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Glendale News Press, CA
May 27 2012
A stout taste of Armenia
Beer brewed with Armenian coffee will be featured at Dionicess X and
sold at Tony's Darts Away in Burbank.
By Krista Simmons
May 26, 2012 | 4:00 p.m.
Within moments of stepping into Gevork Kazanchyan's Eagle Rock home,
his mother Mary has placed a copper-colored jazzve of Armenian coffee
on the stove. `How sweet would you like it?' she asks with a smile. A
demitasse of the ultra-potent brew later, the conversation shifts to
Armenian spirits. Bottles of Ijevan mulberry brandy are brought out.
It's time for a tour of Gevork's pride and joy: the beer cellar.
Though Kazanchyan works in risk management by day, he is 100% beer
geek by night, as evidenced by his fully stocked, custom-climatized
fridge packed to the gills with global craft brews.
Thankfully that passion isn't lost on the populace: Since 2008, he has
engineered a series of events titled Dionicess, which unites craft
brewers, celebrated chefs and artisanal purveyors for an evening of
gustatory delight. The series is toasting its 10th installation in
June, and in honor of the occasion, Kazanchyan has tapped some of his
brewing buddies to collaborate on a very personal project - a
commemorative beer called System of a Stout.
The name is a play on the L.A.-based Armenian rock group System of a
Down. The beer will include several quintessentially Armenian
ingredients, including cardamom, Armenian cognac and, of course,
coffee.
The idea for this regionally inspired beer was hatched at one of
Kazanchyan's `inventory reduction parties,' where he and Portola
Coffee Lab owner Jeff Duggan chatted over cellared beers about how
they might collaborate. Duggan's coffee cred paired with his
background in chemistry made him the perfect fit for a roaster. Then
came the tough bit: finding a brewer. On a long shot, Kazanchyan rang
up Julian Shrago, of the award-winning Beachwood BBQ & Brewing. Shrago
agreed, and the rest is history in the making.
Dionicess has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 2008,
where when Kazanchyan paired Glendale's Mignon chocolates with
boutique wines for the inaugural event. His gatherings have since
evolved to focus on matching craft beer with food in a unique,
unexpected way.
`I look back at the time that I used to sit and taste everything with
one other guy, and now I've got an Iron Chef winner [chef Eric
Greenspan, Dionicess VII], an amazing world-class mixologist [Matthew
Biancaniello, Dionicess IX], and a top brewer [Shrago] who want to
collaborate,' says Kazanchyan, who grew up on the fringes of Thai Town
and Little Armenia. `It's pretty amazing.'
Dionicess X's theme is appropriately named Coming of Age, and will
showcase five courses (plus a few bonus rounds) of aged beers paired
with dishes that feature pickled and fermented foods from around the
world. Guests will get to take home commemorative bottles of the beer,
as well as some of Beachwood's house-made, barrel-aged hot sauce. Of
course, System of a Stout will play a central role in the meal.
`I've brewed a lot of imperial stouts, but this one is 100% distinct,'
says Shrago. `It was inherently wasteful to brew, but it's got a great
nose, and it's immediately identifiable as being Armenian coffee.'
The process of making the beer itself is unique. First comes the mash,
where crushed grains of barley get mixed with hot water, similar to
oatmeal. That sweet liquid is then drained into a boil kettle. That's
when the blackstrap molasses, hops, cardamom and Duggan's Armenian
roast come in.
`We can't simulate the body produced by suspending coffee grounds in
the beer because doing so would cause issues with brewing and serving
the beer. What we shot for was the flavor essence of [unfiltered]
Armenian coffee without the gritty mouthfeel,' Duggan says. `This
objective led me to the selection of the two [direct trade Brazilian]
coffees I chose to custom roast specifically for this beer.'
To impart the coffee flavors into the beer, the beans were ground to a
coarseness similar to that of a French press grind, and then steeped
like tea into the boil. The beer was then fermented, finished and
conditioned. Conditioning is where the coffee steeper is removed and
swapped for Armenian-brandy-soaked oak chips. System of a Stout is
currently in its last stages of brewing, and will be ready just in
time for the 10th installation of Dionicess, which will take place at
Beachwood on June 10 in Long Beach.
Long Beach is a haul from L.A., but thankfully the 10 remaining kegs
of System of a Stout will be sold at a small selection of craft beer
bars in Southern California, one of which is Burbank's Tony's Darts
Away. Two dollars from each pint sale will go to the Real Medicine
Foundation in Armenia.
When asked to speak about the success and growth of the event,
Kazanchyan replies in a way that would make his mother proud. `It's
very humbling and surreal that we've pulled off nine events, and each
time they've kind of outdone themselves. We've really made the best of
our resources and what's available. And Armenians take pride in being
very resourceful, practical and innovative. We've had to be out of
necessity.'
Dionicess X
WHERE: Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, 210 E. 3rd St., Long Beach
WHEN: June 10, 5 p.m.
PRICE: $80, proceeds go to the Real Medicine Foundation
DETAILS: www.itsmyseat.com/events/820216.html
http://www.glendalenewspress.com/entertainment/tn-gnp-0527-a-stout-taste-of-armenia,0,2136603.story
May 27 2012
A stout taste of Armenia
Beer brewed with Armenian coffee will be featured at Dionicess X and
sold at Tony's Darts Away in Burbank.
