Fun Release Party for Madhouse Brewing’s Tempton Rye Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout

A few days ago I was drinking at another post-work establishment when word arrived that in just a few minutes a release party was starting up at West End Architectural Salvage (22 9th Street) for Madhouse Brewing Company’s Templeton Rye Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout. So, I hurried on over to see what was going on as I was not going to miss a chance to taste and maybe snag some bottles. It can be insanly difficult to get some of these specialty releases from Iowa’s breweries.  After getting there, I can say that this was a well-put together operation.  Baratta’s had some free food, Chocolaterie Stam was handing out free chocolate, Jasper Winery was there with their new Wild Boyz Port-Style Wine, and Scott Bush was there with free sips of Templeton Rye. But the real reason I went was to get a taste of Madhouse Brewing’s Templeton Rye Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout. I’m not really what I’d call a hop-head, so the chance to grab some bottles (and some cups) of this stout was quite welcome. Although there is supposed to only be a residual amount of Templeton Rye in those barrels, this Imperial Stout had a definite whiskey zing that cut through the malted barley. Sometimes that is a good thing with stout. An important characteristic of this stout is that the glass did not get that cloying molasses taste that can cloud the finish on an otherwise good dark beer. This stout is aged in Templeton barrels for three months and that seems to be a good amount of time.  I like it when local brewers go ahead and brew some specialty brews — as long as I can get some! I bought a couple of bottles of this and the Oak-Aged Imperial Red so I’ll see if I can write up some more tasting notes on both.

I took a sip of Jasper Winery ‘s 2009 Wild Boyz Port-Style Wine and was pleasantly surprised. This wine spent a total of three years in a wine barrel. I did not detect any of that labrusca taste that haunts most Iowa wines.  Maybe letting it fortify for awhile in a barrel helps it. The event was standing room only until after closing.  I’d never visited the new location of Architectural Salvage and had no idea that they served coffee.  These cross-marketed products and events are a great way to build synergy and brand awareness for local products. I hope to see and attend more.

2013 Wine and Food Showcase – Des Moines Metro Opera February 15th

In my opinion, the best wine and food event in Des Moines is still the annual Wine and Food Showcase.  I make sure that I don’t miss this event just as I try not to miss any of the operas at the Des Moines Metro Opera (Romeo and Juliet is one of the three this year!). The food is great (and plentiful) and the wine tastings are about as broad as you can get at this level. This is a great way to sample some of the new U.S. and international wines that the wine distributors are bringing to market. From what I can tell, they usually uncork a lot of winners that are great for the price.  This year’s event is set for February 15, 2013 beginning at 5:30 at the Des Moines Marriott.

Don’t be put off by the $50 ticket price. It is well worth it. VIP tickets are $100 and they get to start in an hour early. The money goes to support the Des Moines Metro Opera, so it is for a good cause. Of course I’m biased and happen to like opera.

Wine & Food Showcase
February 15th, 2013 5:30 pm
Downtown Des Moines Marriott

Tickets:
Price: $50.00
Group: $35.00
VIP: $100.00

Scenes from last year:

Rye Whiskey Taste Test: Templeton Rye, Redemption Rye, (ri)1 Straight Rye, MRDC Windmill Rye, – Part I

There is a certain mystique surrounding rye whiskey. I get the impression that some see Rye as a poor step child of Bourbon which is an even poorer step child of Scotch whisky. These are all incorrect assumptions of course. Rye whiskey was at one time the predominant whiskey in the northeastern United States. It was popular because rye grew best in those states. Bourbon was made with the corn that grew well in the Ohio river valley. Consequently, it was popular up and down the Mississippi, where it was shipped by boat to river port destinations. In fact, most of the original cocktails used as the main ingredient Rye Whiskey, not Bourbon, and certainly not Scotch. Prohibition brought in competition from sweet corn-based moonshine, Canadian whiskey (at that time a mostly rye whiskey) and Scotch whisky. Following the repeal of prohibition, tastes had changed and Americans favored the milder taste of Scotch and Bourbon. The popularity of vodka was to come much later, beginning in the 1960s. Rye whiskey never really recovered its pre-prohibition popularity and its unique taste was considered harsh and unforgiving. That is unfortunate as it is probably the preeminent ingredient in a classic cocktail.

