beer & food

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Sean Paxton, the Homebrew Chef, was a professional chef for years and has been a homebrewer since 1993. The meals he prepares annually for Northern California Homebrew Festival are legendary, and he writes a regular food column for Beer Advocate magazine.

In case you forgot, the questions are: If you could invite four people dead or alive to a beer dinner who would they be? What four beers would you serve?

So many people to chose from, yet the more I think about it, the easier the guest list is.

Father Dominique, Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy. What we taste today in Rochefort’s 8 and 10, might not be how those two beers started back at the turn of the century without his help. Father Dominique’s improvements to the production and quality of the brewing techniques, ultimately changed the course of the monastery future. To discuss with him what and how the beers were made before and what changes were implemented would make for a pretty incredible evening. Can he bring some samples to share at the table?

Charles Greene. One of the two brothers who brought us the Greene & Greene style of architecture. I see many similarities in highly skilled trade and decorative art using wood, to a brewer designing a great beer for the palate and brewing it. His take on food and beer would add a nice mix to the table.

Matt Bryndilson. Besides being a great brewer (at Firestone Walker), he is also a total foodie at heart. With his crazy blend of last years 10 and soon to be released 11, Matt’s experience in blending beers, aging in oak and hop knowledge, could spark an interesting discussion on the future of brewing. I would also love his take on the meal and beers that were served over dinner. And besides, he’s still alive.

And Michael Jackson. I only met him once and never got a chance to cook for him. That would have been cool, to cook for such an amazing inspiration. That menu would take a long time to create. But, oh the conversation that would come out of it.

The first course would start with a glass of De Dolle Stille Nacht Reserve 2000 aged in Boudreaux Barrels for 18 months. The flavors of toffee, apricots, cherries, grapes, cinnamon and touches of spices that you can almost identify, but meld into another flavor dancing on your tongue. I’d pair this with a selection of Trappist cheeses: Chimay Grand Reserve, Orval and Westmalle Tripel Crème, garnishing the plate with fresh figs, dried apricots, toasted hazelnuts, cinnamon infused honey and a rustic sourdough.

Second beer would be De Struise French Oak Aged Pannepot. When I first tasted this elixir, I thought “Sex in a Glass.” Urbain and his crazy/wild team of brewers created a brew that is perfect with food, or to sit by a fire and smoke a nice cigar. To pair with this treat, I would have to have to do a Seared Duck Breast, cooked a juicy medium rare, on a Bed of Pureed Celery Root, with a sauce reduced from New Glarus Cherry, duck stock and thyme from the garden.

I would have to serve my almost done Saucerful of Secrets to my four guests. With a crazy and complex grain bill, different sugars and a radical fermentation, it would be an honor to pour this for a third course. I would pair a Fig Wood Smoke Rack of Lamb, served with a Fig Coriander Demi and Black Truffle Mash Potatoes topped with Seared Foie Gras to play off the dark fruit flavors in the beer.

And my last beer would be Hair of the Dog Dave. Created by triple freezing Adam, aging it in Bourbon Barrels for 6 months, flavors beyond most ideas of what beer is, wash over the tongue. The fact that It’s over 28% abv and over 10 years old now sure helps . . . I did a Beeramisu for Fred Eckhardt’s 80th with Alan, using this beer and pairing with it. The intense malt flavors pair nicely with the nutty mascarpone and a sprinkle of 120L crystal malt. A nice way to end the evening.

For more about what this is part of look here.

Steven D. Hales is Professor of Philosophy at Bloomsburg State University, but more relevant here is that he edited Beer & Philosophy. He also contributed a wonderful essay in which he introduces us to the idea that quality is the density of pleasure.

In case you forgot, the questions are: If you could invite four people dead or alive to a beer dinner who would they be? What four beers would you serve?

Here’s my list, of folks that were great raconteurs who liked to drink, and would be a hoot at dinner:

Socrates
Benjamin Franklin
Winston Churchill
Ernest Hemingway

If I added a fifth it would be Scottish philosopher David Hume.

Here’s what I’d serve. And I imagine the beers going with specific foods, too.

1. Franziskaner Weissbier. Served with a salad.
2. Saison Dupont. With a broth vegetable soup.
3. Ommegang Abbey Ale. Served with a roast lamb.
4. Young’s Double Chocolate Stout. With a dense chocolate
torte dessert.

And we’re off. For more about what this is part of look here.

Neal Stewart is director of marketing at Flying Dog Brewery. BeerDinners.com was/is his idea. His personal web site is the Turkey Sandwich Report.

In case you forgot, the questions are: If you could invite four people dead or alive to a beer dinner who would they be? What four beers would you serve?

Babe Ruth – I can’t think of anyone who dominated a sport like Babe Ruth and I assume that he dominated the Dinner Table the same way. It seems like Babe appreciated a lot of the finer things in life and I’m pretty sure that included beer and food.

Mick Jagger – When it comes to the Beatles vs. The Stones, I have always been a Stones guy. And it stand to figure that a front man from one of the world’s biggest bands for the last 40 years would have some good stories to tell.

Andre The Giant – I’ve heard a lot of stories about Andre The Giant but the one that I always remember is that he would order one of everything on the menu just to freak people out. I would invite him just to see how much he could put away.

John McEnroe – I grew up playing tennis and McEnroe was always one of my favorites. John would be good at interviewing my other guests and have some good stories himself. Plus, he strikes me as a beer guy.

1st Course
Toasted Ravioli with Marinara paired with Schlafly Hefeweizen
Schalfly was one of the first craft beers I was introduced to and I’ve always liked their beer and respected the way they have built their business in the shadows of A-B. I’m going with Toasted Ravioli because it is one of my favorite foods and it’s hard to find anywhere except for St. Louis (where I am from).

2nd Course
Mixed Greens with Strawberries, Gorgonzola Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette paired with New Glarus Raspberry Tart
I was given a bottle of Raspberry Tart as a gift a few weeks ago and loved it. This beer would really accentuate all of the salad’s flavors.

3rd Course
Beer Cheese Soup paired with Double Dog Pale Ale
I’m a sucker for Beer Cheese Soup and even though it is normally served with a Pale Ale, I would step up the hops on the beer selection to compliment the sharp cheddar flavors from the soup. And not to be a “homer” but I just really like Double Dog.

4th Course
Grilled Pork Chops with Pineapple Salsa paired with Avery Hog Heaven
Eric always makes fun of me because whenever we’re out to dinner I order Pork Chops. This might be because eight years ago I was the official spokesperson for A1 Steak sauce on a mobile marketing tour. For 20 straight weeks I traveled around the country preaching the virtues of marinating steak in A1. Needless to say, I had unlimited access to steak and quite possibly could have burned out on the red meat. I love our Horn Dog, but I also really like Avery’s version of this style and I think a sweet Barley Wine with the spicy/sweet Pineapple Salsa would be really good.

5th Course
Gonzo Imperial Porter Float
We feature this on BeerDinners.com and I’ve made this at home a few times. The thick and creamy Gonzo goes perfectly with Vanilla Ice Cream. If you can top it with chocolate covered cherry, it’s even better.

If you could invite four people dead or alive to a beer dinner who would they be?

What four beers would you serve?

Yes, I want your answers.

First, to jump start everybody’s brain I asked a few folks known to drink beer these questions. The resulting answers were way too cool to jam into a single post, so instead I’m making it a series — which might be a little strange in a blogging format. We’ll see.