我在北京这第一次与汉语媒体接触的经历可以说是喜忧参半。最近一期2010年6月的《智族》杂志有一篇关于啤酒特性的报导（包括北京一些供应啤酒观看世界杯比赛的场地的介绍）。针对啤酒还有我的博客的信息，杂志对我进行了采访，最终却仅仅是把采访我的话归为侧边栏的五条所谓“喝啤酒窍门”。唉，其中#2和#3包含重大的错误或遗漏，而#5则是一个错误的归因声明。在此，我尝试加以纠正。

提示#2

这与我曾今和记者讨论的完全不同。我只是记得谈论为什么啤酒应该盛放在玻璃杯（而不是直接在酒瓶中）去品尝。这正如以前我好多次强调的那样，主要原因是为了感受啤酒的香气和外观。这并不是为了试图让啤酒保持低温。事实上，我通常主张反对美国人一个普遍性的习惯，就是将啤酒盛放在一个直接从冰箱中取出的冷冻冰镇过的保温杯中饮用。

不过，或许记者推断这条“贴士”是通过比利时酒吧中的习俗，在那里玻璃杯的确通常使用前要冲洗冷却。在今天看来，我觉得有点争议的；很多人认为这种习惯仍然还是为了保持啤酒的低温（尤其在当今社会每个酒吧或俱乐部都有冰箱），但我自己认为主要是为了保证清洁（因为比利时酒吧里通常有许多令人眼花缭乱的玻璃器皿，其中一些很有可能一直在收集尘埃）。

无论如何，一些酒吧可能声称冲洗玻璃杯的主要功能是保持啤酒较冷的盛放（和饮用）的温度，但这样做当然不是为了直接去“冰镇”啤酒。我的观点是现实当中大多数啤酒——尤其是艾尔（ale）啤酒——已经被处理的太冷，这把我们带到了关于“喝啤酒窍门”的下一个问题：建议“啤酒最好的饮用温度是7~10摄氏度。”

这个温度范围可能对于一些拉格（lager）啤酒太温，而对于一些艾尔啤酒又太凉——其中包括许多比利时啤酒的例子。一些淡形的拉格啤酒可以在6°C （43°F）的低温下被享用，而许多艾尔啤酒最好在13°C （55°F）的较高温度下去品尝。相反，应该有两个独立的建议：7~10°C适宜拉格啤酒，10~13°C适宜艾尔啤酒。

（有趣的是，在特写的两张页面之前出现了是关于莫劳餐厅(Morel’s)的老板苏珊(Susan)的采访。在其中，她给出了为什么要将啤酒倒入玻璃杯的适当的意见。或许因为这些关于喝啤酒的建议在早些时候已提供的原因，编辑就决定把一些不正确的说法归咎于我吗？）

提示#3

最明显的错误就是一个简单的术语上的混淆：这个问题主要是针对艾尔（ale）啤酒，而不是拉格（lager）啤酒。即使如此，原文好像没考虑到，瓶沉积物一般只发生在未过滤或进行瓶装调节（瓶中二次发酵）的啤酒中。但许多瓶装的艾尔啤酒就是被过滤的或者直接添加了 CO2，而没有进行瓶内的二次发酵。此外，这条意见并不适用于大多数小麦啤酒，比如德国的小麦白啤酒（hefeweizen）和比利时的白色啤酒（witbier）。这些小麦啤酒其实应该与酵母沉积物一起盛装杯中，而这些只有有知识有生活的啤酒服务员才会这样做。

提示#5

我不否认这种民俗疗法的存在，但我不记得自己曾在与记者的对话中谈起过它，我当然更不会到处宣扬这种疗法。我个人不会这样对我的任何啤酒。至于为何这些加入到了补充栏，以及为什么把它归咎于我，我有点莫名其妙。

提示#1

其中在#1中还有一处表述不太准确，虽然并不是严重的错误，但我觉得有必要指出。“紫外线穿过绿色酒瓶”，并不是“杀死”酒中的“活性物质”，而是彻底改变啤酒花中的一种有效物质，从而“破坏了饮用口感”。

My first experience with Chinese language media here in Beijing has turned out to be a mixed bag.  The current June 2010 issue of 《智族》(aka: GQ China) has a feature on beer (as well as venues serving beer and showing World Cup matches).  I was interviewed for information about beer and about my blog, but what eventually got included into the article was a sidebar with me supposedly offering five “insider tips about drinking beer” (喝啤酒窍门).  Alas, tips #2 and #3 contain significant errors or omissions, while #5 is a FALSELY ATTRIBUTED STATEMENT.  Here is my attempt to set the record straight.

Tip #2 says: “Chill your glass. When the bartender rinses the glass before pouring the beer, it’s not to clean the glass, but to chill it and prevent the beer from getting warm. Beer is best served between 7 – 10° Celsius.”

