On May 22nd, old world met new guard as we teamed up with Naperville-based Solemn Oath Brewery to take over Chicago’s Publican Quality Meats. This lovely little butcher shop was the perfect setting for a private 4-course family-style meal paired with beers from our portfolio, as well as special selections brewed by Solemn Oath.

President John Barley and brewer Paul Schneider were on hand to showcase their line-up of beers along with Wendy and Don to speak about the selections from Vanberg and DeWulf.

See the entire album on our Facebook page!

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The press agrees on one thing, our portfolio has all the best beers for summer!

The New York Times has named Saison the “perfect beer for summer” for 2013, and Saison Dupont is the perfect Saison! And since Saisons were traditionally made by Belgian farmers, why break with tradition? Saison Dupont is the only beer on the list actually imported from Belgium!

Gayot’s list of 10 best summer beers is out. First up and probably the littlest beer to make the list is Vanberg & Dewulf’s rising star from Brasserie Dubuisson’s- Peche Mel. Spread the word, it’s available on tap and in bottles now!

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Thrilled to have the lovely organic and summery Foret Saison from Brasserie Dupont featured in Philly.com!  A perfect choice for the quickly changing weather and sunshine, with spring finally warming up and summer around the corner. Pick up a bottle and enjoy sipping a glass outside in the sun!

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We’ve been spending the past month on the west coast, from San Diego all the way up to Seattle. Along the way we’ve had to chance to participate in some wonderful dinners and tastings at restaurants all along the coast.

Last week we were at Wildwood in Portland, where Chef Paul Kasten paired beers like our Scaldis Prestige de Nuits and LambickX with dishes made with locally sourced ingredients. (Scroll down for the menu.)

Earlier this month we had a dinner at St. Vincent in San Francisco with David Lynch. David is wine wunderkind. He was GM and sommelier in charge at Babbo where he won a Beard award for outstanding wine service, and also a writer who has received a Beard Award for wine and spirits writing. St. Vincent is the first restaurant (and wine shop) he has founded. At the restaurant, Chef Bill Niles has been cooking professionally since the age of 14, and gained a name at San Francisco’s Bar Tartine. His cooking has a genuinely American sensibility melding influences from classic French technique as well as Italian, English and Irish cooking. Rounding out the team is Sayre Piotrowski, one of only 6 of the nation’s certified master cicerones, who curates the beer program at St. Vincent. We are delighted that he has set aside his usual policy of only permitting beers direct from local breweries.

We were also thrilled to attend a special, limited seating dinner at The Abbot’s Cellar in San Francisco, where our beers were paired with local Californian cuisine. The beautiful menu appears below.

The Olde Depot in Oakland, California hosted us for a very special Vegan dinner earlier this month, where our beers were paired with vegan dishes like spaetzel with battered dill sauce and mushroom steak with caramelized onion and potatoes. The meal finished with Brasserie Castellain Biere De Garde paired with a strawberry lemon and Thai basil shortbread tart.

At ØL in Walnut Creek, a selection of beers from our portfolio were on hand for a tasting. These included Dupont Foret Blanche, Dupont Foret Organic Saison, Castelain St. Amand French Country Ale, Castelain Blonde, Birra Amiata Contessa, Hop-Ruiter, Olvisholt Lava, and Dilewyns Vicaris Generaal.

Tomorrow night we looking forward to a very special ( and sold out!) dinner at Stone Brewing Co. in California

Wildwood Dinner Menu:

beef tartare
black pepper, green garlic, sea salt, egg yolk, toasted baguette
saison dupont

seared petrale sole fillet
creamy leek broth, baby bok choi, morels
lambickx

crispy chicken confit
frisée, egg, bacon vinaigrette, crispy shallots
scaldis tripel

stout braised pastrami short ribs
potato puree, grilled asparagus, jus
olvisholt lava

meadow creek grayson
plum mostarda, candied hazelnuts, semolina crackers
scaldis prestige de nuits 2009

St. Vincent Dinner Menu:

Amuse/Reception: Whitefish roe, clabber, butter crisp
with “Lambrucha,” Lambic Style Ale with Kombucha, “Vanberg & DeWulf Special Selection

