New ways for beer and wine to come together

Tag : Beer Tower

Can  beer and wine be used together. They'll always be rivals, of course. But it's an increasinglyfriendly rivalry, perhaps best-personified by Sam Calagione andMarnie Old, co-authors of He Said Beer, She Said Wine (DK Publishing, $25).
Calagione is founder and owner of Dogfish Head, the Delaware brewer known for outrageously extreme beers. Its PaloSanto Marron, for example, is a malty brown ale aged in wood fromParaguay. Old is a sommelier and wine educator who has a healthyappreciation for beer.
At Savor, an upscale beer-and-food event held in May in Washington,D.C., the pair's seminar was the most entertaining of the weekend,with both making the case for their beloved beverage whileplayfully skewering the other.
Ray Isle took part that weekend, too, and also led a seminar oncraft beer at last month's Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. And he'sthe deputy wine editor at Food & Wine magazine. What's going on here?
"There's a dual trend," Isle said during a phone call. "One, you'vegot the elevation of craft beer. Tastewise, more people arerealizing, it is special. At the same time, there are more attemptsto make wine more approachable and less pretentious - screw tops,for example, and sommeliers who are trying to defuse all theceremony."
He added with a laugh, "When the two trends collide, I don't knowwhat will happen."
Savor was "by far the most expensive beer event I've ever been at,"Isle noted. "People dropping 80 bucks to taste beer was a newthing."
We're enjoying a golden age of experimentation and ambition in thecraft-beer world, Isle says. The rise of the celebrity chef led togrowing interest in wine; that's now spreading into craft beer.
And it's an affordable world to explore. "With the economy being alittle weird at the moment," Isle said, "I pointed out at theseminar that you can buy and taste five of the best beers inAmerica for 25 bucks. If you were to do that with five wines, itwould cost you $500 to $600. So there's really an open door towhoever's interested in exploring beer - it's very democratic."
Isle said he expects more beer seminars at future Food & WineClassics, even if Beer never quite makes it into the name of the event - or magazine.
"It's a nice shift," he said. "Aspen during the festival ispopulated by serious foodies and wine fanatics. So for them to bethinking of craft beer in the same way is a terrific transition."
* Nearly 20 years ago, Tom Dargen was a busboy at the fledgling Wynkoop Brewing Co., the state's first brewpub. Today he's in charge of brewing for Gordon Biersch, one of the country's top brewpub chains. That's a very verticalcareer path.
In between, he's brewed a whole lot of beer, which is the work heenjoys most. Though he oversees brewing for all of the 20-year-oldchain's 27 restaurants, he's based at the lone Colorado location,at Broomfield's FlatIron Crossing (you'll also find Gordon Bierschbeers at the Colorado Springs airport). Before jetting to NewOrleans for a checkup at the GB there, Dargen spent last Tuesdaynight proudly serving draws of SommerGold, the latest seasonal ontap.
It's a Kolsch-style ale made from Tettnang hops and yeast importedfrom Germany, origin of the inspiration for all of Gordon Biersch'sin- house brews. SommerGold - a medium-bodied golden ale that'svery dry and crisp - paired terrifically with the Shrimp and CrabTower, an appetizer that boasts fresh avocado and a tangy lemonmayonnaise.
While ales rule at most brewpubs, Gordon Biersch's German focusmeans lagers are the mainstays. Home brewers know the challenges oftending to lagers: Their light color won't hide imperfections andinconsistencies the way darker ales do, and batches of lagergenerally take more than twice as long to brew as ales.
Dargen is a big fan of the Czech Pilsner he makes, but the Marzenis the biggest seller in Broomfield and throughout the chain.
"It's a very smooth, malty lager that's accessible," he said,comparing it to Paulaner's Oktoberfest. It's definitely worthtrying, but don't miss out on the SommerGold, which will go awayonce fall rolls around. If you're making a long trip to get there,keep in mind that growlers are available to go.
* Silverback Smoked Porter is a brute of a brew that helps some brutes in need, theendangered mountain gorillas of Africa. Wynkoop Brewing Co. is contributing 25 percent of sales from the Imperial porter tothe Denver-based Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund.
Through October, you'll find the smoky selection on tap at theWynkoop and its sister establishments: the Cherry Cricket, theWazee Supper Club, the Pearl Street Grill, Phantom Canyon BrewingCo., Gaetano's Italian and Goosetown Tavern.
* The best thing about the Colorado Brewers' Festival in Fort Collins this past weekend?Beer temperature. On a hot summer afternoon, the draft beers wereserved seriously cold. Many purists would scoff at the idea ofhaving an English-style brown ale so chilled, but the Boxcar Brown,from Greeley's Crabtree Brewing, refreshed perfectly at the lowtemperature.
* Go to RockyMountainNews.com to vote in this month's What's on Tap poll, where you can pick afavorite summer seasonal beer. We'll compare notes next month.
What's on Tap appears the first Wednesday of the month.
BEER OF THE MONTH
Blue Moon Pale Moon
* The story: Being test-marketed in several cities across the country,including Denver, this year-round offering is brewed with Cascadehop oil and, surprisingly, hibiscus.
* The taste: Dubbed a Belgian-style pale ale, it might be the most complex brewyet from Blue Moon, Coors' craft-minded branch. The amber-coloredale boasts dueling hoppiness and sweetness, with a floral aroma andhints of spice and even raisin in the taste.
* Food pairings: spicy cuisine, seafood
* On sale: on tap and in six-packs of 12-ounce bottles, $7.49
* Alcohol by volume: 5.4 percent