Tomorrow, in a stunning overture of capitulation to the hated Jerries, Rochester’s Old Toad is holding a pairing dinner that matches German beers with German foods. Wisely, they turned to Yours Truly to host the event. Mostly because I own a German National Football Team jersey.

Anyway, we’ll be exploding the myth that all German beer is the same. Six beers feature on the menu, ranging in style from Hefeweizen to Doppelbock. Each beer is paired with a complimentary German food, courtesy of Swan Market.

I promise not to talk too much, or to wear leather pants. Or to take over Poland. What I will do is share some thoughts on my favorite beer styles, demonstrate that malt complexity can intrigue as much as hop nuance, and explain what I mean when I say ‘the problem with German food is you’re hungry again 10 days later.’

Tickets are $15, available at The Old Toad, or over the phone at 232-2626. The eventis Tuesday, 4/26, at 8pm. You should be very punctual. Like the Germans.

-Mark

I completely forgot to mention this, but indie brewing rockstar Garrett Oliver (from the Brooklyn Brewery) will be at the Finger Lakes Wine and Culinary Center this afternoon from 4:00 to 6:00 pm for a personal tasting and talk. Oliver will take you through a full food and beer pairing. Turnout should be small, so it’s a great chance to get your beer questions answered by one of the highest-profile brewers in the field. Details here.

-Mark

In a couple of hours (11:30 am) I’ll be heading over to Swan Market to join my friends for our traditional Saturday, uh, sausagefest. Naturally, this event is lubricated with  fine German beer.

It’s funny. You tell an American that you’ll be drinking beer before the hour of noon and they start planning your intervention, whereas in Europe, responsible consumption of what is essentially a foodstuff is part of the routine and joy of daily life. The traditional Bavarian meal of Weisswurst and Hefeweizen is consumed before noon as a matter of course and pride, born of a time when the highly perishable sausage needed to be served quickly.

Some traditions are worth attending to. Zwei Weiss, bitte, und Ein Fransiskaner vom Fass! 

Second thought 

 I dunno, I kinda feel like I overly harshed the High Falls Brewery in my last post over what basically amounts to an ad. They do a lot for the community and I choose their beer over any other American light lager. Like many regional breweries, the company has had a rough go of it over the past 30 years or so, and it’s not fair to fault them for positioning themselves to remain viable.

I guess it just seems, sometimes, that our hometown brewery has kind of abandoned us as small fry, and the brewery-consumer relationship is so different than in other cities where regional breweries are headquartered. For example, go to southern PA and see how passionate people are about Yuengling. The beer is everywhere and residents are proud of it, even though in composition it’s not wildly different from Genny. In Rochester, we don’t have that same sort of pride in our big brewer. High Falls doesn’t culturally dominate that part of our dining table.

Maybe this ad is the first step in a broader campaign to reach out to the town that built the company through the purchase of its beers. If so, I’ll happily drink my words. Well see.

-Mark

On February 27th at 7pm, The Old Toad will be hosting a beer and cheese pairing. Join plucky English wenches Lucy and Claire as they guide through their select assortment of artisan cheeses and accompanying craft beers. I have no idea what cheeses they’ll feature, but you can bet it ain’t cracker barrel.

(I like Cracker Barrel, and those pre-wrapped slices. They’re much better than your snobby cheeses. Signed, KROC)

Sorry. inside joke. Anyway, the pairing is probably going to sell out. I’d get my ticket early. The cost is $25 not including tip, you cheap bastards. Just call the Toad at 585.232.2626 and they’ll hook you up. If you’re really lucky, you can even sit with me.

-Mark