Beer Class 8.31.11

Thank you to everyone who showed up today for Beer Class, what an incredible turnout.  If you missed it, here is a quick summary.  

• We started the beer class with the test below.  Please take a good look at the questions and information that the test covers.  I will provide answers to the test in the coming days, but these are the type of questions that you should expect on the beer test that the staff will take before GABF.  Please talk to me if you would like me to clarify anything, be more specific or more simplified about anything we are covering on beer.  We wrapped up the test by discussing the answers
• Next, we had a Rob O'Connor from Crabtree Brewing Co. visit with a sample of Syzygy ( Pronounced Sizzigee).  Syzygy is a Cabernet barrel aged Belgian Black IPA.  Rob discussed the base beer, the concept behind the barrel aged version and the meaning behind the name Syzygy.   The way that it was explained as I heard was, the name was indicative of how the nuanced characteristics from each aspect of the beer came together in a cohesive final product.  
• Finally we took a quick but in depth look at our food menu and how our beer menu plays with the food.  We discussed beer pairings for everything on the food menu with focus on drafts, bottles and specialty bottles.  Having an idea of what styles work with what food and why will help you to create your own pairings.  Please talk to me anytime with questions of how and why to pair certain beers with certain dishes.  

Beer Test #4

1.If you were going to drink the following four beers, in what order should/would you enjoy them?   

 Black Butte Porter, Avery IPA, Stone Russian Imperial Stout, Colorado Kolsch

2.  Name 3 'Light' beers and food that would pair nicely with those styles of beer.

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3.  Someone asks for Chimay, we don't carry Chimay, so what is the first question you ask?  

You ask..." Are you talking about Chimay Blue, Chimay Red, or Chimay White

Chimay White- blegian tripel  

Chimay Red-  is a Belgian Double

Chimay Blue-  Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Give two alternatives for each of the Chimay beers from our bottle list.

White-

Red-

Blue-

4.  Name 3 tripples and food that pairs well with that styles.

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5.  The guest asks for the beers.  We don't carry any of these.  What could you suggest as an adequate alternative.

-  New Belgium Sunshine Wheat-

-  Guinness-

-  New Castle-

-  Corona-

-  New Belgium Fat Tire-

-  Coors Light-

-  Stone IPA-

6.  What is your "go-to" food and beer pairing when you are trying to WOW a guest that is open to the entire beer menu and the entire food menu?

7. Where are the following breweries?

Left Hand Brewing Co

Great Divide Brewing Co.  

Odell Brewing Co.

Crooked Stave

Stone Brewing Co

Lost Abbey Brewing Co

Boulevard Brewing Co

Russian River Brewing Co

Sam Smith Brewing Co

St. Martin Brouwerij

Port Brewing Co.

Avery Brewing Co

Breckenridge Brewing Co.

Great Divide Brewery Tour

Euclid Hall has made arrangement for a staff tour at Great Divide Brewing Co. on Thursday, September 8, at 10:30 AM.  We have been invited to bring 20 total staff.  The first 15 people to respond in the comments of this post will reserve a spot for the tour.  The remaining 5 spots will be reserved for myself, Beth, Chef Jen, Chef Jorel, Chef Prater, Kurt, Jason, and Colleen.  We will meet at Great Divide at about 10:20, enjoy a great personalized tour, and then for those who don't work on Thursday night, we will go for beer and lunch following our visit.

If you have questions about brewing, please bring them.  We will have access to the brewers and the facility so please take advantage of this opportunity.

Certified Beer Server

Jessica Cann joins the ranks of Certified Beer Servers at Euclid Hall.

She is the third on the staff to earn her Certified Beer Server certification along with Marc Bayes and Ryan Conklin Certified Cicerone®

We are looking forward to bring more staff up to the level of Certified Beer Server.  Who is next?
Let me know if I can help you prepare for the test, we have all the resources at Euclid to be successful.

30 days till GABF!

Great Divide Hades Belgian Golden

Taps are changing a little now and will change a little more before GABF, continue to watch the blog for updates.  

We are no longer carrying Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat.  We will be serving Great Divide Hades Belgian Golden on our Belgian beer line.  Here are the details.

Great Divide Hades Belgian Golden 7.8% ABV 12oz draft

Great Divide Brewing Co. Denver, CO.

