Back to School


Readers of this humble blog will know that I am a champion of Craft Beer Education. I always learn from these events. And I think they are vital to getting more and more people into our little world of craft beer. And here is another opportunity to take notes….
“Leave the Cliff’s Notes at home: Beer Champion Paige Reilly (Zagat’s 30 under 30), the mastermind behind the taps at Tony’s Darts Away and Mohawk, will be eschewing September’s usual textbooks and tests for pint glasses and hops at Mohawk Bend’s “Back to School” Beer Class Series. The hour-long classes will be held on Monday, September 10th and 17th, and will conclude with a “graduation” dinner on September 24th.”

Here are the details:
Registration is open now through August 31st, with a 30-student cap on each class. Please see below for additional information, and let me know if you have any questions.

September 10, 2012 – 7pm
Lesson 1: Beer Fundamentals & Process
Introduction to ingredients, what makes beer taste different, and how it is made. Approx. 8 beers tasted during the class to help explain.
$20 per person

September 17, 2012– 7pm
Lesson 2: California Beers, Styles & Breweries
The class will focus on what makes California beers so great and some of the leading craft breweries in Southern California. There will be 6-8 beers tasted during this class as well.
$20 per person

September 24, 2012– 7pm
Graduation Dinner
Chef Mike will be pairing a three course meal with five beers that Paige has selected from a So Cal Brewery with the guest brewer in attendance (TBD) for the graduation dinner.
$30 per person

All three classes can be purchased together for $60 total or individually as listed above. Please call Mohawk Bend at 213.483.2337 to grab a spot!

Beer VS Wine

Let’s throw some numbers at you. (3) courses, (1) cheese from the wine camp and one from the beer, (1) main course from each faction and then (1) dessert offering from each group.
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The crowd looked wine friendly but the breakdown was only slightly tilted to the vino crowd with many more having no preference. So I was expecting a wine win but hoping for a tie.
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I was blown away by the results. Wine received the most votes on the first cheese and then beer won the next (5) rounds. And not nail biters either. These were double digit wins.
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The best pairing of the night for me was Tomme de Savoie cheese with toasted rye cracker and apricot chutney with Saison Rue from The Bruery. I have not had Saison Rue in a long time but it really pairs well with food.
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I have to say that this was a well organized event. I know some of the people involved, so I am a little biased, but the food and drink was served at proper intervals and was well done. The voting system was easy to use and their was plenty of staff to help. The only thing I can see improving is the sound system because after a few rounds the noise level markedly increased.
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