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The Wench Enters NO MAN’S LAND

It is official. I have decided to journey into territory that only a few have entered — and even fewer have survived.

NoMansLand

I am trespassing into NO MAN’S LAND. And instead of wearing camouflage and hiding in the bushes, I will be parading myself in bright neon colors and flashy sequins.

mamma-mia-1

Now. I know you must have some questions for me like … 1. Where is no man’s land 2. Why am I going there & 3. Why I am drawing so much attention to myself for doing so (the bright colors and flashy sequins thing)?

Depending on how long you have been following my blog and whether or not you know me as a person (in real life or on Twitter), you might be aware that in addition to being a beer connoisseur — I am also a wine geek. In fact, I am a professional of both. (Essentially, I am a slave of the restaurant industry — and my source of income greatly depends on my ability to sell wine, beer & food. Luckily, I am ridiculously passionate and very well educated about these topics.)

wine food

The truth is, my love for beer stemmed from my love for wine. And my love for wine stemmed from my love for food. Naturally, most people love food. Food is one of the most important things in life. Without food, life would cease to exist. Some people eat to sustain themselves and find virtually no passion in food. I pity these people. Food not only provides my body with the nourishment it needs, it feeds my mind, body and soul.

food pyramid

I have been a nerd since birth. And I have always been driven to self-educate. My parents can attest to this fact. It has always been my personal goal to become an “expert” in anything and everything that interests me. True, this goal can be very daunting. Nonetheless, I suffer from what I call “Peter Pan” syndrome and truly believe that I can do anything I put my mind to (I can fly! I can fly! I can fly!) …

Peter Pan

After I graduated college, I became lost and confused. I didn’t know where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do with my life. I loved studying psychologoy and criminology, but I had no desire to go into professions in either field. Like most college graduates, I went through a BIG period of “soul-searching” and experimentation.

I also started cooking.

cooking

But not the type of cooking I had been doing since I was a kid … I started really cooking. And that’s when I started studying wine. I decided rather quickly that I wanted to receive Sommelier certification and the first book I picked up was “Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia.” My new found passion for food & wine led to a series of jobs in both wine retail and the restaurant industry.

sotheby's

The biggest break through for me was becoming a “Managing Partner” at a restaurant called The Northstar Cafe in Columbus, OH.

northstar

Although I had no prior restaurant management experience, the owners of the restaurant saw something in me that made them overlook this factor and take the gamble and hire me. I am forever indebted to them for this. (One of the owners, Kevin Malhame, is featured in the picture below).

kevin

After I completed management training (which included working every single position in the restaurant – from dishwasher to line cook to front of the house), I was given responsibility and control over all things beverage. This included beer – and not just any beer. The Northstar Cafe only sells craft beer. I knew very little about craft beer when I start, but like a good student I did my homework. And the rest is history. Well, sort of.

drink with the wench

I won’t go any further into the choices that I’ve made since then that have brought me to where I am today (we will save that for my book, eh?). The point of this blog is to illustrate my love and passion for as well as my knowledge and experience with both beer and wine. This way my audience will better understand what I am about to do with both.

Which brings us back to NO MAN’S LAND.

do-not-enter

My newest project is absolutely brilliant (in my opinion). The idea was inspired by a request I received from a friend in the wine industry to write an article for his blog recommending beers to wine drinkers. This got my thinking about the linear relationship between wine and beer. There are several commonalities between beer and wine — they are both described in terms of aroma, mouth-feel, body, taste, finish, etc.

he said beer

Whereas wine is most commonly classified by varietal (in the U.S.), beer is categorized by style. There are many similar parallels between both classification systems. The characteristics of a single varietal of grape can changed based upon the region and area in the world in which it is grown. Similarly, there are multiple interpretations of each style of beer depending on where its produced and the ingredients being used.

wine_and_beer

My goal is to use my knowledge and experience to connect these two types of alcoholic beverages. I want to create linear pairings between styles of beer and varietals of wine. (This is either pure brilliance or pure madness). Yes, I know that I am trekking into dangerous territory by taking on such a challenge. However, I have reached a stage in my studies that has alluded me into thinking that this goal is in fact achievable and that I am in fact the man (the wench) for the job.

Beer-Wench-Painting-400

There will be haters, naturally. But this does not scare me.

And so … project enter NO MAN’S LAND begins. There is no turning back now!

Cheers!!!

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Comments

11 Responses to “The Wench Enters NO MAN’S LAND”

  • Scott-TheBrewClub June 10th, 2009 at 2:17 pm

    Hey, that’s great! A crossover book – kinda like a alcohol Rosetta stone. Looking forward to it!

  • Randy Watson June 10th, 2009 at 2:59 pm

    I love this idea! Best wishes on your journey… let me know if I can take part in any way along the trip!

    Cheers!

  • THSeamonsters June 10th, 2009 at 3:00 pm

    Bon voyage! Best of luck! Good tidings, good Christmas, and a Happy New Year!!

  • El Jefe June 10th, 2009 at 5:12 pm

    It has oft been said that it takes a lot of beer to make a great wine, and I can attest to that traditional connection between the two. I like what you are setting out to do – in fact, here in Murphys, CA where I live one of the local restaurants has an extensive beer list to go along with its wine list. It’s been fun to try and find beer pairings to correspond to the wine pairings. It’s quite doable and you’ll have a great time of it!

  • Dan June 10th, 2009 at 8:37 pm

    Great idea!

  • Brew Hilda June 10th, 2009 at 10:24 pm

    It can no longr be called “No Man’s Land” because now someone is there- YOU! Break a leg, good luck, bon Chance, Mazel Tov, go get’em. Creativity, writing and sipping make a lovely trio.

  • Dennis Eagles Nest Winery June 11th, 2009 at 8:59 am

    Your linking of beer and wine has merit. Boutique brews have the same aficionado draw as boutique wines – a unique spin on a otherwise mega-producer commodity.

    Recommend folks check with their local “brewer’s guild” for contacts on local brewers just as you’d do for wine – local winery or vineyard associations.

    Excellent post/site. Best of success in your new position!

    Dennis ( eaglesnestwine on Twitter )

  • The Beer Wench June 11th, 2009 at 9:45 am

    El Jefe,

    I appreciate your support greatly … and am curious if you would be interested in a contribution (or 2 …). Think about it … and let me know!

  • The Beer Wench June 11th, 2009 at 9:47 am

    Randy -

    Being both a fan of wine and beer, I would be interested in having you contribute to this (what will be an ongoing) project. I plan on pairing a wine varietal with a beer style … post by post. If you are interested, pick a varietal and a style and holler at me!

  • Molly June 19th, 2009 at 4:44 pm

    I wish I knew as much about anything as you do about booze.

    Great blog.

  • Drink With The Wench » Blog Archive » REFLECTING ON 2009 December 31st, 2009 at 3:53 pm

    [...] in the month, The Wench attempts to enter what she calls “No Man’s Land” by writing a series of posts featuring linear pairings between beer and wine. Although [...]

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