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April 2009
Home brew Sunday at Drungo
For those of you with no interest in giving your liver a day off, Drungo Ice House and Austin Homebrew Supply are getting together for a home brew demonstration Sunday beginning at 3 p.m. at the bar and eater, 2828 Rio Grande St.
Chip McElroy from Live Oak will be on hand, folks from the Black Star Coop are expected to be on hand enlisting new recruits and John “JB” Brack will be doing a home brew demonstration on-site. Have a beer, get some food and maybe pick up a new hobby that forces you to clean the kitchen before you begin.
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Deal of the century: Trio happy hour
No question you can throw down some dough at Trio, the restaurant at the Four Seasons, but ever since keeping the wolves from the door replaced baseball as the national pastime, you’re probably looking to show your sweetie a good time for less.
So last night I and my two favorite Cindys performed investigative journalism at Trio’s happy hour, which runs six nights a week (the sabbath excluded) and offers everything on the wine bar appetizer menu at half price. Four baked oysters with bacon and shoestring potatoes: Six bucks. Seared beef sashimi: $7.50. Creamy fondue with big hunks of crab: $7.50. Truffle fries: $3.50. And glasses of Villa Sandi Prosecco.
Fabulous all, and I must say we were very well taken care of. (Disclosure: We were comped, and unlike our restaurant critic we were not attempting to be anonymous.) The only thing I’m not wild about is you can see my office from there, which is always an unwelcome reminder of how I squandered my day. Check it out; it really is a great deal. Hours are 5-8 p.m.
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Best hotel bar: SFA-list
Over at The M.O. my pal and colleague Matthew Odam gives up the results of the clash of the hotel bar titans in this week’s A-list. The winner is the Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin, which pulled in 38 percent of the vote compared to The Driskill’s 26 percent.
No debating these are two fabulous hotel bars. They are also the most self-consciously Texan joints in town. They have cigars at the SFA bar and a wrap-around terrace on which to enjoy them. The Driskill, our crown jewel, our grand dame, our…oh, pick your own cliche, The Driskill has that amazing grand piano and exudes history and romance. When the Lege is in session, it also exudes lobbyists.
A little surprised to see The Four Seasons came in fourth, one percentage point behind the Hotel San Jose. The lobby bar offers a great view of Lady Bird Lake, a ringside seat for the bat emergence from under the Ann Richards bridge and those tableside martini shakers that just pour and pour.
Given the depressing commonality of so many hotels, it seems they exist to remind you you’re someplace you don’t want to be. All four of these bars are unique and distinctly Austin. And isn’t that where you want to be?
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Spoetzl at the statehouse
In case you hadn’t heard, it’s Spoetzl Brewery’s 100th anniversary this year. Seriously. They’re so beloved in Texas and beyond they need the whole year to celebrate. And your elected representatives are showing the little brewery in Shiner some love on Wednesday, with the Texas House and Senate serving up resolutions at 10 and 11 a.m., respectively. Carlos Alvarez, head of Spoetzl owner Gambrinus, will be on hand, as will brewmaster Jimmy Mauric. No word on whether refreshments will be provided, but don’t bank on it.
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Report: Charlie Geren hates good beer
Remember that legislation that would allow craft and microbreweries to sell their beers on-premises as part of a tour? The one that lots of small brewers thought was a great deal but predicted would never pass because the big beer distributors are all-powerful and evil to an almost comic degree?
Well, it’s happening. Sources at the Lege say Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Ft. Worth), overlord of the House Administration Committee, is set on making sure the bill dies. (And even if it made it out, the clock is ticking on the session and Geren and Edmund Kuempel, R-Seguin, control the calendar.)
If true, this makes no sense whatsoever, which is what one reliably can count on from the Texas Legislature. Geren runs a barbecue restaurant with a bar, so he’s no Carrie Nation. And Miller does have a brewery in Ft. Worth, but Miller was reportedly OK with the legislation.
So: Huh?
Live Oak’s Chip McElroy, who’s fresh from a beer distributors’ conference, is surprised. “All these guys are singing the praises of craft beer,” he said. “They’re making a lot of money selling our beer. Trying to keep us down is backwards, old-time thinking. I am surprised they would want to shut us down on this…. “I’m surprised the distributors don’t understand the value of this to them.”
We’re pursuing a comment from Geren.