A:  Nearly clear honey golden yellow color with a moderate bright white head.  

S:  The beer offers aromas of belgian yeast and light spice and bready malts.  There is the common belgian yeast characteristics of fruits (citrus) and spices (coriander, pepper) while not being pronounced.  

T:  Malty flavors followed by citrus and moderate hops to finish.  

M:  Light medium body with adequate carbonation and a smooth yet dry finish.

D:  Very drinkable yet a little high in alcohol.  This is also a great food beer as well.

Food Pairings:  GD Hades will pair nicely with mussels, triple decker chicken schnitzel sandwich, veal schnitzel, camembert grilled cheese, weisswurst, hopwurst, and fishwich.  

Beer Test #3 Answers

Beer Test 3 * (Aug 16, 2011)   (answers are in blue)

1.  Name 3 examples of the following beer styles on our beer list, and suggest 1 food/beer pairing for each style.

• IPA-  (draft) Avery IPA; (Bottle) Odell IPA(12 oz) , Il Vicino Wet Mnt. IPA (12 oz), Great Divide Rumble Oaked IPA (12 oz); (DIPA) (draft) Great Divide Hercules (8 oz), (Bottle/can) Oskar Blues G'Knight Imperial Red (12 oz), Great Divide 17th Anniversary Oak Aged DIPA (22 oz), Dry Dock DIPA (22 oz)........Successful pairings would have been dishes such as sausages, brat burger, tomato salad, grilled cheese sandwich, Chicken Sandwich.

• Wheat-  (draft) Dry Dock Hefeweizen (16 oz), Boulevard Zon Belgian Wit (16 oz); (bottle) Ayinger Brauweisse (12 oz), Schneider Aventinus Dopplebock Wheat (500 mL), The Bruery Orchard White Belgian Wit (750mL/25.4 oz) ....... Successful Pairings would have been dishes such as Cauliflower Salad, Itsy Bitsy Fishwich, Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich, Mussels, Camembert Grilled Cheese, Oysters and Gingered Vegis

• Belgian Tripels-  (draft) Victory Golden Monkey Belgian Tripel (8 oz); (bottle) Unibroe La Fin du Monde(12 oz), St. Martin Triple (750 mL) Piraat Belgian Tripel (11.2 oz)........ Successful Pairings would be dishes like Mussels, Grilled Cheese, Triple Decker Chicken Sandwich, and Veal Schnitzel.  

• Belgian Quads-  (bottle) Gulden Draak Belgian Quad (11.2 oz and 750mL), Avery Reverend Belgian Quad (22 oz).....Great Food Pairings would be Oyster Po'Boy, Chicken and Waffles, Ice Cream Sandwich, Poutines

• ‘Light beers’- (draft) Steamworks Kolsch (16oz), Avery Joe's Pilsner (16 oz) (bottle) Miller Lite (12 oz) Miller High Life (24 oz tall boy can)  Lagunitas Pilsner (12 oz) Sunner Kolsch (16.9 oz) ...... Successful Pairings would be items such as Chicken Sandwich, Gingered Vegis, Veal Schnitzel, Scallops, Sausages, Brat Burger.

• Sours-  (bottle) Duchesse de Borgogne Flemish Sour (11.2 oz) Russian River Consecration (375mL), Russian River Supplication (375 mL), Petrus Aged Pale (11.2 oz) Apple and Faro Lambic (375 mL), Echt Kreikenbier (11.2 oz) and Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueuze (375 mL) .......... Successful Pairings would be dishes such as Foie Gras, Sausages, Oyster Po'Boy, Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2.  Give an alternative for the following beers: draft and/or bottle/can.

• Guinness- Ohara's Dry Irish Stout if they want a Dry Irish Stout. Left Hand Milk Stout or Young's Double Chocolate Stout if they want a stout served on Nitro, or Lion Stout if they are looking to try a very well made stout that they have never tried before.
• New Belgium Fat Tire- Odell Levity on draft, Left Hand Sawtooth ESB and Del Norte Manana Mexican Amber in bottle. Sam Smith Old Style Pale in a bottle if they want the amber color but enjoy British Pale Ales.  Old Speckled Hen is also an option but is served on Nitro out the can.  
• Coors Light- We offer Steamworks Kolsch and Joe's Pilsner on draft and Lagunitas  Pils and Sunner Kolsch in bottle for people that want something supremely refreshing.  As a last resort, we also offer Miller Lite in bottle and Miller High Life tall boy cans (24 oz)  
• Corona- We offer two mexican style lagers, one light like Corona ... Del Norte Orale, and one amber, Del Norte Manana.
• New Castle-   Borgogne de Flanders Brown, Tilburg Dutch Brown in bottle, or possibly Deschutes Black Butte Porter on draft.
• New Belgium Sunshine Wheat-  I would suggest Dry Dock Hefe, Boulevard Zon or Wheat, or possibly introduce them to our proprietary Berlinerweisse for drafts, or Ayinger Brauweisse or The Bruery Orchard White in bottle.

