Craft Beer Renaissance

President Obama this week hosted a White House meeting between Harvard Professor Henry Luis Gates Jr. and the Cambridge, MA police officer involved in the now infamous arrest at the professor’s house.  The three men were to get together for a beer and discuss the recent national headline-grabbing confrontation.   This ignited another, albeit minor, controversy.  What beer would be served?  Obama would have a Bud-Lite, Professor Gates a Red Stripe or Beck’s and the officer would drink Blue Moon.  Jim Koch of Massachusetts-based Samuel Adams brewery began immediately lobbying for one of his brews to be served as he is the local favorite where the controversial arrest that sparked the racial profiling debate occurred.  Also, it was noted, Samuel Adams is the largest American-owned brewery now that the big brands are owned by European conglomerates.    All this, over a beer? 

 

Beer, the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage, has come a long way over several thousand years and is truly a global beverage.  But its most recent renaissance is being experienced on the local level with the rapid increase in demand for so-called ‘Craft Beers.’  Here in Chicago, I’ve become accustomed to comprehensive beer lists at not only beer-focused bars, but also at locally owned neighborhood restaurants and fine-dining spots downtown.  Blackbird restaurant, a Chicago favorite and James Beard award winner, offers a beer list featuring no imports and no brands that advertise during the Super Bowl.    Another Beard winner, Hot Chocolate in the Bucktown neighborhood, recently hosted a Beer-Dinner with local beer, instead of wine, pairings for each course.    The event was sold out weeks in advance. 

 

I have grown to take this for granted and assumed it was like that anywhere locally-owned restaurants thrived.  But while on vacation in Austin, TX, I was mildly shocked at the lack of craft or otherwise small-batch beer offerings at restaurants.  I dined at several highly regarded restaurants and found that while the menus and wine-lists were carefully assembled, the beer lists had very little variety beyond Texas staple Shiner Bock and locally brewed Fireman’s Four from Real Ale Brewing Company of Blanco, TX.  In contrast, Feast Restaurant on Damen Ave. in Chicago has eight taps, all of which are Midwest Craft brews or Imports.  Feast manager and beverage buyer Bret Heiar has had the occasional disappointed customer that tries to order a Budweiser, but by and large he says his patrons appreciate the variety and uniqueness of his beer offerings.  

 

On the retail level, I spoke with Greg Stellatos, co-owner of W Crossings Grocer, a neighborhood grocery, beer and wine shop, and he tells me that 80% of his beer business is Craft Beer.  He carries 150 beers with the vast majority being small brewers whose beers sell for $10 or more per six-pack.   From a merchandising perspective, Greg has given the majority of his cold case space to Craft Beers.  With twenty-four linear feet of cold case, he dedicates only six feet to national, heavily-advertised, brands.  On the floor, his case stacks are not Bud and Miller, but instead Three Floyd’s of Indiana and Bell’s of Michigan.   His Craft offerings reach beyond the Midwest with beers like Fat Tire (Colorado), Ommegang (New York), Allagash (Maine), and Dogfish Head (Delaware).

 

Beer Business Daily, an industry newsletter, reported last week that five of the six national ‘work-horse’  brands are seeing a free-fall in their sales (Miller Lite, Corona Extra, Budweiser, Bud Lite and Heineken) in the past quarter, with only one brand being up, Coors Light, a meager 1.7%.  Reasons attributed to this?  The economy was, of course, a factor, but historically beer has been ‘recession proof’ as it is relatively cheap entertainment.  Another reason offered was a “shift in consumer tastes.”  Craft Beer sales are on a rapid increase and some in the business suggest that these beers are taking sales from not only ‘mega beer brands’ but also from wine.  So excited are consumers about these beers that Craft Brewmasters are beginning to enjoy the celebrity status in some circles that was previously bestowed only on famous winemakers.

