Anthony Bourdain to bring Guts & Glory tour to Jacksonville tomorrow night

In the world of culinary super heroes there is one man who, through his snarky remarks and laid back attitude, has risen to the pinnacle of his craft. That stellar, unabashedly frank titan is none other than Anthony Bourdain who will be appearing at the Jacksonville Times-Union Center April 25 as part of the Artist Series. Bourdain will storm into town with his Guts & Glory tour to regale attendees with stories of his adventures on the road that are sure to be heavily dosed with his trademark caustic humor.

Bourdain made a name for himself with his best-selling books such as Kitchen Confidential and Medium Raw. In them he reveals the shocking details of what really goes on behind the kitchen doors in hilarious and often sneeringly blunt style. His success has lead him to star in the Emmy Award-winning Travel Channel programs No Reservations and The Layover as well as host of The Taste, a cooking competion series on CBS. His writing has appeared in such luminous publications as The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Times of London, as well as the Harvard Business Review.

But, lest you think food is Bourdain’s only love, you need only watch several episodes of his television programs. Beer is a staple on the tables Bourdain sits at and with the company he keeps. Episodes that highlight his love for all things malt and hops include No Reservations’ Prague episode and The Layover’s Dublin installment. Bourdain has even famously got into a little hot water when he commented on the pulling of Dogfish Head founder Sam Calgione’s Discovery Channel television show Brewmasters.

The popular and superb San Marco Dining District is proud to be the Official Restaurant Sponsor of Bourdain’s show and is providing a dazzling selection of appetizers for the sold-out VIP reception. In addition to the show, attendees can expect a slew of merchandise including copies of Bourdain’s books provided by The Bookmark, the show’s Official Bookstore Sponsor. The Omni Jacksonville serves as the show’s Official Hotel Sponsor.

Great seats are still available for the Guts& Glory tour ranging from $40.00-$75.00, at the Artist Series Box Office between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., at (904) 442-BWAY (2929) and online at http://www.artistseriesjax.org.

 

Beaches Summer Fest 2012 a rousing success

On Saturday, Sept. 15, the Beaches Summer Fest 2012 took place on a perfect late summer night complete with cool breezes and wonderful company. As mentioned in the preview article on the event last week, beer people are innately generous and the organizers of this great event are no exceptions. Proceeds from the event benefitted the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and based on mere observation, it looks like the charity can expect a rather large contribution.

The event showcased a virtual who’s who of the Jacksonville brewing scene. There were breweries, vendors, distributors, and beer celebrities all in attendance.

All five local Jacksonville breweries were represented at the event including:

Intuition Ale Works with their I-10 IPA and Triad Belgian-style Tripple

Pinglehead Brewing with Landslide Double IPA and Moon Dance Oatmeal Stout

Bold City Brewing with 1901 Red Ale and Rhino Rye Pale Ale

Green Room Brewing with Pablo Beach Pale Ale and Cherry Key Lime Wit

Engine 15 with Old Battle Axe and JamMin Jasmine Saison

But local breweries were not the only breweries in attendance. Also present were Swamp Head Brewery from Gainesville, St. Somewhere Brewing from Tarpon Springs, and the new kid on the block Three Palms Brewing from Tampa. Another fine brew being poured at the event by Eric Jankowski of Micro Man Distributors was Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat.

While beer is always a major draw at these events, the food at this one was nothing less than spectacular as well. There was truly something for everyone ranging from fine cheeses presented by Grassroots Natural Market to sinful desserts created by Alley Cakes. Highlights included fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs with chipotle-strawberry barbecue sauce from The Perfect pair Catering Company, The Tree Hugger hummus wrap from On the Fly Sandwiches & Stuff, and Gator Burgoo from Brewer’s Pizza. Also providing food for the event was Ocean 60 Restaurant who brought Grouper Ceviche.

Another aspect of the evening was the adventurous and toe-tapping sounds of Firewater Tent Revival. On their Facebook page, the band describes itself as, “Punk rockers gone rogue. Now we are a knee slapping beer drinking good time band. We play eclectic bluegrass and old country drinking songs.” They certainly had the room jumping. And for those looking for mellower sounds the duo of Paxton and Mike entertained folks on the outdoor deck with their acoustic stylings.

