For decades, Anheuser-Busch has held exclusive beer sponsorships at stadiums, festivals, even culinary cook-offs such as Memphis in May. But now, the biggest brewer in America seems to wish to appear somewhat smaller, more approachable, as a sponsor of next month’s Charleston Food & Wine Festival under the imprimatur of Here’s to Beer. Both the A-B brewmaster and Chef Brent Wertz from the A-B resort, the Kingsmill Spa, will be talking ’bout beer and food pairings at the festival, with celebrity chefs such as Carrie Nahabedian of Naha in Chicago, and Chris Hastings of the Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham, Alabama. Hope that the foodies who visit Charleston for the fest will also go out of their way to sample the local Palmetto Brewing Co. Porter or the new COAST Brewing Co.’s HopArt IPA.

We’ll have another craft beer and cheese tasting class at Fromagination in Madison, WI, on Wednesday, January 23, 2008. Class size is limited to 15, so sign up early. The theme? Winter warmers, of course. Happy holidays!

Here’s a goofy news item from mental floss…and it inspired some tinkering with a recipe for ale nog. That’s egg nog made with ale, proffered under various monikers over the millenia - posset, syllabub, flip, biersuppe, etc.  I made this ale nog with a spiced winter warmer - the ale makes the texture lighter and dare I say, more drinkable. Use any leftover nog to make the base for custardy french toast.

Winter Ale Nog

1 cup white cane sugar
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 whole eggs plus 1 egg white
2 cups heavy cream
12 ounces spiced or winter ale, at room temperature, decanted and whisked to remove carbonation
1/2 cup dark rum, or more to taste
1/4 cup Cognac, Calvados or Cointreau
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground clove
Pinch ground mace
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Fresh grated nutmeg to taste

 1. Mix sugar and half-and-half in heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes, and stir in honey and vanilla. Stir until honey melts and bring the mixture back to a simmer. Place eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire whip, and beat eggs until frothy and blended on MEDIUM speed. Slowly drizzle the hot half-and-half into the eggs, mixing constantly. Eggs will turn fluffy and thicken. Do not pour all the hot liquid in at once or the mixture will curdle.

2. Continue to mix on MEDIUM speed, and add remaining ingredients, one at a time. The ale will foam as it is mixed in. Taste and adjust spices as desired. Chill 6 hours or more.  Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Rose Ann Finkel is an accomplished cook, tremendous supporter to small purveyors and specialty food producers, and a generous contributor of recipes to both “The Best of American Beer and Food” and my earlier cookbook, “Grilling with Beer.” Join us on Tuesday, December 11, at the Pike Pub and Brewery, from 5-8 PM. Here’s a note about it from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Thanks to Rose Ann and Charles Finkel for hosting a terrific event, which included a tasting of the new bar menu devised by chef Gary Marx. Some of my favorites: organic radishes with fresh creamery butter and truffle salt, which is an earthy blend of pulverized dried black truffle with sea salt. Delicious with the Tandem ale…

Here are a few short reviews of the cookbook as part of holiday gift guides - an entertaining riff by Joe Sixpack - as well as a recipe from the Best of American Beer & Food featured in the food section of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Read this analysis posted by Alan McLeod of a good beer blog, juxtaposing the cover design for The Best of American Beer & Food next to another tome on the same topic.

Do you see what I see?

Here’s a thought-provoking story from New Scientist, about the contributions that humble beer fridges make to global warming. Hmmmm, there’s a cool spot in the basement under the stairs that might make a good location for a beer cellar. Has anyone converted a cellar space for storing beer?

McClatchy News Service Beer columnist Barry Shlacter offers a round-up of foods for holiday feasting. If you yearn for something more flavorful than a plain roasted turkey, try this recipe for a marinated and grilled bird made with holiday spices, hard cider and brown ale:

24 ounces brown ale (or more to cover)

24 ounces hard cider

1/2 cup kosher salt

1 teaspoon whole peppercorns

1 teaspoon whole allspice berries

3 fresh bay leaves

2 oranges, washed, quartered, seeded and sliced thin

1/2 cup canola oil

1 medium-sized turkey (10 to 12 pounds), giblets removed

Special equipment: large stockpot, food-grade 5-gallon bucket (available from home brew supply shops)

The night before, start the marinade. Blend ale and cider, salt, spices, oranges and oil in large stockpot and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool. Wash and rinse outside and cavity of turkey. Place turkey in food-grade plastic bucket and pour marinade over it. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (Tip: You may have to remove a few shelves to get the bucket in the refrigerator — or put the bucket in a large cooler packed with ice instead). After several hours, turn the bird so it marinates evenly on all sides.

After 12 to 24 hours, remove bird from marinade, and pour marinade through sieve into 1-gallon stockpot. Bring marinade to a boil, skim off foam and reduce heat to simmer. Use ladle to measure out 3 cups of sterilized marinade. Prepare grill with drip pan and arrange coals or burners for indirect cooking. Disjoint the legs from the turkey (without cutting the skin) as this will let it cook more evenly. Place bird on grill over indirect heat at 300 degrees 2 to 4 hours, depending on size of bird. Allow about 15 minutes per pound. Be sure that drip pan is large enough to collect fat and juices. Baste often with cooked cider ale marinade, mixed with pan drippings, to keep it moist. Internal temperature should reach 165 degrees when thermometer is inserted into thickest part of thigh. Finish bird with 10 minutes direct grilling over hardwood chips to crisp skin and add smoky flavors.

Move turkey to a platter and cover with 2 layers foil. Let turkey rest 30 minutes before carving. Makes about 12 to 14 servings.

Meet me at the New Holland Brewing Co., 66 East 8th St., in Holland, MI, for a holiday book signing of The Best of American Beer & Food. Sample recipes from the book will be presented as specials for the evening in the pub, and you make an evening of it, strolling around Holland’s Parade of Lights street festival.

Beervangelist Fred Bueltmann was one of the contributors to the cookbook, too, with pairings from appetizers to desserts. Just to get you in the mood, here’s a photo of a classic beer and chocolate pairing, courtesy of Cocoliquot’s talented chocolatier, David Bacco. Yes, you can order these exquisite confections online, at cocoliquot.com

Take a look at this review of the Best of American Beer and Food - what pleases me most is the author’s decision to cook the recipes and post his feedback - actually tasting the food and pairings instead of conjecturing…