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dcbeer · 8 years ago

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Traipsing Through the Beer Aisle Vol. 3

Welcome to “Traipsing Through the Beer Aisle” a (kinda) recurring feature here at DCBeer where we walk through a well-stocked beer aisle and point out new and/or noteworthy offerings in the DC market. Today’s beers come from a variety of grocers around the District.

I do a lot of my six-pack shopping at grocery stores now.

/braces for chorus of boos, none of which are saying “Boo-urns.”

No offense intended to small, independent bottle shops, my buying habits these days just lend themselves more to throwing a six-pack in my basket than they do spending hours in a shop deciding whether this 22oz is really worth my money.

I digress.

Anyway, the surprising thing about this edition of Traipsing is how decent (not good, but decent) the average DC grocery store’s craft beer selection is. That Whole Foods has a good selection is a given, but to see pretty good variety at a Target or Giant is encouraging for consumers.

Anyway, on we go.

Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp series yielded the delicious Tropical IPA last year that was a real hit. This year’s beer is again hop-forward, and according to the brewery uses “wheat malt for a light, dry body and bold American and experimental hops for intense citrus flavor.”

The problem with a lot of samplers is that it has two or three beers you want to drink and then a dud or something suboptimal. Troegs’ usually does a pretty great job with theirs. This one is no different. The Scratch series (In this case, Chocolate Stout), can only be had on-premise in draft or via these samplers. A hoppy winter seasonal sits tight with Troegenator (which has won a bunch of GABF medals) and Perpetual (a solid and reliable but not over-the-top remarkable IPA).

As you may have seen, New Belgium did a pretty wide-ranging re-brand. Pictured are two of the new offerings, Whizbang, a hoppy blonde, and Voodoo Ranger 8 Hop Pale Ale. I have to be honest: I have no idea why the hell there is a skeleton ranger on this packaging or why a brewery in Fort Collins, CO has any connection to voodoo. But this guy (or maybe it’s a gal, I don’t know how to check gender on beer label skeletons) now graces the packaging of a pale, IPA, and imperial IPA. I wound up buying a six-pack of the pale. It’s quite tasty in a generic, high-quality hop-forward pale ale kind of way.

If this sampler is intended to bring us all together as a nation...we are going to need a bigger box. I’m on record as saying that the 6x2 configuration for a beer sample is way better than a 4x3. This has a little bit for everyone (unless you like stouts). Two malt-forward beers: Irish Red and Boston Lager. Two lagers: a Helles and a Pils, and two hop-forward options: Hopscape (another new six-pack offering) and Ella Blanc IPL.

Hey, Austin’s Eastciders, which made its debut last year here in the District, is now being sold off-premise. If you want a pineapple cider, this is the best news for you.

Here’s an IPL you could buy from Yuengling if you want to. (I didn’t want to, personally).

Here’s another one of those new New Belgium offerings. This is a lemon ginger sour ale that is begging to make every beertail menu.

Chessie is Baltimore’s Union Brewing Company’s barleywine. It did very well at Scion’s Blind & Boozy a few years back, and if you don’t want to #drinkitnow (you should), it’ll cellar well. Along with Mad Fox’s, this is one of the best local examples of the style. Don’t @ me about how I’m inconsistent about whether Baltimore is local or not for the DC beer scene. I already know.

Here’s a Stillwater and Cigar City collaboration whose label references something I am too young to understand. To the right, you’ll see Gose Gone Wild.

Here are many good options from Perennial. These make excellent housewarming gifts, not just because they have a good story, but because they look fancy and they’re likely to be appreciated even by “non-beer people.”

Sorachi Ace is in six-packs now. Sorachi Ace is a strange hop that (to me) makes beers taste like they’re oak-aged even when they’re not. It also has a very strong lemon note. If you like lemons and saisons, here you go.

Exclusive vanilla bean porter! The jury is still out on whether I am worthy of buying this sampler, let alone drinking its contents. Also, wow Ruination in 12 ounce bottles? Is that new? Obviously the art is. Who do I expect to answer me in this inquiry? I have no idea.

Here’s another Sam Adams sampler. It’s probably a little old at this point. Do you want to be drinking Old Fezziwig in mid-February? Maybe. The Christmas spirit has left me until at least September though. The rest here is pretty interesting: a ginger beer, white IPA, and chocolate bock. Okay, I just want non-chocolate bock.

Skeleton Ranger is back again.

Here’s some more New Belgium. That cow on the end is a Ben and Jerry’s collab. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ale. [Obligatory Cizauskas plug.] The other three are drinkable, but this is a case (literally and figuratively) for me where I’d have to hold my nose on the fourth beer.

These Wicked Weed 750s clean up nicely. (This is P Street Whole Foods for those of you trying to track down any of these).

Here’s a new Sierra Nevada six-pack. The fact that Sierra Nevada feels they need to make an Orange Pale Ale when they already make the best version of the style that has probably ever been brewed is insanely depressing. But then again when was the last time I bought a six-pack of SNPA? I’m part of the problem I guess. Anyway if you are on Team “I need fruit in all my beers,” congratulations, you’ve won again.

Since I just got an email about Luponic Distortion 005, I’m going to guess this photo is a little out of date.

TASMANIAN IPA ALERT. This beer is insanely tasty. The folks who run Lost and Found and the associated restaurants tend to bring this in a lot, and it never disappoints.

Standing reminder that Lindeman’s Cuvee Rene is a perfectly fine (if not insanely complex) gueuze that is both a good introduction to the style and a budget addition to any bottle share.

DC’s first cidery, ANXO, has a collab with Shacksbury!

15 packs of session beer: it’s not just for Easy IPA anymore.

I like this rebrand from Harpoon. The idea of putting the top three adjectives for the beer right on the packaging is clever, but my guess is that it also railroads consumers into only using those three words when discussing the beer.

Finally, here’s a very robust local beer section. It’s great to see this much variety from folks in the DC metro area. Keep on keeping on!

#beer #craftbeer #dcbeer #dcbrews #hops #ipa #vabeer #mdbeer #alcohol

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dcbeer · 9 years ago

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DMV Winter Seasonals Roundup

We find ourselves now firmly entrenched in the holiday season, and along with rampant consumerism, an inundation of holiday music, and the looming specter of holiday travel, there is also a bevy of winter/holiday beers that will be leaving brewhouses across the area. Holiday beers run the gamut of styles, but they tend to run heavier and maltier to fend off winter’s chill. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your preferences), some area breweries are bucking that trend while others have stuck to it. Something for everyone! Below we check out the offerings we’ve heard about. This list will be updated as we hear about more beers, so check back often! Breweries: want to see your beer listed here? Send us an email at [email protected] so we have the details!

Port City Brewing Company - Tidings - 7.8% - Imperial Witbier What They Say: “Tidings Ale is a strong and spicy Belgian style blond ale brewed with local Maryland wildflower honey and Virginia wheat. These special ingredients store away the flavor and essence of summer, and later warm us during the cold winter months. It is gently spiced with coriander, cardamom, fresh ginger and grains of paradise.”

