Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Garrett Oliver and the Sermon on the Mount
I had the immense pleasure of being at a class taught by Garrett Oliver. He taught on beer & cheese, but he showed an immense amount of knowledge about wine.
I also learned why American cheese is not cheese and most bread we buy is not bread.
I asked a question regarding pairing beer with red sauce-based Italian foods. Short answer: Flemish sour reds. Long answer: both beer and food have trouble with red sauces.
When I asked about pairing if he releases his Monster Ale barley wine to be consumed in short order or if it was meant to be aged, I got a very interesting response. Something in between was the answer. You can make something that is terrible at the time of sale and will be great with age. You can make something that is great at the time of sale and goes downhill after that. You can make a beer that is good at the time of sale and then gets better.
For Monster Ale, Garrett Oliver chose the last option.
I've heard less-than-stellar reviews for Monster. But I have to say, the versions I had tonight were wonderful. I had a 2005 or 2006 (not sure which) and a 2001 tonight. Both were quite good.
After Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, those who heard Him were amazed because Jesus spoke with authority. He did not say "rabbi so-and-so heard from rabbi so-and-so X." He spoke with His own authority.
The authority of Garrett Oliver on beer, wine and food struck me with that parallel, albeit Garrett's authority is much, much, much less.
I always am saying "Garrett Oliver says...". It was great to hear food/beer pairings from the horse's mouth.
I had the immense pleasure of being at a class taught by Garrett Oliver. He taught on beer & cheese, but he showed an immense amount of knowledge about wine.
I also learned why American cheese is not cheese and most bread we buy is not bread.
I asked a question regarding pairing beer with red sauce-based Italian foods. Short answer: Flemish sour reds. Long answer: both beer and food have trouble with red sauces.
When I asked about pairing if he releases his Monster Ale barley wine to be consumed in short order or if it was meant to be aged, I got a very interesting response. Something in between was the answer. You can make something that is terrible at the time of sale and will be great with age. You can make something that is great at the time of sale and goes downhill after that. You can make a beer that is good at the time of sale and then gets better.
For Monster Ale, Garrett Oliver chose the last option.
I've heard less-than-stellar reviews for Monster. But I have to say, the versions I had tonight were wonderful. I had a 2005 or 2006 (not sure which) and a 2001 tonight. Both were quite good.
After Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, those who heard Him were amazed because Jesus spoke with authority. He did not say "rabbi so-and-so heard from rabbi so-and-so X." He spoke with His own authority.
The authority of Garrett Oliver on beer, wine and food struck me with that parallel, albeit Garrett's authority is much, much, much less.
I always am saying "Garrett Oliver says...". It was great to hear food/beer pairings from the horse's mouth.
Labels: beer, garrett oliver
