Beer and chocolate tasting wows Leeds ladies

A group of women in Leeds recently joined the growing number of female beer drinkers when the Leeds Brewery Tap hosted a pre-Easter beer and chocolate tasting.
The tasting was organised by Dea Latis – named after the Celtic goddess of beer – a nationwide group aiming to encourage more women to enjoy beer. They have staged beer and chocolate tastings in London before, but the event was the first to be held outside the capital.
Guests tasted six different beers, each with a different chocolate designed to bring out the taste in each. Expert guidance was provided by Annabel Smith, Dea Latis founder and one of the country’s few beer sommeliers.
Smith said, “Beer and chocolate are perfect partners. They are both a balance of sweetness and bitterness, so when consumed together, the tastes and textures complement each other.
“Our guests at yesterday’s tasting included experienced beer lovers, occasional beer drinkers and complete novices, but everyone learned something new and, more importantly, had a great evening tasting beer with chocolate.”
The matches sampled by guests were:

• Leeds Yorkshire Blonde and Ye Old Sun Inn Venezuelan Chocolte
• Ossett Treacle Stout with Bon Bon’s Dark Chocolate Caramels
• Brains Boilermaker IPA with Dar Chocolate and Lemon Parfait
• Jacobsen Velvet Ale with Champagne Truffles
• Ilkley Brewery ‘The Mayan’ Chocolate Chipotle Stout with Turkish Delight
• Blue Moon with Terry’s Chocolate Orange

A vote was taken by the group at the end of the evening to choose their favourite beer and chocolate match, and this was won by Ilkley Brewery ‘The Mayan’ matched with Turkish Delight. In a double coup, ‘The Mayan’ was brewed by Harriet Marks, the only beer on the evening to be brewed by a female.

Smith concluded, “This was one of our most successful events and it’s great to move Dea Latis out of London and start involving women in other parts of the country. We chose Leeds because it has such a wonderful, thriving brewing scene and the Brewery Tap was the perfect venue for us.”

Welsh Rarebit recipe with Wold Top Bitter

By Lisa Harlow.

Tom Kerridge’s Welsh Rarebit

My first job was as publicity officer for a small theatre in Stafford and in the café the chef’s speciality was Welsh Rarebit. It would be fair to say that it was far and away my favourite lunch while I worked there and that it was far from being ‘rare’. That was twenty-something years ago so Tom Kerridge’s recipes caught my eye straight away, plus, posh cheese on toast looks like a no-brainer.

I used Wold Top Bitter from the Wold Top Brewery near Driffield – a 3.7% amber coloured aromatic session bitter that I picked up on my last trip to Yorkshire – to reduce down to a glaze and then added the double cream. The Cheddar, when grated, looked like a gigantic cheese mountain but did thankfully melt satisfyingly into the cream and beer after a bit of cramming into the pan and stirring. The addition of the egg yolks and all the punchy flavours made a really thick and gooey cheesy custard. The next bit of the recipe surprised me in that it called for the mixture to be cooled, spread out onto greaseproof paper and frozen. Unfortunately, I didn’t read that bit before I started and fully intended to eat the stuff for lunch, so the goo went straight onto some toasted bread and under the grill, where it bubbled and browned satisfyingly.

So to the tasting – accompanied by the rest of the beer, obviously – incredibly cheesy and with strong spicy flavour, there was still the unmistakeable undercurrent of ale – don’t ask me to opine about malt and hop flavours as a beer reduction pretty thoroughly vanquished by Worcestershire sauce, mustard and cayenne pepper is stretching even the finest and most accomplished palette. Perhaps it could have done with some nice nutty bread and a salad garnish, but it all happened in a bit of a rush, so my nice wholemeal sliced toast did the trick as the carbohydrate platform. The rest was left, as the recipe suggests to cool and flatten – and it’s in the fridge for another day as a slice of beery cheesiness or should that be cheeriness – as and when the fancy takes me.

Another couple of serving suggestions struck me – the cheesy mixture would make a fab dip for celery or breadsticks or as warm canapés when spooned onto big rustic croutons.

