Sunday, June 13, 2010

Beer for Beginners

The smells and sounds of a recent moonlit early morning brought about a visceral memory. Of all things, it was of long-ago childhood summers, when as a paperboy, I would awake before sunrise to deliver the Washington Daily News (itself now only a memory).

When a person's avocation becomes a vocation, the reasons why one appreciated the thing in the first place can become obscured. An occasional refreshment is required.  For me, that can be sipping a good beer. If I'm lucky, that simple (?) act can bring back a memory of a thrill when, years ago, I first understood the beauty of good beer.

Next week, I'll be teaching Beer For Beginners, a seminar sponsored by Giramondo Wine Adventures. It would be a visceral victory if I could help the participants —most of whom prefer wine— to understand, and maybe, experience, that pleasure of a good beer.

Beer Class for Beginners
conducted by GiraMondo Wine Adventures

Tuesday, June 15 - 06:30 PM to 08:00 PM
Hilton Embassy Row
2015 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, D.C.


Beer in the Whittemore House


Syllabus

What is beer? How is it produced?
The 4 basic styles of beer.
What are the flavors of beer?
How does one critically taste beer? Is it like tasting a wine?
Beer and food pairing: is beer the 'new' wine?
As with food, FRESHNESS is paramount.

Beer Selection

Heavy Seas Clipper Fleet Marzen (Lager)
Victory Prima Pils (Lager)
Brooklyn Local 1 (Belgian-style)
Duchesse de Bourgogne (Belgium)
Augustiner Maximator (Dark Beer)
Brooklyn Brown Ale (Dark Beer)
Heavy Seas Mutiny Fleet Loose Cannon (Hops)
Green Flash Brewing IPA (Hops)

We will taste great beers from around the world with Beer Master Tom Cizauskas who is also a renowned beer speaker having presented at tastings, festivals, and breweries. Stay tuned for the beer selection that will include craft beers of different styles and origins!

The tasting will be accompanied by a selection of cheeses, donated by Cabot Dairy of Vermont.
$49/person
GiraMondo Wine Adventures.
http://www.giramondowine.com
email: infos@giramondowine.com
301.841.7609

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Caveat lector: As a representative for Select Wines, Inc. of northern Virginia, I sell the beers of Brooklyn and Heavy Seas.

2 comments:

  1. Looks like a good variety. Duchesse de Bourgogne is one of my brother-in-law's favorites. What kind of cheese will go with that? Camembert? Fontina? Blue? Cheddar?

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  2. Sounds like an incredible opportunity. I wish I would have known about a class like this when I was just starting out. I can't see how this would hurt.

    ReplyDelete

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