Las Vegas Bartender Captures U.S. Draught Master Title, Heads to Belgium for Finals
LAS VEGAS (Mar. 4, 2009) – It’s a competition that starts with a “Purification,” includes a “Sacrifice,” “Beheading” and “Judgment; and for Las Vegas bartender Greg Black, it ended with a “Championship.” A bartender since 1997, Black, best mastered the nine-step Belgian beer pouring ritual Tuesday night to win the Stella Artois Draught Master Competition held at Lavo Nightclub.
Black will now represent the U.S. against more than 30 other countries at the World Draught Master Competition in Leuven, Belgium this October.
“Cracking open a can or popping the cap off a bottle is easy, but preparing a beer following the strict standards of the Belgian Pouring Ritual takes a lot more care and attention to detail,” said Black. “At the Draught Master Competition you know every step of the pouring ritual will be highly scrutinized. To be named champion and able to represent the U.S. in Belgium is incredible.”
The Draught Master Competition recognizes the best bartenders for their ability to adhere to the Belgian Pouring Ritual – a nine-step process that includes “purifying” the glassware; “sacrificing” the first beer poured and “beheading” the beer for the perfect head of foam. The timed competition took place in front of a panel of four judges as well as a large audience of consumers and industry experts.
Judges graded the competitors on their ability to pour a perfect glass of Stella Artois and Hoegaarden from draught. Competitors also were judged on how well they opened, poured and served bottles of Stella Artois, Hoegaarden and Leffe Blonde. Judges were looking for the perfect pour as well as a showcase of skills, style and personality.
“The Belgians have mastered the art of the perfect pour, which not only ensures the utmost enjoyment of the beer, but also showcases the pouring process itself,” said competition judge Cian Hickey, vice president of draught, Anheuser-Busch InBev. “The pouring skills on display in Las Vegas Tuesday were near perfection and would make any Belgian beer drinker proud. The strong competition also will prepare the U.S. champion to take on the best from around the globe at the World Draught Master finals.”
Each bartender in the competition was carefully selected by Anheuser-Busch representatives as well as the local wholesaler. The bartenders were chosen based on their ability to pour and present Stella Artois, Hoegaarden and Leffe perfectly using the traditional nine-step Belgian pouring ritual.
In 2008, U.S. champion Anthony Alba finished fourth in the World Draught Master finals. It was the highest finish for an American since 2005 when Jessica Waltz took first.
Stella Artois is a classic Belgian lager, golden in color with exceptional clarity and a spicy hop character. Hoegaarden is the Original Belgian White Beer, featuring a unique, refreshing flavor and spicy nose. Leffe Blonde is an authentic and respected Belgian “Abbey” beer, a category almost exclusive to Belgium. Stella Artois is 5.2 percent ABV; Hoegaarden is 4.9 percent ABV; Leffe Blonde is 6.6 percent ABV. All are brewed in Belgium.
Based in St. Louis, AnheuserBusch is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.5 percent share of U.S. beer sales. The company brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. AnheuserBusch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico’s leading brewer. Anheuser-Busch ranked No. 1 among beverage companies in FORTUNE Magazine’s Most Admired Global Companies list in 2009. AnheuserBusch 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. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the leading global brewer, and continues to operate under the Anheuser-Busch name and logo. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.
A modern ale is commonly defined by the strain of yeast used and the fermenting temperature. Ales are normally brewed with top-fermenting yeasts though a number of British brewers, including Fullers and Weltons, use ale yeast strains that have less-pronounced top-fermentation characteristics. The important distinction for ales is that they are fermented at higher temperatures and thus ferment more quickly than lagers.
Ale is typically fermented at temperatures between 15 and 24°C (60 and 75°F). At these temperatures, yeast produces significant amounts of esters and other secondary flavour and aroma products, and the result is often a beer with slightly “fruity” compounds resembling apple, pear, pineapple, banana, plum, or prune, among others. Typically ales have a sweeter, fuller body than lagers.
Real ale is the term coined by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) in 1973 for “beer brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide“. It is applied both to bottle conditioned and cask conditioned beers.Ale typically takes 3 to 4 weeks to make, although some varieties can take as long as 4 months. The Sumerians are attributed with discovering beer in around 3000 BCE. They made ales in a shorter time than we do now because they did not add any hops. Lagers take a lot longer than ales to make and tend to be less sweet.
pale ale
pale ale
American-style amber ale. Budweiser American Ale defines a new styleof ale – The American Ale - with a robust taste that’s full-bodied, but not too heavy or too bitter. Carefully brewed with the highest quality American ingredients, this rich, ambercolored, all-malt ale delivers a satisfying bold taste with a bright hoppy finish. It’s an ale that’s distinctly American in character.
Initial citrus and slight green hop aromas in the nose from the Cascade dry hop are balanced by caramel and slight toasted malt flavor and aromas. Balanced and full-bodied but not overpowering, with a savory finish. Brewed with caramel malted barley from America’s Heartland for a beautiful, rich amber color and sweet malt character and dry-hopped with Cascade hops from the Pacific Northwest for a noticeably citrus aroma, Budweiser American Ale achieves the perfect balance of rounded malt and hop flavor.
Did you ever drink a Guinness and wonder how that little Nitro Widget thingy works?
A can of beer is pressurised by adding liquid nitrogen, which vaporises and expands in volume after the can is sealed, forcing gas and beer into the widget’s hollow interior through a tiny hole—the less beer the better for subsequent head quality. In addition, some nitrogen dissolves in the beer which also contains dissolved carbon dioxide.
The presence of dissolved nitrogen allows smaller bubbles to be formed with consequent greater creaminess of the subsequent head. This is because the smaller bubbles need a higher internal pressure to balance the greater surface tension, which is inversely proportional to the radius of the bubbles. Achieving this higher pressure would not be possible with just dissolved carbon dioxide, as the greater solubility of this gas compared to nitrogen would create an unacceptably large head.
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1 tablespoon of chile powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon crushed coriander
1 3 1/2- to 4-pound whole chicken
1 12-ounce can of beer
Combine the chile powder, sugar, salt, and spices. Read the rest of this entry »
Ingredients
1 12 oz can light Beer
1 1/2 cups Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Paprika
1 cup Flour
Directions
Pour the beer into a large bowl. Sift the flour, salt, and paprika into the beer, whisking until the batter is light and frothy. (The batter may be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, but be sure to whisk it occasionally). Heat at least 2 inches of oil in a frying kettle or electric fryer. Just before it reaches 375F, quickly dredge the shrimp with flour, shaking of excess then dip in the beer batter, coating well, and drop them into the hot fat (do this in 2 batches). When they are brown on one side - less than 1 minute - turn and brown them on the other side. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with lemon wedges.
Tags: beer, beerbatter, cooking, seafood
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