With the resurgence of interest in cocktails, many drinkers are discovering that rye whiskey was the original ingredient in classic cocktails such as the Sazerac and Manhattan. In my opinion, rye makes a better base for a good cocktail as it imparts some sharper flavors that can cut through the added ingredients, especially some of the sweeter concoctions common to earlier recipes. A bourbon can get lost in a mix of sugar, vermouth or absinthe.

For this taste test we assembled two rye whiskeys with Iowa connections: Windmill Rye Whiskey and Templeton Rye. We added to the match newcomer Redemption Rye, and two heavyweights from Kentucky, Russell’s Reserve, and Jim Beam’s (ri)1 Rye Whiskey. The taste test involved numbering each glass and having a third party take note of which drink was matched with each number, and pour each into a Glencairn snifter glass. The first glass was a mix of all of the different rye whiskeys so that no one whiskey would set the palate. My notes are marked with “D.O.” and Our Man in Omaha’s notes are marked with “M.O.” After the notes were complied we had our assistant reveal the identities of each whiskey.

Here is a run-down of each of the contenders:

Windmill Rye Whiskey
Mississippi River Distilling Company
80 proof
Until very recently, the only rye that is distilled, aged, and bottled in Iowa is Windmill Rye from Mississippi River Distilling Company in Le Claire, Iowa. The only other Iowa-distilled rye whiskey is also from Mississippi River Distilling Company and is called “Cody Road Rye Whiskey.” This whiskey was released too recently to be included in our taste test, which is unfortunate.  Windmill Rye Whiskey is the product of a 100% rye mash bill. It is not known how the rye is efficiently fermented without malted barley, but according to some research, it is apparently possible to malt rye as rye does contain some enzymes. The rye in this Windmill Rye is grown in Illinois and milled by volunteers at the De Immigrant Windmill in Fulton, Illinois. Only 3,200 bottles were produced as part of MRDC’s seasonal product line. The rye is aged over charred oak and finished in used bourbon barrels. I’ve spotted the rye at several Des Moines area retail locations. It is apparent that Windmill Rye has not been aged for very long, given its light yellow color. This proved problematic in our little test.

Templeton Rye
Owner: Templeton Rye Spirits, Inc.
80 proof
Batch 5
Templeton Rye Whiskey, called “The Good Stuff,” is bottled in Templeton, Iowa. Part of the publicity for this whiskey includes a lot of references to a prohibition-era recipe and stories that Al Capone considered it one of his favorite drinks. The mash bill is not known, but is estimated by some pundits as having at least 95% rye. The distillery that makes this rye lists its standard rye mash bill as 95% rye and 5% malt. Templeton Rye has a devoted following all around the country and especially here in Iowa. If I am in a different state and talking to a bartender or liquor salesperson they never fail to remark about the insane popularity of Templeton Rye when I tell them I am from Iowa.

(ri)1 Straight Rye Whiskey
Jim Beam Global Products
Jim Beam Distillery.
unknown mash bill
Blend of different ages, minimum 4.5 years
92 proof
Apparently this is pronounced “rye one,” though you would never know it given the ridiculous name that Jim Beam bestowed on this whiskey. Finding information about this rye is equally befuddling as the company makes you drill down through endless menu choices to find a short page with nothing more than an age statement and some statements about the bottle shape.

Redemption Rye
Lawrenceburg Distillers, Indiana
Bottled in Bardstown, Kentucky by Bardstown Barrel Selections
Owner: Dynamic Beverages
95% rye mashbill
Aged over two years
92 proof

This is another one of those whiskeys that is distilled by a large distillery, in this case  the old Lawrenceburg Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, (now MGP) aged by unknown parties (probably LDI, but I am only guessing) and then bottled under contract and sold under a brand name. The mash bill for Redemption matches the standard LDI mash bill. I won’t name names, but there are several other well-known rye whiskeys that are made in this same distillery, using the same exact mash bill. However, it is not altogether clear where they are aged as I’ve seen some references to other warehouses in the literature of other LDI ryes. Those other LDI-distilled ryes are sold under completely different names, for very different prices, and with very different back stories. Well, the test is in the tasting and not the publicity, so we will see how this one fares.

Russell’s Reserve 6 year old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
Wild Turkey Distillery
Owner: Nichols Distilling Co., Lawrenceburg, Ky
90 proof
Aged for 6 years.

