Boston Beer Company Dinner April 11 at Varanese

[Robin Garr]

Boston Beer Company Dinner April 11 at Varanese

Varanese Restaurant plans a four-course paired with Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) beers on Thursday, April 11 at 6:30 p.m. Guest speaker Carl Conaway will discuss the beers and pairings. Dinner is $49 per person, plus tax and tip. Reservations are necessary. Call 899-9904 or Email letsdine@varanese.com.

Reception (6 :30pm)
Samuel Adams Boston Lager

First Course (7:00pm)
Tasman Red
Raspberry BBQ Lamb Ribs with Bleu Cheese Slaw and Onion Straws

Second Course
Grumpy Monk
Seared Diver Scallop over Spicy Spring Lettuce and Apple Salad
Topped with Bacon Lardons and Toasted Black Walnuts
Tossed in a Angry Orchard Reduction

Third Course
Thirteenth Hour
Bluegrass Soy Marinated Prime Strip
Served over Potato and Parsnip Puree with Cherry Glazed Bok Choy
And Wild Mushroom Ragout

Fourth Course
IPL & Chocolate Bock
Chocolate Cake Topped with Key Lime Flan
With candied Lemon, Chocolate Bock Sauce and a White Chocolate Drizzle

Closing
Angry Orchard Crisp Apple

Varanese Restaurant
2106 Frankfort Ave.
899-9904
www.varanese.com

I'm a little disappointed not to see SA's new version of New Albion Ale featured at this event. I really want to try it even though the reviews I've seen have mostly judged it underwhelming.

I think the story behind it's release is very cool and surprising with profits going to Jack McAuliffe who is credited as being the first commercial craft brewer.

I wonder if this beer might be much better than the nitwit reviewers who seem to only favor outrageous flavor bombs these days are saying. There is something to be said for balance and subtlety I think. I also love the packaging!

The meal looks great and if they would replace that Boston Lager at the reception with the New Albion I'd be in.

Anyone tried this yet?

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-03-29/jack-mcauliffe-father-of-american-craft-brew-brings-back-new-albion-ale

Due to demand, Varanese has received a limited supply of this one time beer. As a
special offering to those attending the beer dinner on the 11th of
April, Varanese along with Sam Adams will be sharing the
story and the rare liquid of one of the original craft brewers.

"Jim Koch and Boston Beer are very passionate about the preservation and innovation
of the craft beer world. Boston Beer took on a project to help one of the pioneers
of the craft beer industry get back on his feet. Thus they have pulled the original
recipe and artwork of Jack McAuliffe's, New Albion and brought it back for a one
time production.


This will be poured in addition to all the other fine Boston Beer Co. brews on the menu.

Give us a call Shane so we can make your reservation

Very cool! Reservation made. Hope to see some of you Hotbyter's there. Cheers!

First, I want to thank DavidA (General Manager) of Varanese for taking my off hand suggestion about the New Albion seriously and inviting me to join the fun.

David looks like the smartest guy in any room to me. Not the nerdy professor type but the guy who has written a couple of non-fiction books, listens to operas, and totally intimidates guys like me. Cheers David!

Our dinner companions for the evening. Willis, Arden, Carol, Annalise, Trevor, David, and Charlie.

Charlie at 94 years young looked fit enough for a safari and attributed his stout constitution to chocolate stout. His daughter, the artist, Carol McLeod whose work is featured at the Tim Faulkner Gallery (http://www.pwnkle.com) doesn't much like beer but does likes to hang out with her dad.

Arden, just a Greenville girl living in Corydon who says she plans to live the rest of her life hanging around young people. Sorry Arden, you had to sit next to me but I was so pleased to meet a lady proud to claim Wild Turkey 101 as her preferred sip.

Willis, when not playing at his South Fork size spread over in Harrison County Indiana, gets his kicks as a country philanthropist via his success as a fossil fuel pioneer. With his hardy guffaw, Willis doesn't need a ten gallon hat to comfortably fit the tycoon role.

