So Sorry
Hello Grizzly Growler readers. I’m so sorry for being out of touch for more than a week now. I guess this blogger needed more of a vacation than he thought. Truthfully, I’ve had a great week reconnecting with family and friends, and it has been difficult to even think about opening my lap top.
But here I am, it’s Saturday, and I’m heading back to Missoula tomorrow. I’m planning on visiting John’s Marketplace to see what’s hot for 2008, and I’ll see if I can sneak a peak at Vancouver’s By the Bottle, affectionately known as the “the little beer store that could.”
Anyway, I’ll be back to full-blogging power next week, so check back for new and exciting things in Missoula and around the beer world, including my take on the 2008 vintage.
Prost,
GG
One for the ages
Hello Grizzly Growler readers. I wanted to pause to thank you all for reading and commenting on this blog. I hear from many of you through E-mail or in person, and I’m grateful for your feedback.
I’m off visiting family this week in Oregon, but I’ll keep the blog posted with short news bits about the industry, and keep any good beer-related tips coming.
Also, I wanted to let you know about a special beer available at The Good Food Store.
Lindeman’s Cuvee Rene is a very cool beer. It’s a gueuze, which we haven’t covered much in this blog, but it’s a dandy. And while it’s not something you can just drink as if it were a light beer, with a little confidence, you could match this beer with food or drink as an aperitif, and you may just find your taste buds excited by its unique taste.
Think of it as a wild-fermented wheat beer.
The thing that makes Cuvee Rene special is that it is different from the traditional Lindeman’s offerings here in the United States. We often see the Peche and the Framboise-style lambics, which are good, but which do not come close to the depth and nuance of a Cuvee Rene.
A good friend told me he likes to pick up a few bottles each year. He drinks some and dates the others, and puts them in his cellar. After a few years, he said, you’ve got a nice little cellar collection of really amazing beer.
Prost,
GG
A nugget for you
Sometimes something good happens to you, a little bit of serendipity that you can enjoy for a while. And at other times good things happen to other people, and you are left on the sidelines pondering their good fortune.
That’s me and that’s you right now.
I’m here to bring you the news that for a very limited time, you will find Big Sky Brewing Co.’s Ivan the Terrible Imperial Stout and Biere de Noel on tap at Blue Canyon Restaurant. Chris DeSoto, executive manager at Blue Canyon, told me it will go fast.
Chris also said the beers will be on tap around dinner time tonight, so head out for a taste of something you might not get to taste for a while.
The reason this is serendipitous for you is obvious. The reason it is not for me is that I’m leaving on vacation, and the chances of me getting much of the Ivan and the Noel are slim. So enjoy it Missoula, call it an early Christmas present from the Grizzly Growler, Big Sky Brewing Co., and Blue Canyon Restaurant.
Happy Holidays,
GG
And now to rub it in
You knew I would. I have to. Missoula’s first beer dinner in a long time went off well last night. Despite a smaller-than-anticipated turn out, Blue Canyon chef Laurence Coffman brought a whole new meaning to match made in heaven.
While conspiring over martinis on Monday, chef Larry and I came up with this concept for the Amuse’ Bouche’, that first course that is supposed to excite your taste buds and give a hint as to what the chef is going to do with the food later.
This delightful pairing of Big Sky’s Ivan the Terrible Imperial Stout and Big Dipper vanilla ice cream was fantastic. It blew a few minds that hadn’t thought it possible, but nearly everyone walked away impressed. The sweet and bitter contrast between ice cream and stout was like an opera in your mouth.
The lineup was legendary, headlined by three of Big Sky’s harder to find beers. Biere de Noel, Tripel and Ivan the Terrible Imperial Stout.
Matt Long, brewer at Big Sky Brewing Co., shared time with Laurence Coffman, executive chef at Blue Canyon Restaurant explaining the beers and thoughts behind matching the food with each beer.
Baked onion soup with focaccia and gruyere paired with Trout Slayer.
More enticement
As if you needed any more enticement to go to a beer dinner. I have in my little hands the very menu that chef Laurence Coffman, executive chef at Blue Canyon Restaurant, created for this evening’s festivities.
Blue Canyon/Big Sky Beer Tasting
Tuesday, December 18th, 2007
Amuse
TBD
1st course
Baked onion soup with focaccia and gruyere
Trout Slayer
2nd course
Big Sky Tripel
3rd course
Braised Beef Short Ribs with smoked gouda polenta
Moose Drool
4th course
Great Hill Blue Cheese Killer Steak Crusted Beef Tenderloin
Powder Hound
5th course
Crème Brulee
Biere de Noel
There still is room for a few more people to sign up for tonight’s dinner. The cost is 65$. To make your reservations, contact Sierra Balliett at Blue Canyon – (406) 541-BLUE. Call now, because they are going to limit the number of seats at this first Brewer’s Dinner to make it a more intimate experience.
See you there,
GG
Tuesday’s Beer Dinner
There still is time to sign up for Tuesday’s Beer Dinner with Matt Long, head brewer at Big Sky Brewing Co., and Laurence Coffman, executive chef at Blue Canyon Restaurant. Don’t wait to long in case this thing fills up. A manager at Blue Canyon told me there were some spaces open still as of this afternoon.
To make your reservations, contact Sierra Balliett at Blue Canyon – (406) 541-BLUE. Call now, because they are going to limit the number of seats at this first Brewer’s Dinner to make it a more intimate experience.
Prost,
GG
Quick Tip
I stopped in to Big Sky Brewing Co. on Saturday, but they were out of Biere de Noel. And while I was a little disappointed that my sister, who was in town over the weekend, didn’t get to try any, Mel assures me it will be back on tap sometime this week.
So if you’ve got guests from out of town, and you really want to impress them, take them over to the tap room at Big Sky Brewing Co. this week.
Cheers,
GG
From artisans to CEOs
In getting to know the owners of Missoula’s breweries over the last six months, I’ve noticed something that convinces me that craft beer is in good hands, and that no hop shortage or price increase is going to wipe my favorite breweries off the map any time soon.
They are all good business men.
Read this article to find out what this means on the national level and to you as a consumer of craft beer.
At first, it’s difficult to talk to brewery owners about the things that are fun to talk about regarding beer. Things like experimenting and bringing back old favorites. Talk of such things is inherently opposite to what is on their minds all the time – selling more beer and growing their business.
Those, at last, are the hallmarks of good business. The bottom line, after all, is that line at which a brewery owner knows he can make or break himself. It is the same line for all of us. Car payments, food and clothing for kids, mortgage payments, each of these is what is really on that line.
Don’t forget to sign up
Remember to call Sierra Balliett and sign up for the brewer’s dinner at Blue Canyon Dec. 18. It will be a great night to hang out with the outstanding brewer from Big Sky Brewing Co., Matt Long, and Blue Canyon executive chef Laurence Coffman.
To make your reservations, contact Sierra Balliett at Blue Canyon – (406) 541-BLUE. Call now, because they are going to limit the number of seats at this first Brewer’s Dinner to make it a more intimate experience.
Prost,
GG
Try this beer
The beer selection at the Good Food Store is awesome. The reason I like it is that sometimes I’m just passing through to grab milk or a loaf of bread, and I stumble upon something really fun.
Take a look at this picture, and then head down there and buy your self some.
This stuff is a really fun spiced blonde ale that pairs well with just about any dish out there, especially spicier Asian foods.
It comes in 12-ounce bottles, so grab a few of them and share with others.
Prost,
GG