When Davanti Enoteca closed its doors a few weeks ago, long-time wine sommelier and beverage guru Dave Johnson was put out of work -- but he's found a soft place to land. And he's not wasting any time at his new gig as GM and Director of All Things Beverage at Aaron May's Praying Monk.
See also: -- With Praying Monk, Aaron May Continues to Go His Own Way -- Tastemaker #12: Dave Johnson
Johnson -- whose multiple personalities include academician and raconteur -- has instituted a "summer school" program on beer to get us through life in hell summer. Here's what beer lovers and those who aspire to be educated beer drinkers need to know:
The summertime Tuesday series Summer School at the Monk begins the last week of June and runs until mid-August, offering up beer lore (and possibly tall tales) from Johnson, who will also discuss beer and food pairings. To illustrate his point, beer-matched tapas will be served. Here's the schedule and other important details:
June 25--Ales and lagers July 16--Geographic styles July 30--Microproducers of the world August 13--Unique and specialties
Tickets are $30 per person per class or $100 per person for all four classes. Tickets include beer samples and food tapas. Classes begin at 6:30 p.m.
Reservations, which are required, may be made by calling 480-398-3020 or emailing to [email protected].
By the way, Johnson and May have a long history, given that the two worked together at May's critically acclaimed Sol y Sombra, where Johnson curated an impressive list of Spanish wines.
