Talk about overdue! Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I attended the Beer vs. Wine Dinner, featuring Stone Brewing Company, at the Duck Club in Lafayette months ago and I’ve just gotten around to doing the write up for it. Yeah, I’m feeling pretty crappy that it took me this long to get to it but with the California Café Brewmasters Dinner, also featuring Stone Brewing Company, coming up tonight, I felt I needed to get this post out. Finally.
Tasting Notes
Course 1
Pan Seared Striped Bass, sweet corn ravioli, cilantro basil pesto paired with Newton Red Label Chardonnay, 2009 and Saison du BUFF a Dogfish Head/Victory/Stone collaborative beer.
Notes: The Chardonnay had a cheesy and fruity aroma and flavor. Lots of stone fruit character with a dry finish. The Saison du BUFF is a slightly hazy gold color with a white head. Flavor is a balance between a lightly toasted malt character, citrus and piney hops with a herbal and minty aspect. The aroma is herbal (rosemary) and slightly minty. The body is medium/medium-high with high carbonation and a dry finish.
The striped bass is cooked well, moist and flakey. The pesto gives off a wonderful aroma and I can smell a little bit of fennel as well. The corn is on the sweet side and is a nice balance to all the herbs.
As a pairing, I gave this to the Newton Red Label. I thought the Chardonnay proved to be a good compliment to the dish, while matching the flavor intensity of the dish and still providing a bit of contrast. By comparison, I felt Saison du BUFF was a little too similar to the dish. The resulting experience was an extension of one another instead of something new.
First Course - Pan seared striped bass, sweet corn ravioli, cilantro basil pesto.
Dogfish Head/Victory/Stone Saison du BUFF (l) vs. Newton Red Label Chardonnay 2009
Course 2
Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Laura Chenel goat cheese, wild arugula, toasted hazelnut and grilled plum salad paired with Chaeau de Sancerre Blanc, 2010 and Stone Smoked Porter.
Notes: The Blanc has a slight tart quality to its aroma. The tartness continues into the flavor, as well as having a minerally component and some fruit. It is very dry. The Smoked Porter is a clear, brown color with a tan head. There’s a smokey, caramel malt component to the flavor with slight bacon smoke character. The aroma is smokey, reminiscent of bacon. The body is medium, carbonation is also medium, while the finish is dry but not astringent.
The plums in the dish are sweet and slightly tart with the nutty and toasty flavors coming from the hazelnuts. On the squash side, the goat cheese is creamy and rich. With the way the course was plated, we were able to taste which “side” went better with which beverage. Surprisingly, the wine went better with the plums while the cheese with the beer. Overall, the Smoke Porter went better with course as a whole. The beer was bold enough in flavor, and had carbonation, to pair well with the cheese while its malty character complimented the toasted hazelnuts.
Second Course - Squash blossoms stuffed with Laura Chenel goat cheese, wild arugula, toasted hazelnut and grilled plum salad.
Stone Smoked Porter (l) vs. Chateau de Sancerre Blanc (r).
Course 3
Oven roasted loin of veal, oyster and Hen of the Woods mushrooms, fava beans and Oloroso Sherry pan jus paired with Domaine Chandon Pinot Meunier, 2001 and Highway 78 Scotch Ale, a Pizza Port/Green Flash/Stone collaborative beer.
Notes: The Pinot Meunier is burgundy in color with fruity aromas. Flavor is semi-sweet with medium-low tannic notes. It’s a balanced wine. Highway 78 is a sweet, malty beer with roasty notes and low hop bitterness. Light fruit flavor reminiscent of dates. Body is medium-high, carbonation is medium-high, finish is dry with a slight roasty astringency.
The veal is cooked well, juicy, pink in the middle and tender. The mushrooms provide an earthy character that plays well with the veal and is all over the jus. I couldn’t have asked for a more savory dish, absolutely delicious. The Pinto Meunier won this pairing hands down.
Third course - Oven roasted loin of veal, Oyster and Hen of the Woods Mushrooms, fava beans and Oloroso Sherry pan jus.
Highway 78 Scotch Ale (l) vs. Domaine Chandon Pinot Meunier 2009
Course 4
Strawberry and rhubarb tart, house-made vanilla ice cream paired with Moët Chandon Nectar Imperial Rosé and Stone Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout.
Notes: Rosé is pretty straight forward in that it is sweet and tart. The Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout has noticeable anise in the aroma. The flavor is roasty, with a bit of black licorice, coffee and dark chocolate. Body is medium-high with matching carbonation and a slight roasty astringency in the finish.
The strawberry and rhubarb tart is moderately sweet, with a mild tartness and strawberry flavor. The house-made vanilla ice cream, simply put, tasted like vanilla and was a nice balance to the fruity and tart… tart. Overall, I thought the Nectar Imperial Rosé paired with the dessert better; there were a lot of complimentary fruity flavors and an echoing of tartness. The beer did go well with the vanilla ice cream but I just didn’t think the anise was a complimentary flavor to the tart.
Fourth course - Strawberry and rhubarb tart, house-made vanilla ice cream.
Stone Belgo Anise Russian Imperial Stout.
Moët & Chandon Nectar Imperial Rosé.
The Verdict
As much as it pained me to do so, I ended up giving this dinner to the wine. I thought the wine paired with many of the dishes better. If there was any course that could’ve been re-evaluated, it would be the first one. Even then, it would’ve been a 2-2 tie. Let’s see how I compared to the rest of the room:
- Course 1: Saison du BUFF
- Course 2: Stone Smoked Porter
- Course 3: Domaine Chandon Pinot Meunier
- Course 4: Moët & Chandon Nectar Imperial Rosé
- Total: 206-161 in favor of… wine!
As with last year’s results, the room went 50-50 with 2 courses going to beer and 2 for wine. The tie breaker then, was who had the most total votes and win came home the winner for the second year in a row.
Koch was gracious in defeat and Siconolfi walked away with a crystal trophy the Duck Club had made just for the event. As part of the dinner, we also received tickets for a raffle that was held at the end of dinner. At stake were the fine beverages we consumed that night. I was particularly jealous of the folks who won the beers as they walked away with a 4-pack of all the beers we tried that night. Very good take, considering that Saison du BUFF won’t be brewed for several more months.
Koch vs. Siconolfi
If you’ve ever seen Stone co-founder Greg Koch cut a promo, you know that he has the gift of gab. He is engaging, witty and quick with a joke. So while he may have “lost” the dinner according to popular vote, the certainly “won” the night’s verbal sparring with Siconolfi. Despite this, I think the best line of the night had to go to Siconolfi who introduced the Domaine Chandon as a “Pinot Meunier” (moon-yay), and then looked at Koch and said, “Not ‘manure’”.
Excellent Service
I suppose it can be said that great service is when you don’t even realize you’re being served. There was nothing was wasn’t attended to but in such a way that wasn’t intrusive or obstructive at all. The staff was well organized and professional, yet personable and easy to talk to. Everyone remembers poor service because it gets in the way of the evening. It was the complete opposite at the Duck Club. Kudos to General Manager Tony Eichers, Chef Avalos, his sous chefs and the Duck Club staff for putting on such a fantastic evening.
Last Call
What more can be said? It was a great night filled with great food, great craft beer and wine, all accompanied by the witty banter of Greg Koch and his “straight man” Chris Siconolfi. The Duck Club runs a tight ship and it shows with the high level of service we experienced. I look forward to next year, and I hope I can bring a few more “enlightened” people with me and have craft beer pull out a win.
In the interest of full disclosure, I’d like to thank the Duck Club for providing a discount on our meal.
Mabuhay!
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