So go on, give it a go and let us know how you get on. February’s recipe will feature another Tom Kerridge special –  chocolate and ale cake – a must for all Valentine softies…

RECIPE

(Lovingly ripped-off from The Times on 3^rd January 2013)

Serves 8-12

Ingredients

½ pt ale
400g strong Cheddar (grated)
200ml double cream
1 large tbsp English mustard
1 tsp cayenne pepper
10 splashes of Worcestershire sauce
5 splashes of Tabasco
2 egg yolks

Method

Reduce the ale down to a glaze. Add the double cream and reduce by half. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Add the rest of the ingredients and allow to cool, then roll it out between two sheets of baking parchment and place in the freezer to set. Toast some bread and cut the rarebit to fit the slices. Place on the bread and grill until browned.

thehandandflowers.co.uk

The Pursuit of Hoppyness…Get involved with our cooking with beer series.

Inspired a bit by the 2009 film ‘Julie and Julia’ about the French cooking doyenne shown over Christmas, we (Dea Latis) decided to put our culinary skills to use for the enjoyable advancement of beer with another of our favourite subjects, food. (It’s no accident that our tasting sessions always have a food theme. If only we could work in our third favourite subject; shoes! Ideas anyone?)  Oh and thanks to @BadBeerPuns for the title….

At the same time, blow me, The Times published five beer recipes at the start of January by Tom Kerridge, he of the famous Hand and Flowers pub in Marlow – I say pub, but it’s a Michelin two star dining experience really. But a rare nod towards beer in the national press should not be ignored so, suitably inspired, we’re going to publish a recipe each month gleaned/stolen from various cookery writers and chefs. We’ll give them a go and report back but if, at the same time, you would like to get the pots and pans out as well or inspire us with your favourite beer-based recipes, we’d love to hear from you.

 

 

Beers at Breakfast Video

The last Dea Latis event saw 20 women indulging in the perfect beer and breakfast matches. See how we got on!

Huge thanks to Beth Porter for editing and John Porter for filming this.

Would you like to be a guest blogger?

At Dea Latis we celebrate everything that is great about beer. Our mission is to get more women trying and drinking beer, and encouraging their friends and family to do similar!

If you are passionate about beer then perhaps you’d like to write to be a guest blogger for us?

Do you like cooking with beer? What’s been your favourite beer and food match?  Have you converted any of your friends to drink beer – and how did you do it?

What do you think will get more women drinking beer?

If you would like to write a guest blog for Dea Latis, then get in contact now. Either leave a comment below this post, tweet us @DeaLatis or email dealatisuk@gmail.com and we’ll get back in contact.

Beers at Breakfast pictures

Dea Latis’ first ever pre-midday event saw 20 women matching beers with breakfast items. Watch this space for a full update on the morning, but to whet your whistle in advance, here are some pictures from the event on Friday 7 December 2012.

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Beers at Breakfast – the next Dea Latis event

Stout and sausages?

Bitter with bacon?

Mild and a mushroom?

You get the idea….That’s right, the next Dea Latis event will be looking at the beers that best  match with breakfast!

On Friday, 7 December, we will be taking charge of the Parcel Yard pub at King’s Cross station from 10am to midday.

Top brewsters Sara Barton of Brewsters Brewery and Kathy Britton of Oldershaw Brewery will be guiding us through the tasting.

Tickets are £20 each and include a full breakfast (veggie option available), beer (of course), tea/coffee and the tutored tasting.  Afterwards there will be the opportunity for plenty of networking with women from the beer and pub industry.

Tickets are sold via EventBrite

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/event/3809044956

Two Dea Latis members gain top beer recognition

The first two accredited female Beer Sommeliers have been announced by the Beer Academy.  Six months after the Sommelier qualification was launched, Dea Latis members, Sophie Atherton (pictured right) and Annabel Smith (pictured left) were accredited as Beer Academy Sommeliers following a stretching viva examination with Beer Academy Chief Examiner, Dr George Philliskirk.

George said “Traditionally the vast majority of UK beer has been drunk by men.  But things are changing.  Women do enjoy beer but tend to be more discerning that the average male beer drinker.  They like to know how it’s brewed, what raw materials are used and how these affect the flavour of the final product and which beers are the best partners for different foods.

The Beer Academy’s two new sommeliers are exceptionally well placed to take the beer message to both women and men across the UK.  A beer lover for nearly 25 years, Sophie is a journalist and beer blogger writing about beer in the national, local and specialist beer press.  In her work with Cask Marque, Annabel is in regular contact with their 8,000 accredited pubs around the country and in her spare time she is a founding member of Dea Latis, the forum set up to increase women’s awareness of beer.