Official information about this rye by the distiller is hard to find. A “lost page” on their website indicates that Reserve Rye is aged a minimum of six years and is a “collaboration between Jimmy & Eddie Russell, bringing over 80 years of experience to this small batch rye whiskey.” That is it.  I’m guessing that they are having trouble marketing anything other than bourbon given that the Wild Turkey name means bourbon to most folks.

Tasting Notes:

During the sampling process we discovered that the Russell’s Reserve Bottle was chilled, so we unfortunately knocked it out of the competition as that might not be fair to that whiskey. All was not lost as we decided to match the Russel’s Reserve against whatever rye won this round of taste test.  See the next installment of this taste test.

Redemption Rye: (Glass 2):

D.O.: Starts out with a stout, non-sweet aroma. Changes to cinnamon and sugar. Not much alcohol punch. Has a classic rye bite, but is fairly smooth. Not much burn.

M.O.: Nose has a high note that struck me immediately as sawdust. It tastes like it smells: sweet sawdust.

Templeton Rye: (Glass 1):

D.O.: Cinnamon on first whiff, followed by a stout, oak notes and an increase in alcohol. Some more wood and oak on the backside.

M.O.: Very smooth oaky nose. Old forest smell with not much alcohol vapor. Taste: Very bold, strong and stayed on the tongue for quite some time. Browner, darker oakier finish with some bitterness.

MRDC Windmill Rye (Glass 3):

D.O.: Aroma is floral, with no cinnamon. Low alcohol, not really a classic rye taste, more of plastic smell and taste.

M.O.: Sharp, like pine. High notes with pine needles, sweet and sugary, sticking to the sides of my mouth.

(ri)1 Straight Rye Whiskey (Glass 4)

D.O.: Dark and not as sweet-smelling. More alcohol. Burns on the way down. Very strong peppery flavor.

M.O.: On first taste, mellow, more full-bodied nose. Kind of like smell of new plastic. Sharp and cutting, a lot of alcohol. End notes are chocolate cake.

AND THE WINNER IS: Templeton Rye*. After we finished our notes we voted on which rye was our favorite. The unanimous vote was glass 1, the Templeton Rye. Because the Russell’s Reserve had been taken out of the consideration, we are noting the result with an asterisk. A final tally isn’t really fair unless it was given its due opportunity, so check out Part 2 where we match Templeton Rye against the Russell’s Reserve. We agreed that the Templeton Rye had everything you could ask for in a mellow but tasty rye whiskey. It had the classic rye bite without having too much of the “plastic” or “pine” notes that we perceived in (ri)1 and MRDC Windmill Rye. It just beat out Redemption Rye in every category, though I’d say that Redemption was not a bad rye whiskey at all. It sort of tasted like a 3 year old Templeton Rye, if there is such a thing.

End Notes: The MRDC was not really ready for prime time. The color of the whiskey gave it away, actually. It was close to the color of a pale ale. Since the rye could not have been distilled much more than a year and a half before it was bottled (the distillery didn’t start up until December, 2010), it could not have spent much time in barrels with a bottling date of January 23, 2012. By all rights the Redemption Rye and Templeton should have tasted very similar, given certain similarities in their (assumed) identical mash bill and other factors. However, The Templeton Rye benefits greatly from what appears to be additional aging.  In contrast, the (ri)1 from the Beam organization loses some of its oak and flavor due to the higher alcohol content and, possibly, a shorter aging time.  I should note that  about a year ago I tested this same bottle of (ri)1 against an old batch 2 Templeton Rye and we felt in that test that the (ri)1 was the superior product. Either that Batch 2 had lost some of its flavor over time or it did not spend as much time in the barrel as the batch 5. Finally, it amazes me that the big Kentucky distillers still do not know how to publicize their own products on the internet. First, even the name (ri)1 makes no sense and is almost impossible to remember or index properly, given how the name includes punctuation. And then if you go to the distiller’s web page you will find nothing about the product. Wild Turkey’s Russell’s Reserve Rye is a similar story. The name is easy enough to remember, but there is absolutely no information about this product on their web page.

I do plan on pitting Templeton Rye against MRDC’s Cody Road Rye to see how that other Iowa rye fares.

