St. Louis Brewers Heritage Festival – May 8-10

The date for this year’s St. Louis Brewers Heritage Festival will be May 8-10, and because it’s taking place so close to Chicago, I’m going to make it down here for some beers and the chance to video interview all the people who are putting this event together.

C’mon down and say “Hi!” I’ll be the guy with either a camera or beer in my hands…maybe both!

 

Tickets are on sale at www.stlbrewfest.com/#beginning. 

The seven participating brewers in this exciting event will include Alandale Brewery, Anheuser-Busch, Augusta Brewery, Morgan Street Brewery, O’Fallon Brewery, Schlafly Beer and Square One Brewery. 

In addition to sampling more than 60 styles of beer, area restaurateurs will also be on hand serving culinary fare paired with those different styles.  The festival will offer four sampling sessions and a VIP event: 

 

 

• VIP event on Thursday, May 8 at 7:20 p.m.
• Friday, May 9 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Friday, May 9 from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
• Saturday, May 10 from noon – 4 p.m.
• Saturday, May 10 from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.

 

 

Drinkz-N-Eatz-TV Soft Opening

I’ve decided to spin off a seperate HTML portal and blog of food and drink recipes using video and some podcasting too. As I get it up and running at full-speed, you’ll be able to enjoy a slew of video food recipes and listen to interviews with people in the drink and food trades.

You can go to UTube or other sites for this sort of thing, but if you do, you’ll also waste time wallowing through the junk out there to get to what you want. Drinkz-N-Eatz-TV makes it easier for the kitchen chef or the family bartender to watch and observe, and if so inclined, give any one of the posted recipes a shot at home.

In the next few months, I’ll be adding more of my own videos, along with the self-made smattering that’s now posted at http://drinkz-n-eatz-tv.com/ There will be no editoralizing, just taped and recorded recipes that are fun to prepare and are spiked with enough beer, wine and booze to make these recipes fun and easy to prepare.

So I’m looking for your input. If you have a favorite recipe out on the Web, let me know where it is, and if I can use it for content, I’ll get it up on the site. If you’re a brewer, vintner, distiller, importer, distributor and on and on, and would like to add some low-cost Internet exposure to your products, drop me a line. All it takes is a sample of your product, some sales and promo material and whatever, and I’ll include your product in an upcoming food or drink video for shits and grins…that’s it. Of course, if you’d like to add a banner or text message, you can check out the “Sponsers” tab at http://drinkz-n-eatz-tv.com/ Contact info is at the site and blog.

I’ll be heading to St. Louis on May 8 for the St. Louis Brewers Heritage Festival and hope to come back with a boatload of interviews and other interesting content to liven up the site. The seven participating brewers in this exciting event will include some smaller local breweries/brewpubs and Anheuser-Busch, so there will be a smattering of beers and much more for everyone. Stop by HERE for more info and a link for purchasing tickets. Say “Hi!” to me if you get there. I’ll be the big, balding (more like bald) guy pestering everybody for a video interview or a quote or two.

This is a “Soft Opening” for Drinkz-N-Eatz-TV, giving me a chance to find the bugs and work them out, and to start driving traffic to the site from Beer (& More) In Food and other sites I have up an running. Eventually I’ll formalize all of this when I feel comfortable with the level of content I have and know the concept is working…press releases and such. In the meantime, stop by  Drinkz-N-Eatz-TV and check it out.

BUDWEISER & CLAMATO CHELADA AND BUD LIGHT & CLAMATO CHELADA ARRIVE NATIONWIDE

 

Anheuser-Busch and Cadbury Schweppes Team Up on Latin-Inspired Beers    

 ST. LOUIS (Jan. 14, 200 – As one of the hottest new products to hit markets in California and Texas cities, followed by tremendous success in Arizona, Colorado and Nebraska, Budweiser & Clamato Chelada and Bud Light & Clamato Chelada will arrive in convenience stores, supermarkets and grocery stores nationwide today. Latinos, specifically those of Mexican descent, have been mixing beer with Clamato for decades.  Budweiser & Clamato Chelada and Bud Light & Clamato Chelada honor that tradition by combining Anheuser-Busch’s classic American-style lagers with the spicy, invigorating taste of Clamato Tomato Cocktail, made by Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages (CSAB). Due to their tremendous test market success, adults across the country are clamoring to enjoy this convenient, great-tasting drink.  “This is a recipe that combines cultures and flavors,” said Ana Vitrano, product manager, Anheuser-Busch, Inc.  “Budweiser, Bud Light and Clamato are all highly respected brands that, when combined, produce the authentic-tasting recipe many Latinos love.  It’s la combinación perfecta!”