Tidings is my personal favorite holiday beer, anywhere. I really look forward to the release each year. The sharpness of the ginger helps to keep this from becoming too cloying, and the ABV is just right. I want a little bit of a punch in my holiday beers (to keep me in good cheer), but this is low enough that I can also have a few without falling into the tree.

Hellbender Brewing Company - Grampus - Smoked Nut Brown - 6.2% “Grampus is an English style nut brown ale that borders on a porter. Apple and cherry wood smoked malts from Copper Fox distillery (VA) add a subtle smoky aroma that blends beautifully with the British pale chocolate and brown malts, Grampus starts sweet on the palate, but finishes clean and dry.”

3 Stars Brewing - Nectar of the Bogs - Cranberry Saison - 5.0% What They Say: “Bright and crisp with a subtle earthy tartness from the fresh cranberries. Clean dry finish with a lively mouthfeel. Designed with the Fall & Winter Holidays in mind, this pairs perfectly with oven roasted turkey, hams, stuffing, and mashed potatoes. Also works great as a counterbalance to creamy and rich cheeses.”

Flying Dog Brewery

Sea Salt Caramel Brown - Brewhouse Rarities - 7.0% What They Say: “The caramel sweetness isn’t cloying, so you could pair this with a not-too-sweet shortbread or cheesecake. Want to go savory? Try it with dry-rub BBQ or smoked brisket.”

K-9 Winter Warmer - 7.4% What They Say: ”If it tastes like Christmas, it probably works with K-9. This year's release was brewed with cardamom, vanilla, and chocolate, so try it with buttery cheeses, sweet breads and hearty stews.”

Naughty Egg Nog Ale - 8.4% What They Say: “With subtle sweetness and a palate full of holiday spice and bourbon, this beer can stand alone as your dessert course all season long.”

Nice - Holiday Milk Stout - 7.3% What They Say: “Slight sweetness from the lactose follows behind a rich chocolate malt profile. Give this nicety a whirl with creamy cheeses like brie and camembert or with dark chocolate desserts.”

The Flying Dog Holiday Collection. This holiday variety pack features four beers designed to pair with a specific cookie from the legendary Otterbein’s Bakery in Baltimore. This “for Marylanders, by Marylanders” pack is only available in our local markets. The four beers include:

Raspberry Leaf Ale - 6.5%: “Bright and fruity raspberry meets notes of steeped tea, making this a perfect pairing with Otterbein's Lemon Sugar Cookies. Oats, honey.”

Horchata Lager - 6.8%: “Cinnamon and vanilla dominate with a sweet, yet clean, finish making this a perfect pairing with Otterbein's Sugar Cookies.”

Christmas IPA - 7.6%: “Resinous and citrus hop character meets bright spruce, making this a perfect pairing for Otterbein's Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookies.”

Baltic Porter - 8.4%: “Complex notes of fig, dark chocolate and subtle smoke make this the perfect pairing for Otterbein's Chocolate Chip Cookies.”

Atlas Brew Works

Saison des Fetes - 7.1% What They Say: “This is a beer to celebrate. Our winter Saison balances spicy French hops, aromatic European malt, and a unique Belgian yeast. Welcome to the farmhouse. Settle in, warm your firkles by the fire, and drink in the festive season.”

Saison des Brett - 7.1% What They Say: “To make Saison de Brett, we start with our La Saison des Fêtes that balances spicy French hops, aromatic European malt, and a unique Belgian yeast. Next we rack the beer into local red wine barrels, add a bit of wild Brettanomyces yeast, and age for 12 months. The result is a complex, funky beer that is amazing when released and will change in flavor if cellared properly.”

Mad Fox Brewing Company

Oaked Wee Heavy 2016 - 9%: What They Say: “A strong Scotch ale aged in Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels...a terrific blend of the Scottish brewing tradition and American spirits melded together. This very full-bodied, dark brew possesses a deep, rich malt character as a result of an extended kettle boil. This brew expresses hints of toffee, plums, currants that are all intensified with an oak smokiness. Lightly hopped as a Scots brewer would with the English varietal First Gold.”

Headcracker - English Style Barleywine – 9%: What They Say: “An English style golden barleywine brewed with English Pale and German pilsner malts to lend a light biscuit flavor on the palate. This brew is hopped with the English hop varietal First Gold, to lend just enough bitterness to balance the malt notes.”

DC Brau Brewing Company

The Stone of Arbroath - Scotch Ale - 8% What They Say: “Stone of Arbroath has a rich, sweet malty aroma with mellow notes of plum and brown sugar. The mouthfeel has a creamy softness with highlights of toffee and intense caramel that are derived from a lengthy 90 minute boil which encourages caramelizing of dense wort sugars. These complemented by a subtle roast character that finishes with a mild acridity that pleasantly coats one’s mouth. Coming in at a warming and subdued 8% ABV it will definitely ruffle many a kilt this spring.”

Alpha Domina Mellis, Part 4 - Double India Pale Ale - 8.5% What They Say: “The season of Christmas beers is upon us, which means DC Brau returns with its winter warmer, the Alpha Domina Mellis. Now in its fourth year of brewing, the Double IPA includes gallons of wildflower honey from Burnside Farms in Haymarket, VA, and locally-grown Virginia barley that was malted by Pilot Malthouse in southern VA. This year’s hop varieties are a mix of new exciting strains from Oregon and New Zealand. ADM Part 4 visually grabs the consumer’s attention with an attractive tight, lacey white head and a visually appealing orange-ish hue, which is realized by the addition of crystal malts to the malt bill. A generous 90 minute addition of hops lay the foundation for the punchy, lingering mellon-like bitterness that playfully tingles the palate after every sip, which only helps to perpetuate the intense hop flavor and presence. The honey helps boost alcohol content and adds a crisp, dry finish to the beer, which, like the malt, is only there to support the heavy, hoppy juiciness of this precious hop elixir. Yeast: Chico Ale MALTS: Canadian 2-row, Pilot Malthouse 2-row VA barley, C-60 ADJUNCTS: Wild Flower Honey (Supplied by Burnside Farms in Haymarket, VA) and Brewers Crystals HOPS: Citra, Falconer's Flight, Simcoe, Idaho #7, Mosaic, Experimental variety 05256, Wai-ti and Kohatu IBU: approximately 115”

Lost Rhino Brewing Company - Woody Stout - Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout - 6.8%

What They Say: “A bourbon-barrel aged stout, this brew has a blend of spicy chocolate, vanilla, and the toasty aroma of coffee. Tasting Notes: A smokey aroma complements the balanced flavors of coffee, bourbon, vanilla, caramel, and dark chocolate

Malts: 2 Row, Munich, Crystal, Carapils, Chocolate, and Black Hops: Columbus ABV: 6.8% IBU: 30 SRM: 40”

Plenty of brews for the holidays! Any of these pique your particular interest? Let us know on Twitter!