George added: “We are delighted to welcome two such passionate experts to the pool of Beer Academy Sommeliers that is growing up around the world and look forward to many more women joining their ranks.”

After passing, Annabel, who is also a founding member of Dea Latis, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have achieved the Beer Sommelier accreditation with theBeerAcademy, and it’s an honour to be recognized as an ambassador for beer. I have an absolute love for the beer industry and the wide range of styles and flavours it produces.”

To achieve Beer Sommelier status, Annabel was required to attend and pass a number of BeerAcademy training courses. The courses covered in depth knowledge of beer production, understanding raw ingredients and how they contribute to flavour, identify different beer styles from around the world and understand what types of beer paired best with food.

Annabel had to submit a portfolio of evidence illustrating her practical competence of using beer menus in retail outlets, her knowledge of beer and food pairings and demonstrations of high end beer retailing and image standards through cellar hygiene standards and training retailers

At the assessment with the BeerAcademyon 10^th July Annabel had to identify a number of beer styles from around the world, differentiate between them, and illustrate her knowledge of the principles of beer and food matching

Pubs, patriotism and pints…

Dea Latis member, Joanna Dring, was recently asked to write the Guest Column in the brand new Bedfordshire newspaper, Bedford Midweek.

Here’s the column in full:

As if us Brits need an excuse to celebrate….Have you recovered from an over-exuberance of patriotic parties yet?

I’m quite sure that at some point over the weekend, the majority of you stepped foot in a pub. Perhaps you are a regular and knew the events the pub was laying on, or perhaps you haven’t been down your local for a few months but knew that at times of national celebration, there is no where quite like the pub.

We are so lucky in this country to have pubs. No other country quite gets pubs. Bars – yes. But pubs – no. (The Red Lion(s) in the Costas don’t count either….)

Just like the Queen (WARNING – a tenuous link between pubs and Her Maj) pubs are always there for us. There is no other place that has quite the same atmosphere and is the focal point of the community. Pubs are a place where people come together to celebrate and I have seen over the last few months many pubs leading their community’s Jubilee celebrations. From beer festivals and street parties to live music and Queen quizzes – the Great British Pub has reigned supreme over this weekend, and got the nation partying.

I was in the White Horse on Newnham Avenue last week for their regular pub quiz and Nigel the landlord read out the list of Jubilee events they were holding. Events for the whole family and ones that would make the weekend extra special. This is no mean feat. This is utter dedication from a licensee who knows the importance his pub plays in the community and works tirelessly to create a welcoming, comfortable and relaxing environment, and a memorable weekend for all.

And Nigel’s not alone. It must have been two and a half months ago that I saw the Embankment pub was already advertising its Jubilee events – providing something special and different to their usual weekend activities.

The Horse And Jockey in Ravensden ensured a British-bonanza by theming their menus to all things British and hosting a BBQ for the community on the Tuesday.

I think it’s quite easy for people to forget the important role pubs play in their community – they can be taken for granted as always being there, a constant feature of your town or village. But the harsh reality is that pubs continue to close across the country – a sign of the continued pressure the challenging economic downturn is having on the nation.

This year is the perfect storm of patriotic events. We’ve had the Jubilee and now have the Olympics to look forward to. Add in EURO 2012 and Wimbledon, there is every excuse to get down the pub. And if sport’s not your thing, there are quizzes, live music, open mic nights, charity fundraisers, beer and food matching evenings….the list is endless.
So if you have neglected your local recently, why not find out what’s on and drop in?

They are a British institution – we need pubs and pubs need you.

On Monday evening I had ventured out of Bedford to visit a friend in Weston-Super-Mare where we saw the lighting of one of the 4,200 beacons for the Queen. Of course this was followed up by a pint of ale in the local as we watched the closing of the Jubilee concert. After Prince Charles had spoke there was a huge roar of cheers from the crowd and a round of applause. I heard one lady say: “They can’t hear us but I’m going to clap anyway – it feels like I’m there!”

Surrounded by people who were bursting with pride and joy, the atmosphere was electrifying.

And that for me sums up why pubs are so great – there’s no place like ’em.

This column first appeared in Bedford Midweek on Thursday 7 June 2012.

