BetterBeerBlog

Last Friday night, I had the pleasure of attending the Beer vs. Wine Dinner featuring Stone Brewing Company and Joel Gott Winery, respectively, held at the Duck Club Restaurant. I have never been to an event like this. I support all things craft beer, I’m a craft beer guy, this is what I do. I have never been to a wine pairing dinner before, nor do I present myself as being knowledgeable about wines. I like the occasional glass of vino every so often but then it comes to my liquor, it’s all about craft beer.

Part of being a proponent of craft beer, at least for me, is the interplay that occurs between craft beer and food. Sometimes it’s fine dining, sometimes it’s not. The range of flavors that craft beer has is wide, much wider than wine. It is because of this versatility that I think craft beer has it’s place on the dinner table, and not just as an accompaniment of burgers, hot dogs or pizza.

So, as soon as I learned that this dinner was going down, I immediately made plans to attend. Part of me was curious to see how wine would stack up to food, especially the challenging menu that Duck Club Executive Chef Chuck Courtney put together. A bigger part of me though, was interested in seeing craft beer put the beat down on wine. This was my chance to have all of my culinary beliefs vindicated… or not.

Normally when planning a pairing dinner, wine or beer (or anything really), the culinary staff will do their best to really dial in their dishes with either the beer or wine. After all, you want to put your best foot forward. Also, once they’re done, they’re done - there is no additional tweaking of the beer or wine - so the food is fine tuned.

That being said, there was no “fine-tuning” of the dishes. Chef Courtney basically said this is what we’re making, go back and choose wisely. Neither Stone Brewing or Joel Gott had any feedback into the dishes whatsoever. In addition, the beers and wine to be chosen were limited to products each company produced. While this may sound obvious, they’ve opened up these dinners to the “world of craft beer” or “world of wine” in the past, and if I’m not mistaken, this is the first time this limitation has been put into place. To say this was “exciting” to me would be an understatement.

In the past I would painstakingly review both the food and the beer and relay everything back to this blog. My notes from this dinner are decent, regarding beer and food, but they are downright novice for wine. As knowledgeable as I (like to think I) am about beer, I am inversely so with wine. That being said, I’ll just list my tasting notes regarding the food, my vote on which went “better” with the dish and why, and how the crowd voted (as I was provided with the statistical breakdown). With the stage set, here we go.

Oh, did I mention Greg Koch, CEO and Co-motherf*cking-Founder of Stone Brewing, was in the house? I didn’t? WELL HE WUZ, oh snap!

Appetizers

Food: Chef’s Selection of “Spice Route” Appetizers
Beverage: Stone Pale Ale vs. Joel Gott (JG) Sauvignon Blanc, (California 2009)

Tasting Notes: There were several appetizers out and about. I tried this miniature baked potato as well as a breaded eggplant appetizer but missed out on the bit-sized sandwich. There was no real “winner” for appetizers; some things went better with the wine (sandwich, I hear) and others with the beer (baked potato) while others were a draw (eggplant).

First Course

Food: Crispy Striped Bass and Fresh Scallops, Scallion and Ginger Sauce, Shaanxi Province, China
Beverage: Stone Cali-Belgique vs. JG Riesling (Colombia Valley, Washington, 2009)

Tasting Notes: There is a light bitterness from the greens on the dish that is balanced with the slightly sweet soy sauce-based sauce. Ginger and green onion flavors are prominent without being overbearing. The fish “nuggets” were moist and flavorful although slightly “fishy” while the rice had a neutral character.

• Peter’s Vote: I gave this course to Cali-Belgique all the way. The Cali-Belgique’s yeast-driven flavors echoed many of the flavors in the dish, like the ginger, while the hop bitterness kept the sweetness of the sauce in check. The wine paired well - more complimentary in my opinion - but I felt everything worked better with the beer.
• Crowd Vote: 32-22, overwhelmingly in favor of… the wine! I didn’t see that coming but I can see how a complimentary pairing would add more depth and complexity to the overall experience of the dish.

Second Course

Food: Paneer Samosa, Spiced Cheese and Potato Turnover, Mint-Cilantro Chutney, Northern India
Beverage: Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale vs. JG Chardonnay (Monterey, 2008)

Tasting Notes: Despite the prominent Indian-spice character in the aroma they were well balanced in the flavor. The chutney had a decidedly tart flavor that brightened up the dish. The turnovers themselves were buttery, starchy while the herbed cheese provided another subtle layer of flavor.

• Peter’s Vote: I felt this dish went a lot better with the wine. When consumed all together, the turnover, chutney and wine, seemed to be a better mix of flavors. I would not have thought to pair this dish with a Black IPA but the chutney, with it’s bright acidity, made for a good compliment with the light burnt malt and deep roasty character of the beer. Still, that was just a singular aspect. Mrs. BetterBeerBlog disagreed with me and voted beer.
• Crowd Vote: 26-27 in favor of… beer! Once again, did not see that coming. I’m just zigging while everyone else is zagging. This proved to be the most contested dish of the evening, though not by much.

Third Course

Food: Izgara Kofte, Grilled Lamb Kebabs, Tomato Curry, Istanbul, Turkey
Beverage: Stone Arrogant Bastard vs. JG Zinfandel (Mohr Fry Ranches, Lodi, 2006)

Tasting Notes: The lamb was moist and flavorful, full of intermingled herb and spice flavors while the tomato curry showed a lot of finesse in how it was prepared. From what Chef Courtney told us, the ingredient list for this dish was quite expansive yet nothing is overpowering or dominant; it’s all in balance. The grains seemed to have a neutral character to them that I felt helped balance out the richness of the lamb. It’s interesting for me to note that as the kofte cooled down, it’s “weight” became more apparent and its mouthfeel seemed to thicken up.

• Peter’s Vote: I gave this dish, by the slimmest of margins, to the wine. I really spend a lot of time going back and forth with this dish eating in different combinations. Sip beer first then food. Eat first, sip beer. Sip beer and immediately eat food. Eat food, immediately drink beer. Same thing for wine. At the end, I felt the wine’s acidity, tannic bitterness and higher alcohol helped to ease the richness of the lamb much better than the carbonation and hop bitterness of the beer. Mrs. BetterBeerBlog voted wine as well.
• Crowd Vote: 40-13 in favor of… wine! Apparently the crowd didn’t feel this was as contentious as I did.

Fourth Course

Food: Green Tea Gelato, Pistachio Biscotti, Venice Italy
Beverage: Stone Russian Imperial Stout vs. Terra d’Oro Moscato (Amador County, 2009)

Tasting Notes: The green tea gelato had a lot of green tea flavor (Duh!) without any green tea tannic bitterness; it was also very nutty from the pistachios it was also made with. The pistachio flavors were also carried through in the biscotti as you could see bits of them within while have a bittersweet, dark chocolate component on one side. Both were mildly sweet and, when eaten together, ended up being a layered and complex mix of complimentary flavors and contrasting textures.

• Peter’s Vote: I felt the Russian Imperial Stout was a better pairing with this dish. I had my doubts though as I felt the RIS would’ve been too big, too bold for the mild green tea but I was wrong. I though the RIS provided just enough roasty punch to compliment the green tea and pistachios while echoing the chocolate aspect of the dish. As sweet and syrupy as the Moscato was, I thought it cancelled out the green tea but faded against the chocolate and pistachio flavors of the biscotti. Mrs. BetterBeerBlog also chose beer.
• Crowd Vote: 24-26 in favor of… beer! I was pleasantly surprised by this result.