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dcbeer · 9 years ago

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The Pros & Cons of Being a Beer Drinker

This list’s format is a result of me reading too much Buzzfeed (pro?) and routinely hitting the paywall for both the Washington Post and the New York Times (con) by the second week of the month. With that said, I have been thinking a lot recently about why it’s good to be a beer drinker (usually in the middle of a great night out) and then also why it’s bad to be a beer drinker (usually the following morning). Any kindred spirits out there? Let me know in the comments.

Pro: People know what to get you for Christmas, Hanukkah, and your birthday and 9 times out of 10 you actually enjoy it. Whether it’s a six-pack, a beer poster (like this one which I received last Christmas!), a beer cookbook, a bottle opener, a trip to a brewery, etc. you will almost certainly enjoy yourself while sipping, viewing, reading, or using this gift, and your friends and family will pat themselves on the back for knowing you so well. It’s a win-win.

Con: Since you probably didn’t check a bag on your trip home for Christmas (and you’re probably not inclined to do so on the way home), you will need to finish that six-pack before you leave. Not the worst thing in the world.

Pro: You have something to talk about with strangers at bars. Being able to ask people what they’re drinking and have a semi-intelligent conversation about it will save you from staring at your phone while waiting for your date and will make you look both personable and smart when your date shows up. I’ve had conversations with dozens of strangers at bars just because I asked them what they were drinking. Pro-tip: Asking (attractive) people this question is also fertile ground for relationship building. Although this has never led to any actual emotional entanglements for me, I stand by the fact that it damn well could.

Con: You can pretty quickly alienate “wine people.” [Ed. Note: This is not a con.] If you sense this may be happening, you should probably just shut up about beer and act very interested in wine. Then slowly slink away.

Pro: You have a reason to leave your house and explore your neighborhood, city, state, and/or the world. Especially here in DC where there are so many amazing breweries and local watering holes in our 68.34 square miles, you’d be a fool to always drink at home instead of going out and drinking in establishments that are actually making the beer you’re drinking or bringing in some of the most interesting beers available anywhere.

Con: You cannot be at all of the events at once. And you will experience some major FOMO when you have to attend to other responsibilities during fun beer events. Pro-tip: Check out the DCBeer calendar.

Pro: There’s so much to learn, which makes beer an excellent hobby! There are a vast number of ways to increase your beer knowledge and enjoyment. Beer is very social, but doesn’t require a group to enjoy. And you can replicate your hobby on your own by learning how to home brew! Homebrewing can also make your beer hobby less expensive over time, especially if you get good at brewing what you like.

Con: Being a beer drinker can get very expensive, very fast. To drink beer, you have to buy it (for the most part), and, depending on how often and in what way you’re drinking, your beer expenses can rack up quickly. There will always be new beers to try, and between keeping up with new releases, bar openings, and not forgetting what your favorites taste like, your resources can be spread thin.

Pro: You can feel good about supporting the hyper-local beer scene around you. Craft beer is almost always more expensive than its non-craft counterparts, but when you choose local your dollars aren’t just adding to the coffers of AB InBev or MillerCoors or Constellation Brands. Instead you are supporting your neighbors and the local beer scene. We are extremely lucky to have so many award-winning breweries in DC and the surrounding area, and you should feel great about spending your dollars there and at the bars that support them.

Con: Weight gain. Based on my own experience this is one of the reasons women are more apt to like wine than beer. “Beer belly” didn’t get its name for nothing! And because wine has all but been labeled a health food, doesn’t have quite the carb content of beer, and is made from fruit, people have convinced themselves that wine is good for them and beer is bad for them. The calorie count on beer doesn’t help unfortunately. Here at DCBeer we are both pro-beer and pro-exercising to balance out the beer.

Pro: You can impress people. Tons of people drink beer, but many of them don’t know much about it. Even a passing knowledge can be extremely impressive to someone who can’t tell an IPA from a gose.

Con: Really liking and appreciating beer can sometimes be perceived as alcoholism, which is a bummer. There is also the very real risk of alcoholism. [PSA: Be safe and seek help if necessary.]

Pro: The beer community is an incredible group of people to be a part of. Take this story about a collaborative brew by Northern Virginia brewers to raise money for Forge Brew Works’ Matt Rose and his family. Or this story from Flying Dog in nearby Maryland, where they are holding a benefit for severely flood-damaged Ellicott City. Breweries all across the U.S. support amazing causes like responsible water usage, environmental sustainability, energy conservation, and helping their local communities. Bars are also places where communities can really come together. This week I went to a memorial event for a good friend of mine who was killed in Bloomingdale in July. The event was held at Lou’s City Bar where he was a much-loved regular. In between stories shared by family and friends were stories from the staff at Lou’s whose lives he had touched and who had touched his. Drinking his favorite beer (Bell’s Two Hearted) at his favorite bar felt like the most natural way to toast his existence. And there will even be a plaque installed on the bar stool he frequented. Beer people are good people, and the beer community is a great one to be a part of.

Con: Hangovers. God. The hangovers.

#craft beer #beer #dcbrews #dc #dcbeer #hangover #beers

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dcbeer · 9 years ago

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Traipsing Through the Beer Aisle, Vol. 2 - 6/2016: Variety Pack Edition

A number of breweries release sample boxes, samplers, variety packs, or “collections,” according to their own nomenclatures. These contain, typically, 12 beers total, three each of four different varieties. These are a great way to acclimate consumers to beer portfolios, and they usually include both flagship brands and seasonal offerings.

In recent trips through various grocery stores in the District, I’ve noticed a number of samplers I hadn’t seen before. Here’s what I’ve found and some thoughts I have on each of them. So we’re clear at the start, here’s what I tend to value in a sampler (in no particular order): variety (I’d rather have six pairs of two beers than four sets of three), seasonal appropriateness, and innovation (some of these beers are one-offs, let’s see breweries flex some creative muscles they might not otherwise).

Seen any other variety packs around that I should include here? Let me know in the comments! Onto the beers, which are arranged alphabetically by brewery name.

Blue Moon’s Brewmaster Sampler Contains:

3 - Summer Honey Wheat

3 - Belgian Table Pils

3 - Belgian White

3 - White IPA

Half of this sampler includes year-round flagships, so you’re not going to see a ton you can’t otherwise be getting six of. The Belgian Table Pils has Mandarin orange peel to go along with Mandarina Bavaria hops, among others. At 4.2%, this is intended to be a food-friendly, easy-drinking, sessionable offering. The Summer Honey What is one of Blue Moon’s original offerings and has a GABF gold medal under its belt.

Dominion’s Pinup Pack Price: $18.99 at Giant-O Street Market Contains:

3 - Double D Double IPA

3 - Gigi’s Farmhouse Ale

3 - Morning Glory Espresso Stout

3 - Candi Belgian Tripel

Let me just go ahead and get this out there: I really do not like these pinup themed beers. I don’t like the shtick or the objectification of women, and I don’t really care for the argument that pinups have a place in history as an “art form.” Nah. That alone would be enough to keep me from buying this variety pack, to be honest. With that said, this pack does offer a lot of stylistic variety. A saison, a tripel, an underrated espresso stout, and a (quite good) DIPA has a little something for everyone, from the bland to the adventurous. Whether that’s enough to get you over the sheepish look you might have to put on bringing this to a house party is another question.

