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If there’s one dish that symbolizes the melting pot of Louisiana’s Creole culture, it’s gumbo. Originating from African, Native American and French cultures, gumbo has recently found a new influence. Craft beer and its higher flavor profile have joined the luscious assortment of ingredients.
With 200 years of documented history, gumbo traditionally has been made with seafood, meat, sausage, game, poultry, and vegetables. It’s thickened and flavored by a roux of flour and oil, okra or filé. The latter is flaked, dried sassafras leaves, a contribution from the Choctaws who populated the Mississippi Delta. Some gumbos use all three thickening methods.
The name gumbo is derived from an African word for okra. Since okra and filé were readily accessible and a full meal could be made by adding scraps of meat or seafood and vegetables, gumbo has long been universally popular in Louisiana across all social lines. In recent times, more upscale versions are made entirely with the French-style roux, which takes time, energy and a bit more skill to bring it to a rich chocolate brown.
Judging Process Our reviews are conducted in a single-blind tasting format. This method provides the best opportunity to rely on facts and to avoid favoritism, ensuring a level playing field for all brewers. It serves both the industry and the consumer to have unbiased and objective scores from qualified experts. To best implement this approach, the Judges Review is open to those with established experience as a Master Cicerone® from the Cicerone® Certification Program or as a judge that has accomplished the rank of National or higher from the Beer Judge Certification Program. In the single blind tasting format, judges are presented with a chilled, properly poured beer and given its style category. Scoring is then done on the following basis using a 100-point scale:
Score Breakdown
100 to 96: World Class –You need this beer in your life. 95 to 91: Exceptional –Don’t hesitate. 90 to 86: Very Good –A brew to savor. 85 to 75: Average – Somewhat unimpressive. 74 and below: Not Recommended –Just walk away.
The Society of Independent Brewers has announced that UK brewers can now become International members of the Brewers Association in America. Launching a twist of creativity, the BA had agreed to highlight UK Brewers Association members who brew collaboration beers with UK brewers at the 2015 Craft Brewers Conference in Portland, Oregon, April 14-17. Some of the heavy hitters include the Adnams, Ilkley, FourPure and Rudgate brands.
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If you’re a coffee grinder at heart, you’ll worship the intensity of a HasBean.
BrewDog adds a triple shot of java into its 17th Abstrakt concept brew, HasBean Imperial Rye Porter. Boasting a hefty 17 percent ABV, HasBean rocks the boat with espresso in the mash, coffee in the boil, and whole roast beans in the whirlpool and fermenter.
The city of Riberão Preto was a hub of Brazilian beer production in the early 20th Century because it hosted large scale brewing facilities, which in turn spawned numerous smaller beer operations, including one renowned house called the Pinguim. Locals would liken going to Riberao Preto and not having a pint at the Pinguim to going to Rome and not visiting the Pope.
These days there is a new Pope of Preto whose pints are surely revered.
Marcelo Carneiro da Rocha, whose family is in the orange growing business, founded Cervejaria Colorado in 1996 after falling in love with brewing as a hobby. His love affair with Riberão Preto, an inland city in the state of Sao Paulo, was well established and the decision to build a brewery there was easy.
De Rocha is not ashamed to get crafty. In fact, Colorado's labels proudly proclaim it as "Brazil's Craftiest Brewery." (Photo Credit: Cervejaria Wäls)
Potent, aromatic, good-looking and an acquired taste, the American IPA has become the martini of beer. It’s a sure sign of true beerhood and sophistication to be drinking one – and can be a little daring.
A freshly bottled or brewed American IPA can buzz you with rich aromas, bracing hop bitterness and flavors anchored by malt goodness, plus a strong alcohol kick. Like the craze of habanero peppers and even hotter ghost peppers working their way into the mainstreams of American food, bitterness in an IPA can be an experience whose pleasure lies in the intensity it brings. If it’s a Double IPA, another stateside invention, there’s even more hops, malt and alcohol.
As the American IPA has evolved since the first Liberty Ale from Anchor Brewing Company in 1972, it has turned the classic English version on its frothy head. Instead of rich malt and alcohol tempered by extra hop bitterness, the American version celebrates the Pacific Northwest’s citrusy, piney, floral hops while the malt plays a more secondary role. In some IPAs the malt is there to allow as much hopping as possible. In addition to Amarillo and Mosaic, the names of the ground-breaking “C hops” have become buzz words: Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Citra and Columbus.
It's that time of year again... time for The Beer Connoisseur's spring issue!
In this, our 18th issue, Owen Ogletree profiles Larry Bell, the legendary founder of Bell's Brewery and craft beer pioneer. Jonathan Ingram keeps you up to date with IPAs as well as the glut of recent acquisitions and business dealings in the craft beer world.
Nora McGunnigle delves into the wonderful world of New Orleans-style gumbo brewed with beer, and we have the usual sections that you've come to expect from us: our expert review with Stone Brewing's delightful Cali-Belgique IPA, a list of spring seasonals and European News from across the pond and beyond.
Cheers and enjoy the 18th issue of The Beer Connoisseur!
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The city of Riberão Preto was a hub of Brazilian beer production in the early 20th Century because it hosted large scale brewing facilities, which in turn spawned numerous smaller beer operations, including one renowned house called the Pinguim. Locals would liken going to Riberao Preto and not having a pint at the Pinguim to going to Rome and not visiting the Pope.
