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...

The Battle of Belgium is March 7-10 from 6-8pm at Kahn's North Willow, 2342 W. 86th Street.

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!

Beer Dinner #1

The Oceanaire Seafood Room

Wednesday, May 25th

We were fortunate enough to be invited to a four course dinner hosted by World Class Beverages last month at the The Oceanaire Indianapolis. We paired two beers with each course. My three colleagues along with myself had a fantastic night that not only captured our sense of sight, but surprised and excited the palate. The pairings also offered enticing aromas that exploded from our glasses and plates while constantly perfuming the air throughout the event.

Reception Beers: Grolsch and Brooklyn Brewing Summer Ale were the two beers that we were welcomed with as we arrived. It was a particularly muggy day outside and both of these beers were a refreshing treat as we walked out of the unseasonably warm spring air.

First Course: Ahi Tuna Poke with Crispy Wontons, Cucumbers & Wasabi Emulsion

Beers Paired: Blue Moon Grand Cru/Three Floyd’s Rabbid Rabbit

This course was all about elegance and refinement. The tuna was incredibly fresh and delicate. The wonton added some interesting crunch to contrast the silky smooth texture of the thinly sliced cucumber. And then there was the wasabi emulsion, which kicked everything up a notch. The beers for this course were on the lighter end of the color spectrum, but still possessed some weight on the palate. The Blue Moon Grand Cru was from 2009 and showed some age on it. It seemed to be an Imperial Belgian Wit that had some orange and coriander aromas along with its softly rounded malt driven mouth feel. Three Floyd’s Rabid Rabbit is a Franco-Belgian style Farmhouse Ale that has an effervescent body and a light straw color. With its light malt body, augmented by spices, is a complex and frothy beverage with deceptively high alcohol content. Unfortunately, we’re sold out of this lovely offering, but we’ll have it again next March. Both of these beers were solid pairings, but my palate leaned toward the fresher and more complex layers of the Rabid Rabbit.

Second Course: Jumbo Shrimp & White Cheddar Grits

Beers Paired: Pilsner Urquell/Brasserie d’ Achouffe Houblon Doebbelen IPA Tripel

For those of you that know me well, you know that I moonlight at the Oceanaire as a server part time. This appetizer course is absolutely one of my favorites that we offer. I don’t know how many of you enjoy grits, but the plate presentation is brilliant as they lay a hand formed ball of grits in the center and gently place four jumbo shrimp around the bowl. Then the bowl is lightly drizzled with a savory tomato based ragu and freshly diced tomatoes. The Pilsner Urquell showed brilliantly with this dish. The soft malt and moderately bitter finish set up wonderfully with the slightly firm texture of the grits along with contrasting the mildly spicy jumbo shrimp. Our second beer was the Chouffe Houblon. This beer was brewed for the first time in 2006.  It is an ‘Indian Pale Ale’ type of beer, with a harmonious balance between a marked bitterness and a pleasant fruitiness that lingers in harmony with the bone dry finish. It is unfiltered and re-fermented in the bottle, which will allow the beer to evolve and develop in the bottle over time. If you like it fresh and the hops at the forefront drink immediately after purchase, but if you like things a little more balanced, just wait a few months and the hops will fade a bit. The malt and yeast aromas will become more pronounced after the wait. I would say that this ale might have been a little too heavy and bitter for the dish it was paired with, but I was a fan of just drinking it after I finished the course. It is remarkably refreshing for a beer that has an ABV of 9%.

Third Course: Blackened Grilled Hawaiian Marlin with Carmelized Onions & Bleu Cheese Butter

Beers Paired: Blue Moon Pale Ale/Duvel Triple Hop

This main entrée is another one of my favorites to offer while serving. The layered flavors of the seasonings, firm textured fish, sweet onions along with the pungent and highly acidic bleu cheese makes my salivary glands pray to the lord for this creation. Our two ales here were in stark contrast to each other. The Blue Moon Pale Ale had well defined aromas and flavors of caramel as a result of those types of malts used in its brewing process.  It paired up nicely with the carmelized onions and lent itself to a contrasting component to the Cajun spices the marlin had been dredged in before grilling. The Duvel Triple Hop was much paler in color, but had a highly acidic side to it as one might expect from “Triple Hop” in its name. This highly carbonated ale positioned itself differently against the prep by cutting through the richness of the marlin and Cajun spices. It also had this wonderful relationship with the bleu cheese that I didn’t expect initially, but as they worked together with one another on my palate I was blown away. This pairing was probably my second favorite of the night.

Fourth Course: Chocolate Cake with Hand Made Whipped Cream & Macadamia Nuts

Beers Paired: Leinenkugel Big Eddy Imperial Stout/Three Floyd’s Dark Lord 2011

Well, if you’re into decadence, this was easily at the farthest end of that spectrum without question. Chocolate and Imperial Stouts are a perfect pairing in my mind. The intense chocolate aromas of these massive ales are wonderful companions to anything that involves chocolate or coffee. Both the Big Eddy and the Dark Lord possess the characteristics I’ve just described. However, the Bid Eddy was on the lighter end of the Imperial Stout mouth feel spectrum, while the Dark Lord was as viscous as the oldest motor oil you’ve ever seen. I would say the Dark Lord was by far my favorite beer of the night and this was the most magnificently paired course of the night.

