Diary: A really stupid review of Mahr's Christmas Bock reminds me why I avoid ratings sites.

Pretty soon Saturnalia will be here.

That's when NABC's Pizzeria & Public House taps a variety of guest beers loosely connected by seasonal, holiday themes. The point of the exercise is to survey the many different ways that a beer can be seasonal.

One of them is Mahr's Christmas Bock, brewed in Bamberg, Germany.

While I'm no longer the guest beer buyer, I always enjoy researching the choices Eric Gray makes for such events. As such, here's a recent RateBeer review of Mahr's Christmas Bock.

Couldn’t find anything special about this beer. It’s a middle of the road Bock. The aroma and the taste made me believe that this beer was just a little off. It was not as dark as I’m used to from a bock and had a giant head that took forever to go down. It might have went bad sitting on the shelf. There wasn’t really any of the spices pr flavors that I associate with most Christmas beers in the states. But that may just be because it’s not a beer brewed in the states.

Mind you, I haven't tasted this beer for a while. But here's what I know.

• If it's a Heller Bock, it isn't supposed to be altogether as dark as (for instance) a Doppelbock. That's because the word "Heller" means ... pale.
• A giant head is a hallmark of German lager beer.
• The reason Mahr's Christmas Bock is not redolent of spices has nothing to do with where it is brewed, but owes to the simple fact that a Bock is NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SPICED in the first place.

There you have it. Complete and comprehensive dumbassery, contributing to a "score" from which newbies will draw a conclusion, probably mistaken, as to the quality of a beer.

And this is why I should never read beer reviews.

About that Harvest pork and beer dinner with NABC ...

"A cat will look down to a man. A dog will look up to a man. But a pig will look you straight in the eye and see his equal."
-- Winston Churchill

Tuesday night, Harvest Restaurant hosted a 4-course NABC beer dinner, with the  delectable theme being Chef Coby Ming's “snout-to-tail” pork dishes, sourced from Red Wattle hogs raised at Barr Farms.

See Colette Henderson's review at Louisville.com

I'll remember this farm-to-table-with-beer dinner because of its sheer excellence, both in concept and execution. There is something elemental about meat and beer, and in the current age, it is useful to recall the bulk of human history, wherein there was no squeamishness in the notion of eating the entirety of an animal and appreciating what it means to be carnivorous without the attendant hypocrisy.

Coby's beer pairings were spot on, too. When pork roast met Bonfire, palates in Munich undoubtedly started quivering.

Unfortunately for Harvest, there was an epidemic of last-minute cancelled reservations, the bane of restaurants on normal evenings and even worse when so much effort goes into a special event.

Ostensibly, these fair-weather cancellations arose from the imperative of viewing the U of L women play in the final game of the NCAA basketball tournament, although it is more likely the no-shows were suffering from the previous evening's celebrations after the men's team won its tournament, and probably didn't even know the women even had a team until it was mentioned on the men's telecast.

Either way, they missed it, didn't they? It's why we have words like "wanker."

They missed hog jowl scones, pretzel crostini, smoked rib jam, and an open-faced pastrami tongue & cheek Reuben as appetizers.

They missed posole, beer-brined head, trotters and hocks, hominy, toasted garlic-coriander broth, cabbage and grilled rapini, porchetta, baby salad greens, Blue Dog Bread crostini, pickled ramp relish and crispy ears.

They missed pork roast, boulangerie potato cake, crispy pork rillons, carbonnade jus, crispy sweet potatoes and a dessert of Old 15-B chocolate ganache truffle, torched malted marshmallow, sugar-spiced pork rinds and coffee gastrique.

The author shrugs. It only meant there was more for me. Harvest is a treasure, and you need to eat there.

NABC's beer dinner with Varanese, reviewed.

Colette Henderson reviews NABC's recent beer dinner(s) with Varanese.

Varanese First-Ever Beer Dinner Shouldn't Be the Last (Louisville.com)

This is why I enjoy participating in these kinds of dinners here in Louisville. While my body is privileged to gain sustenance from the feast in front of us, my soul benefits from breaking bread with new faces in my community. I count this as an important aspect of enjoying food. Even the most divine culinary projects experience a loss without the camaraderie of other eaters.

BSB review at indianabeergirl's blog.

Many thanks to indianabeergirl for visiting Bank Street Brewhouse, and for posting this fine review. She mentions Twenty Tap (now with 38 taps), which is a must-visit when in Indianapolis.

indianabeergirl's posterous: New Albanian Bank Street Brewhouse

Our local school switched to a balanced calendar this year, so for fall break we had two weeks off instead of two days. During the second week we decided to explore the fall beauty in southern Indiana. Since we were going to be so close to New Albany I insisted that we check out New Albanian Brewery. I've gotten to enjoy their Black and Bluegrass Saisson at Twenty Tap here in Indy (crisp, spicy, slight hop bite, fresh), so I was excited to check out their brewery and more of their beers. We stopped by the Bank Street Brewhouse on our way from Madison to Corydon. If you haven't been to New Albany lately they have a wonderful downtown that appears to be on an upswing with interesting looking shops and restaurants, along with all of the beautiful river town homes. I would love to have more time there to expore the town.

