When he discovered that two of Australia’s premier craft brewers Brad Rogers of Matilda Bay Brewing and Chuck Hahn of Malt Shovel Brewery had been invited as guest judges to the Beer World Cup 20063 in Seattle, Washington USA, CHARLES COLL knew it was an experience he couldn’t miss.
Seattle is best known for three things, the birthplace of Starbucks coffee, Bill Gates Microsoft, and craft breweries. I also found many similarities with my hometown Melbourne - ever changing weather conditions, a vibrant city market, a passion for sports, and of course a love of beer. So it seemed a good fit that both cities are hosting major beer judging events. The Beer World Cup, often referred to as the Beer Olympics is the most diverse competition among brewers worldwide with 2275 beers from 539 breweries in 55 countries being judged by 111 brew masters from 85 categories.
The beer judging is only part of the festivities which also included a craft brewer’s conference with various seminar topics and a Brew Expo with 123 exhibitors of beer related industrial products that ranged from bottle fillers to fresh hops from around the world. These events were not open to the public, but provided vital interchange between fellow brewers and their suppliers. This camaraderie has certainly helped improve the craft beer market in the USA which is presently showing a nine per cent growth. The most startling statistic offered is that due to the popularity of microbreweries, one can be found within a ten mile radius of any home in the country.
So what did our brew masters have to say about their experiences? We asked them to give us an overview of the categories they judged, what styles of beer impressed them the most, and what would they bring back to Australia from the experience.
Chuck Hahn had the following to say: ÒI judged the honey lager beers, some aged in wood barrels that dominated the flavour, but most of the 47 samples we tried were too sweet for my liking. I was impressed with some of the seasonal beers like a rum barrel aged porter and a Dortmund/special bitter. There was also a very nice English styled brown ale at 4.5 per cent ABV that caught my attention. All the pilsners were very competitive, it was tough to pick from all the great European pils in the category. Without a doubt the most unusual category I judged was the fruit and vegetable section. There was watermelon, pumpkin, blackberry and cherry just to a mention a few. I really found the fruit complimented the hops and malt. I don’t think Australia is ready for these just yet, but I’ll be the first to introduce one down in Oz. I asked Chuck what were the differences between the Beer World Cup and the Australian International Beer Awards.
More categories and more beers to be judged for a start, plus they only award one gold, silver, and bronze from each category. The highlights for me has been the ability to catch up with fellow American brewers and find out what they are up to, different hops that are available, different brewing systems. I’ll take home some different concepts of brewing, a new beer cookbook and valuable information collected regarding beer education, beer and food matching plus some great literature.
I caught up with hops, malt, yeast and water guy, Brad Rogers right after the awards to get his impressions on judging and participating in the Beer World Cup. I was judging cellar and unfiltered beer, American-style wheat beer, German-style strong bock, specialty beers, but the categories that impressed me the most were the coffee flavoured beer, smoke-flavoured beer, and the Munich-style Hellas beers. It was a pleasure and an honour to be on the judging panel, but the highlight for me was the social interaction with such amazing people from all over the world. You just try to absorb as much as you can.
At the last World Cup I came back with the Rooftop Red Lager idea, and after the Great American Beer Festival in October, I wanted to make a Saison and here I am getting a bronze for one of our out there beers Barking Duck. For Matilda Bay, it’s a chance to push the envelope, to get things going on and out there for the Australian beer drinking community. We try to fill in the gaps and melt what we think the Aussie beer drinkers will want. I’m proud to be part of this international brewing community. Last night I was out with the Belgian guys from Orval. Duvel, Westmalle, and St Bernard drinking their beers and talking to them on a social level. There is so much diversity in the beer over here and we need to understand these styles. I’m confident we can because now we can get help from the greater beer community; then mould that style with things we enjoy, putting an Aussie slant on things.
During the course of the week I caught up with two terrific young brewers who had recently started up a micro-brewery in Biloxi, Mississippi called the Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company. Biloxi, Mississippi was in the eye of Hurricane (cyclone) Katrina which had devastated the town including their own homes and all their possessions. But under the heading of believe it or not the only building to be left standing was the tiny brewery which only lost its back door. With a brave face, the boys were determined to enter their beers and attend the conference. While in town they went down to the local op shop and each brought an $18 suit, but they insisted the suits at that price come with a shirt and tie.
