It started out as an idea for a  picnic on Pier Wisconsin. The Stevens Point Brewery thought they would have a few friends show up for the first Point Friday Fish Fry & Flick, an outdoor picnic blending two of Milwaukee’s favorite things – the gorgeous Lake Michigan waterfront location of Discovery World, movies and an old-fashioned fish fry (burgers optional).

“They expected about 200 people, and more than 2,500 showed up on the very first Friday,” says Aldo Madrigrano, president of Beer Capitol/WOW Distributing.”It’s been a huge success for Point Beer.”

Every Friday through the summer, lakefront revellers can enjoy the $9.95 fish fry with flicks such as Pulp Fiction, and this Friday, Old School – with Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, and Vince Vaughn. Upgrade the menu to the lobster boil  – and it’s just three more bucks. It’s a community collaboration through September 18, between the Pabst Theater, Bartolotta Restaurants’ Pier Wisconsin Catering and Discovery World, which also happens to be the site for the upcoming Great Lakes Craft Brewers & Water Conservation Conference…

Ever dreamt of being a brewer, a chef, a chocolatier or other culinary genius? Travel Oregon is calling all food and drink enthusiasts to fulfill their dreams by applying for a cuisine internship, or “Cuisinternship.”

Seven winners will be selected to win all-expenses paid trips (airfare, lodging and $1,000 meal stipend) to spend one week shadowing an Oregon expert in his or her field of culinary crafts. The contest opens today as part of Travel Oregon’s largest statewide tourism promotion, Oregon Bounty, celebrating the state’s culinary products and the artisans who make them.

Oregon Bounty Cuisinternships are offered in the following categories:

· Artisan Food Producer: Become a culinary artisan in Southern Oregon with chocolatier Jeff Shepherd of Lillie Belle Farms and cheese maker David Gremmels of Rogue Creamery

· Brew Master: Turn hops and grains into craft beer with brew master Jamie Emmerson of Hood River’s Full Sail Brewery

· Chef: Immerse yourself in Portland’s dynamic food scene working alongside chef Gabe Rucker—one of Portland’s culinary provocateurs—learning how to turn out inventive, gourmet meals that delight diners at the award-winning Le Pigeon restaurant

· Distiller: Get an advanced degree in mixology and learn about Oregon’s booming craft spirits industry with distiller Jim Bendis of Central Oregon’s Bendistillery

plus Fisherman, Rancher and more….

“Oregon has a rich and varied culinary landscape,” said Travel Oregon’s Director of Brand Strategy Holly Macfee. “It’s a down-to-earth-place where visitors can meet the people who craft the beer, grow the produce, cultivate the cheese and create the chocolate confections,” she explains. “We’re inviting foodies to enjoy Oregon’s culinary abundance, whether through a Cuisinternship or a self-guided tour with family or friends. Our online culinary trip planner is now available to help travelers research, plan and organize the details of their next visit.”

To enter the Oregon Bounty Cuisinternship Contest, applicants must submit a short video, along with a statement containing no more than 140 characters, describing why they are the best candidate at www.TravelOregon.com/Bounty. Seven winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Oregon to shadow their mentor for one week. Entries must be submitted between Aug. 24 and Sept. 18. A panel of judges, including the Cuisinternship mentors, will select winners which will be announced beginning Sept. 28.

To give entrants an idea of what they can anticipate on their trip, Travel Oregon produced video vignettes of each culinary mentor and the experience their Cuisinternship offers (view them here: www.TravelOregon.com/Bounty). A longer video will also be available, which follows Chef Gabe Rucker as he visits the seven cuisine-related locations and mentors with the goal of making the perfect Oregon meal. The video culminates with all participants gathering together for an Oregon feast at Rucker’s restaurant, Le Pigeon in Portland, where the culinary masters discuss why they consider Oregon to be the ultimate foodie destination.

Want to plan your own culinary getaway? Travel Oregon today launched a new comprehensive culinary website at www.TravelOregon.com/Bounty. This planning tool provides an enticing portal into everything there is to see and do in Oregon—from wineries, distilleries and breweries to chefs, artisan producers, farmers markets and insider tips on where to taste the best local flavors—all in a searchable database. Visitors may also order a print travel guide through the site.

Media can learn more about the Cuisinternship Contest and mentors, Travel Oregon’s new culinary website, and Oregon Bounty here: http://TravelOregon.Mediaroom.com.

For a complete list of contest rules, and to enter, visit www.TravelOregon.com/Bounty.