Shane reviews the Louis Le Français/Starlight Dist./NABC beer dinner on March 1.

Last week I bumped into Shane Campbell, a regular participant in the Louisville Restaurants Forum, at Bank Street Brewhouse over tasty pints of cask-conditioned Community Dark.

During the course of a long conversation, he mentioned that he'd penned a lengthy recap of the Louis Le Français/Starlight Dist./NABC beer dinner back on March 1, but thought it too long for posting at the forum. I offered to publish it at my NAC blog, and did so this weekend.

The story is in two parts, and you'll want to pay close attention to the pivotal role of pork belly in the narrative.

A Grand Pairing, Part One.

A Grand Pairing, Part Two.

Reduced in print.

On-line said 3 and 1/2. Print said 3. As it turns out, the higher score was a misprint.

3 1/2 stars for NABC Bank Street Brewhouse, says the Courier-Journal.

3 1/2 stars for NABC Bank Street Brewhouse, says the Courier-Journal.

We knew the Bank Street Brewhouse restaurant review was coming to the Saturday edition of the Louisville Courier-Journal, but we didn't know it would be posted on-line at Metromix a full day in advance.

The 3 1/2 star review begins with a description of downtown New Albany, then and now, and I wouldn't be human if I didn't say that it smells like vindication to me.

It's more than just a beer joint, by Marty Rosen.

All of a sudden, New Albany seems to have found its future. A sparkling new YMCA facility, long a centerpiece of the city’s development plans, is drawing throngs of people. And a downtown dining scene that was once best known for housing the diminutive burger joint Little Chef and the inexpensive enormity of the salt-laden meals at the old Southside Inn, has become a bona fide dining district, with enough diversity and quality to lure folks from all over the region.

Congratulations to Chef Lehman, GM Powell, staff and brewers. We're still not there yet, but we're getting closer each day. On-premise business has steadily improved, even without the outdoor seating that's so important to the business plan.

Our goal was 100 off-premise draft beer accounts after six months of draft beer distribution, and we're just about on time with it. You can find NABC beer at numerous establishments in Louisville and Southern Indiana, as well as in Munster, Indianapolis, Muncie, Zionsville, Madison and Evansville, among other Hoosier outposts.

We're hoping for a crazy weekend. Here's the link to Kylene Lloyd's BSB photo gallery in Metromix.

Bastille Day recap 2: Gallic pleasures at the Brewhouse.

Following is a submission from reader Amy Clere, who attended the Brewhouse's Bastille Day function. Thanks for the review, Amy -- it brings joy to the heart of this inveterate Europhile.

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Your Bastille Day extravaganza was a delightful surprise! Indeed, Roger, you’ve got the best-kept secret in New Albany. Thank you for hosting a Bastille Day dinner, and thanks for embracing so enthusiastically the glorious culture of France!

On those occasions when I’ve been in France on Bastille Day, I’ve gone to dinner with friends where we could watch les feux d’artifice (fireworks). Bastille Day in France is typically called le Quatorze Juillet (the Fourteenth of July), just as we refer to Independence Day as the Fourth of July.

Because I am less enthusiastic about beer than about all things French, I hadn’t yet visited your new Brewhouse and I see now that I’d been missing out! When Ed and I arrived there last night, we were most graciously greeted by both your waitress and the atmosphere you’ve managed to create out of what was once a local bread-box of a building. The décor is wonderful, the colors are warm and inviting, your set-up (the bar, your mini-bars around the room, and the congenial set up of tables) made it easy to socialize with friends…On top of that, we admired your brewing vats (visible behind the glass wall in back), and the terrific set-up with the garage doors. Ed and I could easily imagine how it would look arranged like a European café, with seats indoors and out on the nicely widened sidewalk in front. We also appreciated that it is an adaptive reuse of the building in a way that makes it a contributing part of our historic downtown.

And, oh, la, la….la gastronomie! (And Wow! The food!)

One look at the menu, and we knew that your Executive Chef Joshua Lehman had planned a treat we’d not soon forget. It was a difficult choice, actually, but after les Gougeres, I chose Pâté. It was very good, and I tasted some of the Vichyssoise (Ed’s choice), which was wonderful! After that, Ed had your favorite, the Cassoulet. I tasted this too, but liked even better the Quiche Lorraine (which was PERFECT!). Oh, how suddenly I felt I was back on la Rue de la Liberté in Dijon at my favorite café. When I lived and worked there (as a photojournalist), I would take my lunch hours—because, in France, you get two or three hours for lunch—and dine happily on Quiche Lorraine while watching passersby.

