Beer and Food Pairings

crystalflame

Everyone always talks about food and wine pairings, but beer and food get way too neglected IMO. Luckily I live near a gastropub that does a monthly beer dinner. Here's what I'm having tonight:

Wednesday March 27th at 7pm we will be featuring Ommegang Brewery for our monthly Beer Dinner.

Ommegang began brewing Belgian-style ales in 1997. Founded by Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield, owners of Vanberg and DeWolf beer import company, and three family owned Belgian breweries including Duvel Moortgat. Ommegang started up in a purpose-built building based on a traditional Belgian farmhouse, set on a forme...r 136-acre (0.55 km2) hop farm in the Susqehanna River Valley, four miles (6 km) south of Cooperstown, New York in the Town of Milford.

1st course: Coffee rubbed short rib wonton over chocolate mole with bell pepper & green onion salad. Paired with Indulgence.

2nd course: Seared sea scallop over frisee salad with dried apricots, shaved manchego & local honey
dressing. Paired with Tripel.

3rd course: Deep fried frogs legs with smoked poblano gravy & soft poached egg. Paired with Hougoumont.

4th course: Rosemary pork stuffed quail with sweet milk corn on the cob and stout roasted sweet potatoes. Paired with Art of Darkness.

5th course: Spiced banana bread with lemon curd frosting & salted caramel drizzle. Paired with Seduction.


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Anyone here ever plan your meals around your beer or vice versa?

esjaygee

That sounds like a great dinner. The Ommegang special release series (like Seduction/Art of Darkness) are really good and the food sounds amazing. A few places near where I live have monthly beer dinners but I've yet to get to one. My wife is allergic to everything under the sun so she can never eat what's on the menu. I'll have to find another friend or relative to head to one of these as I'd really like to try attending one. Milwaukee Beer Week is coming up in a few weeks and there are a ton of places doing beer dinners, albiet from a mediocre brewery in town.

I've never planned my meals at home around beer, but will sometimes pick a beer that complements the meal - ie ginger beer with sushi, a chocolate stout with dessert or an IPA with just about anything.

sweeter_than_C6H12O6

I have never personally planned food around what beers I'm drinking but I have been to several beer dinners in the Chicago area that I absolutely enjoy. One of my favorites was a Wild Game and Beer dinner where the various courses were paired with either Revolution brews or Firestone Walker brews. I hope to go to more in the future.

esjaygee

I have never personally planned food around what beers I'm drinking but I have been to several beer dinners in the Chicago area that I absolutely enjoy. One of my favorites was a Wild Game and Beer dinner where the various courses were paired with either Revolution brews or Firestone Walker brews. I hope to go to more in the future.

I really want to get to Revolution Brewpub down in Chicago. I had their stuff at the Great taste last year and I thought it was excellent. Any recommendations on other good brewpubs in the area to stop at?

KANGOOJUMPS

oh yummy.

crystalflame

Dinner was awesome. The beer curator spent some time talking to us and explaining his choices. Both Indulgence and Seduction are chocolate beers, and he wanted to show that while chocolate beer with dessert is a great pairing (and what most people would think to do), it doesn't always have to go with something sweet - pairing with the beef and mole in the beginning complimented the savory and yielded fantastic results.

Every time I go to these I learn a bit more about what works well together. I'm inspired. I've got a chocolate chili porter homebrew in my fridge right now that I might have to experiment with - barbacoa tacos, perhaps? Or a black pepper beef stir fry? Hmmm.

Also, Wild Game and Beer sounds like a really fun meal. Jealous

esjaygee

That Chocolate Chili Porter sounds really interesting. Send a bottle my way lol :drinker: Left hand made a really good spicy porter two years ago that was a one-off, I wish they'd bring it back again.