Summer Wine Brewing Co. Tasting Room SWBTap: International IPA Day

Sunday, 7 August 2011

International IPA Day Feast at The Dean Swift, London.

So, August the 4th took us to the Dean Swift, London, in our capacity as the European host brewers of International IPA Day. Planned over the previous few weeks, Max Chater (Manager & Host of the Dean Swift) Momo Medi (Head Chef) & Rick Furzer (Food & Drink Blogger) got together to plan a stunning evening of IPA & food matching.

Before I go into some detail about this truly memorable evening I'd ask you to watch this two minute video montage so you can get a feel for the spirit of the evening & gauge what dizzy heights food & beer matching CAN reach.

The Dean Swift International IPA Day Feast Menu

1st Course
Type: Black IPA
Food: Toulouse sausage scotch egg
Beer: The Kernel India Pale Ale Black (keg), BrewDog Abstrakt AB:06

2nd Course
Type: Canned IPA
Food: Calamari with sweet chilli sauce, timbale of avocado and crayfish
Beer: BrewDog Punk IPA, Maui Big Swell

3rd Course
Type: Centennial IIPA Resurrection
Food: Grilled goats cheese and roasted peppers
Beer: Kernel Centennial #100, Centennial 2010

4th Course
Type: IPA and Spice?
Food: Tandoori Chicken with Cauliflower Velouté
Beer: Stone Brewing Co. Ruination

5th Course
Type: Draught IPA: UK vs. US
Food: Lamb Mechoui
Beer: Summer Wine Brewery Kahuna, Stone Brewing Co. IPA, Sierra Nevada Torpedo, Great Divide Titan

6th Course
Type: Dessert IPA
Food: Raspberry and limoncello jelly tartlet
Beer: Mikkeller Sorachi Ace

7th Course
Type: Quadruple IPA, Freeze Distilled.
Food: Aged goats cheese, Vintage Gouda, Monastery Cheddar
Beer: Sink The Bismarck!

The Fresh fruity IPA's were perfect with Seafood.


You simply haven't had a Scotch Egg until you've had Momo's Toulouse Scotch Egg.

Toby & James discuss the subtleties of the canned IPA's.

The whole beer & food movement has been gaining momentum lately & with it being International IPA Day what better opportunity to demonstrate beers extreme diversity of flavours ability to gel with amazing foods.

The most amazing thing about the night was that the beers & food courses were matched supremely well by Max, Momo & Rick & it was clear a lot of thought & time went into developing the menu.

Max Chater is a natural host, Momo is an incredibly talented Chef & Rick is a pure glutton with an amazing palette, marrying their skills together produced an amazing menu.

Andy & James talk about the British Brewing Scene.

If we are to establish beer as a legitimate beverage to match with food then these guys have a the recipe sown up. I believe we will see more events like this in particular at Dean Swift as I know Max has plans to do much more around this fascinating concept.

I'd like to extend our gratitude to Phil Strongman, Max Chater & James Watt for their incredible generosity on this truly memorable evening, also the guys from The Kernel, Toby & Nate. Rick Furzer, Peter Millar, James Bendall & Patrik Strandberg for making it such a pleasure.

Haven't visited the Dean Swift? You really must as this place has an extremely bright future & a crucial role to play in establishing food & beer matching in the UK.

The night was capped off with stunning hard cheeses with Sink The Bismarck & Black Tokyo Horizon.

Now if you'd like to read the detail of how each course married up get over to Rick Furzers fantastic new blog 'Gastroturf' Rick is very talented & without a doubt has a great future in this area.

This was just one highlight of our trip to London, I'll be blogging about the other delights in due course.

Thursday, 7 July 2011

Announcing International #IPADay August 4th!

INTERNATIONAL CELEBRATION OF IPA, IPA DAY 4th AUGUST

We are humbled to have been chosen as the sole European Host Brewery for this event:-

Announcing International #IPADay: A Social Celebration of Craft Beer

Attention all craft beer evangelists, brewers, bloggers, and suds-savvy citizens! On Thursday, August 4^th 2011, you are cordially invited to participate in the largest international craft beer celebration and virtual conversation the world has ever seen.

International #IPADay is a grassroots movement to unite the voices of craft beer enthusiasts, bloggers, and brewers worldwide through social media. On Thursday August 4^th, craft beer drinkers across the social sphere and across the globe will raise pints in a collective toast to one of craft beer’s most iconic styles: the India Pale Ale. This celebrated style represents the pinnacle of brewing innovation with its broad spectrum of diverse brands, subcategories, and regional flavor variations – making it the perfect style to galvanize craft beer’s social voice.

#IPADay is not the brainchild of a corporate marketing machine, nor is it meant to serve any particular beer brand. #IPADay is opportunity for breweries, bloggers, businesses and consumers to connect and share their love of craft beer. Getting involved is easy; the only requirements are an appreciation for great beer and the will to spread the word. Anyone can participate by enjoying IPA with friends, making some noise online with the #IPADay hashtag, and showing the world that craft beer is more than a trend!

http://ipaday.eventbrite.com/

OFFICIAL #IPDAY LOGO

Tips on How to Take Part:

1. Organize an #IPADay event at your brewery, brewpub, restaurant, bar, home, or office (Ex: An IPA dinner/cheese pairing/comparative or educational tasting/cask night/tap takeover…). Share your events on the official #IPADay forum at http://www.ratebeer.com.

2. On August 4th, share your photos, videos, blog posts, tasting notes, recipes, and thoughts with the world. Be sure to include the #IPADay hashtag in your posts Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WordPress, RateBeer, Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp, Untappd or any other social media site.

3. See what other people are saying by searching “#IPADay” on Google, search.twitter.com, et cetera…

4. Track down your favorite IPA’s, ones you’ve been meaning to try, and ones you’ve never heard of; share them with friends and share your thoughts with the world.

5. Have a good time and know that by sharing your experiences online, you’re strengthening the craft beer community at large.

We have managed to team up with some of the UK's top craft beer outlets, The Port Street Beer House, Manchester, The Free Trade Inn, Newcastle, The Rake, London, The Southampton Arms, London, The Dean Swift, London, Mr Foleys, & Northbar, Leeds ... To run #IPADay events, mini fests, live blogging, tastings & more! Also being the week of The Great British Beer Festival what could tie in better with the UK's largest beer festival than a day dedicated to the world's most loved beer style!

You are encouraged to share links, blog & tweet about the event & above all use all types social media to promote International IPA Day on August 4th. The twitter hashtag is #IPADay.