Don Russell, who writes the Joe Sixpack column for the Philadelphia Daily News, wrote a brilliant piece this past Friday (Dec. 22, 2006). Here’s the top of it. Click on the Title to read the rest…

WHAT BEER WOULD Rocky drink?

It’s mere idle speculation, as the Philly fighter’s new movie, “Rocky Balboa,” fills theater screens this weekend. But the question did provoke a small storm of discontent on the Internet earlier this month when Sylvester Stallone himself weighed in with an answer.

The setting was a terrific, far-reaching Q&A between Stallone and his fans posted at Ain’t it Cool News, an entertainment news Web site. Among other things, the actor revealed his worst movie (”Stop! Or My Mom will Shoot!”) and why he’d like to box Hitler.

The beer topic was raised when one fan wrote:

“I am throwing a Rocky party to celebrate ‘Rocky Balboa’s’ release and I need to know what kind of beer Rocky would drink so I can buy it for the party.”

“No question about it,” Stallone replied. “Rocky drinks Rolling Rock, especially in the ‘pony’ bottles, which are the small bottles.”

Rolling Rock!? ((READ THE REST OF THE COLUMN…)))

Don’t think giant Anheuser-Busch has an ear and eye on the beer market?

Consider this. A-B announced this week that it’s “introducing the first nationally available sorghum, Redbridge.”

So who cares? Well sorghum, a native African plant, is the one grain that celiacs, people who are allergic to gluten, which is found in wheat and almost all other grains, can tolerate.

Beer made with fermented sorghum is widely available in Africa. I wrote about it last month and you can find that report here.

It’s great that A-B’s doing this. There are lots and lots of celiacs who like beer and haven’t been able to drink it.

It’s also a shot from a major conglomerate aimed straight at Bard’s Tale Beer Co., a still-tiny Lees Summit, MO. company started by a celiac. The beer, Dragon’s Gold, also made from sorghum, is being brewed under contract by Gordon Biersch in San Jose and is already available in more than 20 states.

Until now only Bard’s Tale and Lakefront Brewing, Milwaukee, WI., which makes New Grist, were the only two beers made in the United States that celiacs can drink. Only Bard’s Tale is distributed widely.

Gotta hand it to Big Bud, they’re attuned to the market. Celiac disease affects one out of every 133 people in the U.S., the  says. Celiac Disease Foundation

 Taste Test: Redbridge vs. Dragon’s Breath
I just did a taste test of the two, A-B’s Redbridge and Bard’s Tale Dragon’s Gold:

Redbridge**+, made with sorghum as the “primary” ingredient, Hallertau and Cascade hops, is a clear,light copper-colored lager. The aroma is a mix of grain and perhaps the hops. Taste is somewhat sweet that lasts into a moderately hoppy follow.

Dragon’s Breath**** has a rich, grainy nose – the sorghum, I guess – with a bit of fruit. Taste is dry and refreshing with an aromatic finish from the Hallertau hops.

Bottom line: If you like sweet beer, go with Redbridge. For a drier, more sophisticated taste that anyone, gluten allergy or not, try Dragon’s Breath.

I’ve posted my Nov. 6, 2006 Oakland Tribune/MediaNews beer column just below as a reference.

Here’s my column from Nov. 8 2006

BY WILLIAM BRAND
Ever wonder when someone says they have a wheat allergy?’ Most often, it’s very real. It’s called “Celiac Disease” and if you’re a person who enjoys beer, a celiac diagnosis is a total bummer.

Celiac Disease is a toxic reaction in the small intestine to gluten in cereal grains, especially wheat, barley and rye. According to the Celiac Disease Foundation it affects one of every 133 people in the U.S. It can cause weight loss, weight gain, skin rashes, depression and it can strike at any age.

Beer’s made with cereal grains, all containing gluten. Ergo no beer. Over the last few years, there have been attempts to make beer without grain, honey beers, weird rice beers. Yuk.

Well, if you’re a celiac and even if you aren’t there’s a real beer being brewed right here in San Jose just beginning to arrive in markets around the Bay Area. It’s Dragon’s Gold**** from the Bard’s Tale Beer Co., Lees Simmit, MO. It’s made with malted sorghum, a grain that - as far as a laboratory can detect - contains no measurable gluten.

