musing

Fantasy Beer Dinner #1: Neal Stewart

Neal StewartAnd we’re off. For more about what this is part of look here.

Neal Stewart is director of marketing at Flying Dog Brewery. BeerDinners.com was/is his idea. His personal web site is the Turkey Sandwich Report.

In case you forgot, the questions are: If you could invite four people dead or alive to a beer dinner who would they be? What four beers would you serve?

Babe Ruth – I can’t think of anyone who dominated a sport like Babe Ruth and I assume that he dominated the Dinner Table the same way. It seems like Babe appreciated a lot of the finer things in life and I’m pretty sure that included beer and food.

Mick Jagger – When it comes to the Beatles vs. The Stones, I have always been a Stones guy. And it stand to figure that a front man from one of the world’s biggest bands for the last 40 years would have some good stories to tell.

Andre The Giant – I’ve heard a lot of stories about Andre The Giant but the one that I always remember is that he would order one of everything on the menu just to freak people out. I would invite him just to see how much he could put away.

John McEnroe – I grew up playing tennis and McEnroe was always one of my favorites. John would be good at interviewing my other guests and have some good stories himself. Plus, he strikes me as a beer guy.

1st Course
Toasted Ravioli with Marinara paired with Schlafly Hefeweizen
Schalfly was one of the first craft beers I was introduced to and I’ve always liked their beer and respected the way they have built their business in the shadows of A-B. I’m going with Toasted Ravioli because it is one of my favorite foods and it’s hard to find anywhere except for St. Louis (where I am from).

2nd Course
Mixed Greens with Strawberries, Gorgonzola Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette paired with New Glarus Raspberry Tart
I was given a bottle of Raspberry Tart as a gift a few weeks ago and loved it. This beer would really accentuate all of the salad’s flavors.

3rd Course
Beer Cheese Soup paired with Double Dog Pale Ale
I’m a sucker for Beer Cheese Soup and even though it is normally served with a Pale Ale, I would step up the hops on the beer selection to compliment the sharp cheddar flavors from the soup. And not to be a “homer” but I just really like Double Dog.

4th Course
Grilled Pork Chops with Pineapple Salsa paired with Avery Hog Heaven
Eric always makes fun of me because whenever we’re out to dinner I order Pork Chops. This might be because eight years ago I was the official spokesperson for A1 Steak sauce on a mobile marketing tour. For 20 straight weeks I traveled around the country preaching the virtues of marinating steak in A1. Needless to say, I had unlimited access to steak and quite possibly could have burned out on the red meat. I love our Horn Dog, but I also really like Avery’s version of this style and I think a sweet Barley Wine with the spicy/sweet Pineapple Salsa would be really good.

5th Course
Gonzo Imperial Porter Float
We feature this on BeerDinners.com and I’ve made this at home a few times. The thick and creamy Gonzo goes perfectly with Vanilla Ice Cream. If you can top it with chocolate covered cherry, it’s even better.

Fantasy Beer Dinner: Who would you invite?

If you could invite four people dead or alive to a beer dinner who would they be?

What four beers would you serve?

Yes, I want your answers.

First, to jump start everybody’s brain I asked a few folks known to drink beer these questions. The resulting answers were way too cool to jam into a single post, so instead I’m making it a series — which might be a little strange in a blogging format. We’ll see.

Monday morning musing: Is mainstream beer back?

Coors BanquetA few beer related thoughts to help you shake free of any turkey-infused haze remaining after a long weekend:

– The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines if a surprising surge in sales of Coors Banquet means full-calorie, mainstream, premium-priced beers can end their 21st century slide (Budweiser sales, for instance, fell 21% from 2002 to 2006).

There’s also the chance that Coors’ modest gains aren’t a barometer of anything. “I guess it shows you that a brand can get so small that it can finally find its base,” said Eric Shepherd, editor of Beer Marketer’s Insights.

– As the story about the effects of higher prices for beer ingredients continues to gain momentum (here and here) the Cascade hop has turned out to be a poster child for the sudden change.

As recently as July the industry was still working through years of oversupply and you could buy a pound of Cascade for $3. Now we’re hearing about prices 1000% higher. That’s the spot market and not what the average brewer will pay in 2008, but it make you realize . . .

Once again, Stone Brewing is a step ahead. The brewer of Arrogant Bastard Ale and other hop-infused beers has been Cascade free since opening in 1996. OK, that doesn’t mean its hops cost any less, but it makes a good story.

– Bill Brand begins a story about “extreme beers” with a discussion of price, in this case asking ” Would you pay $30 for a bottle of beer?”

John Alderete is betting that some of us will. Having persuaded a group of investors to back him, he is now fermenting an experimental trio of beers in wine barrels at Devil’s Canyon Brewing in Belmont, pending licensing for his own Mayfield Brewing Co. in Palo Alto.

Mr. Alderete may make terrific beer, and $30 for a 750ml bottle might turn out to be a great price, but one reason that high prices for a few special releases seem reasonable is that the breweries selling them have established a history of excellence.

If we start paying $30 for beer just because of the price tag looks impressive then Alan has a right to complain.

Six beery reasons to say thanks

A six pack of reasons for U.S. beer drinkers to be thankful (no flag waving, but U.S. because this is where we celebrate Thanksgiving today):

1) The imperial pint glass.

2) Our local breweries.

3) The Rule of Saint Benedict.

4) The farmers who grow the ingredients for our beer.

5) That Michael Jackson chose to be Michael Jackson rather than Robert Parker.

6) No Reinheitsgebot in America.

Can you think of others?

Tumbling UK pub sales not the whole story

Nag's Head handpumpsMelisa Cole offers a brilliant post today regarding the news that beer sales in UK pubs have slumped to their lowest level since the 1930s.

I’m a bit confused and bemused by this announcement and what it’s trying to achieve; because, to my mind, all this proclamation is going to generate is stories about beer not being popular any more, which – if we’re not careful – could surely just become a self-perpetuating prophesy.

As important, she points to a dichotomy that has a direct parallel in the United States. Independent and local brewers report growth of 7.5% per year at the same time larger breweries bemoan tumbling sales.

Much like in the U.S., where those who call themselves craft breweries enjoy double digit growth although overall beer sales remain flat. Here the smaller breweries have gone out of their way to point to these numbers whenever media business stories mention beer losing market share to wine and spirits.

In fact, the number of breweries in the UK is increasing and more pubs are selling cask-conditioned beer. Overall cask sales languish because the “big four” multinational brewers &#151 who control 56% of the ale market &#151 don’t support cask.

Cole writes:

The major problem I DO have is that, once again, the BBPA’s doom and gloom approach does nothing more than further damage beer’s image by painting it as a product that nobody wants.

What this report seems to say to me, when viewed in light of Pete Brown’s findings, is that, actually, fewer people want mass-produced products and that the big brewers are missing out by under-investing in their cask brands.

Sound familiar?

Further reading: Five reasons beer sales have slumped.