 

Where’s this going?  Will we see a Bell’s Oberon sponsored Nascar team?  Likely not.  But restaurants and retailers that ignore this shift will surely feel the same pain felt by those that a few years ago that thought Kendall-Jackson, Yellow Tail and Jadot constituted a comprehensive wine department or list.

Grand Crew Classy

I am not sure what took us so long to get around to it, but the Grand Crew finally got down to business and had a Bordeaux night.  Also, I am not sure what took me so long to chronicle the night!  I don't know how Godin and Lefsetz do it.   Anyway...  Sadly Jim was not able to join us for this Grand Crew.  His company was missed in addition to his expertise.  He out of all of us proabaly has the most experience with Bordeaux wines, especially the classified growths.  Oh well, sorry Charlie!  We had an incredible night. 

Before we get into the wines, let’s discuss.  Bordeaux is home to some of the worlds most famous and sought after wines.  Prices for said first and second growths can be sky high, but  I think there is still value to be found in Bordeaux.  If you like wines with those old world, earthy and minerally flavors with a good dose of restrained fruit, then Bordeaux could be your new best friend.    Even the non-classified Bordeaux you see for $20 or less can be interesting.  That’s where shopping at a wine retailer with whom you can develop a relationship can really pay off.  Work with someone you trust, someone who can get to know your palate and make good suggestions.

Ah, enough of that.  Now the wines.    Vikki started us in delicious fashion with a beautiful Graves Blanc from the Pessac-Léognan AC.  This area is famous for its gravel soil and is typically thought to deliver wines superior to that of the rest of Graves to the South.  The 03 Chateau Smith Haut Lafite was a beautiful way to start the evening. Golden straw in color with an appley nose, if gave off a small hint of oxidation, but in a very good way.  It was full and rich on the palate and reminiscent of salty caramel.  A fine pairing with Vikki’s Champagnemarinated shrimp served with Buerre Blanc.

Blooms had a the tough task of finding a cool Bordeaux blanc that WAS NOT from Graves.  They scored nicely with the 04 Chateau de Launay.  This was brighter and more herbaceous than the Smith Haut Lafite.   The acid came through late in the palate as did a touch of creamy oak flavors.  Killer wine for sure.  Excellent with Blooms adapted monkfish and pineapple dish that he recreated from a childhood memory.

Into the reds we went.  Jenn and I thought it’d be fun to rock a little vertical.  For Lalande de Pomerol we selected a 95 and 00 Chateau Bertineau st Vincent.  We served both with a charcuterie and cheese course, complete with my homemade chicken pate!  Jenn loves it when I sauté chicken livers, whip them in the food processor and chill the concoction in Beef Jell-o.  I did it all for her.  These wines were raging.  Both made under the auspices of one Michel Rolland.  You can knock this guy or praise him, but the fact remains that he works with some of the finest terroirs in the entire world.  So, if you are dealing with fine wine, it is sometimes hard to avoid this guy.  Both wines were predominately Merlot of course.  The 95 gave off that beautiful, textbook Bordeaux nose.  Loads of cedar and cigar box, smoke and stewed fruit.  The mid-palate had more in common with cheese and dirt than fruit and I mean that in a good way.  Tannins were very soft; the mouthfeel was supple and sublime.  The 2000 was much more intense on the nose with aggressive fruit aromas with a more apparent presence of alcohol.   Tannins were dusty and integrated well with the abundance of fruit. Both were incredible wines but I would choose the 95 too drink again in the near future. 

Have you heard the one about the new members of Grand Crew that made their debut with an 88 Lafite Rothchild?   Did you read the card??  Carl and Ruth made an excellent impression and contribution to the evening with the first First Growth to show up at Grand Crew.   This wine was ridiculous.  On the nose this crazy mentholated and eucalyptus thing opened my sinuses.  The velvety structure was nothing short of sexual.  The finish was long and took its sweet time unfolding., revealing layers of dark fruit, fennel, bacon and earth.  Thank you! 