3. What are the main ingredients in beer?   Malt, Hops, Water, and Yeast.

4. What are the flavor difference between a German Hefeweisse, a Belgian Witbier and an American Wheat?

German Hefeweizen tend to have a distinct banana and clove aroma and flavors while, 

Belgian Wit beers tend to have more aromas and flavors of citrus and coriander and,

American Wheat beers have the overall wheat cloudiness, mouthfeel and general flavor while it loses the distinct Belgian or German yeast characteristics.  It will be more mellow or subdued in flavor then either Belgian or German styles. 

Craft Beer Seminars (Audio Recordings)

This is an incredible library of audio recordings of limited access seminars from SAVOR.  Very few people got to attend these seminars, though the discussions were incredibly interesting and informative.

Here are a few highlights.
Belgian Style beers with food
Umami (the fifth sensation with Charlie Papazian)
Tasting Menu: Food and Beer Experience with Greg Engert

Beer 101

Beer is always a major topic of discussion at Euclid Hall but if you are new to beer or if our discussions have been a little too advanced, let this be a solid 101 for you with lots of links for you to explore.

Beer at the most simple level is made of 4 ingredients; water, malt, hops and yeast.  Here is a closer look at the basics of beer and brewing.

• Beer 101 (video)
• Beer 101 (article)
• Take a look at the brewing process.  (video 6 min.)
• What is the difference between ales and lagers?

• Beer Advocate Beer 101 This is not a basic 101, but rather a group of incredible links that talk about many aspects of beer.  

Unfortunately we were not able to finalize the brewery visit to Great Divide for this week, we will be visiting them in the coming weeks.  If you have never been to a brewery, don't miss this opportunity.  We will see a great behind the scene look at the brewery and the process.

GABF brewery list released

Check out this link to see the 74 Colorado breweries, 470 breweries in total that will be participating in the biggest beer festival in the nation.  Sept 29- Oct. 1

Beer Class Aug 17

8.17.11 Beer Class summary. 

 If you have questions or are interested to delve a bit deeper, lets talk.  

First we started with the test below.  Then we discussed and demonstrated bottle presentation and opening beer at the table.  And we finished with a big look at the food menu and discussed pairings for almost every food item.  If you missed the meeting, we will discuss both, presentation and pairings, again in a few weeks.  

Challenge to anyone interested in food pairings!  Take our new food menu and note both bottle and draft pairing options for everything on the menu.  Please consider how the beer and food play together as well as the overall impact and value of the pairing.  If you select a 'speciality' bottle, also have an option from the regular beer menu. If you are up to the challenge, bring your menu with pairings to the next class at 3:30 pm Monday, August 22.  We will start with a quick pairing blitz on the menu for the first 15 minutes of class.   

{I will post answers to this test on Aug 20.}

Beer Test 3 * (Aug 16, 2011)
1. Name 3 examples of the following beer styles on our beer list, and suggest 1 food/beer pairing for each style.

• IPA
• Wheat
• Belgian Tripels
• Belgian Quads
• ‘Light beers’
• Sours

2.  Give an alternative for the following beers: draft and/or bottle/can.

• Guinness
• New Belgium Fat Tire
• Coors Light
• Corona
• New Castle 
• New Belgium Sunshine Wheat

3. What are the main ingredients in beer?
4. What are the flavor difference between a German Hefeweisse, a Belgian Witbier and an American Wheat?

SRM/EBC Scale

We have talked about SRM before and with these charts and links to more information, the SRM color scale should be pretty understandable.  The big question is: "Why is the SRM color scale important to me?"  The answer is simple.  It is just one piece of the puzzle when looking at a beer on 'paper'.  With a standardized measurement of color appearance, you can quantify it and visualize how a beer will look in a glass.  