The event also featured an impressive array of items up for silent auction including an extremely rare 11.5 ounce bottle of Westvleteren 12 Trappist Ale that, at last look, was going for $100. Other items included beer company mirrors and signs, a Long Board branded bicycle and surfboard, gift baskets, experiences, and impressive artwork.

And if all of the beer, food, music, and auction items were not enough to keep you entertained, the evening also provided a prime opportunity to see and be seen with Jacksonville’s brew-centric glitterati. Among that group flitting from table to table was the social butterfly Regina Heffington, the Jax Brew Bitch herself. Also spotted was Michael Payne of the soon-to-be-opened Aardwolf Brewing Company, Steve Rushe owner of Beer Junto, and Ed Stansel of the Times-Union’s Amber Waves beer blog. Susan and John Miller of Bold City Brewing were also spotted roaming the event as was Mark Stillman and Eric Lumen of Green Room Brewing. Bob Sylvester of St. Somewhere made the trek to the event as well, to pour his outstanding Belgian-influenced brews as did Randy Reaver of Three Palms from Tampa.

But, though the event was by all accounts one of the most well-conceived and executed beer events in the area and, judging by the smiles of others and personal experience, a complete and utter blast, it is important to remember that there was a mission behind the celebration. That mission was to raise funds to fight the debilitating disease, muscular dystrophy. To that end Jamie Gillis, one of the event organizers, speaking on behalf of the Beaches Summer Fest Team of 8, said that the event had garnered an, “estimated $18,500 and counting.” This estimate came as of Tuesday, Sept. 18 with contributions still coming in.

Worth noting is that all of the vendors, distributors, caterers, and musicians donated their time to the event. Even the Courtyard by Marriott, at which the event was held, donated its facilities to the cause. This means that every dollar that came in to the event will make its way to the MDA for them to use in their search for a cure with nothing held out and no one to pay.

Keep abreast of plans for next year’s event by following the Beaches Summer Fest page on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/beachessummerfest. You may also continue to make contributions to the cause by going to: http://www2.mda.org/2012beachessummerfest.

Related articles

• Beaches Summer Fest set to heat up Jax Beach for MDA (sprbrewcrew.wordpress.com)

 

Red Robin serves up an Oktoberfest beer milkshake

When thoughts turn to a cold frosty one, most think of a beer, but to Donna Ruch, master mixologist at the Red Robin Gourmet Burgers restaurant chain it could mean a beer spiked milkshake. The new concoction was launched this week to commemorate Oktoberfest along with several other items themed for the yearly German festival that celebrates everything beer.

In a story on the Fox News website, Ruch says, “Nothing says Oktoberfest better than a beer, so I incorporated the fun spirit of Red Robin into this innovative milkshake.” The milkshake is a mixture of Samuel Adams Octoberfest beer, vanilla ice cream, vanilla syrup, and caramel sauce.

Other Oktoberfest-themed dishes from the chain include pretzel bites with beer cheese and beer mustard and an Oktoberfest Burger served on a pretzel bun with beer mustard, Swiss cheese, onions, ham, and lettuce.

But, Red Robin’s shake is not the only foray beer has made into ice cream. In 2006 ice cream wizards Ben and Jerry’s introduced a flavor named Black & Tan and based on the beer drink of the same name. The flavor combined non-alcoholic cream stout, swirled with chocolate ice cream, and topped with a foamy stout ice cream head. The flavor was pulled after it was discovered Irish-Americans found the name offensive because it was shared by a group of British ex-servicemen renowned for their brutality during the Irish War of Independence.

Another Ben & Jerry’s flavor, Duff & D’oh!Nuts was produced only for the premier of The Simpsons Movie in 2007. The flavor combined chocolate and cream stout ice cream with chunks of glazed chocolate donuts. It was only available at the premiere on the movie in Springfield, Vt., and in Scoop Shops the night before the DVD release.