Privately, some small Texas brewers aren’t crushed that the bill’s prospects are poor if not grave. Giving away beer as part of a paid brewery tour was kind of gimmicky, they say. Eventually the law will change and the world might not end.
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Wine & Food Fest: Sunday Fair
The Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival’s Sunday Fair is the event’s rough equivalent of the Auditorium Shores concerts during South By Southwest — an offering to the masses who play host to a weekend-long gathering, folks who aren’t willing to pony up $100 or more for the tonier events (a mere $45 will get you in the door). You don’t have to dress fancy, you’ll probably get dirty but you’ll have a fine time.
And so it was Sunday at the Vineyards at the Salt Lick near Driftwood. After an intermittently stormy couple of days there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and organizers trucked in hay to take the edge off the mud in the rural locale. The only thing that wasn’t perfect early in the day was a persistent wind.
But Salt Lick brisket and sausage on the way in made things tolerable, as did Cafe Josie’s Jamaican jerk chicken with a killer sauce. But Whole Foods’ duck in mole may have been the best thing fair-goers could have sampled. Louis M. Martini, the California family winery that had been a formidable presence all weekend, offered an “approachable” 06 Cabernet from Sonoma and a bolder and much more assertive ‘05 from Napa.
Locally, Wimberley Valley Winery had a nice, airy Merlot, a tad too light for my taste but perfectly fine for an early afternoon pour. And Mandola’s Estate Winery had a 2007 Sangiovese that suggested berries, oak and Hill Country air. And they’ve only been growing grapes out there since 2005?
All that and a hefe weizen (wheat beer for you people who only drink wine) poured by Live Oak’s Chip McElroy made for a fine close to a near-flawless 2009 festival. Cheers!
(American-Statesman photos by Patrick Beach)
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Wine and Food Fest: Stars Over Texas Grand Tasting
Did somebody say pork lollipop? We are so there.
That was Moonshine’s offering at Friday night’s Stars Over Texas Grand Tasting at the Long Center, one of the Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival’s bigger shebangs and pretty much without question the top wine event annually in Austin. The lollipop: a skewered pork medallion wrapped in bacon (mmm…bacon…) served on a bed of grits.
Stellar wine and food from some 40 of the state’s best restaurants was pretty much in every corner of the Long Center Friday, but maybe my fatigued palate (see entry below) made me more interested in the food, and it was just fantastic. The Lodge Restaurant of San Antonio (which if you’ve never been you really should go) had a sous vide steak tartate (pictured) with Dijon emulsion, “caper dust,” parsley coulis, foie gras-buttered toast and sunny side egg. A superior blend of flavors.
Elsewhere, there was fierce competition for who had the best beef short ribs — pretty sure at least three places were offering them — but Elmar Prambs’ of the Four Seasons were really hard to beat, rich and deeply beefy served with mashed potatoes and horseradish cream.
The weather wasn’t the greatest for hanging out on the terrace — the building’s exterior dripped wearily from a day of on-and-off rain — but the tents did their jobs. Inside, folks could buy an add-on ticket to the VIP lounge — what’s another $40 when you’re already in for $100, right? — which had DJ, a couple of bars and food by Aquarelle, Parkside, Asti and the recently relocated Zoot.
Zoot’s Mark Paul and Stewart Scruggs served marinated hangar steak in a flash-fried wonton cup with rice noodles, lots of carrots, pickled peppers, scallions, ginger and garlic. Like pretty much everything these guys do, it was perfect.
“It’s nice to have this room as opposed to the 1,500-person deal,” Paul said. “It’s like having a big cocktail party.”
And so it was. It was also kind of like South By Southwest for gala-rific gourmands: With so much great food and drink everywhere you looked there was no way you could sample but a fraction. Decisions, decisions. And the only thing missing? Stars.
Noteworthy: In addition to dozens of wines from Texas and beyond, two local makers of spirits, Treaty Oak Rum and Savvy Handcrafted Vodka were on hand.
For more on the Texas Hill Country Wine & Food fest, go to austin360.com/food.
(American-Statesman photo by Patrick Beach)
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Wine and Food Fest: Red, White & New
There’s no better way to ease into the weekend than to start with a wine tasting at 3:30 in the afternoon, is there? Especially when the locale is the Driskill Hotel’s Victorian Room and the occasion is the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival’s Red, White & New tasting.
