October 2 , 2007
“The body is not a home but an inn – and that only briefly.” - Seneca
THE GREAT AMERICAN BEER FESTIVAL (GABF) is a three-day annual event hosted by the Brewers Association, and will be held next week-end in Denver at the Colorado Convention Center. The GABF brings visitors from around the world to sample more than 1,600 different American beers. Over 100 beer judges from the United States and abroad participate in the evaluations of one or more beer styles, ultimately judging 2,300 beers entered by more than 450 domestic breweries. Gold, silver and bronze medals in 69 beer-style categories will be awarded, though not every medal is awarded in each category.
Started in 1982, the GABF was created by Charlie Papazian in Boulder. The original GABF had 22 participating breweries and the 2006 version had 384. For all the gory details, of which there is much to learn, visit www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com.
Last year over 41,000 attended the three-day event, with three of the four sessions selling out. This year there will be three evening sessions and one afternoon session, starting Thursday evening, October 11th thru Saturday evening, October 13th. Although sales of domestic beers from large domestic brewers (where’s muh Bud?) have remained flat, sales of craft beers continue to grow tremendously. In the past three years, craft beer sales have grown by 31.5%
Over the 26 years, the GABF has also become an annual reunion for the nation’s craft brewers, and a chance for them to share advice and knowledge, network with distributors and retailers, and connect with consumers. This group comprises the “Who’s Who” of beer making, beer drinking, and beer-slipping-on.
The craft beer industry is defined by four distinct markets. There are brewpubs, microbreweries, regional craft breweries and contract brewing companies. Craft beers are produced with 100% barley or wheat malt or use other fermentable ingredients that enhance rather than lighten flavor.
Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade and education association for American craft brewers and the community of beer enthusiasts.
So mosey down to the Convention Center, fork over $45 in advance ($50 at the door) for admission (the beer tasting is free) and try some grub with your favorite brew. There will be food tasting at the pairing section, and there will be concessionaires selling food at various locations. For other info, visit the website: www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com. For other information on the Brewers Association, go to www.beertown.org. There’s also a link on that latter site to the beer festival website.
Here’s a few noteworthy facts before I get into the grub:
· Guinness World Record Holder for most beers tapped in one location.
I’m here to talk about the grub. As in about your favorite beer and what grub goes with it. I’m kinda cheating cuz I have this cool chart you can purchase at the festival. This is a sampling of some interesting stuff. But you gotta get a real chart, cuz it tells you all kinds of things like the flavor impact (mild or strong or wherever in between), the bitterness of the beer, what cheeses go with each beer, and what desserts make it work. It’s almost like looking at a Consumers Reports ® ratings chart, what with all the dots, dashes and circles filled in with different colors. The chart even has a type of recommended glassware and serving temperatures.
The Brewers Association has graciously granted me permission to reprint the following extracted information from their Beer Food guide chart. You can purchase the chart for a buck at the festival at the Best of American Beer and Food booth. I’m told that the association recognizes 75 different styles of beer. For purposes of this beer food chart, they have grouped them into 28 categories to make it more consumer friendly. This chart belongs in every kitchen. Especially if you drink beer. And if you eat food. Some of us do both. Here’s a partial list of beer categories, the one’s I thought interesting. For all 28 groups of beers, you need to see the real chart.
Pay attention to the numbers on the left side, cuz there’s gonna be a test later on.
1- Kölsch, Cream Ale or Blonde Ale –lighter foods: chicken, salads, brats, jack cheese.
3- Pale Ale – eat any darn thing you want, from buggers to Derby with sage.
9 -Abbey Dubbel – one of muh favs – BBQ, stew, a big fat juicy steak. Hold the beer.
10- Abbey Tripel or a strong Golden Ale – Cajun grub, crab cakes, turkey.
13- Porter – roasted or smoked food, BBQ, sausages, blackened fish.
15- Sweet or Oatmeal Stout – rich, spicy food, Oaxacan mole or hearty Szechuan.
17- Hefeweizen – lighter foods, salads, seafood, sushi, great with weisswurst.
18- American Wheat Ale – very light foods, salads, veggie dishes.
20- Dunkelweizen – heavy salads, roast chicken or pork, hearty sausage.
22- Classic Pilsner – lighter foods, chicken, salmon, bratwurst.
24- Oktoberfest, Märzen, Vienna – Mexican or hearty, spicy foods.
28- Doppelbock – rich foods, duck, pork shanks, cured meats.
For the complete list, including all the stuff I left out, buy a chart at the festival or visit www.beertown.org.
OK, ready for your test? I tricked you, ha ha. But I do have a reward for you. Got your numbers handy? Here are the desserts that go with the above referenced beers.
1- Light apricot or mandarin cake, lemon custard tart.
3- Pumpkin flan, maple bread pudding, bananas Foster – yo!
9- Milk chocolate, butter truffles, chocolate bread pudding.
10- Non-chocolate desserts, apricot-amaretto tart, baklava, Linzer torte. By the by, did you know that the Linzer torte is the considered the oldest cake in the world? Recipes date back more than 350 years!
13- Chocolate peanut butter cookies, toasted coconut cookie bars,
15- Chocolate espresso cake, cream puffs, profiterôles. Do you know where the best profiterôles in town are? Undici Ristorante. Spectacular. However, most all their food is spectacular. More about them in a later column.
17- Strawberry shortcake, fruit trifle or other very light dessert. Key lime pie.
18- Too light for dessert. Have another beer. OK, maybe some fruit or fresh berries.
20- Sweet potato tart, peach pecan strudel, banana cream pie.
22- Light desserts, lemon shortbread, fresh berries with sabayon. The only dish – and I mean of all the dishes – that was consistent at Il Fornaio – was the sabayon. It was pretty awful. Always watery, but it was consistent.
24- Mango or coconut flan, almond biscotti, spice cake with pine nuts.
28- German chocolate cake, Black Forest cake, dried fruit (rumtopf) rum tart.
There you have it folks, just a taste of the tastes you will experience at the Great American Beer Festival next weekend at the Colorado Convention Center. Slurp, stuff, and enjoy. Just be sure to drink responsibly, have plenty of food in your tumtum, and if you even remotely think you can’t or shouldn’t drive, don’t. Ask any volunteer or employee where to find a ride.
Remember – friends don’t let friends drink and drive.
Cya.
In his real life Jay Fox is a CPA. He offers all kinds of good tax planning advice, financial calculators and the latest in tax news at his website: www.jayfoxcpa.com. He just writes this column for the money.