This is NOT what I told the reporter!  I only remember talking about why beer should be served in a glass and should not consumed directly from the bottle.  As I’ve mentioned many times before, the primary reasons are for aroma and appearance.  It is NOT for keeping the beer cold.  In fact, I usually advocate AGAINST the widespread American habit of serving beer in a frosty cold mug, straight out of the freezer.

That said, perhaps the reporter extrapolated this “tip” from the custom at Belgian beer bars, where the glass is indeed often rinsed prior to serving.  In today’s world, I find it debatable that this custom is still meant primarily to keep the beer cold (especially in a modern times where every bar/pub has refrigeration), when perhaps it instead exists simply to assure cleanliness (since Belgian beer bars will usually have a dizzying array of glassware, some of which might very well have been collecting dust).

In any case, while some bars might still claim the main function of rinsing the glass is to maintain a cool serving (and drinking)  temperature, it certainly isn’t to “chill” (冰镇 bīngzhèn) the beer.  My belief is that in practice most beer today – and ales in particular – are already served too cold . Which brings us to the next problem within this “insider tip”: the suggestion that “beer is best served between 7 – 10° Celsius.”

This temperature range is both potentially too warm for some lagers, and too cold for many ales – including numerous Belgian examples.  Some pale lagers can be enjoyed as cold as 6°C (43°F), while many ales are best at temps as high as 13°C (55°F).  Instead, there should have been two separate suggestions, with 7 – 10°C for lagers and 10 – 13°C for ales.

(Interestingly, an interview with Susan, the manager of Morel’s, occurs a couple pages before.  In it, she gives the proper advice about why one should pour their beer into a glass.  Perhaps since this advice was already provided earlier in the feature, the editors decided to mis-attribute tip #2 to me?)

Tip #3 says: “Leave behind 1cm of beer in the bottle. Bottled lagers will contain yeast sediment, but this does not mean the beer has spoiled.  Qualified bartenders will leave behind 1cm of beer in the bottle.”

The most obvious error is a simple editorial mixup in terminology: this issue should primarily concern ALES, not lagers.  Even then however, the statement doesn’t consider that bottle sediment usually only occurs in unfiltered or bottle-conditioned beers.  Many bottled ales are filtered or force-carbonated without a second fermentation in the bottle.  Also, the advice would NOT apply to most wheat beers, such as German hefeweizen and Belgian witbier.  Those beers should indeed be served WITH the yeast sediment incorporated into it, and knowledgeable beer servers will do so.

Tip #5: “Adding a raw egg to Guinness helps to give you strength.”

I don’t dispute the existence of this folk remedy, but I don’t remember this ever coming up in my conversations with the reporters, and I certainly do NOT go around advocating the practice.  I personally would never do this to any beer of mine.  As to why this got added into the sidebar, and why it got attributed to me, I’m a bit baffled.

(UPDATE 2: Beijing Today’s article, in PDF format.  May 14 – 20, 2010 Issue, page 17)

In late April, I was proud to showcase a few select beers for several invitees from the English-language media in Beijing.  Amongst them were Annie Wei from Beijing Today, Gabriel Monroe from Agenda, and Greg Williams from City Weekend.  We were also joined again by Jim Boyce and by Frank Siegel, who graciously hosted the event at the new Kerry Center location of Sequoia Cafe.

There were six beers featured, with three of them available in Beijing and the other three which I hand-carried back from the states:

• Inedit, by Estrella Damm (Barcelona, Spain).  A spiced, wheat ale designed in collaboration with three-star Michelin chef Ferran Adrià and his staff at El Bulli.  Available in Beijing
• Chateau Jiahu, by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Delaware, USA).  Inspired by a 9000 year old beverage found at a Neolithic archeological site in Jiahu, Henan Provice. NOT available in Beijing
• Dead Guy Ale, by Rogue Ales (Oregon, USA).  Descended from the German Maibock style, a strong springtime lager, but brewed with Rogue’s house ale yeast.  Available in Beijing
• John John Dead Guy Ale, by Rogue Ales (Oregon, USA).  A special batch of Dead Guy Ale that was aged in Rogue’s own whiskey barrels.  NOT available in Beijing
• Imperial Stout, by Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster, England).  A classic Russian Imperial Stout.   Available in Beijing
• Bourbon County Brand Stout, by Goose Island (Chicago, USA).  An imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels.  NOT available in Beijing

(DISCLOSURE: I am currently a sales representative for DXCEL, the importers and distributors of Estrella Inedit and Rogue Dead Guy into mainland China.)

