Where's the cheese Pete?

At risk of sounding like an ad  - it's not, though I have done some work in the past for Black Pearl, which is where they may have gotten this idea? Maybe, though their GM, aka Big Cheese, Peter Gross is a long-term beer and cheese man too. Anyway, this is a brilliant idea. Beer and cheese are one of my favourite things in the world and Black Pearl Epicure are pitching to bars and restaurants cheese packs designed to be matched with beers. I am trying to find out whether these are available as retail options too, though scanning the list, I know I have bought many of these cheeses in the retail shop so they should be. If you do want to play this at home, stop by their retail outlet, or some of Brisbane's finer delis.

If you are a bar or restaurant that likes the idea, get in touch with Black Pearl...then give me a call and I'll match them to your beer list (for a small fee, naturally!)

Traditionally it has been Cheese and Wine, but the Europeans have known the wonderful pairing of Beer and Cheese for centuries, whether it be the simple Ploughman’s lunch or the Swiss delight of dipping potato in cheese, it is a marriage made in heaven.

Black Pearl can help you and your customers experience that tradition again……

Receive a FREE Simon Johnson Cheese Board with your first cheese order (valued at $55.00)

Option 1: The Best of The Best -

• French Le Delice de Bourgogne
• British Colston Basset Stilton
• USA Cabot’s Clothbound Cheddar

Option 2: Vive La France -

• Will Studd Brillat Savarin
• Carles Roquefort
• Marcel Petit Comte Gruyere $51.40kg

Option 3: The Crowd Pleaser

• French Le Dauphin Triple Cream
• Irish Blue Cashel
• Australian Pyengana Cheddar

Option 4: Australia’s Finest

• Kingaroy Bunya Black Triple Cream
• Australian Pyengana Cheddar
• Tarago Shadows of Blue

Optional Extras:

• Maggie Beer Pate $6.70
• Maggie Beer Fruit Paste $5.40
• Simon Johnson Prune & Walnut Log $18.95
• Pendleton Mixed Olives $9.85
• Elementi Chargrilled Artichokes $12.95
• Elementi Semi Dried Tomatoes $12.95
• Simon Johnson Truffle Honey $19.95
• Asian Snack Mix $7.95
• Cheese Board $55.00

Ph: 3851 8500 Email: orders@blackpearl.com.au Fax: 3257 2044

A world first?

It may be one for the overhyping files but it still sounds interesting...

Prime Beer has just been released as the first beer in the world made from the start to complement Red Meat flavours. Prime Beer is the third food matching beer by Australia's multi-award winning Fusion Brewing.

Prime Beer is intended to be the perfect accompaniment to red meat. Prime is a deep amber ale with complex malty flavours and strong bitterness designed to enhance the flavours of red meat from the grill.

Prime Beer is the third beer created by Fusion Brewing with the express intention of matching specific food flavours.

Whether paired with beef, lamb or gamier red meats such as kangaroo or venison, Prime Beer has been carefully crafted using the expertise of gastronomer Matthew Evans and master brewer Brian Watson.

Prime has a long list of accolades to live up to among its peers at Fusion Brewing; Bluebottle Beer won ‘Best Lager’ at the 2008 Australian Beer Awards, Bronze Medal at the Australian International Beer Awards 2009 and recently was the only Australian Lager to be awarded 5 stars by Winestate Magazine.

Firefly Beer was awarded a Silver Medal at the Australian International Beer Awards in 2009.

Prime was created and released to coincide with the Australian summer and BBQs across the nation – particularly during the Christmas, New Year and Australia Day celebrations.

No other beer has been crafted from the start to be the perfect complement to red meat.

I think the key here is made from the START to complement. It certainly sounds like it will and I'm keen to try it, but let's not get carried away with the claim of first!

Even though it was engineered to go with meat I'm keen to see how it matches up against some of my favourite beers that, though not necessarily designed to go with red meat manage to do it through a wonderful serendipity....such as Coopers Vintage Ale with steak (especially with a blue cheese butter) and Redoak Bock with lamb shank, or their Rauchbier with lamb chops.

Great to see that the concept of beer and food matching is getting to the stage that beers like this are appearing - and more importantly - selling.

