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Ultimate Belgian Tasting is quite a name to live up to, but 400 satisfied customers couldn’t quibble as Ale Street News held its gala event to rave reviews at the Chelsea Art Museum March 24.
The museum’s galleries, featuring a show of paintings and sculptures by Belgian Didier Mahieu provided an elegant counterpoint to the more than 100 Belgian beers that were poured by the U.S.’s top importers. Waiters from Petite Abeille restaurants paraded a smorgasbord of hors d’oeuvres to pair with the liquid art.
ASN co-publishers Jack Babin and Tony Forder spent six months planning the event in conjunction with the Belgian Consulate General in New York. Consul General Renilde Loeckx, who hosted a special lunch for importers and brewers at her residence, welcomed the well-heeled audience.
"The success last Friday was overwhelming," said Mrs. Loeckx after the event. "So many people had put in so much effort and it paid off! I felt a deep, earthy link of friendship between Belgians and Americans that day."
Beer guru Michael Jackson was also in attendance. He cited the sold-out event as evidence that New York "has finally become a good beer town." And he encouraged Belgian brewers to maintain their beer culture, but not rest on their laurels.
Several new-wave Belgian beers were highlighted at the event including a 10-liter keg of Houblon Chouffe hand-carried from the recent Zythos Festival in St. Niklaas, Belgium by importer Matthias Neidhart.
Brewer Hildegard Van Ostaden of Urthel was in town with her husband Bas to pour their own hoppy brew Urthel Hopit, while Luc Callebaut of Brasserie des Rocs presented Triple Imperiale, a dark triple brewed for the U.S. market only.
Van Ostaden and Callebaut were among a group of Belgian brewers who traveled to the event at the invitation of Flanders and Wallonian trade commissioners Jurgen Marschand and Gerard Seghers. Manu de Landtsheer of Malheur; Karl Verhaeghe, of Brewery Verhaeghe and Stefaan Soetemans of Musketier Brewery rounded out the group.
Supplementing the Belgian offerings were a handful of American brewers including Rob Tod of Allagash, Garrett Oliver, and Sam Merritt of Brooklyn Brewery, Kelly Taylor of Heartland Brewery and Spencer Niebuhr of Southampton Publick House.
ASN’s own Tim "The Brewchef" Schafer was on hand supplementing the fare with succulent beer-braised pork sandwiches and his signature brown ale meatballs. Chocolates from Leonidas and cheese from Chimay expanded the tasting spectrum. Matt "DJ Stockbizzy" Sciacca provided musical ambiance.
Belgian beer fans came from far and wide for the event — Philadelphia, Baltimore, Connecticut and upstate New York.
Chris Ryan was part of a group that hailed from the Golden Rail Pub in Newburgh, NY "We had a great time that night," he said. "I would say that without a doubt, it was a huge hit with everyone that attended. Anyone I talked to who wasn’t there realized they missed out in a big way!"
ASN’s Jack Babin said plans are already in the works for the next tasting. "It was our mission to present the beers, products and more importantly culture of Belgium with the class that it deserves.
"The museum setting, with Belgian art and the finest Belgian beers, food, chocolates and cheeses, while having dignitaries from Belgium with us to meet the guests resulted in the most elegant U.S. presentation to date of this wonderful country, its products and its people. It was truly a magical evening for all."
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