Flying Dog’s Variety Pack Price: $19.99 (on sale for $18.99) at Safeway K Street

Contains:

3 - Numero Uno Agave Cerveza

3 - Easy Session IPA

3 - Doggie Style Pale Ale

3 - Bloodline Blood Orange IPA

Lots to like for hop fans here (and a concession for the lager drinkers among us), but not a ton for those looking for seasonality. All of these beers are year-round offerings from the Frederick mainstay. It would be great to see something like Dead Rise or even some of the Brewhouse Rarities, Heat Series, or Single-Hop Series slipped into this to show off the other beers in Flying Dog’s portfolio.

New Belgium’s Folly Variety Pack Price: $18.99 (on sale for $16.99) at Safeway K Street Contains:

4 - Mothership Wit

2 - Heavy Melon Watermelon Lime Ale

2 - Slow Ride Session IPA

2 - Citradelic Tangerine IPA

2 - Fat Tire Amber Ale

Mothership Wit is the latest “Revival” from New Belgium’s past beers. You get four of them in this pack, along with a Citra/tangerine IPA, a serviceable session IPA, two Fat Tires (you’ve had Fat Tire before, yes?), and a watermelon lime ale that certainly is innovative and not a standard offering. Pretty good variety here, with a healthy mix of year-round and limited offerings. The Fat Tire satisfies the malt-forward need, although 1554 could’ve been a good stand-in, too. Points for a lot of seasonal appropriateness, too.

Red Hook’s Hook Pack Summer Variety Pack Contains:

3 - Summerhook Golden Rye Ale

3 - ESB

3 - IPA

3 - Pale

Three of these beers are pretty average, generic takes on their style. They’re serviceable but won’t do much wowing. The Summerhook, a golden rye ale, isn’t on Red Hook’s website, so not much to say here. Um, if you really like the idea of a variety pack but one of the more interesting ones isn’t available, there’s one thing that this variety pack has going for it: it is, indeed, a variety pack.

Samuel Adams Summer Variety Pack Contains:

2 - Boston Lager

2 - Summer Ale

2 - Whitewater IPA

2 - Belgian Session

2 - Heaven or Helles

2 - Got to Gose

This is really well done. Lots of variety in terms of trying a bunch of different beers. Seasonally appropriate in that you’ve got a lot of crisp, hoppy, or refreshing styles here. And there’s some innovation here in the sense that there’s a Gose with cucumber added and a Belgian table beer. Great work from Sam Adams and a perfect pick-up for summer.

Samuel Adams Pack of Rebels Contains:

3 - Rebel IPA

3 - Rebel Cascade IPA

3 - Rebel Grapefruit IPA

3 - Rebel Rouser Double IPA

This has a single-minded goal: get you acquainted with Sam Adams’ Rebel family of beers. These beers, in turn, have a single-minded goal: deliver the hops. If you have friends who are somehow still not onto IPAs, this is probably not the housewarming gift for them. But if you’ve got some hopheads who also like shotgunning beers, then bringing this over will be like second Christmas.

Troegs Anthology Summer Pack Contains:

3 - Perpetual IPA

3 - Dreamweaver Wheat

3 - Sunshine Pils

3 - Gose

This is another very strong contender. Troegs, if you’re not familiar with them, has been the beneficiary of one of the very best brewery rebrands I’ve seen in a long time. Four very distinct styles, each refreshing for summer in its own way, and featuring a gose that’s out of Troegs famous “Scratch” series. This ticks off all of the boxes for what I like in a sampler.

Victory’s Summer Selections Contains:

3 - Summer Love

3 - Cage Radler

3 - Frische Weisee

3 - Vital IPA

This is very similar to Troegs’ pack above in that it’s very strong. There are four great summer styles here: American blonde, radler, Berlinerweisse, and IPA. The middle two are limited releases, which adds something to this pack that you can’t normally buy off the shelf, and Summer Love is a seasonal fan favorite. Vital is Victory newish IPA that rivals the stalwart Hop Devil in their portfolio. Overall a tidy little package.

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dcbeer · 9 years ago

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From a press release:

HOMEBREW CON 2016 Thousands of Homebrewing Hobbyists Gather in Baltimore for Three-Day Conference and Expo

WHAT: Homebrewers from across the country will flock to Charm City for the National Homebrewers Conference, which—for the first year ever—will go by its brand new name: Homebrew Con. Hosted by the American Homebrewers Association, the event—a three-day extravaganza of homebrewing culture, companionship and competition—features special interactive seminars, workshops and demonstrations that educate and enlighten homebrewers and beer enthusiasts of every level.

The 38th annual conference is also home to the final round of judging in this year’sNational Homebrew Competition, the world’s largest beer competition, which recognizes the most outstanding homebrewed beer, mead and cider produced by amateur brewers worldwide.

WHO: An estimated 3,200 attendees will have the opportunity hear from over 90 presenters, including keynote speaker Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, one of the most recognized breweries in the country. Presenters include other pioneering and veteran homebrewers, Cicerones, mead makers and more.

WHEN: Thursday, June 9 – Saturday, June 11. Times vary. For a full schedule of events, visit the conference schedule.

WHERE: The Baltimore Convention Center - One West Pratt Street - Baltimore, MD 21201

WHY: The American Homebrewers Association has worked on behalf of the homebrewing community since 1978 and celebrates a membership of more than 46,000 homebrewers and beer enthusiasts. This fun and educational gathering brings together homebrewing fans and friends from across the country to broaden their brewing skills and knowledge, while enhancing the community’s camaraderie.

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dcbeer · 9 years ago

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DOPS, Inc. Hiring for Western MD & DC Territories

From the job listing:

DOPS, Inc., a family-owned & operated wine, beer, and spirits distributor is looking for full-time Sales Representatives for Washington, DC & Western Maryland. We’re looking for people who love to sell and have a passion for craft beer, great wine and boutique spirits.

As a small company each of the DOPS Sales Staff is expected to wear a variety of hats, allowing her or him to gain experience in many areas of the industry. With our small and growing operation, you’ll be getting in on the ground floor – but with over 30 years of company experience as a foundation. Sales representatives are expected to hit the street selling to both on and off premise accounts, marketing your products, putting on events, and attending weekly company tasting and supplier meetings. This position will afford you the independence of an entrepreneur, giving you the personal and professional experience of building a business in your sales territory. You will also be expected to be a team player and help the management team achieve company sales goals.

Our chosen candidates will be responsible for promoting high value products from all over the world: we have 130+ wine brands in our portfolio which focus on quality and value; we have one of the best craft beer portfolios in the area, with over 75 craft breweries represented. The best perk of the job is getting to be a part of and taste from some of the most established wineries & breweries in the world.

The open positions are filling established territories. Both territories are in need of someone to jump right in and hit the ground running.

We offer competitive salary with eventual conversion to commission (when territory generates more commission than salary). We offer monetary support for cell phone and car use. We offer medical and dental insurance and a 401K plan with generous matching funds.