Starting off with the Inedit (French for “new” or “original”) was a deliberate choice.  I wanted something that would be flavorful and enlivening on the palate, but also refreshing and not too overwhelming.  The beer was created under the auspices of 3-star Michelin chef Ferran Adrià and his staff at El Bulli.  These are the names made (in)famous by their pioneering in the realm of molecular gastronomy.  Inedit is intended as an alternative to wine for food pairing in fine dining establishments, and particularly for foods that often prove challenging for sommeliers (such as vinegar, asparagus, and spicy, sweet or bitter flavors).

With a Belgian-style witbier as its base, Inedit is brewed with barley malt, wheat, hops, coriander seed, orange peel, and licorice.  The yeast sediment in the bottle should be swirled into each serving, to provide both a freshly bready flavor and a creamy mouthfeel.  What sets Inedit apart from more commonplace witbiers such as Hoegaarden is both the inclusion of licorice and the blending of a small amount of pale lager, for an additional crispness.

(UPDATE: Boyce’s blog entry here)

Since we only started in the late afternoon, I didn’t want to spoil anybody’s dinner plans.  But I still wanted some small accompaniments for the tasting.  For this, Sequoia provided bread and cheese, as well as some chicken-and-mushroom jiaozi, to accompany both the Inedit and the forthcoming Chateau Jiahu.  For those interested in more food pairings, also try Inedit with salads, chicken, seafood, and cuisines as varied as: Thai, Vietnamese, French or Indian, to Italian, Japanese, or Mexican.  It is currently available in 750ML bottles at Beijing restaurants such as Carmen, Salt, La Sushi, RoomBeijing and Invito.

…

Next in line was Jim Boyce’s most eagerly awaited item: Chateau Jiahu.  This is a concoction reverse-engineered via molecular archeology from a 9000-year-old Neolithic site in Henan province.  In addition to barley malt (a legal requirement for the beverage to be sold as “beer” in the USA), it includes pre-gelatinized rice flakes, wildflower honey, muscat grapes, hawthorn fruit (山楂 shān zhā, commonly found in a candied street snack and in haw flakes), and chrysanthemum flowers, and is fermented with a sake yeast.  More details on the research and development can be found in a piece by National Geographic, and from Discover Magazine (although the latter didn’t seem to be a fan of the final product).

We found this particular batch of Chateau Jiahu (bottled 2009) to be quite floral and tropically fruity on the nose.  This is slightly more flamboyant than what I remember from my initial review of the 2007 bottling.  Still, it remains a tasty and intriguing brew that was well-received, and especially for staying true to Dogfish Head’s theme of making “off-centered” or “extreme” beers.  While not currently available here in its ancestral land, perhaps one day it will be…

(UPDATE: Boyce’s tasting notes are now available on his blog. Also note that we only opened one bottle out of two.  One of the bottles was Boyce’s own contribution, via another friend visiting from the US.)

…

Returning to something a little less “extreme”, we sampled Rogue’s venerable Dead Guy Ale, which has been available in China for several years now.  Dead Guy is derived from the German Maibock style, which is a springtime bock beer.  However, while using a Maibock-like recipe, it is fermented with Rogue’s house ale yeast (dubbed the “Pacman”) instead of a typical lager yeast.  Thus the fermentation is quicker and at higher temperatures, and emits more of the estery and spicy qualities of an ale.  And again, as an American re-interpretation, it is hoppier than the German originals as well.

Originally brewed almost a generation ago in celebration of the Day of the Dead (and unintentionally also earning a following amongst Grateful Dead fans), this is now Rogue’s most popular brew.  Pair this with pork dishes or roast chicken for it best expression.  Available throughout Beijing.  (Comprehensive list forthcoming.)

…

But admittedly this was also a segue into trying out John John Dead Guy Ale: a special batch of Dead Guy Ale, but aged in Dead Guy Whiskey barrels. Rogue is also a producer of small-batch distilled spirits, and both the brewmaster and the head distiller are each named “John” – hence the beer’s name.

Aging beer in wooden casks has enjoyed a resurgence in the past few years.  With whiskey-barrel-aged beers such as John John, you will get notes from the liquor previously held within, in addition to the character of the wood itself.  John John combines the malty foundation of Dead Guy with hints of vanilla and spice from the whiskey and oak.  Leather and tobacco are also detectable – although it seems that Boyce felt this lent a “sweaty sock” note to the overall beer.

…

From here, we continued a march into newly charted territory (or at least “new” for Beijing)… with Samuel Smith, of Tadcaster England, and their classic Imperial Stout.  One of the original “craft breweries” (before the term was even coined) to be imported into the US, their Russian imperial stout is descended from the brews originally made for the royal court of Catherine the Great.  The same US importer, Merchant du Vin, has only recently entered the China market.

