Craft brewers a perfect fit in Slow Food Nation event

San Francisco — Call it the latest rousing rejoinder to fast food. About 60,000 people attended the inaugural Slow Food Nation gathering in San Francisco over Labor Day weekend. They came from all over the United States to meet farmers and food and beverage producers, to watch films, visit a victory garden planted in a park near City Hall and to engage in discussion about the growing sustainable-food movement.

Though the four big tasting sessions (billed as a “United States of Food”) quickly sold out, as many as 14,000 people were able to get tickets to savor regionally curated cheese, charcuterie, fish, pickles, bread, wine and other kinds of artisan food and drink at 15 architect-designed Taste Pavilions at the Fort Mason Center, an exhibition venue.

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Greg Koch of Stone Brewing Co. in San Diego pours tastes at Slow Food Nation.

BOB TOWNSEND
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• Bob Townsend is editor of Southern Brew News, a bimonthly beer publication distributed throughout the Southeast.

For some foodies, though, the big surprise was at the beer pavilion, where American craft brewers presented a variety of flavorful keg, cask and bottled beers at three bars fashioned from recycled bottles and shipping containers.

Located outdoors and surrounded by hay bales for lounging, the beer pavilion became a crowd favorite, taking on the easygoing atmosphere of a beer garden. But amid the fun, plenty of serious education.

Curator Dave McLean of San Francisco’s Magnolia Pub & Brewery assembled an impressive cast of brewers and beer experts to pour samples and answer questions.

Greg Koch, chief executive of Stone Brewing Co. in San Diego, who was on hand for a meet-the-brewer session, offered a rare taste of Stone’s limited edition anniversary beer, a strong, Belgian-style golden ale with American hops. Koch said he and his company have been slow food members since 2000, when he first attended the biennial Salone del Gusto (a much larger international event similar to Slow Food Nation) in Italy, where the worldwide slow food movement was founded.

“I was just awestruck,” Koch said. “So I went again in 2002 and again in 2004. And when Slow Food Nation came up, it was a no-brainer. It was something I absolutely had to do. Slow food, to me, is all things authentic and artisanal. It’s old world, traditional but allows for modern-day touches that are consistent with the basic artisanal philosophy. Craft beer fits right into that.”

Koch said he was especially excited to introduce Slow Food Nation attendees to what he called “the true flavor and diversity that’s available in the world of craft beer,” though he lamented that bringing foodies and beer geeks together isn’t always an easy task.

“We’re not here just to preach to the converted,” said Koch. “I’m sometimes a little disconcerted seeing all the slow foodies and their lack of understanding of craft beer. But I’m also disconcerted seeing great craft beer enthusiasts who are completely disconnected from the finer things in the world of food. They miss out by insisting on amazing beer with their Domino’s pizza. They’ve only got 50 percent of the equation.”

Daniel Williams of the Boulder, Colo.-based craft beer trade group the Brewers Association helps organize the multitude of samples that come in for judging at the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup. Williams tempted the curious to belly up to his bar to try the unusual taste of a smoked stout from Alaskan Brewing Co.

“This a great event,” Williams said. “Obviously, what I like about it is that it pairs beer and food in a way that shows the best of everything. That’s how it’s been done in Italy, and San Francisco is a great place to do it here.”

Sebbie Buehler, a longtime ambassador for Rogue Ales of Newport, Ore., was proudly pouring the Rouge Chocolate Stout that features a picture of her on the bottle. She also pointed out several other beers with distinctive ingredients, including an ale flavored with tea.

“I like suggesting food pairings,” said Buehler. “And for people who are more familiar with wine, I like using those kinds of comparisons. If someone is holding a wineglass, and they want something big and strong, I might compare it to an old-vine zinfandel.”

Ron Lindenbush of Lagunitas Brewing Co. in nearby Petaluma, Calif., summed up the beer presentations at Slow Food Nation this way: “This was a huge educational opportunity for people who are ripe for that. They already appreciate good food of every kind, whether it’s olive oil or chutney or chocolate. But they might not know that much about good beer. And it’s really cool to see them learning.”