I can’t express how thankful I am to be on the receiving end of such gracious hospitality. I would strongly encourage all Hoosiers to venture out to The Oceanaire Indianapolis for a remarkable dining experience and please visit World Class Beverages and check out super cool features like Beer Spy and Beer U. The Beer Spy feature helps you find a certain beer at specific retail or restaurant locations by entering your zip code and the proximity for your shopping needs, but of course, you can always shop with us at Kahn's Fine Wines Beer for all of your craft beer needs. The Beer U program is new and if you’re interested in educating yourself further about craft beer it is a wonderful resource.

I’m certainly looking forward to attending and hosting many more wonderful beer pairing dinner events in the near future and would like to invite all of our highly valued Kahn’s customers as we continue to expand our event offerings throughout the rest of the calendar year. Make sure you sign up for our weekly e-mails and if you don’t receive the Khronicle it’s got the listing of the current month’s events on the cover.

Until we cheers again!

Best Regards,

W. Brennan Corder

Beer Dinner #2

An Informative Afternoon : An Incredible Dinner

Wednesday, June 8^th

Teamwork is a massively important part of everything we do. Whether it is cooperation at work, helping out at home, or the pairings on the table in front of you, this day was about all of the above. As a follow up to the meeting World Class Beverage held two weeks prior to discuss their new project, BeerU, they again invited area beer retailers for a meeting and a meal.

Brennan and I arrived at the state of the art Monarch shipping facility on Indy’s Eastside where we got to dig a little deeper into BeerU. It’s a new project they are rolling out with a few goals in mind. Educate retailers and customers about craft beer and, in turn, grow the craft beer segment as much as possible. Essentially, it is an online ‘university’ where you can learn about specific processes, styles and histories of beer. We are excited to explore and utilize it as much as possible for our staff and all of our interested customers. So, be on the look out for educational/classroom style tastings here at Kahn’s in the near future. There is so much to learn about craft beer!

After the BeerU training it was off to a beer dinner at Oakley’s Bistro. A dinner Brennan and I had been salivating for ever since we received the email inviting us. Upon entering, we were greeted with two refreshing easy drinkers as our liquid appetizers: the light and thirst-quenching Anchor Summer Beer and the lemony goodness of Leinenkugel Summer Shandy. Both proved to be suitable answers to the sticky heat that harassed us on the way over. Ok… Food please!

First Course:

Asparagus “Toad in the Hole” : Brioche / egg / asparagus / prosciutto / roasted peppers / artichoke / brie cheese / truffle vinaigrette

3 Monts Biere de Garde / Blue Moon Grand Cru

This first course was a delicate, flavorful and multi-dimensional precursor of the other exceptional plates to follow. I have no doubt that I could eat this dish for every meal for eternity. Is that too high of praise? I don’t think so. Especially when you factor in how well the asparagus, brie and truffle vinaigrette paired with the 3 Monts Biere de Garde. Each played off the other perfectly! The Blue Moon Grand Cru proved to be a bit too big in style for the delicacy of the dish, but provided a great example of how a proper pairing can enhance or hinder a meal.

Second Course:

Butchers Board : Selection of housemade charcuterie / foie gras honey mousse / pickled vegetables

Chimay Grand Reserve 3L / Killian’s Irish Red

If I said this was my least favorite course it might sound a little harsh. It’s more like if I said that one of my five fingers was my least favorite. It’s still one of my fingers and I would never want to part with it. This dish offered a nice sampling of charcuterie that actually went better with the Killian’s Irish Red than the Chimay Grand Reserve. I’ll even admit that Killian’s is one of my most despised beers, but yet again, the power of a good pairing reared its head again. While the malt and body of the Chimay were tasty as always, it was too much for this dish, in my opinion. The light-medium body Killian’s, on the other hand, had a suitable amount of malt that complimented the selection of meats nicely.

Third Course:

Sea Scallops : Parmesan pudding / portobello mushrooms / spinach / garlic chips / spicy balsamic

Boulevard Two Jokers Double Wit / Leinenkugel Classic Amber

I love sea scallops. Love them. My mouth is watering again as I type and I’m only just now starting to really relive this dish in my mind. This course is tied with the first and fourth as 3 of the best I’ve ever had the opportunity of trying. There are a few others I’d put up there in my past, but dang… these were complete efforts from the kitchen AND were paired so well! I just told Brennan that I wish I would have a soft-serve ice cream machine that would dispense parmesan pudding anytime I would want it. Granted it might not be the healthiest appliance a person could own, but it would be the most delicious and possibly the most used. Again, as with the second course, I was surprised by which beer I enjoyed more with this dish. Boulevard has quickly become one of the most consistently impressive breweries we are fortunate enough to carry. Continuing that trend of quality was the Boulevard Two Jokers. It is a well balanced imperial Belgian wit beer, but was just too much for the soft graceful flavors presented here. The Leinie Classic Amber presented a lighter body and a perfect maltiness to highlight the scallops, parmesan, portobellos and garlic chips. I have no doubt I’d enjoy this one even if it was served with a cup of sriracha, but to have it enhanced by the beer was a treat.