Rich and heavy, this beer is well-suited for sipping and contemplation.  At 7% ABV it might not be as brash as its mutant American cousins, but remains bold and hefty.  Coffee and cocoa notes, from the roasted barley, approach the intensity of espresso and dark chocolate.  Plum and cherry hints emerge from underneath the plentiful hopping.  It is with this beer that I introduced one of my favorite pairings with imperial stout: a well-aged Gouda cheese.

For your own adventures with this heady brew, seek it out at Beijing’s long-standing champion of suds: Beer Mania.  While Samuel Smith beers have been available in Shanghai for about a year now, they have finally made their way to the ancient capital, and it is no surprise that Beer Mania would spearhead its entry.  (Merchant du Vin will also update me with other venues in the future.)

…

To close out the evening, I treated everyone to a rare, hand-carried item: Goose Island’s 2009 Bourbon County Brand Stout.  Clocking in at a menacing 13% ABV, it gives credence to the reputation for American swagger – but in a deliciously smooth way.  While also an imperial stout, in addition to being higher in alcohol and heavier in body than the English originals, Goose Island’s monster is furthermore aged in Elijah Craig Bourbon whiskey barrels.  (Elijah Craig is Heaven Hill’s premium, 18-year, single barrel bourbon, with an astonishing 66% angel’s share.)

While I personally prefer Bourbon County Stout after 2 or 3 years in the cellar, this fresh 2009 batch is prized amongst those who love the in-your-face blast of bourbon – boozy yet still smooth, with the upfront characters of vanilla and toasted coconut, with hints of toffee and sweet tobacco.  It plays well with the base beer’s notes of syrupy molasses and honey, with roasted coffee and rich cocoa.  Not only a great nightcap, but one touted by many as the perfect “cigar beer”.

After all this, we still couldn’t help ourselves though… Frank opened yet another bottle of Le Merle (see previous entries).  We had to introduce the beer to the uninitiated amongst us, after all

As we waited for everyone to arrive, Frank chilled and opened up several bottles from his stock of Le Merle, which I had previously introduced at the aformentioned holiday beer dinner. Not a bad choice, considering I wanted to start with saisons anyway.

In order to compare the American interpretation (Le Merle) with the Belgian originals, I introduced what is widely considered the “standard bearer” of modern saisons – Saison Dupont. Brasserie Dupont is located in the Hainaut province of Belgium’s Wallonia region, the birthplace of the style. What is in some ways unique about Dupont’s beer is that it uses only Pilsner malt, two varieties of Goldings hops (Kent and Styrian), and their reknowned house yeast strain. Myriad other saisons attempt to recreate the complexity of beers like Saison Dupont with the use of more ingredients: either multiple malts or hops, multiple yeast strains, or the inclusion of actual spices, herbs and seasonings.

Unfortunately, the beer comes in green glass bottles, which makes it especially prone to skunking, by way of light damage. Indeed, there was a touch of this character perceptible in the bottle I presented – despite my having taken great pains to first purchase the beer directly from the case, and to thereafter keep it away from light (sunlight in particular) as much as possible. That said, everyone still enjoyed the beer.

While LeMerle adheres more closely to the classic parameters of the style, I wanted to further show some of the ingenuity of American craft brewing. For that, I chose Jack d’Or from Pretty Things, a small operation in my home state of Massachusetts. Dubbed a “Saison Americain” by the brewmaster Dann Paquette, its main distinguishing characteristic is the use of American hop varieties. This imparts citrus notes (such as grapefruit zest), with some hints of fresh pine. However, once again we stumbled into unfavorable circumstances – the bottle I brought was quite possibly infected, as the acidity of the beer was WAY off the mark from what I’m used to from this beer. Alas, a proper tasting of Jack d’Or would have to wait for another time…

Redemption began with the next beer in the lineup: J.W. Lees Harvest Ale 2002. In the same way that Dupont is the archetypal saison, Harvest Ale is today the classic English barleywine. Strong ales such as these barley “wines” were brewed for the aristocracy and the emergent merchant classes. They offered many of the qualities of port or sherry, but without the pesky supply interruptions arising from England’s wars with France or Spain. In fact, if you adhere to the food-pairing maxim of “what grows together, goes together”, there is arguably no better match for England’s “king of cheeses”: Stilton.

Fresh from a trip to the UK by Frank’s wife Jennifer, a huge chunk of the vaunted English blue cheese was now available at our table. And so everyone got their first taste of this match made in heaven. Boyce was the first to comment that he’d never smelled or tasted such characteristics in a beer before. Indeed, for most people, the idea of a richly sweet, nutty, fruity, alcoholic (11.5%) malt beverage is probably a completely unfathomable concept. That said, these particular bottles of the 2002 vintage (my personal favorite) were showing subtle signs of oxidation – first brought to attention by Alain, the resident winemaker amongst the group. Cellaring conditions will have an impact, just as in wine, and these particular bottles were acquired recently off a store shelf back in the US. Nonetheless, I still think the beer managed to open eyes and impress.  Dave said he’d never thought a beer could deliver the same qualities as a sweet wine.