As a backup, in case the Lafite bottle was damaged by several moves over the past 25+ years, Carl and Ruth brought an 04 Chateau Ponet Canet, a 5^th growth from Pauillac. This was so different, obviously, than the 88 Lafite.   Predominately Cab and Merlot with small amounts of Cab Franc and Petit Verdot, the Ponet Canet drank like a Napa wine.  Huge huge huge fruit.  Very few Bordeaux characteristics, if any, were apparent.

Where do you go after a bottle from one of the top Chateaus in the world?  Thank goodness Victor and

 Krassi were up next… they never disappoint and were definitively up to the challenge.  Second Growth, anyone?  Nice!  97 Chateau Leoville-Las Cases should do the trick.  This Saint Julien chateau holds vineyards just across a tributary from Latour.  Nice neighbor to have.  I wonder if there is a vintners version of penis envy… are they always secretly checking each other out?   Anyway.. the 97 was beautiful. Perfect red and blue fruit on the nose with cedar notes.  Strong and powerful palate followed by a long seductive finish.  Krassi wowed us with a Rabbit Terrine au aspic served with celery root, apple and mustard dressing.  Trés délicieux. 

Robert Parker loved the 98 vintage in Pomerol.  In fact, he rated the Right bank ACs far higher than the usual superstars of the Left.    Perhaps he was thinking of Jill and Dan’s 98 Chateau Nenin, a property which is now managed by Chateau Leoville Las Cases.  This was true elegance.  The nose was beautiful and feminine, showing mystery and complexity.  Aromas of perfume were followed by balanced flavors of red and blue fruit.  Tannins were soft and very well integrated.  Gorgeous soft Merlot that was excellent along side Jill’s Beef Bourgogne.  Dan must have a secret connection for mushrooms…

Dessert time!  I am reading the Billionaire’s Vinegar.  Every page it is Lafite this, Y’Quem that.  No one besides Billionaires get to drink this stuff on a regular basis, but here was the grand crew rocking out  both of these on one night.  Check out that book by the way… it is a great read, a real page-turner.  It reads like a true crime novel, which I guess it is.

Peter and Jane, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.  From the couple that blew my mind at the inaugural Grand Crew 12 months before with the insane dessert “Pavlova,” tonight came the oldest bottle of wine I had ever handled.  1978 Chateau d’Yquem.  They gave me the honor of opening it.  The bottle showed good fill level just above the shoulders.  I applied the slightest pressure to the cork with the horn of the wine key and the cork immediately plunged into the wine.  We poured everything out into our glasses right away as to avoid prolonged cork contact.  It was rich and amber in color, like Samuel Adams beer.  The nose was pickly and smelled slightly of oxidation.  The sweetness took a back seat on the palate to nutty and salty flavors.  It was almost like a lighter Madeira or a white port, but with a pronounced salinity.   I feel that maybe the cork on this wine lost its seal somewhere along the way, permitting too much oxygen contact.  Regardless, this was a pleasure and an honor to drink. I was three years old when these grapes succumbed to botrytis. 

I love Bordeaux.  There is nothing like it.  Napa has abandoned its roots and no longer seeks to deliver nuance and complexity like Warren Winiarski did 40 years ago.  Now it is all about power and strength.  Bordeaux, as we saw from Michel Rolland’s wine, has taken a few pages from Napa’s book, but still delivers subtlety. Still delivers multi-dimensional experiences for the wine drinker.  

 

Next stop 2009 and the Grand Crew heads down under for a quick tour of Aussie and NZ.  See you there ya banana bender.

My smoker caught on fire again!

Dagnabbit!  I have been smoking meat for years and have never had a problem.  But this year I have had TWOOOOOO grease fires.  Thank goodness Tommy was there this time to assist in the fireman detail.  The brisket was already out when the fat caught fire, so no loss of smokey deliciousness.  

Crush 08 at James Berry Vineyard / Saxum

A few weeks ago I headed West to my favorite wine region of California, Paso Robles.  There’s been wine production here for a long time, but not until recently has the quality of West Paso, especially Rhone Varietals, gained the attention of the power brokers of wine.   I was fortunate enough to honored with the privilege of assisting in Crush at James Berry Vineyard, home to the Saxum winery. 