A savory beer, Budweiser & Clamato Chelada and Bud Light & Clamato Chelada were developed with the adult consumer in mind.  Budweiser, a classic American-style lager, and Bud Light, a classic American-style light lager, are the world’s best-selling beers, and Hispanics have been enjoying the great taste of Clamato since its introduction in 1969. 

An estimated 60 percent of all Clamato is purchased with the intention of using it as a mixer, so the combination of the three brands means the adult consumer can more easily enjoy a recipe they already love.  To best enjoy Budweiser & Clamato Chelada and Bud Light & Clamato Chelada, gently rotate the chilled can once before pouring.  Then, serve cold, or pour over ice, into a traditional goblet-style glass and garnish with a slice of lime or celery stalk.  Salting the rim of the glass or adding a dash of hot sauce to the beer allows adults to further customize Chelada.  The beers also pair well with traditional Latino dishes such as ceviche, chicken enchiladas and tamales.“The combination of Clamato with Budweiser and Bud Light provides a refreshing beverage – one that Clamato fans have been mixing themselves for ages,” said Andrew Springate, vice president, marketing, CSAB.  “This is a convenient way for consumers to enjoy the flavorful and authentic recipe they’ve come to crave.”The launch of Budweiser & Clamato Chelada and Bud Light & Clamato Chelada marks the first time Anheuser-Busch and CSAB have worked together.  The agreement between the two companies specifies that CSAB will supply Clamato to Anheuser-Busch for use in mixing the Budweiser and Bud Light Chelada, and that Anheuser‑Busch will produce, package and distribute the beers through its network of wholesalers.   The name Chelada is a shortened form of the Spanish word michelada which loosely translates to ‘my cold beer.’  To order Budweiser or Bud Light & Clamato Chelada, one might say: “Una michelada con clamato, por favor.”  To shorten that but still keep the beer recognizable as the traditional recipe, Anheuser-Busch focused on the name Chelada.“One look at the can and you know that this beer is the real thing – Budweiser and Bud Light mixed with authentic Clamato,” Vitrano said.  “This is a savory beer that will appeal to adult beer drinkers, particularly those who enjoy beer mixed with Clamato.”

Brewed at Anheuser-Busch’s St. Louis brewery, Budweiser Chelada contains 5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) and Bud Light Chelada contains 4.2 percent ABV and is available in 24-ounce single-serve cans and 16-ounce, four-pack cans. 

Based in St. Louis, Anheuser‑Busch is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.4 percent share of U.S. beer sales.  The company brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light.  Anheuser‑Busch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico’s leading brewer, and a 27 percent share in China brewer Tsingtao, whose namesake beer brand is the country’s best-selling premium beer.  Anheuser-Busch ranked No. 1 among beverage companies in FORTUNE Magazine’s Most Admired U.S. and Global Companies lists in 2007.  Anheuser‑Busch is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and one of the world’s largest recyclers of aluminum cans. 

For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com Clamato is a leading brand in the beverage portfolio of Plano, Texas-based Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages (CSAB), a subsidiary division of Cadbury Schweppes plc (NYSE:CSG).  CSAB is one of the largest producers of soft drinks and premium beverages in the Americas.  CSAB’s brand portfolio includes Dr Pepper, 7UP, Snapple, Accelerade, Mott’s Apple Juice and Sauce, RC Cola, A&W Root Beer, Sunkist Soda, Canada Dry, Hawaiian Punch, Schweppes, Diet Rite, Clamato, Mr & Mrs T Mixers, Holland House Mixers, Rose’s, Mistic, Yoo-hoo, Orangina, IBC, Stewart’s, Nantucket Nectars and other well-known consumer brands.  For additional information on CSAB and its products, visit www.brandspeoplelove.com

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Pilsner Urquell Celebrates The Birth Of Golden Beer On October 5

In 1842, a small brewery in Pilsen (Plzen), a town in western Bohemia, hired German brewer Josef Groll to replicate the lager style of beer that had become so popular in the German states. Taking advantage of a more sophisticated and controlled method of kilning malt, which gave the grain just the slightest hint of a golden hue, Groll oversaw the brewing operations at the brewery known today as Pilsner Urquell (Plzensky Prozdroj) and produced the world’s first pilsner (or Pilzner/Pilsener) beer.