More than 20 wineries and winemakers were on hand to enjoy samples, talk grape and enjoy passed appetizers from Driskill executive chef Jonathan Gelman.
Did a trend emerge? From the offerings in the room, it’s plain that the days of extreme wine are well past us, but then you knew that. Most of the wines were true to their styles with interesting variations. There was Long Boat, a 2006 sauvignon blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand, with grapes grown from five high-elevation vineyards and a portion of the wine fermented with wild yeast. It’s bright and fruity. (The name recalls Polynesian explorers who navigated the rough seas.)
There there was Candor zinfandel, an offering from the Hope Family, which also makes Liberty School and Treana. “It’s our goal to create a varietally correct wine,” said spokesman Joel Peterson. “It’s a balance. It’s a blend.” Quite literally — the zin is a blend of 2006 and 2007 grapes. The finished product featured a fruitiness and brightness as a result of the younger wine not being in the barrel as long. You know how a lot of zins are so off-puttingly assertive they might as well be cabs? Not this one. And the price is right — around $20, higher than Liberty School (at around $13 or so, the right price for a wine-drinking newspaperman) and Treana, whose white Rhone blend is around $25 and whose red will cost you roughly half a C.
Think you don’t much care for Rieslings? Try Eroica from Chateau Ste. Michelle. The sweetness was more subtle than many Rieslings, offset by a pleasing crispness. And it’s a good deal at around $20.
Chardonnay of the day: The ‘06 from William Hill Estate, which was smooth and rich all the way to the end, typical of their offerings. As Carmen Castorina, Gallo’s rep in Dallas (Gallo bought the winery in 2007) put it, “It’s easy-drinking. I think those showy wines fatigue people’s palates.”
And with two more days of wine fest events, we can’t have any tired palates.
For more Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival coverage, visit austin360.com/food.
(American-Statesman photo by Patrick Beach)
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“Beer Wars” review
Our guest reviewer is none other than Frank Mancuso, St. Arnold’s man in Austin, who writes:
“Beer Wars,” a film by former beer sales slug-turned director Anat Baron was simulcast Thursday in over 400 theaters around the country, and explores the successes and challenges that face many of today’s craft breweries. It predictably but humorously paints the “Big Three” as the bad guys in this sort-of David versus Goliath story. Another bad guy: the mandated three-tier system of beer distribution.
The story focuses mainly on Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head in Delaware, and Rhonda Kallman, co-founder of Sam Adams, but currently pushing Moonshot, a caffeinated beer. The film also includes interviews with some of the more recognizable folks in the craft beer world, Dick Yuengling — fifth-generation owner, Yuengling Brewery — Jim Koch of Sam Adams, Charlie Papazian, president of of the American Homebrewers Assoc. as well as a nice clip of the late British beer guru Michael Jackson. There are also appearances by the MillerCoors brass and a cameo by August Busch IV.
The film chronicles the history of the rabid competition of the big breweries and their role in the rise in popularity of the yellow fizzy liquid that is known in the industry as light lagers.
We get an inside look into what made Sam Calagione decide to make nothing but big beers with loads of oddball (and expensive) ingredients and flavors that have a cult following around the country. The film also follows Rhonda Kallman as she attempted to get her pepped-up beer into bars, clubs, and try to raise money to launch nationwide (which, she apparently has yet to do).
Those of us in the industry are well aware of the issues that face small micros. But the film informs the viewer of some of the important challenges that the little guys face in order to get their beer to you, the consumer: the fight for shelf space in the grocery stores; trying to get the attention of the beer distributors that carry the beers; the issues that the small breweries face in getting financing to build and expand; and the roadblocks that the wholesale beer lobbies throw up in their well-financed agenda to keep anything from chipping away at the three-tier system, which, if tweaked, could benefit both craft brewer and distributor.
While the movie is a bit slow at times it succeeds in presenting the case that there is a LOT more great beers to try besides the mass-produced ones, and that while the big boys may attempt to buy up the little guys, folks who are passionate about the beers they make are just as determined to keep that from happening.
And besides, drinking fresh Texas microwbrews like Saint Arnold, Real Ale and Live Oak out in the parking lot with the owners of those tasty beers helped make the film even more enjoyable. Support your local craft brewer!
