German Bier ist wunderbar!

It's true!!!!  My family joined me recently on a trip to Germany at Christmas time.  For my wife and I, it was important to visit family whom I haven't seen in years.  For my two sons (aged 18 and 22), their goal was entirely different. - Try as many German beers as humanly possible.

Well, I can tell you that we had lots of differnt beers and every one of them was outstanding.  The Germans of course think their beers are the best in the world.  That can be open to debate and that debate could last years.

One thing I can recommend is to try regional beers and not be so concerned with the 'Big' German brands we are so accustomed to over here.  Here's a list of all the beers we had;

• Paulaner Pilsner and Dunkelweiss
• Zwickau Brauhaus Rauchbier (this one was amazing) - they even had a Bierschapps (also very good)
• Hasseroeda
• Radeberger
• Ur-Kostritzer
• Wernesgruner
• Klumbacher Pils
• Shussenrieder Hefeweissen and Schwarzbier
• Alpersbacher Pils
• Rothaus Marzenbier
• Hofbrau Pils and Hefeweissen
• Malteser Pils and Hefeweissen
• Berg Original and Ulrichsbier
• Gold Ochsen Original
• Kaiser Winterbier
• Stuttgarter Hofbrau Pils

A good time was had by all and truly, every beer we had was great.  Could it have been the company, the country or something else?  It really doesn't matter that much - it was just very memorable.

Here's a little snippet of info not normally found - in the former East Germany (you know, the one with the wall), it was common practice to not use hops in the brewing of beer.  Instead, they used the gall bladders of cows to provide bitterness.  Why you ask?  They sold all their native hops in order to increase their GDP.  Thank god for reunification.

Prosit

Festive Shrimp Feast

At the beginning of the holiday season, lady luck visited me and I had the good fortune to host a beer dinner for a client at Shrimp Cocktail Resto-lounge in Oshawa.  Living in Durham region, I have always been a fan of this fabulous spot.  Not to mention, Chris Neshovich was one of my first clients when I entered the beer industry in 1997.  His GM, Wanda is wonderfully dedicated and passionate and ensures that all guests are well taken care of.

On this particular night, we were treated to something I don't normally do - we actually got a cooking demonstration along with a wonderful meal and beer pairing.  Chef Michael McKay and Sous Chef Andrew were absolutely amazing in delivering an outstanding experience.  The menu from start to finish was truly worthy of admiration.  Here's how the night played out

• We started out the night with a Pilsner Urquell journey into history and beer appreciation
• Sapporo Tempura Batter Hokkaido Scallops paired with of course Sapporo
• Grilled Chili Lime Marinated Tiger Shrimp, Mixed Greens tossed in Hoegaarden vinaigrette matched with Hoegaarden Witbier
• Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, Crisp Point Neuf potatoes in a Dunkel Maple Reduction paired with Weihenstephaner Dunkelweiss
• The final course was a Dark Chocolate Mousse paired with Maudite from Unibroue

The meal itself was fantastic but to me, the best part of the evening (aside from the beer) was the demonstration by these two young culinary experts. 

Bravo to all at Shrimp Cocktail
for more info - check out http://www.shrimpcocktailcafe.com/

Hitting the Trifecta

I've had the best intentions for the last month to record some of the great events that I've had the pleasure of hosting but sometimes life gets in the way. On top of that, my family and I got the opportunity of a lifetime to visit my relatives in Germany over Christmas (that will be coming shortly).

I know I've said this in the past, but man I love what I do. Honestly, I get to travel around the country, meet wonderufl people, enjoy fastastic food, good conversation and great beer.

Here's a taste (no pun intended) of 3 great beer dinners that I hosted in the fall.

Table 17
September 22
A lovely quaint yet upscale locale at 782 Queen St. East in Toronto. This dinner was set up jointly by David Maher of Sleeman and Craig Petryniak of Brick. Just to show you that brewers do indeed work together sometime. Our hosts were owners Eric and John and manager Gavin. I was impressed with the attention to detail. The dinner was upstairs at two large square tables. This allowed everyone to intereact quite well. As always, the dinner started out quiet and soon escalated to a decent volume of conversation - a sign of jovialty brought on surely by the beer. The courses went like this:

• West Coast 'Chaud Froid' - BC Virginica oyster with chorizo and paired with Okanagan Springs 1516
• Moules Frites - PEI mussels steamed with herbs and served with Belgian's Palm Ale
• Chili Beef Ribs - tripled glazed, slow cooked ribs served with Sapporo
• Braised Lamb Shank - served on Lentils du Puy with salsa verde served with Unibroue's Maudite
• Artisanal Ontario Cheeses served with Unibroue's Ephemere Pomme

I thought the oysters and 1516 were an excellent combination as were the Moules & Palm. I must admit that I was a little concerned about the Ribs and Sapporo. Traditionally, I would not match a lighter beer with a braised rib dish - but surprisingly it worked well - mainly because of the sweetness of the chili sauce . The Lamb was tender and worked perfectly with the Maudite which is a personal favourite of mine and what a great way to finish the night with a variety of cheeses and the wonderful Ephemere.

