Good news..the Battle of Belgium is March 7-10 from 6-8 pm at Kahn's North Willow, 2342 W. 86th Street. In our quest to make the Battle of Belgium the best event it can be, we've decided to add a Beerocracy Raffle at the end of every Battle of Belgium round (around 7:30pm). . More Battle of Belgium info here.
Download the Battle of Belgium Bracket here.
What is Beerocracy? Beerocracy is a Kahnoisseur's Klub member benefit where members are entered into a raffle for the chance to purchase rare and hard-to-find beers. See what rare gems K Klub Members purchased at the Beerocracy Kickoff Tasting here. The Kahnoisseur's Klub costs members just $10 a year and is loaded with benefits including: Beerocracy, a VIP Tete de Cuvee Room at our Champagne and Shopping event, Discounts on all Food and Accessories...and more. Learn more about the Kahnoisseur's Klub.
The Battle of Belgium Beerocracy Raffle Schedule:
March 7: Goose Island Bourbon County (2 btl lot), Samuel Adams Infinium, Mikkeller 1000 IBU, Ommegang Gnomegang, Bell's Batch 10,000
March 8: Three Floyds Behemoth, Del Borgo Duchessic, Dogfish Head Olde School, Goose Island Bourbon County (2 bottle lot)
March 9: Goose Island Bramble, Dogfish Head My Antonia, Boulevard Chocolate Ale 2010, Founder's Backwoods Bastard 2011
March 10: Goose Island Coffee, Founder's Imperial Stout (2 bottle lot), Bruery Three French Hens, Founder's Nemesis
If you already know about the Battle of Belgium and just need your bracket, here it is: Download the Battle of Belgium 2012 Bracket here.
If you're new to the Battle of Belgium, we promise that it will be an unforgettable beer experience. The Battle of Belgium is a 4 day, 32 beer single elimination blind taste-off where customer votes determine the King of Belgian Beer! Last year's champion was St. Bernardus Abt 12 and as the overall #1 seed in 2012, we think there's at least a decent chance for it to repeat, but just like last year, we'll let the tastings decide...
Battle of Belgium Bracket Challenge:
How to Play: First, pick up a bracket at any Kahn’s location or Download the Battle of Belgium 2012 Bracket here. Fill out your Battle of Belgium bracket by selecting the beers you think will advance and eventually win. Brackets must be turned in by March 7th at 6:00 pm to any Kahn's location. Points are awarded for each correct pick and will be equal to the round number, i.e. Round 1 = 1pt, Round 2 = 2pt, etc...The person with the most total points will be anointed the Baron(ess) of Brew and will win an outstanding prize. Follow Kahn’s on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/KahnsFineWines and Twitter @ Beer_at_Kahns for round by round updates.
The Tastings: Initial matchups are based on seeding. All matchups will be conducted blind. At the tastings, customers vote for their favorite beer in each matchup, and the beer with the most votes will advance to the next round. In the event of a tie, a Kahn’s staff member will break the tie by tasting and voting for their preferred beer in the tied matchup. At the end of each day, brown bags will be removed and the beers will be revealed. In the event of a tie in the final round, the winner will be the beer with the greatest number of votes throughout the tournament.
For K-Klub Members: Every Battle of Belgium round will have also have a Beerocracy raffle, where K Klub members will have the chance to purchase beers from our Beerocracy Stockpile. Click for Info about Beerocracy. Only Kahnoisseur's Klub members can enjoy the Beerocracy Benefit, so if you want to have the chance to purchase rare and hard-to-find beers at the Battle of Belgium, then make sure to join the K-Klub. Click for Other Great Reasons to Join the Kahnoisseur's Klub!
The week of the 2011 Big Ten Championship football game was a big one at Kahn’s Downtown, as college-level light beer tolerance and extensive tailgating drove sales to near store-record highs. Game day itself was quite a spectacle, with increasingly jolly groups of sports fans returning two and three times to top off. Empty boxes stacking up. Lines at both registers, all day. That kind of thing. By the time the dust settled, more customers than ever before had walked through our doors: 450. Wow! What amazing traffic!
The above is an example of something I’ll call “Pre-Super Bowl Perspective.” It’s where you think you’ve seen a) crowds b) eye-dropping alcohol consumption c) a certain level of crazy d) anything at all. But you haven’t, really. On the Thursday before the big game, a cool 617 folks made purchases here (“cool” is not an insignificant word, here. It connotes the attitude one must take when the former redline becomes the new warm-up). It was going to be a ridiculous weekend.