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Texas Culinary Masters recap
Work, work, work, work, work. The 24th Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival started with a bang Thursday night with the Texas Culinary Masters dinner at the Four Seasons. Of course American-Statesman food writer Addie Broyles and your booze blogger had to go.
Five of the best chefs in the state, including three from the capital city, designed a menu that blazed with imagination and surprise — and lots of great wine with each course didn’t hurt, either. Uchi’s Tyson Cole offered a second course of buri (Japanese yellowtail) crudo with compressed strawberry, golden beet, hydroponic basil (hydroponic basil?) and olive oil.
“I just wanted to blend the flavors and textures so you can have a party in your mouth,” Cole told the crowd. To which diner Emily Marshall replied: “Happy mouth.”
Paul Petersen of Cafe Cenizo at the Gage Hotel in Marathon followed Cole’s challenge with a smoky wild boar mousse-stuffed quail, accompanied by a 2005 Casa Lapostolle Syrah, described as a “smack-you-in-the-face, bold, lucious red wine” from Argentina.
The showstopper, however, had to be Elmar Prambs’ (exec chef of the Four Seasons) main course, a smoked beef tenderloin cooked perfectly rarish with garden greens, cipollini onion and creamed jumbo lump crab. The unfiltered ‘05 cab sav from Newton killed.
The prettiest course came from Naomi Gallego of Trio, who brought out a dessert of banana Bavarian, mocha sabayon, lemon banana salsa and candied pistachios. The dish was as colorful as an Easter basket.
The fest continues in and around Austin through Sunday, when it wraps with the Sunday Fair at the Salt Lick Pavilion.
Look for coverage of the Wine & Food Festival all weekend from Addie Broyles, Mike Sutter and me on austin360.com/food.
(American-Statesman photo by Patrick Beach)
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Alamo Lake Creek officially extra special (bitter)
Picking a favorite local brewery is kind of like picking your favorite child, but if I had to choose, Blanco’s Real Ale would be right up there — top-notch beers, good people, environmentally responsible, the whole package. And I’m in the habit of writing what amount to serial mash notes about our beloved Alamo Drafthouses, particularly the Lake Creek store because of its outstanding selection and beer-centric programming.
Now Real has brewed Drafthouse ESB for the Alamo Lake Creek, and the big reveal is Friday from 6-8 p.m. Real owner Brad Farbstein will be hanging out in the lobby and giving out samples of FREE BEER (did I just bury the lede?) while they last. They’ll have Drafthouse ESB and cask-conditioned ESB.
ESB, case you don’t know, stands for “extra special bitter” and is of British ancestry. And it’s not all that bitter. But hey, as a people the Brits are easily confused — they drive on the wrong side of the road and call sausages “bangers.” Real’s version of the style is said to be deep copper in color, medium bodied with “hints of fruit and spice provided by a special blend of English hops.”
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Who’s going to “Beer Wars” tonight?
Because I’m really itching to see it and I have a work conflict. E-mail me your (brief) reviews and I’ll post a sample Friday.
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Up against the wall red wine mother
From the Department of Things I Could Never Afford, this edited press release. Some lucky winner is going to have a fine time. I’ve been to JJW’s house and Bojangles has been very good to him. (Yeah, yeah, I know he sold the publishing.):
AUSTIN, Texas (April 14, 2009) - Bidders at the 24th Annual Rare & Fine Wine Auction, hosted by the Wine & Food Foundation of Texas on April 18 at the Four Seasons Austin Hotel, will have the opportunity to win dinner with Texas music legend Jerry Jeff Walker.
“Susan and Jerry Jeff Walker are wine aficionados in their own right and it’s exciting to have them supporting this year’s Auction,” said Rebecca Robinson, executive director of the Wine & Food Foundation of Texas. “The Walker dinner lot is just one of the many non-wine packages that will be up for bid. Other items include celebrity-signed guitars, vacation packages around the world, Austin City Limits Festival perks and so much more.”
For country music fans, it hardly gets any better than being the personal guest of a Texas music legend. The highest bidder and three friends will be welcomed into the Walker’s Clarksville-area home to share a home-cooked meal prepared by their personal chef. To sweeten the deal, Jerry Jeff has promised to pull out of his personal collection some of his finest wines to pair with the evening’s cuisine. Of course, the evening wouldn’t be complete without Jerry Jeff sharing a few war stories from the road and picking through a couple of his favorite songs.