2013 Bravo Gala set for Saturday, February 2nd, 2013 at Hy-Vee Hall

Ken Arlen Orchestra at Bravo Gala Des Moines 2012

The Des Moines Bravo Gala is probably Des Moines’ “society party of the year.” At $250 a pop it is not cheap. Cocktail and Evening dresses for the ladies and Tuxedos and bow ties for the men are the order of the night. Information and reservations can be found at: http://gala.bravogreaterdesmoines.org/

Pouring the Knapp Knockout Punch

Bubba Southern Comforts

I attended the recently concluded three-day pop-up dining experience billed as “Bubba Southern Comforts.”  Even at $60 ($75 with the booze) per person, the dinner was totally sold out.  From the promotional material, Bubba is the brainchild of Chris “Bubba” Diebel. Mr. Diebel (a Texan by background I am told) works for a marketing firm that handles branding for Orchestrate Hospitality. Orchestrate Hospitality is the outfit usually identified with Chef George Formaro’s restaurants.  For this Bubba affair, Orchestrate’s Corporate Chef Scott Stroud was pulled in to help develop and produce the wide variety of southern menu items. Other chefs from a number of Orchestrate locations were also brought in to help.

When a lot of people think of southern food they automatically think of Cajun or New Orleans style food.  Well, that is certainly southern but it is not really the concept that Bubba tries to deliver. I think that the goal is provide the sort of food that Aunt Bee (from the TV show Mayberry R.F.D.) might have cooked up for the Sheriff.

I have to say that there were no ringers in that menu. Our party ordered up just about everything on the menu and it was all good. Beginning with the first course, the fried green tomatoes were quite good, hitting that sweet spot between crunchy and drippy good, courtesy of the herb oil, buttermilk dipping sauce and arugula. I tried the Shrimp & Grits. Southerners love their grits and I’ve had my share, especially when banished to summer camp in the south as a kid.  I did learn not to get in between a southern boy and his morning grits or to say anything that impugned the dignity of grits.  The grits were, well, grits, but the shrimp was quite good.  The smoked brisket was another feature from the first course. It was described as “Succulent, sooo good” by the pure Midwesterner in our group.  I tried a bite and agree.

The second course included another four choices. I stuck with the hard-core southern dish and ordered Gumbo, with chicken, shrimp & Andouille sausage. The sausage had just enough spice to keep it interesting. I know that we also ordered the Butternut Squash Bisque and Bubba Salad. The third course was where the menu really got going, with an unusual Chicken & Waffles. I had to look this up to see if it was something people really ate and found that it is! The diner in our party that ordered the Chicken and Waffles declared the chicken to be the most tender and succulent chicken breast that she had ever tried.  I ordered the Sweet Tea Braised Pork. The pork had the texture of  meat that had been slow cooked in a lot of juice but retained its own flavor. Everything ended with a flourish of southern-inspired desserts, including peach cobbler and an almond and white chocolate bread pudding. Wow, it was a lot of food and I’ll confess wasn’t able to pack it all away.  But it was very satisfying in a big family dinner sort of way.

I can’t skip the cocktail pairings. First, there was a free punch for all to try, as well as a bar for those who wanted to just try a single drink.  If you went for the whole flight at a cost of only $15 more than the base $60 per ticket cost, then you got enough cocktail to drown a sailor. There was a cocktail to go with each course and I’m pretty sure that they threw in an extra cocktail just for fun. The first course cocktail was Bulleit Bourbon Julep. It was surprisingly well done.  I will definitely have to make me some of that, and I won’t wait until a hot summer day to do it. Next up was a Smirnoff Carolina Blue Lemonade, followed by the George Dickel Prohibition Southern Tea. I ran out of drinking steam by the time I got about half way through the tea but there was nothing wrong with that tea!  The Carolina Blue was also worth it.  Of course, if I had known there would be this much booze I wouldn’t have chugged down so much punch before the meal even started. Oddly enough, all those drinks didn’t seem to get my BCA all that high (I still had and used a designated driver).  I must attribute that effect to the use of what I’d call “classic” amounts of ingredients in each cocktail.  That means that the bartender or “mixologist” was delivering the drinks as originally intended. You see a lot of cocktails offered lately in gigantic 8 oz. martini glasses (more like portable punch bowls). That is just not how its supposed to be done and the Bubba crew kept it all interesting. There was certainly a lot of food to help down the drinks, so that assisted as well.

