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SFChefs 2010 presented by Visa Signature®, is a food and wine event celebrating the unique flavor, diversity and bounty of Northern California. The main tasting tent will be in Union Square, where chefs, wine makers and distillers will offer an exploration of taste featuring local products. Classes and seminars will offer interactive opportunities for the public to participate with local farmers, ranchers, chefs, winemakers, distillers, media, luminaries, authors, vintners, mixologists and culinary experts in an entertaining forum.

http://www.sfchefsfoodwine.com/

Lambic in general, is a world of beer unto itself. Completely unlike any lager or ale you’ll ever taste, Belgium’s lambics serve as a reminder that not all beers are brewed equally, and at some point or another, if you find yourself becoming a sort of craft brew geek, you inevitably wind up exploring lambics as a sort of rite of passage. While most of the world’s breweries are clinically sanitized and sterilized, the natural spontaneous fermentation of a lambic is what gives the beer so much complexity, and what creates the bizarre mix of aromas and flavors that would mean a spoiled batch of beer in any other place in the world.

But knowing that casual beer drinkers—not merely Budweiser-swilling folks, but even those with a more experienced palate—might be turned off by intensely sour beers, Belgian brewers began adding fruit to lambics and doing a second fermentation. The sugars and sweet flavors of the fruit help temper the sour personality of the lambic. In the best of these, the lambic character is still apparent and the fruit flavors merely round it out. Krieks use sour cherries, framboises use raspberries, pêches use peaches, etc. In the end, I expect to drink a beer that will have a distinctive fruit profile, but I also want to know that the underlying beer is a true lambic. Unfortunately, large-scale breweries like Lindemans (the biggest lambic import in the US) have, for years, been cutting corners and giving a gullible US consumer a product that can barely be considered a lambic, much less a true fruit lambic.I’m not even sure where to begin with Lindemans’ list of sins against the nature of a true fruit lambic. For starters, at no point are any actual…err, fucking fruit…a part of making this fruit lambic. Lindemans uses a cloying fruit-concentrate syrup rather than fruit, and the result is akin to a cross between a wine cooler, a fruit-flavored soda and cough syrup. It lacks the complexity and nuanced flavors of a beer that has been in direct contact with real fruit. Hell, to be honest, it lacks any resemblance to either of its namesakes: lambicor fruit. Lindemans is big and cuts corners…end of story. Its Pêche Lambic tastes more like a peach-flavored soda than a crisp beer, and its line of products is far from traditional. To make matters worse, we’re not altogether sure exactly how much actual lambic is used in making Lindemans fruit lambics. Unfortunately, there is no law regulating the control of how much lambic must be in a bottle that reads “lambic” on the label. The agreed-upon standard has been a measly 10%, which means you could more or less bottle 90% Aunt Jemima diluted with 10% lambic and call it Vermont Maple Lambic—which, at its core, Lindemans’ MO.

If you’re setting out to taste authentic, well-crafted fruit lambics, Cantillon’s Rosé is an elegant, dry Framboise (raspberry lambic), which has sometimes even included just a bit of Kriek (sour cherry lambic). It retains its funky lambic nose but has the depth of whole raspberries, layered with some oak and vanilla. It’s at once both rounded and bone dry, light and complex. You honestly can’t go wrong with any of Cantillon’s lambics for the taste of authenticity.

At a time when people are spending more time perusing a local farmer’s market and less time cracking open a can of condensed, processed foodstuffs, you have to wonder why we would drink a beer that’s adulterated with syrups and sweeteners when there is a wide selection of hand-crafted competition sitting on the shelf above it. Actually, I don’t have to wonder why. I know why Americans chug this stuff down—because it’s what they know. Packaging, manipulation, and lack of regulation have allowed us to believe what they’re selling. But what they’re selling isn’t fruit lambic…it’s fruit-tasting-syrup-flavored beer. If a bottle of wine says Champagne on it, I can bet whatever pitiful balance is left in my IRA that it comes from Champagne. Unfortunately, not everything that says “fruit lambic” is what it claims to be. Given the increased attention that we as a country have put on our food, I’d suggest that we all learn something from our history with mass production: Dig a little deeper and understand what you’re drinking.

by Nate from Whiskywall

Aging beer in a barrel is by no stretch of the imagination a new idea. In the history of beer making, beer has certainly spent a lot more time in wooden barrels than any other container. But not most of the beers we grew up with. More often then not, the beer you saw your dad drinking, that you pilfered from you dad’s stash, or that you actually shared with your dad depending upon your particular situation, was born in a metal receptacle and served in a can. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of quality brews currently out there that have never known the caress of a plank of wood. And cans are on the comeback with good reason. Whether for traditional reasons or wild-eyed experimentation, a large selection of barrel aged beers are increasingly available to those seeking an old/new twist. While Belgian brews have been a reliable source for seekers of barrel aged flavors, an increasing variety of stouts, IPAs, and barley wines continue to find their way into barrels. The flavor combinations may not be infinite, but they are far beyond my lackluster mathematical skills. The variety of beer, the type of wood, the previous contents of the barrel, and anything you might choose to dump in the barrel with the beer create seemingly endless possibilities. This fact would have been a great excuse for sampling every barrel aged concoction I could lay my hands on for the purposes of this article but reason and budgetary constraints prevailed.