Follow Joanna on Twitter.

Follow Bedford Midweek on Twitter.

Beer and Chocolate – a match made in heaven?

Beer-loving ladies from across the industry have marked an early end to Lenten promises by hosting their annual Beer and Chocolate tasting at the Draft House,TowerBridge.

With Easter firmly in their sights, the women sampled five beers matched perfectly with five different chocolates.  From pale ales to porters and barley wines to golden ales, beers from Sambrooks, Fuller’s, Calsberg, Brewsters and Fordham were available to sample.

This is the third annual Beer and Chocolate tasting by beer and women group Dea Latis, named after the Celtic Goddess of Beer.

Annabel Smith, spokespersonfor Dea Latis, said: “Beer is one of the most versatile types of drink there is and with this showcase, we’re proving that beer and chocolate really is a match made in heaven!

“Our group’s aim is to share all that is great about beer with women – some of whom are perhaps put off by the media’s portrayal of beer.  Typical points that can put women off are the images of the beer belly or pint glasses. With beer having fewer calories than wine and with the growing popularity of third of a pint glasses, two of those myths can be dispelled at once!

“With events such as these, we hope to make beer more accessible to women and provide the opportunity to taste the beer in an informal atmosphere.”

The Beer and Chocolate matches were:

Brewster’s Chocolate Cyn  (4.8% ABV) with Divine Dark Chocolate with Orange & Ginger          

Selected by Jane Peyton, School of Booze

A 4.8% porter containing Fairtrade cocoa from Divine chocolatiers, and cinnamon, Chocolate Cyn is deceptively light for a dark beer, with a rich chocolate and coffee character with a spicy bitterness from the cinnamon.  This is a collaboration beer brewed with Sara Barton at Brewster’s Brewing Company with three Dea Latis members – Jane Peyton, Marverine Cole, and Shea Luke.

Jacobsen Barley Wine, 9.5% ABV, with Thornton’s Alpini Continental Chocolates             

Selected by Joanna Dring, communications manager, Carlsberg UK

The 2011 vintage Jacobsen Barley Wine is brewed at the Carlsberg micro-brewery in the heart ofCopenhagen.  At over 9%, this is a beer that really packs a flavour punch! Its aroma is complex, with notes of liquorice, caramel and nuts along with smoky undertones.  Paired with hazelnut and almond chocolate from Thornton’s, the beer’s full-bodied and semi-sweet taste perfectly matches the nutty chocolate. Perfect to share with friends after a scrumptious dinner party!

Fuller’s Golden Pride (8.5% ABV with Merry Berry Mixed Spice & Fruit Dark Chocolate                                                     

Selected by Jane Peyton, School of Booze

A full bodied barley wine with a huge amount of fruit character – orange marmalade, mango, figs, raisins, and treacle malt, and a firm hop base to balance the sweetness. This  beer should replace any temptation to drinkCognacafter a meal!

Sambrooks Pale Ale (4.2% ABV) with Paul A Youngs XO Marmite chocolate                        

Selected  by Jo Miller, marketing director, Sambrooks Brewery

Sambrooks Pale Ale is brewed using Maris Otter floor malted barley, and a blend of English andNew Zealandhops including Admiral, First Gold, Celeia and Hallertau.  The result is a golden ale with an aroma of spicy meadow herbs and a sharp, marmalade and lingering dry taste.

In keeping with the south London brewer’s tradition of working with local producers, they have matched this with the creative genius of Soho chocolatier Paul A Youngs XO Marmite chocolate.  The Madagascan chocolate in the recipe is a fine and equal partner to the fruity and tangy nature of the beer.  This is not a match for the faint hearted and or the unadventurous.  It does show the rich diversity of beer and chocolate matching.

Fordham Doppelbock (8% ABV) with dark chocolate                                                                     

Selected by Julie Finney-Hogg, marketing director, Heathwick

Dark & rich with a big beer taste, Doppelbock is an exceptionally smooth, full-bodied dark lager with a bold character that is sure to brighten your spirits. Doppelbock is brewed withMunich, Pilsner and Carafa malts, combined with Perle and Tettang hops, and in strict adherence to the Reinheitsgebot, the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516. Its complexity makes it an ideal match for all types of chocolate as well as BlackForestcake and dried fruit rum tart.