I had worked the Chicago market all day with Robert Kamen then caught a 7pm out of Midway to San Jose.  As with all Chicago flights, we were delayed getting out but I finally got into San Jose around 11:15pm Cali time, 1:15am Chicago time.  I grabbed my rental car from Fox and hit the 101 South.  First stop, IN AND OUT BURGER.  And you KNOW I had it animal style.  Hard to eat in the car, but so worth it.  So I enjoyed Loveline on Live 105 for a while then when I lost that I switched to AM and caught some lunatic on AM 810 raving on and on about how all men eat breakfast cereal every day, especially late at night.  Nutjob… Anyway, I finally get to Paso after 2AM and check into the Motel 6.  I totally collapse into sleep, but cant wait to wake up the next day and get into it at James Berry Vineyard. 

After quick biscuits and gravy at a diner, it was off to the West Side.  Being an Illinois boy, it never fails to blow me a way when roads curve, rise and fall with the contours of mountains.   Paso is a beautiful community set in absolutely gorgeous surroundings.    When I got to the vineyard, Justin and the crew had just finished picking a block of Roussanne that was already on its way North to the Copain winery.   It was time to work in the winery instead of the vineyard. 

He got me started doing pump-overs.   Here’s why the wine needs to be pumped over.  When grapes and the juice ferment, carbon dioxide is produced that pushes the skins and stems of the grapes to the top of the fermenter.  If left unbroken, this cap can create an anaerobic environment and that will stunt the yeast growth and inhibit fermentation. BAD!  So Justin had me pump juice from the bottom of the fermenter back into the top of the fermenter to keep oxygen in the mix and break up the cap.   Before getting going, I had to sneak a few peeks and smells of the wine-to-be.  I leaned my head over the top of the whole cluster fermenting syrah from the Bone Rock parcel and was entranced by the aroma.  Yeasty, grapey, slightly winey… almost like if you made bread out of grapes.  Loved it.   BTW. The fermenters, and most machines for that matter, at Saxum all have names compliments of Mark.  Hank the Tank.  Biggie Talls.  I guess you had to be there…

That was the order of the day.  We pumped over a few different lots of Syrah and that was that.  The next day was to be the real work.  Harvesting the lower parcels of Bone Rock.   Before leaving the winery, Justin gave me a tour of the vineyard.  He has your G/S/M Rhone Varietals, along with some Roussanne and Chard.  A highlight was tasting one cluster of Roussanne at the end of the row, sour and green, and then another cluster not 25 yards away and it was sweet and delicious.  A slight change in the exposure made a huge difference in the ripening.  After I helped take delivery of some barrels, I headed back to Paso to get cleaned up for dinner at Villa Creek, which was delicious.  Love their food…love their wines.

Bright and early (actually, it was still dark) the next day it was go time.  I was at the vineyard at 6:30am ready to pick.  As the sun rose from the East and shined its flashlight on my surroundings, I was taken once again with the stunning beauty of West Paso Robles.  I ate a cluster of Roussanne as I felt the cool air, watched the mountains, trees and vineyards come into view.    The rest of the picking crew showed up and it was time to pick.  My timing was perfect for this trip.  I was lucky enough to be there the day that the upper parcel of Bone Rock was being picked.  For Syrah lovers out there, and I include myself among you, this was an incredible privilege.   This is a parcel of the JBV that sits at a 45 degree angle.  The Syrah on this block is head-trained, meaning there is no cordon cable for the vines to grow along.  The vines are not guided in any particular direction.  They just grow up like a big bush, like in many places in Syrah’s original home, the Rhone Region of France. 