There have been some memorable barrel aged beers in recent times. Stone’s Magnum of Oaked Arrogant Bastard has a place on my mantelpiece. Remembering accidentally stumbling upon a tasting Deschutes’ Abyss still brings me pleasure. The idea to put North Coast’s Old Rasputin Stout in a bourbon barrel blew my mind. I reveled in it, shared it with friends and savored the complex marriage of bourbon notes with a solid stout, the traces of vanilla and oak. A deliciously ignoble end, the last of my stash fueled a 2:00 AM Mario Kart marathon. Raising many a glass of Black Xantus and Firestone Walker’s 13 at Toronado’s release party is a hazy but precious memory. Two complex brews where barrels played no small role… and the world was a better place for it. But enough of memory lane. This week a clinical, if not bloodshot, set of eyes turned to some barrel aged items currently on the shelf and readily available: Allagash’s Interlude, Russian River’s Supplication, and Marin Brewing Company’s Old Dipsea Barleywine (aged in bourbon barrels).

The Allagash we tried was a Belgian aged in oak barrels. However, the night was off to a slightly rough start when we filled some glasses with Allagash at an unfortunately low temperature. Luckily, when revisited it some time later, the brew had had an opportunity to thaw out and open up. We saw the error of our ways were able to better appreciate Interlude. The pleasant Belgian notes and airy yeasty quality balanced well on subtle oak flavors. A well-balanced pleasing brew. Russian River’s Supplication, a brown sour ale, followed. No spring chickens in the art of barrel aged beers, Russian Rivier’s Supplication has some cherries thrown in to further enhance the flavor possibilities, and that it does. The sour cherry notes, brown ale, and wine-wood notes blended well but held each other at arms length so you could appreciate the flavors in turn. And they were worth appreciating. I like bourbon. I like bourbon barrels… and often love the beer that comes out of them even after a brief stint. Old Dipsea did not disappoint. While it is not one of my favorite barley wines, it makes one hell of a barrel aged beer. The bourbon, brown sugar, and wood notes were myriad and tasty. A slightly viscous quality to the brew drew things together both enhancing mouth feel and imparting a chewy dimension to the dangerously smooth and flavorful beer. The sugars of the barley wine were thick and present without being syrupy or cloying.

Hopefully the trend of bringing barrel aging out of the more obscure corners will continue. Hopefully the experimentation will increase. Hopefully I will find a place in my house to hide a few bottles of it that I can’t find for a year or two… and then we can talk about some serious post-barrel bottle conditioning.

First and foremost, there is one primary way to discuss and grade a beer and that’s by how much you like it or don’t. Seriously, it’s either thumbs up, thumbs down, or if you’re wishy-washy, thumbs sideways.

But to really get down to the multifaceted ways of appreciating a beer, you can begin to smell for aromas ranging from earthy to spicy to toasty. You can size up its body based on a billowy head or the web-like lacing it leaves on the glass. You can turn into a math nerd and quantify numbers such as original or final gravity, which dictate its percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV) or how hoppy it is based on its international bitter units (IBU). But whereas all those factors build up to the beer’s overall character and, essentially, flavor, one characterization gets paid the shortest shrift.  Color.

We’re not talking styles that tell you roughly what shade the ale is such as Blondes, Reds, Pales, or Brown Ale, though it puts us on the right track. By this nomenclature, you’ll always know that, say, among wheat beers, a Witbier (white beer) will be way lighter than a Dunkelweizen (dark wheat). But that’s just the tip of the Eisbock.

Unless there are adjuncts that impart coloration such as red cherries or golden saffron or brown coffee, beer derives most of its color from the grains. Unmalted wheat makes a beer light such as a Hefeweizen. The higher temperature barley is kilned at, the darker the tone thereby resulting in beers from light lagers to pale and red ales that span all the colors of a setting sun. When you get into roasted barley, the results are darker and more opaque still, used in dark beers like porters and stouts.

