Six Years Of Columns & Beers Worth Celebrating

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”

― Marcel Proust

The French novelist said it well, and it is the season to be grateful! Like Proust, I am massively grateful for my wonderful family and eclectic groups of fantastic friends.

It also happens to be my six-year anniversary of writing this monthly column, and want to let you, the readers, know how grateful I am for your support and coming along on the ride all these years! I get so much joy from this “job.”

For you analytics folks, here’s some KBM stats and analytics I am grateful for:

Seventy two columns written and published in Halston Media newspapers and 42 establishments profiled. All columns go out electronically and the website tool I use shows international viewership across 39 countries: 14,000 domestic reads, 400 overseas (Ireland leads with 111 followed by Cayman Islands, France, Germany and Austria at about 30 each). Most viewed columns: Oktoberfest 2024 w/Nadine’s review, Ambleside British Pub Review, & Lasting Joy Brewery Review

Don’t worry, these internet breaking stats will not make me complacent! I strive to continue to provide enjoyable missives for the foreseeable future (trying to lock in my Halston Media contract with that last statement).

Thanksgiving: Of course Thanksgiving is a great time to connect with friends and family and share some wonderful food and drink, but it can also be environments where differing opinions are voiced. And, this year could also mean political differences from election results could make their way onto the agenda, potentially resulting in some tense vibes.

I don’t have a foolproof way of completely avoiding this, but I recall from our child rearing days that distractions go a long way.  

You’re reading a beer oriented column, so, shocker, I suggest a fine array of curated suds can be that necessary distraction. Better yet, pairing food choices with specific beers can be tame conversation starters on how well the pairings work.

Beer + Food Pairing Tips: We have covered the relatively loose Beer + Food tasting “guidelines” in prior columns, but here’s a refresher:

• The Brewer’s Association guidelines center on the “3 Cs”: using dominant flavors to Complement, Contrast and Cut. For more insight on these guidelines, I also connected with Em Sauter, an Advanced Cicerone (very difficult and highly regarded detailed beer+ knowledge certification) and Em’s latest book “Pairing Beer With Everything,” the definitive illustrated guide to pairings.

Complement is about finding harmonies or synergies. A very classic example is pairing darker brews with grilled meat. Both share a process that breaks down amino acids enabling Brown Ales, Stouts and Porters to play quite nicely with burgers, chicken, duck, pork, steak and even grilled vegetables!

Contrast involves creating a new sensation from two flavors to engage multiple parts of your palate at once (e.g. 1+1=3). This is evidenced when pairing your fave citrusy IPA with a spicy dish.

Cut is cleansing away flavors to bring your palate back to neutral by using one flavor to lessen another flavor. The carbonation of a Pilsner cuts the fat of a burger. Belgium beers’ effervescence wipes away any sort of rich, fatty food like a cheese on a charcuterie board or your favorite dessert.

Thanksgiving Beer + Food Pairing Examples

Em has kindly added insight into pairing choices, and I have recommended a few specific beers along the way.  

• Stuffing & US Brown Ale - Contrast/Complement - the sweet brown ale mingles with and contrasts the salty, fatty and bready stuffing. The toasty notes of the brown ale complements the toasty notes of the stuffing. Recommendation: Brooklyn Brown Ale

• Butternut Squash Soup & Dunkelweizen - Complement/Cut. The hearty squash soup gets a complementary spicy tone with the addition of a German Dunkelweizen, which is like drinking a glass of banana bread. The high carb also cleans (cuts) your palate after each bite. Recommendation: Erdinger Weissbier Dunkel or any dark Hefeweizen.

• Mashed Potato & Dark Mild - Contrast - the roasty, sweet Dark Mild notes contrast the salty mashed potato. The sweetness of this style can turn mashed potatoes into more of a dessert. Recommendation: anything with roasty notes and low abv

• Cranberry Sauce & Saison - Complement/Cut - If you ever wanted your cranberry sauce to feature more fruity flavors, add a complementary Saison. The high carbonation will wipe (cut) the sticky flavors from your mouth. Recommendation: Saison Dupont

• Green Bean Casserole & Munich Dunkel - Contrast - the salty and vegetable casserole will get a deep bread contrast tone thanks to drinking this toasty dark German lager style. Recommendation: Hacker-Pschorr Alt Munich Dark

• Turkey & Tripel - Cut/Contrast- the high carbonation and high alcohol will help clear (cut) the fat away, the fruit notes will contrast with the salty bird. Recommendation: Chimay White

• Apple / Pumpkin / Pecan Pie & Old Ale - Complement/Cut -The complement of the Old Ale caramel and toffee flavors will feel like you’re adding a rich syrup to this pie. The alcohol of these beers will help cut the sweetness. Recommendation: Arrogant Bastard Ale or anything malty-sweet forward and 6%+ abv

• Notable: There are myriad non-alcoholic options all with rich flavors. Check out Athletic Brewing’s lineup.

As we gather around our Thanksgiving tables this year, let’s celebrate not just the food and drink, but the wonderful people who make these moments special. Here’s to many more columns, many more interesting beers and many more shared experiences.

Cheers!

The Katonah Beer Man can be reached at TheKatonahBeerMan@gmail.com or visit thekatonahbeerman.wordpress.com. Please check out our friends at Vista Beverage, vistabeerandbeverage.com; 204 Oakridge Commons, South Salem; 914-533-7512.