What’s more. The beer’s delicious. It’s a dusty gold, fine, beery aroma and a lively head of crisp, white foam. The taste is dry with an unusual, but not off-putting grainy, nutlike sweetness in the background that lasts into a fine, aromatic Hallertau hop finish.

You don’t have to be a celiac to like this beer. It’s going to be a regular in my beer fridge. Right now, it’s only available at Beverages & More stores. But it will soon be widely available in the Bay Area, the company says.

Here’s the story. The beer is being brewed at Gordon-Biersch in San Jose under contract for Bard’s Tale Beer Co., founded by Craig Belser and Kevin Seplowitz.

Belser, who was a computer system analyst before he founded his beer company, explains he suffered from a wheat allergy as a child, but grew out of it. “Then when I was 35, it hit me again. They told me, `You can’t have any beer.’

“Well,” he said, “it’s not that I drink a case of beer of week, but not being able to drink beer had an impact on my lifestyle.”

So he became a home brewer, experimenting with various grains. He lives in the Kansas City area where there’s lots of grain. He also began analyzing beer and grain using his computer systems trouble-shooting skills. Eventually, he settled on a kind of sorghum.

“I made a beer that tasted like beer. It wasn’t a great beer, because I’m not a great brewer,” he said in a telephone interview. He hooked up with Seplowitz, who handles the business side of the company. They hired a brewer and spent months perfecting the recipe and learning about malting sorghum.

They contracted with a small New York brewery to make the beer commercially, but the attempt failed, Belser said. “We made beer grenades,” he said.

After more research, they signed on with Gordon-Biersch in San Jose. Dan Gordon, the co-founder took on the project and after months learning about brewing sorghum, finding a proper recipe that the yeast would like, they began cranking out the beer.

It apparently begins with a lager yeast, but fermentation is different, so the beer is actually a hybrid, both ale and lager. The little company has big plans. “We’re in 19 states and I could be national in six months,” Belser says.

I believe he may be right. This is a fine beer.

Sorghum beer, by the way, is extremely popular in Africa. Sorghum is a tropical grass that originated there. SABMiller makes the leading sorghum beer in Africa. But most is made by small brewers using wild yeast, is dark and sour and meant to be consumed within a few days of brewing. It’s immensely popular among Zulus.

More information on Celiac Disease can be found here. at: Information about Bard’s Tale Beer can be found here. . I’ve also posted some notes on sorghum beer in Africa here.

I wrote about an English beer with a catchy name – Seriously Bad Elf – in my Beer of the Week Column today.

Here’s a list of bottle shops in the Bay Area that are carrying the gift packs, according to the distributor, Manzo Beer & Ale, Mountain View.

East Bay
 
Berkeley:

Ledger’s Liquor, 1399 University Ave., (510) 54
Star Market, 3068 Claremont Ave., Berkeley, 94705, (510) 652-2490.
Whole Foods Market, 3000 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley, (510) 649-1333.

Concord:
Monument Wine and Spirits, 2250 Monument Blvd. (Just north of Oak Grove Road in the Safeway shopping center. (925) 682-1514

San Leandro:
Plaza Bottle Shop and Market, 15292 Liberty St., (on the bay side of the 580 fwy at 150th St., (510) 357-1810

San Ramon:
Jay Vee Liquors, 12191 Alcosta Blvd. (925) 828-1400.0-9243.J

South Bay

Campbell:
Whole Foods on Bascom Road and Hamilton

Cupertino:
Whole Foods Market, 20830 Stevens Creek Blvd., (408) 257-7000

Mountain View/Los Altos
Whole Foods Market, 4800 El Camino Real, (650) 559-0300.

San Francisco

City Beer Store, 1168 Folsom St.,#101. (415) 503-1033. Hours: Noon-10 p.m.The City Beer Store on Folsom between 8th & 7th St. Will also be selling individual bottles from the pack.

This is my regular beer column that runs every other Wednesday in the Food Section of Alameda Newspaper Group papers. Because, it doesn’t run in the Contra Costa Times papers, which run my Beer of the Week and because Christmas is rushing up, I’m publishing the column here.

By the way, I e-mail both my columns. To join the list, drop me an an e-mail at whatsontap@sbcglobal.net. William Brand.