Standard Reference Method (SRM) is the system that brewers use to measure how light or dark their brews are. It has generally replaced measuring color in degrees Lovibond (°L), at least used to describe the beer if not the malts that go into it. To get uber engineer-y, the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) define SRM thusly: “Beer color intensity on a sample free of turbidity and having the spectral characteristics of an average beer is 10 times the absorbance of the beer measured in a half-inch cell with monochromatic light at 430 nanometers.”

So let’s not go there.

In simple terms, a beer’s color using SRM can range from low to high and since it can never quite hit a watery zero, it will generally fall on the scale between 2 or 3 up to 40. Specifically, this puts Bud’s SRM at 2, Bass Pale Ale at 10, and Guinness at 40. Only drink local artisanal ales? Russian River’s Pliny the Elder Double IPA is approximately a 9 and Moonlight’s Death & Taxes Black Lager hits around 35.

For all the beer geekery out there, it is quite possible to overhear patrons at a craft-centric watering hole to discuss a beer’s ABV or IBU, but you’ll never ever overhear them utter “SRM.”  While we initially drink a pint in with our eyes, ultimately we don’t choose what to drink based on specific color (except for goobers who order “light” beer, who trend toward being the same numbskulls who shy away from “dark beer” misconstruing them as too heavy and caloric; newsflash—Death and Taxes and Guinness are comparatively light).

When we do discuss beer color, it tends to bring out the poets in us. We might describe a Reissdorf Kölsch as the color of straw spun into gold, or Duchesse de Bourgogne as auburn as a paramour’s silky locks, or Old Rasputin Stout as being jet black like the bottom of a coal mine. As we look at our freshly poured beer now filling up a tulip glass or chalice, it’s like spotting an attractive person across the room before we get to know if they are fun or hilarious or kind. Ultimately our favorite aspects of beer lie in the floral or citrus-y hop aroma of a favorite IPA or the fruity esters of a Belgian Dubbel or the coffee and chocolate-y kick of a robust Imperial Stout. As it goes with all objects of affection, appearances matter.

1.) A man in Germany has set the world record for the largest house made out of beer coasters. Using more than a quarter of a million beer coasters, and spending 42-56 hours per week since January, Sven Goebel secured himself a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Someone should also give him an award for being the most unproductive productive person in the world.

2.) Add Salamanders to the list of animals threatening wineries this year, thus far including moths, baboons, and salmon. Proponents of the Tiger Salamander will be happy to know that the state of California has recently passed a law protecting this slimy little critter as an endangered species. Under the new law, wineries will have to have any land not already being used for vineyards to be inspected by a third party to prove that no tiger salamanders will be affected by the development.

3.) Carlsberg beer workers in Denmark have ended their strike, after being promised to have the chance to speak with management. Many workers had refused to work last week after a new alcohol policy was put into place which limited their during work beer consumption to lunch time, whereas previously they were allowed to drink throughout the work day.

4.) Coming on the heels of the Carlsberg strike, workers at Mexico’s Grupo Modelo, maker of Corona, are now striking due to a dispute in contract negotiations. Fortunately or unfortunately, this reason for the strike isn’t as juicy as the one that just ended in Denmark.

]]> http://drinkmemag.com/2010/04/booze-in-the-news-4-15-2010/feed/ 0 http://drinkmemag.com/2010/04/sounds-like-yeast-cells-reproducing/ http://drinkmemag.com/2010/04/sounds-like-yeast-cells-reproducing/#comments Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:53:35 +0000 Heather http://drinkmemag.com/?p=1955

Who would ever think to give yeast cells the chance to sing?  Joshua Penrose of Ohio State University has done just that with his “Resonant Carboy” project. Eight carboys with various levels of fermenting mead solution (honey, water, and yeast) have a sort of high-tech microphone stuck on top to record the sounds of active yeast cells as they process the natural sugars in the honey to create carbon dioxide gas emissions.

The best part of the microscopic musicians’ performance? Drinking the honey mead they have created afterward! Now that’s what we call talent — watch out American Idol!

Click here to hear the yeast cells rendition of  “Blue Moon.” Just kidding. But seriously…

There’s a party at Macy’s this Wednesday and YOU’RE invited!

Join Macy’s Culinary Council chef Tom Douglas and Andrea Robinson, Master Sommelier, to pick up some great tips on wine and food pairing. Chef Douglas will share some of his favorite recipes and guests will get a look at Andrea’s new stemware collection, “The One,” sold at Macy’s. Tickets are $15 at the door, and all proceeds benefit Meals on Wheels of San Francisco.

RSVP HERE!

WHEN: Wednesday, April 7th. 6pm – 8pm.

