(JAN 31, 2012)–A bi-coastal bet was made between two of the nation’s leading craft brewers before the NFL NFC Championship game, and now it’s time to pay up.

John Dannerbeck, president of Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco, and Steve Hindy, president of Brooklyn Brewery in New York, agreed to pour beer from the winning brewery and outfit their own brewery’s tour staff in jerseys from the opposing team for a week should their team lose in the battle between the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants for the NFC title.

The Giants were the winners in a tightly contested overtime game, so Anchor brewing staff will wear Giants jerseys and pour samples of Brooklyn’s Sorachi Ace beer during tours of its San Francisco brewery Monday, January 30 through Friday, February 3.

“The Niners played a great game but the Giants came out on top, so we’ll stand by our word,” said Dannerbeck. ”We’ll be pouring beer from Brooklyn Brewery and wearing the Giants’ colors this week, but don’t worry, our Niners will be back next year and we’ll be hoping for a chance to even the score.”

“We hope our friends in San Francisco enjoy the Brooklyn Sorachi Ace. Let’s hope for a rematch in 2013,” said Brooklyn Brewery President Steve Hindy.

Public tastings of Brooklyn Beer will not be available during this time, as Anchor tours are available by advance reservation only. Unfortunately, all tours are full this week, but you may call the brewery directly at 415.863.8350 to inquire about any cancellations.

Want to get a look at Anchor Brewing staff wearing the “Big Blue” colors? Connect with the breweries online:

Anchor Brewing
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/anchorbrewing
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/anchorbrewing

The Brooklyn Brewery
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thebrooklynbrewery
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/brooklynbrewery

NAPA, Calif. — World-famous winemaker Michel Rolland built his reputation by working wonders in the cellar. Now he’s doing miracles of a different sort by turning his South African wine into water for Ethiopians in desperate need.

A crisis of epic proportions is unfolding in Ethiopia, where every day millions struggle for their very lives due to drought and contaminated water. Recognizing this urgent need and the critical role that water plays in the production of fine wine, Michel Rolland has partnered with CNN Hero Doc Hendley, founder of Wine To Water, and Montesquieu Wines, a California winery and importer, on a special project – the Bonne Nouvelle, a wine from the land of Africa, for the people of Africa.

The 2003 Bonne Nouvelle, Michel’s signature Cabernet blend from Stellenbosch, is aptly named: it means “good news” in French. Proceeds will go directly to Wine To Water to dig deep bore wells in the Dale region of Southern Ethiopia, where 6 out of 10 people lack access to clean water, causing life-threatening diseases to run rampant. The project’s initial goal is to raise $40,000 – enough to fund four wells, providing permanent water access for over 8,000 people. The Bonne Nouvelle is available at www.winetowaterstore.com, where wine lovers can learn how they can save a life with each bottle they drink.

Montesquieu Wines’ founder Fonda Hopkins, who works separately with Michel Rolland and Doc Hendley on several other projects, brought them together to forge this partnership. “Michel and Doc come from completely different backgrounds,” observes Hopkins. “But both men are so passionate about life and committed to excellence that this project came together as a natural fit.” Montesquieu is facilitating the partnership by importing and distributing the wine at no charge.

Hendley, whose organization has provided water to approximately 100,000 people in twelve countries, says, “It’s wonderful to see some of the top players in the wine community step up to the plate to make such a difference.” In 2009, Hendley was named a CNN Top 10 Hero for his work. He is currently touring the nation discussing his new book Wine to Water: A Bartender’s Quest to Bring Clean Water to the World, published by Penguin.

For more details, please visit www.winetowater.org or www.montesquieu.com.

This photo comes to us from Mutineer Photography Henchman Phil Jimcosky and features Clear Creek Distillery Pear Eau De Vie from Portland, Oregon. To get the pear inside of the bottle, the pear is actually grown inside of the bottle in their orchards, before being filled with their pear eau de vie. This practice of growing pears in the bottle is traditional in Alsace where pear brandy has been made for hundreds of years.

To view more of Phil’s photography that features food, beverage and beyond, visit his blog Food Aperture.

Do you have a photo you’d like considered for the Fine Beverage Photo Blog? Email us at [email protected]!

Cochon 555 – five chefs, five pigs, five winemakers – is a one-of-a-kind traveling culinary competition and tasting event to promote sustainable farming of heritage breed pigs. The Napa event challenges five local chefs to prepare a menu created from heritage breed pigs, nose-to-tail, for an audience of pork-loving epicureans. On Sunday January 29, Cochon 555 will invade the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, CA for a night of pure pig deliciousness.