A half-yard glass, which holds
a half-yard of beer is an unusual
Christmas present. See below.

Barrel full of gifts for beer lovers

CHRISTMAS is coming and someone you care about cares about beer almost as much as — well, he or she likes good beer. Here’s an idea: A book about beer. Check these out:

-”Grilling With Beer: Bastes, BBQ Sauces, Mops, Marinades & More, Made With Craft Beer” by Lucy Saunders, (F&B Publications, $21.95). This is an amazing book with sauces and marinades that made me fire up my Weber on a chilly evening.
Saunders is a European-trained beer chef. She’s American, majored in Old and Middle English literature and fell in love with beer and good food. She runs an award-winning Web site..

Saunders says that during a decade of pairing beer and food, she discovered grilling, an ancient cooking technique made for beer.

Then, one day, she saw an ad for a barbecue grill with a bottle of wine on it — and she got mad. Wine may have a place at a barbecue, but the proper beverage most of the time is beer and why not use good beer while you’re at it, she says.

To write this book, she traveled the country, from Hawaii to New England, visiting barbecue joints, going to barbecue festivals, collecting recipes and preparing them for a tasting panel.

This is a serious book. Even if you’ve never even put a match to charcoal or turned the knob on a gas grill, you, too, can produce prize-winning grilled food.

She dissects the science of barbecuing, explains differences between sauces, mops, marinades and glazes, why beer works with barbecue, when to use it and when not.

She came up with some mind-blowing recipes. How about Porter Plum Barbecue Sauce or Smoked Ale Mustard Sauce? Tamarind Amber Glaze, Apple Ale Ribs, Imperial Stout Marinade or one of my favorites, Brown Shugga Glaze, made with Lagunitas Brown Shugga.

To order the book, call (800) 760-5998, e-mail grillingwithbeer@yahoo.com or send a check for $25.95 (includes shipping) to Grilling With Beer, Attn: Orders, 4230 N. Oakland Ave., Shorewood, WI 53211. By the way, I’ve posted a couple of my favorite recipes on my blogs at http://www.beernewsletter.com and http://www.ibabuzz.com/beer.

-”Extreme Brewing: An Enthusiast’s Guide to Brewing Craft Beer at Home” by Sam Calagione, (Quarry Books, $24.99).
Sam is the co-founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Rehoboth Beach, Del. It’s easily one of the most distinctive breweries on the East Coast and its beers, such as 120 Minute IPA and Chateau Jiahu can hold their own on the world stage.

He carries his brewery’s motto: “Off-centered beers for off-centered people” into this book. The first section of the book is a basic primer on how to brew beer at home, how to chose equipment and ingredients. He then jumps into extreme brewing — beer on the outer edge.

“There are many ingredients, such as fruits, sugars, spices, herbs and wild yeast, which have been used in beer making for centuries,” he says. “Thanks to the recent craft brewing beer renaissance, they are once again finding favor with brewers as they add complexity and balance and offer endless creative possibilities.”

From there, the book rockets into the extreme and, in my opinion, the potentially sublime: beer with cherries, raisins, dried cranberries, brown sugar, allspice, St. John’s Wort and Grains of Paradise.

He also discusses barrel-aging beer, a trend that many craft brewers have embraced. Then, it’s on to the recipes: Imperial Pale Ale, Dark Star Licorice Stout, Tripel’Round the World.

Bottom line: If you’re already homebrewing, but haven’t ventured out to the cutting edge, this is the book to read. But even if you’ve never brewed beer, it’s a fine coffee table book. Lavishly illustrated and clearly written, it’s a classic. You can find this book at most good bookstores and on the Web at Amazon.com.

-One more worth a look is “The Beer Guide” edited by Josh Oakes (Savory House Press, $9.95). It’s a listing of 2,700 American and imported beers with ratings from RateBeer.com. Each rating is based on reviews posted on the RateBeer Web site.

The holidays are also a great time for beer; many brewers produce gift packs. Here’s a selection:
-Williams Home Brewery and Beer Kit, about $100. Williams Brewing, 2594 Nicholson St., San Leandro, was started by owner Bill Moore in his Oakland apartment in 1979. He sells a wide assortment of home brew kits and equipment. Moore sent me a sample of his Belgian Style Saison made with his beer kit.