The Bud Light Marketing Committee did Kahn's a favor by setting the price for Bud Light aluminum bottles at $7 Ludicrous! We could have easily charged $7, but $3 was a fair price for America's most popular light macrobrew. We figued that if we charged fair prices, then revelers would find their way into Kahn's downtown again and again.
Well, it worked. We were slammed, inundated, engulfed, etc. The revelers began streaming in just past noon and only stopped after we literally shut the door in their faces. Speaking of faces, new ones became regulars in the course of an afternoon (though I spent most of my time recognizing these through the doors of the beer cooler, which I stocked relentlessly, and not fast enough). Discarded cardboard filled every available nook, a one-in-for-every-one-out line had to be marshaled at the front door, a mountain of bottles had to be swept from the entryway, and in the end we found ourselves entirely out of everything Bud-Miller-Coors.
There’d been 1500 customers in one day, and that number does not account for the many groups of 3 and 5 and even more who threw in together. It all seemed a bit post-apocalyptic, late Friday night. But following a few emergency beer orders we came back Saturday and did it all again. Needless to say, there has never been anything like it and probably never will be. At least until Indianapolis gets on the regular rotation for the Super Bowl (I’d vote for it!).
Oh yeah, and those $3 Bud Lights. We ordered an absurd quantity and sold it all. Over 130 15-bottle cases in two days, which if you do the math adds up to a fairly rousing success for both Kahn’s and Anheuser-Busch.
I heard the Village did all right too, considering.
Valentine’s Day can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be, especially if you roll up your sleeves and cook dinner for your Valentine. We think this is such a great idea that we hunted down some tasty, easy to prepare recipes and paired 'em with wines we know you'll love. If you've never had a great food and wine pairing, then please try at least one of these!
Recipe 1: Grilled Steak with herbed butter
Red: Cabernet Sauvignon, esp. California. Check out Caymus, but make sure to decant it for around two hours.
White: California Chardonnay. Try Cakebread Chardonnay Reserve. You’ll be shocked how well a full-bodied oaky California Chardonnay works with butter sauces, even when there's red meat involved.
Recipe 2: Mini Pork Rack with Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans
Red: Pinot Noir or Red Burgundy. For Burgundy, try Bertrand Ambroise Aries, it's elegant with a touch of earth. For California Pinot Noir, try Donum, a big, mouth-filling Pinot from Carneros.
White: California Chardonnay or Riesling. Try Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay or Leitz Rudesheim Roseneck Riesling Spätlese. The Leitz is an absolute rockstar Riesling that will just break your heart.
Recipe 3: Chicken Scallopini
Red: New World Pinot Noir. Try Donum or Caitec.
White: White Burgundy or Sauvignon Blanc. For the Burgundy, try Moreau Chassagne Montrachet Champs Gain . For the Sauvignon Blanc, try Thomas La Crele Sancerre. The Burgundy will work with the sauce's richness, while the Sauvignon Blanc will contrast it.
Recipe 4 Garlic Basil Shrimp with Tomatoes
Red: Not recommended.
White: Sauvignon Blanc or Sparkling Wine. For the Sauvignon Blanc, try Thomas La Crele Sancerre. The Sancerre will work some zesty magic with the tomatoes and the basil. For the Sparkling wine, try Henriot Brut Souverain. The Champagne will work beautifully with the shrimp’s delicate flavor and will tie it in with the basil and tomatoes.
Recipe 5: Oven Poached Salmon a la Paige with Dill, Vidalia Onion and Cucumber Relish
Red: Pinot Noir. Try Donum or Caitec. Pinot Noir is a classic pairing with Salmon.
White: White Burgundy or Sauvignon Blanc. For the Burg, try Manciat Petite Bruyeres Pouilly Fuisse. For the Sauvignon Blanc, check out the Paul Thomas Sancerre Les Comtesses. The Sancerre will be magnificent with the relish.
If you need help with other food and wine pairings, just email me at todd@kahnsfinewines.com. I’m happy to help. Just tell me what you’re cooking and whether you want white or red.
Cheers!
e-mail
permalink
comments (0)
Kahn’s Khronicle
Email Newletter