2012 Napa competing chefs include Chris L’Hommedieu of Michael Mina San Francisco, Lars Kronmark of Culinary Institute of America, Michael Tuohy of Dean & Deluca, Mark Dommen of One Market Restaurant and the 2011 King and Queen of Porc – Duskie Estes + John Stewart of zazu restaurant + farm.

Guests will be treated to an epic pork feast with wines from five different small wineries, including Elk Cove Vineyards, Scholium Project, Behrens Family Winery, Wind Gap Wines and Matthiasson plus a special tasting of SALDO.

At the end of the night, attendees and local judges will select the Prince or Princess of Porc. The winning chef will compete against other regional winners at the finale Grand Cochon event at the FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen, June 17, 2012.

Interested in purchasing tickets? Visit this website here.

Include the hashtag #cochonnapa on tweets about the event.

Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc., the country’s largest independent family-owned and operated spirits producer and marketer, announces the release of Evan Williams Cinnamon Reserve Kentucky Liqueur, a new product that marries extra-aged Evan Williams Bourbon with natural hot cinnamon flavor. Bottled at 70 proof and available in both a 750ml and 50ml size, Evan Williams Cinnamon Reserve will be shipping nationally in February at a suggested retail price of $14.99 for the 750ml bottle.

“The launch of Evan Williams Honey and Cherry Reserve has exceeded our expectations,” stated Assistant Brand Manager Hannah Venhoff. “Given the strength of the Evan Williams brand franchise and the proven success of the flavored Bourbon sub-category, we believe it is the perfect time in which to launch Evan Williams Cinnamon Reserve. And with a very approachable price point and a full range of retail and on-premise marketing materials available, we are expecting this brand launch to be red-hot!”

Full Sail Top Sail Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Porter
The newest batch of Full Sail’s very limited bourbon barrel-aged beer is set for release on February 1st. Top Sail Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Porter has been aging in oak bourbon barrels deep in the brewery’s cellar for an entire year.

Elysian Idiot Sauvin
Elysian Brewing Company is planning to make brewing life a little more challenging by kicking off its IPA Specialty Series in February of 2012 with Idiot Sauvin, an IPA both fiercely fruity and floral, made with New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops. The beer has appeared before only at Elysian’s pubs, and will be issued in both 22 oz bottles and draft.

Karl Strauss 23rd Anniversary Old Ale
The 23rd Anniversary Old Ale was aged for 12 months in American oak barrels and is the first Karl Strauss barrel-aged beer to be offered unblended. It’s loaded with complex layers of toffee, molasses, dried figs, and toasted oak. A pronounced warming bourbon flavor contributes to the beer’s 12.2% alcohol content—making this strong ale an ideal after dinner sipper or accompaniment to desserts like bread pudding.

Weyerbacher Riserva 2011
This year’s batch is perfectly carbonated, more full-bodied than any in the past and nicely tart as a sour beer should be! Riserva is an 11.7% abv amber ale, fermented with wild yeast and red raspberries.

Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name…

And other times, you want to go to a smart gastropub with a crowd of well-dressed peers and a massive selection of really good beer.

SmithHouse Tap & Grill opened in August 2011, by Curtis NySmith and Top Chef all-star Angelo Sosa. With the exposed brick and low, swooping arches, this place could easily be something far more lofty and less approachable. But in this case, the elegant interior comes across as comfortable and warm – the perfect setting for happy hours and get-togethers with good friends to…

wait for it…

wait for it…

Pour your own beer, tableside, from one of the restaurant’s five built-in taps.

Yes, LA is in the middle of an explosive beer Renaissance, and you can’t swing a wilty hop without hitting a new gastropub or beer bar. But SmithHouse stands out not only for its hefty 120 beer offering, but also in their dedication to serving these beers the way they were meant to be served. They boast six different temperature lines and different pressurizations, so each draft comes the way God or, (more likely), some monk, somewhere, intended.

