Happy Cinco de Mayo! Celebrate with mead, saison and room full of great people! Jimmy Carbone is joined by Dr. Garth Cambry of Makan Meadery, Jerome Rebetez of BFM…
Jérôme Rebetez
Saint Bon-Chien World Tour 2014 – Pt. 2: Connecticut & More
And so, after the insanity that was Saint Bon-Chien World Tour 2014 at Mekong,I made my way back to Connecticut. I had to get back to work, reacquaint myself with reality, and help prepare more BFM madness for later in the week. But the tour’s movement by no means hinged on me, and following my departure, it kept right on moving.
The next stop on the tour’s epic path of glory was The Birch Bar in Norfolk, VA. It’s always a special day when Jérôme graces The Birch: his Abbaye de St. Bon-Chien, affectionately known as Bon-Chien, is a staple here. Every seat in the house was occupied The Birch’s best patrons. They are passionate and curious, and when given the chance to try 10 BFM beers on tap, they jump at the opportunity. The Birch’s quaint size gave Jérôme the opportunity to discuss his beers with everyone, and that one-on-one attention with him is priceless; even Jérôme remarked how happy he was that the crowd was there to taste and enjoy his beer.
From there, the tour made a slight turn northward. Landing in Washington D.C., the Bon-Chien crew made its home for the night at Pizzeria Paradisio, a haven for artisanal pizza and craft beer. Here, patrons were met with a phenomenal tap list of 12 BFM:
- Abbaye de Saint Bon Chien 2012
- Abbaye de Saint Bon Chien Grand Cru Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
- Abbaye de Saint Bon Chien Grand Cru Sauvignon Blanc 2011
- Abbaye de Saint Bon Chien Zymatore
- Alex Le Rouge
- La Mandragore
- La Torpille
- Procrastinator Batch #2
- √225
- √225 Apricot
- √225 Rhubarb
- √225 Syrah, Cornalin, Humagne Rouge dry graping edition.
The only beer dinner on the tour was hosted by Julian’s of Providence, Rhode Island. The menu was extravagant—a culinary journey to behold. But one course stood out above the rest in its ability to interweave the beer as both an ingredient and a beverage: “Bon-Chien Grand Cru spiked with Arnold Palmer’s Sorbet with Neon Green Mint Tarragon Sauce.” The concept of the dish was amazingly simple, but it worked with elegance and beauty. The idea of using this one-time limited beer in a dish was both mind-blowing and amazing.
The above-mentioned course was actually the Intermezzo, meant to cleanse the palate before the main course. The sorbet took on a slight yet refreshing tartness from the Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien and the “Arnold Palmer” aspect gave a mild sweetness. The neon green mint and tarragon complemented the rest of the dish perfectly. Invigorating and balanced, this was the essence of wonderful pairing.
Finally, it was time to re-join the Saint Bon-Chien World Tour 2014, this time in my home state of Connecticut. The tour would take us to Mikro Beer Bar, located in Hamden, with 10 dedicated lines of BFM wonder. I arrived at the quaint bar a little early to make sure everything was in order, which, of course, it was. The time was a few minutes past four, and the bar was filling up at a furious rate with patrons eager to taste these strange yet gorgeous concoctions. It was time for me to taste some beers, and to get a chance to try some that I’d missed earlier in the week at Mekong.
Just before the 6 o’clock hour, in sauntered Jérôme in his rock star glory. Mingling his way through the room, he shared beers and conversed with what seemed like everyone in attendance. The party was more than underway now, but it was missing something – a grandiose gesture to announce the festivities. Just then, Jérôme took it upon himself to jump upon the center bar and speak a bit about the evening and beers:
As you can see, it was a fun and informative night, full of laughs, great company, and wonderful elixirs.
The event came to a close, and it was my duty to make sure I got Jérôme “home” safely. Another car ride with the man is always fun, albeit a bit shorter than our previous journey. It was a wonderful week getting to know Jérôme (and more of his beers than I had ever dreamed). Thankfully he’ll be at OEC Brewing in June. Certainly something to look forward to. Until next time…
Contributions to this article by: Malia Paasch & Jie Yu
Images 3 & 4 by: George Culver, I-Heart-Food.com
Saint Bon-Chien World Tour 2014 – Pt. 1: Virginia
On a Sunday morning, I pulled down the street in a quiet Brooklyn neighborhood to see a tall, long haired man chatting on his phone. Immediately I recognized him as my passenger for the trek down to Virginia: Jérôme Rebetez. Jérôme is the brewmaster and owner of Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes, more commonly known as BFM. Right off the bat I knew this would be an interesting few days, as I was immediately scolded for being late (it was 11:04 a.m.; my E.T.A. was 11:00 a.m.). Of course this was in a jocular fashion.
Quickly we loaded the small Ford Focus hatchback with our luggage – Jérôme and I in front, Carole, one of BFM’s employees, crammed into the tiny back seat. It was time to set our course for Virginia.