Beer –v– wine smackdown

About a year ago we did a beer versus wine smackdown on the Beer Show on 4BC. Three foods matched to three beers selected by me and three wines selected by James McIlwain from Southern Cross Wine Merchants who does a wine show on alternate weeks. On that occasion beer lost, 2-1. I was devastated. Last night we had a rematch. Beer won and won well.

The three foods were prawns, chicken satay and dark chocolate. The matchups were:

Prawns: Schneider Weisse Original –v– Meadowbank 2006 Riesling (Tasmania) Chicken Satay: Singha Lager –v– d'Arenberg 2006 Grenache (McLaren Vale) 75% Cocoa Dark Chocolate: Trois Pistoles –v– Rutherglen Port.

The judging was done by the host, Walter Williams, his producer, myself and James. Beer won the prawns match 2-2, but on points. Not convincing. I think if I had gone with Ian Watson’s suggestion of a nice golden lager, such as Jever Pilsner, I would have even done better, but the Schneider Weisse is an old favourite and I couldn’t be told. It worked but not perfectly.

With the chicken satay I had no clue what to match, as I wasn’t sure how it would be prepared. It ended up being quite spicy. I hadn’t had a Singha for several years and hadn’t realised that what was once an aromatic and fairly distinctive lager of 6% abv is these days a much sweeter, less hoppy beer of 5%. It was steamrollered by the spice in the sauce. Nice enough, but just didn’t stand up. In hindsight, I would have gone with something bolder – maybe even Alpha Pale Ale. I was amazed at how well the Grenache worked with it. Even I gave the round to the wine. Beer 0-4.

Then came chocolate. I knew I was on a good thing here. I pulled out Trois Pistoles from Unibroue. The Port went really well but the Trois Pistoles was superb with the dark chocolate. James declared the round even before the judging. Beer 4-0. Then I pulled out a haymaker…I had a packet of chocolate covered blueberries from the Noosa Chocolate Company. I passed them around and the panel tried again. The beer tasted very different, but worked. The panel was in raptures. Beer 4-0 and dancing around singing “In your face, wine!”

It was great fun and, as always, I found some wonderful flavours in wine and some surprising matches – that as a largely non-wine drinker I often forget. James is a great bloke with a fantastic palate. We might try and do a dinner somewhere together doing the same thing.

The great thing for me is that beer always holds its own in the match ups…something that surprises many and is another reason why increasing the profile of beer and food matching is good for beer.

Beer and food

One of the best beer and food matching dinners that I have ever been to was at last year's Australian National Homebrew Conference, where they matched four beers from award-winning homebrewers with a menu devised by the cooking (cheffing?) teachers at the William Angliss TAFE. The beers were superb and the food matched perfectly. The same team are hosting another one in two week...if you live in Melbourne, or have an excuse to be there I would highly recommend attending.

The ANHC 2009 Food and Beer Pairing Dinner is nearly here.

We're excited about beer. We're even more excited about food and beer together, and this year's tasting dinner should be a very special treat indeed.

The menu has been designed by Chris Badenoch (from BeerMasons and Masterchef~) and David Whitfield (William Angliss' very own master chef), and is a real adventure, drawing on Chris' passion for the exotic, but down-to-earth elements of food.

Prepared by the students at William Angliss and accompanied by beers from four of Australia's best homebrewers, this dinner really is a showcase of the best from up and coming chefs and brewers.

The Beers

Like last year, four beers have been especially brewed for the dinner by award-winning homebrewers. They are:

• Kölsch (a delicately-flavoured, German-style, cool-fermented ale), brewed by John Kingston (VIC), winner of "Best Brewer" at Beerfest 2009, a first place at Vicbrew 2009 and a second place at AABC 2009.
• American Rye IPA (a big, citrusy, strongly hopped India Pale Ale with a twist of rye), brewed by Lyndon Wilson (SA). A version of this beer won its category at AABC 2008, won its category at the SA state championships 2009 and finished sixth at AABC 2009.
• Czech Dark Lager (a smooth and seductive lager in the great tradition of dark Czech beers), brewed by Scott Simpson (NSW), winner of gold at AABC 2008.

Dry Stout (roasty, dry and silky with a hint of hickory), brewed by Geoff Daly (VIC), winner of medals at Beerfest 2009, Vicbrew 2009 and AABC 2009.

