by Lacey Griebeler, Chef Magazine
This article is the Beverage & Spirits column for the April 2009 issue of
Chef Magazine.
The Brewers Association reported in late February that small, independent craft brewers are continuing to gain in the alcohol market share. Estimated sales by craft brewers were up 5.8 percent by volume and 10.5 percent in dollars between 2007 and 2008, and nearly a half million new barrels of craft beer were sold in 2008. These stats support data from Gallup, which reported that 47 percent of U.S. adults prefer to drink beer (while 31 percent pick wine and 23 percent chose liquor).
Here's why these numbers matter to restaurants: Consumers are now expecting craft beer on your menu, and they're looking for full-flavored choices that will complement your food. Even the National Restaurant Association's What's Hot survey reflected that craft beer is transitioning from a hot trend to a perennial favorite.
Adding beer to your menu is easier to embrace if your concept is more casual. But fine-dining still seems to be struggling to get on board. I was talking with Mike Roper about beer and white-tablecloth restaurants last November at a pairing event he hosted at his restaurant/bar Hopleaf in Chicago; he told me that a certain acclaimed Chicago chef (with a highly regarded wine list at his restaurant) once said to him, "You will never, ever find beer on my menu"--that a 12-ounce bottle of beer with a goofy label would just not be at home atop his pressed linens.
But craft brewers are reacting to restaurateurs' concerns by producing more larger bottles--650 mL (a.k.a. bombers) and 750 mL sizes--with attractive labels and often special branded glassware, perfect for tableservice. Here are just a few:- Juliet (pictured, right), Goose Island Beer Co.--A Belgian-style sour ale aged with sour blackberries and partially fermented in Cabernet barrels; pairs well with rotisserie chicken, rabbit, roast pork, lamb and aged Cheddar (6.7 percent ABV)
- Four (pictured, below), Allagash Brewing Co.--A dark Belgian quadrupel ale brewed with four malts, four hops, four sugars and four Belgian yeast strains; pairs well with bacon-wrapped scallops, crab-stuffed mushrooms, filet mignon, chocolate crêpes (10.0 percent ABV)
Pangaea, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery--A slightly spicy strong ale brewed with ingredients from every continent (like crystallized ginger from Australia, water from Antarctica, basmati rice from Asia); pairs well with grilled red meat and game (7.0 percent ABV)
- Dead Guy Ale, Rouge Brewery--The brewery's signature malty maibock, brewed with local ingredients; pairs well with pork and hot or spicy foods (6.5 percent ABV)
Explore craft beer, and you never know: You just might find that it pairs better with your menu than wine--and it doesn't have to compromise the look of your table.
Quick tips for finding the right craft beers:
The best way to keep your business moving ahead is by being a part of North America's largest specialty food show: the 55th Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City June 28 to 30.
But craft brewers are reacting to restaurateurs' concerns by producing more larger bottles--650 mL (a.k.a. bombers) and 750 mL sizes--with attractive labels and often special branded glassware, perfect for tableservice. Here are just a few:
Pangaea, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery--A slightly spicy strong ale brewed with ingredients from every continent (like crystallized ginger from Australia, water from Antarctica, basmati rice from Asia); pairs well with grilled red meat and game (7.0 percent ABV)
McIllhenny Co., maker of Tabasco Pepper Sauce, has launched the 2009 Hottest Chef Contest, inviting professional chefs, sous chefs and lead line cooks in the United States and Canada to create and submit an original menu item using easily sourced, fresh ingredients. To qualify, entries must include Original Tabasco Pepper sauce, Tabasco Green Jalapeño Pepper Sauce or Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce. Additionally, featured dishes must be considered profitable for a restaurant to sell. Entries can be submitted online at www.tabascofoodservice.com until July 17.
Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence (CIVP), an organization representing more than 750 vineyards in Provence, France, has condemned a new European Commission initiative that would accept the blending of 5 percent red wine and 95 percent white wine to produce rosé. If the proposed ruling is approved on June 19, the blending technique could go into effect as early as Aug. 1. The European Union says that allowing the creation of a blended rosé would open additional export markets for Italian and Spanish wine producers who have an oversupply of red and white wines.
The Research Chefs Association (RCA) recently announced the results of its recent board of directors election for the 2009-2010 term.
Les Dames d'Escoffier International (LDEI) is holding its first-ever Legacy Awards competition. The competition is open to women in the United States and Canada who have been working in the food, beverage or hospitality industry for at least two years. Applications are due May 15, and the winners will be announced on June 15.
The National Restaurant Association (NRA) called on all U.S. foodservice operators to apply for the 2009 Restaurant Neighbor Award. This annual award recognizes restaurants in four categories for their charitable contributions: small business, mid-size business, large business/national chain and cornerstone humanitarian.
Six of the nation's top chefs and mixologists volunteered to serve on Taste of the Nation Culinary Council, a group dedicated to carrying out Share Our Strength's mission to end childhood hunger in America.