The picking crew arrived and we were off and running with our FYBs, see pic.  Armed with gloves and some snips, the task at had was not a complex one.  Cut the good clusters into the bin while avoiding the second set.  When the bin is full, empty it into the trailer.  Repeat.  It was beautiful, fun work.   The grapes were a luscious blue and tasted delicious.  The seeds would crack under my teeth; they weren’t green and chewy.    It took about 4 hours to pick 2 acres, which gave us about 3 tons of fruit.  

From the vineyard, straight to the crush pad.  I was on the first pass of the screening process.  Grapes are emptied into a hopper that empties onto a vibrating table.   I was the first guy to see the fruit and pull off any bad berries or bad clusters altogether, remove leaves and other debris.  The grapes were like Chicago voters… early and often.  They kept coming!  It is so funny what you can become accustomed to.  I am not a bee hater, but I certainly do not respond well to bees in my immediate vicinity.  Well that was out the window because bees love fresh grapes and grape juice, and we were all basically lightning rods in the middle of a bee electric storm.  They swarmed.  Everywhere.  But I didn’t get stung.  I am sure it is a trick… down the road I will apply my cavalier attitude to a bee in my presence and zing! He will get me.

Anyway, after the table I worked with 5 others, the destemmer got ahold of the grapes, and did what else?  De-stemmed.  Then the loose berries were sorted again, last chance to get rid of the raisons, and then they went into a device that lightly cracked the berries only and dropped them into French Oak Puncheons where they would undergo fermentation.  These lots of barrel fermented, de-stemmed, bone rock will later be blended with the stainless, whole cluster fermented lots to give us the mighty 2008 Bone Rock when it is released in about 3 years.  Can’t wait!

With picking, sorting, destemming etc done for the day and the equipment cleaned up, it was time to head back to hotel and get some rest.  Or so I thought… Justin informed me that some work had yet to be done.    The aforementioned caps needed some more breaking. But this time, no pump over would do.  We needed to do it, Lucy style. 

After a hard day at the winery, I needed to get my fix so I headed to the Burger Station in Templeton before heading back to the hotel to watch the first presidential debate. 

Aside from learning a great deal about how wine is made, I had the opportunity to taste some back vintages of Saxum and Villa Creek wines.  And to those out there who say that these wines (high extraction, high alcohol etc) wines can’t age, I say you are wrong. I tasted the first vintage of Bone Rock, 2000, and it was raging.  Incredible intensity on the nose, great fruit and firm tannins.  And the acidity is perfectly in check and if it didn’t say 16% on the label you probably wouldn’t know.   Robert Parker (say what you want, but the guy tastes the best wines in the world every vintage and has been to the very top vineyards and Chateau) called the James Berry Vineyard a ‘Grand Cru’ sight.  I agree.  

Thanks again to Justin and his family for hosting my visit.  

In addition to Saxum, here are some other excellent West Side Paso wineries to check out:

Linne Calodo

Villa Creek

Denner

Booker

Kaleidos

Jack Creek

Ecluse

Tablas Creek

 

 

The Grand Crew.. the Big Night. Yeah, Italia

The Grand Crew… the Big Night  

Have you seen this film.  The Big Night?  The two brothers, one with a mind for business and one with a mind for the food, the passion and the tradition.  They clash over how to save their failing restaurant.  Well the Grand Crew hit the boot in full style not too long ago, but without the business woes and internal tension.  Grand Crew en Italiano!  Molto Buono!

Victor and Krassi hosted the evening and we began with a tour of the basement.  No, no John Wayne Gacy plot twist… just Victor’s  ‘indoor garden.’  NO! Not that kind of garden... the Orchids!  Very cool.   That requires far more patience than I could offer.  

Into the juice and eats. We jumped straight in with a Prosecco showdown and Caprese salad made with Heirloom tomatoes from Peter and Jane’s garden.  The first Prosecco was the Sergio Mionetto NV.  It was great.  I think I opined aloud that this “isn’t your usual ‘bachelorette party prosecco.’ Is that offensive?  I don’t think so.  If I were tasting through the Unibrou beers and said to a group of males, ‘this isn’t your usual bachelor party beer’ I think they’d be ok with it.  Anyway, the  Mionetto was dry, had a wonderful bready, cheesy nose.  It was for grown ups.   The second Prosecco was also serious in style.  The Nino Franco Rustico had a very cool minerality on the nose, a gentle tartness on the palate along side flavors of cut melons.  The effervescence  was beautifully integrated into the flavors and finish. 