So many recipes begin – “place a pot of water on the stove” that it’s common for caterers and chefs to always have a pot of hot water at the ready. So too for brewers – when your recipe is comprised of 90 percent water, then a good supply of fresh water is vital. That’s why I’m veering off topic a bit, to announce a new conference, The Great Lakes Craft Brewers & Water Conservation Conference.

A quote from speaker Doug Odell puts the goal of water savings in perspective:

“I think the Conference is a great idea. Craft Brewers have the opportunity to be leaders in water conservation and sustainability.  All we have to do is apply our natural penchant for innovation and we can change the norm.  Many of us have made good progress but there is more we can do through collaboration.” Doug Odell, co-founder, Odell Brewing Co.

You can learn more about the conference here.

There’s also a Facebook event page here.

And details about the state of emergency declared: Wisconsin’s drought

It’s going to be hot this weekend – and in preparation for the 90-90 weather, I’m making beer ice cream – a special concoction of fresh peaches, lightly cooked with a bit of sugar and peach lambic ale – the recipe is adapted from a beer dinner at the Phoenician hosted by Charles Finkel of Pike Brewing Co.  back in the time when he imported lambics under the Merchant du Vin line. My favorite fresh peaches grown in Michigan aren’t in the markets yet – but I found some wonderful Missouri-grown peaches that are really ripe and aromatic. It’s important to start with juicy, really ripe fruit for the best tasting frozen dessert.

Here’s a nice link from travel and beer writer Travis Poling’s site, Beer Across Texas that mentions my recipes as well his palate-tingling experiences with beer ice cream made by chef Gary Butler at Freetail Brewing Co.

Peach Lambic Ice Cream

2 cups peeled, pitted and diced peaches (about 4 large peaches)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup cane sugar
4 ounces peach lambic
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin softened in 3 tablespoons warm water
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup vanilla simple syrup
Ice cream machine
Fresh peach slices to garnish

Cook the peaches with brown sugar, cane sugar, and lambic ale, in a medium saucepan over low heat, until peaches are softened and sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm. Blend softened gelatin with fruit-lambic mixture in a large glass mixing bowl, and then fold in the heavy cream and vanilla syrup. Stir well, cover and chill. When cold, scrape into ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze ice cream overnight to ripen and smooth the texture. The lambic gives it an oozy soft-serve consistency. You could serve it with more peach lambic ice cream – or a favorite weissbier.

At Ohio Brew Week last Saturday, I conducted a short class at Ohio University’s food service and hospitality center’s test kitchen. I had several requests for a recipe we sampled – refrigerator pickles made with cauliflower, curry spices, and liberal amounts of IPA. Special thanks to chef and professor Francis McFadden for making the class samples ahead of time!

Start with 2 heads steamed cauliflower, cut into chunky florets (2-3 bites per piece), and dusted with salt. Make a pickling brine base by mixing 2 parts white vinegar,  with 1 part pale ale, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon each red chile flakes, brown mustard seeds, ground turmeric, and 2 (or more) tablespoons minced garlic. (The measurements are expressed as a ratio because the brine needs to be sufficient to cover the cauliflower completely – adjust seasonings to taste.) Bring mixture to a boil and pour over cauliflower florets packed in a large glass bowl, cover and chill. Refrigerate overnight or longer for best flavor, and consume within 2 weeks.

It’s a trend worth noting – more community agriculture groups are including craft beer at the table. For decades, I’ve thought that vegetables pair more wonderfully with craft beer than wine. Now, there’s some company from both craft brewers and chefs, in appreciation of artichokes, asparagus, heirloom tomatoes, roasted corn chowders, and other veggie cuisine matched with ales and lagers…

On August 26, chef Alec Lopez of the Armsby Abbey and the Pretty Things Ale Project are producing a farm to table beer dinner. “The month of August brings some of the most amazing vegetables from our local farms, the ripest fruits from our favorite orchards, farmstead cheeses… so what better way to honor them then a Farm-to-Table VEGETARIAN Beer Dinner?” Owner/Brewer Dan and Martha Paquette of Pretty Things Ale Project will chat about each of their beers.

And organically raised meats are also alluring matches on a farm to table menu. Jason Ebel of Two Brothers Brewing in Warrenville, IL, hosts a farm to table beer dinner each summer with City Provisions, a Chicago-based catering company with an environmentally conscious ethos. “We take a bus to a local farm, Faith’s Farm in Bonfield, IL, and talk about the sustainable raising of farm animals such as chickens and pigs, on the bus ride down. When we arrive, we tour the farm and have a wonderful beer and food pairing dinner, with all provisions from Faith’s Farm.” It’s almost twelve hours of travel and talk, bonhomie and beer, and a chance for participants to really unwind from city life through a relaxed feast on the farm.

