Tune in for a conversation on what happens when fine dining and beer combine on this week’s episode of Beer Sessions Radio™! Host Jimmy Carbone discusses Beer Education and Fine Dining in NYC and welcomes Alex Pfaffenbach, Dining Room Manager of the NoMad Restaurant; Augie Carton, owner of Carton Brewing; and John La Polla, owner of Bitter & Esters.
Alex and the NoMad crew wanted to teach about beer through the actual process of making beer; they made a holiday beer (a brown ale with cranberries and kaffir lime leaf) with John. The NoMad won a James Beard Award for best bar program, and Alex realizes that, “You can’t have world class cocktails and world class wine without world class beer,” which is why the staff takes beer education so seriously.
Augie talks about some of his secret ingredients in his beers (including smoked pineapple!) and why he cares about how his beers are served in bars around the city. He talks about how he focuses on flavor, making him an atypical brewer (he’s created a cornbeef and pickle beer). And hear the history of the “Duck & Decoy” at Eleven Madison Park.
Listen in on this “brain trust of beer” with the Trinity of service, educator and brewer and find out what makes beer a great fit for high end dining! Full episode here.