One chef's crash course in pairing beer and food
By Ken Weaver
Published September 2012, Volume 33, Number 4
In early fall of 2011, Laura Lodge approached Todd Bemis, Vail Cascade Resort & Spa’s executive chef about an upcoming beer-and-food event. It would be Lodge’s 12th year coordinating the popular Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival in Vail, CO, one crucial element of which are the two dinners held on consecutive nights. Each dinner features two breweries, and each course is paired with two different beers—an intriguing challenge even for seasoned beer chefs.
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By Gregg Glaser
Published May 2012, Volume 33, Number 2
Belgium has long been a serious beer drinker’s destination, and when combined with great foods, a week’s trip is a delight. The entire country—Wallonia in the south and Flanders in the north—is chock-full of great breweries and restaurants. That’s too much to tackle in one week so we focused on Flanders—with a visit to the capitol, Brussels, which straddles the north-south political, social and psychological divide of the country. Read More…
By Garrett Oliver
Published July 2011, Volume 32, Number 3
Having once judged Iron Chef America, I thought this assignment was fun. And a lot of my favorite cooking is based on what’s interesting in the market today, or even what’s in my refrigerator at the moment.
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By Lew Bryson
Published May 2011, Volume 32, Number 2
I recently stirred some outrage among Facebook beer lovers by noting that Food and Wine executive wine editor Ray Isle had put the cause of beer and food pairing back 15 years with his comments on five beers picked by the “CBS Early Show.” BridgePort IPA was paired with fried foods, “anything from fried shrimp to French fries.” He typified Full Sail’s Session Lager as a “classic all-purpose beer: chicken, potato chips, pretzels, you name it.” Wow, what an all-rounder; chips and pretzels! But he really stepped in it with Deschutes’ Green Lakes Ale: “I’d drink this with a hamburger; for me, ales like this are ideal burger wines [sic].” He rounded out this full-spectrum menu (for Applebee’s, maybe) with ribs, sausage, and grilled seafood. Read More…
By Randy Mosher
Published March 2011, Volume 32, Number 1
Beer is for dining, finally. Wine has long hogged the dining table, consigning beer to the realm of hot dogs and ballparks. And I suppose if we are being honest, much of the yellow fizzy stuff deserved to be there.
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By Julie Johnson
Published March 2010, Volume 31, Number 1
When Cindy West left a career in accounting, she and her husband Dorian spent a year in Paris, where she trained as a chef. Back in her home state of North Carolina, she worked in restaurants until the demanding schedule of a professional chef collided with the needs of young children. The couple bought a farm in Hillsborough, Cindy threw herself into a new self-taught craft, and in time they decided to take their dream and “go pro.” The Wests bought tanks and equipment and turned the old tobacco farm over to the production of… Read More…