It’s a tie! Or is it?

I would’ve been happy to have walked a way from this dinner with beer and wine coming to a draw. Even though this dinner was a far cry from the “wine smackdown” I had initially anticipated, it was a lot of fun to have participated and proved to be one of the more memorable dinners I’ve ever been to. In many ways, my feelings about craft beer and food were vindicated; beer’s wide variety of flavors and intensity allow it to be a versatile component in any culinarian’s toolbox.

I learned a lot about wine by going to this dinner as well. I still can’t tell you what the difference between a zinfandel and a pinot noir is but I know that wine’s acidity and tannic bitterness plays a big part in actually cooking with it. Especially the acidity, beer can’t compete on that level, and the beers that do have any measure of acidity must be used wisely as the other flavor components in sour/tart ales are complex and can pose a dilemma when trying to pair or cook with. This dinner almost makes me want to go to a wine pairing dinner. Almost.

But at the end of the day, there must be a winner and a not-so-winner. Seeing as how each beverage tied, each winning 2 courses apiece, the powers that be used total votes counted as the tie-breaker and wine goes home with it’s hand raised high.

Odds and Ends

This section is a bit of “catch all”. Just things I noticed throughout the evening that don’t really fit in anywhere else in the post.

Greg vs. Chris

So I mentioned earlier that Greg Koch of Stone was in the house. I fully expected Dave Hopwood, the green-bearded Stone rep for the greater SF Bay Area, to be representing Stone at this event. Apparently this dinner was just one of several dinners featuring beer vs. wine (wine currently has the edge) and Greg’s been involved in all of them. In case you didn’t already know, Greg is very comfortable with a microphone in hand and I found him to be a witty and charming speaker #NoHomo. Chris (I forgot his hard to pronounce last name) represented Joel Gott Winery. By comparison, Chris looked he could manhandle Greg in a fist fight, clearly outweighing him by at least 30 pounds of grape-crushing muscle #NoHomo. Despite this, he wasn’t nearly as quick as Greg on the microphone. If it makes Greg feel a little better, I give him the inaugural Chael Sonnen Award for smack talk. In all honesty, there was a lot of friendly banter back and forth that helped to set the tone for the evening and helped make a dinner into an event.

Seating

I don’t think this event sold out. With it’s high price point, that doesn’t surprise me. Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I had to save up our pennies for this dinner, whoo! That being said, we’ve been to several dinners at the Duck Club and we’re starting to see some “regulars” we’re acquainted, if not outright friends, with. I should make it a point to see if we can all get seated at the same table next time.

Execution

I can’t say enough good things about the Duck Club staff. The wait staff was as attentive as ever, without hovering while wines and beers were served in close conjunction with their paired courses. Pouring sizes were appropriate and enough to satisfy.

Chef Courtney and his staff did an excellent job with the food. They had an idea, a concept, that they executed perfectly. Each course represented their countries of origin well yet I think I could see Chef’s influence on each dish as he made them his own. Because this dinner was beer vs. wine, let the best “suggeston” win, the food was allowed to stand on it’s own and was actually “belle of the ball” with two suitors vying for “her” attention. Many people, who I’ve seen at these dinners repeatedly, echoed this same sentiment and went even further to suggest this was some of the best dishes put out by Chef Courtney. Kudos to Chef and his staff!

Looking Forward to the Future

While I know that the Duck Club will be hosting more of these types of events, I wanted to note that Woodside Hotels, the group that owns the Lafayette Park Hotel and the Duck Club by extension, have started renovations at their Stanford Park Hotel location. In speaking with Josh, a Woodside Hotel executive, he says that once renovations are complete, they plan to bring these types of events to the Peninsula/South Bay. I am all over this and I can’t wait.

I have a growing appreciation for Chef Courtney, and everyone affiliated with the Duck Club and the Lafayette Park Hotel, but Lafayette is quite the drive for us. Having their Stanford Park Hotel location hosting these same type of events would help in further establishing a craft beer culture on the Peninsula/South Bay that I already support. Not only that, but Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I wouldn’t have to leave work early in order to arrive on time for dinner. Josh, who happens to be a South Bay resident himself, agrees as well. As soon as I hear something, you’ll be hearing something. You never know, I just might have a hand in planning one of these things *HintHintWinkWinkNudgeNudge*

Below is a slideshow of some pictures we took that night. There’s no audio or musical score so don’t be surprised if you don’t hear anything. Also, I’d like to thank Mike C. for providing some of the photos featured in the slideshow and in the blog. You can definitely tell which shots are his: they’re super clear and crisp, unlike my camera phone.

The British Bankers Club in Menlo Park is holding another Beer Dinner, this time featuring the brews from Bear Republic Brewing Company. The first dinner was a lot of fun, the second dinner was an improvement so I’m expecting the third time to be the charm. Details below.

Who: The British Bankers Club
What: Beer Dinner featuring Bear Republic Brewing Company
Where: 1090 El Camino Real Menlo Park, CA 94025 map
When: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 @ 6:30pm
Cost: $45 per person, all inclusive. Reservations required, call 650-327-8769 to reserve your spot today.

Menu

Beer: 9 beers from Bear Republic paired with…

Course 1
Leek and Potato Soup with Fresh Chives and Bacon

Course 2
Ahi Tuna Tartare Asian-style with Crisp Wontons and Seaweed Salad

Course 3
Grilled Rainbow Trout with Seaweed Lentils, Mire Poix, Arugula and Balsamic Reduction

Course 4
Caramel Beer Glazed Apple Cake served warm with Vanilla Bean Gelato

Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I haven’t quite decided if we would be going to this dinner just yet. We are, in fact, planning our own Beer & Food tasting to wrap up our series of craft beer classes at Wine Affairs. It won’t be as full-fledged an affair as what’s happening up at the BBC, more of a tasting really, so if you really wanted to experience a beer and food dinner, this is a good time to try one.

After experiencing back-to-back triple digit temperatures, the Bay Area is in for a weekend of fantastic weather. We’re talking about this is why I pay through the ass to live in the Bay Area kind of weather. The timing couldn’t have been any better as this weekend has a slew of craft beer-related festivals and events. Let’s get right into it.

Friday

Special Facebook Tasting at Wine Club

Who: Wine Club
What: Facebook Half-Price Beer Tasting
Where: 1200 Coleman Avenue Santa Clara, CA 95050 map

When: Friday, August 27, 2010 @ 4pm - 6pm
Cost: $2.50 for Facebook fans… for 12 beers! Criminal! Socially irresponsible! If you’re not a Facebook fan, then it’s a bank-breaking $5! Insane!

Notes: Here’s what they’re pouring

• Czech Rebel Pilsner
• Weihenstephaner Vitus Weizenbock
• Weihenstephaner Korbinian Doppelbock
• Wells Banana Bread
• Hofbrau Munchen Dunkel
• Fruli Strawberry Beer
• Greene King Old Suffolk Vintage Ale
• and 4 more TBC…

Growler Fills and Beer Friday at Devils Canyon Brewing

I’ve been to Devil’s Canyon’s beer Fridays and they are fun events. They usually have a live band playing and Devil’s Canyon caters the event. I don’t normally “advertise” them because they don’t need it; the event is always packed. If you go, I advise you get there early and enjoy a few leisurely pints back before the crowd comes in.

