MdV: Merchant du Vin beer e-newsletter – Tuesday, July 11, 2006:  Beer Festivals

 

The acclaimed beers imported by Merchant du Vin continue to receive accolades from major food and news publications across America. Here are some recent tributes:

-The Chicago Tribune chose Ayinger Brau-Weisse, authentic Bavarian Hefe-Weizen, as “Beer of the Month” on June 28.

-Beverage World Magazine has an article on trading up to “top shelf” beverages which features Merchant du Vin beers; there’s a photo of Samuel Smith Organic Lager, Westmalle Trappist Tripel, and Lindemans Pomme Apple Lambic.

-Forbes Magazine picked Samuel Smith Old Brewery Pale Ale as one of the “10 Coolest Beers.”

-The Atlanta Journal-Constitution covered the newly-available Lindemans Pomme Apple Lambic.

-Lindemans Framboise Raspberry Lambic continues to draw attention and accolades: within the last month alone it’s been featured by:

-The Food Network

-Stuff Magazine

-The Dallas Morning News

-The Fine Living Network

-The Philadelphia Enquirer

-Domino Magazine

 

We keep a current media recap, a national beer event listing, and an archive of this e-newsletter at:

www.merchantduvin.com/pages/1_about/news.html

 

Also this month, two quick reminders: Rochefort Trappist 6 is now available, and Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen – exquisite, seasonal, and in limited quantities – will be available starting in August.

 

 

Beer Chat from the Beer Court Jester: Beer Festivals

 

Beer aficionados are constantly looking for a chance to revisit their favorite beers, or an opportunity to try a great beer they have heard of, or to discover a new favorite beer.  Sometimes they wish they could ask the brewer questions, or just say “thanks.”  We think that beer festivals play a very important role in the American beer scene.

 

A beer festival is a number of beer folks – brewers, importers, distributors, sometimes volunteers – with samples available, gathered together in a defined area indoors or outdoors.  Attendees pay a fee to enter & usually a small cost per sample . . . once inside, they can try a variety of beers from different breweries. 

 

Other than diverse beer samples, a variety of foods, and (often) great live music, festivals offer some unique attractions:

  1. Frequently, attendees can talk directly to a brewer or employee of the brewery.  If a volunteer is manning the booth, it is still likely to be an interested, knowledgeable beer person.  There can be a real information exchange with the brewery, and often the festivalgoer walks away with a personal connection.
  2. At  festivals the person to your left, to your right, in front of you, and behind you is very likely to be a beer lover who has sought out this festival.  It can be a real pleasure to rub shoulders with other people who are seeking to enhance their lives with the flavor, variety, tradition, and innovation of fine beer.
  3. Many times beer festivals benefit charities and non-profit organizations – industry workers frequently volunteer their hours as a combined charitable contribution and marketing opportunity.
  4. Frequently suppliers use beer festivals to debut new beers, or to showcase rare beers or special versions.
  5. Beer festivals, by their advertising & their location in central public spaces, help bring awareness of fine beer to the remaining Americans who still have tasted only light golden lagers.
  6. If you work at or operate a beer store or bar, a festival is an efficient way to try different products and meet many suppliers. As you sample, you can ask questions and learn details.  A beer that is popular at a festival is likely to be a strong seller at your store or bar.

 

Federal, state, and local laws do have an impact on festivals in the US.  Some examples: beer can be required to be poured into plastic taster cups (no glass); people under 21 are sometimes not allowed; permits are required; sometimes a non-profit must receive part of the proceeds for issuance of the permit; those who are pouring are prevented from sampling beer  . . . the organizers of the festival must follow the rules, so remember that they are working to provide the best experience they can for you as a guest.

 

A look at a European beer festival might be a highlight of what American beer lovers can expect by the time our fine beer culture is hundreds of years old: The Beerpassion Festival is held in Antwerp, Belgium, in the early summer (this year, it was June 23-25).  It demonstrates that in a great beer country like Belgium, in a plaza surrounded by fantastic restaurants and beer bars, in a city populated by people who know about a wide variety of traditional beer styles from childhood . . . festivals are still exciting and fresh.  Every booth at the Beerpassion Festival was busy all weekend.

 

Other than delighted attendees, great live music, and a wide range of fine beers there were a few differences from American festivals:

-Each tasting booth was set up with a wooden bar, and each was plumbed with triple sinks and glass rinsers

-Tasting glasses were glass, not plastic.

-Children were allowed in, and none were trampled by the crowd or corrupted by proximity to beer.

-Carpet was set up over a wooden floor; the event was covered by a large tent with windows and roll-up panels.

 

But the delight over fine beers, and the pleasure of sharing a place with others who find great beer an enhancement of their lives, the pleasure of discovering a new festival: those things must be universal in the world of fine beer.

 

Please attend a local festival and confirm this for yourself – you may even find that festivals are worth traveling for.  Maybe even all the way to Antwerp.

 

Festival listings for the US, via our news page:  http://www.merchantduvin.com/pages/1_about/news.html

Beerpassion website (in Flemish only):  http://www.beerpassion.com/

 

 

Merchant du Vin, America’s Premier Specialty Beer Importer Since 1978

http://www.merchantduvin.com