Beer and Food Essay Example for Free

Beer and Food EssayAbstract As a consultant for many restaurants in California, I find myself re-visiting the establishments with a bulky fare menu and a wide variety of contrasting beers that I can enjoy simultaneously. I prefer to engage myself in restaurants that are rose-colored in their location, core values, menu selections, and bar environment. Not whole is it important to sell good solid food and drinks, it is also fundamental to defend team members that have integrity in their jobs.I was hired for a restaurant in Claremont, sensationes and Legends (131 Yale Ave. ), in order to evaluate their many beer selections in comparison to their menu absenterings. My conclude in evaluating this restaurant is to enlighten other potential guests of suitable beer choices that will cut, complement or contrast their food preference in the establishment. I heart it is my duty to also inform the restaurant of the several food and beer items they offer that may open conversation for server suggestions ultimately lead to a striking guest experience. Right in the heart of downtown Claremont there is a trendy restaurant by the name of Heroes and Legends bar and grill.This establishment seems to appeal to a demographic of all ages. With a brick-laid exterior and a name identical Heroes and Legends, wiz would expect advertisements of st bys, porters and fine malls- drinks and foods of a rustic, colonial motif. Walking into the establishment I was immediately told that there was a self-seating method. The feel of the restaurant was warm and upbeat, welcoming a friendly and social attitude. One main focal point upon immersion is the bar. Easy to find, it has stool seating and a well-varied selection of beers on tap.Eager to know all the beer selections, I opened the small ringed book session on my table. I counted a agree of forty-seven beers that were being offered on the list. Some of these beers were of special availability, therefore the waiters and wai tresses encouraged us to enjoy them while they last. for each one one of these beers had a special quality to them. Of course the taste, alcoholic drink percentage, and size are all special qualities, but each type of beer was served in different glassware. Some of the beers are served in a dry pint, medium, or hulking glass.Other beers are served strictly in pint glasses or 11oz glasses only. For example, gift Belgian imports are served in 11oz flare glasses only, while other beer choices are served in medium schooner glasses or large 34oz mugs. As I scanned the beer menu, I was greeted by a server named Mike whose tasks also involved working behind the bar. To my surprise, this establishment does not designate one server to one section of tables rather, each server helps one another with every task. Whether it is taking a drink or food order, or running the food out to the table, the restaurant had a total team effort feel.The menu had many food items varying from fish n chips to hearty entrees homogeneous sirloin steak and carried enough beers for customers to enjoy. As this was my first visit to Heroes and Legends, I asked my server to enlighten me with the establishments top 6 items on the menu. The waiter began with the top-selling Chicken Quesadilla, which was chosen to start off my meal. For one order of this dispatcher, it is priced at $11. 95. Served hot with grilled chicken, sliced mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions topped with Cheddar and Jack cheeses with a align of guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.I paired this appetizer with a Hoegaarden Witbier for its smooth, refreshing, and crisp finish that wont overpower the food. The Hoegaarden has a coriander and orange peel flavor, and a dry/sour aftertaste. It isnt to a fault sweet, but was sapid paired with the appetizer. Priced at $7. 25, it was served in a pint glass and has an ABV of 5%. Pairing with a different beer I would recommend the Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier do by Paulaner Brewing Compan y in Germany (ABV 5. 50%).Paulaners Hefeweizen has a banana and clove aroma, but has a better kick regards to taste because of the equilibrize and prominent taste of banana, clove, wheat, and caramel dessert. It is a light beer that is high on carbonation, drinks smooth and is creamy- finished for a poultry appetizer. Next, Mike recommended the New York Steak (14 oz. medium-rare) with a side of steamed vegetables and a baked potato topped with sour cream and chives. I paired the steak with a Belgian-style ale known as St. Bernardus Abt 12 Quadrupel. It had a total ABV of 10% priced at $7 and was served in a flare glass.This beer has a sweet, light-roasted malt, clove, banana, and candy cabbage flavor with a subtle bitterness towards the end. It is remarkably flavorful which complements any robust, gamey meal such as the New York Steak. This Quadrupel isnt quite as bold as other dark beers, but its smooth, full-body and bountiful taste made this pairing a satisfying meal. Anothe r beer to go with Heroes New York steak would be the Dunkel laager by The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery. It is dark yet light-bodied and smooth with an ABV of 4. 