Continuing along this path, I also featured two special bottles of JW Lees Harvest Ale, one aged in Calvados (apple brandy) casks, and the other in Lagavulin scotch whisky casks. These were from a newer 2006 vintage, and thus were fresher and thankfully more or less free of oxidation. Again, eyes were opened, eyebrows raised, and smiles abound. Frank (and Brandon?) especially liked the Lagavulin version, with its smoky, peaty notes.

For those who stayed all night long, I also opened a bottle of the 10th Anniversary Old Ale, from the Southampton Publick House of Long Island, New York.  Old ales and “stock ales” belong to the same family of strong English beers as barleywines.  But whereas barleywines tend to use the same paler malts of pale ales and bitters, old ales trend towards using darker malts such as those in brown ales.  Southampton’s version was a special bottling to commemorate their 10th anniversary, in 2006.  As tends to be the case with most American (re-)interpretations of classic European styles, this beer is hoppier and seems to also include some American hop varietals (giving pine resin notes).  Interestingly, Alain preferred the extra bitterness over the more prominent sweetness found in the JW Lees Harvest series.

Beer in China: Shanghai hops ahead of the (six) pack

Shanghai Prime For A Premium “Beer Revolution”

I don’t know if I personally agree with the comments that “the beer scene in Beijing is much better developed [than Shanghai]“, or that it’s necessarily a good thing for locals to ganbei (“bottoms up”) one bottle after another of a rich, heavy, high-alcohol imperial stout.  But overall, some good signs for the future.

Menu:

• Pre-dinner rolls, with Founders Harvest Ale (Michigan)
• Caesar salad with bacon, croutons and shaved Parmesan cheese; paired with North Coast Le Merle Saison (California)
• Pumpkin soup with honey glazed chestnut, paired with Southern Tier Pumking Ale (New York State)
• Roasted turkey breast with giblet sauce, stuffing, and winter vegetable; paired with Two Brothers’ Domaine DuPage Biere de Garde (Illinois)
• Chestnut flavored Christmas log cake with caramel sauce, paired with Southern Tier Mokah Imperial Stout

To start things off, I wanted to awaken the taste buds early on.  As an “amuse-bouche” of sorts, I had specifically saved one last bottle of Founders Harvest Ale from my previous tasting.  As a “wet-hopped” pale ale, meant to be enjoyed as fresh as possible, it was nevertheless still holding strong despite being more than four months old.  None of guests that night had ever tried anything like it before, and were extremely intrigued at the notes of fresh citrus and pine.  Dave however felt it would be tough to drink copious amounts of.  In his defense, I probably would’ve felt the same way several years ago – that is, before I grew to adore the grapefruit zest and fresh pine resin character of American hops.  A great pizza beer, or with a chunk of well-aged cheddar cheese.

Next came the salad.  With it, I knew the beer would be something special: a “saison“ – arguably my favorite style of brewing.  Modern saisons are descended from the farmhouse ales which were brewed in French-speaking Belgian Wallonia.  Typically brewed in the spring, they were to be consumed by the farmers through the hot summer and early autumn, back when pre-refrigeration brewing was impossible.  Saisons often use unique yeast strains that ferment at temperatures warmer than your typical ale, sometimes approaching 95 °F (35 °C). This helps coax out fragrant spice notes, peppery phenols and tropical fruit esters, in addition to a funky, musty, barnyard character.  All this is then complemented by sometimes aggressive hopping (to preserve the beer through the summer months), imparting additional herbal, floral, hay and grass notes along with a crisp, dry bitterness.  The underlying foundation is usually a gently bready, cracker-like maltiness.

North Coast’s Le Merle leans towards the sweeter, estery spectrum of saisons, but still maintains a good level of classic farmhouse “funk”, with floral European hopping.  While some of the Belgian originals are dearer to my heart, this beer helps to showcase just how far American craft brewing has come.  For a short time, DXCEL was in fact bringing very limited amounts of this beer into China, along with North Coast’s regular lineup (Red Seal and ACME Pale).  Unfortunately, most people remain uneducated and unaware of beers like this, and it had barely ever moved out of the warehouse.  As such, the commercial fate of saisons in China remains bleak.  (Although upon experiencing the greatness of saison, everybody immediately bought the few remaining cases.  Sequoia Cafe even sold a couple bottles at the bargain price of 50 RMB per cork-and-cage 750ml bottle – compare with the usual retail price of a 750ml of Chimay – but that was before Frank realized he’d better hold onto the rest for himself…)

Le Merle, even though it’s not my favorite saison, continued to wow everyone at the table – well into dessert time.  I only wish this beer could have been better promoted before it met its untimely demise in the Chinese market.  It is phenomenal with a multitude of foods, including with most Asian cuisines.  I feel that all of China could have a “beer epiphany” from this style of beer alone.  This is not to mention how well it pairs with Vietnamese, Thai or Indian (although if too spicy, beware that the complexity of the beer can get drowned- or numbed-out).  And don’t even get me started with how amazing saison is with cheeses – and not just the Parmesan in our salad…

There was a risk of tumbling down from such a high note however.  So for our next course I made sure to give everyone a “heads up” – to please keep an open mind.  Paired with our pumpkin soup… was a pumpkin ale.

