Brew-off and “Beer Luck”: What More Could You Ask For?

by Nicole Tichenor





As a devoted beer drinker, I can safely say that yesterday’s Brew off and Beer Luck was my favorite SFT event of the year. A lot of other people probably agree, because those two rooms full of homebrewed beer were packed with people (over 100 members of the Tufts graduate community attended!) Here’s how the night went: everyone brought a glass, and we were able to choose 6 -7 beers of the 19 (!) to try, just to make sure everyone got enough tastes. Meanwhile, there was an esteemed panel of judges tasting each beer and scoring them. From Cambridge Brewing Company we had Will Meyers, Brewmaster and Megan Parisi, Head Brewer. The other judges were Dave Lytton, who works at the Modern Homebrew Emporium and James Nicholson, who runs Mystic Brewery.



The homebrewers were from several schools at Tufts: the medical, dental, urban and environmental policy and planning program, Fletcher school, and nutrition schools. The diversity of backgrounds matched the diversity of beers entered in the competition – everything from Black Saison and India Pale Ales to American Style Black Ale. It was really interesting to hear the brewers (fellow students) describe their beers like seasoned professionals. One of the pairs of brewers told me that their Oatmeal Stout was made with a real bowl of oatmeal with all the fixins in it. It’s my new favorite breakfast!




At the end of the night, the winners were announced. The students picked Kristin Irvin and Greg Saia’s Pale Ale as the 2nd place winner and gave the gold to Melissa Page’s “Vitamin Apri-Hop.” The judges’ pick was the Gluten Free Pale Ale brewed by Friedman student Alyssa Koomas. The judges also picked favorites in the different beer categories. For Classic Styles, 2nd place went to Sam Barber’s IBU-tiful, and 1st went to Scott Recksiedler for his California Common lager. Scott also took 2nd place in the specialty category for his Pumpkin Ale, which was like fall in a glass. 1st place specialty beer went to Alyssa’s Gluten Free Pale Ale. For darks/lagers, 1st place went to Kate Abowd Johnson, who brewed a powerful wood-aged beer, called Bourbon Trail Stout. 2nd place in that category went to Sarah Kasten’s American Style Black Ale, which was one of my favorites of the night.



Many thanks to our judges, donors, brewers and participants. Thanks also to our sponsors who donated wonderful prizes: Modern Homebrew Emporium, Redbones BBQ in Davis Square, Christopher's Restaurant, Cambridge Common, Mystic Brewery, and Cambridge Brewing Co.





We’re looking forward to Brew-off 2012 already!

Cambridge Brewing Company: A Tasting and Tour

Cambridge Brewing Company: A Tasting and Tour

by Sarah Kasten

Last Saturday, a group of us gathered at Cambridge Brewing Company in Kendall Square for a tasting and tour led by CBC head brewer Megan Parisi. She and fellow CBC brewer, Jay Sullivan , gave us through a full introduction to the art of brewing and a tasting of CBC's diverse beers. We walked through CBC's brewing facilities, learning all about how this brewery makes and stores its many varieties. A great way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon. Here are some highlights:

-Megan showed us three malts that they use in varying combinations to create a variety of beers: Regatta Golden, a light, crisp Kolsch-style beer, the cararmel-like Cambridge Amber ale, and the Charles River Porter loved by the coffee fiends among us. Malts can add a range of flavors and colors to the finished beer. The malts are all created from the same raw grains (usually barley, but sometimes wheat or oats) and then roasted. The different flavors and colors the different types of malts are created entirely by the temperature and length of the roasting process. Megan was keen to highlight that brewing really is about taking a raw agricultural product and turning it into something entirely new. CBC works closely with its suppliers to maintain consistency through growing seasons and sources, adjusting their own recipes in some cases in order to stay true to their well-known beers.

-CBC was started 22 years ago, before the model of the brew-pub had become popular in the U.S. Not knowing whether the restaurant would be a success or not, the main brewing kettle was stationed in the center of the dining room. The gas burners and the kettle of steaming wort generate so much heat that CBC's brewers are up at the crack of dawn to brew so that the dining room has cooled down by the time the restaurant opens for lunch.

-When asked about current brewing trends, Megan and Jay were thoughtful in their responses The industry has definitely benefited from a surge in consumer interest in microbreweries. On the one hand, this has led to some consolidation in the industry as large beverage corporations seek to expand their market share. On the other hand, the brewers named several examples of start-up breweries in Massachusetts alone, noting a trend towards nano-breweries, who typically produce just one or two barrels at a time. Either way, it seems like an exciting time for beer in America with high-quality beers becoming increasingly available to consumers and a new generation of producers striking out on their own!

