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| Montreal’s Flaveurs Takes Beer & Food to New Heights |
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| Written by Tony Forder | ||||||
| Thursday, 31 January 2008 | ||||||
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Flaveurs, Bieres et Caprices, was an ambitious effort by Mondial de la biere president Jeannine Marois to elevate beer to the next level in the city of Montreal.
Held at Le Windsor Nov. 29- Dec. 1, the event, which translates literally as Flavors — Beers and Whims, is really an extension of the spring’s Mondial de la biere festival which each year manages to up its standards. The last two years the festival has featured a special Soiree, a beer dinner, also held at Le Windsor, just up the road from the festival site, pairing beer with a 5-course, sit-down dinner. Marois, aided by Mondial GM Marie-Josee Lefebvre, enlisted the same dinner caterers for the Flaveurs event, chefs from the Hotel Queen Elizabeth, who created a smorgasbord of appetizer (bouchees) size dishes. Beers were studiously paired with each dish, and while tasters could make their own choices, suggestions were easily available from Flaveurs’ panel of experts. The inaugural Flaveurs had a heavy Italian accent — from the imported Prosciutto ham and Parmigiano and Pecorino cheese to pasta demonstrations and olive oil tastings. A variety of beer from half a dozen of Italy’s colorful new microbreweries was specially imported for the event. Quebec beers were much in evidence as well as some US and European guests. Attendees at the 4-hour sessions could stroll casually between two large rooms at Flaveurs, grazing, tasting and pairing to their heart’s content. Tasting workshops were ongoing and groups could enlist the help of an expert guide to help them navigate the stunning array of provisions. Several “Tasting Routes” were suggested: A Tutta Birra!, the Italian theme, started tasters off with a wild salmon kebab marinated in dill, with Te, a delicate beer infused with black Chinese tea from the Del Borgo brewery near Rome. A chestnut beer from the same brewery, or Fusca, a dark beer featuring five different malts from the B.A.B.B brewery in northern Italy was suggested for the imported Mortadella. And an amber ale or Chiostra, a beer made with Absinthe (Wormwood), from the Piccolo brewery, paired up with Piave DOP cheese. The Quebec Route found scallops in a blond beer emulsion paired with IPA du Lievre, or minced quail with orange peel with Blanche de Chambly. For the more adventurous, a roulade of emu with fig chutney matched with Fumisterie, a beer brewed with hemp seeds from Dieu du Ciel or Aventinus Eisbock from Schneider brewery in Germany, highlighted the “Extreme Route.” Kirsch cherry filled chocolate matched with 14.5% Bourbon Barrel Barleywine from Kuhnhenn in Michigan, or Dominus Vobiscum Dubbel from Quebec’s Microbrasserie Charlevoix. Four hours, 100 beers, 20 appetizers, hot and cold, cheese, ham, pasta, chocolates, as well as Italian wine and Quebec cider — what’s not to like, and all for $75. In terms of the food and beer pairings that were painstakingly prepared and the elegant location Le Windsor, Flaveurs was definitely a success. In terms of attendance, it was a little wanting. The organizers had arranged four sessions for the event; perhaps bad weather didn’t help but two would probably have been sufficient. Still Madame Marois was philosophical about the debut event. “At least the over 500 people that attended the event were very positive about their experience,” she said. While Marois says that some of her inspiration for the event came from ASN’s Ultimate Belgian Tasting, the high-end tasting format is a trend that is growing. The Brewers Association, hosts of the long-running Great American Beer Festival, has a similar event with a similar name — Savors — planned in Washington DC this May. Said Marois, “The Mondial de la biere has reached a popularity that makes some people say that the event is too busy for them. The goal is to satisfy these clients that want to spend more time talking with beer experts in a relaxed and high-end atmosphere while offering also a fine food experience. “In a way this new event is reflecting the Mondial de la biere mission even more: To enable beer to regain the noble image it deserves by giving participants a chance to taste beers from around the world, keeping in mind that they have to drink responsibly.” Flaveurs will be back for a re-match Nov. 14-15, 2008. The organizers have not yet decided which country will be highlighted.
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