The potential sales representative should have some of these qualifications:

College graduate

Retail, restaurant or wholesale wine, beer or spirit experience

Marketing & Sales background

A passion for craft beers, wine and spirits

Team player

Reliable transportation

Technologically proficient

Outgoing personality

We will hire recent college graduates if you have the positive qualities we are looking for.

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dcbeer · 9 years ago

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Heavy Seas Announces Blunderbuss Music Fest

From a press release:

Blunderbuss Music Fest

June 11, 2016

1:00pm – 9:00pm Rash Field, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD

Formerly Heavy Seas Island Jam, this music festival will feature national recording artists: Robert Randolph and the Family Band. Four more bands will be announced in February. Robert Randolph and the Family Band is an American funk and soul band led by pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph. Rolling Stone included Robert on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

This event is presented by local Baltimore brewing company, Heavy Seas Beer. Event attendees will be offered several craft beer styles onsite to purchase, as well as a variety of food vendors. Guests are welcome to bring chairs and blankets to take advantage of the spacious stage viewing area.

General admission to the festival is $39 in advance and includes admission to the event and all live entertainment. Food and beverages will be sold a la carte. Other ticket packages available include First Mate, which is $59 and includes admission to the event and all live entertainment, plus five drink tickets redeemable for five Heavy Seas beers (food and additional beers sold a la carte). The final ticket tier, VIP, is $99 and includes admission to the event and all live entertainment, unlimited Heavy Seas beers, access to a special VIP viewing area, private bathrooms, catered food, and more to be announced.

For more information on purchasing tickets for Heavy Seas Blunderbuss Music Fest, please visitwww.hsblunderbuss.com or call 800-830-3976.

Take the Charm City Circulator for quick and easy transportation. There are also thousands of free and paid parking accommodations around the site.

Hotel room packages are available at the Hyatt Place Baltimore / Inner Harbor, 511 South Central Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21202. 410-558-1840.

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dcbeer · 9 years ago

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Belly Love & Adroit Theory Brew Beer to Benefit Cystic Fibrosis

On Tuesday, January 7th the Belly Love Brewing Company and Adroit Theory came together to honor Brooke, a 15 month old who is living with cystic fibrosis.

Tolga Baki, Owner and Head Brewer, and Aubrey Krukles, Brewer, at Belly Love Brewing joined forces with Mark Osbourne, Owner, and Greg Skotzko, Head Brewer, of Adroit Theory for this one-time special brew.

Brooke’s Currant Obsession is an imperial, English-style brown ale. It is malt-forward, with distinct currant, chocolate and toffee notes blended with an imperial porter that was aged in Smooth Ambler Whiskey Barrels. This beer will have rich, roasty, and boozy elements and is sure to knock you on your feet.

Don’t miss your opportunity to taste Brooke’s Currant Obsession, brewed especially for this year’s 12th Annual Brewer’s Ball to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The beer will also be available in both brewery’s tap rooms.

This year’s event, the 12th Annual Beer Institute Brewer’s Ball Presented by matchboxfoodgroup and Anheuser-Busch, will continue to feature more than 30 of the very best local and regional craft breweries, as well as some national players. Beyond the beers, over 25 great restaurants and food purveyors will keep attendees well-fed while The VIPs keep the crowd moving with live music and dancing.

Many thanks to Belly Love Brewing Company and Adroit Theory for taking the time, energy, and effort to heighten awareness about cystic fibrosis and this year’s Brewer’s Ball. Their collaboration is a true testament to the generosity of the craft beer community at large.

(Disclosure: DCBeer editor Bill DeBaun has been a member of the Brewer’s Ball planning committee for six years)

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dcbeer · 9 years ago

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This Friday, January 29, 3 Stars Brewing Company will release bottles of Zombie Date Night, an imperial porter brewed with raspberries and locally sourced Undone Chocolate cocoa nibs. This beer is only released once per year.

A press release notes that Zombie Date Night has “huge notes of chocolate and roasted malt balanced with notes of tart raspberry and dark dry cocoa [and is] perfect for consumption with loved ones while awaiting the zombie apocalypse.” It weighs in at a hefty 9.6%.

Beyond draft, the beer will also be released in 750mL large format bottles, which will be avaialble at the brewery and at various retailers around the city.

#dc #beer #craft beer #3 stars #3 stars brewing #dcbrews #dcbeer #brewery

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dcbeer · 9 years ago

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Previewing The Sovereign with Greg Engert, Pt. 3

Earlier this year, the Neighborhood Restaurant Group announced the opening of The Sovereign, a Belgian-focused bar and bistro located at 1206 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Georgetown. The two-story space contains an 84-seat first floor dining room and a 47-seat bar on the second floor.

In anticipation of the restaurant’s early February opening, we’re speaking with Neighborhood Restaurant Group Beer Director Greg Engert about the new beer program and, per usual with Greg, a number of other beer industry-related topics. See the first interview here and the second here. In this third and final interview, we tour the space with Greg and discuss the food menu, among other topics. Because of the nature of chatting while walking around a restaurant, segments are arranged topically below.

What follows has been edited for length and clarity.

We started off in the bottle and keg storage rooms, which was a veritable playground for Belgian beer lovers...

Can’t pour lambics without lambic baskets.

A truly staggering amount of Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueuze. Some Girardin and Cantillon Gueuze also pictured.

Spotted: Drie Fonteinen Oude Kriek, Kriek de Ranke, Jester King, Jolly Pumpkin Bambiere, some cases from the now-defunct Pretty Things, Girardin Black Label Gueuze and Kriek.

Wait a minute...Jester King!? That’s right, rarely seen in DC.

A close-up of the above for you to use as your desktop wallpaper.

Allagash Tiarna, which will be on draft for the first time in DC when The Sovereign opens

Praire Ales 1.5L

And some 2010 Westvleteren. Because why not?

Greg surveying his bounty in a temporary keg storage area.

Stacks on stacks on stacks of accumulated de la Senne.

One of about 10 Cantillon kegs.

Kegs. Kegs of Belgian beer as far as the eye can see. Notice the sweet Chicago mural in the back.

After checking out the inventory, we started to tour the actual space, which is reached by going down an alley off of Wisconsin Avenue.

Greg Engert: The original bones of the building--I think it was built in 1983. It was Champions for a long time. It was always a weird configuration; it was always two bars, one downstairs, one upstairs. We wanted to capitalize on the two different spaces and have two different kinds of offerings. A lot of this is unfinished; you’ll see what we have so far.

DCBeer: So you built all of this out?

GE: Everything. So about 15 seats at the bar. There are going to be about 24 seats in the bar area, and that’s first-come, not reservations. Then there’s about 50 seats in the dining room, and that’s reservation only. You can reserve a table here seven nights a week, or you can just come in [to the bar area]. It’s a bistro, so you should be able to come in.

Photo courtesy of Marissa Bialecki. (Thanks, Marissa.)

On the wood in the bar…”This is all our mill worker. He came in and built the bar, all the awning, the casing here. We’ve put some beer coolers [behind the bar] so you’ll be able to see some cool beers right behind.”