This auction item is one of the many exciting lots that will be auctioned off on April 18 at 6 p.m. at the 24th Annual Rare & Fine Wine Auction. Proceeds of the auction will help fund the culinary programs and scholarships of the Foundation. For more information on other fabulous lots and event details, visit http://www.winefoodfoundation.org.
About The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas: For nearly a decade, The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas has been blazing the trail for statewide and national education in the culinary and viticulture arts. This mission is supported through community education, scholarships, grants and other projects.
About the 24th Annual Rare & Fine Wine Auction: Out of the many unique events hosted by the Foundation each year, The Rare & Fine Wine Auction is the most spectacular, attracting wine collectors and enthusiasts throughout the state and raising over a quarter a million dollars each year. Since its inception 23 years ago, the Auction has raised millions of dollars for charity. A sold-out event, it is the largest and most prestigious wine auction in the Southwest, earning its distinction through being run by a dedicated volunteer committee of charitable collectors and wine experts, working months in advance to create over 300 auction lots that are imaginative, exciting and truly one-of-a-kind.
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Ben Stein, beer expert
Apparently I’m not the only one scratching my head over the selection of Ben Stein to moderate the simulcast discussion with brewers after Thursday night’s screening of “Beer Wars.” (An older post is below.) A reader points to the movie’s site, in which director Anat Baron says:
“Ben Stein was hired to moderate the panel. That’s all. My partner required a celebrity host as part of the deal. We had a list and stopped once someone was available. Everyone on the list had pluses and minuses. Please be assured that this is MY movie, not Ben’s. And that this is not a forum for him to discuss any of his beliefs but rather to act as an impartial moderator to the cast of characters that make up the panel. If his involvement is what’s stopping you from attending then I hope you’ll reconsider. Trust me, there was no perfect moderator on the list. This is America where everyone has their opinions and leanings.”
Interesting side note: None of the simulcast panelists have seen the film, so their reactions will be unscripted.
Meanwhile, the trailer is here.
Oh, and supreme irony alert: Baron is allergic to alcohol and can’t drink beer. She says she’s always been attracted to underdog stories.
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Deschutes unleashes a monster
Honestly, I have a little trouble getting really wound up about Deschutes’ stable of beers. The Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond Pale, the two you’re most likely to seem around town, are fine and all, but almost kind of…polite, like they were raised not to call attention to themselves.
Well, here’s one from the Bend, Ore., brewer that stands up straight, thumps its chest and bellows its name: Hop Henge Experimental IPA.
It’s a limited release that began in ‘06, but this is the first batch since Deschutes has bee available in our market. And it’s huge, sports fans. With a whopping 95 IBUs, this is what to order if you’re one of those jokers who doesn’t think Sierra Nevada’s Torpedo (70 IBUs) is hoppy enough. It’s also got a deep golden color, almost 9 percent alcohol and an appealing, almost bread-like taste. I got mine at Spec’s and I’ll be going back for more.
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How to talk to your kids about beer
“…When brewers combine hops with yeast and grain and water, and allow the mixture to ferment — to rot — it magically produces an elixir so gassy with blue-collar cheer, so regal with glints of gold, so titillating with potential mischief, so triumphantly refreshing, that it seizes the soul and thrusts it toward that ethereal plateau where, to paraphrase Baudelaire, all human whimsies float and merge.”
That’s from Tom Robbins’ “B is for Beer,” a kids’ book for grownups and an adult title for kids, out next week (Ecco, $17.95, short and with pictures and stuff).
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Beer in the condiment aisle
So I’m at the H-E-B Saturday getting stuff for our Easter feast, including mustard, which is going to go in the ham glaze. And I stumble across mustards made with Sierra Nevada beers. Who knew? I didn’t.
Turns out they have a honey mustard with pale ale, a spicy brown with porter and a stoneground mustard with stout. That last one is the one I went with and, gotta tell ya, everybody pretty much inhaled the ham. Hooray, hooray, another way to cook with beer.
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“Beer Wars” screening April 16
Touted as a David and Goliath story pitting scrappy underdogs against international powerhouses, Anat Baron’s documentary film “Beer Wars” screens at 7 p.m. Thursday at some 430 theaters across the country, including the Cinemark Southpark Meadows and the Regal Metropolitan 14.