Commercial beers? We've got those too. On top of these unique homebrews, we'll also be pouring these beers from our generous sponsors:

• Otway Estate Summer Ale
• Kooinda Pale Ale
• Matilda Bay Big Helga
• Temple Brewing Company Saison

Non-beer drinkers will be catered for by our wine sponsors:

• Otway Estate Chardonnay 2006
• Hickinbotham of Dromana Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

And of course there will be plenty of soft drinks available as well.

All beverages are included in the price of the dinner.

The Menu^

Chris' passion for down-to-earth meals with the raw ingredients of beer (as well as the finished product) as well as David and his team's technical ability have combined to create a unique dining experience.

Appetiser: Assiette of cured meats, antipasti, malted barley bread - Kölsch

Entree: Pig’s trotter and baby lentil terrine, grilled king brown mushrooms and smoked tomato jelly - American rye IPA

Main: Braised beef cheek (marinated in hefeweizen), cauliflower puree, red onion fondue and semolina gnocchi - Czech dark lager Dessert: Chocolate tian, coffee pearls, crystal malt and white chocolate icecream - dry stout

Please note that vegetarians and those with other dietary requirements will also be catered for - please let us know when you purchase your tickets.

You won't want to miss this. Tickets are selling fast at $80 per person (all food and drink included). Book now at www.anhc.com.au

~ Chris was a contestant on Network 10's “Masterchef” programme. There is no connection between the ANHC Pty Ltd, the organisers of this dinner, and Network 10's Masterchef programme.

^ Menu subject to change without notice.

Scales & Ales redux

I managed to get over to Bulimba to check out Scales & Ales at lunch today and – all bias aside – was very impressed. Started with the house-made bread rolls, Bloody Mary Oyster Shooters and then had the Barramundi Burger with chips and onion rings. All very tasty – and the chips are excellent. The secret according to Chef Frank is to blanche them in oil first, put them aside and then cook them off when you’re ready to serve. And do be scared to cook them well. It was a hard choice to go past an old favourite in the mussels steamed in beer, but I felt I should branch out and the burger was perfect for lunch. For beers, I had a Pike’s Oakbank Pilsener with the burger and then the Lord Nelson Three Sheets, well, just because.

The Pike’s wasn’t one that I’d suggested for the menu and hadn’t tried it for years and I had forgotten how enjoyable it is with a big fruity malt palate and bold but balanced bitterness with floral hops wafting all around. Good match with the barra. It also shows that contract brewed beers needed always be overlooked.

Chef and owner Frank Correnti and I are looking at doing some beer and food matches early next year and Frank has some really exciting ideas for beer-inspired seafood recipes that I can’t wait to try out.

If you live in Brisbane, or come for a visit, and feel like a feed of fish and chips with a bit of flare…and a nice beer…get along and try it out.

http://www.scalesandales.com.au/

Bridge Road degustation dinner

I am passionate about beer and food matching. In a country that for the most part considers pale lager to be beer and beer to be pale lager with, maybe, Guinness to be the only other flavour available, matching beer to food is a really important element in tempting people to drink more widely across the spectrum of flavours.

It can be a very hard slog to try and get restaurants and even bars to put more thought into their beer lists. I am commonly told by indignant restauranteurs that "we have an excellent beer list", when I suggest there is room for improvement. Their perception of 'excellent' is based on their wide selection of nearly identical lagers, many listed as imported despite being brewed under licence locally. So I always get excited to see hotels putting on high quality beer and food events. This one, featuring Bridge Road, looks a cracker.

I'm not going to be able to get along to this one, but if you're in Melbourne on Melbourne Cup eve and love beer, I suggest you do. I don't know Max Hotel, but I will be checking it out when I'm next in Melbourne on the strength of this dinner.

Where: Max Hotel 32 Commercial Road, Prahran

When: Monday, 2 November.

Cost: $95 (It does always amaze me when you look at something like this that if it was a wine dinner offering exactly the same value you would immediately add $50 to the price and no one would complain.)

The menu:

On arrival: Bridge Rd Australian Ale on tap Beer Bread with fromage frais & soft herbs

Seated: Bridge Rd Robust Porter Oysters cold Kilpatrick Smoked eel crouton

Bridge Rd BLING I.P.A Quail sausage, MT Zero Persian lentils, egg plant, preserved lemon

Bridge Rd Celtic Red Ale Pressed duck a l’ orange with pea sprout and frisee salad aged chardonnay dressing

Chevalier Bier de Garde Slow cooked pork neck, farro, turnips, pancetta & parsnips

Chevalier  Hefe Dunkel Chocolate tart with clove & tea sorbet

Chevalier Saison Meredith blue Goat’s cheese with bitter almonds quince & witlof

Scales and ales

I met today with the proprietors of a soon-to-open, Brisbane-based upmarket fish and chippery called Scales & Ales. As the very cool and clever name would suggest, in addition to serving seafood they will also be focusing on their beers.

