Brewed Musings

Brewed Beverage of Choice:  A pint of New Day English Bitter (one of the beers at the dinner…)

Last year the Roadhouse Brewery celebrated its 4000th brew by making a Weizenbock, a rare and finicky brew that when done right is O! so delicious.  But we did not just want to release it, that would have been sacrilegious.  We decide to release it at a Brewer’s Dinner in the upstairs of the original pub with the fireplaces a blazing.

A good Brewer’s Dinner is a fun event: good food paired with great tasting brews.  It is a shame so few brewers actually do them.  I had so much fun at last year’s dinner that we decided to do another one this year.  And while the menu last year was fantastic, I think we trumped it with this year’s.  Our chef and I sat in the brewery before I headed to Chicago and sampled all the beers available.  Needless to say, we had quite a little buzz going by the time we reached the dessert selections.

People rarely know that good brews are excellent when paired with food.  Beer can be a better selection with certain foods than our fermented grape friend.  I am not picking on wine.  I have been known to have a glass of it now and then.  No, what I am saying is that beer gets a bad rap for being great with pizza and American football.  Many of today’s beers are so packed with flavours it is hard not to consume them alongside a good meal.

This year marked the first year where I had more of a say in the food selection and beer selection.  Of course this is only the second year, so suffice it to say, last year I had less input.  The beer selection is what I am most proud of because we have a better crop to choose from this year.  If you can believe it, a year old Cherry Stout was left off the menu.  It is not often something that good could be upstaged by 6 different beers.  So without further ado, the menu for this year’s dinner.  (I apologize to those unable to attend because you live out of state.  Perhaps you should move closer or plan on attending next year’s.  It is always the Wednesday after Thanksgiving.)

Pre-Dinner in the Brewery (Dry Hopped New Day English Bitter):  I thought it was a good idea to start off in the brewery with a pint and some good banter.  It is so very rare that a person is able to drink with the brewers in their natural habitat.  I picked the New Day because it is an excellent session brew that can be used to pass the time while talking to your friends and fellow beer geeks.  This beer has a wonderful citrusy aroma which helps disguise the pleasant malty-bitter complemented backbone.  Most people shy away from beers with Bitter in the name.  Too bad for them as they are one of the most delicious session brews around.

First Course (Seasonal Fruit, Cheese and Sausage plate paired with 15 month old Oak Aged Weizenbock):  Last year’s guest of honour could not stay off this year’s menu.  The oak aging has mellowed out this beer to give it great tastes of vanilla, clove and banana.  We decided that it would go great with some flavourful cheeses and fruit.  But then how could we serve a German beer like this without some sausage as well?

Second Course (Carrot and apple slaw with currants and hazelnuts paired with Hidden Treasure Altbier):  We stay with the German beer theme with the Altbier, an amber ale lagered for 2 months.  It has a dry yet fruity finish and a very clean aroma (this one a bit more hoppy than most alts.)  Last year we had an alt with the salad and it was a hit so we decided to bring it back, but this year with a unique type of salad.  I think the alt will highlight the flavours of the currants and hazelnuts.

Third Course (Duck Consume with Organic Saison du Pass):  I must go on the record right now and say I love duck and saisons!  The Saison was brewed this summer for the Organic Brewers Festival in July.  It has a wonderfully spicy flavour from the elevated fermentation temperatures.  Be sure I let the yeast do its magic on this beer.  It is light golden in colour and has wonderful fruity and yeasty aromas.  The game flavour of the duck will be well served by the spicy characteristics of an underappreciated beer like the Saison.

Main Course (Pork Loin stuffed with sausage and dried fruit with peppercorn sauce and baby potatos paired with Pole Ax American Strong Ale):  It came as a complete shock to me that all of us tasting picked the Pole Ax as the main course brew.  Not because it does not deserve to be, but because of all the delicacies in flavour and aroma going on within it.  It has a subtle roast, almost smokey flavour with a hoppy aroma that grabs your nose and won’t let go!  Our chef, at first sample, had Pork Loin pop right into her head.  It was too obvious for us, so we went for it.

Dessert (”Scotch Ale” cake with ale creme anglaise paired with one year old Oak Aged Stonecutters Wee Heavy):  Sometimes by the dessert most people have had their tastebuds knocked out by its heavyweight opponent.  Hopefully this year will not follow that pattern.  Last November we brewed up a Wee Heavy for a company festival and called it the Stonecutters.  I secretly hid a pony keg of it away and aged it with oak.  The flavours of this brew are out of this world: smoke, vanilla, scotch, caramel, apple.  Our chef decided she was going to use it as the substitute for the Stout cake, thus making it a Scotch Ale cake.  It is after this course that Burgess Meredith will throw in the towel saving Rocky before he gets pummeled.

My stomach is rumbling just thinking about all this food.  I hope our patrons will enjoy it as much as we did putting it together.  If you are in the neighbourhood and want to join in the festivities on November 28th, you can head to this website for details.  O!  I need some of that Consume right now!

Prost!

a very hungry confucian brewer