The tale focuses on smaller brewers, notably Sam Calagione, the founder of Delaware’s Dogfish Head brewery, who was just in town for DFH’s film fest at the Alamo Lake Creek. Rhonda Kallman, who founded the Boston Beer Co. — maker of Sam Adams — also gets plenty of coverage.
There also will be a live simulcast after the screening, but it appears only Davids are invited, with reps from Dogfish, Stone and New Century on hand. Cautionary note: The panel discussion will be moderated by professional annoyance Ben Stein. There’s more info here: http://www.fathomevents.com/upcoming/details/Beer_Wars.html
Alas, I won’t be able to make it — got to cover a Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival event that night. But for those of you who can, there’s an after-party at Uncle Billy’s.
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Sierra Nevada gets greener still
In Ken Grossman’s perfect world, his Sierra Nevada brewery would live off the grid, so the edited release below is by no means a surprise but still dang cool:
“Chico, Calif. - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.-an environmental leader in the craft brewing industry-announced today the launch of the “Wild Rivers” campaign to help keep our waterways clean and healthy.
“For every 12-pack of Pale Ale and Summerfest Lager purchased in the U.S. this May, Sierra Nevada will donate a portion of proceeds to Western Rivers Conservancy, a nonprofit partner based in Portland, Oregon.
“Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. has been an active supporter of Western Rivers for many years. This partnership helps to raise awareness and increase stewardship of the vital waterways and ecosystems they help to preserve.
“ ‘Our beer is a product of our surroundings,’ said Ken Grossman, Founder and President of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and member of the board of directors for Western Rivers Conservancy. ‘Sierra Nevada is not just the name of our brewery, but also a place with its own unique environment. We need to do our part in protecting that environment for generations to come.’
“Proceeds from the Wild Rivers campaign will support Western Rivers Conservancy’s work to create river parks and protected natural areas along rivers like the Klamath River in California, the John Day in Oregon, the Hoh River in Washington and the Bear River in Utah.
“ ‘Sierra Nevada is known for its quality and integrity. It’s an environmentally responsible company that makes great beer,’ said Phillip Wallin, Western Rivers Conservancy’s President. ‘We are proud to partner with Sierra Nevada, and with the public’s help, we can conserve precious habitat for fish, wildlife and people.’ ”
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Why we love Texas: Beer & BBQ
My brother-in-law and I used to idly talk about opening a combo brew pub and barbecue restaurant and calling it Brew-B-Q. Then Uncle Billy’s opened and we realized we weren’t the only geniuses with that idea.
Now somebody’s copped our name, too, and I don’t think I mind a bit. The first annual Brew-B-Que begins at 11 a.m. May 9 in Waterloo Park. (Promoter Roadway Productions previously had their eye on the Republic Square area.) Local brewers Independence, Live Oak and (512) are already signed on to provide beer, and Austin Homebrew Supply will have a couple of brewing demonstrations.
Both backyard barbecuers and restaurants will compete, there will be plenty of food and beer and polka dancing and lumberjacks. This is starting to sound like my birthday last year.
Much more info, including where to buy $10 advance tickets and applications for vendors and such, at the link above.
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Asleep at ABIA
According to a press release that just fluttered into our damp little corner of the office, Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel is lending his name to a new joint at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Check this out: At Ray Benson’s Texas Roadhouse (it could be worse — could be Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel’s Texas Roadhouse) “diners will have the opportunity to sample a variety of grill favorites, including panini sandwiches and signature kosher hot dogs, as well as Ray’s Beer Nuts and Ray’s Ranch Water.”
Um. We loves us some Ray and Asleep, but where to begin? One suspects the owners of the Texas Roadhouse chain aren’t exactly giddy with the name. Second, shouldn’t a roadhouse be on a road, not parked at gate 10 at ABIA? What is “Ray’s Ranch Water” — and what Texas ranch west of the Balcones Fault has ANY water in the middle of this ghastly drought?
Oh, and this: If anybody ever went into a real Texas roadhouse to order a panini, they would have suffered a swift Lucchese to the backside and summary ejection. I don’t mean to question Benson’s Texas bona fides — he’s been in Austin since the ’70s, much longer than I — but something about this strikes me as more than mildly tone-deaf.