Abita Brewing Co. is helping to support a wonderful cause, the filming of a new documentary series about New Orleans food traditions, “Ma Louisianne,” hosted by star chef John Besh.
As filmmaker Gaylon Emerzian writes, “Abita Beer is brewed in the quiet town of Abita Springs, about one hour north of New Orleans, across Lake Pontchartrain. Like any number of businesses in the area, Abita’s microbrewing facility was damaged in Hurricane Katrina. The facility’s roof was torn off and the power was out for six days. A thousand barrels for beer were spoiled. Getting the brewery back on line was a huge endeavor. And while the Abita Brewery was making a comeback, they didn’t forget those less fortunate.

Shortly after the hurricane, Abita launched Restoration Ale, a light, English-style pale ale. Abita donated a portion of the profits from the sale of each six pack to Katrina relief and to date has raised almost $600,000.

We applaud Abita’s efforts to help keep the community and culture of New Orleans alive.

Portland chefs love to kick back with a cold craft brew on the patio as they cook up their favorite grill grub.  The Oregon Brewers Guild asked five local chefs for their favorite barbecue pairings, so that we could pass them along to you. Enjoy these refreshing recommendations from Munich on the Willamette…it is Oregon Craft Beer Month after all!

Ten 01 – Burger
Chef Benjamin Parks of Ten 01 restaurant loves pairing the restaurant’s signature burger with Deschutes Brewery’s Mirror Pond Pale Ale. The brew’s classic hop aromas and flavor make it perfect with a burger. The hoppy bitterness provides a great balance that cuts through the fat – it’s just enough hops without being overwhelming, the perfect balance. “During the summer I live off our burgers and this beer,” says Parks.

Red Star Tavern & Roast House – Ribs
Grilled meats take center stage year round at Red Star in downtown Portland, so Chef Tom Dunklin takes a seasonal approach to beer pairings. For ribs off the backyard barbecue in summer, Dunklin recommends a Bridgeport Blue Heron Pale Ale. The round and soft texture of this pale ale complements the rich, smoky flavor of barbecued ribs, while the refreshingly crisp finish quenches a summer thirst.

Tabla Mediterranean Bistro – Salmon
Anthony Cafiero, chef de cuisine at Tabla Mediterranean Bistro, loves barbecued salmon during the summer months and recommends pairing it with a Ten Barrel Summer Ale from Bend, OR.  Salmon is naturally rich in omega-3 fatty acids and Ten Barrel’s Summer Ale offers a nice mix of malts and hops to balance the meaty flavors with a dry finish.  Cafiero likes to keep it simple, flavoring his salmon with a bit of lemon juice and fresh rosemary from the garden.

Café Nell – Pork Tenderloin
For pork tenderloin, Café Nell Executive Chef Andrew Garrett recommends pairing it with Southern Oregon Brewing Company’s SOB Pale Ale. This sweet and hoppy ale hits a balance that can be hard to find in pale ales, and it has a full front and smooth finish that completes the palate. This ale will work with any pork dish, but Garrett suggests pork tenderloin basted with a sweet plum marinade, grilled and served with fresh sweet corn basted in butter or grilled pluots.

Wildwood – Lamb
With a philosophy of letting ingredients shine, Wildwood Executive Chef Dustin Clark finds that the barbecue is the perfect medium. For grilled lamb simply seasoned with salt and pepper, Clark recommends Terminal Gravity IPA out of Enterprise. Yes, it’s hoppy… but that big hop flavor is backed by the subtle sweetness of malt for a balance that doesn’t overwhelm the mild gaminess of the lamb, but instead accentuates it.

Tomorrow, packing up the cooler and BBQ tongs, and heading to Athens for Ohio Brew Week, the original civic celebration of all things beer (started in 2005, which has spawned several other beer/brew weeks across the country). It’s actually held in a downtown district where all the events are so close, it’s possible to park the car for the weekend and walk to all the goings on. I’ll be doing several talks with tastings on Friday, and helping with judging the barbecue contest as well. Chris O’Brien, the Beer Activist, will be there, as we’ll be signing books at the Little Professor Book Store. Look for details online at ohiobrewweek.com

A delightful evening of dining with Bell’s beer on August 3 at Tess (2499 N Bartlett Ave., 414-964-8377) which is one of the hidden gems of Milwaukee’s east side. Here’s the menu from restaurateur Mitchell Wakefield and local Bell’s rep Paul Moebius – the guest speaker will be Marty Compton from the brewery HQ in Kalamazoo – just 20 seats left out of 75 for the evening – tickets are $48 per person which includes tax and gratuity and the chance to win special Bell’s beer gear!