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The Belgians Came Again

September 13, 2013 by evebushman

Yes, it was hot and sultry, but it was a friendly group of hot sultry people – with Belgian beer – so it worked again this year just perfectly in this second installment of the Belgians Are Coming Beer Festival.

Event planner Claudia Sheridan with my husband Eddie Bushman

Event planner Claudia Sheridan with my husband Eddie Bushman

And once again my good friend and event planner Claudia Sheridan worked as founder Peter Goossens’ right arm, and many of the “Goose-lings” that had worked with Goossens for years on the Loose Goose Wine Festival, were back to support him again.  The team was very effective in rounding up the beer, wine, food trucks, cigars, tents, twinkle lights, swag and even Belgian waffles…to a very appreciated Belgian-Beer-Loving crowd.

This time, instead of a large parking lot the Belgians came and took over a full block of Main Street in Downtown Newhall for the festivities.  For me, there was more beer than I could sample, so for others, you can bet there was more beer than even the most “productive” drinker could consume.

Now is where I must stop.  I’m no beer expert, and certainly no expert on taking notes while managing a glass and a cell phone camera.  I liked the pale ales almost as much as the dark beer.  I prefer coffee grounds and chocolate to balsamic vinegar flavors.  But I will leave you with a story in photos of people I saw and beer I liked that can be viewed via this Facebook link, to anyone on Facebook or not: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201223589979234.1073741837.1455706632&type=1&l=b3cf05dba5

Seen Sipping Brew

Claudia Sheridan, Peter Goossens, Eddie Bushman, Moe, Linda and Alex Hafizi, Ron and Kym Cappi, John and Debbie Heys, Steve and Rose Chegwin, Bill and Jill Friedman, Bob and Margo Hudson, Duane Harte, Jason and April Price, Cheryl Gray, Larry McClements, Rusty and Sean Sly, Judy Penman, Shannon Bohte, Steve Iland, Chris Chase, Debbie Clark, Pat Piwowarczyk, Patrick Lage, Don and Cheryl Dellepiane, Apo, Janet and Sabrina Yessayan, Marsha McLean, Christopher Chase and Jonathan Lloyd, Raymond Baker and Cathie Wright, Gary and Shannon Hoffman, Roman Weiser, Darrin and Cathy Craig, Steve and Julie Sturgeon.

The Brew List at press time

Malheur 10, Malheur 12, Stella Artois, Leffe, Hoegaarden, Stella Artois Cidre, St Feuillien Grand Cru, St Feuillien Saison, Pauwel Kwak, Triple Karmeliet, Bockor OmerBeer and H2O Traditional Blond, VanderGhinste Oud Bruin, Seef, Petrus Aged Red, Piraat, Gulden Draak, Scotch de Silly, Poperings Hommel, Bavik Pils, Wittekerke, Timmermans Framboise Lambic, Timmermans Strawberry, Lefebvre Blanche de Bruxelles, Lindemans Lambic Framboise, Val-Dieu Triple, Des Rocs Grand Cru, St Bernardus Abt 12, Verhaeghe Duchesse de Bourgogne, Rodenbach Classic, Steenbrugge Blond, Malheur Brut, Sint Stefanus, Mort Subite Kriek Lambic, Affligem Cuvee 950 Blonde, Affligem Dubbel, Affligem Triple, Lindemans Cuvee Rene Gueuze Lambic, Gageleer, Strubbe Grand Cru, Struise Westoek X, De Rijkc Arend Tripel, Rince Cochon, Corsendonck Agnus Triple, Corsendonck Pater Dubbel Ale, Grimbergen Dubbel Ale, Grimbergen Blonde Ale, and finally from our friends of Wolf Creek Brewery: Surfin’ Monks, and Howlin’ Hefeweizen.

Engelmann Cellars, King Frosch, Volatus, and Silkwood Wines were also on hand for the wine drinkers.  And the Food Trucks scheduled to be there included Germany’s Famous Bratwurst, Firehouse Chefs, Baby’s Badass Burgers, Mangia Ristorante On Wheels, The Lobos Truck, and Cousins Main Lobster! 

About Goose
On The Loose Productions

Inspired by Belgium-born founder Peter Goossens’ passion for, and down-to-earth approach to, the simple pleasures of fine drinks and food, Goose On The Loose Productions specializes in creating experiences with that unique flavor. The company is headquartered in Santa Clarita, Los Angeles, California. It provides a full range of event marketing services, and a comprehensive approach to event productions for individual and corporate clients.

About The Goose

Appreciation for the simple pleasures of fine food, beer, and wine is deeply rooted in Peter Goossens’ heritage and family traditions. Growing up in Dendermonde, a small town in northern Belgium, it seemed the best of this blend was at the heart of everyday encounters with family and friends. Peter is the grateful beneficiary of the passions of those who raised him. His grandfather, a successful industrialist, held one of the largest private wine collections in Belgium. His dad was an artist as well as an award-winning pastry chef and master chocolatier. His mom’s daily cooking was, and is, according to Peter “of Michelin-star quality”. True artists who took pleasure in their crafts, each one engaging, approachable and authentic; never pompous, overbearing or intimidating — exactly how a great culinary experience should be! Peter has been producing private and corporate events in Europe, the Middle East and the United States for the past 27 years. After all these years, Peter still enjoys conquering the specifics of each production. No matter how challenging, the Goose On The Loose Productions team “will wing it!”