Trevor and David came in next to last. I overheard a few comments that led me to think they might know a little something about beer. Turned out Trevor is the President & C.O.O of Draft Magazine ( http://draftmag.com/) so he knows more than a bit about the subject. Sorry David but you were just sitting too far from me to record your vital signs. Maybe Annalise will read this and fill us in on David.

The final member of our table was Annalise who didn't make her entrance until the second course was served. Annalise, a school teacher, mother of a three and five year old, wife to the lucky Trevor, and a girl who'll only drink whiskey when it's really cold outside merely raised her brow slightly as two plates of food and four beers were sat in front of her. She shrugged, announced her Hungarian ancestry and soon caught us up. Full marks Annie (I didn't dare call her).

Our host for the evening was Carl Conaway, Certified Cicerone and regional representative for the Boston Beer Co. and the Samuel Adams brand. Carl was a delight and I hope to meet up with him sometime at one of the area beer halls. This might seem unlikely but he lives in the area and I'd already met the other Cicerone in attendance this evening.

Jason, who represents River City Distributing was at the bar at Bank Street just a few weeks ago talking with Richard, the beer rep for NABC. Richard introduced us and told me Jason was a Cicerone. I was immediately in awe. Then RogerB came in and the discussion was total heaven for a beer fan like me. I was totally disgusted that I soon had to leave for an appointment. I was thrilled to see Jason again and we got to talk a bit during the evening. He gave me a heads up about the new restaurant opening in J-Town called Loui Loui's (https://www.facebook.com/LouiLouisAuthenticDetroitStylePizza). It sounds promising, thanks Jason!

Okay, I know this is already too long but whatever, if you've got this far you might want to know a few of the details about the Boston Beer Co. Beer Dinner at the Varanese tonight.

First the beer. We ended up with seven or eight different beers. The only one that I'd had was the Boston Lager. This is a reliable staple that I've been drinking since 1997 when I lived on Cape Cod. It was one of the few beers (then) that tasted anything like the flavorful beers I'd grown to love in England. I drank it first at the Bull and Finch Pub. It's a tasty beer but I've got half a case in the basement so my enthusiasm for this one wasn't that high.

All of the rest were a surprise to me in a very good way. I liked them all and will seek them out at the next opportunity. My favorite was the 13th Hour Stout which had a terrific sour component that I now really appreciate thanks to the efforts of Shawn Vest. His tasting of sour beers at the Charlestown Pizza Company last year really opened my awareness for this type of beer.

My second favorite was the Gumpy Monk which was a Belgian IPA. I've gained much appreciation for these tart ales over the last few years and now even add the French ales to my list of cravings thanks to the beer dinner that Roger hosted at Louis Le Francais. Todd A just got me some Page 24 Biere de Printemps that I'm looking forward to trying again.

Speaking of French Ales, go get some of the New Albion now while it lasts. This “Pale Ale” from the past is a beautifully crafted if possibly simplistic beer that anyone with a taste for beer should really appreciate. It is slightly malty from my perspective with hardly any hoppiness that I noticed, reminding me more of biers de garde or NABC's Tafel (Belgian table ale) than anything sold as a pale ale I've drank before. All thirty of us loved this beer!

Finally, its one thing to be told a chef is a genius – quite another to experience it for yourself. I've long been told I should go to Vananese and I've seen the accolades in print showered on John Varanese but beginning to end, this was one of the best meals I've ever eaten. The menu is listed above so I won't repeat it but I would love to make a meal out of any one of the first three courses. I couldn't finish the dessert.

Thanks to the Varanese and the Boston Beer Co. for a wonderful evening!

Make no bones about it....

I love Varanese and River City, so you can count on me being excited with thier successes.

Good work, old friends! You make us all proud, consistantly.

I'll say this again: If you haven't been to Varanese or are a bar manager that doesn't work with River City, then you've missed out.

The "barrel room" collection which includes the 13th hour is a fantastic lineup of beers. Only recently did they start selling it in our area. Previously, I had brought a bottle of their new world tripel back from Chicago, only to learn I would soon be able to buy it down the street. The tripel is a wonderful beer. I'm wanting to try the stonybrook red as I'm a big sour fan. Upland and rivertown are some localish brewers that make outstanding sours if you're looking to get more in to the style. Of course, duchesse de bourgogne is one of the standards of the style and deserves a try if you're expanding to the sour style. Skip the lindemans, it's an export only product that's chocked full of extra sugar to suit the American market.

