Kick the Quality up a Notch for Football Parties

Business Wire, Dec 17, 2007

Craft Beers and "Small Plates" Are Hottest Restaurant Trends In the U.S.

The Question is: Will This Craze Reach Home Chefs in 2008?

BOSTON -- In 2007, restaurants around the country reported increased demand for high quality, craft brewed beers, according to a chef survey published recently by the National Restaurant Association. The study also cites another craze sweeping our nation's restaurants: "small plates". The question for 2008 is this: will these trends inspire the home chef as well?

The brewers at Samuel Adams hope so, and in fact, they are helping the movement along, not only by brewing 21 different styles of craft beer, but by a partnership the brewery has with nationally celebrated Chef David Burke of New York's davidburke & donatella. Together, they plan to end the year with a bang by providing some ideas that are ideal for upcoming TV gatherings.

With the college bowl games spread over a ten day period this year, more football fans will be hosting parties at home, and Chef Burke is suggesting recipes that are easy to prepare and that give people great, high quality food that's a step up from the standard "football fare."

"The trend towards 'small plates' in restaurants is going wild," said Chef Burke, who owns restaurants in New York City, New Jersey, Chicago and Las Vegas. "People love sampling, and there's no reason home cooks can't produce delicious small plates for hungry football fans. Diners are looking for variety, not just for one big bowl of chili. Classics like seafood dip, chili and chips are very easy to improve."

For this year's parties, Chef Burke has provided small plate recipes for his signature Cheese "Burker" Sliders made with Samuel Adams Brown Ale and two dumpling recipes, Chicken & Jack Cheese Dumplings with Samuel Adams Black Lager and Shrimp, Shiitake & Ginger Dumplings with Samuel Adams Brown Ale. For home chefs looking to kick up their chili recipes, try Chef Burke's recipes for Samuel Adams Boston Lager Beef Chili or Chicken Cherry Wheat Chili.

"Football fare is often fairly spicy, which means that it pairs exceptionally well with beer," Chef Burke continued. "I love craft beer, and in my restaurants I love pairing food with Samuel Adams[R] beers." Burke has maintained a partnership with Samuel Adams for more than two years, and he says he not only likes pairing beer and food, but he likes using Samuel Adams beers as a recipe ingredient.

Founder and Samuel Adams Brewer Jim Koch points out that beer is also a versatile ingredient that easily adds a variety of spices and flavors to simple recipes.

"Like many guys, I shy away from recipes that have a lot of steps, and I've found that substituting beer for another ingredient can vastly improve flavors," Koch said. "Think about it, the brewer has already created a nice 'spice package' for you that's very adaptable as a marinade or an ingredient. For example, I use my Samuel Adams Cream Stout instead of milk when I make chocolate cake. It's easy enough to marinate shellfish or fin fish in Boston Ale before it's grilled. It makes a big difference."

Samuel Adams pioneered the craft beer revolution in the mid-1980s, and then several years later began educating chefs and consumers alike that wine is not the only beverage that pairs well with food. During 2007, Samuel Adams presented dozens of beer and food pairing dinners all over the country, many of which were under the direction of Chef David Burke.

Jim Koch also noted that food & wine pairing stems from the French, and French food pairs very nicely with wines. "But when you move towards the equator or go 'south of the border', foods get spicier and hotter, and this is really where beer provides a valuable service," Koch observed. "Beer's carbonation cuts through some of the spice of the Mediterranean, Indian and Asian cuisines and complements those dishes particularly well."

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THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY BACKGROUND:

The Boston Beer Company began in 1984 with a generations-old family recipe that founder and brewer Jim Koch uncovered in his father's attic. After bringing the recipe to life in his kitchen, Jim brought it to bars in Boston with the belief that drinkers would appreciate a complex, full-flavored beer, brewed fresh in America. That beer was Samuel Adams Boston Lager([R]), and it helped catalyze what became known as the American craft beer revolution.

Today, the Company brews more than 21 styles of beer. The Company uses the traditional four-vessel brewing process and often takes extra steps like dry-hopping and a secondary fermentation known as krausening. It passionately pursues the development of new styles and the perfection of its classic beers by constantly searching for the world's finest ingredients. While resurrecting traditional brewing methods, the Company has earned a reputation as a pioneer in another revolution, the "extreme beer" movement, where it seeks to challenge drinkers' perceptions of what beer can be. The Boston Beer Company strives to elevate the image of American craft beer by entering festivals and competitions the world over, and in the past five years it has won more awards in international beer competitions than any other brewery in the world. The Company remains independent, and brewing quality beer remains its single focus. While Samuel Adams is the country's largest-selling craft beer, it accounts for only about one-half of one percent of the U.S. beer market. For more information, please visit www.samueladams.com.