And the reason might be the concessionaire behind the new operation: Delaware North Companies. I mean, Delaware is right there in the name, people. (OK, so Delaware was a slave state, but its citizens fought overwhelmingly for the Union. Not to defend slavery or the Civil War, but Southerners have been known to pick a fight over much less.)
Anyway, the company has offices all over creation, including here at the airport already, but their global HQ is in…Buffalo, N.Y. I’m. Just Sayin’.
Benson is set to preside at a ribbon cutting ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, after which he and local Telecaster master Redd Volkaert will perform. The spot, formerly the home of the Highland Lakes Bar, is past security so pretty much only ticketed passengers will have access.
American-Statesman photo by Laura Skelding.
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Beer in a to-go cup? At Dog Almighty, you can
If Patrick Beach’s Bock ‘N’ Ale Ya column awhile back didn’t make you scratch your head at the wacky Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission rules regarding beer, maybe this photo will.
That cup ain’t full of root beer.
Dog Almighty, the rockin’ hot dog and burger restaurant off South Lamar Boulevard, serves beer to-go. Legally.
Owner Jennifer Kress says she double and triple checked her license, and whuddayaknow, she’s in the clear to sell beer to-go — they have beer (and root beer!) on tap from the locally owned Independence Brewing Co. — in a Styrofoam cup.
If the concept of beer to-go doesn’t throw you for a loop, maybe her hard-to-believe-it’s-not-beef chili will.
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Dogfish Film Fest wrap-up
“Really, we didn’t care how we placed. We just wanted to come to Austin and party.”
So said one of the filmmakers in the Dogfish Head 2009 Off-Centered Film Fest at the Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek, which ran Friday and Saturday.
OK, so it’s not Cannes-level intensity. But it most definitely is a party, as it always is when Dogfish founder Sam Calagione (that’s him in the red polo short) comes to town. The fest — in which entrants are invited to make short films having something or other to do with the Delaware brewery — has become a highlight of Austin’s annual calendar of beer events. And it must be said that the films are every bit as creative as the beers Calagione and his crew brew back in Delaware.
Friday was all about beer, with cheese pairings from Grapevine Market. There were a dozen beers broken into four groups — hops, global/history, fruit and the more than self-explanatory “huge” categories. It speaks volumes that the first beer of the first flight was their 90 Minute India Pale Ale, which clocks in at a most assertive 9 percent alcohol and which Esquire called “the best IPA in America.” Care to argue about that? I don’t.
And things just got more extreme from there. Fussbudgets occasionally slag Dogfish Head for brewing what they deem to be little more than stunt beers — consider Chateau Jiahu, from a 7,000-year-old Chinese recipe that includes honey, grapes, Hawthorne fruit and chrysanthemum flowers — but they’re at minimum deeply intriguing, pushing the boundaries of what beer can be. And by the end of the weekend, one of them could be your new favorite. Mine? The three-year-old 120 Minute IPA. Although I’m very sentimental about Midas Touch, Pangaea and more. I do so love that brewery, and so does Austin. As Calagione put it Saturday, “You’ve been very welcoming to our little brewery from Delaware.”
As for the films, which screened Saturday, the big news is that a local guy, Christopher Rose, took first prize — and a $1,000 prize — for his film, in which a former child star (played by Rose) triumphs over adversity, in part because of his allegiance to Dogfish Head. Rose said he only heard about the competiton a few days before the deadline and wasn’t even a huge fan of thre brewery, but “I’d say I’m a huge fan now.”
Me, I really liked “Zombie Beer Run” by Jeremiah D. Cook. But I really loved the beers. Good show.
Oh. And. Calagione announced they’re brewing a 75 Minute IPA — which some of us claim to have invented at the Ginger Man by order a glass of half 60, half 90 — and the blend might be coming our way next year. Big yay.
Here’s a complete list of entrants and winners.
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A night at the hopera
The Austin Lyric Opera has a fun event Saturday. Beer and wine snobs — can’t we all just get along? Edited press release below:
Austin Lyric Opera will host its first ever beer and wine smackdown on from 5-7 p.m. Saturday in Ducloux Hall, 901 Barton Springs Rd. The festive evening will feature ALO’s General Director Kevin Patterson, a microbrewer and Kevin Leahy, a local wine enthusiast competing to see who is better at pairing their preferred beverage with foods provided by local restaurants. Their pairings will be judged by local celebrities/food critics. Attendees can judge for themselves as they taste and then vote for their own choices of food with wine and beer. The evening will also feature musical entertainment by soprano Cara Johnson.
