Desert Island Beers #5 – George de Piro

The first ‘episode’ of our all new co-produced Desert Island Beers starts with a bit of a bang, with George de Piro, Brewmaster at C.H. Evans Brewing Company, brewers of Kick-Ass Brown: three times winner of the Best American Brown Ale at the Great American Beer Festival (2000, 2002 & 2008), and a World Beer Cup Bronze (2004).

George de Piro of Albany Pump Station

George lives in Albany and graduated from Syracuse University with a BS in biology (concentration in biochemistry) and has completed brewing courses at the Siebel Institute. He originally earned a reputation as a very good hobby brewer, winning several major contests and writing about beer for a home brewing magazine and on the Internet. He then met Neil Evans at a homebrew contest where they judged together; they got along, and a couple of months later Neil got in touch to see if George wanted to join his project to build a brew pub in Albany. He now says that since his job as a chemist for a pharmaceutical company paid really well and was very secure, he figured he’d be happier making less money and working longer hours as a craft brewer and has never looked back!.

And when asked how he likes the job “I love it. On the worst day, it still comes down to the fact that I get paid to make beer”.

The Beers

So George, which five beers would you take on the desert island?

“I’m often asked what my favourite beer is. Despite the frequency with which I hear this, I don’t have a standard answer. To say, “The beer in my hand” is obsequious; a beer has to be more than merely present to be considered a favourite. Yet, there isn’t one beer that I could say is better than all others. The beer universe offers far too much stylistic diversity to choose just one. There are so many variables: am I in a malty mood or am I inclined toward hops this evening? Would the roasted notes of a stout impress me more than the crispness of a Pilsner today?

So I have to ask myself if I were stranded on a desert island, what beers would I want to find on shore each day (preferably in a cooler at about 45F)? It’s still a really tough decision that begs more questions: What foods are available on the island? What’s the weather like? Everybody assumes a tropical island, but beers appropriate with coconuts in warm climes might not pair well with penguins off the coast of Argentina.
If asked this question on a different day, I’d probably pick different beers, but right now these are my choices:

1. Fuller’s London Porter, cask-conditioned. This is one of my favourite beers when it is fresh. I’m fortunate to have been at London’s Old Bank of England when this beer was present on cask. I very rarely drink the same beer twice in a day, but I had four on that visit! It is a great, malty beer with the perfect balance of coffee and cocoa notes, but with no ashen flavours or harsh astringency.
2. Kick-ass Brown. One might think me narcissistic for choosing one of my own beers, but this is a really great brew. It is quite hoppy, with citrus and apricot notes in the nose, but with a firm malt foundation providing balance right through to the finish. It satisfies me whether I’m in a malty or hoppy mood.
3. Orval. This is one beer that I like whether it is fresh or matured, so I’d like samples to float by that vary in age. Rather than becoming stale with time, it just becomes a totally different, yet still intriguing, beer. Young it is a hoppy, dry sort of pale ale with a potpourri nose. Older examples are rich with the earthiness of Brettanomyces. While not a flavour for everyone, I like it.
4. Andechs Doppelbock. This is one heck of a malty beer, yet it remains eminently drinkable despite its big body. Rich with Munich malt character, it is one of my favourite examples of one of my favourite styles.
5. Spaten Franziskaner Hefeweizen. This last one was tough; I love Hefeweizen, but to pick just one is hard. I prefer those with a balance that leans toward phenols (cloves) rather than esters (banana), but there are several in the world that fit that bill. In the end, I like the picture of the happy monk quaffing beer on the Spaten label. This beer will amuse my eyes while sating my palate”.

And which beer (of those selected) do you regard most highly, and why?

“At the moment, I’d say the Fuller’s London Porter, but that’s probably because it is so hard to find on cask (impossible here in the U.S.). If I were living far from my brewpub, I’d probably pick my own Kick-ass Brown”.

The Meal

You can also take one meal to go with your beers George, what would it be and why? Is it a ‘last supper’ or a perfect pairing for one of the beers?

“Spicy crab cakes as an appetizer along with the Hefeweizen would likely work well. The salad course would be varied greens with pecans, strawberries and a drizzle of maple vinaigrette. The Fuller’s Porter might pair well with this, although vinegar doesn’t do wonders for most beers. I might have to try the Orval with the salad. I think a few taste tests would be required. Tough work.

A seafood risotto main course would be very nice, and might pair decently with Orval. I think I could suffer with two Orvals in one meal.

I’m a chocolate junkie, but really don’t like what chocolate and beer do to each other on my palate, so I’ll take a rich chocolate mousse and pair it with some port, if I may. If I may not, I’d try it with my Kick-ass Brown. The hops are bold enough to make the beer diametrically opposed to the sweet cocoa flavour and rich, creaminess of the mousse. It is a bold pairing, but might work. If not, I’ll just eat the mousse and have a beer after my palate cleared”.

The record

You have a CD/mp3/long player but you can only take one album. Choose wisely!

“This is the hardest question of all! I have a pretty big music collection, but I have found myself listening to “Kingdom of Rust” by Doves a lot recently, so I’ll take that along. Runners up were anything by Elliott Smith (including his work with Heatmiser) and Radiohead’s “OK Computer.”

The Books

You might be waiting a long time on your lonesome on the desert island, so we will automatically allow you a few books to keep your mind busy. You can pick between two beer books and two tomes: ‘The Brewmaster’s Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food’ by Garrett Oliver, or ‘Beer’ by Michael Jackson; plus The Bible, or another appropriate religious or philosophical work

“One, Michael Jackson beats Oliver any day, but I’d rather have Technology Brewing and Malting by Wolfgang Kunze. Two, Walden by H.D. Thoreau”

And the non-beery, non-philosophical book, something a little less taxing on the brain, what would that be?

“The Lord of the Rings trilogy by Tolkien; trite, perhaps, but long, dense and good enough to keep me from being bored for a few years”.

The Luxury Item

And what luxury item George would help make your stay on the island bearable?

“An acoustic guitar”.

Very many thanks to George for taking part and being our castaway for the week. You can follow him on his personal website or visit his blog and also the Albany Pump Station.