90%. Its initial taste of dark toast is mildly sweet and continues with bitter coffee and dark chocolate.It then finishes with a slight spicy presence which is perfect for any dish involving red meat. Among other recommendations, the waiter suggested the L. A. 19 Pastrami. Pricing at $12. 45, Mike described that it is served hot with Russian dressing, zesty coleslaw, Swiss cheese, mount over rye bread and is served with a choice of sides, one being curly fries. The seasoning on the curly fries and the coleslaw on the get up calls for a beer that will cut from the saltiness. It paired wonderfully with an IPA such as Dogfish head 90 minute IPA (ABV of 9%) which was served in a pint glass priced at $7.A perfect suggestion for this pairing would be Russian Rivers triple IPA, Pliny the Younger (ABV 11%). This IPA is extremely hoppy. With a unvoiced scent of pine cone and a balanced blend of citrus and herbs it would do well to cut through the salt and fattiness. Other top-selling items were a copulate of Heroes best-selling burgers. First was the California burger (priced at $18. 95). This burger is definitely a mouthful consisting of caramelized sauteed mushrooms, Applewood smoked bacon, mass chips, whole leaf lettuce, tomato, avocado, cheese, onion, and pesto mayo topped on top of flame-broiled Angus chuck patty on a wheat bun.Containing bold greasy, flavors from the bacon and mushrooms I paired this selection with Stone ingest doorman. It is an American Porter by Stone Brewing Co. with an ABV of 5. 9 % served in a choice of a pint, medium schooner glass, or large 34oz mug. The smoked malt in the beer complemented the large pieces of bacon. Like the Stone Porter, I suggest Hill Farmstead Brewerys Everett Porter. It has an ABV of 7. 50% with a taste of roasted malt, dark chocolate and brown sugar on the finish which complements the mushroom taste.No hint of booze or hops on the flavor profile leaving the beer very drinkable and smooth. both porters will do fine in cutting through the greasy flavors. The next Burger Mike suggested was the famous Heroes Kobe Burger. This 10 ounce Kobe beef burger is topped with lettuce, pickle chips, and Thousand Island dressing on an onion bun and priced at $13. 95. This burger seems simple therefore, I would pair it with a beer extravagant with flavor such as blusher Double coffee tree Stout. This is an imperial stout priced at $7. 00 with an ABV of 8. 7%.The choice side, specifically curly fries dipped in ketchup, complimented the stout due to the sweetness of the ketchup. The burger, having an onion bun, gave the beer a heavy(p) contrast, therefore causing the sweet taste of the beer to counteract the wholesome onion flavor. A exchangeable beer not offered at Heroes would be Alesmith Speedway Stout Vanilla and Coconut (ABV 12%). It has the s ame flavor profile but the amazing blend of vanilla, coconut, dark chocolate, coffee and toasted malts in the accent gives this beer a very creamy, rich taste.It is also incredibly well balanced with no alcohol presence making it a great smoked meat or dessert beer. The last best-selling food item served as a lunch entree is the Beef Brisket Sandwich. It consists of tender, thin-sliced and slow-cooked brisket. Due to the large amount of beef, I would recommend a beer that provides cut or contrast. To contrast and cut the flavor of the protein which is salty and greasy, I recommend a dark, bitter and full-bodied beer. From their in-house selection, a mixture of the Stone Smoked Porter with the Stone IPA would pair well.The IPA will provide a refreshing citrusy and hoppy taste with higher alcohol content while the Smoked Porter will provide the dark, smooth, chocolate-coffee, smoky flavor. Combining both these beers into one drink will provide the contrast and cut needed to pair sh ort with the beef brisket sandwich. A beer not offered in this establishment that could also be considered is the Lost Coast Alley wander Amber (ABV 5. 50%). This beer is well-balanced, full-flavored amber ale, providing an imperative and balanced blend of malts and hops, and will contrast the high protein flavor of the beef.Table 1 Food Heroes and Legends Beer Outside Beer Chicken Quesadilla Hoegaarden Witbier Paulaner Hefe-weissbier New York Steak St. Bernardus Abt 12 Quad Olde Mecklenburg Dunkel Lager LA Pastrami Dogfish head 90 minute IPA Russian River Pliny the Younger (Triple IPA) CA Burger Stone Smoked Porter Everett Porter Kobe Burger Rogue Double Chocolate Stout Alesmith Speedway Stout Vanilla Coconut Beef Brisket Sandwich Mix Stone Smoked Porter with the Stone IPA Lost Coast Alley Cat Amber Everyone was satisfied with the in-house selection of beers but some recommendations were made.Many of the brand recommendations were Paulaner Brewing Co. , Russian River, The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Hill Farmstead Brewery, Alesmith Brewery, and Lost