Q & A
New First Draft columnist considers himself a beer snob - but in a good way
Michael Paull has recently been installed as Food & Wine's new First Draft columnist. He
recently participated in a question-and-answer session.
Do you consider yourself a beer snob?
I will jokingly refer to myself as a beer snob, and I guess there are times when the term applies. I judge a restaurant harshly if it considers Heineken an upsell, and I don't spend a lot of time in bars with the Budweiser Clydesdales on the walls. However, I love beer because it's approachable and simple. My fridge is full of Stroh's right now.
Do you have a favorite style of beer?
Hands down, I'm a porter guy. I'm big on pairing beer to the seasons and I look forward to early winter so I can stock up on thick,
black porters from California and England. I have to stifle the urge to tell everyone I share one with all about the history of the style and the different varieties available. I tend to prefer the ones that push the bitter finish and earthy notes. I prefer the coffee and chocolate tones to the sweeter molasses tang you get in some of them.
Are you one who believes beer pairs as well with food as wine?
This is one aspect of the beer world I'm just starting to get into. The truth is that I tend to pick my beer before I pick anything else, so I don't usually get around to thinking about pairings, but I've been reading a lot about it and am eager to learn more. What I find even more interesting is cooking with beer or wort (pronounced wert, the unfermented stuff that becomes beer). If you've ever had the Columbus Pale Ale teriyaki dip at Betty's in the Short North, you know what I mean.
Beer should be served at what temperature?
There are three big variables here: Style, season and the convenience coefficient. That is, a pale ale on a July evening should be too cold to hold, but a nice thick porter in January is best out of the basement rather than the fridge. That third variable trumps them all, although if you're thirsty for a beer, the right temperature is whatever temp the beer is. Unless, of course, it's room temperature - that's never okay.
How strong is central Ohio's microbrew scene?
The central Ohio micro scene is great and getting better. With the annual microbrew festival at the North Market adding tables and the breweries showing off more and more great beers every year, it's hard to deny that this is a great time to love beer and live in central Ohio. Whether you like a nice subtle Midwestern pale like Columbus Brewing Co.'s Pale Ale or a big tasty stout like Barley's Russian Imperial, there is probably something in central Ohio that is just right. I have to say that more than a few of my favorite beers are brewed right here.
Name three restaurants or bars that have a vaunted beer selection?
The selection at Bodega is designed to impress and it works. When I'm planning to meet people for a few drinks there on a Friday night, I go in with a plan for what I'm going to get while I read over the list, otherwise I could get gripped by indecision and never get through it. I swear, I want to put that beer menu on my goodreads.com listing; it ought to count as literature. Bob's Bar in Clintonville claims to be "the cultural hub of the Midwest," which is arguable, but it certainly has one of the best bottle selections I've seen this side of the Mississippi and a relaxed setting to enjoy them all in. And finally I'd have to pick Barley's Alehouse, with a great selection of its own brews and a few top-choice selections from other breweries. It proves that it doesn't take a huge cellar to have just the thing.
What kind of music do you have in your iPod?
I like my beers slow and relaxed, but I like my music hard and fast. I've got what I consider a pretty decent collection of metal and industrial from the last 30 years with some '80s pop and electronic for garnishing on the old iPhone. I'm also something of a podcast junkie, so I'm usually listening to baseball or beer talk when I've got the buds in.
Do you consider yourself a beer snob?
I will jokingly refer to myself as a beer snob, and I guess there are times when the term applies. I judge a restaurant harshly if it considers Heineken an upsell, and I don't spend a lot of time in bars with the Budweiser Clydesdales on the walls. However, I love beer because it's approachable and simple. My fridge is full of Stroh's right now.
Do you have a favorite style of beer?
Hands down, I'm a porter guy. I'm big on pairing beer to the seasons and I look forward to early winter so I can stock up on thick,
black porters from California and England. I have to stifle the urge to tell everyone I share one with all about the history of the style and the different varieties available. I tend to prefer the ones that push the bitter finish and earthy notes. I prefer the coffee and chocolate tones to the sweeter molasses tang you get in some of them.
Are you one who believes beer pairs as well with food as wine?
This is one aspect of the beer world I'm just starting to get into. The truth is that I tend to pick my beer before I pick anything else, so I don't usually get around to thinking about pairings, but I've been reading a lot about it and am eager to learn more. What I find even more interesting is cooking with beer or wort (pronounced wert, the unfermented stuff that becomes beer). If you've ever had the Columbus Pale Ale teriyaki dip at Betty's in the Short North, you know what I mean.
Beer should be served at what temperature?
There are three big variables here: Style, season and the convenience coefficient. That is, a pale ale on a July evening should be too cold to hold, but a nice thick porter in January is best out of the basement rather than the fridge. That third variable trumps them all, although if you're thirsty for a beer, the right temperature is whatever temp the beer is. Unless, of course, it's room temperature - that's never okay.
How strong is central Ohio's microbrew scene?
The central Ohio micro scene is great and getting better. With the annual microbrew festival at the North Market adding tables and the breweries showing off more and more great beers every year, it's hard to deny that this is a great time to love beer and live in central Ohio. Whether you like a nice subtle Midwestern pale like Columbus Brewing Co.'s Pale Ale or a big tasty stout like Barley's Russian Imperial, there is probably something in central Ohio that is just right. I have to say that more than a few of my favorite beers are brewed right here.
Name three restaurants or bars that have a vaunted beer selection?
The selection at Bodega is designed to impress and it works. When I'm planning to meet people for a few drinks there on a Friday night, I go in with a plan for what I'm going to get while I read over the list, otherwise I could get gripped by indecision and never get through it. I swear, I want to put that beer menu on my goodreads.com listing; it ought to count as literature. Bob's Bar in Clintonville claims to be "the cultural hub of the Midwest," which is arguable, but it certainly has one of the best bottle selections I've seen this side of the Mississippi and a relaxed setting to enjoy them all in. And finally I'd have to pick Barley's Alehouse, with a great selection of its own brews and a few top-choice selections from other breweries. It proves that it doesn't take a huge cellar to have just the thing.
What kind of music do you have in your iPod?
I like my beers slow and relaxed, but I like my music hard and fast. I've got what I consider a pretty decent collection of metal and industrial from the last 30 years with some '80s pop and electronic for garnishing on the old iPhone. I'm also something of a podcast junkie, so I'm usually listening to baseball or beer talk when I've got the buds in.
Comments