...and wine...”The wine list will be curated by Brent Kroll. There will be a dozen by the glass, 50+ by the bottle...concentrating on continental wines with a special focus on natural wines, which are really huge in Brussels. It’s another way we’re trying to be a little more authentic about the Belgian experience….We’re trying to reflect as much what’s hip and happening in Brussels’ bars and restaurants beyond beer and food as we are about having a great Belgian beer list and mussels. It’s a cool thing to have Brent, who is obviously amazing at what he does, jumping in and having a great wine list that makes a lot of sense: French, Spanish, some Italian, but then also some natural and biodynamic wines that [Belgians] happen to be into. [These] also have a touch of that earthy funk that lends itself to lambic. It makes a lot of sense. As with all of our places, it may be beer-focused or beer-centric, but it’s not to exclude people who like wine. You can not like beer at all, and you’re still going to love this place, which is what we’ve done at Birch & Barley, and we’ll do it here, too.”

...and spirits…”Jeff Faile is putting together an amazing list, covering all of the spirits and flavor profiles that you’d want on your list but with a special focus on genevers. We’re bringing in some really cool ones from overseas that we haven’t seen as often. He’s incorporating these into our cocktails, plus really cool elixirs and liqueurs, herb liqueurs, aperitif wines.”

...and draft systems...”The draft system down here you’ll see is split like ChurchKey, which is intentional, but with a difference. We have basically ten lines here at 42 [degrees], and then 30 [lines] at 48 [degrees] just like ChurchKey, and 10 at 54. Belgian-style lagers, low-alcohol but hoppy blond ales, witbiers and such coming out at 42 degree temps; the big Belgian barleywines, grand crus, abts, quads, stronger tripels, imperial stouts coming on at 54, and then everyone else in between coming in at 48.”

DCBeer: Tell me a little bit more about the ambience down here. There is no natural light...

Again courtesy of Marissa Bialecki.

GE: We embraced the hell out of that. It’s so cool to have this low, kind of cave-like, cozy basement bar. They’re classic in Belgium. Who doesn’t want that?

DCBeer: It kind of reminds of the basement at The Brewer’s Art down here.

GE: Exactly. Totally. No natural light, but at the same time, it’s still a bistro...but it’s kind of a cavernous bistro. A lot of the wood is an homage to the brown bar feeling in Belgium and Brussels that you see in that area. This is actually not even done; there’s a lot more that’s going to be happening here. We exposed the foundation walls to give it more of a cellar look. Rick Singleton is our artist who works on all of our light fixtures at all of the places.

And a third from Marissa Bialecki.

From here, we went to look at the keg room.

DCBeer: Couldn’t get the gravity draw for this one?

GE: That would’ve been nice. Or to live in Europe where your cellars are actually cellar temps so you don’t have to refrigerate everything.

DCBeer: Wouldn't it be awesome to be locked in here sitcom style? Your worst nightmare?

GE: [no response]

These are all surgical stainless steel components. Everything possible is surgical stainless. All the tubing is wine grade….This will be kept at 42 degrees, which is a great temperature for holding everything. Then we use these heat exchangers to alter the temps, and then the glycol out there will maintain the temps on the lines to both floors. There are 50 lines, and every single one of them goes like that [splits in two] with shut-offs, so the same 50 beers are on both levels, which is pretty cool.

This is definitely something we spared no expense on. It’s an in-line system for cleaning, so we can effectively and efficiently clean all of the lines we need to.

The other thing I didn’t mention before, but you did: The flow control faucets...we’re using them because they’re fantastic. Especially for beers at higher CO2. Belgian beer is highly carbonated, more intensely carbonated than most other beers. The parts per million can make them a challenge for some people to pour. Factor in KeyKegs and some smaller breweries who don’t do as much kegging as we’d like them to....anyway, longer spout, and the flow control really lets us dial in the pressures at the point of service, which is really important. They have that Flux Capacitor that they’ve used at Torst and Mikkeller Bar, controlling the pressures downstairs. We looked at doing that, but I really think that with proper attention to the pressure that we’re bringing to the kegs and these flow controls, we can kind of control the actual foaming nature of the kegs.

DCBeer: How much of a learning curve do you think that is for the staff?

It’s a learning curve. I think the biggest learning curve for people is to slow down.

...and not be pouring two or three at once?

Yeah, I always say the benchmark for me is to think about how long it takes to get a cocktail. Even if it takes two or three times longer than you think it should take to pour, it’s still way faster than it takes to pour a cocktail. And great beer should take some time to serve properly. Plus, the amount of head on these beers is very important. We can’t serve beer that has too much head; we definitely don’t want to serve beer that doesn’t have enough head. So taking the time to make sure that we’re serving all of this beer to look great, taste great, and to show properly in the glass is worth the time. I think guests will appreciate that, too.

People come from all over, tending bar and pouring beers, and if it’s foamy, they throw their hands up like that’s the end of it, or they’re rushing too much. We’ve talked a lot in these interviews about how you should have some differing expectations when you go to certain bars versus others. I think people definitely have that for wine or cocktail bars. I’m not saying our service is slow by any means, but it’s not “a shot and a beer” down here. I think taking a little bit more time to make sure it’s perfect will be appreciated by the guest.

DCBeer: One thing I didn’t realize until I was here two weekends ago is how far off the main street this is. I think it changes the crowd you’re going to get a little bit. In a good way. I’m actually more excited to come here now because I think you won’t get the typical Georgetown crowd. I think there’s a novelty to having to come down the alley. Less tourists, which is nice. I don’t personally want people who are like, “Eh, what’s the closest thing to Bud Light?”

Well, I think Georgetown is changing. People have a lot of preconceived notions about Georgetown, including yourself, that don't live here.

There hasn’t been a compelling reason for me to come to Georgetown for a long time.

But I think it’s changing. A lot of these old places that have offered nothing of note are going away. Their 15 years are up, and a lot of new places are opening. Now, a lot of new places that are opening are putting a new veneer on the old club that’s always kind of been there, which is going to continue to not make people come to Georgetown. But I think places like Chez Billy Sud, us, more in the future, are coming in and saying...”We see so many great places on 14th Street or Shaw, why are they not over here?” And I think a lot of people have been worried that it’s not a home run. There have been some new openings in this neighborhood that are just literally modernized versions of things that people would not go to if they were on 14th Street necessarily. So I think that it takes a little bit of a risk to say, “Let’s do a place that we want to do in a neighborhood that doesn’t have a lot of that yet.” Hopefully it’ll get people like you who would not come to Georgetown otherwise to come over here. That comes circling back to what you said: not only are we in Georgetown, but we’re at the end of a narrow alley. You have to know where this place is to get to it. We like that. We were excited about that.

Are you going to put any signage at the end of the alley?

Not at the end of the alley. We can’t. We don’t own those buildings. We’ll have signage on our storefront here, and you’ll be able to see that, I think, from the road. We’re definitely, as with all of our places, still crafting the decor. Some decisions haven’t been made. I think what you’ll be able to see is, there’s going to be life down here. There’s going to be lighting on the awning. We’re having to work with the BID, the neighborhood, with our neighbors; it’d be really cool to string lights up and down the whole alley, but it takes a lot of agreements….I think it’ll be recognizable as something, as a bar and restaurant, but is it going to be calling to you the same way as something right on M Street would? No. It makes it unique.

