So before I continue, I want to thank Lisa Rhodes, who was apart of the PR firm that represented this event. She was so kind to sit with my boyfriend and I during the competition/meal. She was so knowledgeable about the beers (she definitely recommended Leffe and I was not disappointed) and she gave me a lot of background which allowed me to understand a culture and heritage that I was not previously made aware of. It’s not often that you get to have that contact and it definitely
helps when you are in a new environment.
This event started at 6pm with a reception at the Puck Building Skylight Ballroom in Soho which is a great way to see over the city. During this reception, I had the opportunity to meet some of the competitors who came from the East Coast since this was the regional event. We had the honor of meeting Kate Dolan who was from Rhode Island. She informed me that in order to be a part of the competition, you had to bartend at a bar that carried all three beers - Leffe, Stella Artois and Hoegaarden (I
believe these brands are apart of InBev which was one of the sponsors of the event). She has bartended for years and was hopeful to be apart of the competition and go on to Brussels to compete.
We enjoyed appetizers which were perfect to drink with the 3 beers that were offered that night, beer battered onion rings, mini ham and swiss cheese sandwhiches, shrimp with Teriyaki sauce, mini short ribs and mini hamburgers. This was a great opportunity to talk with contestants, the emcee who was actually a character in Rent, meeting Lisa and individuals that were beer distributors in NY and bar owners that came to support their contestants.
At 7 the dinner/competition started. I was pleased to sit towards the front so that our table was by the 8 contestants (they all wore white polo shirts with the Stella Artois logo on them), the judges table there were 6 of them and then Lisa sat with us. At the table we were provided the grading system of over 30 criteria of how they would be judged. At the table there were a series of judges that would focus on presentation and service; however, on the platform as each contestant worked, there were 3 judges that analyzed their pouring – I could not have someone that close to me and yet they were not bothered. The scores included such items as how preparation (this involves cleaning the glass, its placement on the tray, how it is given to the judges, etc) and pouring (this involves how the contestant interacted with the beers that were on tap, its proximity to the tap and how it cleaned the head).
Interestingly enough, Leffe was in a bottle so there were points specific to that. Believe me when I say that this score card consists of 2 sheets and with each beer there are requirements for that beer and when presenting the beer, certain beers had to be given prior to others. This was a very intricate judging and the contestants have 7 minutes to administer this art. Just to reinforce how complex it was, we had a presentation of how to do the whole procedure and to prepare us for what
we would be treated to for the evening.
We began with the first course ‘Grilled Peach St Andre Napolean with Leffe Blonde and Balsamic Reduction’ This was a sweet dish that was very light but the Leffe which has its own spicy flavors was apart of the sauce. This meal was served with a glass of Leffe Blonde which was served in a wide mouth goblet glass with the logo of the beer on the side. As we ate we watched the contestants. Each one came to the panel of judges, briefly introduced themselves and then the beers and asked
the judges what they were interested in. Once they received the orders, they went on the podium which had their work area and began the tasks of pouring for 7 mins while we listened to the music that they chose.
At the end of their beer ritual, they gave the judges the beers. Each contestant would do this performance, that’s a lot of beer. Once the contestant sat down, the beer was cleared from the judges so this process would start all over again. For attendees, as the event moved along and we went from one meal to the next, the plates and beverage that was served was cleared to make room for the next meal and beer paired with it.
Fortunately, servers worked the room and we were able to continue drinking the beers of our choice. I was enjoying my meal and was shocked to see that my Leffe had disappeared even though I had only had a couple of sips; however, I was pleased that the server brought back a new Leffe for me to enjoy.
I was interested in seeing Kate Dolan because I had had the opportunity before in talking with her during the reception. As she
worked, we enjoyed The Black Eye Peas, “Let’s Get Retarded”, we could see that she was in the zone and was able to work the bar and her hands were very deft. She had a lot of energy even though she emitted a calm demeanor. After Kate completed her segment, the next competitor was called forward.
Paul Barry presented his skills next. He bartends at Raftan St in Boston, Massachusetts; however, he is from Ireland. Bryan
Christmas, whose favorite beer is Stella Artois, the Christmas beer, had an interesting interaction with the judges. He provided information on components of the beer. He also had a flair and was very focused on his
pours.
The entrée was ‘Seared Filet Mignon, Roasted Cauliflower, Spiced Almonds and Carlic Confit Potatoes in a Stella Artois Sauce’ and of course it was paired with Stella Artois. This was absolutely amazing! You could taste the crisp taste of Stella Artois in the sauce and as a note I’m not into Cauliflower but it almost had a ginger like taste to it that was absolutely amazing! The thought behind these courses were well thought out due to a Belgian Chef master being apart of the meal.
During the second course, we were able to watch Andrea Delisi in her bid to move on to the nationals. Bryan also presented during this time, I felt that he engaged the crowd with his knowledge and choice of music.
As we entered the third course, Amanda Johnson, Fine Arts major from Delaney’s Bar in New Haven Connecticut, showed her skills. She had a quiet confidence that was interesting to watch. Meale Berman from Phildadelphia also took the podium confidently as she poured, presented and served her beers.
Finally for dessert we enjoyed, ‘Hoegaarden Honey Crème Brule’ paired with Hoegaarden. I love Crème Brule and this was so good. You could taste the citrus elements of Hoegaarden with the honey of the crème brule. It was light but has such a full taste to it. Remember that as we are eating we are watching the contestants and judges interacting. We also get to watch the interesting interaction of the contestants eating. Some were relaxed since they had competed while others studied those that were currently on the taps. As a side note, there was a sidebar available where attendees were encouraged to try the
techniques to see how complex the process was although the contestants made it look so easy.
This portion of the meal had Karl Jones working with Michael Jackson’s “Gonna Be Starting Smoething”. I thought he had a
dramatic way of washing the glasses. It was interesting that though there is a precise way to present these beers; each contestant brought an element of themselves.
Steve Sokolov from Markt Bar, a Belgian Brasserie represented NYC. As he performed, he played the instrumental
version of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”. His presentation was intense when he talked with the judges he had a confidence about himself that I liked. Apparently, he came to the city as a comedian and learned that he was skilled in pouring.
As each poured, the atmosphere was light and yet tense, this was a closed event so many of the attendees were the distributors, bar owners and managers. They were eager to be associated with the title and the vibe of competition was definitely in the air.
Out of 250 points the 1st and 2nd place winners were only separated by one point. Steve, who works
at the Belgian Brasserie, Market in NYC came in second with 229 points and Amanda, who bartends at Delany’s in New Haven, Connecticut came in 1st with 230 points. Both will move on to the National Stella Artois Draught Master Competition in Philadelphia on October 10th. They will compete with 4 additional winners from the regionals in Chicago and Denver. From those 6 contestants only 1 will move on to the World Stella Artois Draught Master Competition in Brussels, Belgium.
After the winners were crowned, pictures were taken and we were all treated to goodie bags as we left for the evening. In our branded Stella Artois bags we received, a wooden Stella Artois bottle opener (the look
on my boyfriend’s face was too cute), bitter sweet dark chocolates that had Stella Artois’ name on it (they had these throughout the room and it went very well with the beer), the recipes for the evening’s
menu (once again my boyfriend who loves to cook was pleased – and if you want to recreate this, let me know I’ll send you the info) and wrapped in a black velvet bag with Stella Artois embroidered in gold letters is the signature Stella Artois beer glass.
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Cibar NYC, originally uploaded by frans.vanderlee.
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