 

The good folks at today’s Pilsner Urquell have designated October 5, 1842 as the exact date that Groll turned lager beer on its head (yes, pun intended). Groll’s creamy creation was described as a lager beer with brilliant clarity, somewhat lighter in body—and most unusual as compared with typical dark lager beers of the time—it was golden-colored. In the next few decades, this golden beer would sweep through Europe, making its way to Vienna in 1856, and Paris and London by 1862. Around 1871, the pilsner style of beer would jump the Atlantic to the shores of the U.S. and push its way westward where German-American brewers were especially receptive in emulating the chic style of this new European lager.

 

Through war and political change, the Czech Republic brewery has continued to ship its beer throughout the world, currently exporting to over 50 countries, including markets in Europe, North America, Australia, and Asia. Nearly 90% of the lager beer consumed today is a variation of this original golden beer.

 

My first experience with Pilsner Urquell was while I lived in West Germany. Since the village I lived in was not too far away from the border, it was easy to get my hands on this beer; better yet, it was usually in the draft version. While I thoroughly enjoyed the very malty beers of Bavaria, Pilsner Urquell has that nice snap from the locally-grown Saaz (Zatec) variety of hops, still considered by today’s lager brewers as one of the “noble” hops.

 

The folks at PR firm Weber Shandwick sent me a reminder of this momentous event with a nice cigar humidor, stuffed with two bottles of Pilsner Urquell and a few Limited Edition cigars from renowned cigar man Rocky Patel, a perfectionist when it comes to blending fine tobaccos, and a tobacco artist who takes great pride in offering the most rich-tasting, complex, and highest quality cigars imaginable. Stop by his site, the Rocky Patel Premium Cigar Company and see what he has to offer. If you’re a cigar smoker, I guarantee you’ll bookmark his site.

 

Since October 5 is a Friday, it looks like I’ll be hard at work tomorrow, enjoying a Rocky Patel cigar and a few Pilsner Urquells. Actually, 2 bottles won’t be enough so I’ll be ending this post and making my way to my favorite liquor store for another sixer of this great, great beer.

 

Why not do the same today or tomorrow and enjoy The pilsner beer that started it all?

 

Don’t forget. You can also read more about Pilsner Urquell and the rise of the pilsner style of beer in the U.S. in my latest book, Beer & Food: An American History.

 

Exploring Chicago’s Yeast Side — Beer Tasting/Beer History Boat Tour

For those of you who have been adding your names to my growing list of “People-Who-Want-To-Do-A-Chicago-Beer-History-Tour,” this might be just the thing to hold you over while we strive for a count of 35 or so participants for our customary 4.5 hour bus tour.                                                                                                                                                                                           

Working in conjunction with the Chicago History Museum, aka, the Chicago Historical Society, Chicago Line Cruises, and The Berghoff, Chicago Beer Tours (that’s me) will be conducting a 2.5 hour cruise on Lake Michigan while I talk about Chicago’s beer history—including The Berghoff—complete with a tasting of Berghoff beer.

This event is being run by the Chicago History Museum. If you have any questions, please contact them. I have nothing to do with ticket purchases. I do know this though…tickets are going fast. There’s talk of doing this tour once again in September.

Exploring Chicago’s Yeast Side: A History of Beer                               

Sunday, July 22; 6:30 – 9:00 p.m.

Before Milwaukee claimed the title of beer capital of the Midwest, there was Chicago. Discover the city’s golden age of brewing on this sunset tour complete with beer tastings provided by a Chicago staple, the Berghoff Brewery.

Location:
Tours meet at the Chicago Line Cruises dock at North Pier, 465 N. McClurg Court.

Cost:
$45; $40 members.

