beautifully situated Horizons restaurant in Sausalito. It was a four course affair, plus hors d’ouerves, paired with five Lagunitas beers. The night was clear and we had a fantastic view across the bay of the twinkling lights of the San Francisco night skyline. The food and pairings were terrific, too.

Ron Lindenbusch, from Lagunitas Brewing, with Dean Biersch (on right) with Lynn, the chef at Hopmonk Tavern, his new venture in Sebastopol which is slated to open this spring.

Also, there will be another Lagunitas beer dinner, next Wednesday, January 23. That one will take place at the Pleasanton Hotel and will begin at 7:00 p.m. This dinner will be five courses and the cost will be $50 per person.

For more photos from the Lagunitas beer dinner at Horizon’s, visit the photo gallery.
 

A Night In Heaven

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On January 11th, 21st Amendment Brewery broke out the good stuff for a very special beer dinner. It was a five-course dinner, plus amuse bouche (which are essentially smaller sized hors d’œuvre, the name comes from nouvelle cuisine). For beer, owners Shaun O’Sullivan and Nico Freccia dipped deep into their beer cellar, pulling out their own beers from years past, beers picked up during their travels as well as beer given to them by visiting brewers. Only twenty guests were permitted to purchase tickets to the dinner, primarily because many of the beers were in small supply. The brewer’s loft, situated on the mezzanine level in the back overlooking the general seating area below, was the setting for the event. One large rectangular table with a white tablecloth with 24 place settings was the only table in the room. As a result, the dinner had the feel of a large cocktail party in a friend’s home. Throughout the evening, bottles of beer from the library were selected on the spot to pair which each course with no fewer than a half-dozen different beers that could be sampled with each new dish. The price per person was $120, which given the quality of the food and the sheer variety, diversity and uniqueness of the beers was a bargain. When you consider that one of the beers of the evening was Wesvleteren 8, it was a steal. The food was terrific, the company engaging and lively, and the beer heavenly.

 

Shaun O’Sullivan holds a bottle of 2000 Cantillon Gueuze that he hand-carried home from Brussels, after a trip he and I took to Cantillon last year.
 

For more photos from the 21st Amendment Brewer’s Library Dinner, visit the photo gallery.
 

Beer Featured at Chef’s Association Dinner

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I got an invitation to attend a Chef’s Association Dinner Monday night at the Cathedral Hill Hotel. It was put on by Bruce Paton, the beer chef, who put it together at the last minute when the person who was originally supposed to do it dropped out unexpectedly. As a result, he put together an impromptu beer dinner, using beers he’d used throughout the previous year’s dinners. It was another really tasty dinner with some terrific beers.

Bruce Paton, the beer chef, and me in a self-portrait after the dinner. Thanks Bruce, for a great dinner.

 

For more photos from this year’s Chef’s Association Beer Dinner, visit the photo gallery.
 

Chanukah vs. Christmas

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Saturday afternoon there was a fun little event at the fabulous new City Beer Store, dubbed Chanukah vs. Christmas — because marketeer extraordinaire Jeremy Cowan, founder of He’Brew, was behind it. Essentially it was just an opportunity to taste around thirty different winter beers, including He’Brew’s Jewbelation 10th Anniversary Ale (last year’s beer) and He’Brew’s Jewbelation 11th Anniversary Ale on Rye. Craig and Beth, who own City Beer Store, put on a great event and the place was packed.

As for the beer, it was nice to see that about a third of the beers were from Belgium and included a few I hadn’t tried before. Standouts among the imports included St. Feuillien’s Cuvee Noel, the Delirium Noel and, of course, Samichlaus.
 

City Beer Store owner Craig Wathen, holding a magnum of 1994 Anchor Christmas Ale, and Jeremy Cowan, holding a bottle of He’Brew’s 11th Anniversary Ale.

 

For more photos from the Chanukah vs. Christmas Beer Tasting, visit the photo gallery.
 

Anchor Christmas Bash 2007

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Last night was the annual Anchor Christmas Party at the Anchor Brewery in San Francisco. I’ve been going to this party for more than ten years now and it’s always a great event. Anchor puts on a terrific spread of food and all of the Anchor beers are available on tap, including this year’s Christmas Ale. The main floor of the brewery where the taproom is and the beautiful copper kettles are fills up with local beer industry people and other friends of the brewery.