Early on 5 in the awards ceremony, the boys were elated at wining a bronze medal in Category 6: Rye Beer with their Amberjaque Rye Ale. After going up on stage to receive their award they couldn’t wait to phone their sister with the news knowing that the whole town was at the brewery to show their support and loyalty. While talking to his sister the boys received a second bronze medal in Category 10: Specialty Beer Section with their Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale. The entire ballroom went quiet as the loudest YEEHAW I’ve ever heard was followed by a Holy shit sis, we won again! Who says their aren’t beer gods in heaven.
So how did the Aussies go in the award I hear you ask? Here are our results from 85 categories;
Category 4: American-Style Wheat Beer - Gold Medal Cascade Blonde Lager -Cascade Brewing Co.
Category 11: Specialty Honey Lager/Ale - Gold Medal Redoak Honey Ale - Redoak, Sydney
Category 16: Smoke-Flavoured Beer - Gold Medal Redoak Rauch - Redoak, Sydney
Category 17: European-Style Low Alcohol Lager - Silver Medal Hahn Premium Lager -Hahn Brewing Co-Bronze Medal Cascade Premium Light-Cascade Brewing Co.
Category 31: American-Style Low Carbohydrate Light Lager - Silver Medal Pure Blonde - Fosters Australia.
Category 39: Baltic Porter - Bronze Medal Redoak Baltic Porter - Redoak, Sydney
Category 41: French/Belgian-Sytle Saison - Bronze Medal Barking Duck - Matilda Bay Brewing Co.
Category 49: English-Style Summer Ale - Bronze Medal James Squire Golden Ale - Malt Shovel Brewing Co
Showing posts with label Brad Rogers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brad Rogers. Show all posts
Monday, July 17, 2006
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Beer 101
Having a desire to learn more about beer and the brewing process gives a whole new slant on a ‘thirst for knowledge’. Some have a passing interest to find out more about the amber fluid, and others have a full blown obsession. Either way, there are plenty of ways to gather significant information to satisfy most hop heads.
Most Capital cities have major breweries that provide tours of their facilities. It’s a matter of giving them a call to find out the who, what, where, and when’s to getting on board. Small breweries and pub-breweries are also very accommodating with brewers often leading the tour and proud of their set-ups and products. Without sounding to schoolmarmish, it’s always a good idea to take pen and paper to jot down interesting comments and questions you’d like to ask, as after a few pints you might forget.
Our big breweries are often maligned but when it comes to educating the public about beer, their efforts have been first rate. An enormous amount of expertise, manpower, and financial support has been expended to better inform and educate the hospitality employees and beer enthusiasts in general
Carlton & United Beverages developed the Draught Beer Academy in 2001, and has trained over 2,500 workers in every state and territory. The star of the show is undoubtedly the massive “beer school on wheels” which has covered 65,000 miles including remote and rural areas around the country. In fact, its popularity has demanded that another beer bus be built in 200x. The academy was created with the assistance of more than 25 leading publicans and hoteliers to insure that Australians received the most perfectly poured and presented beers in the world. To learn more about the Draught Beer Academy, go to their website at www.draughtbeer.com.au. There you can find out about the course content, take a virtual tour, and even pinpoint where the ‘beer truck’ is located at the moment on the location tracker.
In May 2002 Lion Nathan Australia developed an education program called Beer Masters that is available on CD-ROM and as a link from their website that can actually be used by TAFE and hospitality students to gain accreditation/credit points in their courses. Beer Masters enables the students to sit exams online and obtain a certificate that, if successful, is recognised as meeting the academic requirements of Operate a Cellar System module which is part of a number of hospitality courses run by TAFE Meadowbank (NSW) campus. Novices like me can visit the website http://www.lion-nathan.com.au/all+about+beer+appreciation/beermaster.htm: There you can learn about the history of beer, a flowchart explaining the brewing process, beer appreciation, and a whole lot more including a virtual brewery tour.
Ian Watson is an independent ‘Beer consultant and Sommelier’. The job description includes helping restaurants, cafes and pubs with their beer and food menus providing independent tasting notes to venues and breweries, staff training-, plus speaking at beer tastings, dinners and festivals as well as being on the restaurant floor. His base of operation is “Oropa Bier Café” at the Spotted Cow hotel in Toowoomba, Qld. On Friday and Saturday evenings he can be found helping diners with their beer selection for both pairing with a meal and general consumption.
According to Ian “The key to this is education of both staff and consumer, helping them understand flavour profiles like sour, chocolate, champagne and banana. I often encourage the consumer to realize their own selection through a series of flavour analogy examples rather than straight deciding their accompaniment for them. But many want my choice to be theirs as well, understandable when Oropa has a menu of about 12 draught beers and 40 bottled beers as well as another 20 or so beers that I keep aside as my hidden treats.”