Bring out the Blooms.  I’d like to personally thank them for hipping me to Pasta Fresh on Harlem Ave in Chicago’s NW side.  I had no idea this place existed, but am now a super fan and I can’t wait to eat their pasta again.  Apparently they have the dough all made and they will cut it into any format you want.  Great biz idea…. Especially in Chicago.  The Blooms served their Pasta Fresh with a delicious calamari salad.  It was beautiful along side the 06 Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis.  This wine was very classic Italian white on the nose… that cool blend of minerality, earthiness, citrus fruit and a small floral component.  Some Italian whites can be a real snooze but this was kicking. 

So Jenn and I we’re in the mid-zone.  The transition from white to red.  Oh, the responsibility!   It took some time to decide on a wine, but I finally did.  But when I went into Glunz looking for a “large format refosco,” I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when the guy laughed in my face.  Sort of a niche item, I suppose.    He hooked me up with a super cool 04 Elio Grasso – Vigna Martina – Barbera.  From Monforte d’Alba, this was killer.  The malo was present but very balanced with the gorgeous, lush yet elegant fruit.  Perfect touch of oak with a slight earhiness completed the wine.  Superb.  Nice pairing too with our homemade pecorino and pear ravioli finished with a red wine brown sauce.  Thanks for the assist in the kitchen Jill and Krassi!  Since I couldn’t find a mag, I did bring a second bottle.  This one was somewhat lame.  The 04 Castelcosa Furlan Refosco.   It had that Bretty, Band-Aid on the nose which sometimes I can get into, but this was lackluster at best.

Vikki and Jim do not disappoint…. Check this out. This wine was superb.  Story goes that Giovanni Almondo is a man of all talents.  He makes excellent wine, was the mayor of Monta d’Alba, and has a doctorate in Agronomy.  The Bricco delle Ciliegie Arneis come from a vineyard neighboring a cherry orchard.  The juice spends 6 months in stainless and a small parcel sees some oak.  This wine had incredible acid, balanced by stunning flavors of each pit and skin.  The nose gave off very cool white-rhone characteristics, but wasn’t as fat on the finish.   

Vic and Krassi… our hosts with the mosts!  Ah, the Magnums.  Bring out the “biggens .  How about a 97 Mag of Fattoria di Felsina Beradenga Chianti Classico.  This wine was killer…. Pure Chianti.  A textbook example Italian Sangiovese.   And obviously, 97 was no slouch vintage.  Age has treated this wine well and the wine drank beautifully.  Little bricking in the color, but the fruit held strong.  Great complexity.

Not one, but two mags were offered us compliments of Team V&K.  How’s about a 99 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Riserva.  WS gave this wine 92 points, not that that is worth much anymore.    But still, this was exceptional wine.  Huge fruit up front with an underlying earthiness.  Very Italian.  Beautiful floral nose… strong, gripping tannins.  And the Osso Bucco we enjoyed along side of this wine?  How they say, ‘fugedaboudit…'? 

For dessert we concluded the evening with Jill’s beautiful creation, a Peach Latice Puff Pastry and Olive Oil ice cream.  Yeah, it’s like that….  So awesome.  Dessert Wine in Italy?  Say hello to the saints, the wine of the saints, that is.  Vin Santo.  The 93 Castello D’Albola Chianti Classico Vin Santo was golden honey in color and delivered wonderful nutty aromas.  Thick and luxurious on the palate with more nutty and orange peal flavors.  incredible complexity, well paired with the pastry and olive oil.  Bravo!

Another Grand Crew Grand Success!  Next stop, 1855… Bordeaux.  See you then.