When it comes to beer and food, there is no such thing as enough, and so the weekly Wednesday Brew & Grub Dinner Pairing at BrewGrrs was born thanks to the conspiring minds of Anthony, Rob, and yours beerly. Is a weekly dinner pairing still special when it’s weekly? In my naturally biased opinion, yes, and you can take my word for it. Better yet, is Vero Beach ala the Treasure Coast ready? If not, they will be soon whether they like it or like it. And what’s not to like, dangnabbit?! Good brews and good food are natural bedfellows to which I am the willing third party and so are you.
Last week’s inaugural dinner was a voyeur fest for me while this week I was attentively engaged in beer and food porn. Before starting my own flavorgasmic journey through three courses of plate licking proportions, I bounced around the kitchen, camera flashing, to catch creativity in action. A weekly venture through brewphoric culinary bliss? Bring it! This burgundian is armed and ready! But which will be mightier – the fork or the pen?
Our first course was a sushi lover’s treat. Fresh is as fresh as the Wednesday morning delivery of Norwegian Salmon we received. In cracking the lid on her chilled Styrofoam confines, I heard the gentle lapping of chilly Norwegian waters lap against rocks weathered by time and tradition. As a native Floridian who spent her youthful years fishing the Indian River and North Atlantic Ocean, tis tradition near and dear. Expertly plated, the avocado dill oil drizzle was creamy herbal temptation that lured me straight into melt-in-the-mouth Norwegian Salmon tartare tidbits briefly tossed in a sauce of mayo, soy, syracha, cumin, lime zest, cucumber, onion, and hand-chopped cilantro. Kept company by a deliciously burnt reduction of Guinness and soy, the tartare was paired with the limited release of Samuel Adams Rustic Saison. An impressive take on the historic Belgian Saison, it poured from a special faucet meant to temper the vivacious yeast while best presenting said beer’s flavorsations. Expect many good saisons to flow from its gleaming glory through the passing years, months, weeks, and days.
But I digress.
Joined by fellow beer dinner fanatic John B, we ogled, oogled, sniffed, snarfed, and moaned our way into the second course.
I’ve been a fan of Brooklyn Brewery for as long as I’ve been lucky enough to savor their classic fermentables. Garrett Oliver is a genius brewer, flavor advocate, burgundian, cocktailarian, and all around awe-inspiring gent I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting. Yet. One of the first few Brooklyn beers was the English inspired brown ale whose malty spicy caramelized savory designs scream for red meat. Yes, scream. One bite of the lip-smacking Brooklyn Brown Ale BBQ Black Angus pulled short ribs infusion and angels blushed while I lavished love on each succulent morsel. Poured perfectly was a perfectly fresh melon salsa. Pooled next to our Angus bounty was a plolenta that defied physics within its firmly melted ooey-gooey cheesy proportions. Accompanied by a glass of Brooklyn Brown Ale, the tastegasms were innumerable.
A moment please…
It is hard to believe but yes, burgundian pleasure does come in threes. I like a cookie and you like a cookie. I scream for ice cream and you scream for ice cream. Together with a little help from Ghirardelli chocolate chips and I’m transported to frolicking days of youth in just one bite. Blanche de Bruxelles infused white cookies sandwich Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream and a glass of Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron met in a drum roll of spice, cookie, vanilla cream, chocolate crunch, tobacco leaf, earth, love, and bliss on earth. Sometimes simple is best and within that simplicity does one realize infinite pleasure in its infinite simplicity.
Confused? Good.
As night settled, John and I bid our separate ways home with a promise to meet again sooner than later. BrewGrrs weekly Wednesday Brew & Grub Dinner Pairings are another adventure into flavorspiration, and a welcome challenge for my muse. With both pen and tastebuds at the ready, I say Welcome!
(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)
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