First: Smoked Red Trout, hop tendrils, cured egg yolk
with “Witkap Pater Stimulo” Abbey Singel, Brouwerij Slaghmuylder, Ninove, BEL

Second: Charred and Chilled Lamb, ramps, mustard seed
with “Saison Dupont,” Farmhouse Ale, Brasserie Dupont, Tourpes, BEL

Third: Quail, blackberry, levain, liver mousse
with “Vicaris Tripel Gueuze” Blended Belgian Ale, Brouwerij Dilewyns, Dendermonde, BEL

Dessert: Chocolate and Juniper Cake, salted marshmallow
with “Lava,” Smoked Imperial Stout, Ölvisholt Brugghús, Selfoss, Iceland

The Abbot’s Cellar Dinner Menu:

Stone Brewing Dinner Menu:

Appetizer
Mussels
with Belgian Frites
~paired with~
   Vicaris Tripel-Gueuze
Scheldebrouwerij Hop-Ruiter

Salad
Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad
with white anchovies, sundried tomato crostini and fried capers
~paired with~
    Dupont Avril
De Troch/Vanberg & DeWulf Lambrucha

First Course
Sous-vide Whole Stuffed Rabbit
with bacon, apricot, and herbs over glazed baby carrot and pea puree with morel mushroom sauce
~paired with~
    Ölvisholt Lava
Castelain St. Amand

Second Course
Braised Duck Legs
in apple-Moinette Brune reduction with prosciutto & portobello mushrooms
~paired with~
    Ommegang Rare Vos
Dupont Monk’s Stout

Dessert
Chocolate Chipotle Sorbet, Cajeta Ice Cream, Tres Leche Pain Perdu
with Cocoa Nib Tuile
~paired with~
    Scaldis Noël

Cheese
La Tur
~paired with~
De Troch/Vanberg & DeWulf Lambickx

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We are honored to share this article by Josh Noel

What it is:
Vanberg & DeWulf actually isn’t a brewery — it is Chicago-based Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield, who import many of the most interesting beers available on the nation’s shelves. (They also opened Ommegang brewery in 1997, which they sold in 2003, but that’s another story.) In addition to importing, Feinberg and Littlefield travel to Belgium regularly to brew and blend their own line of beers. Among them is Lambickx, a beauty of a lambic blended by Feinberg.

In the bottle:
A handsome, cloudy honey yellow, Lambickx doesn’t pour with much carbonation. But the bubbles are just present enough to create a nice, moderate-weight body. Like most lambics, Lambickx is a complex web of sour, yeast, leather, rind, honey, lemon, funk, zest, vinegar and — a term adored by beer nerds everywhere — barnyard, meaning the beer is a bit earthy, funky and wild. But Lambickx is also bright, clean and ends with a dry snap, allowing it to cut through fat and bold food flavors. Though not for everyone, Lambickx is a deft and multilayered beer best enjoyed with food.

Pair it with:
Lambickx’s bright tartness would complement and perfectly knife through a rich stew or fattier meats, like duck.

Find it:
Available in 750-milliliter bottles at finer beer stores (at about $23 per bottle), like Binny’s and The Beer Temple. Limited amounts of the 2011 and 2012 blends are still on shelves; the 2013 blend will be released this month (there is variation in each year’s version).

Read the article here

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We’ve just posted the new and expanded Vanberg & DeWulf portfolio for 2013.  Featuring an expanded selection of 50 beers from 5 different countries and 12 different breweries, it’s packed with brand new photos, reviews, pairing tips, recipe ideas and more. Check out our wide array of Belgian classics, organic beers, and our growing collection of honorary Belgians. We’re proud to introduce our newest offerings, such as the smoked imperial stout from Iceland, Lava or a selection of soon-to-be classic brews from our new Italian brewery, Birra Amiata, among many others!

Download it now to see all 70 pages of beer goodness and make sure to hang on to it for handy reference. Enjoy!

