Last weekend, I had the immense pleasure of returning to Washington, DC for the Brewers Association’s second annual SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience.  Given my victory at the salon I participated in last year called “Cross Drinking Without Social Stigma,” I was invited back to defend my winner’s title in a “Craft Beer and Cheese Pairing Taste Off!”  Invitation aside, I would have jumped at the chance to attend SAVOR again, given the exciting beers poured, thoughtful food pairings, and opportunities to meet some of the rock stars of the brewing world.  Sure enough, SAVOR did not disappoint.

With a fabulous new venue (the National Building Museum) this year’s event had a distinct feel of greater grandeur and experience.  With 1,900 tickets sold at $95 (and the event selling out two months in advance), attending this event you had the impression that you were one of the lucky (and smart) folks who was in the know about this fantastic tasting and purchased your ticket in time.  The “dress to impress” attire requisite provided a certain high-end ambiance to the hall; there were no drunken frat boys in tee shirts and ripped jeans partaking in burping competitions.  In fact, most everyone was dressed in their best and immaculately groomed, sipping their two ounce samples from lovely tasting glasses.

With 68 small and independent breweries participating, of course there was something for everyone.  Some of the most sought after cult beers were poured, like Lost Abbey’s Cuvee de Tomme and Odell’s Woodcut No. 2, as well as some perennial favorites like Sam Adams’ Boston Lager and Lagunitas’ IPA.  Other highlights and treasures included Allagash’s Curieux, Avery’s Brabant Barrel-Aged Wild Ale, Boulevard Brewing’s Saison-Brett, The Bruery’s Saison Rue, Left Hand’s Smoke Jumper Smoked Imperial Porter, Russian River Brewing’s Pliny the Elder and Consecration, Southampton’s Double White Ale, and Stone’s Cali-Belgique IPA.  Each beer was matched with a specific catered food item chosen by the brewery to best demonstrate its pairing potential.  What better way to get an education in beer and food pairing than drink, taste, and repeat!

One of the most compelling and talked (or tweeted) about reasons to attend the event was the chance to meet some of the biggest names in the brewing world; people like Tomme Arthur of Lost Abbey, Adam Avery of Avery Brewing, Peter Bouckaert of New Belgium, Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head, Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing, Greg Koch of Stone Brewing Company, Jim Koch of Sam Adams and Rob Tod of Allagash Brewing, to name just a few.  These brewing gods were on-hand to serve and discuss their beers with attendees, welcoming comments and thoughtful discussion about the selections, their companies and the industry as a whole.  People were eager to meet their favorite brewers, take pictures with them, or just clank a glass and toast to thank them for all of the amazing things that they do. 

In addition to the main room, there were also nine educational sessions held during the event: three larger format salons and six private tastings for smaller groups.  I had the privilege of attending the Cult Beers from California private tasting with Tomme Arthur of Lost Abbey and Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing.  The beers were amazing, undeniable cult classics, and I will never forget the experience of hearing the brewers discuss their inspirations and methodologies behind crafting such masterful beers.  A true learning experience for any beer geek.

 The salon I participated in, called “Craft Beer and Cheese Pairing Taste Off!” was a fantastic success.  Beer journalist Christian DeBenedetti, Greg Koch of Stone Brewing (pictured left in front of the audience), Eric Wallace of Left Hand Brewing and I each made a beer selection to pair with both Maytag Blue Cheese and Chuao’s Candela chocolate (a dark chocolate with praline and smoked chipotle).  The chocolate was a last-minute addition, but we were all more than willing to take on the challenge.  Christian’s selection was the Allagash Black, Eric’s was Left Hand Smoke Jumper Smoked Porter, Greg’s was Stone Ruination IPA… all fine selections, indeed.  But none of them could compare to the selection I was fortunate enough to serve: Deschutes’ The Dissident, a Flanders-style sour brown ale aged in oak with wild cherries.  More than half the audience agreed, and my pairing was victorious once again.

But more important than winning was the crowd reaction.  To have people coming up and telling me that they had no idea a food pairing could make such a dramatic difference… how they’ve never tasted a beer of that style before… that they have experienced a sort of epiphany as to the potential there is for beer and food pairings… THAT’S what it’s truly all about! 

Helping people to understand the complexities and intricacies out there in the beer world, especially when paired with food, is SAVOR’s core mission.  Here’s to spreading the word and opening eyes again in 2010… ‘cause invitation or not, I’m there.

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