Can I start you off with something to drink?  Would you like to take a look at our Beverage Menu?  Would you like to start off with some Still or Sparkling Water?  These are all typical, appropriate questions to beginning any dining experience.  If you are like me, you probably already have a beer, or perhaps you are drinking wine for the night, and have started off with some champagne.  

All meals and the overall dining experience can be accentuated and improved by the addition of some well-paired beverages.  This is not a new idea, but one that is not practiced as much as you may think.  Perhaps diners are not confident enough to decide on these pairings, or are unaware of how much their dining experience will benefit from some well thought-out decisions. Maybe they don't even want to be bothered by such thoughts, or perceive the process to be too tedious.  If you are one of these diners, I offer a suggestion:  start taking the time to think about it.  You are most likely going to be having something to drink with your food, and besides, you are supposed to be relaxing and enjoying your meal - another thing that many people do not take the time to do these days.  If you do not have the confidence or experience to make such decisions, lean on your server.  Most servers have the ability to direct you in some fashion.  I can assure you, your overall experience will benefit from a little due diligence.

Will you be having your first course with your current beer, or are you looking towards your next beer already?  This is an important place to start.  Beer can be paired with your food, and similarly, food can be paired with your beer . . . they both complement one another, regardless of the direction that the pairing is deduced.  You have heard of Wine Dinners, and Wine and Cheese Pairings, correct?  I know you have . . . I'm going to let you in on a little secret:  most foods, and especially cheese, usually pair better with beer than wine.  I speak the truth.  I am well versed in wine AND beer, so this is not a biased statement, rather a statement of experience.

We already do Wine Dinners.  You mean we can do Beer Dinners too?  I'm glad that you are still paying attention . . . yes!  Yes, we can . . . And people are sooooooo in to it.  Just ask Bjorn Reed.  Bjorn and his wife, Lisa, purchased this spot called the Altoona Hotel in August 2007.  The Altoona Hotel is an American Bistro located in Altoona, Pennsylvania and is truly an oasis for foodies and casual diners, alike.  Bjorn and Lisa have turned the Altoona Hotel into a destination location, attracting guests from many miles away.  Bill Sell is the chef at the Altoona Hotel.  Bill is extremely talented and changes the menu four times a year, seasonally.  As you might guess from a menu that changes seasonally, the focus is on fresh local produce, and the highest quality meats and fishes available during each season.  This includes organic vegetables and grass fed, free range, or wild caught meats, when available.

The Altoona Hotel boasts a wine list with over 330 bottles of wine, 30 by the glass, and this list is not cluttered with underachieving or average wines.  There are many incredible, and some very rare, bottles and vintages included in the list.  So many so that the Altoona Hotel has won the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for its first two years of ownership under Bjorn, 2007 and 2008.  Bjorn’s focus does not stop with the wine.  The Altoona Hotel also has a very nice list of spirits and beer, and its staff is well-trained and knowledgeable.  

Bjorn had been doing Wine Dinners frequently for quite some time, and he and I had been talking about doing a Beer Dinner together.  I was coming into town for the Pints for Pets Benefit Event, so it seemed like a good time to finally get together on this venture.  We held the event on Friday, May 29, 2009 and limited it to 40 people.  Bjorn wanted to do 80 people, but I was a little timid since I had not yet seen his staff in action.  Bjorn was right.  His staff did an amazing job, and we could have easily done 80 people!   Next time, Bjorn . . . next time . . . Chef Bill Sell came up with an outstanding menu that inspired me to pour some exciting beers.  Here’s what the menu looked like:

Potato and Cascabel Crusted Halibut

The food and beer pairings were amazing and well received!  There were a few beer professionals at the dinner, Greg and Jan Somers from the legendary State College Brew Expo and Terry Hawbaker, award winning brewer at BullFrog Brewery, but overall, it was a room full of people that frequently attend Wine Dinners, and were at their very first Beer Dinner.  Judging by the joy had by all that night, and the positive feedback that continued to roll in the following week, The Beer Dinner was a huge success! 

Smoked Paprika Brown Sugar Filet Mignon

Think Wine Lovers can’t be turned into Beer Connoisseurs?  I beg to differ . . . Next time that you are sitting down for dinner, remember . . . You don’t HAVE to pair wine with your meal.  You could just as easily pair food with the beer that you are already drinking.     

Bon Appetit!

Cheers!

craftbeerguy

rjohnson@beerconnoisseur.com

- All Images Courtesy of Rick White