So, how is a pop-up compared to a regular venue? Well, I like the idea of a different location for dinner. I also like the creativity that went into the design of this meal. One thing that a pop-up allows a chef to do is to experiment with both the concepts and the food. You are not risking the reputation of an established clientele who have certain unwavering expectations to be met. The daring and adventurous can be fed both an experience and some interesting food.  The perishable nature of the event itself also lends a certain ephemeral air. The Hoyt Sherman Mansion offered a very dignified location in keeping with the Southern theme (ignoring the havoc wrecked by Hoyt Sherman’s brother on a lot of real southern mansions during his March to the Sea, perhaps the central event of the Civil War which caused hard feelings to this very day.)

I hope to see more pop-ups around town. They are great fun and a nice way to experience something that is here today and gone tomorrow — a characteristic of great fresh food.

Proof for Dinner – A new contender for Des Moines’ best dinner experience

Proof,  the hit downtown restaurant begun by Chef Carly Groben and sold to Sean Wilson and Zach Mannheimer has now expanded its hours and offerings. A simple bar has been added to the north wall and dinners are now served from Wednesday to Saturday. Hal Jasa, the wandering chef of Des Moines has been lassoed to help out in the kitchen. With the addition of dinners, it is possible for Wilson and Jasa to introduce some of their own creations without upsetting aficionados of Groben’s award-winning Mediterranean lunch menu. Chef Jasa is always a tough act to track around Des Moines given his propensity to enjoy the dark shadows of Central Iowa’s culinary underworld, so I look forward to being able to just show up and know I’ll be eating something that he had a hand in preparing.

I have been to Proof a few times for business lunches since it changed hands and the quality has been maintained, which is good since it was fantastic to start with. Until recently I’d not had the chance to visit for dinner. I was quite satisfied by what I found. First, the service was impeccable. The waiter was effusive about the food and was clearly quite taken with the synergy of Wilson and Jasa in the kitchen. In fact, his devotion was nearly religious in fervor.

With the addition of a bar, Proof now offers some specialty cocktails to add a sophisticated layer to the dining experience. After ordering a couple of drinks, a Bramble (wild berry infused gin, lemon juice and honey syrup) and a French 75, (gin lemon juice, simple syrup, sparkling wine and brandied cherries) we got down to business with some appetizers. We ordered some cheese ($5), which came drizzled in honey and an olive and almond plate ($6). Both dishes hinted at what was yet to come.

Instead of ordering the baby beet salad with a beet/basalmic marshmallow ($9) as an appetizer, we had it delivered with the rest of the meal to serve as our “vegetable” course. You have to try the beet/basalmic marshmallow. It is simply amazing. I know what you are thinking, “beet marshmallow?” I asked myself the same thing but I knew that we were in capable hands.

For the main course I chose the pork bolognese ($15) simply because I’ve been on a pork kick lately (something caused no doubt by more than a few of the best restaurants in Des Moines). It exceeded my expectations, hitting that perfect balance between luscious but slightly crispy fat and tender meat. Because my fellow diner had ordered the prix fixe meal, (the beets and the ricotta salata were actually included in the prix fixe cost), she got the scallops. They were excellently prepared.

Pork Bolognese

Scallops

I’d say that this was one of our most delightful meals of the year. The atmosphere was wonderful, the waiter knowledgeable and friendly, and the food was transportive. This is definitely one of those places I’ll keep coming back to time and time again. I do think that Proof ranks right up at the top of Des Moines’ best dining destinations for dinner along with my other two favorites, Cafe Di Scala and Luna Bistro. Each brings something different to the table and each one succeeds in their own way.

Chocolate Brownies

Proof
1301 Locust Street
Des Moines, IA 50309
515-244-0655
515-865-2768
proofrestaurant@gmail.com

Open for lunch Monday thru Friday 11-2
and for dinner on Wednesday thru Saturday,  5-close

Louie’s Wine Dive – Its all about the wine

Louie’s Wine Dive is really about the wine. It’s not like they don’t try to make this obvious. The name of the place ought to be a giveaway. The wine list has pretty much nothing in common with any of the wine lists of any other hundred or so restaurants I’ve been to during the last couple of years. The bar runs nearly the entire depth of the room and almost all of the tables are bar height. So, this is about wine. It is hard to write a review about a place that sells products sold by others, so I’m left with writing about the style, ambiance, the nature of the wine selections, the price points, and lets not forget the food.