The cheeses were just right, and went very well with the beer I chose (La Choulette “Les Sans Culottes”), and the Mousse au Chocolat was tasty and pretty at the same time.

Chef Josh had done an exceptional job in his presentation of these tasty courses, and I tell you quite truthfully that I have not experienced such a delicious meal since the last time I visited France, in 2007! All was absolutely wonderful!

Add to all this the collection of Francophones you’d gathered together for this event, the willingness of our waitress to learn a French phrase or two (and she did well, too!), and the European travel stories shared by you, our host, and it was quite an evening on Bank Street!

Ed expressed what I’m trying to say in fewer, and better words: This was the most sophisticated meal we’ve EVER had in New Albany. Indeed, the meal was sophisticated without being pretentious, and it was French while appealing to the American palate.

Chef Josh came to our table and shared his daily lunch and dinner menus. Oh, la, la encore une fois (Wow once again)! For lunch, he offers Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame (traditional must-try lunch fare at French cafés), among other tasty treats (soups, salads, les Pommes Frites).

Dinners promise to be as delicious as our Bastille Day experience where he and Sous Chef Andrew Gunn offer small and large plate meals to tempt just about any palate. You can order Duck Confit , Mussels, Beef Short Ribs, Scallops, Pesto Lasagna, and Croque Madame. Chef Josh told us he occasionally makes the delicious, and now famous, dish, Ratatouille.

Needless to say, we’ll be going back soon! Roger, bonne continuation! That is to say that we hope you keep it up and we wish you the best!

Thanks again for celebrating le Quatorze Juillet!

Amy

Charlestown Pizza Company praised in today's C-J.

The last time we visited Charlestown Pizza Company roughly two weeks ago, I was tempted to have a season's last draft Bell's HopSlam, but refrained, leaving the liquid to be consumed by the Courier's free-lance reviewer ... who, in turn, gave Shawn and TJ great coverage.

All roads lead to Charlestown pizza; Town Square spot unpretentious, hip, by Marty Rosen (Courier-Journal).

Nah, it had nothing whatsoever to do with me. Kudos to the CPC for the missionary work in Clark County.

Bank Street Brewhouse in Velocity.

The reviewer mentions the evening menu, pictured below (scallops and flat iron steak). The evening menu is offered Thursday - Saturday.

Review: New Albanian Bank Street Brewhouse; The atmosphere is almost as good as the beer, by Josh Thomas (Velocity).

Great beer dinner at Stratto's last night.

Just a brief note to report that last evening’s winter-themed, comfort food beer dinner at Stratto’s was a real blast.

We’re two for two in this particular venue (one each in 2007 and 2008, with a third outdoor even last fall), and with two different chefs. Kudos go to Trevor Semones for organizing and Tish Dean for her representation from World Class Beverages.

Current chef Jerome Pope put together an excellent four-course meal, using stock ingredients from his kitchen, and thus keeping the price reasonable, rather than going whole hog at a higher price point. The result was a sell-out, and great cold weather cuisine: Bacon-wrapped scallops, beef stew, stuffed pork loin and bread pudding.

More people than I expected enjoyed the Hopslam-scallop pairing. The molasses really has come out in NABC’s Old Lightning Rod … and La Fin du Monde makes a fine opening palate tease.

Good work, all.

Mug Shots: The Year in Beer.

In case you missed my year-ending column in the Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO), here it is.

Mug Shots: The Year in Beer

During my most recent Year in Beer, there were things I didn’t do.

I forgot to try Miller Chill, neglected to spend money at any plasticized “chain” pub, eschewed watching the mountains turn blue on a Coors Light can and did not set foot inside Wal-Mart.

Idiocy avoided and purity intact, I had a wonderful year with beer around here.

Top 5 Style Components: Black (oily, roasted, bitter-chocolate-tinged Imperial Stouts); Sour (infected with noble intent, tart, renewing of palate); Archaic (funk, spontaneously fermented Belgian lambics are history in bottles); Smoked (carnivorous smoked amber lager screams out for pork dishes, Bavarian-style); and Bitter (“extreme” craft beers notwithstanding, you simply can’t cram enough hops into an American double IPA).

Top Beer Dinners and/or Food Pairings: Extreme Belgian at the late, lamented Bistro New Albany, and Culinary Costume of American Artisan Ales, a catered event at NABC’s Prost banquet room. Other memorable themed evenings were enjoyed at Caffe Classico, Stratto’s, L&N Bistro and Wine Bar, and Connor’s Place.

Local Brewery of the Year: Browning’s. Brewer Brian Reymiller’s She-Devil IPA and Bourbon Barrel Stout have Metro Louisville beer geeks gossiping. But remember this: All five of Louisville’s breweries are top-rate.