Who: Devil’s Canyon Brewing
What: Growler Fills & Beer Friday
Where: 111 Industrial Way, Belmont, CA 94002 map
When: Friday, August 27, 2010 @ 4pm (Growler fills), 6pm (Beer Friday)
Cost: Growler fills cost for new growlers is $18.00 ($25 for Specialty Beers); Refills: $12.00 ($19 for Specialty); Full Boar Scotch Ale, Deadicated Amber Ale, Silicon Blonde, Lager Diabla and Root Beer ($15 New, $9 Refill).

So you want to know about “Beer Friday”. . . Beer Friday is family friendly. You can bring your kids. You can bring your pet. We have catered food available so we ask that you do not bring food or drinks. Devil’s Canyon Brewery is a brewery and is generally not open to the public. We sell our beer to bars and restaurants up and down the peninsula. However, on the last Friday of the month we open our doors to the public at 6pm. There is no cover charge. Your first drink of the night is $8.00. You get to keep the Devil’s Canyon pint glass. After that, drinks are $4.00. Wine, Soda and water are also available. We typically have at least 2 bands. If you are registered on the website you will receive a monthly email, usually the week of Beer Friday letting you know who is playing and what’s going on. Otherwise, We post the bands on the website a day or two before Beer Friday. Want to know more information about one of the bands that have played at the brewery? We now have a complete listing and will continue to update the list online as we bring in new talent. Most of this is covered briefly in the Devil’s Canyon FAQ and throughout the website. We do not advertise. If you are at Beer Friday you are probably a friend of a friend. We like it that way. See you there!

Wine vs. Beer Dinner at the Duck Club Restaurant

I’ve covered this event in greater detail on a previous post. Not sure how much, if any, room is left but this is where we’ll be heading on Friday night.

Eat Real Festival

Who:Eat Real Festival
What: Eat Real Festival
Where: Jack London Square, Oakland, CA map
When: Friday, August 27, 2010 @ 2pm - 9pm; Saturday, August 28, 2010 @10:30am - 9pm; Sunday, August 29, 2010 @10:30am - 5pm
Cost: There is no admission fee to the festival but you have to pay individual vendors for whatever you purchase. There is a craft beer shed serving beer from approximately 26 different craft breweries that accepts drink tickets. Click here for the list of participating breweries and drink ticket cost.

Notes: We attended last year and I’m a little bummed that we’re not going to be able to make it this time around as there was a little something for everyone - craft beer for moi and gardening stuff for Mrs. BetterBeerBlog. Maybe next year.

Saturday

Eat Real Festival

See above.

Napa Blues, Brews & BBQ

Who: Downtown Napa
What: Napa Blues, Brews & BBQ
Where: Downtown Napa, First Street map (approximate)
When: Saturday, August 28th, 2010 @1pm - 6pm
Cost: Free admission. You need to pay for your own food and drinks though.

Notes: If you happen to be there, look for the Beer Connoisseur booth as my buddy Jason will be manning it. Go up an give him crap. Tell him I sent you.

El Toro Augtoberfest

Who: El Toro Brewing Company
What: Augtoberfest
Where: 17605 Monterey St, Morgan Hill, CA 95037 map
When: Saturday, August 28th, 2010 @3pm - 7pm
Cost: Not listed.

Notes: We’ll probably make an appearance here as my sister-in-law lives nearby. Here’s the event description lifted directly from Facebook.

Loads of German Food: Chicken Schnitzel with Spaetzle; German Meatballs; Marzen steamed Brats with German Potato Salad; Apple Strudel!!! Arrive early to buy an El Toro Logo Stein filled with Morgan Hill Pils / Maifest Marzen / El Chivo Weizen Bock and wear your Lederhosen / Dirndl if you have em!! Prost!!

Sunday

Eat Real Festival

See “Friday” above.

Sunday Beer School - Belgian Ales

Who: Wine Affairs
What: Sunday Beer School - A hosted tasting of 6 Belgian Ales
Where: 1435 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126 map
When: Sunday, August 8, 2010 @5pm - 6pm
Cost: $20/pp, call 408-977-0111 to make your reservation today! Walk-ins also welcome.

The title says it all, beer vs. wine; Stone Brewing Company vs. Joel Gott Wines. If there’s one beer dinner that you simple must go to, it’s this one. A bit of hyperbole? Possibly, but you can’t deny the premise of the dinner is extraordinary. I have argued for some time now of beer’s rightful place at the dinner table. When compared to wine, beer is automatically the more complex of the two beverages because it take more ingredients to make beer. Beer also has a wider variety of flavors and intensities when compared to wine. In my humble opinion, beer is the superior beverage.

That being said, this dinner is the perfect opportunity to see if everything I’ve been preaching is true, or at least close. To wet your whistles even further, this dinner will be a contest, literally pitting beer versus wine. Here’s an excerpt from the eBlast I received:

Stone Brewing Company and its co-founder Greg Koch will represent the beer side of the debate against Joel Gott of Joel Gott Winery, to determine which beverage pairs best with a specially prepared “Marco Polo Spice Route” menu.

During the four-course meal, each dish will be paired with a Joel Gott wine selection and a Greg Koch-chosen beer. Once the diners try both the beer and wine, they’ll fill out a scorecard, and results will be tabulated and announced at the end of the dinner.

Fun, fun, fun! Here are the details:

Who: The Duck Club Restaurant
What: Wine (Joel Gott Winery) vs. Beer (Stone Brewing Company) Dinner at the Duck Club Restaurant
Where: 3287 Mount Diablo Boulevard, Lafayette, CA 94549 map
When: Friday, August 27, 2010 @ 6:30pm (hors d’oeuvres), 7:00pm (dinner)
Cost: $99/person (exclusive of tax & gratuity). Call 925-283-7108 to make your reservations.

Menu - Marco Polo Spiced Route

Appetizers

Chef’s Selection of “Spice Route” Appetizers

First Course

Crispy Striped Bass and Fresh Scallops, Scallion and Ginger Sauce, Shaanxi Province, China

Second Course

Paneer Samosa, Spiced Cheese and Potato Turnover, Mint-Cilantro Chutney, Northern India

Third Course

Izgara Kofte, Grilled Lamb Kebabs, Tomato Curry, Istanbul, Turkey

Fourth Course

Green Tea Gelato, Pistachio Biscotti, Venice Italy

Cafe & Exotic Teas to round out the evening.

I am excited by the fact that this seems to be a “concept” menu. Chef Chuck Courtney seemed to have been inspired by the spice routes of antiquity and it’s always interesting to see how the execution compares to the idea. You’ll also notice that there are no listed beer or wine pairings, so everyone in attendance will have no preconceptions coming into the dinner about what will work and what won’t. Whooo… exciting!

Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I will be making our reservations for this event soon and we hope that more people will be joining us as I think this will be a memorable event.

The Lindsay Wildlife Museum is planning their 1st Annual Chef & Brewmaster Dinner. Beers will be provided from Bay Area craft brewery Ale Industries while the cuisine will be prepared by Chef James Koskiniemi, Chef/Owner of A Grand Affair Catering. Details are below:

Who: Lindsay Wildlife Museum, featuring Ale Industries and Grand Affair Catering
What: 1st Annual Chef & Brewmaster Dinner
Where: 1001 B Street, Hayward, CA 94541 map
When: Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 6pm
Cost: $85/pp; Call Mary at (925) 627-2951 to make your reservations or go to their website at www.wildlife-museum.org/brewmaster to purchase tickets directly.

