Beer Dinners are awesome!

The Dogfish Head and Cypress Street Pint & Plate collabo was off the meter!

Here are some that are coming up! 

(Plus a wine dinner, too.)

One of my favorite things to do when it comes to ales and lagers is enjoying them during a beer dinner. I have grown to appreciate the culinary arts during some of my courses at Cornell University and always loved beer, so these two go hand in hand. But I won't sound like a broken record and keep telling you how beer is becoming royalty in particularly the dining world, with chefs creating fare that will perfectly complement the numerous flavor profiles ales and lagers literally bring to the table. 
Here are some shots from a few beer dinners I have had the pleasure of indulging in, along with a few that are coming up you should do everything in your power to attend. Hell, I even threw in a wine dinner in there just in case you'd rather vino with your vittles.
Hopefully I will be toasting a glass with you at a table topped with gourmet eats and craft beer from around the world in the near future. Cheers!

The Beer Dinner at Mandarin Hotel's Asiate Restaurant in New York

Asiate one of the most memorable, picturesque, and downright glamorous beer dinners I have ever had the pleasure in indulging in. Simply look at the view overlooking Manhattan's Columbus Circle. They usually have their team of sommeliers including Peter Bothwell, Annie Turso, and Sarah Ford pair whites and reds with their delectable menu selections. This time around, Asiate prepared a special beer dinner for me personally and they admitted how much they enjoyed doing it! Plus, their elite diners were breaking their necks trying to get a sneak peek of how the restaurant's prized cuisine was matched with craft beer. 

Everything from the Wagyu Beef Tenderloin alongside Chimay Blue...

...to the Butter Poached Lobster alongside Rogue Dead Guy Ale gave me a blissful palate.

Even the dessert rocked the house: Chocolate Caramel Torte, Blood Orange Panna Cotta, Mango Pistachio Gateau, and Calamansi Soda with Lychee Sorbet was the perfect marriage with Cuvée des Jacobins Rouge Flemish Sour Ale. I commend both Chef de Cuisine Angie Berry and Executive Pastry Chef Paul Nolan for this incredible dining experience!

Hearth Pizza Tavern Beer Dinner

This was an awesome dinner hosted by Hearth Pizza Tavern pairing numerous Belgian ales with their fresh salads, flatbreads, and famous oven fired pizzas. I had a blast sitting with some funny beer reps and the pizza was fire! (That's a good thing.) Beers from Belgium as well as domestic Belgian-style craft beers such as Liefmans Fruitesse, Maredsous 6 Blonde, Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, Sierra Nevada’s Ovila Dubbel, and Ommegang’s Art of Darkness were featured. This impressive legion of cold ones were coupled with everything from crostini to braised ribs, fresh salads, their stellar pizza baked in 600-degree hearth oven, and Morelli’s ice cream. What was also extraordinary was the price at $25. A steal! Based in Sandy Springs, make sure you check this spot out! Their staff is extra cool.

And tonight...

The Big Tex Decatur and SweetWater Beer Dinner

This was a scene from Big Tex's last beer dinner with Sierra. 

And in case you didn't see my post boasting the amount of fun I had with the Fox Brothers and their Big Tex Decatur beer dinner in Downtown Decatur with Sierra Nevada, here is a link. The good news is they are throwing down tonight and I'm damn sure to be there! Tonight, my homey Chef Rick Watson will be working with SweetWater Brewery at 7 p.m. embracing the spring season with refreshing brews and tasty fare. As an added plus, Atlanta’s favorite smooth jazz man Tommy Dean, who has been playing in Atlanta bars and clubs since the 70's, will be adding to the ambiance with his musical genius at 8 p.m.

If there are any seats left, it’s $50 (excluding tax and gratuity) for four courses including full bottles and pints of beer. You know what? I am just going to post the whole menu to show you how gangster they are going tonight. Hit up Xorbia for tickets. 

(308 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur, Ga. 30030 | bigtexdecatur.com | 404-377-3939)

Greeting Course

Smoked Peanuts

SweetWater Road Trip 

First Course

Buffalo Coulette Steak, Sweetwater Blue Soaked Blueberries, Tarragon Buttermilk Cheese, Fried Shallot, Local Greens

SweetWater Sixteenth Anniversary Ale Red Wheat Wine

Second Course

Southwest "Fish & Chips"- 420 Battered Corvina, Chilaquiles, Salsa Verde

SweetWater 420

Third Course

GA Lamb Lollipops- Lamb chops, Muscadine Jelly, Sorrel

Sweetwater GA Brown

Dessert

Happy Ending Float with Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

SweetWater Happy Ending

Final

Cheese Plate

SweetWater Gimp (dank tank)

It should be killer! Evidently, Thursday is stacked for food pairings with adult libations. Here are a few more…

Cucina Asellina Food and Wine Pairing

There is the third installment of Cucina Asellina’s food and wine pairing tonight (4/18), which includes a 3-course wine/food pairing for $35. Here’s what they sent me about it:

“Upon arrival, guests will receive a glass of vino from host, Kevin O'Sullivan of Prime Wines and Spirits, in addition to three small plates that will be paired with a wine handpicked by Kevin. The wine options will be selected from Cucina Asellina’s extensive wine list to compliment the unique flavors of the food—because, really, it would be simply outlandish to nosh on Italian food this good without a fine glass of Italian wine at the ready. It's just how the Italians roll, and within the cozy confines of Cucina Asellina, what's not to love? As an added bonus, If guests are head-over-heels with any of the wines they try, Perrine's Wine Shop is offering a 10 percent discount on all wines served from the evening.”

For more info, go to the Event Page here.

Also hit up the Scoutmob Link here.

And one more this evening...

Parker’s on Ponce and Wild Heaven Beer Dinner

There is also a beer dinner at Parker’s on Ponce tonight featuring Wild Heaven Craft Beers.  It will be a five-course meal featuring Ode To Mercy (one of my faves), Invocation, Eschaton and their new White Blackbird Saison that's not even on the shelves yet. It’s $45 per person. Here is their website for more info.

As for future dinners, here is one...

TAP and Goose Island Beer Dinner

TAP in Midtown is hosting a dinner with Goose Island out of Chicago on April 30th at 7:30, featuring five courses for $55, which includes tax and gratuity. I will definitely be posting the menu up when it is ready!

Look for more dinner postings coming soon!

Cheers!

Ale