From a short article in the New York Times, comes the assertion that scientists who drink more beer publish less often.  ”After years of argument over the roles of factors like genius, sex and dumb luck, a new study shows that something entirely unexpected and considerably sudsier may be at play in determining the success or failure of scientists — beer.  According to the study, published in February in Oikos, a highly respected scientific journal, the more beer a scientist drinks, the less likely the scientist is to publish a paper or to have a paper cited by another researcher, a measure of a paper’s quality and importance.”  Could a pint a day - or less - really be a  recipe for success? 

I’m heading to St. Louis today to celebrate a birthday - and mourn a loss. Mark Pollman, the only Missouri-based inductee into the “Bartender Hall of Fame” and a legend at the Fox & Hounds, died last week. Here’s a remembrance from the River Front Times blog that pays tribute to Mark Pollman and his incredible knowledge of all things drinkable, including beer. He was so kind, and shared his recipes in many interviews with me and hundreds of other food and drink writers, over the decades. Cheers and last call.

Julia Herz at the Brewers Association sent me a nice invite to the SAVORcraftbeer.org festival - but I’ve already bought tickets. In fact, I bought several pairs of tickets! I’m going to be giving away tickets to be my guest at this fabulous new food and beer festival, to be held in May 16-17, 2008 in Washington D.C. at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium. Just sign up for my recipe enewsletter before April 30 to be eligible for the SAVOR ticket giveaway.If you prefer not to wait,  tickets are on sale now, at $85 per person for each session.  The festival will sell out soon, and here’s a list from Julia detailing why this event is such a draw: “1) The U.S. had 1,449 total breweries in operation during 2007, including 1,406 small, independent, and traditional craft brewers. So the majority of breweries in the U.S. are craft brewers and craft beer is showing the most significant growth in the beer category.

2) This is a national festival with a local tie to each region in the U.S. Of the 48 craft breweries at SAVOR representatives from all 8 regions will be there.

3). Never before have craft brewers personally presented their beer and food pairings (and as a plug, note that many of the cookbook’s recipes will be featured and served!)   http://beertown.org/events/SAVOR/beers.html. This is your opportunity to personally meet many of the rock stars of the craft beer scene and taste firsthand why pairing craft beer and food is such a hot topic.

4) Brewers and owners in attendance include The Boston Beer Company, The Brooklyn Brewery, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, F.X. Matt Brewing Company, Flying Dog Brewery, Harpoon Brewery, New Belgium Brewing Company, Rogue Ales, Reyes Beverage Group, and others. New Holland Brewing Co. beervangelist Fred Bueltmann is on the organizing committee, and he says, “It’s both a food festival and a craft beer festival, designed to bring in connoisseurs who enjoy and are serious about culinary appreciation of craft beer.”

5) SAVOR is happening during and because of ‘American Craft Beer Week’ (May 12-18) which is why Washington D.C. is such an appropriate location.

6) In addition to the main attraction of tasting in the great hall, there are educational salons. Dave Lieberman, of Here’s To Beer and the Food Network, is speaking. Beer vs. Wine is a topic presented by Sam Calagione and Marnie Olds; Craft Beer and Seafood pairings presented by Hugh Sisson, Cross Drinking without social stigma will be a talk; Beer and Cheese and Beer and Food are all topics at SAVOR.  http://beertown.org/events/SAVOR/schedule.html

7) The Brewers Association, presenters of SAVOR, also organizes the Great American Beer Festival, the World Beer Cup (the Olympics of beer) and establishes the beer style guidelines many refer to as the main guidelines to follow.”

And I’ll add a point to consider - if traveling to DC from out of town, remember that hotels are in demand in May due to graduations from the many colleges and universities in the area. I’ll have more information about affordable hotels within easy distance of craft beer destinations posted next month. 

A short review in the San Francisco Bay Guardian gave “the best new restaurant name” to the Monk’s Kettle, yet to this writer, it seems odd to nominate that name with nary a mention of the Monk’s Cafe in Philadelphia. Really, a nod should have been given to the iconic ale emporium that really started the craze for Belgian ales stateside, through the partnership of Fergus Carey and Tom Peters. Monk’s Cafe is one of the founding members of Philly Beer Week, and hosts events throughout the 10-day celebration. Wish I could be there tonight for the haute beer dinner with Stephen Beaumont, but it sold out last month!

