Tonight was a
beer dinner at a local restaurant featuring some fun food pairings with Ninkasi beers.
Menu:
First course: "Pizza and Tater Tots" paired with Renewale Irish-style Red ale
The "Pizza" was flatbread with tuna and dungeness crab and a bunch of other yumminess. The "Tater Tots" were white truffle potato croquettes. Both quite good, but the tots were amazing.
Renewale is a good Irish Red, I'm just not a big fan of the style. It was a good pairing with the food though.
Second course: "Lobster Dog & Slaw" paired with Spring Reign seasonal ale
This was a lobster and smoked scallop sausage with passionfruit slaw. The new Spring Reign seasonal pale ale was released today, and it's yummy. Very light and refreshing, and another great food pairing.
(Sorry about the blue tint -- my phone's camera sucks)
Third course: "Pancakes & Eggs" paired with Believer Double Red ale
Maple cured duck confit in cornmeal crepes with chipotle cider reduction and quail egg. I thought this one would be my least favorite based on the description, but it may have been the best. It had a great "breakfast" sweetness to it, but was rich and filling too. The richness and sweetness both went well with the maltiness of the Believer.
Dessert: "Ice Cream Sandwich" paired with Vanilla Oatis oatmeal stout
This was great, mocha ganache, hazelnut ice cream. Normal Oatis is a great oatmeal stout, and I had never had the vanilla version. I was pleasantly surprised, the vanilla is really subtle, showing mostly in the nose. It be great to try it side-by-side with the normal one. Unfortunately, the vanilla version is only available on draft and not in bottles.
Overall, a really enjoyable meal and a great way to spend the evening. It was nice to be able to chat with a couple of the Ninkasi employees too -- nice folks. I need to get down to the brewery for a tour soon.