American Brewery of the Year: Jolly Pumpkin (Dexter, Mich.) — Belgo-French styles, sour and wood-aged, with Hawaiian label imagery, and not a pumpkin in sight. What’s not to love?

Best Beer Festival: Great Taste of the Midwest in Madison, Wisconsin. It’s a consumer- and brewer-friendly one-day bacchanalia held in the progressive capital city of a blue state. Sir, I’ll have another.

In Memoriam: The world of beer lost its greatest writer and foremost advocate when British journalist Michael Jackson passed away in August. Raise a glass to his memory; truly, he was the father of us all.

The Schlafly beer dinner at Louisville's L & N was mighty fine.

Tuesday evening’s Schlafly beer dinner at the L&N Wine Bar and Bistro in Louisville was well worth the trip across the Ohio on an incredibly warm November evening.

My wife Diana enjoyed a menu individually crafted to suit her vegetarian and lactose intolerant needs, and she remarked that it was brilliant. Memorably, her main course was a gigantic squash stuffed with rice and other goodies. I lost sight of her seated behind it.

Meanwhile, her cousin Jennie and I savored the marquee choices for omnivores.

The appetizer of scallop ceviche (with mushroom, avocado, ginger and fire roasted cherry tomato salad) had a pleasing sushi-like quality, and while this usually sends me scrambling for the hops, this time the citrus limeade flavor of the dish paired perfectly with Schlafly Hefeweizen’s "straight," clean wheat character.

I could have had a whole plate of the scallops … but I say that every time, don’t I?

Seafood bisque was paired with Schlafly’s English-accented Pale Ale, and it was a mellow call, though hardly daring.

The delicious main course was a thick, juicy coriander and cumin encrusted pork chop in a lager & mustard cream sauce, accompanied by braised granny smith apples and red cabbage. Succulent indeed, and the Germanic thrust of it proved a knockout with Schlafly Number 15, the brewery’s Dunkel Weizen. Jennie had fun trying to sort through the aromas of bubble gum and fruit, and Mitch Turner explained that the inspiration was Schneider’s Bavarian classic. Simply a mouthwatering match.

Another pairing choice was offered with the pork: Schlafly Dry Hopped American Pale Ale, which I saved it to cleanse the palate after the pork chop had been dispatched.

Dessert originally was billed as hazelnut ice cream, then became a truffle for the evening menu, and finally materialized as a rich chocolate cake paired with Schlafly Coffee Stout. Yet again, it was an appropriate flavor combo, even if I continue to prefer a beefier stout than that underpinning Schlafly’s version, which nonetheless has a wonderful coffee taste.

All in all, it was textbook stuff, and well worth the time and expense. The pairings were “spot on” although not as offbeat as those offered by the Creative Costume crew on October 29th. It was a great pleasure to chat with the Schlafly road warriors in the intimate confines of the L & N, which has a solid short beer list to go along with numerous wines by the glass, courtesy of the Cruvinet.

You haven’t been there yet?

Why not?

Tell Len and Nancy I sent you.

Bluegrass Brewing Company reviewed in Saturday's C-J.

Bluegrass Brewing Company (Shelbyville Road brewpub, not the Main & Clay micro) was reviewed in last Saturday’s Louisville Courier-Journal:

Bluegrass Brewing Company: Beer's world class; food, not so much, by Marty Rosen (Special to The Courier-Journal).

Only two stars? Marty’s thoughts prompted a discussion at the Louisville Restaurants Forum after host Robin Garr differed with the C-J free lancer’s take on BBC:

CJ on BBC: Five yard penalty for unnecessary roughness.

Throughout BBC’s 14-year history, there have been frequent changes in direction in the kitchen, and it seems to this writer that in recent years matters have settled into a comfortable pub grub groove – neither high cuisine nor Rally’s, but somewhere in the middle. Know that I have a deep respect for Marty’s skills and erudition, and note only that what is true in beer judging applies in this instance as well: One rates the beer based on what it is trying to be rather than what you want it to be (or wish it was).

Another Gravity Head review hits the Web.

Matt Dunn waxes poetic about this year's Gravity Head at New Albanian.

Some worts swallow light like a black hole. Others gather glasses and brewing implements in a clatter of near-wort orbit. It's hazardous for the brewer. Some get sucked right in. They have to wear special anti-gravity boots. And even then, well, even then it might be safer to stand on the deck of an Alaskan crab boat in a storm.

While you're at Indiana Beer to read Matt's fine piece, take a look around. Note that the ranks of Southern Indiana brewers is increasing, and don't miss Bob's roundup of the recent distilling conference in nearby Starlight:

The Columbus Bar (Power House Brewing).

Bob reports from the American Distilling Instute Conference.