OK, Ok, so I am not a consistent blogger I will try to work on that. Just to catch up a bit first. I made it to GABF but we did not win anything. I did taste some great beers, was in awe of the Brew Pub Pavilion, got a little fed up with the Guild Booth and drank a GREAT Tequila!
We are updating our menu for the Spring/Summer and hope all our guests will be happy! There will be some old favorites that come off the menu. We will have some Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Lactose Intolerant and maybe even something for the Paleo dieters. Who knew there were so many specific diets that people follow out there. So what are these diets? In a cheap attempt to remain unbiased all my links below for the definition of a these diets are to Wikipedia.
Veganisim, Vegetarianism, Gluten Diet Disorders, Lactose Intolerance, Paleolithic diet
Some following these diets may have deep beliefs, others have physical or medical issues, some enjoy a fad, while others will follow a diet due to a combination of reasons.
It seems by adding items to our menu that will satisfy a Vegan, we can also make both the Vegetarians and the lactose intolerant folks happy. Of course, those following a Paleolithic diet can take a vegan dish remove any of the grains and add any form of animal protein they desire, or just order a steak! Those who may have gluten related disorders can remove the grains and breads from any of our menu items. You must understand and accept that our kitchen is a not a clean room devoid of the influences from meat, dairy, vegetables, fish, grains or nuts so there may be some minimal contamination if you are a very strict follower of any diet.
Our intent is not to focus on any one diet, but to provide Real Food to our guests and employees. We will be reaching out to our local farms for their seasonal offerings as usual and some of these local ingredients are expensive. These local farmers have a great retail market which is good for them, but why should they offer wholesale prices to us when they can sell direct to the consumer? We must remain viable and keep our costs down so you can afford to enjoy what we offer. This is the hardest part of running a Brew Pub or any business. I am sure that you have seen the costs climb over the years yet ours have stayed fairly constant. We will have to raise some prices, but we have done a great job (tooting our own horn) of holding prices down while increasing the wages for all our employees! I am sure everyone visits other establishments and you do pay more for their offerings!
This is long road towards improvement and I am hoping people will see and appreciate the change and the effort this requires. We have to develop the recipes, source the ingredients and test the dishes in our kitchen and with our guests. Some things we can produce efficiently and the ingredients don’t take extreme care and handling and can coexist with our existing menu items. Those dishes and items that people like and buy will prevail. Others will not be able to last and will disappoint a few. Supplies will come and go as will products. People are becoming more aware of what they eat and drink and we really want our Real Food and Real Beer in their bellies!