Spaten ze Deutsch?

The Esplanade Biermarkt has always been a favourite of mine.  Right from when it opened in 2001, it has always held a special place in my heart.  Great beer, great staff and great food!  The General Manager, Robert Medal is totally focused on the best beer experience and he fully understand the importance of a great chef to create the food to match the great beer line up.  Enter Michael Cipollo.  I love the food at the Biermarkt and more than that am even more impressed with Chef Mike than ever before.  Why you ask?  Read on....!

On Thursday, March 4, 2010, I had the pleasure of hosting the media launch of a fantastic German beer named Spaten.  Quick tasting notes - (Helles style - means it will be light golden in colour and this particular beer has a bready, malty nose with a hint of citrus, the body is crisp with a bit more malt in the form of biscuit.  The finish is crisp and full with some decent bitterness to help cleanse the palate.)

Chef Mike brought out 3 courses - the first was a charcutiere which featured some pork belly, weisswurst, sauerkraut (just like my Mom made it) and some warm potato salad.  The second course was a fantastic schnitzel with a side of asparagus and a yukon gold mash. The final course was Granny Smith apple fritters that were a perfect portion - single bites dusted with a bit of cinnamon.  Now Mike named it an Apfelkuchen but I and the other German guests know that a Kuchen is a cake not a morsel.

Amazingly, all three courses were well matched with Spaten.  I say that because I would normally not pair a lager with a dessert - just not a thing I do.  But I concede and bow to Chef Mike.  Excellent pairing!!!  The other thing I learned that day was that we often look at the the three C's of food pairing - Cut, Complement and Contrast.  Mike taught me that he has added one more - Contradict.  Now this is very cool and that to me means you should always test the boundaries.  Nice lesson to learn for me and a big thanks to Mike, Rob and of course Erin McHattie who put the event on.  I love beer and food but more than that, I love learning from others.

Get  yourselves down to the Biermarkt and enjoy Spaten - an exclusive to the Biermarkt starting in a couple of weeks.  Available for a limited time, Spaten will make you want to visit Germany and enjoy the splendours of one of the great brewing nations.  Also, you will be able to enjoy the mastery of culinary cuisine as directed by Chef Michael Cipollo.

Prosit

What's Next?

I always find the world of beer to be an interesting place.  It is always changing, evolving and innovating.  Brands change...it's as simple as that.  Most beers shift their recipes over time.  Why?  Sometimes, it's the brewer who decides that there are some flaws that need to be ironed out.  Other times, the brewer decides to make a beer more drinkable or more relevant to a greater number of consumers.  Change is afterall the only constant.  C'est La Vie!

Here are some issues in the global beer market to make you go hmmmmmm.

• Heineken recently bought Femsa (really a share swap) - Femsa brands include Sol and Dos Equis
• Heineken is distributed in Canada by Molson who by the way also distributes Corona - a direct competitor of Sol
• Corona is brewed by Groupo Modelo.  Guess who has a 50% stake in Modelo - Anheuser Busch -InBev (the largerst brewer in the world) who also owns Labatt
• Corona is the largest import brand in Canada. Why does AB-InBev allow its major competitor to distribute and sell Corona in Canada?
• The distribution partnership in the U.S between SAB Miller (the second largest brewer in the world) and Molson-Coors (6th on a global scale) is working very well. When does SAB Miller decide that partnerships are not as good as ownership?

If you thought globalization and consolidation were over, think again.  I fully expect some fireworks in the next year or so.  It should be fun to watch where this all nets out.  On top of all this, there are some major micro brewers in Canada who are setting themselves up for purchase.  The big question is who really wants them.  If these smaller, quality brewers offer some unique value proposition or better yet, a larger, more diverse beer portfolio, then they become a good acquisition.  Otherwise, they will get bought and dismantled.  It's an easy way to narrow the playing field.

The good thing in all of this is that the beer industry continues to grow in small steps - more craft brewers than in the past 100 years. Now, if we could only convince the Ontario governent to provide a vehicle for these small Ontario brewers to showcase their goods, we would all win (and I don't mean independent variety stores).  Let's consider the same stores as some of the vintners have.  What most people lose sight of is that we need competition - we need both large and small brewers.  They make each other better and therefore, we as beer drinkers can only benefit

Cheers

Halifax Gastonomic Delights

On Thursday, February 11, I once again found myself in the wonderful city of Halifax and in Brussels Restaurant and Brasserie for yet another beer dinner.  Brussels is owned and operated by Boris and Ken and managed by Ivan Nickerson and boasts the wonderful culinary skills of Chef Garwin. I thought I share both the menu and my comments with you.

1st Course - Tri-coloured Belgian beet salad, tossed in a light Chimay honey lime dressing and served with Chimay White. Not a bad match overall.  There was some goat cheese in the salad that was cut beautifully by the Chimay but I found the bitterness of the field greens to linger just a touch too long.
2nd Course - Beer Braised duck confit crostini served with black currant Cumberland sauce served with Hobgoblin.  This to me was an outstanding pairing.  The duck was soft and not overly rich.  The crostini brought a little more malt body in the Hobgoblin and sweetness of the black currant sauce was fully complemented by the subtle sweetness of the beer.
3rd Course - Leg of Rabbit braised in Erdinger and served with Potato Squash gratin, seasonal vegie bundles topped with a smoked tomato sauce.  The rabbit was excellent and tender.  Well seasoned and complemented the Erdinger Weissbier perfectly.  There was absolutely no contrasting flavours.  The side dishes were also matched well with the beer.
4th Course - Gaufre Brussels - Homemade Belgian waffle served with a Fruli strawberry gelato and drizzled with chocolate sauce.  We paired this one with Garrison's Winter Warmer.  A beautiful way to wrap up the evening.  The waffle was fairly light and was a delight to eat.  The Garrison's Winter Ale was outstanding - a little higher in alcohol which cut the coldness of the weather.  Spiced nicely with cinnamon and nutmeg, it warmed you ever so slightly.  The finish was surprisingly smooth and easy to drink.  Well done Garrison!

