As part of the 2009 Great American Beer School, the Beer & Food Pavilion serves as an educational medium that spreads the word about cuisine a la biere, as well as the combinations that create magic. In a glassed-in haven in the center of the festival floor, beer enthusiasts can take a break while observing the most well-versed beer chefs, brewmasters and authors as they teach about what works. This Beer Fox (your editor, Carolyn Smagalski) serves as the official host of the Beer & Food Pavilion. Nothing quite tells the story as well as pictures, so let this little gallery speak its thousand words.

Food Network Chef Teddy Folkman
Executive Chef Teddy Folkman of two dining establishments in Washington DC - Granville Moore’s Gastropub and H Street Country Club – appears as Beer & Food Pavilion guest chef to demo his incredible Moules Fromage Bleu, the dish he created to defeat Bobby Flay on the Food Network’s Throwdown with Bobby Flay.

Moules (mussels), cleaned and ready for the pan
Executive Chef Teddy Folkman presents a huge pan of mussels for his fabulous presentation.

Ingredients to stimulate the palate
In his Moules Fromage Bleu, Chef Folkman uses smoked bacon, bleu cheese and Ommegang Hennepin Farmhouse Saison to cook-up his world-class mussels

Ommegang Brewmaster Phil Leinhart
Presenting with Chef Teddy is Phil Leinhart, Brewmaster at Brewery Ommegang of Cooperstown, New York. Leinhart hold the distinction of being a member of le Chevalerie du Fourquet des Brasseurs, the Knighthood of the Brewers’ Mashstaff in Belgium. This group is directly descended from the 400-year-old Belgian Brewers Guild. Its Knights of Honour are chosen for their service to the brewing profession and little more than a dozen American hold the distinction Leinhart was inducted in September 2008.

Moules Fromage Bleu
Mussels, bacon, bleu cheese and beer make a grand combination

Moules and Hennepin Farmhouse Saison
Executive Chef Teddy Folkman lays out the spread of moules for a hungry crowd.

Youngest enthusiast of the Beer & Food Pavilion 2009
Lucky baby! Dad and mommy are teaching her secrets of the kitchen at the Beer & Food Pavilion 2009.

Will Meyers of Cambridge Brewing and Ron Jeffries of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Will Meyers of Cambridge Brewing in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Ron Jeffries of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales in Dexter, Michigan greet each other for their presentation with Homebrew Chef Sean Paxton

Will Meyers of Cambridge Brewing, Homebrew Chef Sean Paxton and Ron Jeffries of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Three dynamic beer experts merge their talents on-stage. Will Meyers evokes emotion with his brews, and as a result, his creation YouEnjoyMyStout was selected as Overall Champion Cask-Conditioned American Beer at the 2009 Great British Beer Festival. Ron Jeffries hails from the “only brewery in the United States that ages 100% of their beer in oak, with naturally occurring wild yeast and sour bacteria.” Chef Sean Paxton travels the country presenting beer dinners with as many as 12 courses that incorporate beer in each one, while marrying each up with a palate pleasing beer.

Homebrew Chef Sean Paxton
Onstage or off, Chef Sean Paxton creates an aura of splendor between beer and food. He is the real deal, working with beer and food since the mid 90s.

Brewmaster Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker and Brewmaster Barnaby Struve of Three Floyds Brewing Company
Brewmaster Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker in Paso Robles, California and Brewmaster Barnaby Struve of Three Floyds Brewing Company in Munster, Indiana have a few laughs before their presentation with Homebrew Chef Sean Paxton.

HeBrew Ales and Coney Island Lagers
Jeremy Cowan of Schmaltz Brewing Company brings his HeBrew Ales and Coney Island Lagers to the Beer and Food Pavilion in celebration of 13 years in business. Cowan presented a bar mitzvah celebration, releasing Jewbilation Bar Mitzvah with 13 malts, 13 hops, and 13% ABV.

Jeremy Cowan, owner of Schmaltz Brewing Company of San Francisco and New York
Jeremy Cowan, funny man of Schmaltz Brewing Company is full of schtick and fun as he presents a Bar Mitzvah to introduce Jewbilation 13 Bar Mitzvah, the Chosen Beer.

Chef Joe Carroll of Spuyten Duyvel and Fette Sau
Chef Joe Carroll, owner of beer bar Spuyten Duyvel in Brooklyn and barbecue restaurant Fette Sau in Williamsburg, New York made a quick appearance with Cowan to bring the freshest meats from the East Coast for the Schmaltz celebration.

Schmaltz Brewing Headwear
This Schmaltz Brewing Yarmulke is a prized possession at the celebration, in which men and women in the audience showed-off the satiny caps as they enjoyed refill-after-refill of the showcased beer.

Fan in the Beer & Food Pavilion shows her approval of the shows
Everyone in the Beer & Food Pavilion seems to be wearing a smile.

We hope to have opened your sense of curiosity in the wonders of beer and food. Maybe we’ll see you at the next Great American Beer Festival.

Cheers!