TICKET INFO

The Ultimate Tailgater And Bob Skilnik Talk Beer & Food

A few weeks ago, I did a podcast with Stephen Linn-The Ultimate Tailgater. I don’t know what’s going on, but lately I’ve been hooking up with some celebrity cooks and chefs. I’m honored that I’m sharing space with Stephen Raichlen, BBQ cookbook author and TV host of BBQ University (sign-up for his newsletter at his site), Kevin Roberts, radio’s “Food Dude” and author of Munchies, and Rocky Fino who penned Will Cook for Sex. (Maybe I should go back to playing the Illinois Lotto again, too!)

Speaking of celebrities, I’ll be making a formal announcement soon about my columnist gig with the Times newspaper. I’ll be a member of a team of some big name food heavyweights, which still has me scratching my head as to how this all happened. Stay tuned for more details!

But back to The Ultimate Tailgater podcast…Stephen Linn talks about one of the most popular ingredients to most any tailgate party – the beer – with Bob Skilnik, author of Beer & Food. Bob talks about the history of beer in and with food, including some great recipes and cooking tips. Click on Episode #23 in the “Browse Audio-by Episode” drop down box or “Browse Audio-by Guest Name”.

You’ll also find a link to some beer/food recipes I contributed for The Ultimate Tailgater website.

New Illinois/Michiana Beer Writer

The Times of Northwest Indiana has offered me the position of beer writer for their paper.

As some of you know, I’ve been freelancing beer-themed articles for the Chicago Tribune since 1997, but they consider their readers more wanting of a regularly scheduled wine critic. They won’t budge on hiring a beer columnist.

All I can say is “Thank the gods for the Times and their willingness to acknowledge the importance and nurturing of readers who want to read about beer!”

I’m hoping that local readers will be willing and able to feed me info about beer and brewing activities in the paper’s area of coverage. From going over their print and online statistics, the paper’s actually GROWING (unlike so many MSM papers), so I’d like to make my column as relevant and informative as possible for their expanding readership. It looks like their coverage is the northeast portion of Illinois and northwest Indiana, down to Newton and Jasper counties, and over to the edges of Michigan City or so. It’s the 2nd largest newspaper in Indiana, with a daily circulation of 82,709 and a Sunday one of 89,942.

If you’re from the area and know of any brewpubs, breweries, homebrew clubs, beer bars with good selections, and even progressive beer distributors and liquor stores that I can use for local info, I’d appreciate the help. This is a chance for Illinois/Michiana beer lovers to finally have a local media outlet, with a paper willing to back the effort. I’m excited about this opportunity.

Thanks,

Bob Skilnik

The Beer Man Gives Beer & Food: An American History, A Thumbs Up!

Todd Haefer, Appleton, Wisconsin’s “Beer Man” for the Post-Crescent newspaper, did a nice review for my latest book. Maybe it’s just me, but the more print and blog reviews that are coming out for the book, the more it seems that the reviewers actually understand the book. It’s been a minor irritant to me that some bloggers fail to see what the book really is; it’s a culinary history book. Discussions as to whether it’s a cookbook or a history book have me deducing that none of them have ever picked up a book like A Revolution In Eating: How the Quest for Food Shaped America (Arts and Traditions of the Table) by James E. Mcwilliams, or three wonderful books by Mark Kurlansky, The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell, Cod, and Salt. Kurlansky’s book on oysters in America inspired me to write Beer & Food using the approach that I did.

Books like these take a look at why we eat what we did—and do today, or in the case of Kurlansky’s books, fix attention on the history of a particular food (oysters, cod, and salt). If you’re a foodie like me, who just happens to also like a good beer (or 2), you’ll understand Beer & Food: An American History without confusion.

Thanks Todd for being one of them.

Joliet Herald: Beer hops into history of U.S. cooking

This summer, when you’re screaming for ice cream, try mixing up a batch of fresh berry sherbet — only make sure you have plenty of Samuel Adams white ale on hand since the sherbet recipe will flop without it.

Or, for a more adventurous barbecue treat, whip up a batch of Sauerkraut and Malt Extract Crunch bars. Local beer expert Bob Skilnik of Plainfield posted an instructional video of that delicacy at www.beerinfood.wordpress.com/tag/cooking-with-maltextract.