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Dear Friends, Happy International Women’s Day!  Each year on March 8, “thousands of events occur not just on this day but throughout March to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women.”  In honor of today, please invite a woman in your life out for a beer, patronize a bar owned by a female publican, or drink a beer created by a leading lady brewer – or all three! Speaking of ladies with excellent taste, we would like to shine a spotlight on our wonderful woman brewers, Anne-Catherine Dilewyns and Annick Castelain (spotlights on the right), and to share the Weekly Pint’s fine piece on revolutionary women in the craft beer scene.  So sit back, grab a beer, and enjoy the Queens of the Beer Age! Cheers, The Vanberg & DeWulf Team p.s. if you look closely, you might spot a familiar face.  Congratulations, Wendy! Queens of the Beer Age Behold, the court of craft beer royalty We love to see how women are taking the beer world by storm. Recently Bess Dougherty of Denver’s Wynkoop Brewery hosted the state’s first all-female brew team as they crafted the official beer of Colorado Craft Beer Week, which kicks off March 18th. The eight Colorado-based female brewers formulated a Belgian-style pale ale, which we certainly hope to taste, being huge fans of the style. It’s a timely project. Friday March 8th is International Women’s Day, and to mark the occasion appropriately, we’re following up our massively popular story from last August on the women revolutionizing craft beer with a power list spanning several decades of achievement. These five women are boldly making the craft beer world a better, more egalitarian place (and making a lot of really amazing beer in the process). We’re here to raise our glass. You should, too. Click here to read on for another abbreviated list of the top females revolutionizing craft beer, in no particular order. Do you know any inspiring women in the beer business? Tell us here. Kim Jordan Co-Founder/CEO, New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO At the helm of the nation’s third-largest craft brewery (behind Sierra Nevada and Boston Beer Co.), she’s one of the industry’s most prominent CEOs—male or female—anchoring keynote addresses, being featured in lengthy national magazine profiles, and spearheading the innovative, green-minded brewery’s recent expansion into Asheville, North Carolina and the burgeoning East Coast craft beer market. Meg Gill Co-Founder & President, Golden Road Brewing, Los Angeles, CA At just 28, Yale classics scholar and record-setting competitive swimmer Gill is the youngest female brewery owner in the nation, leading one of the fastest start-ups ever since opening October of 2011 and helping convert more Americans to canned craft beer. She’s also been gracing the pages of the LA Times, Imbibe, and Glamour, and charming audiences on national TV. Wendy Littlefield Co-Founder, Vanberg & Dewulf, Cooperstown, NY These women put the ale in Yale. Another Bulldog, Littlefield’s beer career was born in Brussels, Belgium after college, where she and college sweetheart Don Feinberg eloped. They would go on to formVanberg & Dewulf, importing Duvel, Scaldis, Rodenbach, and Dupont, to name but a few world classics. Later the duo launched groundbreaking, American, Belgian-style brewery Ommegang, and this year the two are James Beard Award semi-finalists in the “Outstanding Wine, Spirits or Beer Professional” category. It’s no less than the Oscars for food & drink. Follow her cheery, beery exploits on Twitter here: @BelgianExpert. Deb Carey Co-Founder, New Glarus Brewing Company, New Glarus, WI The first female to found and operate a craft brewery in the US, the soft-spoken, straight-shooting Carey is used to being in the headlines. The beers she and husband brewmaster Dan Carey create in their $21 million, Bavarian-style facility in America’s “Little Switzerland” have a major following nationwide (if not, alas, distribution, though this is by choice). Among her best traits? Humility. Invited by First Lady Michelle Obama to join her at the President’s recent inauguration, Carey donned “a black dress she wore to her daughter’s high school graduation in 2001 and a jacket she bought at an antique store,”reported the LaCrosse Tribune. Carol Stoudt Co-Founder and Brewmaster, Stoudt’s Brewing Company, Adamstown, PA Former kindergarten teacher Stoudt and husband Ed founded their Adamstown, Pennsylvania brewery in 1987 as an unlikely team. The mother of five didn’t previously like beer, but after a trip to Germany opened her eyes and tastebuds to the glories of fresh, traditional brews, she pursued high-level training at UC Davis and would eventually be the first American female to earn the lofty title of brewmaster since Prohibition. Stoudt’s Pils remains a real classic throughout the Northeast (rated 100 pointsby the Allström brothers, founders of Beer Advocate), and many other beers have landed more than 20 medals at the Great American Beer Festival. Find one and raise it to her great work. Like on Facebook Follow on Twitter Forward to a Friend Anne-Catherine Dilewyns At 25 years of age, Anne-Catherine Dilewyns is Belgium’s youngest brewer.  But don’t let her age fool you – she was also named one of three rising star brewers in the world.  Brewing runs in her veins: Anne-Catherine’s great-great-grandmother, Anna-Coletta Wauman, turned a former Dendermonde benzine oil factory into a brewery and ran in until WWII, when the brew kettles were confiscated.  Why not raise a glass to an important woman in your life with Vicaris Generaal, Vicaris Tripel,Vicaris Tripel Gueuze, or Vicaris Winter? Annick Castelain Without a doubt, Annick Castelain is the most influential woman on the French craft beer scene.  As it turns out, brewing runs in the family: Annick is the granddaughter of the brewery’s founder, and under her guidance, Brasserie Castelain has flourished.  Their award-winning beers - Castelain, Castelain Grand Cru, St Amand (a copper Biere de Garde), and Jade - are must-try libations… and are good for you, to boot! After all, Castelain is the unquestionable pioneer of organic and sustainable brewing in France: their Castelain Bière de Garde is brewed without any additives or chemicals of any kind, and is so pure that when it first came out in 1979, it was sold by health food stores.  Jade – the first organic beer introduced in France – followed shortly thereafter in 1986.