As someone who beats his head on restaurant doors trying to get them to be even a little serious about beer, I was excited to meet some restauranteurs who were enthusiastic about featuring good beer. It was only after leaving that I realised just how august the company I was in was. The chef is Frank Correnti, the man who ran the kitchens at such Brisbane icons as Cha Cha Char and Watt.

Frank and his wife Jane were after some advice in finalising their beer menu and matching the beers to the seafood. There wasn't much for me to do, they had a great list prepared already. If you're in Brisbane - which can tend to resemble a post-apocalyptic wasteland when it come to beer - I highly recommend trying the restaurant when it opens next Thursday. In addition to an unusually limited 'usual suspects' range to keep people happy, they have included some great beers including Lord Nelson 3 Sheets, Stone & Wood Lager,  are the first establishment in Brisbane to feature the excellent Schweinhund hefeweizen and Ace of Spades stout from Brewboys, Mac's Hoprocker and Meantime IPA, Pilsner and Wheat Grand Cru. I haven't tried the food yet but I'd happily go along just for the beers.

Scales & Ales Gourmet Fish Bar 5 Wambool Street Bulimba Q 4171 www.scalesandales.com.au

I should point out, I wasn't paid by the restaurant for my advice, it's just great to see a restaurant enthusiastic and serious about beer.

Great beer, great food

It pains me to say it but Brisbane is largely a beer wasteland with most pubs and restaurants offering just the usual suspects in the form of the same dozen lagers, many still listed under “Imported” even though brewed here under licence (and there is nothing wrong with brewed under licence…but that’s fodder for another post.) Still, as with any desert there is the odd oasis or patch of flowers sprouting amidst the endless dessert sands. (The Grand Central Hotel, Nectar, Era, Wine Emporium all spring to mind). In an effort to sow the seeds of good beer in the wastelands, a number of brewers have been making the trip up here and have been hosting a number of beer related events. We have received a bit of attention from the boys at Stone & Wood as they launch their draught ale at various places around the city. Next week we have a blitzkrieg by Richard from Barons Brewing (check out the events listing).

I was also fortunate to attend a lunch this week hosted by Scott Vincent, recently installed as head brewer at Matilda Bay. It was a trade event where Scott was educating the guys that sell his beer, while treating them to a five-course lunch matched to the Matilda Bay beers.

I am a big fan of the Matilda Bay beers and I recently heard Jamil Zainasheff rate their Alpha Pale Ale as one of the best that he’s tasted, which I regard as very high praise. I was also very interested to see the food matches that they came up with for their own beers as I regularly feature the Alpha Pale Ale and Dogbolter at the Good Beer Lunches (incidentally, the lunch was at the Grand Central Hotel where I host some of these lunches). I wasn’t disappointed. The best part is the matches could easily be recreated at home:

Course one – Tempura prawn and Thai salad m/w Fat Yak Pale Ale

Course two – Crumbed whiting fillets m/w Beez Neez

Course three – Lamb vindaloo with pappadums m/w Alpha Pale Ale

Course four – Five spice marinated duck leg with whole roasted mushrooms and caramelised spiced pumpkin m/w Sebastian Reserve

Course five – Mini chocolate mud cake with vanilla bean ice-cream m/w Dogbolter Dark Lager

The highlights were the first and fourth courses. If you haven’t tried the Fat Yak yet, look out for it in bottles soon. It is an American-style Pale Ale, but not as aggressively hopped as the Alpha. In saying that it still retains a good malt and hop complexity and certainly isn’t a “dumbed down” version…it just doesn’t punch you in the face quite as hard. The Sebastian, is a dunkelweizen (dark wheat beer). It seems to get mixed reviews, maybe because of its lactic qualities which gives it a sharpness that might put some off, but matched with duck (and ironically it is named after a duck) it was a treat. Grab a bottle if you can find one and see what you think.

(There, I can talk about something other than low-carb…)