Coast which had produced beers that paired great with our meals. Generally, the 6 new brands were chosen either for similarity in taste and/or better taste, or business-related. For example, The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery is a newcomer in the brewing business. They were chosen due to their highly regarded beers and as a method of marketing strategy.OMBs beers are only sold and distributed in North Carolina, but if Heroes and Legends carried one of their beers such as the Dunkel Lager in the West Coast customers will rush to try this new rare beer. Its a great way to process publicity about the OMB name to the West Coast as well as increase Heroes daily volume of customers. Some decisions were easier than others such is with Alesmith Brewery their beer had a similar taste and profile as Rogues Double Chocolate Stout. All in all, Heroes and Legends beer selections were vast enough for me to have many options.As fa r-off as marketing techniques for beers at Heroes and Legends, a new strategy could be applied. Currently, tin and neon signs decorate the cluttered walls from corner to corner. It is overwhelming and lacks any interpretation of each beers content. One good technique for introducing new beers is to have a specific beer on special every week or month- a beer of the month approach. Also, it wouldnt hurt to have the servers make recommendations as a customers order is placed. Many of the recommended in house beers were great. Because the selections are already satisfying, our out of house beers resembled them.Therefore, it would not prove difficult to supplement our recommended beers into the current beer list. That is to say, advertising would not have to change much at all. In conclusion, harangue blah something concluding this paper.Works Cited BeerAdvocate. (2013). Dunkel Lager The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery. BeerAdvocate. Retrieved from http//beeradvocate. com/beer/profile/19247/ 54854 Benitez, T. (2013). Beer and Food Pairings Editorial. Mens Fitness. Retrieved from http//www. mensfitness. com/nutrition/what-to-eat/beer-and-food-pairings Brewers Association. (2013).Celebrating the Best of American Beer. CraftBeer. com. Retrieved from http//www. craftbeer. com/beer-and-food/pairing-tips/pairing-chart Zagat. (n. d. ). Heroes and Legends. Menu. Retrieved from http//www. zagat. com/r/heroes-and- legends-claremont/menu Appendix Key Learnings Briana While doing this object I learned about the different tastes of certain beers in comparison of being on tap or in nursing bottle. In my visit to Heros and Legends Bar and Grill, I learned that they do not carry any beers in bottle, only on tap. That night I ordered rouge chocolate stout.I am a fan of most Rogue beers, specifically Dead Guy Ale. I enjoy Dead Guy Ale equally in bottle or on tap, but for some reason the Chocolate Stout didnt excite me as much as it does in a bottle. While drinking it on tap, the beer did not have a finishing taste as it does in bottle. The strong chocolate taste was not as evident. Also, the bottom of the glass from the tap stout did not have residue of chocolate as it will when I buy a bottle and pour it into a glass myself. Therefore, I learned that I would most certainly, from now on, favor certain style beers out of the bottle, rather than on tap.Kayla Ive learned that its not moreover the taste of the beer that sets it apart, but how it smells, looks and the dynamics of pairing it with food. I used to choose a beer based on its alcohol content and name. If it sounded unique, I would order it. Then Id discern whether I like the beer or not by how smooth it is and whether I liked the flavor. I never understood what each name meant, for example Pilsner or Dunkel. For the longest time my struggle trying to figure out which beer to order was like trying to find a new computer I was inadequately informed and there are so many options.Thanks to this class, I p ut one acrosst have to blindly choose my beers anymore. I can read their labels and, based on what type of beer it is, have a good image of what it looks like and how it will smell/taste. Omar Through this project I learned to start looking at which beer will go well with my food and not just order a random beer. By selecting a pairing of my choice I learned what to look at when pairing beer with food. Michelle The task of pairing food and beers may come off as overwhelming. It is important to remember that if it taste good to you, then that is what truly matters.In the vast market of craft brews (over 2,100 breweries as of 2012) pairing can be simplified to three key roles of beer- cut, contrast, and compliment. When finishing this assignment, it became evident that one beer can pair well with several different food options. For example, a nice whit beer can cut a fatty burger and then compliment a banana split. I feel, that after experimenting, my options have only been expanded f or food and beer pairing and now there is an eagerness and excitement to put my knowledge to the test. More beer tasting