Cheers is dedicated to delivering hospitality professionals the information, insights and data necessary to drive their beverage business by covering trends and innovations in operations, merchandising, service and training.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/121046
Spiegelau Unveils IPA Glass Beyond terroir, another in���uence on beer ���avor perception is presentation. That���s in part why Spiegelau, a subsidiary of the Riedel Crystal Company, just launched a glass speci���cally for IPAs. The Spiegelau IPA glass was designed by George Riedel with feedback from leading IPA brewers such as Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and Sam Calagione of Dog���sh Head Brewing Co. Riedel held a glass design workshop, tasting three different IPA beers in a range of existing wine, beer and cocktail glasses from the Riedel glass library archives. ���We tasted IPAs in hundreds of glasses and took note of traits of various shapes that boosted the hop aromas and ���avors of IPAs,��� says Matt Rutkowski, vice president of Spiegelau. ���We quickly realized the base shapes of the bowls, when designing a glass to highlight aroma, must funnel aroma to the nose, so the bowl on our IPA glass is recurved at the edge.��� Also, Rutkowski says, ���We all agreed that the IPA glass had to hold a large volume. We choose a capacity of 19 ounces because it not only accommodates a 12ounce pour at home, but also a 16-ounce bar pour with plenty of head.��� Dog���sh Head���s Calagione describes the glass as an ���olfactory cannon,��� enhancing aromatics that are the benchmark of the American IPA style. The beehive base of the glass accents carbonation, providing the aeration and surface to recharge the foam. The glass is also thin for maintaining proper temperature: IPAs are best served at 43F, to let the hop aromatics bloom. ���Hop-forward beers are close to our hearts, and we���ve had fun ���guring out how to best highlight an IPA���s nuances,��� Sierra Nevada���s founder Ken Grossman says of the glass design. ���We think America���s hopheads will enjoy giving the glass a try.��� ���LS 22 | APRIL 2013 countries, such as Tasmania, Australia and New Zealand. To train brewers how to use these unfamiliar hops, such as Nelson Sauvin, the breweries began creating test batches of single-hop beers. Test batches proved so popular that public demand for single-hop beers grew. Jeff and Bonnie Steinman began growing hops in 2007 by planting a few hops rhizomes in their back yard in Hickory Corners, MI. Soon hops grew into a passion fueled by the growing craft brewing community in Michigan, and by the Steinmans��� love for horticulture. ���We are so proud of the creativity and pursuit for excellence of the brewers in Michigan. This our way to contribute,��� says Bonnie Steinman. Hop Head Farms had been an organic test plot up until 2012, when a new partnership enabled the Steinmans to enter the professional world of hops farming and processing. ���Terroir has a great influence on the flavor of hops,��� says Bonnie Steinman. ���Soil conditions and microclimates contribute to different flavors aspects in the same variety, so that a Cascade hop grown in California will be different from a Cascade hop grown in Michigan.��� HOPPY DAYS Why brew a single-hop beer? It���s a great way to train palates to understand the flavor dynamics of that variety, for one thing. ���Single-hop beers have been brewed in small batches, as limited releases, for many years,��� says Stan Hieronymus, author of For the Love of Hops. ���Back in the 1990s, the Shipyard Brewery of Maine began experimenting with single-hop beers, such as the Fuggles IPA.��� With the growth in beer service training, such as the Beer Steward and Cicerone certification programs, bartenders and servers need to know how to identify hops varieties from aromatics and taste of beer. Chip Hardy, co-owner of the Bier Stein, a multi-tap bar in Eugene, OR, believes that ���the educational value is what is driving the growth of single-hop beers.��� What���s more, he notes, ���We live in the Pacific Northwest, which is one of the world���s best regions for growing hops, so there���s an element of connoisseurship in highlighting a single variety of hop��� as a unique beer. Hardy, with his partner and wife Kristina Measells, opened the Bier Stein Bottleshop and Pub in 2005. The pub tucks 50 seats into a 2,100 sq.-ft. storefront that offers more than 1,000 bottled beers and 12 rotating beers on tap. Draft beer is priced from $4 and up per pint. The couple is currently remodeling a new space with more than 12,000 sq. ft., and will offer 30 beers on draft and a cask engine. ���We will have over 150 seats, and have the ability to do more events,��� says Hardy. Knowledgeable beer service is a hallmark at the Bier Stein. Hardy was a professional brewer at West Brothers and Steelhead Brewing Co., and won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2003 for an espresso stout. Hardy also served on the board of directors of the Oregon Brewers Guild, and he knows many brewers who will participate in special events and vertical tastings. ���Block 15 Brewing www.cheersonline.com