SAVOR Kicks Off 5th Year Today in Washington D.C.
Embracing the Spirit of Community: Collaborative Efforts Bring Together Brewers and Beer Lovers at 2012 SAVORSM
Washington, D.C. – June 8, 2012 – Connecting small and independent craft breweries and craft beer lovers from across the country, the Brewers Association once again hosts the nation’s premier craft beer and food pairing event: SAVORSM: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience. In its fifth year running, SAVOR offers 4,000 epicurean enthusiasts the rare opportunity to meet the personalities behind their favorite beers from all regions of the country, enjoy a tailor-made menu designed by Chef Adam Dulye, and taste a collaborative beer from two of the brewing community’s heritage craft brewers.
SAVOR’s food pairings represent a collaboration between craft brewing and culinary expression. Crafted by Dulye, Brewers Association culinary consultant and chef/owner of The Monk’s Kettle and The Abbot’s Cellar in San Francisco, the menu was driven solely by the beers each brewery selected to pour. Menu items focused on both comparison and contrast pairings. The menu was planned only after this year’s final beers were selected, at which point a group of chefs and Cicerones® were assembled to create a flavor profile for the overall menu, with 42 items and 149 food pairings.
“Craft brewers are a community and SAVOR is the perfect platform to display their attitude of collaboration and cooperation,” said Nancy Johnson, event director for the Brewers Association. “Although these breweries compete, they all work together to further the success of craft brewing as a whole. SAVOR really captures that spirit.”
This year, Boulevard Brewing Co. and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. partnered to create Terra Incognita—a collaboration beer exclusively for SAVOR attendees to taste at the event and receive as an exit gift. Named to honor the bold explorers who traveled the California Trail from Boulevard’s home in Kansas City to Sierra Nevada’s in Northern California, Terra Incognita enjoyed a similar journey. The brewing process began with Sierra Nevada’s Estate-Grown pale malt, amber malt, wheat and unmalted wheat. From there, the beer was hopped with Bravo and Styrian Goldings during the boil, and finished by dry-hopping with East Kent Goldings. The beer then traveled the California Trail, in reverse, to reach Boulevard, where it was treated with Brettanomyces (a wild yeast), aged in Missouri Oak barrels and then bottled in time for SAVOR attendees to enjoy.
Terra Incognita is just one of the many collaborative beers that craft beer lovers can taste throughout the year. In 2011, members of the craft brewing community collaborated on dozens of special beers, and the trend of collaboration between craft brewers is only increasing as consumers—and brewers alike—continue to support these projects.
“Collaboration beers are a growing trend among craft brewers. Where most businesses tend to thrive on competition, craft brewers are embracing partnerships with their neighbors and counterparts, and in the process, creating unique, full-flavored craft beers that are in high demand,” added Julia Herz, craft beer program director for the Brewers Association. “The ability of brewers to blend their talents serves to elevate the innovations of the craft beer community.”
Held at the National Building Museum, SAVOR features 74 small and independent craft brewers from 32 states representing every region in the United States. Additional event details are located on the SAVOR website and the calendar on CraftBeer.com.
2012 SAVOR Supporters
Host Supporter: Reyes Beverage Group
Supporting Partners: Abita Brewing Company, Brewery Ommegang, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Samuel Adams, CraftBeer.com
Supporting Breweries: Allagash Brewing Company, Boulevard Brewing Company, Brooklyn Brewery, Devils Backbone Brewing Company, Flying Dog Brewery, Full Sail Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing Company, Rogue Ales, Saranac Brewery, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Supporters: Brewers Supply Group, DRAFT Magazine, GreatBrewers.com, National Beverage Wholesalers Association, Oak Beverages, Inc., Spiegelau
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About the Brewers Association
The Brewers Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The Brewers Association (BA) represents more than 70 percent of the brewing industry, and its members make more than 99 percent of the beer brewed in the U.S. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup®, Great American Beer Festival®, Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America®, SAVOR℠: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience and American Craft Beer Week. The BA publishes The New Brewer magazine and its Brewers Publications division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today’s craft brewers and homebrewers.
Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association. Follow us on Twitter.
