Brooklyn Brewery and Highlights from #OmnivoreParis

There is a lot to be said about spontaneity when traveling. My travel strategy has taken almost a 360-degree turn from planning every minute detail to virtually “winging it” until I arrive at my destination. A decade ago, I would never have dreamed of taking this free-spirited, come-what-may approach. But I can honestly say that it’s proven to be the most stress-free and rewarding experience!

Possessing true joie de vivre and the freedom to partake in whatever strikes your fancy is exhilarating and gives you a true sense of place, of having your finger on the pulse of what is hot and happening wherever you may be.

On my last trip to Paris, it was serendipity that the World Tour Omnivore was in town. Omnivore, an iconoclastic French dining guide by Badoit is dedicated to discovering all that is young and exciting in urban culinary centers of creativity: after charcuterie (Foodbook # 1) and the natural wine (Foodbook # 2), Omnivorous comes full circle to complete the sacred trilogy with bread for Foodbook #3).

The Omnivore World Tour is the world’s largest food festival involving international chefs and resident chefs to “share the kitchens, interview techniques, comparing cultures, create movement to better imagine the future” as described by Luke Dubanchet, creator and director of Omnivore.

May Chow of Little Bao – Hong Kong

Omnivore 2015 celebrates their 10th year with performances in urban centers of creativity Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Geneva, Brussels, Moscow, New York, San Francisco, Montreal, Sydney, Shanghai and Istanbul. The event kicks off with Omnivorous by Badoit party, followed by three days of  chef dinners, culinary demonstrations, beer and wine tastings, cocktail mixology, and a gourmet food show.

Artisan, Streetfood, Cocktail, Sucré, Salé : retour en images sur le festival Omnivore Paris 2015 {caption for their Paris album on Facebook}.  A few knockout moments for me were:

Corsican wines: my eyes, ears and tastebuds assess the scene upon entering the exhibit room, my gaze falls on the wine tasting table (what a surprise), make a beeline for it, offer a twinkling smile and friendly gesture pointing out a clean glass, and wedge my way in between two women.

Viola! the friendly blonde overhears my lame attempts at rudimentary French and strikes up a conversation…in English. How lucky is that! The rosé was my favorite varietal; made with 100% sciaccarellu grapes, which are normally blended, the 2014 “Pumonte Rose” was exactly what you’d hope for from the pink seasonal wine- crisp and refreshing without being too sweet or overly fruity. Unfortunately, the winery is looking for distributors stateside so its availability locally is non-existent.

Pain levain by Theirry Delayer:  considered by many to be the best bread maker in Paris, I was introduced to Thierry by mon nouvelle amie, Danielle Michel who, lucky me, seemed to know everyone!

Ever intrepid, I decided to ignore my lack of French language skills and sit in on Thierry Delabre’s bread demonstration. My keen observation skills and knowledge of culinary terminology would be sufficient, I figured. With humor and tears, Thierry told the story of his healing journey and how passion and hard work led to redemption in the form of pain au levain extraordinaire and being tapped by none other than Alain Ducasse for what promises to be an exciting new chapter in his life.

The real fun was happening on the 5th floor where the spirits: Monkey Shoulder, Mamont vodka, Calvados, Mumm’s champagne, Brooklyn Brewery and others were pouring, shaking, stirring, and shooting tantalizing tastes to refresh, cleanse and ignite olfactory receptors.

Brooklyn Brewery was the main impetus that propelled me to Omnivore – distributed in 25 states and 20 countries, but only as far west as Nevada, I wanted to find out more about this American company that was the sole brewer at Omnivore – plus, surely there would be someone who spoke English, as well as many fine beers to savor. Brooklyn Brewery was founded in 1988 by Steve Hindy, former Middle East Correspondent for the Associated Press, and banker Tom Potter, the downstairs neighbor that Steve enlisted to help launch a brewery that would pay homage to the rich history of their beloved borough, beginning with the first batch of their flagship Brooklyn Lager –  an all-malt lager beer with a tangy aroma created by “dry-hopping,” an age-old technique of adding hops during the maturation process to create a robust aroma.

In 1994, Garrett Oliver was brought on board as brewmaster to helm the brewing program and work on establishing the brand new Williamsburg brewhouse. The portfolio of Brooklyn Brewery has grown to a wide-ranging collection of beers, always keeping an eye to traditional brewing techniques, even as Brewmaster Garrett Oliver and his team seek to push the boundaries of beer.

I had fun chatting with Rachael (pictured above) while tasting several of their beers on tap and was elated when she invited me to the beer and cheese pairing event at Allen’s Market with Garrett Oliver and cheesemonger Laurent Bouvet.

Brewmaster Garret Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery | photo by Thomas Smith

Each of the Brooklyn Brewery beers featured were expertly paired by Laurent who also described each cheese (in French) as it was served and Garret Oliver would tell us why and how the beer complements that specific variety of cheese. By far the best way to spend an early afternoon in Paris!

Next time you’re considering a pairing for cheese, consider beer. Beer is often a better pairing for cheese than wine, after all the fermenting process of both is very similar and the effervescence of beer plays very well with rich, creamy, stinky cheeses. Here are the fabulous pairings that Rachel, Garret and Laurent devised for us:

• Lager – Emmentaler and Gouda semi affiné (aged 12 months)

• EIPA –  Brillat Savarin and Fourme d’Ambert

• Local 1 – Reblochon and Comté aged 24 months

• Brown Ale – Trappe d’Echourgnac and Ossau-Iraty

• Black Chocolate Stout – Stilton

• Blast – Epoisses and Roquefort

Hope you enjoyed this brief recap of Omnivore Paris. I’ll be sharing more from the event and about Brooklyn Brewery, their beers and business model in another post. Thanks for visiting!

 

Photos of Garret Oliver, Laurent Bouvet and participants by Thomas Smith.