A wonderful saison, it’s rich, malty and is 6.5 percent alcohol by volume. The home brewery kit, which contains everything one needs to begin brewing, except a five-gallon pot, also includes hops and malts needed for the style of beer one chooses — English ale to Belgian Saison.

Each kit contains complete instructions on a DVD and the company, like most homebrew shops, is always available by phone or e-mail to help. http://www.williamsbrewing.com. (510) 895-2739.

-Sam Adams Winter Classics, two each, Boston Lager, Sam Adams Winter Lager+, Old Fezziwig Ale, Cranberry Lambic, Sam Adams Holiday Porter and Black Lager, $9.99.

The Holiday Porter alone is worth the price. Also, during a walk through a Beverages & More store, I noticed Sam Adams Triple Bock, the first truly strong beer, 17.5 percent ABV. Price: $4.49. Bought one, haven’t tried it. Fresh, back in the’90s, it tasted strongly of maple syrup. That no doubt has mellowed by now.

-Stone Brewing Double Bastard ***+, large, 3-quart bottle, $60. If you like the bastard, this is nearly a lifetime supply or better, one to crack at a large party.

- Yard Glass in a wooden stand, $19.99, Half-Yard Glass, $14.99. According to RealBeer.com, the three-foot high glass was created in England so ale could be handed up to a stagecoach driver, who had to remain seated, holding the horses.

-Duvel Gift Pack, four 12-ounce bottles of Duvel, the Belgian classic ale and a branded Duvel glass, about $20. Another great gift for a beer lover. It’s fun to drink your Duvel in its distinctive, tulip-shaped glass. LATE NOTE: Everyone seems to be out of the Duvel gift pack. But I found a couple of others. There are several gift packs from Petrus, the Belgium brewer at the Beverages & More. The one pictured, six bottles, plus a branded Petrus glass is $20.99

Can’t find these books or beer gifts? E-mail me at whatsontap@sbcglobal.net or call (510) 915-1180. Ask for our 2006 Retail Beer Store List.

Beer ratings are based on a star system. ***** – world classic; ****— outstanding; ***— excellent; **— good; * — average.

MediaNews Group Staff writer William Brand publishes What’s On Tap, a consumer craft beer and hard cider blog. His column runs every other week. Write him at whatsontap@sbcglobal.net or P.O. Box 3676, Walnut Creek, CA 94598, or call (510) 915-1180.

Everything hasn’t stopped, just because Christmas is coming. And after Christmas – get ready for the post-holiday roarrrrrr.

Wednesday Dec. 20, Toronado Holiday Bash, Toronado, 547 Haight St., San Francisco. In truth, every night is Christmas at this amazing pub. But Wednesday, proprietor David Keene, opens the cellar door. Lots of specials, lots of people. A beery holiday party indeed.

Thursday Dec. 21, The Mission Holiday Throwdown, Amnesia, 853 Valencia St. All the He’Brew beers . Music by the Shut-Ins. $5 cover; music starts at 9 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 31, Luka’s Taproom & Lounge, 2221 Broadway, Oakland, CA., (510) 451-4677, is rolling out the carpet with a special menu, including:
––“Seared foie gras with orange-vanilla poached quince and savory beignets,
–– American black caviar and vodka-cured sturgeon w/ buckwheat blinis, crème fraiche, sieved egg & finely minced red onion
–– Surf & Turf grilled filet mignon, half a butter poached lobster, potato gratin, asparagus & béarnaise sauce. They hadn’t figured out menu price tonight, but I’m guessing about $25 per person, maybe a bit more.
Oh yeah, Champagne and a very large beer menu, including a number of Belgians, Westmalle, Orval, Duchesse de Bourgogne. And balloons. Doors open 7 p.m. Cover charge $10 before 9 p.m., $15 after. DJ music.

Dec. 31. Beach Chalet Restaurant & Brewery, 1000 Great Highway, San Francisco,(415) 386-8439 founded in 1997 by co-owners Lara and Greg “Gar” Truppelli and Timon Malloy, celebrates its 10th anniversary New Year’s Eve with dinner and live music. $50 includes a midnight champagne toast a poster and an evening of music by the Mermen. Food and beer (or wine) is extra.