Thanks to Chef Jerry of Chef’s Expressions in Baltimore, MD, the private party hosted by Hugh Sisson at Clipper City was a wonderful wrap to celebrate last week’s cookbook tour through MD and VA. The 6-course menu featured recipes from the book, with pairings from Clipper City’s cellars. It was fun to meet so many fans of Baltimore beer, including the WBAL’s own “Beltway Gourmet.” I wanted to try the new Oxford Brewing Co. Organic Raspberry Wheat Beer, in time for the session #12, but it was still awaiting bottling. I’ll add more details about the entire trip, beer dinners and photos when I get back to my desk next week…

Anne Sprecher writes a note to remind me of the leap year celebration at Sprecher - a special tasting and tailgating treats. The Irish Stout will be tapped,  and you can also sample the new Mamma Mia Pizza Beer, which is being contract-brewed at the Glendale, WI brewery. Dubbed the “world’s first culinary beer,” the brew is made with pizza ingredients. But homebrew genius Randy Mosher has even brewed beer with chanterelle mushrooms, so there’s definitely a precedent for culinary brews.

Barb Ford writes a column called “Easy Way Gourmet” and says,

“It’s not so often that I hear people discussing beer and food pairings or recipes. But one quick look through Lucy Saunders’ latest book, “The Best of American Beer and Food-Pairing and Cooking with Craft Beer,” will change all that.

It is rare for me to pick up a book on beer. It is even rarer to find an amazing combination of cookbook, guidebook and memoir of great meals….

As an expert on beer and food, Saunders is an excellent guide to the world of fine brewing. She takes the reader on a tour of craft breweries and traditions across America, with suggestions for creating a tasting party pairing beer and cheeses, a geographic discussion of brewing traditions by region and even coverage of “Chocolate: Another Fermented Favorite.”

(And thanks to Jim Javenkoski for his notes on the science of pairing chocolate and craft beer!)

As part of Philly Beer Week, a celebration of craft beer, I’ll be there next month for a tasting of specialty brews and chocolate foods, both sweet and savory, including a spice rub made with cocoa nibs from the Askinosie artisanal chocolate company  in Springfield, MO.  Carol Stoudt, who just celebrated 20 years in craft beer, will be there, as will Jim Javenkoski and Enrique Suarez of Unibroue. I’ll bring cookbooks, as well as samples of Clipper City’s Holy Sheet dubbel.

Sweet & Savory: Craft Beer & Chocolate

Devil’s Alley

1907 Chestnut St.

215-751-0707

www.devilsalleybarandgrill.com

Sunday, March 9, Noon-3 p.m., $25, RSVP with credit card

A five-course tasting with savory BBQ from chef MichaelYeamans, based on recipes from Lucy Saunders’ cookbooks:

Ancho chile and cocoa rubbed pork tenderloin 

 - Served with Clipper City Holy Sheet

Grilled chicken with Chocolate Mole Sauce 

- Served with Unibroue’s Maudite

Beef brisket with chocolate nibs spice rub 

- Served with Stoudt’s Smooth Hoperator

Chocolate truffle and varietal chocolate

-  Served with Unibroue’s Trois Pistoles and Terrible

Call Devil’s Alley  215-751-0707 to reserve - it’s going to be a truly hot chocolate tasting!

Shane Randel, one of the advocates for better beer in Boise and one of the people profiled in The Best of American Beer & Food, has left the Front Door.   However, the owners promise that craft beer and food will still be featured. Read about it in this article from the Idaho Statesman, which also mentions the many fabulous beer feasts Randel organized with craft brewers such as Full Sail and Lagunitas. 

If you love hoppy American craft brews, then you probably know there’s an acute shortage of hops. At the Milwaukee Ale House’s Midwinter Beer Fest, I spoke with a brewer who talked about importing hops from Argentina! Now, help is at hand with a most generous offer from Jim Koch of the Boston Beer Company, brewers of the Samuel Adams line of craft brews. Koch has offered up to 20,000 pounds of hops from the 2007 harvest to sell, at the original cost, to needy craft brewers. The application process is detailed on the website, samueladams.com, under the “hop sharing program” icon. It’s a huge act of generosity, to share a key brewing ingredient when it is so scarce.(I’m also grateful to Jim Koch for the kind things he had to say about the cookbook on the cover - thanks again!)