Climbing the stairs to the upper level, we stop in front of what would be a quite large walk-in closet in a residential space.

GE: This is something I’m really psyched about....There was this weird space over here; what would we do with this space when the rest of it is happening over here? [gesturing toward the bar area]. It dawned on me, kind of when we were talking about quickness of service: if you have 300-500 bottles, you don’t really need them all at arm’s length, especially when you have so much on draft. So this is our built-in walk-in beer storage room. It is temperature-controlled, light-controlled, and humidity-controlled, and so we’re going to have bottles in here all the way to the ceiling….I think we can get over 3,000 individual bottles in here.

From here, we moved into the upstairs bar area.

GE: So this is more spacious, but at the same time there’s still not a ton of natural light. Same 50 drafts, lined up on the back, nothing on the front bar. Same wine lists and spirits up here. Food will be the same. This has more of a hunting lodge, kind of old world, German, Luxembourg--

It’s got kind of a Jagermeister kind of feel.

GE: The deer heads on the lights are kind of cool. All of that was custom. We put in the reclaimed wood ceiling here. [Behind the bar] are all antique mantles, and again that’s not close to finished. There’s a lot more glass coming in. I think it also hides the TVs well when we’re not using them. Again, you can come in here, sit at this bar, drink Taras Boulba while watching football, which I think is my dream.

After touring the space, we sat down to discuss the food menu, its inspirations, and introducing guests to lambics.

DCBeer: The big food thing when you guys announced were the mussels.

To me, it’s symbolic of how different this place is.

If you had to estimate, how much more is bringing in the mussels that you are costing you than to use more standard mussels?

The mussels that we are using are grown by fifth-generation Dutch mussel farmers who moved to the states and now grow mussels in Maine. They are expensive to grow because they’re not grown on ropes. Most farmed mussels are grown on ropes because there’s much more room in the ocean vertically than horizontally, and [farmed mussels are] grown for a shorter period of time so they don’t grow as full or as big. So they tend to be a little less plump and creamy and rich than the mussels you find in Belgium, which are grown naturally, horizontally, on the [ocean] floor, and for a longer period of time. I think the mussels that we’re using are two years old, a year and a half or two years old. It’s a small farm...that we’re getting them from, so they’re more expensive. A pound of mussels for us costs about two and a half times what they are for other restaurants. At the same time...there’s a standard for [what a restaurant can charge for mussels], and we have to follow it, same thing we do with beer.

Do you want to expand on that standard?

We talked about in one of the other interviews [that] you could make a case for a beer specialist bar charging more for the same beer as your dive bar. We don’t. We’re looking to provide value. It’s funny, when you walk into a place that has $12 beers on draft, you think it’s not [trying to provide value], but we run a far higher beer cost on anything that’s expensive. If you see something that’s $12, it should be $16 or $18. It’s appearances….When you see five or six $12 beers, it doesn’t seem like high value, but those should be $16 each.

I am so excited that I am able to offer the price points we’ve been talking about. Because we don’t have the $6 DC IPA on draft here that can make up for the expensive stuff. We have to find a way to make these beers not only affordable but sessionable, which is what they are in Belgium. And I think we can. I think we can offer a dozen or so beers that are typically $9-10 elsewhere for $6-7 here.

There’s also the issue of having the opportunity to buy those beers.

Opportunity plus training and line cleaning and all of that other stuff. We don’t add on to that. Same thing for mussels. They’re more expensive. Are we going to charge more for them than you’d expect to pay for mussels in the entire city? No. Will we make less of it because of that? Yes. Why are you doing that? Because they’re amazing, and we do this because want to present great experiences to people, and we want to showcase something different and new. We didn't want to start this place to ask, “Hey, what kind of mussels does everyone else use, let’s use those.” We overthink everything. We want it to be a Belgian beer bar and bistro that is reminiscent of the best stuff that you find in Belgium.

What we found when we were [in Belgium] a year ago--we’ll be opening this place the week we got back from Belgium last year--the first thing, I’ll never forget it, we got off the plane from a red eye. By the time we got there, we went right to the Anderlecht district in Brussels. We were starving. Before we went to Cantillon, Jean Van Roy had suggested that we go to this awesome place called Friture Rene, which is an amazing restaurant making classic Belgian fare. (If you go to Cantillon, it’s where you should be eating. Either before or after. Or both.) A friture over there is like a fry shop, and this is more than that. It’s just classic. We got the mussels, and we opened them, and...we were like, “This is different.” They’re fuller. They’re creamy. Incredible. It costs an arm and a leg to get these to America over from the North Sea from the Dutch growers. But Peter [Smith, head chef at The Sovereign] did his research and found this small farm. I don’t know, maybe they’ll become the mussels that everybody buys, but I have a feeling based on price that probably not. But that is literally a point of differentiation that we’ve been looking for, and it hits on all cylinders.

Are you worried about the consistency of being able to source them?

No. We got to these guys and told them what we wanted to do. It’s kind of like the beers. We have a relationship with this small farm now….They’ll make sure we’re taken care of before opening up new accounts I think. I’m excited. Even there, even something that is so banal to most people, that is so expected when it comes to Belgian cuisine, to be able to...offer a product of higher quality, it so perfectly reflects what we’re doing with the beer.

Food-wise, we’ll be offering the mussels in two sizes all the time. Which is great because sometimes you want to crush mussels as your dinner, sometimes you want a little snack.

What about the rest of the food menu?

Other fun things, another big part of the program...there’s a great Alsatian dish called tarte flambée, and the German for it is flammkuchen. To call them flatbreads or pizzas is not quite to do them justice. They’re thin-crust, kind of crackery, but have a slightly doughy interior. I think in the old days they used to take some dough and test the heat of the oven with these so you knew if the heat of the oven was high enough for whatever you actually wanted to cook. And then they put some toppings on it and turned it into a snack, and it turned into this awesome thing. What’s even better is that it’s not like that’s the base and you put whatever toppings you want on it. What I think makes them so special is the classic, amazing combination that in some form will be in each of our tarte flambée offerings, which is: crème fraîche, lardons, and smoked onion. Those three flavors together are beautiful. That’s the basis of all of our tarte flambée. We’ll have one that is with that base maybe with some tweaks plus gruyère cheese, plus another with champignon mushrooms. But it’s all around that same base. What makes it is that crackery bread with a little more richness plus that topping base.

There will be four or five mussel sets and four or five tart flambe sets.

A couple of burgers, one is standard as you’d expect. The other is based off of Belgium’s Big Mac, the Bicky Burger. It’s not chuck like you’d expect, it’s a blend of meats. We’re going to do ours with pork and beef, and it’s almost like a meatball consistency. It’s herbed with some nutmeg in there. It’s covered in a blend of three sauces: a sweet ketchup, a spicy hot sauce, and something slightly akin to Thousand Island. It’s like a mayo-based sauce with pickles, cauliflower, and veggies. So it’s this cool blend of sweet, sour, and spicy sauce, and then a roll inspired by pistolet that tastes kind of like an English muffin. They deep-fry the Bicky, but we’re going to skillet fry it. It gives it a crispness. It’s delicious; we’ve tasted and tested it a ton.

