Beer

    Cliche much? A chef who loves beer?  In preparation for our beer dinner with Peak Organic Brewing Co. next Tuesday (August 16) I felt it important to share with you the origins of this dinner and many like it. 

    I've always felt beer has been undervalued in the culinary world; living in the shadow of fine wine and cocktails.  Afterall, at first mention of beer thoughts gravitate toward pizza, wings, and burgers.  Thats why I first got into pairing beer with food.  For me it was somewhat of a chance to take the road less travelled; to try something different and to some extent more challenging. 

    The First beer dinner I orchestrated was at Sel de la Terre in Natick about 2 years ago.  It was a ton of pressure and a ton of stress but in the end a huge success.  I paired food with beers from haveril brewery, ipswich brewery, smuttynose brewery, and mayflower.  Everyone loved it and I had a great time doing it.  What was best is that all the pairings worked marvelously.  The beer brought out new flavor profiles in the food and the food accented the beer perfectly.  Beer Nut Norman Miller of the Metrowest Daily News stopped by and enjoyed the 3 course tasting menu with us. 

   I went on to do these dinners while still at Sel de la  Terre as well as when I was at Union Bar and Grille with chef Keenan Langlois.  At UBG we focused our efforts at pairing strictly with Bostons beloved Harpoon Brewery.  Now we look forward to a dinner with Peak Organic Brewing Company out of Portland Maine.  Peak is a very humble, very down to earth brewery who seems to stay close to their roots.  They support local farmers growing organic hops to create their delicious varieties of unique beers.  An
IPA like ive never tasted before,  an incredibly deep black IPA, an imperial hefe that packs a punch, and an extrodinary nut brown ale with a mystifying depth of flavor are a few of the varieties we will feature on Tuesday's dinner. 

    The menu pulls from the flavors of the beer.  All too often I create a menu based on a concept, a nostalgia, or a theme product.  Here I couldnt help but highlight the beer.  There is so much going on within each beer's flavor profile that I could not ignore.  This is truely a role reversal in my head and Its a really great opportunity to work with such a dynamic product.  Did I mention its local and organic?

    Be our guest at the upcoming dinner and get a chance to taste the cutting edge of the beer world.  Get a chance to see the way beer and food can interact on ones pallet.  This dinner is not to be missed!

And though it has nothing to do with the beer dinner some house made andouille sausage with pork from an unlucky black tamworth at Brambly Farm...just for good measure. cheers!