Beer: it’s what’s for
dinner. Or, rather it’s what is paired with dinner these days. While beer has
spent years paired with dinner (pizza and pitchers anyone?), it is now finally
getting the respect it deserves through elaborate, gourmet pairing dinners like
the one I was lucky enough to attend last Thursday. Last week’s dinner was
hosted by Samuel Adams, a historic Boston brand from The Boston Beer Company
and quaffed by a tribe of incredibly loyal beer drinkers. My encounters with
Sam Adams have always been pleasant, but not profound…until last week.
The four-course pairing
dinner was held at Vidalia, a restaurant in the heart of downtown DC featuring “American
cuisine with a Southern accent”, in honor of one of Sam Adams’ crown jewels–
Utopias. Touted as the first American “extreme beer”, Utopias is one-of-a-kind.
Dark, strong and un-carbonated, Utopias is meant to be enjoyed in a snifter,
like a fine cognac or port. It is brewed with several different strains of
yeast, and an impressive blend of salts and hops that give the beer its complex
flavor. Brewed every two years, beginning with the first batch in 2009, Utopias
offers drinkers a plethora of flavors that changes from year to year. This year’s
batch was aged in hand-selected Buffalo Trace bourbon casks, resulting in rich
cinnamon, vanilla and maple notes, then finished in sherry casks from Spain and
port casks from Portugal. Certainly Utopias lives up to its name, resulting in
a drinking experience that is resoundingly satisfying, unique and intoxicating.
I hesitate to pronounce anything as perfect, but as the winner of the Guinness Book of World Record’s title of
‘World’s Strongest Beer’, Utopias isn’t far off…
However, before I rhapsodize
further on the fun to be had with Utopias, there was an entire four-course meal
to be enjoyed and praised. Chef RJ Cooper, a self-proclaimed “beer man”, was on
hand to explain each dish and the thinking behind his pairing. It was exciting
to hear how much of his menu incorporates local farms and orchards from VA, MD
and PA. And at the onset of each new course Grant Wood, Senior Brewing Manager
at Sam Adams, was eager to explain and extol the virtues of each beer on the
table. I’ll start from the top
First Course:
Sonoma foie gras served with Mirabelle plum gelee, compressed
ruby plums, brioche and cranberry, paired with Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic.
More like a terrine, the foie gras was creamy and pudding-like in consistency.
The fattiness of the dish was an excellent foil to the crisp, almost sour,
flavor of the lambic. This disappeared in a matter of moments.
Second Course:
This was the surprise
lightning round. When challenged (jokingly) 45 minutes earlier to create one
more dish/pairing, Chef Cooper rose to the occasion, serving one more
extra-special dish. Diners were presented with a lovely white truffle risotto,
reduced with Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat and topped with hand-shaved, fresh
white truffles. You can imagine the moaning of foodies throughout the room. The
pleasantly overwhelming umami flavor of the truffles was an interesting contrast
to the robust wheat flavors found in Coastal Wheat, a twist on the Hefeweizen
style.
Third Course: Suckling pig stuffed with
pork sausage, atop a puree of smoked sweet potatoes. Because of a recent glut
of wet weather, the planned accompaniment of morrow beans from a local Amish
farm could not be harvested, and had to be replaced with the sweet potatoes.
Not a hardship, let me tell you. This dish was paired with the Samuel Adams
Boston Lager, a classic. One of my tablemates had requested a vegetarian meal,
which did not disappoint– he received a farm fresh poached egg with roasted
potatoes covered with MORE SHAVED WHITE TRUFFLES. Insanity.
Fourth Course: Seckel pear and spiced
biscuit served with wild ginger ice cream and caramel, paired with the Samuel
Adams Winter Lager. Unfortunately this was devoured before I could capture photographic evidence. The ice cream was crafted using wild ginger from First Step
Produce in Maryland, one of the only local purveyors of the rare-ish and highly
sought after root. The pear came from Toigo Orchards and was prepared sous-vide
before covering the spiced biscuit and succumbing to a puddle of smoked caramel
sauce. I was pretty much a puddle myself at this point. I have always been a
fan of the Sam Adams Winter Lager, and it was a cozy pairing for the nutmeg and
cinnamon flavors of this dessert.
At this point, the attentive
wait staff cleared the tables, delivered a small plate of candies and began to
pour the star of the show, Utopias, and its side-kick, the 15 year Triple Bock.
When these inimitable beers landed in front of me, their aromas were a smack in
the face. Utopias was fiery, spicy and clearly trouble…and I like trouble. The
Triple Bock smelled strongly of dried fruit and chocolate. My written notes get
hazy at this point, but one of my most lucid scribbles proclaims the Triple
Bock to taste exactly like a delicious, alcoholic Raisinette.
Despite the
merits of the oft-elusive Triple Bock, the Utopias was my clear favorite. It
burns pleasantly like a smooth bourbon or brandy, but manages to release an
abundance of flavors. The bottle is also enticing, formed of copper and ceramic
to resemble a brew kettle and the contents are strong and alluring. At $150 a
bottle, this is one to be savored and placed on the mantel. If I can get my
hands on one, I shall consider it the centerpiece of my liquor cabinet.
At the end of the night,
after peppering the brewer Mr. Wood, with questions on production, tasting
notes and the general awe-inspiring business of creating these beers, I was in
heaven. A beer I once considered to have a more “main stream appeal” had not
only surprised me, it had inspired me. Cheers!
