Food for thought | Trends | Page 104

From 25 – 30 August, Cook it Raw (CIR) will appear in the northeast of Poland, at Suwalki Region, for its fifth edition in three years. Cook it Raw sees avant-garde chefs and traditional food producers come together to create a unique dining experience that explores social, cultural and environmental issues.  Through the experience Cook it Raw hopes to encourage the exchange and development of skills and knowledge that not only leaves its creative mark on the participants but has a lasting effect on the cultural life of the host country...

Call it a friendly competition, one best argued over a bottle or pint. Its name is "Project 12." Twelve Anheuser-Busch brewmasters at Budweiser's 12 geographically dispersed breweries worked together to create their own "tribute" beers to fit the Budweiser brand's reputation for quality and consistency. The assignment pays homage to Budweiser's "clean and crisp" taste by using the proprietary yeast directly descended from the original Budweiser yeast culture used by Adolphus Busch in 1876 and still used by Budweiser today.

Through internal tasting and analysis, the 12 small-batch beers – each a lager using all-natural ingredients – were pared to six to take part in a summer-long, nationwide sampling effort. Consumer feedback will help Budweiser narrow the six beers to three for inclusion in a limited-edition sampler pack, available for purchase this fall...