Back in colonial era of the US, fermentable starch sources were sometimes at a premium (they could be used for bread, after all). Enter the humble pumpkin.  This “style” of ale soon died out by the time of industrialization however.  But a reinvention came about with the microbrewery movement, although this time using spices typical of pumpkin or sweet potato pie, which were likely not common in the pumpkin ales of yore.

Southern Tier’s interpretation is a high-ABV “imperial” ale, full of actual pumpkin meat.  Many of the seasonal “pumpkin” ales more widely-available today (in the US, of course) actually use very little pumpkin, and sometimes none at all, relying purely on the spicing to give you a false impression.  (Although this is understandable, as pumpkin is an unwieldy ingredient to work with, often clogging up brewery equipment.) Alongside the robust and fragrant spicing, and a subtly sweet malt background, Southern Tier’s Pumking maintains an almost-savory, pumpkin/squash essence at its core, the result of using lots of genuine, pureed roasted pumpkin.  Everyone was surprised that this was still “beer”.  Nobody outright disliked it, but it was obvious that I had thrown them for a loop, so to speak.  In fact, the otherwise decent soup seemed almost muted and bland by comparison.  Brandon, being a chef, picked out notes of cardamom and mace.  Dave opined that perhaps one day the prospect of bringing fresh stock of pumpkin ale into China could be profitable for the autumn season – Beaujolais Nouveau is released around the same time too, after all.  Then again, “it’s just beer” – which regrettably doesn’t command the same status/respect as wine, warranted or not.  (EDIT: Better yet, somebody should simply try brewing it here in China!)

Now onto the main course.  Gobble gobble…

I’m personally not a huge fan of turkey.  I like it, but it’s nothing special, even when cooked tenderly and with a crispy flavorful skin.  I’m all about the stuffing, to be honest.  It was with this in mind that I chose a biere de garde. Well, that and the fact Garrett Oliver (renowned beer author and the brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery) considers biere de garde THE drink to have with Thanksgiving dinner.  Let me explain…

As with saison, biere de garde is also a farmhouse ale style.  However, in northern France (French Flanders, Nord-pas de Calais, Picardy) the style that grew out of their agrarian tradition is often less spicy, less hoppy, and more herbal, more bready, more earthy.  The malts used are often kilned longer than those in saisons, and therefore many bieres de garde (but not all) come in a coppery, light amber color, with notes of biscuit, toast, or sometimes even toffee or caramel.  Two Brothers’ Domaine DuPage adheres to this style, and again is a showcase of how American craft brewing now produces beers that can stand up to the best that Europe has to offer.

It is precisely in the herbal, earthy tones, accompanied by a subtler fruit presence (less tropical, and more towards pears and caramelized apples), that I find biere de garde shines when paired with holiday meals – especially if the bird’s stuffing is filled with herbs like sage or thyme.  Gentler in bitterness than saisons (generally speaking), this is also of benefit since the Western, turkey-centric holiday table usually isn’t about bold or audacious flavors.

Interestingly, Dave noticed hints of maple syrup, while Brandon detected notes of honey in his glass.  I believe I remarked that Domaine DuPage is Two Brothers’ best-selling item, despite biere de garde remaining practically unheard of or at least under-appreciated – even in some craft beer circles.

Back to the stuffing… if I had anything at all even remotely “negative” to say about the food that St. Regis prepared for us, it would only be that they “skimped” somewhat on the stuffing, perhaps since I had hoped to emphasize that aspect of the pairing.  All we got were a couple small, haute-cuisine-inspired, reshaped “medallions” of stuffing on our plate.  (Then again, maybe I’m just accustomed to my mom making extra heaps upon heaps of Southern-style, cornbread-and-chestnut stuffing  – she first encountered Thanksgiving in Texas, where she was going to university.)  That said, the giblet gravy was nice – the subtle organ/offal character was a nice match with both the sweetness and the rustic farmhouse notes in the beer.  Between this and the saison, I think it’s safe to say that farmhouse ales scored a victory this evening.

