Wine is wine, and beer is… Champagne?
DeuS. Malheur Brut Cuvée Royale. Trum Diamond Beer. Estrella Damm Inedit. Weihenstephan / Samuel Adams Infinium,…( I might have added the Mikkeller Noma Novel, but not having tasted that one, judgment must be suspended). Now, ring a bell, the above brews? Did you taste them? And… did you like them? REALLY?
Whatever, I didn’t for one. Mind, the marks given (on Ratebeer, I mean), might show some variation, but in general, they were at the lower side. Certainly considering the status these beers enjoy, or at least, that their creators aspired for them. Not to mention the sometimes vertiginous price tags attached.
What is wrong then, with those beers, in my opinion? Did their brewers somehow forgot all their expertise, and were they just muddling on? Hard to believe, no, certainly with the stakes involved? Yet, they present a common mistake, one suggested by a century of indoctrination.
There is little doubt that international cuisine, and certainly haute cuisine is heavily influenced (for putting it mildly) by the rules, established by the French chefs, hailing all the way from Escoffier onwards. To be honest, I’ll be the last to renounce the delights of French cuisine, but there remain some things that I prefer to see my own way.
You certainly are familiar with one of those basic rules: the one concerning foodpairing; meaning, white dry wine for fish, red wine with meat, sweet white for dessert. UNLESS – unless you serve Champagne. Because if you do, you start pouring the bubbly bottles from the hors d’æuvres until the sweet end, barring maybe the pousse-café . Nice ‘n easy, isn’t it?
Well, think again. First of all, I’m not all that bowled over by Champagne. Admittedly, I still have to try the Rolls-Royce amongst them (Krug, for not giving unpaid advertisement), but still, I’ve had a couple in my life. In fact, I’m willing to state it’s probably the worlds’ most overrated drink. One that seems designed to please vintners, sommeliers and restaurant holders (not to forget pimps and F1-racers) all over the world, and make it an easier place – for them. In fact, I prefer a good Côte de Nuits with my steak and even a modest Muscadet with my Sole Normande. In short, I do not subscribe to the omniprevalence of the Reimser liquid.
But it would appear the brewers do. Now, that is pretty remarkable, as they agree wholeheartedly (the last decade, that is), with us beertasters and beerjournalists, that the broad spectrum of beer, in flavours, textures and characteristics, makes it so much more versatile than wine, when it comes to foodpairing.
Yet, what did all above brewers aspire to? To create a beer that does exactly the same ( and hence nothing more) than the bubbly. To create a beer that is so neutral, it will accommodate itself to all flavours. Put like that, admit that it sounds pretty silly, no?
Take, as a perfect example, the Voll-Damm Inedit. Aimed at the tables of El Bulli, the Number One in international innovative cuisine (until the fads decided for Noma), what did the combined forces of Ferran Adrià and Catalunya’s major brewery come up with? With a Belgian wit clone (in itself not exactly the top style in beer), that in its own genre isn’t even very good. I fear for the Noma one, but then again, maybe the insight of Mikkel Bergsø might save the day, sorry, the beer.
Serving Champagne is an easy solution, and a lucrative one. Creating a beer that must reflect this drink, is sheer folly. Beer isn’t Champagne, beer isn’t wine, beer is BEER. And thank the gods for that. I want variation, AND character. None of the above beers show a lot of either.
In the list I started with, there are some omissions. Oh, I might have forgotten some, or I might not know some, and there might even be a few that do show some punch. But there is one, obvious, deliberate omission. The same brewery that makes the Cuvée Royale, also makes a beer it calls Dark Brut. Bursting with chocolatey, fruity, woody, nutty flavours and alcoholic depth, it shines (darkly) above the pale rabble. Why? Because it has its own character, and makes no inroads to please the crowds. Pour one for my cheese platter, will you?
Joris Pattyn
July 2011