And what is a gastropub without the grub? SmithHouse’s food is solid, if mostly dressed-up bar food. Their tuna pastrami is fresh with good spice, the onion rings are very onion ringy. They have the requisite chicken fingers, chili, wings, dips. There are a few Asian dishes, including a dumpling appetizer, banh mi and a few rice bowls. You won’t go wrong ordering any of the burgers – the cheddar crunch burger actually tastes like Fritos! – Their proprietary cheddar disc is almost exactly like a perfectly round hard tortilla shell. Kinda nifty. I didn’t bother trying a salad, because anyone who orders a dinner salad at a bar is a d-bag…

But the real winner and must-try is the beer fondue. I like to think of myself as a pretty classy dame, but I had to fight the urge to run my fingers along the inside of the bowl and lick each digit clean. It’s this creamy/salty concoction, with a kick of spiciness at the end. It’s served with a side of three soft pretzels (but, based on empirical research, tastes good on almost everything – especially french fries). On the menu, they say the fondue is infused with Harp’s Pale Ale to “bring out the salty/sweet flavor of the cheese;” I felt the beer actually brought out a savory, nutty quality, and dialed the cheese’s lactic sweetness down a notch or two. I invite you to try it and see for yourself…

SmithHouse – come for the beer, stay for the beer fondue. Or come for the beer fondue and stay for the beer… Either way, come: Your tableside tap is waiting.

Every year I make cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. This year on a lark I decided to use 21st Amendment Fireside Chat in the recipe with delicious results. I tweeted a rather ugly photo of my yummy breakfast (it looked like Jabba the Hut) and the next thing I knew 21st Amendment, at 110F (do this in the microwave at 15 second increments) was tweeting me back asking me to post the recipe. I had been thinking about saving it for something else, but who am I to keep this to myself, so here it is.

The idea to make one giant cinnamon roll was born out of my obsession not only to create a seriously gooey roll, but out of my love for cinnamon roll French toast which is something seriously lacking on California breakfast menus. Although I didn’t have the restraint to turn this into cinnamon roll French toast, I am positive that this giant roll would work fabulously in that application. I digress.

I really love the Fireside Chat in this. It is a really delightful winter brew nuanced and rich with spices, brown sugar and cacao that really adds an interesting element to the cinnamon roll. Since it is a seasonal brew, it will probably be out of stores soon, but you still might be able to find it. If you can’t find it try using another dark ale with undertones of caramel, cocoa and winter spice.

On another note, I just started tweeting about food and beverage under the name @hungrymutineer. It would be awesome if you joined the conversation.

Giant Fireside Chat Cinnamon Roll

• 1 cup Fireside Chat by 21st Amendment, at 110F (do this in the microwave at 15 second increments)
• 1 tsp. yeast
• 5 TBS. brown sugar
• 8 TBS. butter, melted and cooled + 8 TBS. more for the filling
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. fine sea salt
• 4 c. flour + a bit more for the board during kneading

Measure out all of your ingredients. Take the warm Fireside Chat (or some other equally delicious dark brew) and add in the yeast and 1 TBS. of the brown sugar and proof the yeast in a medium bowl. The beer will foam up a bit at first, so be sure to use a bowl that can accommodate it. Allow this to sit at room temperature while you assemble the other ingredients.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the brown sugar and butter mixing until they are well combined before adding in the egg and yeast mixture. Slowly mix in the flour, using dough hooks if necessary. Turn out the dough on a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes adding flour as needed. Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover and raise in a warm part of the kitchen for 90 minutes.

At this time, prepare the filling (listed below).

Thoroughly grease an 8 or 9 inch baking pan.

Turn the dough out onto your floured cutting board and punch down. Form the dough into a smallish square and slice the dough into 3 even pieces. Set 2 aside and roll out the first piece to be around 5 inches wide and two feet long. Spread some filling on this strip, roll it up and place it in the baking pan. Roll out the other two and spread with the filling in the same fashion, then wrap them around the first roll, thus creating one giant cinnamon roll to rule them all.

If you are making this the day before, stop, cover the dish with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Remove the pan from the fridge two hours ahead to bring it to room temperature before proceeding.

Raise the dough in a warm place for about 30 minutes or so.

Bake the giant cinnamon roll at 325F for 45 minutes or until the roll is golden. Top with Fireside Chat glaze, slice and serve.

Filling

• 1/4 c. cinnamon
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 8 TBS. butter

Warm the butter in the microwave, remove and stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside until needed.

Glaze

• 1/2 c. Fireside Chat
• 1/4 c. water
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• pinch sea salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

Combine your ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a low boil. Cook the glaze down about a third of the way and cool partially before pouring over the cinnamon roll. Be careful with this stuff, when hot it can really hurt.