IPA

MEET JOE SINAGRA

BAR MANAGER OF KU DE TA PERTH

Ever wondered what it takes to open a bar, the training that’s involved and how to create a popular cocktail list? We get the inside scoop from Joe Sinagra, Bar Manager at KU DE TA – one of the biggest venue openings in Perth for 2017.

explore DRINKS: Tell us a little bit about the lead up to the opening of KU DE TA? Joe Sinagra: It’s an exciting time, to say the least. Over the last couple of months we’ve been steadily moving towards getting the doors open. The KU DE TA family has just expanded massively with all of our front of house staff now on board and have been through their intensive training. It’s a huge undertaking and it’s great to be involved with owners who have committed to equipping the team as best they can to handle what we expect to be a very busy venue.

ED: You are training a big team to work the floor and behind the bar. Tell us about the recruitment and training process? JS: Recruitment has been going on for a few months now and we’re all really happy with the strong calibre of staff that we have on board. The training program has taken several weeks to put together and has very much been a collaborative effort from the senior management team in Perth and Bali. The amount of experience between the senior managers is huge and we’ve all worked very hard to ensure that the training we conduct is of the highest standard and brings to life KU DE TA’s ethos and service style. Our front of house team has undergone an intensive two-week, full-time introductory training course and we will have an ongoing training to ensure we are constantly pushing ourselves to raise the bar even higher.

ED: What was the inspiration behind creating the cocktail list? JS: We will have a simple cocktail list of classics and will be unveiling our full cocktail menu a few weeks after launch, so I can’t reveal too much just yet! I’m being inspired however, by the menus and desired styles of our various offerings within KU DE TA and will also be looking at our sister site in Bali.

ED: How has it been dealing with so many suppliers and what have you learnt from this? JS: I think now more than ever the value of building relationships with suppliers is evident. Over the last 16 years working in the industry, I’ve built some great relationships with suppliers and opening a venue of this scale can be quite time-consuming. To be able to call a supplier and have a short and direct conversation about what we need, how they can help and what we can offer them in return is a huge time saver. I don’t think I could be as frank and direct with many of the suppliers if I didn’t already have a great relationship with them. It takes time to get to that stage where you can both be honest and upfront and cut through a lot of the dancing around negotiations.

ED: For everyone looking to open a bar, what are three key things you can share with us? JS: Firstly, have a very clear vision and find people who want to be part of that vision. Secondly, get the right people involved early on. The right people can help set you up for success. And finally, roll with the punches. Nothing will ever go to exact plan. Be flexible enough to deal with problems but committed to your original vision. It’ll be tough, but absolutely worth it!

ED: How did you prepared to brief and train so many bartenders? And how will the standard of service and quality be maintained? JS: I was fortunate enough early on in my career to work for a large hotel group who instilled in me the importance of standardising and maintaining training materials. I bring these values alongside our other senior managers who have also had similar experiences and are committed to developing and delivering a structured training programme of the highest quality that is maintained. As I mentioned, we have developed a full induction training programme for all opening staff members, which will be used and continually adapted for new staff that join us post launch. Alongside the ongoing training schedule for all staff members, we hope that we will be in a strong position to provide the very best quality service for our guests.

ED: So what is your golden rule for anyone working behind your bar? JS: Everything in its place. I drill into every team I work with the importance of committing to maintaining the systems we develop for the bar’s layout. Keeping everything in its place allows the team to develop service patterns, stay neat and tidy, and provide fast and efficient service. If you can free your mind from worrying about where to find something, you can better interact with guests and be much more aware of what’s going on around you.

IPA

All The Way You may have heard, seen, tasted, and possibly even loved IPA beers. As one of the most popular styles of craft beer in the USA, and a growing category in Australia, explore DRINKS thought it was only fitting to, well, explore the category further.

WORDS LUKAS RASCHILLA

WHAT IS AN IPA?

IPA stands for India Pale Ale, a beer with imperial origins tracing back to the British Empire. The characteristics of an IPA are a strong, heavily hopped beer that was brewed in Britain, notably by breweries such as Allsopps and Bass. IPAs were first brewed in a way that was designed to withstand the long voyages to distant parts of the British Empire like India.

At the height of its empire, Britain had emigrants, sailors and troops all around the world, with India being one of its most important outposts. All demanded beer, but India itself was too warm for brewing. To meet that need, London brewers who supplied ale learned through experience that the voyage to India could be tough on perishable beers.

George Hodgson, a London brewer in the late 1700s, used his connections to the East India Co. to dominate the export market to the colony. Hodgson exported a strong pale ale that was likely brewed with extra additions of hops and at higher alcohol levels, both of which act as preservatives. The long voyage transformed the beer into a wonderful drink.

MODERN IPA

In 1975, San Francisco’s Anchor Brewery released what is now known as Liberty Ale, originally calling it ‘Our Special Ale’. An instant classic, it was made with American ingredients and qualifies as the first modern American IPA. Liberty Ale is known as the first beer to bring cascade hops to the masses, and the first modern American single hop and dry hop ale.

Over the next decade or so, IPAs grew in popularity until they became the best-selling craft style in the US. Nearly every brewery made one. After years of drinking fairly bland lagers, it seemed that American beer lovers could not get enough hops. The enthusiasm for aromatic, strong IPAs rolled unfettered through the 1980s and into the 90s. Citrus flavours have also been combined in IPAs, particularly in the US where companies such as San Diego’s Ballast Point has come out with a grapefruit and pineapple IPAs, while Green Flash offers a Tangerine IPA. Black IPAs and Coffee IPAs also exist, meaning a plethora of varieties are now available, each with their own characteristics and flavours.

Australian breweries soon followed suit with a number offering IPAs in their core range, including Little Creatures, Hawthorn Brewing Co, Feral, Murray’s, Bridge Road, Vale and Gage Roads. With Australia’s IPAs largely influenced by the American craft beer scene, it is not surprising that most Australian styled IPAs have quite similar characteristics to American IPAs. Many will also have additions of Galaxy hops (a hop variety developed in Australia), which gives the beer citrus and passion fruit characteristics.