Philosophy

Sustenance and Creativity

Beer is a simple pleasure in life. It is a celebration of taste, time, and agriculture. The American craft beer renaissance is an outpouring of real taste, historical perspective, and contemporary innovation. To me, beer is the ultimate combination of art, science, history, and culture; beer is timeless in its method, relevant in its appeal, and meaningful in its community

I became a professional brewer in 2004 to labor in an ancient trade of sustenance and creativity. On a daily basis, I witness the development of flavor and nuance in beer. My critical passion for beer led me to pass all three levels of examination from the Cicerone Certification Program®, and in 2010 I became the third Master Cicerone® in the world (there are now four of us). The accreditation certifies me as an excellent interpreter of palate and the ways in which beer develops and heightens a meaningful dining experience.

These are what I bring to the table: passion for quality, respect for authenticity, and a mission to enhance beer and food as partners in flavor.

A Glass at the Table

Beer draws upon a wide palette of flavors, bouquets, and mouthfeel, and these aspects can be used deftly to enhance food. For example, the caramelized and toasted barley malts in a brown ale can complement the toffeeish sear on a grilled pork chop; the hoppy, herbal, and mineral notes of a Belgian-style saison ale can tease out the vegetal and salty notes of a washed-rind cheese; the bright, citrusy bitterness of an India pale ale can contrast and cut through the heat and oil of Thai pad see ew.

The fruity and spicy esters, phenols, and fusel notes from different beer yeasts offer endless pairing opportunities, lending hints of everything from apple, banana, prune, and melon to clove, cinnamon, smoke, and leather. Beer can be used to soothe an overwhelmed palate and bring focus to a dish. Certain beers serve as savory apertifs or pleasant intermezzos, tempting a diner with tartness or minerality, or offering dryness and carbonation to cleanse and reinvigorate a tired palate.

Beer, with its many different styles, fits anywhere in a meal, able to offer amazing depth and robustness or to step in with terse, crisp simplicity.

A Beer for Every Food, a Food for Every Beer

The pairing of beer and food is an exploration of the partnership of agriculture, technique, and sensation. And there is no food or cuisine that beer is not comfortable with. There is a beer for every food, and a food for every beer.

At its humblest, beer is a food; at its loftiest, beer is an expression of culture. It is an art form that allows agriculture to be visceral, that allows heritage to be tasted. Beer is a cultivation of palate and purpose. And it tastes great, too.

Prost!
Rich