WHERE: Macy’s Cellar

170 O’Farrell St. @ Stockton

Back by popular demand! tweservation is promoting a second jazz event at Coda this Wednesday from 6pm – 7:30pm. All guests who rsvp will receive a complimentary glass of wine/beer or cocktail. Local jazz favorite, the Bourbon Kings, will be hitting the stage at 7pm. Thomas Fogarty will also be offering a free wine tasting from 6pm – 7:30pm.

You must RSVP for the event using your Twitter ID and password (Maximum 4 people per RSVP, and each person in the party must register with tweservation onsite).  RSVP HERE!

WHEN: Wednesday, April 7th. 6:00pm – 7:30pm.

WHERE: Coda

1710 Mission St. @ Duboce

Palio D’Asti is offering diners some early tax relief.

The financial district’s popular Italian restaurant is serving $1 gin or vodka martinis for lunch (with purchase of 2 courses). And if you opt to go for a second martini, it’ll only cost you $7 more. That’s $8, total – for two martinis. And if you opt for 3 martinis, there’s a strong chance you won’t be returning to the office. This tax relief special is available all month long. Bottoms up!

WHEN: Monday – Friday. 11:30am – 2:30pm (the month of April).

WHERE: Palio D’Asti
640 Sacramento St. @ Kearny

WHEN: Available daily thru April 30th. 5:30pm – 10pm.

WHERE: Ana Mandara

891 Beach St. in Ghirardelli Square

Wine enthusiasts: shop til you drop this weekend - “farmer’s market style” – at the San Francisco Vintners Market at Fort Mason.

Here’s your chance to taste and buy wines from over 300 local and global wineries. The SF Vintners Market will feature top local wineries from Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Russian River Valley and other regional wineries, plus imported wines from around the world. San Francisco Vintners Market features wine at all prices and styles including new releases, library collections and end-of-vintage selections – all available for immediate purchase. General tickets are $30. But type promo code “drinkme” and you’ll save $10!

WHEN: Saturday & Sunday, April 10th & 11th. 12pm – 5pm.

WHERE: Fort Mason

Buy Tickets Here!

Celebrate the 29th anniversary of the Magic Flute Restaurant all month long!

The romantic, Laurel Heights restaurant is offering a special three-course dinner for $19.81 (in honor of the year they opened). Discover for yourself why Magic Flute is still named the “Best Garden restaurant” in SF after all these years.

View Magic Flute’s Regular Dinner Menu Here

WHEN: Wednesday – Saturday (thru April 30th). 5:30pm – 10pm.

WHERE: Magic Flute Restaurant

3673 Sacramento St. @ Spruce

Howdy, folks! Welcome back to Booze In The News, where you’ll find the latest, funniest and most obscure newsworthy, alcohol-related bits all in one place.

1. As if the water pumping laws due to endangered salmon species weren’t enough, Northern California wineries now must face a new threat: European moths. Apparently, it is a very popular practice for California vintners to sneak over award-winning grape vine cuttings from France to propagate their own crops, despite its illegality. Theory has it that these non-native crop destroying moths were accidentally smuggled over with one of these illegal vine cuttings. More paranoid vintners suspect other wineries of doing it on purpose to stymie their competition.

2. If police burst down your door, yelled at you and handcuffed you naked in an attempted drug raid only to admit later that they had the wrong guy, what kind of apology would you expect? For a family in England, the police thought it fitting to give them a bottle bottle of  Pilsner Urquell and some pink flowers.  What kind of justice is that?! They could have at least given the family a twelve pack.

3. From the Olympics to the… Cuervogames? Jose Cuervo is launching a sort of American Gladiator for people with a passion for Tequila. Events include such challenges as an “Agave Air Walk,” “The Tumbler,” and of course culminating with a “Cocktail Mix-Off.” Figuring out why these events require the skill of former Olympic athletes and “well known celebrities” the Jose Cuervo press release promises is the real challenge.

Howdy, folks! Welcome back to Booze In The News, where you’ll find the latest, funniest and most obscure newsworthy, alcohol-related bits all in one place.

1. The wine you’re drinking may be radioactive. Scientists have recently discovered trace amounts of radioactive carbon in wines produced after atmospheric atom bomb tests took place in Earth’s atmosphere. However, the amounts of radioactivity are small enough to be harmless. So don’t worry, you (hopefully) won’t grow a third nipple or begin glowing.

2. Carlton Draught, a subsidiary of Foster’s, recently had to pull an advertisement they deemed as “too risque.” Featuring a trio of creepy men singing about tingling in your “goolies” and “man plums,” maybe Carlton shouldn’t worry so much about being risque as much as just being weird.

3. South African winemakers are sick and tired of getting their feet covered in grape juice apparently and have recruited African Elephants to crush their grapes instead. Whether the flavor of elephant feet is better than human feet in your wine has yet to be decided.