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Taking a Taste of the Midwest - September 2002When I first mentioned to my sometimes writing partner, Janet Forman, that we should travel the American Midwest, her reaction was what could charitably be best described as one of great incredulity. While fluently bi-coastal (NY and LA), Janet's predominantly urban perspective left her with a somewhat cynical view of the joys of America's Heartland. Perfectly comfortable in the farmland of west Flanders, she balked at the prospect of roaming about the farmland of Wisconsin.Nevertheless, I persisted, and an all-too-brief tour of a triangle of Illinois and Wisconsin roughly bounded by Chicago, Madison and Milwaukee ensued. Some of the highlights: - The Great Taste of the Midwest: Madison, Wisconsin-based beer writer Bob Paolino has been on my case for years to attend this fest, so when the opportunity arose to finally get him off my back, I leapt at the chance. Turns out he was right. The Great Taste has to rank with the Oregon Brewers Festival as one of the best beer events in the United States, although at a mere five hours in length, it is far too short. (Attendees are so enthusiastic about the fest that the line-up at opening time stretched for many hundreds if not thousands of people.) If you're planning on being anywhere near Madison next summer, I suggest you start organizing for the Great Taste now. It is always held on the second Saturday in August and always sells out well in advance. (Watch Kitchen Table Tastings this month for notes from the Great Taste and beyond.) - The Map Room: I also finally made it to Chicago's famed Map Room, a beer bar located in the city's still-emerging Bucktown district. While I was there on more a social than a working level - it seemed an excellent place to meet up with beercook.com's Lucy Saunders - I was nevertheless very impressed with both the beer selection and the ambiance of the place. This is definitely one not to miss in Chicago. - Celia, the restaurant in the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee: Janet and I ate in some of the hottest restaurants in Chicago, which has of late developed a well-deserved reputation as a great food town, but not one of them impressed me as much as my meal at Celia. In a charming, comfortable and visually relaxing setting, I was served from a menu that emphasizes unfussy dishes expertly executed. No 'tall food' or outrageous fusion here; just very good ingredients skilfully prepared and artfully presented. - The Chicago Hotdog: I would have never thought to top an all-dressed dog with celery salt, but it works brilliantly. And the way Chicagoans spurn ketchup brings a smile to my face. - New Glarus Brewing: The last time I visited this Wisconsin brewery, it was only a couple of years old and about one-third the size it is today. And if there is a brewery in the United States more deserving of its growth, I have yet to run into it. Dan and Deb Carey have created a terrific operation in this town about 20 minutes outside Madison, and score big points for managing to craft ales, lagers, wheats and fruit beers all very well. They brew the way I drink, never content to have the same beer twice in a row. Most serious beer geeks knows by now of their outstanding Wisconsin Belgian Red cherry beer, but I was equally impressed by their wonderfully floral, faintly honey-accented Czech-style pilsner, Hometown Blonde, and hop-filled but balanced Hop Hearty IPA. There aren't many U.S. breweries where I could drink for an afternoon and not find myself either disappointed or bored, but New Glarus is certainly one of them. - Granite City Food & Brewery's Brettanomyces Stout: Saint-Cloud, Minnesota's Granite City brought this to the Great Taste and it caught my attention while judging the beers of that state during a pre-fest tasting. (Apparently, some arcane Minnesota law states that brewpubs are not allowed to transport their beers across state lines unless they are to compete in a contest of some sort. So before every Great Taste, there is a blind tasting of Minnesota beers.) What I particularly liked about the stout was the way its flavour evoked memories of Irish and English stouts slightly soured for dryness, a practice Guinness used to employ but, to my taste at least, likely does no longer. (More notes from the Great Taste will appear all month long in Kitchen Table Tastings.) Feature Articles
Feedback?We're very interested in your news, notes, comments and questions, so please feel free to contact SBWoB by clicking on the link below. Or you can add your comments when you sign up for the World of Beer Update, a mid-month e-mail newsletter that brings even more of the world of beer to your computer. Send Feedback To: beaumont@worldofbeer.com Bright Beer - Kitchen Table Tastings - Feature - Taste of the Month Copyright 1997 - 2006 © - Stephen Beaumont |