I have to begin with the initial set-up of the tables. In each section of the table there were two bowls with different grains, and a plate which contained some plug hops on top of pellets. All evening, each time the door opened and a breeze came in we'd get a whiff of hops. It was a wonderful experience.
Our first course was a salad with orange slices, onion and bacon bits with a blackberry (and if memory serves raspberry) and Grand Marnier dressing served with the Belgian Wit made with coriander & orange peel spices. The goal was to allow the beer to cleanse the pallet for each bite of a very flavorful salad. I particularly like the orange slices in the salad to match the orange peel in the Wit.
Our second course was probably the best food all night in a crab bisque. It was served with the All Night Light Pilsner. Again, this was to be a palate cleanser for the rich, creamy soup. I found the contrast of a bite of hot soup and a sip of cold beer very unexpected, not really thinking about it until it happened. I found the soup really brought out a grainy flavor to the pilsner (made with all malt, so it makes sense). I also found the creaminess accentuated the carbonation feel of the Pilsner. I must say again, the bisque was fantastic.
Our third course was my favorite overall. Perhaps it's the cheeseburger and fries personality opposed to steak and potato, but for this course we were served a bratwurst sandwich with cooked onions and peppers, and a little spicy mustard on the side. This was served on "pretzel bread", as best as I can describe it. The accompanying beer was their seasonal Oktoberfest. I really found the spicy mustard bringing out the strong malt profile of the Oktoberfest, and also a spiciness in the beer itself, perhaps from the hops or just a residual from the mustard. All -in-all I love a malty beer and bread combination like this. Very complimentary.
After the third course we were split into two groups and given a tour of the brewing facility. I must have been annoying since I talked so much, but I was there to learn. After the tour we were served our fourth course which consisted of a piece of freshly smoked salmon with a dill crouton and a dollop of sour cream. The suggested eating was to take half the salmon and half the sour cream and place it on the crouton and eat that before taking a sip. Again I found the "fatty" or creaminess of the fish and sour cream brought out the maltiness of the beer, which for this course was the Lunch Box Pale Ale, by the way. I also noticed an accentuation of the bitterness considering this was their pale ale and not the IPA.
Our fifth course was smoked chicken wings, done to your preferred level of heat, served with the IPA. The theory here is that you need a bold tasting beer to compete with a bold tasting food, in this case a spicy (hot) wing. What I've found in previous tastings is that while that is true, the beer will increase the heat effect of a buffalo style wing when you get up there in heat. In this case however, the wings were not terribly spicy and the two paired nicely. Although I think a slight decrease in malt flavor was noticed which took away from the beer a little.
The sixth course I felt was a little weak. The ribs were wonderful by themselves. They were tender and delicious. They were served with the Maroon Effect, which is basically a hoppy version of a standard brown ale. But because it had a lighter malt profile, and the ribs had a strong sweet sauce on them, the beer was really destroyed. I can say that because I had had a Maroon Effect just a little before as an opening pint and as my favorite beer offered there I know what it should have tasted like. The beer became a water version of it's former self in short. I would suggest leaving off the sauce next time, or pairing the beer with a hardier porter or perhaps the stout.
Last but not least we were treated to not one, but both deserts that had been offered. The first was a truffle, with raspberry drizzle, served with the stout. In addition we were given a second half glass of stout to which a small scoop of vanilla ice cream was added. A stout float in fact. Separately all components were delicious. The sweetness of the truffle really masked the malty sweetness of the stout and in fact accentuated the roasty character of the beer. In the case of the float, the ice cream was a welcomed addition to add a silky texture and creamy edge to the roastiness of the beer.
Overall a very well done presentation. It will be interesting to see if the beer lineup changes any to allow for other future pairing. A hearty porter for example would really go well with a smoked meat. A spicier gumbo would be a nice pairing with the IPA. The stout in a cream brulee. The possibilities are limitless.