Notes: This dinner is a benefit for the museum’s education and wildlife programs. Both Chef Koskiniemi and Brewmaster Morgan Cox will be on hand to talk about their pairings; a visit from one of the museum’s animal ambassadors is also on the menu. Speaking of menu…

Menu

First Course

Food: Seared Ahi Tuna
Beer: Orange Kush, 4.4% ABV

Second Course

Food: Chilled Gaspacho
Beer: Bliss, 3.5% ABV

Third Course

Food: Liberty Duck Confit
Beer: Rye’d Piper, 5.8% ABV

Fourth Course

Food: Baked Chevre and Summer Truffle
Beer: Extra Pale Ale, 5.3% ABV

Fifth Course

Food: Marscapone Stuffed Chocolate Strawberry
Beer: Fuzzy Snow-Beck, 8.5% ABV

For more information regarding the beers of Ale Industries, click here. To learn more about the Lindsay Wildlife Museum and all the awesome, animal things they do there, click here.

Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I will be there, although not necessarily in the capacity you would normally expect. Curious? Sign up for the dinner and find out what we’re up to.

Jack’s Brewing Company is having a Mid-Summer’s Brewery Dinner this week. Check out the details below:

Who: Jack’s Brewing Company (San Ramon location)
What: Mid-Summer Brewer’s Dinner
Where: 2410 San Ramon Valley Blvd, San Ramon, CA, 94583 map
When: Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 7:00pm
Cost: $45/person. For reservations call: 925-362-1059

Menu

First Course

Blackened Ahi Salad

Second Course

Summer Squash Risotto

Third Course

Salmon Cake

Fourth Course

Amber braised short ribs

Fifth Course

Dark chocolate raspberry cake

I apologize for not having more information regarding this event, especially what beers will be paired, but this is what I was able to pull from their Facebook page. If you plan on attending, remember that this is their San Ramon location; Jack’s also has a brewpub (the original, I believe) in Fremont.

I was able to pay them a visit some months back where I was able to talk with Jack’s brewmaster Will Ericson. Travis Smith, set up the interview for me. He is currently working part time as the assistant brewer at Jack’s but he’s also an avid homebrewer that I met during the last series of BJCP classes I attended.

In any event, I don’t think Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I will be attending this dinner. We’ve had to reign in our spending and two beer dinners a month is going over our limit. That being said, if you have the time and money to go, I suggest you do. Now more than ever, we need to be supporting our local business, craft beer or otherwise. If you do go, I’ve love to hear how it went.

The Devil’s Canyon Brewery Dinner, held at the California Cafe in Palo Alto, ended up being one of the best beer dinners I have ever been to. It was the perfect storm of many things awesome. Having had a few days to digest the event, I can say this was definitely one of those instances where the totality of the event far exceeded the parts that went into it.

First Course

Food: Diabla battered crispy frog legs, fennel “brandade”, hints of citrus and spice
Beer: Lager Diabla, 5.4% ABV

Tasting Notes: Having only ever had frog legs at Chinese buffets, it was a very pleasant change to see a slightly different treatment to this protein. Frog is a subtle, neutrally flavored meat; in many ways, it is not unlike chicken, just more tender. The micro greens were slightly bitter but also had a little bit of heat from the chili peppers in the dish. These flavors were offset by the slightly sweet and starchy “brandade“.

Lager Diabla pours out a brilliantly clear, gold color with a thin, white head. There is a cracker, biscuity malt flavor that is only slightly sweet and has a matching hop bitterness. Lager Diabla is medium bodied with medium-high/high carbonation and finishes dry without being astringent. Unfortunately, I did detect a little bit if diacetyl in this beer which manifested as a slight buttery character. Lager Diabla is a lager I’d pick consistently over the American macro lagers but it’s also my least favorite beer of Devil’s Canyon.

That being said, I felt the pairing of the dish and the beer was highly successful. The slight sweetness of the “brandade” matched the malt flavors of the beer while the hop bitterness was echoed in the choice of micro greens used in the dish. Most importantly, and often overlooked, was that both the beer and the dish matched intensity; neither the beer or the dish overpowered the other.

Second Course

Food: Slow roasted amber braised pork belly, burnt orange glaze, petite greens, dadicated “head”
Beer: Deadicated Amber Ale, 5.4% ABV

Tasting Notes: Petite greens are a little bitter, orange glaze is a concentrated sweetness as well as slightly pithy bitterness to it while the Deadicated “head” (essentially a beer foam) tasted much like the beer it was made from, just exceptionally light on the palette. The pork belly was a rich course, it was fatty, savory, juicy, and had a slightly sweet (caramel-ish) “bark”. The meat was tender and fork-tender. Not sure if you (the readers) are aware but bacon is made from pork belly. This might come off as blasphemous but if I could have pork belly this good all the time, I’m not sure I would need bacon. There, I said it. You wanna fight?

Deadicated Amber, its name inspired by the Grateful Dead, pours out a clear, brown color with amber highlights and a thin, white/off-white head. Toasted and slightly roasted malt flavors with a slight caramel sweetness and medium-low/medium hop bitterness. This beer is medium bodied with medium-high carbonation, the finish is slightly astringent.

As with the previous course, this was a very successful pairing. The flavors of the beer were complimentary to that of the dish and while the pork was very rich and fatty, the beer’s hop bitterness, coupled with its medium-high level of carbonation, helped to wipe my palette clean with every bite. The general consensus at the table was that the pork was a fabulous dish, and served alone with the two beers we’ve already had, would be worth the price of admission. Other diners echoed our feelings with one diner suggesting the dish be added to California Cafe’s regular menu. I wholeheartedly agree.

Third Course

Food: Lightly smoked lamb chops, toasted apricot cous cous, coco nib mole
Beer: Full Boar Scotch Ale, 7.4% ABV

Tasting Notes: How do you follow up with the decadence that was pork belly? With the indulgence that is lamb chops. The lamb is tender and full flavored, rich but not fatty, and lightly seasoned. The apricot cous cous is on the sweet side, fruity, with the consistency reminiscent of tapioca balls. Lars, one of our fellow diners, used to be a sous chef. He said the cous cous was more in the Israeli-style; this was most apparent in the larger grain used to make it. Interestingly the mole had more middle Eastern flavors; corriander and other spices spices used in middle Eastern cooking were present, as well as a little bit of spice heat.

Full Boar Scotch Ale pours out a dark brown in color with ruby highlights and an off-white head. I taste a caramelized malt sweetness upfront with a smoky character in both the flavor and aroma. There is also a low, chocolate character to this beer as well. This is a low hopped beer with medium-full body and matching carbonation. The finish is slightly dry. Jim, from Devil’s Canyon, told us this beer is made using peat-smoked malt, which gives the beer is smoky flavors and aroma.

Once again, California Cafe’s Executive Chef Mark Pettyjohn hits the nail right on the head with this dish. The sweetness of the scotch ale is complimented by the sweetness of the cous cous while the smoke flavors of the lamb chop are echoed by the beer’s use of peat-smoked malts. The scotch ale’s higher ABV is balanced by the spicy heat of the mole as well.

Fourth Course (Surprise!!!)

Food: Beef ribs, root beer honcho chili glaze, caramelized onions, micro greens
Beer: Root Beer, 0% ABV

Tasting Notes: Quick! Count the number of times you’ve gone to a beer dinner (any dinner for that matter) and have been brought out a surprise dish that wasn’t on the original menu that was still paired with beverages at hand? Anyone? I can tell you this is the first time this has happened to me. And it wasn’t some little dish either like a palette cleanser, this was a full-on extra course.

The ribs were sticky, sweet and tender; they came off the bone fairly easily. The greens provided were neutral in flavor, and provided a little respite from all the rib goodness. The root beer glaze had intense flavor and a surprising heat from the honcho chillies it was made with.

