Better Late Than Never: Black History Month

February is a busy month, and while this theme is far more important than the previous theme, I wanted to put the proper effort forward and spotlight not just an African American, but one of the greats in the industry. 

Garrett Oliver is one of the most influential people in the brewing industry. Not only does he brew fantastic beers, he is influential in the culinary community, acting as the face for craft brewing in the hopes that beer, not wine, be seen as the choice beverage to be paired with food. He was awarded a 2004 International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Book Award for his latest book The Brewmaster’s Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer. He has hosted numerous beer tastings and dinners around the world and has appeared on an equally long list of radio and television programs speaking on the topic of beer. In case you don’t know the name, know the brewery, Brooklyn Brewery, where he is brewmaster and partner.

Here are some useful Garrett Oliver links:

Online interview with Ratebeer, May 5, 2005

Garrett’s reviews on a selection of beer

New York Times audio beer reviews (last two on the list) 

Garrett Oliver Online

I hope these resources help you find out more about this amazing brewer.  I really like the audio reviews and highly recommend them.  If you want more, you can always google him.  See if you can find any stories about tastings organized by Garrett for pitting beer against wine in pairings with cheese, deserts, etc.  From what I can recall, beer always wins.