Thanks to Cambridge Brewing Company for hosting the event! Check out their website for more information about their beers: http://www.cambrew.com/.

Olive Oil: How Much Do You Know?

For SF Tufts April meeting, Olive Oil Importer and Governor of Slow Food New England Rosemary Melli came to teach our group how to properly taste olive oil, and tips and tricks for purchasing good olive oil (even on a budget). Here's a little taste of what we learned at the event!

Intro facts about olive oil:
*Most of the olive oil in the United States is actually vegetable oil (either canola/other vegetable oil or olive oil made from lower quality olives) mixed with up to 30% real olive oil to impart the signature color/taste of olive oil.

*Extra-virgin olive oil has an acidity of less than 1%. Good EVOO will have an acidity of around 0.3%. The acidity comes from a certain amount of oleic acid in the olives. EVOO olives will be picked and then taken to the mill between 24 hours to 3 days after being taken off the tree.

*It takes 3 kilos of olives (about 6.6 pounds) to produce one bottle (about 1 liter) of olive oil.

*Olive trees take about 20 years to become mature enough to bear fruit.

*The California olive oil industry is growing, and is starting to produce high quality olive oil. Look out for this oil in the future!

*The National Organic label in Italy is called "Biologica"



The life of an olive oil importer
Rosemary goes back to Italy every year to check in with olive oil growers and producers to see how their product is made. She shared pictures with us of beautiful olive trees, families working in the field, and the Italian countryside. But the best olive oil does not always have to come from Italy-- it depends on what tastes you look for in olive oil. Spain exports some great olive oil, and Rosemary mentioned that she has started to explore Turkish olive oils as well!

Rosemary has noticed that the olive oil industry has become more mechanized. The children of families who used to pick olives now all work in cities in the IT industries, so olive oil producers now hire Slavic workers or purchase machines to pick the olives.




Tips for purchasing/storing olive oil
1. Look for the harvest date on the bottle. Olive oil has the best nutritional and taste properties when consumed less than 18 months after harvest. After that, the oil will lose some flavor and antioxidants.

2. Pure olive oil will congeal when stored in the fridge-- this is an easy way to find out if your olive oil is pure or not!

3. Store your olive oil away from oxygen, light, and heat. Metal containers imparts a certain flavor to the oil, so store your olive oil in ceramic, glass, or even plastic. Olive oil should be stored away from the stove. Good places to store oil are cool cabinets, a basement, or the fridge.





Steps to tasting olive oil
The International Olive Oil Council will have a tasting yearly to test different varieties of olive oils from around the world. Here's how they do it (notice the similarities to tasting wine).

1. Color: Look for a fresh green or golden color. In a real competition, a blue cup would be used to mask the color of the oil so that the judges aren't biased by a brighter color.
2. Circulate the olive oil in the tasting cup to release odors.
3. Add a little bit of heat to the oil by rubbing the cup on the palm of your hand.
4. Smell (enjoy this step!)
5 Sip the oil out of the cup by breathing air in as you sip. The oil will hit your tongue-- swallow!
6. You'll notice a peppery flavor at the back of your palate. This flavor is stronger after harvest and can be overwhelming for people who are not used to the flavor. What you're tasting is the antioxidants in the oil!

Friedman and the Chocolate Factory

by Ellen Cynar

A group of Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition students recently had the sweet pleasure of touring the Taza Chocolate Factory located in Somerville, MA. The tour was a combined force of Slow Foods Tufts and Tufts Food Works, looking to see good, clean and fair business in action. We began our tour by learning about the history of Taza and its production philosophy. Taza, which means cup in Spanish, was started by Alex Whitmore and Larry Slotnick who wanted to get back to the roots (or the beans) of chocolate making. Emulating Mexican-style artisan chocolate, Taza crafts 100% stone-ground chocolate with a unique, slightly gritty texture. The company considers itself ingredient obsessed, using only high-end, organic chocolate.



DID YOU KNOW: Taza is one of the few “bean-to-bar” chocolate companies in the United States? This means Taza makes their chocolate in the Somerville factory, beginning with raw cacao beans.



While sampling Taza’s delicious chocolate, the group learned about the process of growing and harvesting cacao beans. Taza works directly with farmers in the Dominican Republic through a Direct Trade Agreement, which seeks to provide fair compensation to farmers in exchange for high quality, environmentally conscious, cacao crops.