Devil’s Canyon Root Beer is brewed entirely at Devil’s Canyon from a recipe developed by Devil’s Canyon owners Chris and Kristiann Garrett. Made from organic sugar cane, agave nectar and local Belmont honey, I found this root beer to be sweet, with caramel, vanilla and honey-like (most likely agave) flavors.

When placed in the hands of a capable, creative and talented chef, a successful beverage/food pairing is attainable and often surprising. Even though this was a “beer” dinner, I found the inclusion of Devil’s Canyon root beer is appropriate as the dinner is about brewery as it is about the food and beer. That being said, this was another successful pairing, although having to take a step back and enjoy root beer over “regular” beer was a little jarring. This course was the brainchild of Chef Pettyjohn’s sous chef Madison Montoto, who’s name I unfortunately forgot to write down. Paraphrasing what Chef Montoto said, the idea for this dish came from the root beer itself; she was inspired by her memories of what she used to eat with root beer and ribs came to mind. After all, not everyone drinks beer with their food.

This course was just another reminder on how just about any beverage/food can be paired together if given enough care and consideration.

Fifth Course

Food: Deuling floats - vanilla panna cotta with root beer jelly, root beer cake and ice cream
Beer: Root Beer, 0% ABV

Tasting Notes: Just as the American IPA style is a showcase of hops, this dessert was a show case for root beer. Instead of a singular dish served for dessert, we were presented with two desserts that “dueled” with each other.

To the left was the root beer jelly topped with vanilla panna cotta. If you were to take a photo of a freshly poured root beer in a glass and literally translated the photo into food, you would get this dish. The jelly had the consistency of Jell-O gelatin but featured the flavors of root beer, if not slightly less intense, while the vanilla panna cotta functioned as the “foam” of the soda. This dessert was a solid piece; at one point, I held the glass horizontally to see if anything would spill out but it didn’t. As rich as the panna cotta was, the dish as a whole wasn’t as sweet as the actual root beer was. I loved this dish for not only it’s creative use of root beer but for the imaginative presentation as well.

The right side dish was your typical root beer float except that everything, the cake and ice cream, were made from root beer. I thought the root beer mini-decanter was cute as well. I believe it was tablemate Lars who said the cake by itself was a little dry but when you poured added the root beer, the dish came together as a whole. While I can’t directly comment on the cake prior to adding the root beer, the dish really did shine when all the pieces were put together.

While this course wasn’t specifically paired with root beer, I didn’t think you needed to as root beer was prevalent in every aspect of this course. I keep saying that I don’t like desserts but when done well, I am a fan.

Keeping things local

Devil’s Canyon employees Jim Hansen (Draught specialist) and Daniel Curran (VP Sales & Marketing, IT, Web) helped raise this beer dinner from a dinner into an event. They spoke between courses explaining not only the beers we would be having but about what Devil’s Canyon is all about, as well getting a little “political” about the brewing industry. The danger of speaking about those topics is coming off as either “hard selling” the brewery or being seen as preachy.

Personally, I didn’t feel either. While I am already familiar with the Devil’s Canyon story, it is good to hear more. Devil’s Canyon is a self-distributed brewery. All their accounts have been earned by their sales team, all the beer is delivered by everyone from Jim all the way up through owner Christ Garrett. Dan says the brewery has been approached by distributors looking to sell their product but they refuse to “play that game”. The example cited was that in order to make space at a distributor’s account, they’d be willing to bump off one of the beers they carry to make room for Devil’s Canyon. While this may bode well for Devil’s Canyon, how long will it be before they’re the one’s getting bumped in favor of another brewery?

The company has strong ties to its local community and pleads for local business and people to buy local. The statistic given was that for every $1 spent on local businesss, $.70 cents stays within the community. Unbeknown to me, Devil’s Canyon hasn’t been pouring at many of the peninsula fairs because larger breweries have been purchasing exclusive rights to pour at these events. Unfortunately I’m not talking about Anheuser-Busch, Coors or Miller but Chico’s own Sierra Nevada. According to Dan, Sierra Nevada paid the San Mateo County Fair $30K for exclusive pouring rights. It’s disappointing to say the least. As Dan puts it, “We’re all on the same team. Why would they do that?”

Why, indeed?

Overall

As I mentioned in the beginning, this beer dinner was one of the best beer dinners I have ever attended. It was the perfect storm of many good things; the beer was good, the food was excellent, the pairings worked and most importantly, the price point was a “no-brainer”. We even got a surprise, extra course! The sentiment across the table was unanimous; we didn’t get our money’s worth, we got more! Some of us even expressed a little guilt and felt that a trip to Devil’s Canyon was in order to pay off the balance.

There were a few hiccups during the evening. The first occurred in the beginning as we were being seated. Joey from Wet Your Whistles had called in earlier in the day to ask if there was assigned seating. Having been told “no”, he didn’t mention to the staff that he preferred to be seated with with Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I. It wasn’t until we arrived that we found out there was assigned seating and Joey wasn’t assigned to sit at our table. Politely ignoring the hostess, Joey sat with us anyway. The whole issue was rendered moot when there ended up being plenty of space for everyone but the point I’m trying to make is to make it clear if seating is assigned or not so that situations like this could be avoided in the future.

The second hiccup happened at the end of the evening when we received our bill. We were charged for items we thought were included in the dinner. For example, our waitress offered us water in the beginning of the dinner, which we accepted. She then brought back and poured water from an elegant container of “artisanal water” from Norway as opposed to iced water in a pitcher. She did ask Mrs. BetterBeerBlog if she wanted “tap” water or water; while the question seemed weird at the time, it made sense when the bill arrived, to our chagrin. Seeing as how the dinner was such a great value, I don’t have much issue with paying for the water and other contentious items; the real issue was that it wasn’t disclosed upfront. These issues were quickly resolved once we brought the up, kudos to California Cafe for understanding where we were coming from.

That being said, the service from California Cafe was excellent, their waitstaff was attentive in taking things away soon after we were finished and bringing in the next courses and beverages as they came in. They even bagged Mrs. BetterBeerBlog’s leftovers for us to take home. What really surprised me was the inclusion of hot towels in between courses to freshen up. Nice touch!

California Cafe’s General Manager André Hall talked about the dishes in lieu of Executive Chef Mark Pettyjohn. As much as I would’ve liked to hear Chef Pettyjohn talk about the dishes himself, André says Chef Pettyjohn is notoriously “camera shy”. Judging by the quality of the food we had that night, it’s not a bad idea to let Chef Pettyjohn do what he does best: cook.

The Devil’s Canyon Brewery Dinner was the first in a line of beer dinners André has planned for California Cafe. I am looking forward to all of them an hopefully I can get more people to join us in the future.