Fourth Course:

Duck & Duck : Pulled duck enchilada / roasted duck breast / almond mole / baby vegetables / pico de gallo / avocado mousse

Hoppin’ Frog Bodacious Black & Tan / Leinenkugel Creamy Dark

How many flavors, textures and visually stimulating presentations can Chef Oakley utilize and, better yet, harmonize? Umm… a lot! This course was over the top impressive. The mole sauce and the spices used in the pulled duck acted as the perfect bridges to tie the rest of the dish to the two beers. This was probably the best all around course when you factor in all the elements. Presentation, texture, taste and they way they went with the roasty chocolaty nature of both beers. Well done!

Fifth Course:

Vanilla Crème Brulée : Strawberry Jam / corn puffs

New Glarus Raspberry Tart /  Leinenkugel Berry Weisse

So, I think after running us all through his own personal gauntlet of amazing courses, he let us recover and savor the past hour or so by offering us a straightforward and refreshing dessert. This was a hard one to mess up. Big vanilla beans and strawberries that paired so well with each beer. Those of you who may not be familiar, New Glarus is a terrific Wisconsin brewery that we unfortunately cannot enjoy here in Indiana. This was a surprise treat provided to us for being a part of the BeerU program. The slightly sour nature of the Raspberry Tart was perfect here and so was the refreshing light berry wheat from the Leinie collection. Another more than adequate combination of food and beer!

I hope you all can live vicariously through our experience (and not resent us too much). I hope it excites you and inspires you to venture out and try more things. Plan meals around the beers you like. Base the beers you buy around the foods you like. Explore all the possibilities. Learn as much as you can and you’ll enjoy the combinations more than you ever thought you could!  Food and beer, our distributors and Kahn’s, Kahn’s and all of you. A day full of pairings is a good day!

Thanks,

Kyle Kaufman

Check out World Class Beverages

Check out Oakley’s Bistro

And Come in to Kahn’s!

Catena event at Fleming's Steakhouse May 4, 2011

Amazing Food..... Stunning Wines...... Absolut Enjoyment...... This is how you sum up the Catena event at Fleming's.  Hosted by Jorge Liloy of Catena, the evening began with crispy garlic flatbread topped with arugula pesto, feta and truffle fingerling potatoes. This was paired with Catena's outstanding (90 point Robert Parker) Chardonnay and Tilia's (Catena) gorgeous blend of Malbec/Syrah.  The Chardonnay is one of the most balanced Chardonnays I have ever tasted.  With subtle oak and lovely tree fruits such as pears and apples, it conveys to your palate the sure awesomeness of Catena's elevated Chardonnay vineyards.

Next, was coriander porcini crusted pork tenderloin with pink lady apple and charred red onion chutney.  This course was paired with none other than, Catena's "Alta" Cabernet Sauvignon (91 points Robert Parker) and Catena's Malbec (91 points Robert Parker).  What a match made in heaven.  The Cabernet boasted Currants and black raspberries, backed by silky smooth tannins and the perfect acidity.  The Malbec was exceptional, with even darker notes of rainier cherries, light chocolate notes, and Asian spice.

Lastly, was the highlight of the evening.Coffee crusted lamb lollipop with shallot butter sauce paired with Alma Negra's Red Blend (91 points Robert Parker) and the awesome, astonishing 2007 Nicolas Catena Zapata (98 points Robert Parker).The Alma Negra was a new blend that I had not seen before.  It was primarily composed of Bonarda which is a grape that originates from Italy.  The latter portions are Malbec and Cabernet Franc which add significant texture to the wine.  This poised a wonderfully fruity but dark wine as suggested by the label which has a shadow hidden picture of a mask similar to the "Guy Fawkes Mask". 

Before anyone tasted the Nicolas Catena Zapata, Jorge began explaining the process in which they make this wine.  It is not rushed, over managed or technical.  The winemaker takes plump clusters of grapes and places them in new French Oak barrels, which then through natural free run weight and hand pressing from the winemaker these grapes are crushed.  Once the clusters have given all their juice they are removed and the wine is then placed into more new French Oak barrels to allow more fermentation and aging.  This was an awesome portrayal from Jorge and he made us all feel the winemaker's sheer awesome craft as if we were there.  The wine is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. It delivers a fascinating aromatic array of pain grille, pencil lead, mineral, espresso, mocha, incense, lavender, black currant, black cherry, and blackberry.  Everyone was amazed and just kept tasting.

It was a remarkable night and I would like to thank Fleming's, Jorge Leloy, Monarch Beverage and everyone that attended.  We can't wait for our next event and hope you will be able to enjoy it with us.  Contact any of our locations to inquire about future tasting events or click for our events page.

Cheers,

Graham Miller

Assistant Manager

Kahn's Fine Wine & Spirits
25 N. Pennsylvania St.
Indianapolis, IN 46205