Lumber Barons Beer Class
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Rex Halfpenny, Publisher MI Beer Guide, address's the January Beer Studies crowd
Lumberbarons Owner Art Dore discusses the new appetizers with Chef Mike Sheskey and Penny Warner
Beer Studies 501, as it is referred to at Lumber Barons and from Program MC and Michigan Beer Guide Publisher Rex Halfpenny, is held the third Tuesday of every month upstairs in the banquet room at Lumber Barons.
"Umami" Halfpenny shouted into the microphone, "is the fifth flavor or deliciousness otherwise thought of as savoriness that complements the four standard flavors of beer you can taste, saltiness, sweetness, bitterness, and the fourth sourness," he added as he warmed up the crowd of just over 100 in attendance at the January tasting.
Part tasting, part education seminar, part social event, part ode to the nectar of the Gods... it is all-good.
For the usual price of $13.00 which is a huge value, the beer nuts in attendance chose any one pint of brewer Marty Rapnicki's specialties on tap.
Then, just after seven o'clock, the food is brought out for all to devour. Then the seven featured specialty brews are delivered, one by one, to each table with an informative recompense of their origin and what it is best paired with.
It may not seem like much in a quick sentence but your palate is left piqued and satiated by the end of the affair.
This is no beer and peanuts night out.
Halfpenny and the staff at Lumber Barons meticulously choose beer pairings or entrées that are best suited to a particular style of beer that is featured or in January's case. Exotic cheeses that pair with Rapnicki's brew-pub beers are also carefully chosen.
Although it is a beer studies seminar, sometimes the food or pairings take the spotlight as they did during the January studies.
No offense Marty, but we can get your beers any day of the month.
Recently hired Chef Mike Sheskey was premiering some of his new menu appetizers for the first time in addition to picking the artisan cheeses that paired with the brews.
Sheskey's appetizers received rave reviews throughout the room.
One odd sounding, and maybe even odder looking, but incredibly tasty offering that is on the new appetizer menu was the Scotch Eggs. "A breaded deep fried hard boiled egg" was the lay-man's description from beer lover Teal Bruce before the food was served.
I was savoring my loaded plate of Scotch Eggs, Smoked Chicken and Artichoke Dip, chicken wings and Chicharrones de Pollo bites (chicken morsels marinated in spices and dark rum) with fresh lime and Sriacha chili sauce a couple spoons of mustard, when chef Mike walked up.
He fortunately knew someone at my table and came up to say hello. This afforded me the opportunity to ask him what made his artichoke dip so good.
"It's the smoked chicken grilled right here and the three cheeses Monteray, Parmesan and cream cheese," was his excited reply.
(Ask a chef about his or her food and they will bristle at the chance to talk about their creations.)
Next I had to ask him if the Scotch Eggs were really pheasant eggs, as I heard at my table?
"No...no just regular chicken eggs but they're the smaller ones . . . then we pack'em with ground sausage and chives, salt and pepper'em, bread'em then fry them, then we have our Rowdy Rouge IPA Mustard for dip'n'em in," was his animated response. "Ninety-percent of what we serve is made fresh in house," he added before moving on to the next table.
Up till then, I dipped my chicken wings into the mustard I slathered onto my plate but once I plowed a quartered Scotch Egg though it, I knew they were a perfect match. I washed it down with a generous swig of their Doppelbock for a harmonious taste-bud bath of flavors.
The first round of LB Light and buffalo Milk Cheese was starting to be delivered by a cadre of LB staff.
The staff is very efficient in their attempts to deliver 700 beer and cheese samples quickly to all the tables and if they miss any, Rex is sure to see that everyone gets their samples as he wailed over the address system, "We need cheese...we need cheese over here," and then continued with his beer lingo once the missed table had their cheese.
(MyBayCity Photo by Kevin Leahy)
This is serious business for the Publisher of the Michigan Beer Guide as he is a coordinator of the regional Beer Judging Certification Program which basically means he teaches national beer judges how to judge beer.
He is an interesting purveyor of "everything beer" - from its origin to how long a particular style has been brewed and how it's made.
After the Kash Kaval Sheep's Milk with LB's ESB . . . then Comte with LB's Brown . . . came one of the crowd favorites, Birch wood aged Feta from Greece with LB's Belgian Harvest...WOW.
The flavors are almost battling for attention, then they level off, then you want to try more. Or in the words of Halfpenney when concluding his "beer talk" and discussing the flavor levels of the pairings . . . "They held up to each other and complemented one another."
Kathleen Bruce had this to say after the final sample of Cahill Porter (Cheddar) and LB's Stout was served, "I can't believe for thirteen dollars you get all those great beers, good food...and an education."
Next month's Beer Studies 501 tasting will be held February 19th and will be slightly more expensive due to the style and price of Belgian beers, especially the Saison variety that will be featured.
Due to the rare specialty beers and similarly BIG Belgian food pairings being provided early reservations are highly encouraged and appreciated by calling Lumber Barons at 989-891-0100.
See ya there.
Enjoying their samples are Teal Bruce, Regi Parsons, Scot Mckinnon, Sue Snaghag, Kathleen Bruce and Deb Gatza.
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