By Krista Simmons
May 26, 2012 | 4:00 p.m.
Within moments of stepping into Gevork Kazanchyan's Eagle Rock home,
his mother Mary has placed a copper-colored jazzve of Armenian coffee
on the stove. `How sweet would you like it?' she asks with a smile. A
demitasse of the ultra-potent brew later, the conversation shifts to
Armenian spirits. Bottles of Ijevan mulberry brandy are brought out.
It's time for a tour of Gevork's pride and joy: the beer cellar.
Though Kazanchyan works in risk management by day, he is 100% beer
geek by night, as evidenced by his fully stocked, custom-climatized
fridge packed to the gills with global craft brews.
Thankfully that passion isn't lost on the populace: Since 2008, he has
engineered a series of events titled Dionicess, which unites craft
brewers, celebrated chefs and artisanal purveyors for an evening of
gustatory delight. The series is toasting its 10th installation in
June, and in honor of the occasion, Kazanchyan has tapped some of his
brewing buddies to collaborate on a very personal project - a
commemorative beer called System of a Stout.
The name is a play on the L.A.-based Armenian rock group System of a
Down. The beer will include several quintessentially Armenian
ingredients, including cardamom, Armenian cognac and, of course,
coffee.
The idea for this regionally inspired beer was hatched at one of
Kazanchyan's `inventory reduction parties,' where he and Portola
Coffee Lab owner Jeff Duggan chatted over cellared beers about how
they might collaborate. Duggan's coffee cred paired with his
background in chemistry made him the perfect fit for a roaster. Then
came the tough bit: finding a brewer. On a long shot, Kazanchyan rang
up Julian Shrago, of the award-winning Beachwood BBQ & Brewing. Shrago
agreed, and the rest is history in the making.
Dionicess has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 2008,
where when Kazanchyan paired Glendale's Mignon chocolates with
boutique wines for the inaugural event. His gatherings have since
evolved to focus on matching craft beer with food in a unique,
unexpected way.
`I look back at the time that I used to sit and taste everything with
one other guy, and now I've got an Iron Chef winner [chef Eric
Greenspan, Dionicess VII], an amazing world-class mixologist [Matthew
Biancaniello, Dionicess IX], and a top brewer [Shrago] who want to
collaborate,' says Kazanchyan, who grew up on the fringes of Thai Town
and Little Armenia. `It's pretty amazing.'
Dionicess X's theme is appropriately named Coming of Age, and will
showcase five courses (plus a few bonus rounds) of aged beers paired
with dishes that feature pickled and fermented foods from around the
world. Guests will get to take home commemorative bottles of the beer,
as well as some of Beachwood's house-made, barrel-aged hot sauce. Of
course, System of a Stout will play a central role in the meal.
`I've brewed a lot of imperial stouts, but this one is 100% distinct,'
says Shrago. `It was inherently wasteful to brew, but it's got a great
nose, and it's immediately identifiable as being Armenian coffee.'
The process of making the beer itself is unique. First comes the mash,
where crushed grains of barley get mixed with hot water, similar to
oatmeal. That sweet liquid is then drained into a boil kettle. That's
when the blackstrap molasses, hops, cardamom and Duggan's Armenian
roast come in.
`We can't simulate the body produced by suspending coffee grounds in
the beer because doing so would cause issues with brewing and serving
the beer. What we shot for was the flavor essence of [unfiltered]
Armenian coffee without the gritty mouthfeel,' Duggan says. `This
objective led me to the selection of the two [direct trade Brazilian]
coffees I chose to custom roast specifically for this beer.'
To impart the coffee flavors into the beer, the beans were ground to a
coarseness similar to that of a French press grind, and then steeped
like tea into the boil. The beer was then fermented, finished and
conditioned. Conditioning is where the coffee steeper is removed and
swapped for Armenian-brandy-soaked oak chips. System of a Stout is
currently in its last stages of brewing, and will be ready just in
time for the 10th installation of Dionicess, which will take place at
Beachwood on June 10 in Long Beach.
Long Beach is a haul from L.A., but thankfully the 10 remaining kegs
of System of a Stout will be sold at a small selection of craft beer
bars in Southern California, one of which is Burbank's Tony's Darts
Away. Two dollars from each pint sale will go to the Real Medicine
Foundation in Armenia.
When asked to speak about the success and growth of the event,
Kazanchyan replies in a way that would make his mother proud. `It's
very humbling and surreal that we've pulled off nine events, and each
time they've kind of outdone themselves. We've really made the best of
our resources and what's available. And Armenians take pride in being
very resourceful, practical and innovative. We've had to be out of
necessity.'
Dionicess X
WHERE: Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, 210 E. 3rd St., Long Beach
WHEN: June 10, 5 p.m.
PRICE: $80, proceeds go to the Real Medicine Foundation
DETAILS: www.itsmyseat.com/events/820216.html
http://www.glendalenewspress.com/entertainment/tn-gnp-0527-a-stout-taste-of-armenia,0,2136603.story