Beer education is also achievable in slightly more formal or direct settings of beer tastings, beer dinners and Beer 101 classes. At theses events it is possible to take things to a more specific area or a more involved level. An example of which is an upcoming event that I am doing called “la Femme de Bier”. This is a women’s only beer tasting that will explore the important role that women have played in the last 10 000 years of brewing history, as well as give some of the girls a chance to explore the concept of beer without the intimidation of guy The more we can get people talking about beer, the more they will learn about beer the more craft beer will grow in Australia
“Tales and Ales” are presented by the brewers of James Squires ales, lagers, and porters. These events are the equivalent of a beer cocktail (tale) function, where a variety of beers are tasted (and described), while being matched with a variety of interesting food dishes. It is an informal stand-up version of a beer dinner (similar to the wine dinner hosted by the winemaker). According to Doug Donelon “We have found that this format works very well in the hotel environment and also allows the hotel to showcase some its finer dishes to an interested and enthusiastic group of connoisseur’s. Ideally all the beers would be on tap (served in jugs), but bottles served on trays can be just as effective.
Format as follows:
1. Upon arrival, guests are given a beer glass that is used throughout the evening. This special glass is their “ticket” to further beers. In some instances the first beer may be a light beer. This beer is used as a palate cleanser and is the only beer served until most of the people arrive.
2. The 2nd Beer is served. A Malt Shovel Brewer describes how to taste and fully enjoy the beer “an organoleptic evaluation” and usually some history about the beer. As the Brewer is talking, the first finger food dish is served. Brewer will comment on why the choice of this beer & food has been matched together.
3. About 15 minutes later, the second beer is served (via jugs or bottles served around). The Brewer talks and the food is served.
4. This sequence is repeated, using the same glass throughout, until all beer & food combinations have been enjoyed.
5. At the conclusion of the beer and food matching a cleansing larger/ale is served to finish off the evening. The Brewer makes some concluding remarks about beer & food enjoyment and of course introduces the chef. Total time is about one & half to two hour’s maximum.
6. The Patrons can then go on to enjoy the beers they have sampled throughout the night.
SAMPLE BEER& FOOD MATCHINGS
Possibly Hahn Premium Light (on tap) upon arrival as a palate cleanser.
1. Australian White Beer oysters with a dill/vinaigrette sauce
2. Hahn Premium Lager Sashimi/sushi with wasabi
3. James Squire Amber Ale Lamb Cutlets with mint sauce
4. James Squire Pilsener Chicken satay kebabs with peanut sauce or another spicy dish
5. James Squire Porter Chocolate mud cake/fudge/brownies
6. Cleansing Lager/ale from the tap – Draught James Squire is the usual preference.
Getting involved with beer lovers and increasing their understanding of beer and brewing is central to Matilda Bay Berwery’s philosophy. The entire Matilda Bay team spends a substantial amount of their time with bartenders, consumers and the media discussing all facets of the humble blend of malt, hops and water.
“Our goal is to make everyone as obsessed about beer as we are! Beer appreciation is meant to be fun and we always keep it that way” said Michael Comerton, The Words, Pictures and Directions Guy from Matilda Bay.
Education sessions are regularly conducted for bar and hotel staff, and an array of events are held in venues across the country. Lavish beer and food matching dinners, informal finger food evenings, and Matilda Bay’s Beer 101 (beer, food and a “very unserious” test) are coordinated for groups of varying sizes throughout the year.
“Sometimes Brad Rogers could be discussing dark lagers with a group of six at Kingsleys Ale House in Woolloomooloo, while on the same night Phil Gallagher is fielding questions about wheat beer from a crowd of 100 at the Sail & Anchor in Fremantle” Comerton said.
Matilda Bay’s Bar Shouts are naturally very popular too and the teams in each of the states often undertake a wee crawl around a few pubs, shouting Matilda Bay beers for those present and chatting about various beer styles and flavours.
Providing a very different business experience, Matilda Bay also holds corporate events with an emphasis on education around beer flavours, styles and dishes. In addition, Matilda Bay’s website has a key focus on education. Online, the brewing process and ingredients are explained in detail, along with ‘Brewer’s Notes’ from Brad covering his thoughts on each beer’s recipe and process.
And if you like getting along to shows, you’ll find Matilda Bay at numerous festivals and events nationally. Matilda Bay is present at Australia’s leading food and wine events, and Brad can often be found in the demonstration kitchens or auditoriums discussing brewing with the crowd.