During our visit the place was packed, though not uncomfortably so. The crowd was fairly mixed in age and gender. There were a few TVs set up behind the bar for those who can’t eat without watching guys play with balls. I suppose that this helps keep some of the crowd that might ordinarily head to a sports bar. I can hear the conversations now: “Honey, lets have dinner at Louie’s Wine Dive, that new wine bar in the Uptown Shopping Center.” “Awww babe, I wanted to watch the game tonight!” “Honey, they have TVs above the bar!” “OK, . . . I guess.” Checkmate. The lighting was above average, dark enough that there was a sense of privacy yet not so dark you couldn’t tell if your wine was a white or a red.

The wine list is focused on unique wines that I bet you’ve never heard of before. We chose a bottle of Coppola Winery Pinot Noir Votre Santé. For $32 we got a very nice Pinot Noir. It was about average on the fruit, very light on the tannins, and had some acid in the finish. It is true that you pay a bit more than twice the retail cost, but the above-average wine selections at affordable price points make it worth it. The wine list is directed by one of Central Iowa’s best known wine retailers, Kyl Cabbage. He is familiar to every serious wine drinker in Central Iowa. If you don’t know who he is, then you are not a serious wine drinker.

The food is surprisingly good for a wine bar. It won’t stand up to the top-tier foodie restaurants in Des Moines, but it can hold its own with the next level and solidly beat everything else. We started off with flatbread ($9). We ordered the pork rillettes with roasted butternut squash, basalmic onions, apple slaw and a lime sour cream, all served on crispy Lavosh bread. Wow. This was fantastic and easily as good or better than any other flatbread combo I’ve tried.

I tried the Porchetta, which was Berkshire pork shoulder rolled with La Quercia proscuitto, fresh sage and Fontina cheese. It was served on a bed of drunken carrots. The pork was not only cooked perfectly, but there was a lot of it. You get two four or five ounce rounds with this dish. It was maybe $16, which is really a pretty good deal for a quality cut of meat. The carrots were really crunchy and tasty.

Others in our party ordered shrimp with grits ($16) and a wild mushroom ragù ($15). The sauces tended to drown out the flavor in these dishes; the shrimp were overcome by the creamy, cheesy grits. The salmon salad ($14), on the other hand, was delicious and perfect according to another in our party.

Desserts are also available. The waiter brought out a plate with a variety to choose from, several of which featured seasonal specialties, such as the white-chocolate peppermint crème brûlée and fruitcake. Unfortunately, we only learned later that if you order S’mores that they bring out some fire that you can use to melt the marshmallow.

Mon 4:00pm – 11:00pm
Tue & Wed 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Thur – Sat 11:00 am – 2:00 am
Sat & Sun Brunch 9 am – 3pm

4040 University Ave, Suite A
Des Moines, IA 50311
515-777-3416

I see you taking pictures over there!

Amazon will start selling and shipping wine to Iowa

Amazon.com has announced that its new online wine marketplace will make more than 1,000 wines available to California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and the District of Columbia. Iowa is one of the first states to be able to participate in Amazon’s venture. The shipping costs are as low as $9.99 for six bottles. Although Wine.com ships wine online, and includes foreign-sourced wines as well, it does not ship to Iowa. I suspect that part of the problem is that Wine.com includes shipments of wine from France, Italy, Spain and Australia.

Recent court cases forcing states to open up their markets to wine made in other states may not apply to foreign wine producers. If it is the restriction to U.S. wines that makes the Amazon venture possible then that would be a shame in a way because some of the best, lease expensive, and hardest to get wines come from overseas. On the other hand, almost every time I read about a great American wine in some publication it is almost always something that I’ve never seen in a store. Allowing people across the country to see a review of a wine and to instantly order a case will increase consumer demand. That said, I doubt that it will result in much reduction in wine purchases at most local retailers (such as Hy-Vee). Here is why. The vast majority of wine purchases are reportedly made within a few hours of consumption. Bob or Brenda know they have some friends coming over for dinner and Bob stops off a the store and buy a bottle or two. If this is how Bob and Brenda buy wine then I doubt that they will have the presence of mind to order that same bottle from Amazon far in advance of that party.