“They’re actually very, very good,” Skilnik said. “People flip out when they’re told what’s in it.”

In his sixth beer-related book, “Beer & Food: An American History,” Skilnik documents the history of the brewing industry in the United States and illustrates though 90 recipes how Americans use beer as a key ingredient in cooking.

Skilnik will sign copies of his book from 6 to 8 p.m. on June 8 at Barnes & Noble, 2621 Plainfield Road, Joliet. For more information about the event, call the store at (815) 254-2253.

MORE

FREE ADVERTISING/FREE BOOK!! How You Can Be A Star On Beer (& More) In Food

I’d like to feature videos here of beer related food recipes from household cooks to beer professionals. If you have a video segment of 10 minutes or less, drop me a line and I’ll arrange to put it up on the site; plugs for your products or business can be included.

If you run over 10 minutes, I’ll probably have to do some editing in order to keep viewers interested. You know how some beer drinkers can be! In addition, a few pictures would be nice and a detailed recipe (ingredients, procedure) and a few comments.

If you’re from a brewery or brewpub but don’t have time to make a video, no problem. Send a detailed recipe, two bottles of whatever beer is called for in your recipe, and some promo material that I can include in the posting. I’ll make the video; you take the applause. If you want to send some additional stuff to be included in the posting, please feel free to send me whatever.

At the end of each month, I’ll throw the name of all video participants on file into a hat. The winner will receive a FREE signed copy of Beer & Food: An American History, a $24.95 value. The site is currently getting 5,000 + hits a month. If you’re a brewery or pub, take advantage of picking up some FREE publicity and promoting YOUR business! There are NO strings attached

‘Beer & Food Traces the Triumph of Beer Over Grain Scarcity, War and Prohibition and Serves Up Its Frothy Influence on American Cuisine, Past and Present

CHICAGO, Ill. - May 9 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Like a grilled bratwurst and a satisfying brew, beer historian Bob Skilnik’s latest book, “Beer & Food: An American History” ($24.95, hardcover, 280 pages, Jefferson Press, ISBN: 0977808610) is the perfect complement to A&E’s recent television airing of “The American Brew.” From the quirky brews of the colonial era, the food rationing of world wars and the devastation of National Prohibition, Skilnik’s sixth book weaves a tale of beer’s movement from a homebrewed colonial staple, the key to saloons with their “Free Lunch” practice, and today, as a growing part of contemporary American cuisine.

“The convergence of centuries of brewing technology and the introduction of refrigeration into American households in the 1920s, plus the return of legal beer in 1933, probably led to the first brave man hollering out to his wife in her Repeal-era kitchen, ‘Honey, while you’re up; can you get me a beer from the fridge?’ While it’s an amusing anecdote, it demonstrates that historically, beer’s role as an everyday household commodity is a relatively recent occurrence.” Post-Prohibition is also the time when beer’s pairing with food became solidified, in large part due to the efforts of the now defunct United States Brewers Association. It’s not an accident that when we think of certain foods, we also think of enjoying a beer with them. The U.S.B.A. was responsible for one of the most effective marketing campaigns in U.S. history, promoting the idea that at home or away, “Beer Belongs.” The success of its post-Prohibition efforts helps explain why there might be a beer in your refrigerator today.

With a foreword by Jim Koch, founder of the Boston Beer Company and its growing portfolio of Samuel Adams beers, “Beer & Food: An American History” weaves a fascinating history of the evolution of American beer and its eventual pairing with food. The book also contains over 90 beer-related food recipes, including contributions from contemporary breweries, brewpubs and beer trade organizations.

About the Author
Bob Skilnik is an alumnus of Chicago’s Siebel Institute of Technology - the oldest brewing school in the U.S. - where he earned a degree in brewing technology. He is the former associate editor for the American Breweriana Journal, and has contributed to the Chicago Tribune’s Good Eating food section, trade journals, magazines and newspapers.                                                                                

He has appeared on ABC’s “The View,” the Fox News Channel, ESPN2, and Chicago Public Television. “Beer & Food: An American History” is his sixth book. For more information about Bob Skilnik and “Beer & Food: An American History,” visit www.beerinfood.com.Text provided by the news source.