Back to Boston beer, I don't think there's a better value in the category than their barrel room beers. Corked and caged 750s will typically run you twice what Sam Adams sells theirs for. I believe I've seen it for $8.99 approximately. That may seem like a lot for one bottle of beer but people regularly spend 2-3x that for a standard bottle of wine. It's meant to be enjoyed in the same manor. I like to share a bottle among friends to induce a discussion of our thoughts on the beer.

Finally, the "perfect pint" glass from Sam Adams is one of my go to glasses in the cabinet. It truly does make the beer taste different. Not only different but better. While a standard shaker pint is convenient and serves its purpose, something about drinking a beer out of the proper glassware makes the whole experience better. I encourage folks to ask their favorite watering holes about serving their beers in the appropriate glass. The only way it will begin to catch on is if the consumer starts asking for it.

Sounds like it was a great event. Thanks for the detailed write up. Does Trevor live in the area? I love reading draft magazine. Always an entertaining and informative periodical. Louisville is truly blessed with a great beer scene and it is only getting better.

Hi Brice,
If it had not been for this beer dinner I would likely never had known about Boston Beer's “Barrel Room” collection. I had kind of relegated Sam Adams to the “also ran” category thinking there was little to note beyond the sheer volume of releases they seemed to announce.

Reading about the “Barrel Room” collection and tasting a couple last night gives me reason to believe that they are still committed to practicing their craft not just selling huge volumes of product. The story of the New Albion reenforces that and I have to admit I have some serious admiration for what Jim Koch is doing.

I'm not sure that I'm full on board yet with the serious sours although I've developed a taste for that funk now. The 13th Hour is a stout aged in spirit barrels so while it had a pronounce sour note it wasn't a full “in your face” sour. I try to keep a bottle of Geuze on hand for when guests who drink wine are over. As you probably know it's a young lambic mixed with one aged two years in the barrel which definitely mellows some of the elements down. I too think the price point is a bargain for such a beer and the bottles they come in are works of art. I checked their beer locator this morning and found it pointed to only a couple of the Liquor Barns. I thought I'd drop Todd A a note to see if he had any before I headed that way.

I also prefer using the proper glass and am happiest when my Belgian beer is served to me in a chalice. Also that Boston glass has an attractively curvaceous form that I find appealing for some reason. I'm not at all liking that glass the Dogfish Head developed. Looks like something I've seen on the adult toy channel when surfing late at night. I have well over a hundred beer glasses.

Trevor and his wife Annalise do indeed live near Louisville. Trevor was sitting just a bit too far from me to speak to as much as I would have liked. He brought a bunch of complementary copies of the March/April magazine. He too likes the sours and was fun to talk to.

It was a very enjoyable night. I believe Carl tailored his talk to the crowd which had a lot of industry insiders but more casual beer fans/foodies. It would be great if someone got Carl to come for a beer geek event. Entry to the event would only be allowed once a quick blood test confirm the presence of trace amounts of Brettanomyces in one's blood stream. Really, I overheard one guy say, “I don't like dark beer!” GTFO!

Cheers Brice!

I could write a long response, but the one thing I wanted to comment on is the dogfish/Sierra IPA glass. It was discovered that its an already existing wine glass that they put their logos on.

Interesting read: http://beerpulse.com/2013/02/dogfish-he ... l-o-glass/

I could write a long response, but the one thing I wanted to comment on is the dogfish/Sierra IPA glass. It was discovered that its an already existing wine glass that they put their logos on.

Interesting read: http://beerpulse.com/2013/02/dogfish-he ... l-o-glass/

That's funny Brice. Sounds like they could have developed a replacement for the space shuttle with less effort. They say it's rippled but the descriptor ribbed occurs to me.

I picked up a case of New Albion and two of the Barrel Room Collection beers at the Liquor Barn in St Matthews. They had all of the BRCs beers and several cases of New Albion left.