Bottoms Up

It’s time once again for Bruce Paton, better known as the Beer Chef, to share some of his culinary magic with us, this time around on the subject of exposing new audiences to food and beer pairings.

Food & Beer with Bruce Paton

Exposing New Audiences To Food and Beer Pairing

Several years ago I got involved in donating to various charities by way of being auctioned off to cook Dinners for Eight in private homes through The Chefs Association of the Pacific Coast. The idea being that several chefs would get up on stage one by one and compete to see who could raise the most money for the cause. The winning bidders donate money to the charity and we donate our time and talent and everybody wins. A few years into this adventure one of the charities suggested that I do beer and food pairing menus as a way of offering a unique experience to encourage higher donations. Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Company generously agreed to supply beer for these events and has continued to do so through the years.

When I host one of my Dinner with the Brewmaster events, a very high percentage of the guests are return diners, beer aficionados, folks seeking a new experience or a combination of either. In other words they have a good idea what to expect for the most part and our familiar with beer. In doing a dinner in a private home for a donation to charity this is usually not the case. The event I am going to describe was exactly the opposite.

I arrived at the winning bidders house to find that the median age of the group was about sixty and none of them had any experience with beer other than one of the mass-produced types ending in “Lite”. They were however very familiar with wine in fact one gentleman brought along a bottle he had made himself. Even though I had done several of these dinners before I was quite nervous about how these folks would receive the assertive beer styles of Russian River.

The beer served with the first course was Damnation Ale, Belgian Style Golden ale that is very enjoyable and easy on the palate, and I wasn’t too concerned at that point. Paired with Torchon of Foie Gras and Mango Chipotle Sauce it was a good start and everyone was happy. The second beer was Temptation, also Belgian Style, a Blond Ale aged in Chardonnay barrels with Brettanomyces (a type of yeast native to Belgium), which imparts a sour flavor in the beer. Now I was worried how would these novice beer drinkers react to what is an acquired to taste to seasoned veterans. Paired with Roasted Corn Bisque, Dungeness Crab and Avocado they were thrilled. Next up Pliny the Elder, double IPA, aggressive hop profile, the chef is still a little uneasy. However all my worries were for naught as they were all thrilled and I heard comments like “tropical fruit” and “mango”. I am sure the Duck Breast, Parsnip Flan and Baby Spinach helped a little. However what I discovered was that the host and his guests had not only trained their palates to seek out flavors during decades of wine drinking but had kept their minds open to a new experience. After they finished the dessert course of Salvation and Chocolate Chili Mousse they all wanted to know where the beer could be purchased. I will be hosting Russian River for a dinner next month so please join us.

I have also hosted the Chefs Association for several beer dinners over the years and occasionally some of the members have asked if they could have wine with their meal instead off beer. Recently I hosted the group for a Dinner with Lagunitas Brewing Company and not a single guest asked for anything but more beer. If you are at all familiar with the ales of Lagunitas you know they are fairly assertive as well.

We started the evening with Czech Style Pilsner and a selection of passed hors d’oeuvre. Lagunitas’ version is a little hoppier than the traditional but still light and refreshing. The first course of Seared Royal Sweet Scallop, Grapefruit Beurre Blanc, California Osetra Caviar was paired with A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale, a very flavorful Pale Ale with a little wheat in the grain bill. The second course was Crispy Marin Sun Farms Pork Belly, Confit of Heirloom Tomatoes, Sausalito Springs Cress matched with Hop Stoopid that is basically a double IPA. The entrée highlighted Lucky 13, a highly hopped red ale, served with Lamb Osso Buco, Mascarpone Soft Polenta, Wilted Greens. The evening ended with a Chocolate Fantasy consisting of Flourless Chocolate Cake, a Parfait of Two Chocolate Mousses topped with a Vanilla Infused Bing Cherry. Yum.

The moral of the story is that one should be open to new experiences with beer and food whether a novice or an experienced taster. New beers are being created constantly and old styles reinvented so go out and give them a try. You may find something you really enjoy.

Cheers,

Chef Bruce
The Beer Chef