(As another side note – biere de garde is another fantastic partner with cheese, including the smelliest washed-rind varieties that France has to offer…)

For dessert, I introduced Southern Tier’s Mokah Imperial Stout.  It’s essentially a blend of their Javah and Choklat imperial stouts, the former brewed with Jamaican coffee and the latter with Belgian chocolate.  Again, few of the attendees had ever had an imperial stout before, and I admittedly chose quite a brash one for their “initiation”.  I had a choice of chocolate or coffee flavors for the cake itself, but opted for chestnut – I wanted the beer’s ingredients to speak for themselves. (For instance, look at how the pumpkin soup got slightly overwhelmed by the Pumking.)Boyce quickly remarked how it reminded him of Hershey’s chocolate syrup.  Not that I – or anyone at the table – regard Hershey’s as “good” chocolate, but we all agreed the resemblance was striking.  The beer was indeed syrupy – a high gravity, combined with heavily roasted malts and lots of residual sugars, contributed to a thick and viscous mouthfeel.  The roasted malt, cocoa, coffee and hops added up to an intense bitterness that arguably surpasses even the “typical” imperial stout.  This was a shot of espresso and an intense dark chocolate all rolled into one.

With our esteemed guests intrigued once again, I stayed along this path and proceeded with one of the extra beers I had brought along.  As some complimentary cookies, coffee and tea were being served to close out our evening, I cracked open a bottle of Dieu du Ciel Péché Mortel.  Originally meant as a gift to Boyce, the sole Canuck in our midst, we just couldn’t help ourselves.  From an iconoclastic Quebecois brewery, this imperial stout is also brewed with coffee, although this time a “fair-trade” variety (region unspecified).  Without the chocolate, and with much less residual sugar than the Mokah, this was truly the “beer for caffeine addicts” (Dave’s words).

A round of applause for Oscar, assistant manager Vicky Dong, and our head server for the night, Ivy.  And of course our gratitude to the rest of the staff, both inside and outside of the kitchen.  It was a great evening.

(NOTE: Thanks to Jim Boyce for the additional photos.  When he finds the time out of his busy schedule, he will try to provide some of his extensive tasting notes as well.)

*UPDATE: Oscar has since moved onto another assignment within the Starwood Hotels network (parent company of St. Regis).

But onto the BEER… it’s actually rather decent (especially considering the price)!  The weissbier is cloudy, straw-colored, and uses a proper Bavarian yeast strain – imparting the classic flavor and aroma characteristics of banana, clove and bubblegum.  The dunkel is clean and malty, mildly to moderately hopped, with notes of coffee and cocoa.  The only “off” notes came with the so-called “pilsener” (that’s indeed what they called it in Chinese: 比尔森啤酒) – it came to my table cloudy, with funky, raw, sulfurous notes that are actually more like a kellerbier/zwickelbier or landbier from Franconia.  If you think of it as such, it’s actually not that far off the mark.

The brewing equipment on site does not seem to include an actual mashtun, so I have a feeling that they are using malt extract syrup within the brewpub, instead of actual barley malt in kernel form.  However, I soon found out that Golden Hans is a HUGE chain with over 100 locations throughout China.  So perhaps they actually do have some centralized control over the quality of the extract produced, before it gets distributed to all their brewpub locations.

Other quirks with regards to beer include the fact that they are instructed (by their promotional materials) to serve the “pilsener” in a weissbier glass, and the weissbier is served in a mug/stein.  This is generally the opposite of what is “supposed” to be done.  But whatever, not a big deal.

Atmosphere is actually quite raucous during peak hours, as local Chinese flock to the buffets.  There is also usually a live band, or a saxophonist playing renditions of that insipid, Kenny-G-style “jazz” which the Chinese absolutely loooooove for some ungodly reason.

The below photos are from a later visit to one of their EIGHT other Beijing locations, this particular one in Haidian District.  NOTE: turns out the beer is not included in the price of the buffet – at least not at the Haidian location.  I forget the price, but it’s not expensive (unlike Paulaner or Drei Kronen).  You can actually order it in a faux-wood mini-keg, probably 2 liters in volume.

Full write-up and beer reviews forthcoming.

I had just come back from a visit to the US, and brought along several hoppy, seasonal beers (released in late summer/early autumn).  These needed to be enjoyed as fresh as possible, so I decided to focus on them for the night.

You will also notice a bottle of North Coast’s Old Rasputin, a Russian Imperial Stout.  This was a special treat I ended up serving as our “dessert beer”.  More on this later…

Chris had also recently attended one of several craft beer educational seminars put on by the Brewers Association of America. Thus he had several extra bottles to contribute:

For most of the night, the beers were accompanied by pizzas from Pyro Pizza of Wudaokou.