DID YOU KNOW: Cacao beans come from pods grown on trees and vary in color from yellows to greens to reds? Different colored pods can grow on the same tree.



After donning very stylish hairnets, we made our way back into the factory where we checked out the roasting and winnowing (de-shelling) machines to learn how to process cacao beans. We sampled cacao nibs, which are the little pieces of roasted cacao beans that can be covered in chocolate and used for snacking, baking or toppings.



DID YOU KNOW: Roasting cacao beans give off the smell of brownies? This brings new meaning to the idea of “occupational hazard”.



A few additional samples later, we made our way into Taza’s shipping and packaging room and learned how Taza lovingly wraps those perfectly round Mexicano chocolate disks. Taza works to create a sustainable product starting with sourcing all the way to packaging and delivery. Shipping is kept to a minimum with direct sourcing and Taza utilizes UPS carbon neutral shipping for long journeys.



DID YOU KNOW: Taza chocolate is delivered locally via pedal power? Taza partners with Metro Pedal Power for Boston, Cambridge and Somerville deliveries.





Hairnets removed, the group moved back into the Factory Store area to finish learning about the chilling and molding process of Taza chocolate, and of course, try more samples. Some favorites included Guajillo Chili, Salt and Pepper and for the pure at heart, Cacao Puro.



Slow Foods Tufts and Tufts Food Works would like to thank Taza and its generous staff for coordinating such a delicious event. Visit Taza Chocolate's website for more information about the company, their chocolate or to go on a tour of your own. Don't worry, we left some samples behind. For more information regarding nutrition and agriculture private sector connections, please visit Tufts Food Works' website.

All About Lobster

(This post written by Slow Food Tufts member Bridget McElroy)

Lobster was the topic and the guest of honor at the March 17th Slow Food Tufts meeting. Jim Lynch took time out of his busy schedule at the Lynch Lobster Company in Beverly, MA, to speak to the group about the different aspects of the lobster business including catching, sourcing, marketing, shipping, sustainability issues, and some tasty recipes. With him, he brought two live lobsters to teach us about the legal lobster size and to give us a little lobster anatomy lesson.

Jim and his two brothers represent the third generation of their family to work in the lobster business, as their grandfather started his own company in the industry in 1925. In 1994, the three brothers branched out to start their own small, hands-on, local live lobster distribution business with a national and international scope. According to Jim, the lobster industry produces 200-225 million pounds per year and does about a billion dollars worth of business annually. In general, the industry is divided up into small companies like Lynch’s, which do about $1-5 million in sales annually. Many of these companies are primarily involved in buying from lobstermen along the coast in New England and Canada and then distributing the product to various points along the supply chain. Lynch Lobster Company sells directly to consumers, restaurants, retailers, processors, or larger distributors, and can process between 5 and 10 thousand lobsters per day.

Although not one himself, Lynch personally knows many lobstermen (the only contracts his company has with lobster fishermen are based on a handshake) and he is very familiar with the political and environmental factors that affect them. We learned that in recent years, catch numbers have gone up significantly, partially because of regulations that have increased the stock. Policies have continued to raise the minimum size of lobsters that can be caught (meaning more lobsters are thrown back and allowed to keep growing and breeding) and they also require larger escape vents on traps (releasing lobsters from any traps lost by fishermen). Another very important factor that Jim pointed out is the reduced number of cod and haddock due to over-fishing. These fish are a lobster’s natural predators, and lobster populations have thrived since fish numbers in certain areas have dwindled.

Despite increased catch numbers, lobstermen in New England continue to face price fluctuations that sometimes pay them an unsustainable wage, especially during the off season (November-May). Additionally, in most cases, lobstermen don’t have much choice about where and when to sell their catch, and just sell to local middlemen at that day’s market price. Regulations in New England that limit the processing of whole lobsters are unfavorable to those who might want to start a value-added enterprise of their own – especially as value-added products like lobster tails and lobster meat have grown in popularity in recent years. Competition with Canada’s government-subsidized lobster processing industry is also a formidable challenge.

Jim Lynch’s many years of experience in the lobster business made him quite an enlightening guest to have. His enthusiasm for his family business, the industry, cooking, and lobsters in general made it a thoroughly enjoyable talk. At the end of his presentation, we all got to put our names in a hat for the chance to bring home two Lynch lobsters. Maggie Holmes (pictured left with the catch) was the lucky winner and I’m sure she prepared a delicious dinner that night.

Thank you to Jim Lynch and the Lynch Lobster Company, and to the Slow Food Tufts officers for organizing this fun talk!