Wow. I am super lame. It only took me like a month to edit film I took during the Black Star Beer Barter in Whitefish, Montana. Now granted, I did recently start a new job. And then there was the insanity known as SF Beer Week. And I’m sure I can come up with a million other excuses of WHY it took me so long, but that is neither here nor there since I finally put it together.

I must throw out a little disclaimer, though. I am not a videographer. Not at all. So it is what it is. But, I can say that I had a blast at the barter (even though I did get in trouble by the fire department for hanging off the roof). The contestants were super creative, funny and the whole show was entertaining. The people who won were just over the top amazing… and I wish I had footage (or the recording) so that y’all could here the radio commercials that they created. Seriously, hil-f*ing-larious.

So without any further ado…

Black Star Beer Barter Recap from The Beer Wench on Vimeo.

This past weekend, Black Star Beer played gracious host to its staff, partners (graphic designers, clients, distributors etc.) and myself. Upon arriving on Friday night, Black Star beer surprised all of us with a beer dinner.

I have attended and even hosted several beer dinners and beer pairings events, with each and every one being unique and special in its own regard. But I must admit that this particular dinner was one of the most unique and intimate I’ve experienced to date. Black Star lined up a super long banquet table right on the brewery floor next to the fermenters. The normal lights were turned off and the brewery was lit by candles and soft spotlights that illuminated the fermenters.

Aside from myself, the owner, brewmasters and maybe a few others — most of the group had never attended a beer dinner before. And many of them weren’t even familiar with the concept. Observing everyone’s reactions and expressions during the dinner was probably my highlight. Don’t get me wrong, the food and beer experience was amazing. But what was even more amazing was watching people experience the perfect synergy between beer and food for the first time. And I guarantee it will not be the last.

As with most food and beer related events that I attend, I often find myself too preoccupied with taking pictures of my food, taking notes on the pairings, as well as instantly posting my pictures and descriptions to Facebook and Twitter. One would assume that I would know better by now that half of the beer dinner experience is living in the moment and engaging with others and not living virtually on electronics and mobile devices.

I was once told at a really fancy beer dinner, “Funny how ANTI-social social media makes you, huh Ashley?” Touche my friend, touche.

Not familiar with my addiction to social media and incessant need to post everything I eat and drink, my surrounding neighbors were slightly confused by my obsessive-compulsive picture taking behaviors and lack of social engagement with the group. But this all changed once they realized who I was, why I was there, and what I was actually doing. However, the group was too lively and engaging for me to bury my head down in my laptop and phone and so, even before the first course was finished, I retired my mobile devices and virtual realm and joined the real life excitement.

The dinner itself was extremely impressive. It consisted of 5 courses, each paired with a different Great Northern Brewing Company beer. My notes are as follows….

FIRST COURSE
Ancho seared flank steak with an espresso mole sauce served on a sweet potato fritter paired with FRED’S BLACK LAGER.

Paring notes: The chocolate and coffee malt notes in Fred’s Black Lager complimented the espresso and cacao of the mole sauce while the light dry body of the lager helped to cut the spice from the ancho and balanced the heaviness of the dish. The sweetness of the fried sweet potato enhanced the malt character of the beer, but the light dry body of the beer cut the fat and oil. The overall earthiness of the dish paired really well with the roasted flavors in the beer. This was definitely a hit in my book.

SECOND COURSE
Spinach salad with goat cheese, orange supremes and candied pecans tossed with a honey-lemon poppyseed dressing paired with WHEATFISH WHEAT LAGER

Pairing notes: To start, I must admit that this was my first experience with a wheat lager. The texture and flavor of the beer was similar to wheat beers brewed with ale yeast, but the esters were not the same (actually, there were no esters). The beer was uniquely clean. As for the pairing, this was definitely a slam dunk. The salad, like the beer, was light, fruity and slight tart. This was an extremely refreshing pairing — one that I wouldn’t mind enjoying on a daily basis!

