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Monday, March 1, 2010
Mudbugs, beer and hockey at Uncle Billy’s
With the exception of the outcome of U.S. vs. Canada in Olympic hockey, Sunday’s Cajun brewers’ dinner at Uncle Billy’s was close to perfect. We started with Brian Peters’ pils — the guy loves to brew lagers and he’s good at it — with first-of-the-season crawfish. Small but tasty. The shrimp were good-sized, though.
Second was a hoppier-than-average amber that Peters describes as “an American version of an Extra Special Bitter” and fried catfish. Third as pale ale with subprisingly spicy gumbo (don’t let that brown roux fool you) and a fresh sourdough baguette. I could have eaten the bread and been happy.
By the time the game was going into overtime we’d moved on to Wood-Eye Rye IPA and crawfish etouffee, followed by a dessert of Bananas Foster in crepes and either Peters’ oatmeal stout or smoked porter. The smoked porter seemed to be the favored brew of the two.
Great beer and a fantastic dinner thanks to chef Charles Dowd.
But boooooo Canada.
Bonus points to this guy for getting his golden retriever to sit in a chair at one of the outside tables. Good dog! How about a beer?
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Scene report: Beer Connoisseur party at Independence
The folks from Atlanta came to town to roll out the second issue of the way slick Beer Connoisseur magazine, which fancies itself as the Cigar Aficionado of malted beverages and largely succeeds in that ambition. The party was Saturday at Rob and Amy Cartwright’s Independence Brewing, with beer from Indy as well as North By Northwest.
The current issue of the magazine, a quarterly for now, features an interview with Brooklyn’s Garrett Oliver, a piece on the San Diego brewing scene reviews of 20-some beers and more.
“We’ve been amazed at the reception,” said managing editor Nick Kaye, who worked for years at The New York Times. “There really seems to be a niche for a more sophisticated approach.”
Indeed there is. There’s no shortage of beer publications out there, but too many of them try to make up in enthusiasm what they lack in editorial flair. The voices in the second issue of the magazine are authoratative, well-traveled, enthusiasts but not cheerleaders. And the tasting judges having actual judging bona fides. They’re not just schmoes.
While I was chatting with founder and publisher Lynn Davis, somebody from Independence came over and said to us, “You don’t have a beer. And you don’t have a beer.”
Davis said, “Actually, I’m in recovery.”
Ha, ha, you made a funny…Uh, no, seriously, he is. The top guy at a fancy new beer magazine is a three years’ recovering alcoholic. And good for him.
There are more Sam Malones in the beer business than you would think. They’ve had their time for boozing it up; now they’re all business.
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