My wife Sarah, beer chef Bruce Paton and Jen Garris, with New Belgium Brewing.

For more photos from this year’s Anchor Christmas Party, visit the photo gallery.
 

Happy Repeal Day

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Today is the 74th anniversary of the repeal of national Prohibition in the United States. Bob Skilnik has, naturally, the most complete account at his Beer In Food blog. His piece is called “National Prohibition; Its REAL Anniversary” and goes into great detail about the history swirling about at that time. It’s definitely worth a read.

In addition, Eugene, Oregon bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler has been leading an effort to make December 5 a holiday and he’s also set up a Repeal Day website. And Dewar’s is also running a Repeal Day promotion to celebrate the day (and sell some whisky, of course). Seems like a good idea to me, we can never have too many holidays to remind us what a bad idea Prohibition was, especially with the neo-prohibitionists of today trying so hard to bring about another one.

 

Revelers enjoying the repeal of Prohibition in 1933.
 

Marin Munchies

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Thursday night in Marin was delicious, with Brendan Moylan’s newest venture, Noonan’s Bar & Grill, which like Marin Brewing is also located at Larkspur Landing in Larkspur, hosting a beer dinner conceived by head brewer Arne Johnson. Arne put the menu and the pairing together, working with Noonan’s chef Jose Flores.

Arne Johnson sporting his four gold medals won the previous week at the Great American Beer Festival with Brendan Moylan, owner of Marin Brewing.

All of Arne’s pairings were good, but none worked quite as well as his dry, chocolately Pt. Reyes Porter with the pork mole empañadas with fresh cotija cheese.

Brendan Moylan with chef Jose Flores, explaining how he prepared some of the dishes.

The main course; Petaluma duck breast with pale ale braised beet greens, sage & queso fresco polenta and ancho chili orange sauce paired with Arne’s Imperial IPA, White Knuckle. The big hop beer did a great job of stripping the heat from the dish, which is great because I’m a hot spice wuss.

Rodger Davis, formerly of Drake’s, Beer Chef Bruce Paton and Arne Johnson.

After the dinner, Arne opened some special bottles from his personal stash.

 

GABF 2007: Day 4, Saturday

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Saturday began, as it always does, with a media brunch sponsored by Samuel Adams, followed by the GABF awards ceremony, which is essentially the craft beer industry’s Oscars. Afterwards, there were many side events on the last day, along with the crowded Saturday Night Session and the inevitable trip to Falling Rock to end the evening.

From the awards ceremony. Arne Johnson and Shane Aldrich, from Marin Brewing in Larkspur, California, winning one of their four gold medals, this one for Triple Dipsea Belgian-Style Ale in Category: 61 Belgian Style Abbey Ale. Marin Brewing also won three more gold medals, for Tiburon Blonde in Category: 59 Belgian and French-Style Ale, Pt. Reyes Porter in Category: 64 Robust Porter, and Star Brew Triple Wheat in Category: 74 American-Style Wheat Wine Ale.

Geno Acevedo, from El Toro Brewing in Gilroy, California, at the beginning of Saturday’s evening session.

 

For many more photos from Saturday at GABF, visit the galleries for the Saturday Awards Ceremony and the Rest of Saturday’s events.
 

GABF 2007: Day 3, Friday

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Friday we finished judging at Noon and I rushed over to a media lunch with Lucy Saunders, Sam Calagione and Marnie Old. Then there was the Alpha King Challenge at Falling Rock along with some other events Chris Black had planned for us, including kegs of Sierra Nevada’s new Harvest Ale. After that, the Friday Night Session resumed at 5:30 and was as crowded as expected.

Past Alpha King winner Brendan Moylan, who owns both Marin Brewing and Moylan’s, downstairs waiting for the results of this year’s contest.

Chris Black also had as his guests the father and son brewers from Bosteels in Belgium.

Back at the Denver Convention Center, John Mallet, from Bell’s Brewing, shows he’s ready to strut his stuff at the disco (at right) with (from left) Bob Pease and Ray Daniels, both with the Brewers Association, along with British publican extraordinaire, Mark Dorber, who do not look quite ready for the dance floor. Though to be fair, Ray looks like he’s leaning into the idea.

 

For many more photos from Friday at GABF, visit the galleries for the Friday Daytime Events and the Friday Night Session.