According to Comerton “many people are surprised when they meet us at pubs or at shows and get chatting. People find it refreshing not to get a sales pitch – we just love to chat about beer! We enjoy talking with fellow beer lovers about beer styles, brewing, and food among other things. And it’s so important to hear feedback from people who have tasted our beers and are already entrenched fans as well as from those who are tasting any of our beers for the first time.”
Without trying to bow my trumpet to loudly, I present a beer appreciation course at the Melbourne Belgian Beer Café Bluestone on one Saturday afternoon a month that is coordinated through the Centre of Adult Education (CAE). The course lasts for two hours in which participants taste test eight beers that are accompanied by specially selected entrée sized dishes that compliment the differing beer styles. During the class, the course content includes presentation, glassware, handling and storage, as well as palate identification, judging a beer, styles of beer,and a short history of beer through the ages. It’s a great day out but we do advise you take public transport home as many students continue their further education at the bar afterwards.
Most Capital cities have major breweries that provide tours of their facilities. It’s a matter of giving them a call to find out the who, what, where, and when’s to getting on board. Small breweries and pub-breweries are also very accommodating with brewers often leading the tour and proud of their set-ups and products. Without sounding to schoolmarmish, it’s always a good idea to take pen and paper to jot down interesting comments and questions you’d like to ask, as after a few pints you might forget.
Our big breweries are often maligned but when it comes to educating the public about beer, their efforts have been first rate. An enormous amount of expertise, manpower, and financial support has been expended to better inform and educate the hospitality employees and beer enthusiasts in general
Carlton & United Beverages developed the Draught Beer Academy in 2001, and has trained over 2,500 workers in every state and territory. The star of the show is undoubtedly the massive “beer school on wheels” which has covered 65,000 miles including remote and rural areas around the country. In fact, its popularity has demanded that another beer bus be built in 200x. The academy was created with the assistance of more than 25 leading publicans and hoteliers to insure that Australians received the most perfectly poured and presented beers in the world. To learn more about the Draught Beer Academy, go to their website at www.draughtbeer.com.au. There you can find out about the course content, take a virtual tour, and even pinpoint where the ‘beer truck’ is located at the moment on the location tracker.
In May 2002 Lion Nathan Australia developed an education program called Beer Masters that is available on CD-ROM and as a link from their website that can actually be used by TAFE and hospitality students to gain accreditation/credit points in their courses. Beer Masters enables the students to sit exams online and obtain a certificate that, if successful, is recognised as meeting the academic requirements of Operate a Cellar System module which is part of a number of hospitality courses run by TAFE Meadowbank (NSW) campus. Novices like me can visit the website http://www.lion-nathan.com.au/all+about+beer+appreciation/beermaster.htm: There you can learn about the history of beer, a flowchart explaining the brewing process, beer appreciation, and a whole lot more including a virtual brewery tour.
Ian Watson is an independent ‘Beer consultant and Sommelier’. The job description includes helping restaurants, cafes and pubs with their beer and food menus providing independent tasting notes to venues and breweries, staff training-, plus speaking at beer tastings, dinners and festivals as well as being on the restaurant floor. His base of operation is “Oropa Bier Café” at the Spotted Cow hotel in Toowoomba, Qld. On Friday and Saturday evenings he can be found helping diners with their beer selection for both pairing with a meal and general consumption.
According to Ian “The key to this is education of both staff and consumer, helping them understand flavour profiles like sour, chocolate, champagne and banana. I often encourage the consumer to realize their own selection through a series of flavour analogy examples rather than straight deciding their accompaniment for them. But many want my choice to be theirs as well, understandable when Oropa has a menu of about 12 draught beers and 40 bottled beers as well as another 20 or so beers that I keep aside as my hidden treats.”
Beer education is also achievable in slightly more formal or direct settings of beer tastings, beer dinners and Beer 101 classes. At theses events it is possible to take things to a more specific area or a more involved level. An example of which is an upcoming event that I am doing called “la Femme de Bier”. This is a women’s only beer tasting that will explore the important role that women have played in the last 10 000 years of brewing history, as well as give some of the girls a chance to explore the concept of beer without the intimidation of guy The more we can get people talking about beer, the more they will learn about beer the more craft beer will grow in Australia
“Tales and Ales” are presented by the brewers of James Squires ales, lagers, and porters. These events are the equivalent of a beer cocktail (tale) function, where a variety of beers are tasted (and described), while being matched with a variety of interesting food dishes. It is an informal stand-up version of a beer dinner (similar to the wine dinner hosted by the winemaker). According to Doug Donelon “We have found that this format works very well in the hotel environment and also allows the hotel to showcase some its finer dishes to an interested and enthusiastic group of connoisseur’s. Ideally all the beers would be on tap (served in jugs), but bottles served on trays can be just as effective.