This has to be the brewpub with the best view in America. It’s on the edge of Golden Gate Park,just across from Ocean Beach with a sweeping view of the Pacific. It’s the place to take your out-of-town guests. Here’s something important. You can now make reservations on line here. If you intend to do more than wrangle a seat at the bar, reservations are important, essential for New Year’s Eve.

Monday, Jan. 8, “Dinner with the Brewmaster”, Cathedral Hill Hotel, 1101 Van Ness Ave.,San Francisco. Executive chef Bruce Paton begins his 2007 beer dinners, featuring the beers of Urthel with Hildegard van Ostaden. Paton notes she’s one of only two female brewers in Belgium. She attended the Great American Beer Festival in Denver this past fall and, to put it mildly, was a total hit.

She’s co-owner (with her husband, Bas) and brewer of the De Leyerth Brouwerijen in Ruiselede, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. She brought her Hop-It Belgian Double IPA, strong (9 percent) and hoppy with a trademark, Belgian fruity nose: grapefruit, fresh oranges. About the name: the Beer Advocate says Urthel refers to the gnomes on the brewery’s beer labels.

To sign up call (415) 776-8200 x 7785 or e-mail Bruce at bpaton@cathedralhillhotel.com

Photo of Hildegard van
Ostaden from
Glenn’s Belgian Beer Site.

PS. Bruce is planning his third annual Beer and Chocolate Dinner on Feb. 16. Check out his web site for details later or stay tuned.

As I promised in my column today in The Oakland Tribune, here are a couple of recipes from Lucy Saunder’s new book: -”Grilling With Beer: Bastes, BBQ Sauces, Mops, Marinades & More, Made With Craft Beer” (F&B Publications, $21.95). This is an amazing book with sauces and marinades that made me fire up my Weber on a chilly evening.

For a review of Lucy’s book, and Extreme Brewing, by Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione and a list of beery Christmas books…go to my column here.

Here are a few sample recipes. For more info and to buy the book, check out Lucy’s Grilling Website. Hint: If you like to grill, this book is a must,

Amber Cayenne-Citrus Marinade for Beef or Lamb

2 12 oz. bottles amber ale
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon grated horseradish
1/2 cup minced onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more, to taste)

Mix all ingredients together in a blender, pureeing until onions and garlic are liquified. Reserve one cup for basting, and use remainder as a marinade for beef or lamb. Use a shoulder or leg cut. Marinate meat for at least two hours for best flavor.

Edmund Fitzgerald Porter Scallion Marinade

“Though this recipe yields more than a quart of marinade, it also works well as a salad,” says Great Lakes Brewing Co. Pub Chef Wilson. “It will last up to 8 days, covered in an airtight container in the fridge.”

6.5 oz. bottle dark sesame oil
2 cups vegetable oil (such as canola)
1 cup rice wine vinegar
12 oz. Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 oz. Chinese bead molasses or sugar to taste
6 cloves minced garlic
12 scallions, sliced thin (about 1 1/4 cups, minced)
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco or more to taste

Blend all ingredients, and let sit overnight, covered and chilled. Makes a terrific marinade for grilled zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, onions and giant portabello mushroom caps.

Grilled Zucchini with Lemon and Porter with Pasta

Serves 4

Zest of one half lemon, grated
2 large cloves garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces porter
6-10 slices thick-cut zucchini
1 can (15 ounces) white beans, drained and rinsed
2 roasted red peppers, diced
12 to 14 ounces dried fusilli or cavatappi pasta
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh sage
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Grated Romano cheese for garnish

1. In a zip-seal plastic bag, blend together the lemon zest, garlic, lemon juice. porter and olive oil. Add the zucchini strips and let marinate 1 hour.
2. Reserve the marinade for salad. Prepare a grill and grill zucchini until tender, but still holding its shape. Cut into 2-in. chunks, and toss with beans, roasted red peppers, and the remaining marinade in a large bowl.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the pasta according to package directions, or until pasta is tender but still firm (al dente). Drain, place in bowl and stir.
4. Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking oil. Add the chopped herbs and heat until aromatic. Scrape the heated herbs into the pasta mixture and stir to blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve garnished with grated Romano cheese.