Another restaurant chain that serves beer spiked milkshakes is TGI Friday’s. The sweet beer shake uses vanilla ice cream, Guinness Stout, chocolate syrup, and chocolate shavings in its recipe. And movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse offers a Pecan Porter milkshake that sends some movie patrons to heaven.

Related articles

• Now Blending in L.A.: Wine Milkshakes! (laist.com)
• Spike Your Sweets: Beer Ice Cream Floats (brit.co)
• Red Robin (Yum) now offering milkshakes made with Sam Adams Octoberfest (Yum?) [Interesting] (fark.com)

 

Bubba Burger Grill breaks loose some unbelievable beer specials

Summertime is typically when you find backyard grills lit and burgers sizzling away over the flames. The guys are sitting around the grill laughing and sharing cold beers out of a cooler chock full of ice. Inside mom is busily slicing tomatoes, rinsing lettuce, and preparing coleslaw or potato salad. That romantic image is what the makers of grills and barbecue condiments around the world want you to have. It sells an ideal summer to the gullible masses. The reality of a backyard cookout is more often than not, a dirty grill that must be scraped before it is useable, oppressive heat that causes sweat to roll down your face and into your eyes, billows of choking smoke blowing into your face, and voracious bugs biting and stinging the grumpy fellow with the spatula.

The Bubba Burger Grill restaurant at Baymeadows Road and the east 295 Beltway wants to take you away from all that aggravation and end make getting a great burger and ice cold beer a little easier on you and your wallet. Starting tomorrow you can roll on over in the air-conditioned comfort of your car and enjoy special prices on food and drink.

And when they say specials on drinks, they really mean it. With a new emphasis on local and craft beers, the great folks over at Bubba Burger Grill Baymeadows are offering pitchers – that’s right pitchers – of craft beer for only $7! To make it even better, they are now serving Intuition Ale Works brews. They are also offering all bottled brews for the astounding price of just $2! And, for those you prefer a little tequila with their burgers; pitchers of margaritas are only $6.

You may know the name Bubba Burger from the frozen hamburger patties of the same name in the freezers at your grocery store. Bubba Burger Grill is a division of the same company and do the cooking for you with awesome specialties burgers and sides like the Chuckwagon, the Hellfire Bubba, and parmesan truffle fries. And, if you are feeling particularly adventurous, try the Bubba Dippers; thick cut, hickory smoked bacon strips fried to perfection served with Bubba Burger Grill’s proprietary Maple Mallow dipping sauce. It sounds absurd, but the sweetness of the sauce and salty smokiness of the bacon is a match made in heaven.

The drink specials begin tomorrow, July 20 at the Baymeadows Bubba Burger Grill location only. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

 

Beery Treats for Your Best Friend

Beer is a social beverage. Sure, there are those who prefer to drink alone, but for most sharing a beer after work or on the weekend with friends is a ritual they cherish. And now, even if your friends are not available for a night at the local brew pub, you can still share a brew with your best friend – sort of.

Baking Under the Influence, or BUI to the hip and in-the-know, just announced today that is is offering freshly baked dog treats made from the spent grain of Intuition Ale Works. Baking Under the Influence is a local business that bakes a variety of goods including cup cakes with beer or other alcoholic beverages as an ingredient.  The dog treats are made from a recipe with are made from the spent grain, peanut butter, flour, bananas, and eggs. Hops are definitely not in the treats as they are toxic to dogs.

Violet Olds-Skinner, co-owner of BUI, said, “We made them because I always thought it’d be fun to do something for the dogs knowing that the spent grain is usable and good for them…  Making dog treats is something I’ve always wanted to do and what better way to do it than with the beer byproduct!”

OldS-Skinner says that she plans to sell the treats at the King Street Farmers market beginning tomorrow, June 6. The treat will also be available at Park Street Paws later and perhaps even at the brewery. If the treats catch on, BUI would like to create versions from the spent grains at the other breweries in the area. Named for Olds-Skinner’s rescue dog, Clementine, the treats have been tested and approved by their namesake.

Related articles

• What to do with Spent Beer Grain: Great Recipes on Tap! (johannaelsemore.com)
• Anheuser-Busch Finds A Better Use For Its Beer By-Products (fastcoexist.com)