Belmont’s Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company, along with the California Cafe in Palo Alto, are having a brewer’s dinner this coming Wednesday, July 21st. The last time I attended a brewer’s dinner featuring Devil’s Canyon Brewing, it was quite the affair; there was a Michelin-star winning chef at the helm and the food was as complicated as it was interesting. It was also $100 per person. Check the details below:

Who: Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company & California Cafe
What: Devil’s Canyon Brewery Dinner
Where: California Cafe, 700 Welch Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304 map
When: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 @ 6:00pm
Cost: $35/person, all inclusive. For reservations call: 650.325.2233

Menu

First Course

Food: Diabla battered crispy frog legs, fennel “brandade” with hints of Citrus and Spice
Beer: Lager Diabla

Second Course

Food: Slow roasted amber braised pork belly, burnt orange glaze, petite greens, dedicated “head”
Beer: Dedicated Amber Ale

Third Course

Food: Lightly smoked lamb chops, toasted apricot cous cous, coco nib mole
Beer: Scotch Ale

Fourth Course

Food: Dueling Floats: vanilla panna cotta with root beer jelly and root beer cake and ice cream
Beer: Root Beer

I learned about this dinner via Twitter. I am excited about this dinner for a few reasons: first, it’s an interesting menu. Frog legs? Nice. Second, at $35, the price point is very attractive and something both Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I could afford going to. Hopefully we’ll see some of you there.

The British Bankers Club in Menlo Park had a second Beer Dinner; this time, featuring the beers from Lagunitas Brewing Company. I had attended their very first beer dinner featuring the beers from English brewery Morland Brewing (aka Greene King). Even though I had a great time, I was very critical about the first beer dinner. There were many things that I felt could be improved upon and honestly, part of me wanted to attend this second beer dinner to see if any of these issues had been addressed.

First Course

Food: Pan Roasted Duck Breast with White Truffle Mashed Potatoes and a Balsamic Brown Sugar Reduction
Beer: Czech-style Pilsner, 5.4% ABV

Tasting Notes: The duck is moist and rich without being greasy or fatty. The balsamic sauce is a little on the sweet side while retaining all the characteristic flavors of balsamic vinegar. The potatoes are chunky and herbed while the greens have a little bit of spice heat on them.

Czech-style Pilsner pours out a brilliantly clear gold color with a short lived white head. The aroma is slightly sweet and has a lot of pils malt character with bright, slightly spicy hop aromas. The flavor is slightly sweet, bready, lots of pils malt with a little bit of cracker while hop flavor has a light spice and earthy character to it. Hop bitterness is medium/medium-high. This is a medium-lo/medium bodied beer with high carbonation and a crisp, dry finish. This beer is also the only lager Lagunitas brews and they try to keep close to traditional as they can using Czech yeast and Saaz hops for this beer.

Duck is bold choice for a first course. It is a strongly flavored meat, that in lesser hands, could end up either greasy or pungent. I really liked this course, I felt the duck was well cooked paired well with the pilsner. The beer’s carbonation helped to cut the richness of the duck while the greens had a peppery character that complimented the Saaz hops in the beer. I was feeling very good about this first course and had high hopes for the remainder of the dinner.

Second Course

Food: Grilled chicken terrine with a smoked paprika oil
Beer: Hop Stoopid IPA, 8% ABV

Tasting Notes: Up until I wrote this post, I had no idea a terrine was just a form of “meatloaf”. Damn those French and their fancy-schmancy words. I find chicken to be a neutral tasting meat to begin with. That being said, I had some difficulty picking out the flavors of the individual ingredients of the dish; the overall flavor profile could be best described as “muddled”. I did pick up a slight smoke flavor though.

Hop Stoopid pours out a brilliantly clear, pale amber color with a thin, short lasting white/off-white head. The aroma is very floral with grapefruit and citrus aromas. The flavor of the beer is hop forward; the hops have a tropical fruit, grapefruit, piney and resiny character to them while the malt flavors, caramel and toasty in character, definitely play second fiddle in this beer. Hop bitterness is high, lasting but not harsh on the palette. This is a medium-high/full bodied beer, highly carbonated with a slightly dry finish. According to Chris, the Lagunitas rep hosting the dinner, Hop Stoopid is made with hop oils for bittering.

As far as a pairing, the terrine and Hop Stoopid weren’t as successful as the first course. The muddled flavors of the terrine were rendered even more plain by the bright flavors of the beer. I also felt the intensity of the beer was a bit stronger than the dish, overpowering it slightly.

Third Course

Food: Chilled fennel & pea soup with fresh crab and chives
Beer: Lucky 13, 8.3% ABV

Tasting Notes: The soup is predominantly pea flavored with a bit of black pepper flavors and is salty. The table had trouble picking out the fennel, chives and crab in the soup. Pretty straight forward dish.

Lucky 13 pours out a clear brown color with amber highlights and an off-white head. The beer is slightly sweet, with roasted malt flavor and hints of caramel while the hop bitterness is assertive. The aroma echos the flavor. This beer is medium-high in body with matching carbonation and a slightly dry finish. Originally a 13th anniversary beer, it proved to be so popular that it was made into a seasonal beer.

As a pairing, this combination was a miss as well. I had some difficulty trying to reconcile the flavors of the beer and soup; I looked for similar, or at least complimentary flavors, and even considered contrasting the flavor profiles of each. It just didn’t make sense.

Fourth Course

Food: Polenta encrusted basa filet with sweet and sour eggplant relish and fingerling potatoes
Beer: IPA, 5.7% ABV

Tasting Notes: The fish was a little over salted but well cooked. The eggplant relish was a little sweet and had some spice heat to them as well. I found the potatoes to be a little overdone but provided a textural contrast to the relish.

The IPA pours out a clear, pale amber color with an off-white head. The beer is balanced, for the style anyways. There are toasted malt and caramel flavors along with a piney, resinous hop flavor with some citrus character. Aroma is similar. Hop bitterness is medium-high. The beer is medium/medium-high in body and has high carbonation with a slightly dry finish and an astringent mouthfeel.

I felt this pairing went relatively well; the hop bitterness matched the intensity of the spice head while the malt character of the beer is complimentary of the polenta encrusted filet.

Fifth Course

Food: French chocolate olive oil and sea salt tart with a lemon creme fraiche
Beer: Fusion 2, 6% ABV

Tasting Notes: This was probably the first dessert I’ve had where the main flavor wasn’t “sweet”. The tart was salty, nutty and chocolatey; it was thick, viscous and crunchy at the same time.

Fusion 2 poured out a dark brown color, clear with an off-white/beige head. Very roasty malt flavor with a slight nuttiness. Hop flavor is surprisingly bold with a resinous and piny hop flavor. This is a medium bodied beer with medium carbonation, a dry finish with an astringent mouthfeel. Unfortunatley, I didn’t note what intensity the hop bitterness was. Brewed in the style of an brown ale, Fusion 2 was much more hoppy than a more “traditional” brown ale (What a surprise. Lagunitas making hoppy beers?). Fusion 2 was a “single shot” beer, which means there are no current plans to brew it again. What I found interesting was this was the first time the Lagunitas reps hosting the dinner would be tasting the beer as well.

As a pairing, it made a lot of sense to pair an English-style dessert with a popular style of English beer. The roasty malt and nutty flavors of the beer compliment the chocolate and mimic the nutty flavors of the dessert respectively. The intensity of the dessert matched that of the beer as well.

Upward Trend

Overall, I think the Lagunitas Beer Dinner was a significant improvement over the Morland Beer Dinner. More things went right than wrong but the things that went wrong were significant.

Firstly, I’m glad to see a menu was printed. It’s one thing to see a menu online but who’s going to bring their laptops to dinner to keep the menu available? While half of us at the table had smart phones capable of doing so, I feel it would distract from the company at hand. The only other thing I would like to see on the menu is the paired beer listed as well.

Speaking of pairings, I think there was a much more cohesive flow to how each course came out. The lag time between when we received our beers and the food was very minimal and helped establish that those two things went together. Kudos to the BBC staff for keeping on top of things.