It’s a fun food menu that’s drawing on actually going there. Because when you’re wasted and done at Delirium Cafe, you eat these things in the middle of the street, and so to have that is really fun.

We’ve been testing and tasting shrimp croquettes, bitterballen, meatballs, a great Salade Liegeoise, their take on potato salad with high acid and lardons.

Will you incorporate beer into dishes at all?

You know, with Birch & Barley, we’ve made it a point to stay away from cooking with beer and focusing on pairing with beer. Part of that is that cooking with beer is not always a good idea. I thought for the longest time that the only way beer made its way to the table was being cooked with. “If you’re going to have a beer restaurant, everything should be cooked with beer! Cuisine a la biere!” But then I was like no...not every dish is cooked with wine; where it is, it’s because it’s better with that. There are some classic dishes that have wine in them for a reason rather than just subbing everything out.

One of the things I found out was that beer can be tough to cook with because it’s often too bitter and doesn’t have enough acid, which is really the reason why we cook with wine. One great answer to that that the Belgians have known all along is to use big, rich beers. Not that these don’t have bitterness, but they have this kind of port-like richness and intensity. You cook with port and sherry. So huge Belgian dark ales can be perfect to cook carbonnade a la flamande or something. Or acid-based beers that have nice acidity like gueuze and kriek. We are playing with some of that here, which I think is really fun. When you go over and have this stuff it is so good, but it’s not like gueuze is the only thing you’re cooking with. It’s one ingredient among many others.

Peter is classically trained French, and PS7’s had a lot of French. It was based on French technique, but it was made playful and modern and fun. Belgian food is not that distinct from French food. There will be a lot of French touches here and frankly even some francophile dishes. So we decided…we’re going to have coq au vin on the menu. You’ll have your classic red wine-braised, stewed chicken, but we’re also going to offer two alternatives to that from the beer realm. So you can have coq au vin or you can have coq au gueuze, where gueuze is the primary cooking liquid rather than red wine. It is amazing. Little bit of tannins, the brightness of the acid, little bit of funk. Gueuze takes really well to butter and richness. Then we’ll have rabbit in kriek [lapín a la kriek], which is another play on chicken and red wine. Dark cherry as well in that dish, plus I think he’s going to do it with some wilted spinach and bacon. So that’s a fun thing, too. You don’t see chicken and gueuze in your Belgian bistro menus here.

And that will also help to introduce guests to gueuze and kriek’s flavor profiles.

I’ve done a lot of homework and research with my friends and brewers to look at their stocks and take a look at what we can get throughout the year. So we’re going to plan out when we’re going to tap Cantillon kegs, when we’re going to have certain Cantillons….Same with my stocks of lambic bottles. What we are going to do...we’re going to have gueuze and kriek by the glass. It’ll just be du jour, whatever we’re pouring that day. Some days it’ll be Drie Fonteinen; it probably won’t be Cantillon.

But you’ll tell them what it is? It won’t just be “gueuze of the day” or “kriek of the day”?

Sure, but it’ll be whatever we’re pouring that day. Whatever we wind up making it...This is one of the things about this place. It’s for reinforcing the love that geeks have for lambic, but I firmly believe that...there is nothing out there like lambic. It’s almost not even beer. It’s almost its own thing. It’s funny how over time wine drinkers and gourmands have gotten into spirits and cordials and cocktails and then dabble in craft beer, but to me it’s astonishing that...lambic isn’t part of their kind of thing…

Which is great for us.

[chuckles] Yeah, which is great for us now, but that’s part of what I want to do here. I want people to come in here and--every food critic should know what traditional kriek is and who makes them and what they taste like--these are the things that you would imagine that food critics and [gourmands] would appreciate. Even though craft beer bars have the same beers from the same regional breweries, what we’re doing is different and is more of a fitting into a mainstream food culture....I want people to drink gueuze and kriek….We’ll have certain [gueuze and kriek] on offer, so when you come in you know you can get as glass of kriek and not have to buy a 750mL or even a 12.7oz...

That’s the other thing for me. Having spent a fair amount of time at ChurchKey, people just don’t go to the bottle list as often as you would expect them to...If there are 50 drafts, there’s not as much of a need for the bottle list. But these beers are meant to be consumed. In Belgium, they aren’t hoarded; they’re meant to be consumed.

And frankly, they’re different in bottle. We’re going to have all of this de Blaugies and de la Senne on draft; we’re going to have all of them in bottle, too. Because frankly if you’re having dinner with your partner or your best friend, it’s kind of fun to share a 750 of something you have on draft. Especially if they’re comparably priced, which they will be.

You see, the Belgians, one of the big things about Belgian beer is...There’s lots of American-made tripels that taste fine but don’t have the body, the mouthfeel, or the effervescence that real Belgian beers do. And that’s because they don’t do proper step-mashing, they have different water profiles than they probably should have, and they don’t know the tricks that they have over there. They don’t know how to bottle condition without blowing their corks, which is an art. Even with that, when they put these beers on draft, it’s way higher CO2, which is why we have these lovely flow control faucets, especially when you’re trying to serve those at different temps.

Introducing bottle pours is something we’re getting into more and more...and I think this is the right place for it. Frankly I’d prefer to dump a little beer at the end of the night or let the staff taste it.

It’s not going to go to waste.

Sure, and we do shift drinks. We already do so much training that that shouldn’t be the thing we're worried about. We can also now offer a different price point too.

You’re going to have people who come in, for a while, who have no fucking clue what gueuze is. Will have no idea how to even pronounce it. Your staff is going to explain it, and I don’t know what your 12.7s are going to cost, but--

Are people really going to want to take a gamble? We sell it by the glass...but it’s going to be gueuze and kriek. Those are the classic benchmarks; we’re not going to have others [by the glass]. Because I also think they’re awesome to bring to food pairing. But to your point, yeah it’s so much more accessible, love it or hate it, who knows? Then they might buy a bottle.

This is a good time to mention too, and to me this seems completely rational and logical...that we are going to have some limits on bottles. Certain things are going to not be open season because we want everybody to be able to experience this stuff. It’s in short supply, and you’re not going to be able to come in here and drink 12 bottles of Cantillon….We’re going to have more Cantillon here [than at ChurchKey], but we want it to be everyone to get some...always. I think people who love beer are the people who share beer and will never have any problem with that.

Definitely come because we have some of these crazy rare beers, but definitely stick around to taste some things that you didn’t expect to find. Because that’s what this is about. If you don’t love de la Senne beers, you’re going to, and you’re going to find that Zinnebir is a very, very delicious alternative to an IPA. And if you don’t love the beers of de Blaugies, you’re going to. I can’t stress this enough: it’s about those guys as much as it is about anybody else.

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