If Amazon offers enough high quality wines (see my discussion on that below), the market that might be hit harder could be be the specialty wine stores. If the selection is broad enough, retail buyers may in fact load up on wines that they read about either online or in their latest issue of Wine Spectator or Food and Wine magazine. They will order the wine from the comfort of their living room couch and leave no room in either their schedule or their wine rack for a special trip to the local liquor store to hunt for those bottles.

A quick check of the different wines currently offered makes me think that for now this is not a huge threat. I checked for Pinot Noirs from Sonoma County, California and found 17 wines being offered, ranging in price from $21 to $60. You can also search by rating and only one had a rating above 90, a 2010 Viszlay. Similarly, only one 90 plus point California Cab was for sale, a $47 2008 Long Meadow Ranch Estate.

One market that will really be affected will be those wine producers lucky enough to get a lot of publicity for a particular run. Wine sales through Amazon could be practically instantaneous. If the mention was warranted, I’m sure that the Amazon algorithms will keep those buyers coming back until the supply is exhausted. I can see a lot of frantic activity by wine marketing consultants right now trying to position some of the smaller producers to take advantage of this new marketing opportunity. Imagine the cross-marketing and branding discussions going on right now.

Number 7 Brewing Company in Ankeny, Iowa Serves its First In-House Brew!

Last Friday night Number 7 Brewing Company in Ankeny, Iowa released the first batch of beer, an IPA, that was made there in the new brewery. And I was there to give it a try!

But first I want to say that Number 7 is more than a brewery. It is what I’d call a Craft Brewpub. As such, it directly challenges the common assumption that craft brewers cannot serve both good beer and good food. More than one craft brewer I’ve spoken to just shake their heads when asked if they would ever consider serving food alongside their beer. One said to me, “I make beer. I can’t be distracted by having to run a restaurant as well. That is a full time job by itself, and bad food will kill any brewery.” Of course, there are plenty of brewers that deftly manage to make both great beer and great food. Take Tursi’s in Des Moines as the most recent example, or Court Avenue Brewing Co., which pioneered the concept in Des Moines. But they are not what I’d describe as being “up from the roots” craft brewers — you know, the guys tinkering with mash buckets in their garage. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Number 7 does have a tie to Court Avenue Brewing Co. as Matt Sims worked there for awhile as the assistant brewer before beginning this new venture with his wife Jessie Sims.

That said, it was a pleasant surprise to see that Number 7 has rolled out a successful craft brewpub. I should emphasize “rolled” because Number 7 did not start up overnight making both its own beer and food. Paging through its Facebook timeline it is clear that a huge amount of effort and planning went into a successful launch. First, the location had to be identified. The owners chose to rebuild an old neighborhood bar in what I’ve now learned is “Old Ankeny.” I’ve lived between seven and five miles away from Old Ankeny for the last twenty plus years and I never knew that Ankeny even had an Old Ankeny. I suppose it makes sense though. Even a big-box store and suburb nirvana like Ankeny must have started somewhere, and that somewhere seems to be along both sides of the old railroad line on SW 3rd Street. Number 7 took one of the oldest buildings still in existence in that part of town, gutted it, and rebuilt it to serve as a combined restaurant and brewery.

Perhaps the Sims had also heard the dire warnings of other craft and micro brewers that it is distracting to establish both a brewery and a restaurant because Number 7 began with the food and then phased in making and selling its own beer. Matt Sim’s wife Jessie was already in the catering business, so it it made sense to start making great food first. After all, you can’t really have a brew pub if the food isn’t up to snuff.

Let’s talk about the food. The menu has the variety that you would hope a corner family restaurant would have, with the expected appetizers such as wings, nachos, sliders and cheese balls. Two types of salad are offered and the sandwiches are of the burger variety. They also offer smokehouse platters with smoked meat, smoked pork, and ribs on the menu. We tried the BBQ Sandwich with smoked meatloaf ($8.95) and the brewhouse burger ($9.94). The smoked meatloaf was a real treat. I’m always suspicious of meatloaf since I had questionable experiences with it growing up as a kid, but this was really quite good. The smokehouse flavor made all the difference and the meatloaf was still moist.