Now this is just speculation but I think two of the beers were served with the wrong dishes. Specifically, I believe that Lucky 13 should’ve been served with Course 2 (Grilled Chicken Terrine) while Hop Stoopid should’ve been served with Course 3 (Chilled Pea Soup). I’ll explain further.

Normally, when one plans a beer dinner, special care is devoted to the serving order of the beers. Typically beers are served from lower alcohol to higher, least bitter to most. This is done to prevent the guests from being completely hammered right off the bat as well as preserving their palettes. Once a person experiences a certain level of hop bitterness, anything lower than that level will not really register. Now these are not hard and fast rules but based upon my research, the beer dinners I’ve attended and personal experience, this order seems to work out very well.

That being said, having an IPA (Hop Stoopid) come out before a maltier beer (Lucky 13), and then followed up by another IPA is a curious serving order to say the least. Looking at the Lagunitas 2010 Beer Line Up descriptions, Lucky 13 is described as “Big on Amarillo Hops and Rich Dark Malts for a Round and Huge, Smoky Flavor”. Doesn’t that sound like it would go well with grilled chicken terrine and a smoked paprika oil? Because of the full pours we were given, we had the opportunity to go back and try some of the beers with other dishes and Hop Stoopid did pair much better with the chilled pea soup and Lucky 13 was better with the grilled chicken terrine.

Bringing it all back full circle, having the beers printed on the menu along with their paired dishes may have helped avoid this error. Again, this is only conjecture on my part but I think I have a solid case.

“Full pours” was one of the main marketing points for this beer dinner. In many of the beer dinners I’ve been to, small pours (4-6 oz) have been the norm. I believe this is so guests can enjoy the beers with the food without getting wasted. I can see how BBC would hype up “full pours” in an attempt to not only differentiate themselves from other events but also to give the best value.

While I still disagree with full pours, at the end of the day it is up to the individual guest to decide for themselves how much they will be drinking. Because I was driving that night, I left a lot of beer on the table. It was a conscious decision on my part to do so and while I dislike wasting anything (food, especially beer), it was the right thing to do.

I would suggest the BBC change up their serving glasses. Pint glasses, while good for the casual consumption of your favorite beer, does nothing to enhance the character of the beer. I would suggest they switch to using wine glasses which would help capture the aromatics of the beer and improve its flavor. Moving away from pint glasses into more formal glassware increases not only the enjoyment of the beer but, as uppity as this is going to sound, gives the event a more formal air - this is a special event - and not your typical “let’s go to the pub because we’re too tired to cook tonight” dinner.

A slight criticism must be noted as to where dinner was served: outdoors. The previous dinner was served upstairs and I saw no reason as to why they changed this up. The BBC did have a slight funky aroma in the upper area but I’m not sure if it would be enough to warrant moving the entire dinner outdoors. Worst case, they could reserve the slightly raised section in the lower dining area for the dinner. The number of people who attended could have easily been accommodated in either space. Had this been a typical June evening, the weather would’ve been warmer and this whole point would be rendered moot. As it was, the evening was a little chilly and not everyone dressed in layers. At the very least, the outdoor tables allocated to the dinner could’ve been situated beneath the patio heat lamps. To our server’s credit, he did offer to move our tables over but the dinner was more than halfway through and we toughed it out.

Speaking of people who attended the dinner, it seemed that half the people who made reservations decided not to show up. This is disappointing I’m sure not only for me but for the BBC as well. I’m not even sure if they made any money on the dinner. My suggestion for the BBC would be to take down a credit card number for everyone who makes a reservation and to charge them regardless if they show up or not. I understand “life happens” and emergencies may pop up; nothing a quick phone call can’t remedy. But to completely disregard and event and no-show is… disappointing.

Overall

Despite the low attendance and possible switching of beers, the Lagunitas beer dinner was a vast improvement over the Moylands beer dinner. While the dishes varied in success, I could see a marked enthusiasm behind their preparation. It seemed like more thought was put into this second dinner and even the Lagunitas reps commented on how excited BBC Executive Chef, Tim, was in preparing this dinner.

A specially planned, 5-course dinner with full pours for $45 per person, in my opinion, is a solid value. I’m glad BBC is doing what they can to remain in this price range as I think this make the event more accessible to the general public. As much as I really enjoyed the Firestone Walker Beer Dinner at the Duck Club, at $75 per person, I can only go a couple times a year without it becoming fiscally difficult.

I wish the BBC much success with their beer dinners because I would love to have more events like this in the South Bay/Peninsula. I think it’s important to support craft beer in your immediate neighborhoods (not that Menlo Park is “immediate” for someone who lives in San Jose). I tire of people saying that there are no quality craft beer events in the South Bay/Peninsula, yet when one pops up, these same people fail to show their support. I’ve said it before, if you want these types of events, you need to ask for them. Better yet, when they’re available, show your support by going.

I am looking forward to the next BBC beer dinner. I’ve seen enough improvement to know this is something worth supporting and I hope to see more of you readers at the next one.

A few weeks ago, I attended the Beermaker’s Dinner, held at the Duck Club Restaurant, featuring the wonderful beers of Firestone Walker. This is the second beer dinner I’ve been to from the Duck Club Restaurant, the first being a Belgian beer dinner hosted by Trappist bartender and Certified Cicerone Nicole Erny. Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I had a great time and after a long week at work, we were looking forward to this dinner as well.

Unlike the Belgian Beer Dinner, Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I actually arrived on time this year, in fact, a little bit early. The Lafayette Park Hotel has a wonderful center courtyard enclosed on all sides except for the top. If the weather was warmer, the courtyard wouldn’t have been a bad place to hold the beer dinner as well. The courtyard was where the Duck Club held the reception for the dinner. Waitstaff served sausages and fried while Firestone Walker Solace was served.

Solace, 6% ABV

Solace pours out a cloudy, gold color with a white/off-white, lasting head. The aroma is fruity, I can smell a slightly spicy, clovey, peppery note on the aroma as well as citrus character. The flavor is fruity as well but with a slight sweetness and wheat malt flavor not unlike a hefeweizen. I also pick up a slight tartness in the finish. This is a low hopped beer, both in flavor and bitterness, medium-low bodied and medium-high in carbonation.

According to Firestone Walker’s website, Solace is a “summertime fusion wheat beer”, although judging from the ingredient list on the product page, I’d be hard pressed to tell you why it’s a fusion. I suspect that the omission of what yeast they use could be the fusion part as there are some soft, Belgian yeast characteristics to the beer that I noticed. Even though the appetizers and Solace kept coming out, I had to limit myself or else there’d be no room for dinner.

Dinner was once again served in the main dining room of the Duck Club. Seating was arranged but I made no effort at the time I made the reservation to state a preference. As a result, Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I were seated with strangers. Well, kind of. We met Pam and her husband Steve (I think) and to my surprise, we were also seated with Dave Hopwood (Stone Brewing rep) and Mr. 21st Amendment himself, Shaun O’Sullivan. I had always seen Shaun at various events but never had the opportunity to talk with him until that night and was looking forward to getting to know him. The opportunity wouldn’t last long though as Shaun ditched our table to hang out at the table were Matt Brynildson and friends were sitting. I wouldn’t have thought much of it but apparently Dave Hopwood, who wasn’t even planning on attending, was convinced by Shaun to go with him and was left high and dry for his trouble.

