Over the next few weeks, the Aprons Cooking School located in the Publix Supermarket on San Jose Blvd. in Mandarin will feature two outstanding beer dinners. On October 25 join Geoffrey Hess and Noah Tuttle of Oskar Blues Brewing Company for a pairing dinner featuring favorites like Dale’s Pale Ale and Old Chub. And on November 7 the chefs of Aprons “Bring Home a Celebration” with Sierra Nevada beers.
Located in Lyons, Colo., the original Oskar Blues brewery was the brain storm of Dale Katechis. His restaurant, Oskar Blues Brew and Grill was founded in 1997 and was known for its Southern comfort foods, Cajun and creole cuisine. To compliment his foods, Katechis wanted quality beers and decided to begin brewing his own in 1998 in the basement of the restaurant. His beers were so popular he moved his brewing operations into a 60-year-old shed behind the restaurant where in 2002 Oskar Blues became the first craft brewery to can their beers instead of bottle them. Controversy ensued. But, 11 years later, the practice of canning craft beers has spread throughout the industry and has become common practice.
Now the brewery owns several other restaurants in the Front Range area of Colorado including Oskar Blues Liquids and Solids as well as ChubBurger in Longmont, Colo. The brewery has also moved to Longmont along with its attached Tasty Weasel Tap Room. In 2012, the company opened a second brewery and tap room in Brevard, NC not far from the beer destination of Asheville.
Presenting the dinner at Aprons are Geoffrey Hess and Noah Tuttle. Hess is responsible for Chains and Grains at Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont Colorado. He Works closely with their national chain accounts and runs the Hops and Heifers brewery owned Farm. Noah Tuttle started off in the packaging line at the company’s Longmont, Colorado, facility as well as the Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids and Solids restaurant in Longmont. He worked his way up to senior brewer, and last year was offered the opportunity by Oskar Blues owner Dale Katechis to be the Head Brewer for company’s new expansion brewery in Brevard.
The menu for the dinner includes:
- Grilled Shrimp Soft Tacos with Lemony Roasted Poblano Salsa paired with Mama’s Little Yella Pils
- Dale’s Marinated Crispy Chicken Sliders with Pickled Red Onions paired with Dale’s Pale Ale
- Deviantly Braised Lamb Shank with Grapefruit Gremolata paired with Deviant Dales
- Blue Cheese & Pine Nut Shortbread Cookies with Cherry Poached Pears paired with Old Chub
The dinner begins at 6:30 and tickets are $45 each. Go to http://www.publix.com/aprons/schools/Jacksonville/Home.do for more information or to purchase.
Ken Grossman learned to homebrew from the father of a close friend. From an early age, he was enamored by the sights and smells of the fermenting jugs of bubbling beer, wine and sake. His first attempts at making beer were rudimentary at best, but began a lifelong passion for the art of fermentation.
Grossman opened a homebrew supply store in downtown Chico, simply named The Home Brew Shop. As he and fellow homebrewer Paul Camusi got more into the craft, Grossman’s brewing became more and more elaborate, and, soon enough, people were eager to sample his new brews.
Grossman began planning a new small-scale brewery based in Chico. He took the name of his favorite hiking grounds in the nearby mountains and decided to launch Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Grossman knew he wanted to make a hop-forward Pale Ale, but he also knew that the key to convincing people to try the beer and come back for more was consistency. He spent the last of his money and countless months to make sure he could reproduce identical batches of beer. He dumped 10 batches before getting the perfect balance into his Pale Ale, the beer that helped to launch the American craft beer movement and changed the tastes of millions.
The holidays have always been about gathering with friends and family to share a great meal, but nothing makes a meal better than pairing it with some very special Sierra Nevada beer. Publix and Aprons Cooking School invite you to “Bring Home a Celebration” with an evening of fun, featuring world-class beer and food pairings just in time for the holidays. Sierra Nevada’s Beer Ambassador and resident beer geek Bill Manley will join Publix chefs to present a cornucopia of food and beer filled with exciting holiday flavors.
The menu includes:
- Celebration Popcorn paired with Sierra Nevada Celebration
- Shrimp and Kellerweis, Ginger, Garlic, Cilantro, Orange and Lime paired with Sierra Nevada Kellerweis
- Porter Sausage Turnovers paired with Sierra Nevada Porter
- Grilled Steak with Torpedo Smashed Red Potatoes with Chilies paired with Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere
- Narwhal Ice Cream Float paired with Sierra Nevada Narwhal
The dinner begins at 6:30 and tickets are $45 each. Go to http://www.publix.com/aprons/schools/Jacksonville/Home.do for more information or to purchase.