Overall - a masterful presentation of food and beer. Great company to boot.

Shutters Restaurant & Bar

September 30

A little over a week later, I had the good fortune of hosting a beer dinner in the city of Barrie. I can tell you that Shutters is stunning.....historic building overlooking Kempenfeld Bay in the fall. Wow! Dennis and the lovely Sam (not a guy) were our hosts that night and we had guests ranging from Toronto to Parry Sound. The chef, Lyndsey did a phenomenal job on creating a menu worthy of kings - speaking of Kings - Tony King, the apparent ruler of all beer in the North was the catalyst of this great dinner.

We started off with a Surf Trio - Blackened Bay Scallops with mango, papaya and pineapple sals, Creole Crab Cakes and a Lime & Grapefruit Shrimp Ceviche. We paired this with Sapporo and the match was fantastic.

The second course was Stuffed Quail with Chorizo sausage and corn bread stuffing and was accompanied by jalapeno and aged cheddar mornay sauce. The pairing was with Okanagan Springs Pale Ale - the sweetness of the beer was a delicious way to soften the heat from the peppers and the edge of the cheddar.

The main was Osso Bucco braised in Sleeman Silver Creek Lager and honey mushroom pan sauce and the side was Asiago Sweet Potato Gnocchi (which by the way were extavagant). The pairing was Silver Creek Lager. The veal shank was unbelievable and the most interesting part to me was the marrow which was incredible. In all honesty, the meal overpowered the beer but it was easily forgiven.

finally, we ended up with an Espresso Dark Chocolate Mousse and Sambuca White Chocolate Mousse in Phyllo cups with a Raspberry Coulis. To compliment the chocolate, we used John Sleeman Presents Fine Porter. I've always been a fan of this porter - it's not too bitter and has a gentle chocolate character which was a decent match with the dessert

Brussels, Halifax

November 18

I have always loved Halifax - the city, the culture, the unabashed decent into good times, the easy going nature of its inhabitants. How could I say no to an invitation to host a dinner at Brussels, a fairly new addition to the culinary map in Halifax. Ivan Nickerson put the dinner together with help from his chef Garvin. There was a wide variety of guests there including several local brewers, Greg Nash (who gave me a sample of his Simcoe Smash - thanks Greg), Daniel Girard of Garrison Brewery, Randy Lawrence of Sea Level Brewing and Lorne Romano of Rogues Roost Brewpub. I was quite honoured to be the host of the one of the first beer dinners to be held in Halifax. Ivan and his team created a wonderful evening. Service was excellent, the food was outstanding and of course the beer, exemplary. Our dinner went like this

1. Reception was Mussels Provencale, Mussels Congo and Mussels Beer & Bacon all paired with Garrison's Hopyard. The beer was wonderful, very hoppy with a nice essence of Cascade hopping but I must admit I think it was a bit overpowering for the mussels.
2. Pear and Brie Tartin with Nova Scotia Maple Syrup paired with De Koninck, a wonderful amber ale from Belgium. This was probably my favourite pairing. I thought the sweetness of the maple syrup was a nice compliment to the beer.
3. Belgian Harvest Tricolour Beet Salad paired with Blanche de Chambly - the Belgian style wit bier from Unibroue. Garvin came up with a very cool creation here - I've never seen some of these beets before and the pairing was solid
4. Chimay Grand Reserve paired with a variety of dishes - we got to choose from AAA Angus Striploin, Rotisserie Chicken or Atlantic Halibut - all topped with a Forest Mushroom Chimay Ragout, Potato gratin and vegies. I deliberately tried the Halibut wondering if the fish would be destroyed by the strength of the Chimay - I was pleasantly surprised how nicely they went together
5. Finally, Belgian Godiva chocolates and Neuhaus chocolate truffles paired with Mort Subite Framboise - a most delicious Belgian Lambic. To me, chocolate and a Belgian Fram are always a pleasant way to end the night.

Sadly, I had to leave early the next day. I was asked many times by the brewers if I was staying the next day - we had much to discuss and explore but I did tell them I would come back and spend more time. Next visit - February 11th.

As you can see, three very different dinners but all very interesting. In 2010, I promise to let you all know about upcoming events so that you can also experience the glory of beer.

Cheers and be well