Micro(brew) management

Beers, Bulls and Bears takes a light-hearted approach to microbrews and investing.

“Learn a little, drink a little,” said Margaret Hair, summing up her reaction to the monthly event at Daanen’s Deli in Hayden.

She paid $5 to try four holiday brews. The beer tasting was sandwiched in between an investment discussion that included an explanation of the “Santa Claus Rally” – why the stock market typically rises in December.

The event is the brainchild of Darin Hayes, a financial consultant at D A Davidson & Co., who figured that microbrews were a perfect pairing for market updates. He teamed up with Mark Daanen, the co-owner of Daanen’s Deli, who was looking for ways to showcase the deli’s 250 varieties of domestic and imported beer.

Beers, Bulls and Bears meets at 6 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month. The atmosphere is decidedly casual. Participants sit at tables around the fireplace of the European-style deli. Speakers have to raise their voices to be heard over the animated conversation drifting over from the nearby bar.

This week’s market report included a recap of how retail stocks performed in November, along with updates on the Dow Jones industrial average and Nasdaq. Hayes also gave the “beer report,” which examined the performance of beer stocks.

Looking ahead, December is traditionally a strong month for the stock market, said Hayes’ co-worker, Brad Dugdale. Mutual fund managers are busy selling off underperforming stocks in October and early November, so their clients can claim capital losses on next year’s tax returns. By the time December rolls around, the market starts to even out. The stock market also gets a surge from end of the year contributions to 401(k) plans and IRAs, Dugdale said.

Daanen punctuated the market news with explanations of the four spiced ales. Two Belgian beers and a Japanese ginger beer were on the tasting menu, along with holiday ale made by Laughing Dog Brewing in Sandpoint.

It was Hair’s first event. She came with a pal, Nancy Taylor, who’s been a regular since Beers, Bulls and Bears started in October.

“I love trying the different ones,” said Taylor, who has sampled pumpkin beers at previous events and one with a smoked fish flavor. “You wouldn’t typically go and pick out these beers to taste.”

Taylor’s favorite of the four holiday ales was a traditional Belgian beer called Hoegaarden Witbier. It has been brewed for more than 500 years, Daanen said, and gets its delicate flavor from coriander and orange peel. Taylor deemed it simple and elegant.

Hair’s verdict: “It reminds me of champagne and I’m not a champagne person.”

She liked the peppery taste of another Belgian beer called Saison de Pipaix. “There’s a lot going on in this one,” Hair said. The complex flavor came from hints of ginger, chicory, pepper and a liqueur called curacao. Part of the crowd’s assignment was to research curacao before the January event.

Daanen said the beer tastings have helped expand customers’ awareness of specialty brews. He’s getting more requests for the beers featured each month. Hayes hopes the tasters are picking up a few financial tips as well.

People are welcome at the event, even if they’ll never use D A Davidson’s services, Hayes said.

“We’re passionate about financial education,” he said. “So if someone comes in and their portfolio is at another firm, that’s fine with us.”