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From BeerInfo’s Beer of the Day: Red Herring Smoked Ale Brewed by Green Jack Brewing – United Kingdom

There are few smoked beers being made in the UK, and this one – hailing from a brewery that was a former herring smokehouse – is a gem. Wittily named, a red herring is something that distracts attention from the real issues; supposedly, escaping criminals would drag strong smelling red herring across a trail to make pursuing blood-hounds lose the scent.

Red Herring a 5% ABV smoked ale is made with pale ale malt, wheat malt, crystal malt, chocolate malt, and sugar, with UK Challenger hops to complement the smokiness of the grain. The resulting ale is fruity red with a bonfire smoke smell, a balanced plummy taste, gentle bitter finish, soft carbonation, and a beautiful, pillowy mouthfeel. Very easy drinking and comfortable ale. Wow! 30 liter KeyKeg only.

This smoked ale is a yummy, plummy, smoky treat with ham, smoked cheese, kippered herring, and nuts  while reading novels by Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie and Patricia Cornwell.

The Green Jack Brewing Company
Originally founded in 1993 in Oulton Broad by Real Ale enthusiast Tim Dunford, The Green Jack Brewery Company temporarily ceased trading in 2001 after a split with business partners. However, in 2003, Tim and Lee installed a purpose-built 2000 litre plant behind The Triangle Tavern, therefore making it the UKs most easterly Brewery. Since then a much larger brewery has been built in Lowestoft to compliment the micro brewery and this exciting new brewery started brewing in early 2009, making Green Jack one of the largest real ale brewing companies in East Anglia. Tims Ales have won numerous CAMRA Beer Festival Awards over the years including best winter beer in the land!

Green Jack ales are well-known for their “hoppy character”. With locally malted wheat and barley, traditional English cone hops are blended with hops from the New World in generous proportions to give the ales floral, citrus and fruity aromas. Green Jack ales are a testament to Tims taste, skills and commitment to individuality and quality. The move to large purpose built brewing premises in Lowestoft is the dawn of a new chapter in the Green Jack success story and we hope that we can continue to increase our national presence as one of the finest real ale breweries in the UK.

Green Jack Brewing
Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR32 2NZ
United Kingdom
Phone: +44(0)1502 562 863
Email:info@green-jack.co.uk
www.green-jack.com

Imported by
Vanberg & DeWulf
“The experts in Belgian beer since 1982″
52 Pioneer Street
Cooperstown, NY 13326
Phone: 607.547.8184
www.belgianexperts.com

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On February 11, the Publican hosted a French Craft Brewers tasting.  Though 9 brewers were at hand, as far as we were concerned, the most, most important people there were our friends Annick Castelain – the owner of Brasserie Castelain, revivalist brewers of the biere de garde style) – and Loic Falce – the brewery’s export manager.

The Publican tasting gave some lucky Chicagoans the opportunity to taste all of Castelain’s imports in one place and to compare and contrast the uber food friendliness of their delicate and delicious beers.