I wanted to start off with a “bang”, so I went straight for the Harvest Ale from Founders Brewing of Michigan.  This is a fall seasonal, “wet-hopped” American pale ale – the hops were never dried or processed.  They were put into the beer directly after harvesting, from a locally-sourced hop yard in Michigan.  This is considered an “extreme” form of dry-hopping, and provides some of the freshest hop flavor and aroma you can imagine in a beer.  Immediately, this lovely brew (I had two bottles to spare) cemented its place in everyone’s minds as the star of the night.  Everyone loved the fresh, citrusy hop character, without being too bitter or resinous.  All the more noteworthy was that the hops came from the Midwest, as opposed to the Pacific Northwest, where almost all hops in the US are grown.  Nan and Chris both remarked that it was an incredibly balanced beer, despite being so hoppy.  Meanwhile the malt is pale in color, and gentle in sweetness – primarily there to act as a “canvas” for the “art” of such a wonderfully crafted hop bouquet.  Granted, the fact that China will probably never import such beers in the foreseeable future (due to a need for refrigerated storage and to the short shelf life) quite possibly biased everyone towards savoring it that much more.

Next, I wanted to introduce Sierra Nevada’s Estate Brewers Harvest Ale, one of the first commercially-available beers to use both hops and barley grown by the brewers themselves.  This is the first “vintage” of an ongoing exploration into the effects of terroir on beer – a product that has historically relied less on the whims of nature and geography than on the skill of the brewmaster to produce a consistent final product DESPITE the inevitable differences between yearly harvests.  Estate Ale has a deeper amber color; [compared to the Founders brew] the malt was much more richly sweet and caramelized, and the hops had more of a citrus rind and pine resin character while also proving much more bitter.  Although we all agreed it was still a good beer, it had the misfortune of standing in the shadow of the Founders Harvest.  I personally find the experiment to be interesting, and look forward to future “vintages” (which may change my mind), but as I mentioned above, I personally find that beer is less influenced by terroir than wine.  The most significant influencing factor on a beer is usually still the brewmaster, who has always been more akin to a chef or baker than to a vintner or winemaker.

As the pizzas came down the final slices, I brought out Hop Stoopid, a double/imperial IPA from Lagunitas, also from California.  While usually one of my favorite beers in this extreme style, perhaps this bottle wasn’t as fresh, or was simply from an “off” batch.  (Unlike the previous beers, it is produced throughout the year.  Lagunitas also doesn’t seem to label their beers with dates or batch numbers.)  Something about it just didn’t settle well with everyone.  Chris even commented that there seemed to be an artificial, sweet character to it – almost like fruit-flavored PEZ candy, with a banana peel note too.  While I didn’t catch that, I agreed with Nan and others that the citrus and pine flavors/aroma seemed out of balance overall.  The mouthfeel and carbonation was deemed agreeable however.

By now, we had finished our pizzas.  Time for a nightcap?  Initially, I tried to see how Chris’ gift of Rogue’s Shakespeare Stout would fare in this role.  However, this is “only” a 6% ABV stout, which in comparison with the 8% of Hop Stoopid, would have a hard time breaking through our already-bombarded palates.  Chris himself was admittedly never a big fan of lighter-bodied stouts to begin with.  Nan however managed to warm up to the brew.  I am also generally a fan of this beer whenever I’ve enjoyed it back in the US, but in the end agreed that its placement that night – at the end of our meal – wasn’t an ideal fit.

With that on my mind, I decided it was time to compensate by opening the Old Rasputin – at a more hefty 9% ABV.  Originally brought in only to the Shanghai market by the American Craft Beer Partners (2010 update: ACBP website no longer functioning) before DXCEL took over operations more than a year ago, the beer unfortunately never “took off”.  Russian Imperial Stout is certainly an acquired taste, even for Westerners, let alone for the Chinese.  Anyway… here’s the old importer’s label, for posterity’s sake.

This bottle was packaged on May 28, 2008, and the importer’s label gives a shelf life of 3 years.  Of course, with proper cellaring conditions, the beer can probably age for a decade or more.  But we’re talking about China here…  This poor thing endured countless temperature fluctuations between winter and summer, such as they are in Shanghai (and eventually Beijing).  I believe Chris was the first to point out notes of oxidation – a sure sign of suboptimal storage.  Nan and I found the flaw harder to pick out.  However we all appreciated the rich coffee and cocoa notes that persisted despite the age and poor storage.  Melding along with the bitterness, underlying acidity, hints of molasses and an alcoholic kick, it still proved to be a worthy “sipping beer”.

At this point, we all still had considerable energy left.  So we decided to go ahead and keep indulging…  Along with some blue cheese, I cracked open the bottles of Rogue Brutal Bitter and Victory HopDevil which Chris had graciously contributed earlier…  ‘Nuff said…

‘Twas a fun evening, although I suppose that goes without saying.  My thanks again to everyone for swinging by, and to Chris for the extra beer!