First Course

Food: Cedar-planked pink trout, plantain tostones, smoked garlic mojo
Beer: Double Barrel Ale (DBA), 5.0% ABV

Tasting Notes: The trout was moist and flakey while the plantains were a little smokey and salty, like bacon. The fresh citrus on the trout was tart and served as a great counterpoint to the fish with the acidity really making the flavors pop. The challenge with cooking fish is to not overdo it, especially when you’re cooking right on a plank but the cooking staff just nailed it on the head; perfectly done. I could’ve eaten pounds of this stuff.

DBA poured  a clear, reddish brown ale with an off white head. The flavor and aroma were for this beer was a balance between a slightly sweet, roasted malt character with some nutty undertones and noble hop flavors and aroma. While I found the malt flavors to be more pronounced over the hop character, neither was dominant; hop bitterness was medium-low in intensity and enough for balance. DBA has a dry finish, light, oaky astringency on the mouthfeel. DBA is “selectively fermented” on Firestone Walkers union oak barrel brewing system. Basically, 20% of DBA is fermented in neutral, American oak barrels while the other 80% in stainless steel.

I felt that this was an excellent pairing. I though the thread that tied the beer and the dish were the wood notes that were present in both the dish and the beer. With the cedar plank providing the wood notes for the fish, DBA got it’s oaky character from the 20% that was fermented in oak barrels. Just an awesome way to start the dinner.

Second Course

Food: Grilled wild boar sate, Asian pear, lemongrass basmati rice, pale ale peanut sauce
Beer: Pale 31, 4.6% ABV

Tasting Notes: Boar was very moist, soft and juicy; darker in color, there was no noticeable “gaminess” to the meat at all. The Asian pear wasn’t sweet at all but had a nice crunch that contrasted with the boar. The basmati rice was light and fluffy while the peanut sauce touched just about everything on the plate. I was really surprised by the wild boar; for whatever reason, I was expecting a tough, chewy and gamy but it was anything but. My only criticism was I think the peanut sauce was a little overpowering and hid some of the other flavors on the plate.

Pale 31 pours out a clear, amber color with a white head. The aroma is malty with a slight toasty character supported by a citrusy, floral hop character. The flavor echoes the aroma. I love how Pale 31 is bitter enough for the style but doesn’t overkill on hop bitterness allowing its hop flavor and aroma to really shine through. Someone at the table even notices some hop flavors reminiscent of grapefruit. Pale 31 has a dry finish and is lightly astringent on the mouthfeel. Pale 31 had about 5% of its volume fermented on the Union barrel system.

I though this was a good pairing as well. The carbonation of the beer helped to cut through the peanut sauce while its fruity and floral hop character was pleasant compliment to the boar.

Third Course

Food: Spice-rubbed beef tri-tip, charro beans, sweet corn masa, grilled pineapple and orange pico de gallo
Beer: Union Jack India Pale Ale, 7.5% ABV

Tasting Notes: Corn masa was very sweet, almost dessert sweet. The tri-tip was pink, moist and perfectly grilled. The pico de gallo was flavorful and had a bright acidity to it. The charro beans, slightly nutty, starchy and grainy, were probably the low-point of an otherwise wonderful dish. It wasn’t even that they were bad in anyway but when compared to everything else that was going on, they lacked the same flavorful punch.

Union Jack pours our a clear, amber/orange color with an off-white head. The beer is initially malty, with a toasted, lightly roasty malt character that gives way to a pineapple-like, resiny hop character wtih medium-high hop bitterness. I also pick up slight, spicy notes.

I felt this was a very good pairing as well. The bitterness of Union Jack was matched by the sweetness of the corn masa while the flavors of the tri-tip were matched well with the maltiness of the beer. The pineapple and orange pice de gallo reinforced similar hop flavors in the Union Jack.

Fourth Course

Food: Sticky, toffee pudding, porter toffee sauce, fresh whipped cream
Beer: Walker’s Reserve Dark Ale Porter

Tasting Notes: Toffee sauce is very sweet with a granular texture. Toffee pudding seems to be more like a little cake and is moderately sweet while the whipped cream is light and fluffy. While I am admittedly not into desserts all that much, I think I could have finished this one. This dessert makes me realize that I probably like desserts after all but it’s just the bad ones I dislike.

Walker’s Reserve Dark Ale Porter pours out a dark brown color with ruby highlights and beige colored head. Deep roasted malt with chocolate notes and a hint of black coffee in the flavor. Aroma is similar. Low hop bitterness and flavor. Slight tartness in the finish.

I thought this was a fantastic pairing. The beer and the toffee pudding compliment each other well and, most importantly I think, their intensity matches each other. The toffee pudding wasn’t any more intense than the Walker Reserve and vice versa. Well done!

Parabola, 13% ABV

Parabola pours out a very dark brown, almost black with a brown head. Slight peppery alcohol note in the aroma along with bourbon, oak, vanilla and slight coconut aromas as well as a rich, deeply roasted malt character. The flavor is sweet, with deeply roasted malt flavors, slight burnt malt character, dark fruit notes, vanilla, hints of coconut and noticeable bourbon. Hop flavor is low but hop bitterness is about medium/medium-high. This is a full bodied beer with low/medium-low carbonation and a moderately low alcohol warmth in the back of my throat.

Parabola is a Russian Imperial Stout aged for about a year in Heaven Hill Kentucky Bourbon barrels. Heaven Hill bourbon barrels seem tailor made for beer as Steve Donohue from Firehouse aged his scotch ale in one and the resulting beer was lovely. Parabola was served side-by-side with the Walker Reserve and many people made the mistake of trying Parabola before Walker Reserve, which was unfair for the Walker Reserve. Parabola is a big beer and can really ruin a palette. What I also found interesting about this beer was that it has an IBU rating similar to Union Jack IPA but because of the aging process and recipe, Parabola doesn’t seem as bitter.

Overall

This time around, I don’t have any real criticism for either the food or the beer. I felt the pairings worked really well together across the board. When compared to the Belgian Beer Dinner earlier in the year, I think the things that make Belgian Ales so complex and interesting can also make them difficult to pair with food; it’s as if there are too many things going on with Belgian ales that trying to hone in on a single aspect of the food or beer may be at the expense of the other characteristics. With the Firestone Walker beers being relatively straightforward in their flavor profiles, I don’t think you run into those kinds of challenges.

Regardless of what I think, my hat goes off to Executive Chef Chuck Courtney and his staff, they did an excellent job preparing the food. I thought it was a nice touch for Chef Courtney to come out before the dinner and give us a little background on the dishes. Despite the fact that many of the beers we had this evening were English-inspired, the food was all over the board with Cuban, South Asian, South American and English influence. My favorite dish of the entire evening was the cedar plank pink trout. I love seafood anyway but this just blew me away.

Likewise, the staff at the Duck Club was fantastic. Dinner went very smoothly and courses transitioned from one to the other with minimal disturbance. The Duck Club is old school in the sense that they serve women first at every course. You just don’t see that sort service any more.

My lone criticism is actually reserved for Firestone Walker brewmaster Matt Brynildson. I would have to say that Matt did a good job on the microphone explaining his beers and giving us brief insights into each beer’s background. I think he could’ve held the microphone up to his mouth a little more because as the night wore on, it got harder to hear him. But what I really think he should’ve done was to go around from table to table and play host a little bit. I don’t think any one expects him to have in-depth conversations with every, single table but a little personalization would’ve gone a long way. As it is, with Shaun O’Sullivan jumping ship, Matt’s table became increasingly unapproachable to all but a handful of people.

The Duck Club does have one more dinner planned for the year: a beer versus wine dinner featuring the beers from Stone Brewing. Set for August 27, 2010, I am looking forward to this dinner just to see who will win in the end.