THIRD COURSE
Coconut-red curried shrimp soup garnished with fresh cilantro and peanuts paired with GOING TO THE SUN IPA.

Pairing notes: OMFG (really, it was that good). The soup was creamy and rich, without being too heavy. The heat from the curry was softened by hints of coconut milk and cooled by the cilantro. The crunch of the peanuts added a nice texture. The IPA was beautifully balanced, mostly pale malt base with a bit of crystal for coloring with Cascade and Centennial hops used for flavor and aroma. I’m a big advocate of pairing IPAs with spicy food. The pairing could not have been any more on spot.

Side note: As a student of beer, my latest preoccupation and obsession has been learning about hops and how they affect the flavor and aroma of beer. My favorite game to play is “name that hop.” And more and more these days, I also have been playing “guess the malt bill.” After tasting Going To The Sun for the first time, I wanted to take a shot at both games. (I think I scared the brewmasters a bit by bombarding them with questions.) I missed one of the hops (I said Chinook instead of Centennial), but other than that I wasn’t too far off.

FOURTH COURSE
Jerk chicken breast over black beans and rice with jicama slaw and pineapple salsa paired with BLACK STAR DOUBLE HOPPED GOLDEN LAGER

Pairing notes: This pairing was a fiesta on the tongue. The acidity from the pineapple salsa and the earthiness from the rice and beans were nice compliments to the heat from the jerk chicken. The beer was light-bodied, but extremely flavorful for a pale lager. Overall, the Black Star lager was definitely the star of the pairing, bringing a nice malty sweetness that complimented all the flavors of the dish.

FIFTH COURSE

Chocolate and cheese platter with smoked sea salt chocolate, bacon chocolate, aged swiss cheese, and manchengo paired with SNOWGHOST WINTER LAGER.

(Pardon the picture, I totally missed the ball on taking a pic of the last dish. This is a pic of the Yeti “Beer Wench” who snuck into the brewery during our dinner and was gracious enough to refill our glasses…)

Pairing notes: Can one really go wrong when pairing chocolate, cheese and beer? The bacon chocolate was absolutely amazing, but then, we all know that the Wench is obsessed with bacon. The SnowGhost winter lager was one of my favorite beers of the night, rich roasted malt flavors and slight hints of coffee — an excellent beer to pair with chocolate.

Whereas the food and the beers were great, it was the energy of the guests that really made the dinner special. Speeches were made, and lots of cheering, hooting and hollering happened all night long. Every single person at the event was happy to be there and extremely proud to work for or with Black Star.

Needless to say, I was a little blown away by the experience. And I was more than blown away with the rockstar treatment I received. The Black Star crew treated me as one of their own, always making sure I had a beer in my hand and constantly checking in to make sure I was doing okay.

Good people. Good food. Good beer. What more could a girl want in life?

CHEERS!

One of the great perks to writing a blog is having the complete creative freedom to write about whatever you want, however you want. By now, most of you are probably aware of my rather opinionated approach to beer writing. And when I get excited about something, it is hard for me not to express it or share it with the world.

Before I get into my story, there are a few things I need to disclose. This past weekend I was flown by Black Star Beer to Whitefish, Montana. The company paid for my flight, my 2-night stay at the lodge, dinner on Friday night, and (copious amounts of) beers all weekend long. I also received a fun little gift package that included a tin beer mug, a six pack of beer, coffee, and a t-shirt. Okay, now that I’ve followed the “blogging rules” of disclosure, we can move on…

Although I did attend its “relaunch” party last spring, I must admit that,
prior to this trip, I did not know that Black Star Beer was the flagship brand of the McKenzie River Corporation, a beverage marketing firm based in San Francisco, CA. I’ve since learned that the company is also responsible for launching other beverage brands such as Sparks, Steel Reserve (oh how proud this would make my friends at Bistro Sabor), and even an absinthe called Le Torment.