Wikipedia in depth explanation of the SRM color scale.
More Detailed Color Chart

Although we don't talk about SRM when we discuss beers with our guests, if you see this on any test or in the vitals for a beer, you will understand it when you come across it.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  As GABF approaches, if you are working on Cicerone tests, lets start to really prepare.  There is only just over 5 weeks before the festival.

New Beers!

Click on Image for Details

The Kids in the Hall celebrate the Euclidian New Year!

All Photography by Ryan Conklin©

Happy Birthday to Euclid Hall and the entire staff, thank you for your hard work!  Special thanks to all of the people that have been here since the beginning, what an incredible year.

Here is a look back at a few portraits of our Chefs and our kitchen staff.  Without them, Euclid Hall would be impossible.  Cheers!

New Rotating Tap

Victory Golden Monkey
Belgian Triple 9.5% ABV
Victory Brewing Co., Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Head Brewer Bill Covaleski
Serving Size:  8oz. for $5.25, no Happy Hour or SIN.

A: This beer pours a clear golden hue with a slight tint of orange.  It has a lofty white head that recedes to a modest ring of foam and nice lacing on the glass.
S:  Aromas of spice and fruit dominate.  Lots of citrus with some banana meld with the caramel malts and ahealthy dose of hops.  (noble hops)
T:  Bananas, citrus, spice are most predominant, while caramel malts and bitter hops round out the flavor profile.  There is certainly some Belgian yeast flavors and a hint of alcohol on the finish.
M:  This is a medium bodied golden triple with great carbonation and a crisp, refreshing finish.
D:  This beer is a great drinking beer though it is a little high in alcohol though it is certainly a great food beer.
Food Pairing: Golden Monkey would serve well with Mussels, Roasted Cauliflower Salad, Camembert and Peach Preserves Grilled Cheese, Triple Decker Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich, and Veal Schnitzel.

New Collaboration Beer from Left Hand and Terrapin

Midnight Peach and more new labels that have just been approved for packaging.  Look for these to come to market soon (dependent on local distribution)

What is a Cicerone?

Looking into the brew kettle at Crooked Stave while brewing Good Glory.  

By definition? A Cicerone is:  

“one who conducts visitors and sightseers to museums and explains matters of archaeological, antiquarian, historic or artistic interest.” For beer, a Cicerone will possess the knowledge and skills to guide those interested in beer culture, including its historic and artistic aspects.  “Cicerone” now designates a person with demonstrated expertise in beer who can guide consumers to enjoyable and high-quality experiences with great beer."

 Wikipedia

Belgian Beer Porn plus Tons of Info

Click on the picture for more info on Belgian Beers.

What is Belgian Beer?  Here is a guide with loads of info.

Do you speak beer?  Here is an audible pronunciation of beer terms, real cool.

Links to many of the well known Belgian Breweries.

Avery Celebrates Their 18th Anniversary

Here are the details for the party at Avery this Sunday.  This is going to be massive, if you have the time and the money, this party is going to blow the rough off the brewery.

Here are the details

Buy tickets here

Cheers.

Crooked Stave Announcement

Crooked Stave Announces Bottle ReleasesDetails

-- For Immediate Release --


(Ft. Collins, CO) – Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project announced they will release their first two bottled beers, Pure Guava Petite Sour and Wild Wild Brett “Rouge” on Thursday August 11th.

Here’s the run down…

750 ml bottles of Pure Guava Petite Sour and Wild Wild Brett “Rouge” will make their debut at the bottle release party held at funkwerks brewery tap room in Ft. Collins CO. starting at 6PM on Thursday, August 11th. This is the first of many bottle releases from Crooked Stave as we look to roll out with plenty more barrel-aged sour, specialty release and funky Brettanomyces beers. Also available on draft for the releases will be a single keg of Crooked Stave’s Good Glory, a beer brewed exclusively for Euclid Hall Bar and Kitchen in Denver, CO. as well as Wild Wild Brett and Petite Sour.

Beer Porn

Lets get this party started with a little Beer Porn from my photo archives.

A Timeline of the History of Beer

Here is a cool site breaking down the history of beer in to a concise timeline.  It is rich in cool beer facts.  Check out the timeline and let me know what you think.