Tasting Notes

ST AMAND: First brewed in 1978, St Amand is a little like a Belgian Brabant ale.  Yet, there is a rough graininess – that mellows a bit like a hint of whiskey – and tea-like autumn Alsatian hops. Michael Jackson describes it as having a “cookie like maltiness, plummy fruitiness and slightly iron like port wine notes.” It is a spectacular beer with steak and chops. St Amand will be on tap at the PUBLICAN, where Michael McAvena (Beer Director) is pairing it with small plates from Brian Huston’s (Chef de Cuisine) super kitchen.

JADE ORGANIC: Castelain is the pioneer in organic and sustainable brewing in France (in fact, in Europe). They introduced Jade in 1986!  Yes, 1986 people! Pale golden, vegan friendly, with a soft palate, fresh hops presence and brown sugar notes. Great with a French Flanders classic dish – and one that fits right in at the Publican: Hochepot (pigs ears, and tail, breast of beef, shoulder of mutton, salt pork, cabbage, carrots, onion leeks and potatoes). Try it on tap at The HOPLEAF as well.

CASTELAIN GRAND CRU: Recently won a GOLD medal in the Bière de Garde category of the 2012 World Beer Championships. Bright amber gem color. Lovely aromas of toasted fruit custard pastry and delicate peppery spice with a supple, fruity-yet-dry medium-to-full body and long, mouthwatering citrus soufflé, pepper, and grassy hop flourish. Delicieux! We, and cicerone Ria Neri, love it with chestnut agnolotti and organic scotch salmon at The Sheerins’ TRENCHERMAN.

CASTELAIN (le flagship): Pairs with classic dishes of Picardie, Champagne, and the Ardennes: endive au gratin, wild duck, eel au vert, terrine of fish, omelettes, and rumpsteak braised in beer. This beer has never met gastro-pub fare it hasn’t liked. It marries perfectly with Michael Dean Reynold’s seared diver scallops and warm winter squash salad, now on the menu at LEOPOLD.

From the Vanberg & DeWulf Portfolio: An Overview of Castelain and the Bière de Garde Style

Castelain is an artisanal independent brewer of the Pas de Calais region. Ben McFarland describes its history like this: “Much like its English equivalent, northern French brewing history is heavily entwined with the region’s rich industrial heritage. While the coal mining has waned, brewing goes on, and Castelain, brewing in Benifontaine since 1926, is a big brewer of the Biere de Garde. The biggest seller is this sweet, slightly bitter, and herbal blonde made four types of hops.”

Annick Castelain, the proprietor and granddaughter of the founder of the brewery, is a central operative in the revival of artisanal brewing in France. She is doing this against a backdrop where more than 90% of the beer consumed is made by industrial brewers. She is a rare woman executive in the French brewing community.

Despite different languages, the people of greater Flanders (partly in Belgium, partly in France) share a great deal of common heritage — cultural, geographic, and political. Among the French provinces, French Flanders is the one that possesses the longest and richest history of beer making. The first breweries here date from the time of Charlemagne. Five mills and four breweries were found at Lille which was then part of the royal domain of Annappes. As early as 967, the Abbey of Saint Bavas-les-Esquerines at Lilles ran two breweries.

Among the styles that evolved over time perhaps the most idiosyncratic, and enduring are the Bieres de Gardes. These are hybrid beers—being top fermented (like ales) and cool aged (like lagers). By maturing at cold temperatures for a month or more, Bieres de Gardes have a wonderfully refreshing quality that is unusual for beers with their depth of flavor. These beers were originally all made at farmhouse breweries in the winter months when work on the farm slowed. They were then stored (garder means to store) until the summer season. They were thirst quenchers for the farm hands after long hours in the fields.

“The Flemish are earthy lovers of life; the French have great style. The Flemish French have both qualities. People will tell you that Lille (the center of French Flanders) is an industrial city, an old textile town, but it also has fine Flemish architecture, beer of a matching flavor, local gins and its own hearty style of French food. The surrounding countryside varies from a former coal field to hop gardens to the poppy strewn Flanders’ field and sand-duned beaches of wartime memory as it fans out to Dunkirk and Calais in the west.” – Michael Jackson

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