Pics - Grain vs. Grape 2.12.12

Sunday night's Brewmaster's Dinner at Beer Kitchen was the second annual Grain vs. Grape Valentine's Day dinner: a five course food pairing battle between beer and wine. Local sommelier Kathy Rohlfing of Room 39 selected the wines, while our own beer director Randyl Danner chose beers for each course. This was a great way to see how and why some pairings work better than others, making it very informative and at the same time very enjoyable. Once again we thank those of you who joined us, but for those that didn't here's what you missed:

The menu with hand-made commemorative buttons and voting ballots courtesy of McCoy's bartender Ricardo Ruiz; diners voted on whether they preferred the wine or beer for each pairing

Sizzled day boat scallop with pain perdue and truffle fig butter paired with Grand Teton Persephone imperial pilsner & Chateau Lemonthe Bordeaux Blanc. Wine was the heavy favorite on this course. The delicate sweetness of the wine paired wonderfully with the buttery scallops.

Spent grain poached egg with steak frites and duck gravy paired with Kulmbacher Monshchof Schwarzbier & Arizona Stronghold Nachise. This was a close one but beer took the win to even the score 1-1. This dish was probably the highlight of the dinner - and any of the other recent  Brewmaster's dinners. 

Creamed local oyster mushrooms and cheesy fennel poofs paired with Goose Island Fleur & Paitin Nebbiolo "Ca Veja" Piedmont. Beer won this course taking the lead making it 2-1. The earthiness of the mushrooms were perfectly complimented by the wild yeast in Fleur.

Java braised beef rib with charred, peppered and smashed sweet corn paired with Deschutes Black Butte XXIII &  Cedarville Zinfandel. Once again, beer won. The big roasted flavors of Deschutes' imperial porter were bold enough to handle this hefty dish.

Bounceberry pancake with vanilla cream and chutney paired with Boulevard Two Jokers & Jorge Ordonez "Seleccion Especial" Moscatel. The slightly sour double witbier was a perfect match for the tart berries and creamy vanilla.

Clearly, beer was the big winner taking the win in 4 of the 5 dishes. This dinner was a ton of fun and we're very excited about the next one; but we're actually going to be next month off, so there will be no Brewmaster's Dinner in March but we have lots of other cool stuff in the works. Check back here for more information as it becomes available. Cheers!