Another fantastic night put on by the Hamachi Group of Restaurants.  Thanks to everyone who attended.

Cheers

Oh..What a Night!

I recently had a night to remember.  There's a fantastic spot in Pickering at the base of Liverpool Rd, called Port.  Dining there is something to behold - great ambiance, great food and drink and a fantastic staff.  But I digress... Todd and Darryl, the two fellas who reside over this great place, Chris Rendell from Sleeman and myself got together last week to celebrate our love of beer.  I brought Corne de Diable from Dieu de Ciel in Quebec and also a gift of Simco SMaSH that I received from Greg Nash, one of the great brewers from Halifax.  Chris brought two bottles of Terrible from Unibroue - one from 2009 and one from 2002.

We started with the Corne de Diable which was wonderful.  The appearance was slightly cloudy with a rosee, reddish tinge accompanied by a thick ecru foam.  The nose was citrusy and grassy and had a gentle dose of darker breads and caramel.  The body had hints of nuts (filberts), with a dash of herbs - sage and rosemary.  The finish was full with some nice lingering bitterness and just when you thought it was gone, it slowly crept back warming you on the way

The Terrrible 2009 (10.5% ABV) was extremely dark with garnet edges.  The foam unfortunately dissipated a touch to quick.  Bouquets of spice (pepper) and dark fruits (plums and prunes) were augmented by a sweet and fruity body.  The finish was smooth and warming .

The Terrible 2002 (10.5% ABV) was like angels dancing on your tongue.  Visually, we were treated to exactly the same as the 2009.  That's where the similarities ended.  Now, we had aromas of port and sherry with soft waves of malt in the form of molasses.  There was also hints of rum and pineapple.  The body even more complex than before provided us with caramel, demmarra sugar, chocolate, mocha, almonds and some nice sultana raisins.  The finish was soft and gentle providing the warmth of a great fireplace.

Our final forray that night was to give way to Greg Nash's creation.  He had given it to me back in November while I was in Halifax and I was saving it for the right occasion.  He did tell me recently that he had thought it might have lost some oomph over the winter.  Let me tell you, if it did - it was still outstanding.
Simcoe SMaSH (single malt, single hops) is a high alcohol, heavily hopped beer (rated somewhere over 200 IBU's).  The colour was beautiful - reddish orange with a nice, thick off white foam.  The aromas were perfumy - piney and sweet with some layered hints of citrus, peach and apricot.  The body was great - lots of malt and also a good portion of pine needles.  The finish was long, mouthcoating and hung around in the back of my throat for a decent length of time.  Expecting my taste buds to be overwhelmed by such a big beer, I was pleasantly surprised by the wonderful balance of this beer.  Well Done Greg!

I hope you too get to enjoy the splendours of beer with your friends - pick up something you don't know and explore.  The secret is take time and share your comments.

Cheers

Wintercity / Winterlicious

For the past two years, my wife and I have bundled up and checked out the festivities at Wintercity in Toronto.  It just happens to be one of my wife's best friend's birthday and it's a wonderful way to experience winter in the city.  Last year brought us a phenomenol experience with a theatrical group from the Netherlands.  It was extremely cold but the overall day was extremely memorable and we looked forward to the 2010 edition.

This year, the shows were interesting but lacked emotion and flare.  It was equally as cold but the shows made it difficult to appreciate the outdoors.

After the last show, we made haste to take in Winterlicious - the restaurant program where Prix Fixe guarantees you a great meal at a modest price.  This year, we decided to make Beer Bistro our destination.  I happen to know Brian Morin, the owner, creator and chef at Beer Bistro and was eager to share my passion for this great place with my wife and friends.

We were not disappointed!  The place was packed with a variety of young urban types.  The ambience as always was fantastic and the meal was outstanding.

I started the evening with a Hacker Pschorr Edelhell - just thought I would carry on with my German experience recently.  The beer in the proper glass was perfect -poured and served properly .  Great as a starter, it also went well with my Butternut Squash soup which was thick, rich and slightly sweet.  The next course was a Veal Cheek Tikka Misala.  I decided to try a Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA but sadly, they were out.  Which prompted me to try another U.S IPA.  I settled on Avery India Pale Ale from Boulder, Colorado.  The beer was a deep golden colour, slightly hazy.  The nose was full on hop - grassy and flowery (not the typical citrus we often get with US high hopped beers) and the body was pleasantly malty (more like crusty breads).  The bitterness was substantial and was diminished nicely by the Tikka Misala.  Without the food, the beer was lingering far too long for my liking but the match was perfect.  The whole meal was finished off nicely with an amazing home-made bourbon brownie ice cream explosion.  WOW!

All in all - a great day in Toronto.  We should all take in a bit of winter in Toronto whenever possible and I applaud the city for trying to make a small difference.  Just a quick note for anyone who cares - We should check out the winter festivals in Europe for a tip on how to do it up right.

Cheers

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/