We were looking at a seven-hour drive from Brooklyn to Virginia. To the American, it’s a moderate road trip; to the Swiss, who can traverse their entire country in about five hours (and negotiating the Alps), it’s a bit more of a journey. Throughout the drive we broached several topics, ranging from the wonderful array of BFM beers and their production methods, to this growing trend of contract “brewers,” both in America and throughout the world. We’d also come to find out that beyond beer, Jérôme and I are also both serious record collectors. We went spent more than a few counties discussing our cherished pieces of vinyl and all the wonderful spots around our surrounding areas to buy them.
After the reasonably smooth journey, we arrived in Richmond, Virginia, home of the famed Mekong. It was to be the first stop on this leg of the Saint Bon-Chien World Tour 2014. As soon as we pulled in and parked the car, we were greeted by An, owner of Mekong and friend of Jérôme. It was quite the welcome, complete with a complete tour on An’s new restaurant and brewpub. Then we were seated at Mekong, where we were served more than enough Vietnamese food, including shrimp rolls, spring rolls, phở and more.
And what to pair with all of this fantastic food? A few BFM beers, of course.
Our table received several draft pours of √225 and Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien 2012. A decadent combination and an amazing start to an event which was not even scheduled to happen until the following evening.
Fast-forward to Monday night. We again pull up to Mekong (having left at some certain hour the night before). This time, however, the front of the building is adorned with a magnificent Saint Bon-Chien World Tour 2014 sign, announcing the celebration of the 40th birthdays of An and Jérôme. As soon as we walked in, it became obvious that a special event was in the works. Mekong, a restaurant that seats 300 people, was packed to the gills with people absolutely in love with BFM beers.
Of the 50 tap lines, 20 of them were BFM brews, a sight unlike anything I’ve ever seen. These lines were not just your “average” (not that any of their beers should be considered average) BFM beers, but also featured one-of-a-kind versions of their beautiful ales. There were five versions of √225, nine versions of Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien, four Zymatore treatments and several other crazy beers. In my 29 years, this ranks among one of the finest lineups I’ve ever encountered.
And then it was time to try the limited offerings—those spectacular, unique beers. But where to begin? After a few minutes of gazing over the list, I decided the best place to start would be La Quatorze (XIV) Zymatore (single barrel, bourbon barrel – one of eight kegs in the world). I had been lucky enough to help find this barrel and taste it previously, but I never got a chance to try the finished, conditioned product until now. Immediate notes of coffee and wood played with each other, while staying soft and wheaty on the palate. A beautiful wave of sourness brought everything together, yet with a soft vanilla playing in the back.
Where to go after a coffee weizenbock? Obviously, it was time to try a variant of one of my favorite beers: √225 Grape – “Dry Graping.” This masterpiece is the heavenly √225 (saison-matured in spent Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien casks) aged over three different types grapes. This typically yellow beer, poured with an outstanding pink/purple hue, is unlike anything I’ve seen before. The aromas and flavors were equally amazing. Zesty, earthy funk, fruity, dry, tannic and refreshing, I am hopelessly in love, and someday need to experience the likes of it again, however unlikely that may be.
With all of the variations of Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien, I would like to try them all. However, with the beer coming in at 11% ABV, it’s a task easier said than done. I settled on the wiser idea to only try the ones I have not had before and more than likely would not have a chance to try again. The clear first choice was the 2011 Single Barrel Sauvignon Blanc – aged 25 months in the barrel. This takes the beauty of ASBC and amplifies it. The notes of dry oak playing with the sweet and sour body of the beer were just sublime. The long, winey sauvignon blanc finish was intense and gorgeous – truly a remarkable beer.
Meanwhile, while I was extraordinarily busy tasting all these amazing liquids, Jérôme was inundated with his swarms of fans, keeping up his rock star status. One minute he is busy signing bottles of Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien VJ1 and VJ2, and the next he is being given gifts of homemade BFM cupcakes. It was truly a wild sight and was refreshing to see people actually care and respect the great brewmasters of the world. As a bonus, An, being the extremely generous guy he is, made up wonderful t-shirts as sort of a goody bag for all the patrons. The Saint Bon-Chien/Mekong shirts with An & Jérôme 80th Birthday on the back were a comical and generous touch.
Throughout the night I was lucky enough to try 12 different beers. I won’t give you a review of every one, but there is at least one more for this part of the story that requires mentioning: Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien Kumasama, a variation of ASBC brewed with smoked Japanese peppercorns. This beer had everything going for it. The rich sourness, the deep oak and contrasting pepper quality that rolled around on the back of the palate seemingly forever… Jérôme has encountered perfection with the quality of these brews. They are truly world class and one-of-a-kind.
The night finally came to a close, the band stopped playing, it was last call, the patrons finished their glasses and retired for the evening. This was one for the history books, an amazing evening for all. Of course it didn’t end here, and I was actually lucky enough to rejoin the celebration a few days later in Hamden, Connecticut, but that’s a story for another day. For now, it should be said that Mekong Loves BFM. BFM Loves Mekong. I love them both.
Visit Mekong: Mekong Restaurant
Visit BFM: BFM