Now for all of you craft beer snobs that have speculations and assumptions about Black Star Beer, put down the boxing gloves and step away from the hater-ade. Although it is associated with a marketing corporation responsible for more mass-produced products, Great Northern Brewing Company is a legitimate craft brewery in every sense of the word, dedicated to producing delicious beer from high quality ingredients.

And y’all know by now that I would never stand behind a corporate brand, so have faith in me on this one.

The McKensie River Corporation was founded by Minott Wessinger, whose family tradition of brewing dates back to 1856. In 1995, Minott founded the Great Northern Brewery, a three story brewhouse with a 20 barrel system that utilizes a traditional “gravity flow” brewing process. Great Northern Brewing Co. currently produces approximately 8000 barrels per year. At this time, the brewery produces all of its smaller production beers as well as Black Star on draft. Black Star bottles are brewed at a separate production facility.

By now, I’ve toured and brewed in several different breweries of all sizes. I must admit that Great Northern was one of the coolest breweries I’ve ever visited. Although small, the three-tiered brewing system was really impressive and, apparently, very efficient. It was also very clean, which is crucial — especially with breweries that mainly brew lagers.

Typically viewed as the “gateway” to craft beer, the craft lager family is often under-appreciated, if not completely ignored. Personally, I find the category completely liberating and refreshing, especially with the recent flood of high-octane, extreme beers in the market.

Minott developed the Black Star lager because he saw a need in the market for a well-made, flavorful, craft lager. He recognized that the average everyday corporate beer drinking consumer needed an approachable, full-flavored beer to help them make the transition into craft beer. And that is preciously what Black Star is — an easy to drink, light-bodied beer brewed with quality ingredients and lots of flavor.

Although I did enjoy probably what equates to the volume of one keg of Black Star beer over the duration of the weekend, it was Fred’s Black Lager that really stole the show. It had balanced notes of chocolate and roasted malts, no esters, a light and smooth body, and I found it to be a perfect breakfast beer.

Another excellent beer was the “Going to the Sun IPA” — a nicely balanced, crisp IPA around 55 IBUs and 6% abv. The hops were floral and slightly citrusy with notes of pine and complimented the very light malt bill (mostly two-row with some munich and a hint of crystal for color).

When I learned I would be attending the Black Star Barter and the Whitefish Winter Carnival, I was excited but really didn’t know exactly what to expect. What ever expectations I might have had were completely exceeded by the Black Star beer crew.

I flew in Friday evening, and was taken immediately to the Lodge at Whitefish Lake. Words cannot give justice to the hospitality of the lodge staff. From the moment our car pulled up, till the moment I was dropped at the airport, the staff was unbelievably friendly and accommodating.

Black Star hooked me up with a PIMP suite in the main building of the lodge. I had a balcony, fireplace, kitchen, enormous king size bed, and a bathroom that any female would envy. Naturally, all the travel made me extremely parched, and I was very excited to find a mixed six-pack of Great Northern beers. I popped a Black Star open, freshened up, and then headed to the lobby to meet the rest of the Black Star team.

I would like to interrupt this post now to make the following announcement: I AM IN LOVE WITH THE ENTIRE BLACK STAR CREW (and Great Northern and all of their partners). Each and everyone of them had a great personality, sincere passion for Black Star and commitment to each other and the company. The group dynamic was bewitching and I was helpless against their charm. I had only one option this weekend, fall under the Black Star spell.

The weekend, in a word, was EPIC. I know the word is overused, but I really cannot find a better term to describe my experience. Friday night consisted of one of the most unique and extraordinary beer dinners I’ve ever attended. Great Northern Brewery set up a huge banquet table on the floor of its brewery, lined up against the fermenters. Lights were turned down low and the brewery was illuminated by candle light.

The dinner deserves an entirely separate editorial, as does the Black Star Beer Barter. So I will close my first post by thanking the entire Black Star crew for their amazing hospitality and all of the really goods times I had this past weekend.

CHEERS! (And stay tuned for more on my weekend in Whitefish…)