“I’ve been a microbrewer for years,” said Kevin Patterson, “and look forward to Mr. Leahy’s challenge. I love beer and would drink it any day over wine. We hope to draw spirits and food lovers for an inexpensive evening of fun.”
Kevin Leahy is an attorney with Brown McCarroll, LLC. He is also founder of Knowledge Advocate, LLC, a company that specializes in pre-hire interviews and non-legal workforce investigations. Mr. Leahy began his wine education at the Wine House in Los Angeles, California and has facilitated wine tastings for two decades, most recently, on behalf of organizations such as the United Way and the Association for Corporate Counsel. He serves on the advisory board of the Wine and Food Foundation of Texas, is a member of the Corporate Council of the Long Center for the Performing Arts, and is a board member and past board president of the Sustainable Food Center.
Judges for the event are: Rob Balon, food critic for Fox 7 and KLBJ radio, David Jabour, president of Twin Liquors, Marla Camp, owner Edible Austin Magazine and Todd Boatwright, anchor for News 8 Austin.
Restaurants contributing to the evening include: Cantina Laredo, Malaga, El Sol y La Luna, and North.
Sponsors for the Smackdown include ALO’s Bravo Club, the opera’s young professional group, News 8 Austin, KLBJ and Bob FM and Twin Liquors. Tickets for the evening are only $35.00 with proceeds going to Austin Lyric Opera and the Armstrong Community Music School and can be purchased at www.AustinLyricOpera.org or by calling (512) 472-5992.
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We love Celebration HOW much?
Wednesday afternoon Bossperson saw me toting a six-pack and a spare of Celebration Ale.
“Isn’t that a Christmas beer?” she asked.
“Not when you buy 14 cases of it,” I said. “I drink it all year.”
“That is SO WRONG,” she said.
I hate to disagree with the person paying me for this gig, but I must. I’ve written about my obsessive love — or is that loving obsession? — for Sierra Nevada’s sublime seasonal, about which there have grown something of a cult. After I wrote that I had Celebration vintages going back to 2001 and might one day have a vertical tasting, Mike Baldwin — the co-owner of Zax Pints & Plates and a fellow Celebration fanatic, proposed we do just that very thing at his establishment. Baldwin and I raided our personal stashes. Turns out I was only missing 2006. Easy explanation for why I drank all the ‘06: It was my Worst. Year. Ever.
And but so anyway, as David Foster Wallace would say, we sat outside Zax Wednesday night with a few pals — including Zax’s other co-owner Jeffrey Lynd, Sierra’s man in Central Texas Jody Hunt and Jill Gibson with distributor Ben E. Keith — and ran through them. Tasting notes (with beer stains in my notebook and everything:
The ‘01 was standout, with notes of raisin and brown sugar. The nose was almost too strong on the ‘02. ‘03 simply outstanding. A certain nuttiness in the ‘04. The 2005 was nicely balanced. ‘06 was a bit flat and tasted almost freezer-y. ‘07 was substantially lighter in color. And the most recent, 2008, hops, hops and hops.
I’ve said it before, but contrary to popular perception, you can cellar beer — especially stronger, heavily hopped ones — for years. Just keep them cold, cool and at least in a dark place and they’ll be fine. This is why Baldwin and I had so much vintage beer. It was really interesting to compare how they aged, some mellowing, others becoming maltier or hoppy, one a little flat. Most interesting observation: Baldwin’s 2006 that was refrigerated was the one that tasted a bit flat. The one that he had not kept on ice, if my notes were correct (hey we’d had a taste of six beers by that point) actually held up better.
Just when I thought we were done, Mike brought out a string of the brewery’s Bigfoot barley wine. Let me just say officially. Mike Baldwin is a great human being.
I’m not telling you this to say I-did-this-and-you-didn’t-nyah-nyah-neener-neener. Well, OK, there’s an element of that. No. But wine snobs do vertical tastings all the time; why don’t beer snobs? So here’s a question: What other beers would you like to see in a vertical tasting? Who out there is hoarding a stash for a special occasion? Let me know and maybe I’ll invite myself over.