Meatloaf

My brewhouse burger was a half-pound of burger covered in onions and sauteed in house beer, spices and blue cheese. I thought it had spent maybe a half minute too long on the grill but it was still very tasty, with the added ingredients making for a very delicious meal.

Brewhouse Burger

The beer offerings (mostly bottled) are legion at Number 7. There is something for everyone and you won’t find many more offerings anywhere else. But there isn’t any reason to really go with a bottle when you can try their own beer. Until last Friday their beer was made (so I am told) according to their recipe by Millstream Brewery in Amana. We tried the KB Kolsch, which is a light pilsner style German beer. It is self-described as a “gateway” beer into the craft beer world. In other words, if someone drinks nothing other than Bud or Miller, this just might let them taste something with more flavor without scaring them. The beer was surprisingly full-bodied for a pilsner with a crispness that went well with the food.

KB Kolsch

I also tried the Drunken Sailor IPA. This IPA had the hoppy citrus notes you expect with an IPA without being overpowering. I also liked the clean finish with no hint of anything off-putting. It can be risky trying the first batch of anybody’s beer given everything that can go wrong. I’m glad that Number 7 seems to have things well in hand.

Drunken Sailor IPA

One word about the place. I was quite impressed with the family-friendly crowd that was enjoying their evening at Number 7. This is not a hard-core drinking bar. This is a true brewpub that combines the best of a traditional family corner restaurant with craft brew beer.

Number 7 Brewing Company
Hours of operation:
Tuesday – Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Closed Monday

302 SW Maple St.
Ankeny, IA 50023
515-964-5240

A Plot to Destroy America’s Beer? Tell me something I don’t already know.

In an article by Devin Leonard in Business Week (part of the Bloomberg media empire) entitled “The Plot to Destroy America’s Beer“, Mr. Leonard lays out a compelling argument that beer giant AB InBev is on a mission to swallow up breweries, choke down costs by eliminating expensive ingredients, and swamp the competition with cheap beer. As background, InBev was born from a 1999 merger between two Brazilian beer companies that created ABV. It next merged with a Belgian company that sold Beck’s and Stella Artois to creat InBev. The company followed up with the purchase of Anheuser-Busch in a $52 billion hostile takeover in 2008. InBev now controls just under half of the U.S. market and large percentages of many foreign markets. By cutting costs, InBev has proven to be very good at generating increased profits, even at the expense of losing sales as the resulting beer becomes increasingly weak and generic.

The list of charges leveled by Mr. Leonard:

Shipments of InBev beer in the US have declined 8 percent from 2008.

Bud Light is down 3 percent from 2009

Bud has dropped 13 percent from 2009

Shutting down British brewery Boddingtons

Shutting down Hoegaarden and then after protests, restarting production but with cheaper ingredients

Thinner glass, smaller labels, and waker cardboard for packs and cases

Switching to broken grain instead of whole grains for rice beer

Abandoning the use of Hallertauer Mittelfrüh hops in Budweiser

Shifting production of U.S. market Becks and Bass to InBev facilities in the U.S. and substituting cheaper ingredients

Introducing crap beer like Michelob Ultra Dragon Fruit Peach Beer

Reducing the alcohol content of Stella Artois, Bud and Becks to 4.8 percent.

Moving much of Goose Island’s production to many different InBev facilities

None of this is surprising to me. First, consolidation in all industries is the norm and always has been. Anheuser Busch became as large as it did through consolidation. Also, large companies have always tried to cheapen the product in a search for higher profits. The result is usually the same: consumer rebellion. Ultimately, it is up to each drinker to decide if they like their beer. If they don’t, then they will move on. I personally don’t know how a Bud drinker could tell the difference between a Bud and donkey piss, but that is just me. Maybe there is yet some quality that can be wrung out of a Bud in the search for even more profit.

In other news, InBev announced that it is beginning production of a new line of premium beers made entirely of water. Mr. Pure Sarcasm, marketing manager for InBev announced that “This new beer will significantly drive down our costs and allow us to provide a lower-cost product for our consumers. In addition, the simple recipe will allow us to set up production plants all over the world at any location where there is clean water available. The customer will know it is an InBev product because it will taste the same no matter what the label or origin and it will be sold at a price that they can still afford.”