About the Repertory East Playhouse:
A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Repertory East Playhouse, a non-profit theatre in Old Town Newhall.  The REP’s vision is to operate a world-class facility offering a wealth of professional productions for a reasonable ticket price to a regional audience, all while providing equitable compensation for artists.  Their mission is to produce plays that excite the imagination and nourish the community’s passion for theatre.

http://thebelgiansarecoming.com

Filed Under: Eve Bushman Tagged With: beer, beer event, belgian, cigar, festi, festival, Wine tasting

Perlis Picks: Garagiste Festival, Southern Exposure

January 26, 2013 by evebushman

It was about a year and a half ago that I first met Doug Minnick. At that time, Doug and co-founder Stewart McLennan had just announced the first Paso Robles Garagiste Festival, focusing on wineries with annual production of less than 1,200 cases, many of which you wouldn’t find anywhere except at this event — unless you managed to get a private tasting with the winemaker. Doug was clearly passionate about the project, but also understandably nervous, going through a lot of sleepless nights – “What if we have the festival and nobody comes?”

Well, after two hugely successful festivals at Windfall Farms in Paso Robles (see photos below from the most recent one), Doug and his partners feel it is now time to expand the Garagiste concept. For those people who felt Paso Robles was a little too far, or just for the rest of us who love what they are doing and want MORE, they recently announced:

Garagiste Festival: Southern Exposure is being held on February 16th, 2013 at the Solvang Veterans Memorial Hall.

As you can read on their website www.garagistefestival.com, the term “garagiste” originated in France, used to denigrate small winemakers who made wine in garages rather than the big chateaux. Now, it is a badge of honor for those winemaking pioneers who have the courage to go it alone.

The event in Paso Robles included primarily wineries from that area, although a few wineries came from the south (along with some from Sonoma and the San Francisco area). The February 16th event will showcase wineries in the Santa Ynez Valley. Again, wineries attending will have annual production of less than 1,200 cases, and many don’t have their own tasting rooms, so this will be your only chance to taste all these wines under one roof. Wineries attending so far are: Altman Winery, Autonom, Baehner Fournier Vineyards, Blair Fox Cellars, Casa Dumetz, Center of Effort, Cordon Wines, Deovlet Wines, El Rey Wines, Frequency Wines, Ground Effect Wines, J. Wilkes Wines, Kaena Wine Co., Kessler-Haak Wines, La Fenetre Wines, Larner Winery, Luminesce, Nagy Wines, Native9 Wine, Pence Rance, Piedrasassi, Refugio Ranch, Roark Wine Co., Ryan Cochrane Wines, Shai Cellars, Storm Wines, Tercero Wines and Transcendence Wines. This list is not final.

As at the Paso festivals, there will be a seminar in the morning. This one promises to be great, with a comparison barrel tasting, using samples from McPrice Myers’ wine from the iconic Larner Vineyard.

Doug told me that this is a great opportunity for attendees to “reset their palates” and really experience all that the Santa Ynez Valley has to offer. I’m a great believer that great things start with small businesses and “trickle up” to the big companies, and I definitely see this with wineries as well. Sure, this area is known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and rightfully so. But the Rhone varietals are incredible here too, and with the diverse microclimates in this area, Bordeaux varietals are also tasting great.

Kady Fleckenstein, Executive Director of the Santa Ynez Valley Visitors Association told me: “We’re very excited to have the Garagiste Festival come to the Santa Ynez Valley and feature local artisan winemakers.  What makes the Santa Ynez Valley so special is precisely that: mom and pop businesses and wineries.  Small, boutique winemakers live their passion and it shows in the quality of their product.  We love that you can visit a tasting room and often times meet the winemaker.  As a consumer, you also get quality attention and the opportunity to get to know each wine rather than being forced to drink and get out, a problem that can occur in the really big wineries found in other wine regions.”

The selection of the venue (Solvang Veterans Memorial Hall) was very important to Doug. The beautiful spacious mission style building located right in Solvang will not only enhance the experience but also provide easy access, especially for those who want to walk to it from their Solvang hotel rooms.

Tickets are on sale now. VIP passes are $80, which include the 11:00 AM seminar, lunch and early entry into the grand tasting.  Tickets for the grand tasting only, which starts at 2 PM are $50. Subscribers to The Dirt newsletter can get a 15% discount.

Net proceeds from the festival benefit the Wine and Viticulture Program at Cal Poly.

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 years.  He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who puts up with him. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting tasting rooms and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, Michael had the amazing good fortune to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. At the same time, in his day job he provides outsourced controller services to companies that do not need a full-time controller. One day, he hopes to be able to combine these two pursuits. Feel free to contact him about either at mcpfinancial@aol.com or michaelthezinfan@aol.com.  (2013 Update: Eve and Michael announced Eve Wine 101 Consulting.  Info is here: http://evewine101.com/press-releases/)


Filed Under: Michael Perlis Tagged With: Bordeaux, cellar, Chardonnay, festi, France, garagiste, Paso Robles, Pinot Noir, san francisco, Santa Ynez, solvang, Sonoma, tasting room, wine education, wine festival, winemaking, winery

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