Format as follows:
1. Upon arrival, guests are given a beer glass that is used throughout the evening. This special glass is their “ticket” to further beers. In some instances the first beer may be a light beer. This beer is used as a palate cleanser and is the only beer served until most of the people arrive.
2. The 2nd Beer is served. A Malt Shovel Brewer describes how to taste and fully enjoy the beer “an organoleptic evaluation” and usually some history about the beer. As the Brewer is talking, the first finger food dish is served. Brewer will comment on why the choice of this beer & food has been matched together.
3. About 15 minutes later, the second beer is served (via jugs or bottles served around). The Brewer talks and the food is served.
4. This sequence is repeated, using the same glass throughout, until all beer & food combinations have been enjoyed.
5. At the conclusion of the beer and food matching a cleansing larger/ale is served to finish off the evening. The Brewer makes some concluding remarks about beer & food enjoyment and of course introduces the chef. Total time is about one & half to two hour’s maximum.
6. The Patrons can then go on to enjoy the beers they have sampled throughout the night.
SAMPLE BEER& FOOD MATCHINGS
Possibly Hahn Premium Light (on tap) upon arrival as a palate cleanser.
1. Australian White Beer oysters with a dill/vinaigrette sauce
2. Hahn Premium Lager Sashimi/sushi with wasabi
3. James Squire Amber Ale Lamb Cutlets with mint sauce
4. James Squire Pilsener Chicken satay kebabs with peanut sauce or another spicy dish
5. James Squire Porter Chocolate mud cake/fudge/brownies
6. Cleansing Lager/ale from the tap – Draught James Squire is the usual preference.
Getting involved with beer lovers and increasing their understanding of beer and brewing is central to Matilda Bay Berwery’s philosophy. The entire Matilda Bay team spends a substantial amount of their time with bartenders, consumers and the media discussing all facets of the humble blend of malt, hops and water.
“Our goal is to make everyone as obsessed about beer as we are! Beer appreciation is meant to be fun and we always keep it that way” said Michael Comerton, The Words, Pictures and Directions Guy from Matilda Bay.
Education sessions are regularly conducted for bar and hotel staff, and an array of events are held in venues across the country. Lavish beer and food matching dinners, informal finger food evenings, and Matilda Bay’s Beer 101 (beer, food and a “very unserious” test) are coordinated for groups of varying sizes throughout the year.
“Sometimes Brad Rogers could be discussing dark lagers with a group of six at Kingsleys Ale House in Woolloomooloo, while on the same night Phil Gallagher is fielding questions about wheat beer from a crowd of 100 at the Sail & Anchor in Fremantle” Comerton said.
Matilda Bay’s Bar Shouts are naturally very popular too and the teams in each of the states often undertake a wee crawl around a few pubs, shouting Matilda Bay beers for those present and chatting about various beer styles and flavours.
Providing a very different business experience, Matilda Bay also holds corporate events with an emphasis on education around beer flavours, styles and dishes. In addition, Matilda Bay’s website has a key focus on education. Online, the brewing process and ingredients are explained in detail, along with ‘Brewer’s Notes’ from Brad covering his thoughts on each beer’s recipe and process.
And if you like getting along to shows, you’ll find Matilda Bay at numerous festivals and events nationally. Matilda Bay is present at Australia’s leading food and wine events, and Brad can often be found in the demonstration kitchens or auditoriums discussing brewing with the crowd.
According to Comerton “many people are surprised when they meet us at pubs or at shows and get chatting. People find it refreshing not to get a sales pitch – we just love to chat about beer! We enjoy talking with fellow beer lovers about beer styles, brewing, and food among other things. And it’s so important to hear feedback from people who have tasted our beers and are already entrenched fans as well as from those who are tasting any of our beers for the first time.”
Without trying to bow my trumpet to loudly, I present a beer appreciation course at the Melbourne Belgian Beer Café Bluestone on one Saturday afternoon a month that is coordinated through the Centre of Adult Education (CAE). The course lasts for two hours in which participants taste test eight beers that are accompanied by specially selected entrée sized dishes that compliment the differing beer styles. During the class, the course content includes presentation, glassware, handling and storage, as well as palate identification, judging a beer, styles of beer,and a short history of beer through the ages. It’s a great day out but we do advise you take public transport home as many students continue their further education at the bar afterwards.
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