Remembering the night that was: The Local Pig Beer Dinner

A very full Beer Kitchen played host to September's beer dinner last night - a six-course meal prepared by Local Pig's Chef Alex Pope. It was fantastic. I know I say it after every dinner, but I promise, it doesn't make it any less true.

If you're not familiar Local Pig, you should be. Alex Pope opened the charcuterie early in 2012, with an emphasis on local products. In addition to the ever-changing meat offerings, the store offers premium spices, a butcher box subscription (spots fill up in a hurry, so if you see an opening announced, act quickly!), and classes on breaking down whole animals and making your own meats. And everyone at the shop is a beer lover! If you're a home brewer, you can trade some of your beers for sausages. I believe there's a limit of six at once, but that's unofficial, so don't hold me to it.

That's a little look into why this dinner was so enticing, and sold out in a hurry. Now, a course-by-course breakdown of the dinner, with some of the tunes that came on during the meal, a la my write-up of the Green Dirt Farm dinner (what can I say, when I find a gimmick I like, I'm not afraid to return to it. Plus, the music was great. And apologies for any ads that might play before the songs).

(EDIT: YouTube got all clever and changed the minimum size requirements for the players. I think. My eyes may be too tired and I may not know enough to know any different. So now the players are slightly bigger, but the music's still there!)

Coming in September: Local Pig Beer Dinner

Finally recovered from the Great Nebraska Beer Fest. It was a fantastic time, rain and all!

The view from under a tent

One of the big takeaways from the fest for me was that Cinder Block can't get here fast enough! I really enjoyed their beers (especially the lemongrass saison and the sour they brought!), and think they'll be a welcome addition to Kansas City. Any other readers make it to the fest, and have any standouts?

Now, how about a little news about our next beer dinner?

On Monday, September 17th, Beer Kitchen will host a 6-course beer diner, featuring Chef Alex Pope of Local Pig. If you're not familiar with Local Pig, why not?? It's a charcuterie, located in Kansas City's East Bottoms, specializing in hormone, steroid, and antibiotic free meats, from the Kansas City area. They make their own sausage, cure their own meats, and offer classes on butchering whole animals or making sausage, among other meat skills. And if you're a home brewer, they'll even trade you a sausage for one of your beers (I believe it's up to 6). They appreciate good beer, and sell some of the best meats you'll find. So this is a beautiful fit for a beer dinner.

Here's a quick rundown of the courses we'll be having:

First Course: 
Stillwater Debutante paired with dry-aged beef tartare, slow-roasted tomatoes, Green Dirt Farm cheese, and gaufrettes

Second Course:
Crabtree Ginger Bee with coppa, sweet corn (bread), soy-braised shiitake, red pepper custard and fennel

Third Course:
Deschutes Chainbreaker with chorizo verde, grilled scallions & almonds in phyllo, and a kale & berber vinaigrette

Fourth Course:
Hofstetten Granitbock paired with a manchego-stuffed pork chop, smoked sauerkraut, and butternut, dry-hopped honey, and apples

Fifth Course:
Contreras Valier Extra with whipped bleu cheese, beet pie, pickled melon rind relish, and balsamic

Sixth Course:
Tommyknocker Maple Nut Brown, pretzel bread pudding, morita white chocolate ice cream with rosemary pecans and roasted pear

Oh my. Oh my. First off, there are a few beers here I've never tried (I think the Deschutes and Tommyknocker are the only two I've had). Then, the food. Mmmmmmmm. I LOVE beef tartare, and fell in love with Green Dirt Farms in their beer dinner a couple months ago. So this is rockin' right off the bat. And really, I don't know that I can single out a course I'd prefer over any other right now on paper. Bread pudding is a weakness of mine, so I'm excited about a pretzel bread version of it.

This beer dinner has limited seating, so make your reservations soon! $65 per person will get you all six courses with tax and gratuity included. Hurry, this one is sure to sell out! Call us at 816-389-4180 to get your spot.

Green Dirt Farm/Beer Kitchen Beer Dinner

Sunday night, Beer Kitchen hosted a five-course beer dinner, featuring foods from Green Dirt Farm - four dishes their cheese, and one with lamb.

This might get a little long-winded, so if you'd just like the short version, here it is - spoiler alert - it was excellent.  The pairing for each course was spot-on, balancing. Green Dirt Farm's owner/farmer Jacqueline Smith and McCoy's brewmaster Keith Thompson did a fantastic job explaining the food and beer, respectively, and were happy to answer any and all questions that came their way. And chef Michael Peterson outdid himself. The food was magnificent. Overall, a fun, educational, and delicious night.

Jacqueline Smith

Keith Thompson

Now, for the long version. . .