Jennifer Litz, head of the Texas chapter of the Girls Pint Out ladies craft-beer appreciation secret society, approached me about wanting to do a beer and food pairing class with her group at our brewery. As we talked about it, I found myself continually drooling over the idea of the dishes that my wife and I had dreamed up. My lips quivered, my tongue pulsed, my throat swelled.... I was on the verge of a mouthgasm.
On January 22, 2011 my wife, Keely, and I are hosting Mouthgasm 2011- a beer and food pairing experience. At Mouthgasm, we will be walking guests through the basics of beer and food pairing principles- balance, contrast, emphasis- and discussing the ins and outs of beer in the culinary realm. We're not professional chefs, food critics, or even foodies. We're food porn fetishists- we get our jollies on jellies, and so forth. Keely and I have been concocting concoctions in our kitchen for several years, and have found personal success, enjoyment, and beervana in our adventures, and in our mouths. We will be showing you how simple beer and food pairing is, and how incredibly fun and enriching it can be.
After a short introduction and explanation of beer and food pairing, the evening will begin. You will be taken through a 4 course meal where each course is designed to be paired with a specific Ranger Creek beer. Soup, salad, entrée 1, entrée 2, all cooked up with care by 2 Tarts catering. We dreamed up the menu, and they are executing it for us. After we've walked through the dinner pairings, each beer will be return with 4 different desserts, each specifically crafted for that beer, to show the versatility of food and beer pairings, and how a single beer can accompany the sweet and the savory. In case your interest isn't already piqued, here is the menu:
Course 1- Soup: Merguez Sausage Gumbo paired with South Texas Lager (Dortmunder-style lager)
Course 2- Salad: Bitter greens topped with gorgonzola and balsmaic vinaigrette paired with La Bestia
Aimable (Belgian-style dark strong ale)
Course 3- Entree 1: Bison sliders w/Cotswold cheese and homemade OPA mustard paired with Oatmeal
Pale Ale (American Pale Ale)
Course 4- Entree 2: Venison and roasted root vegetables paired with Mesquite Smoked Porter (mesquite smoked Robust Porter)
Dessert courses:
Homemade "Stadium" ice cream (vanilla-Dortmunder ice cream with caramel ribbon, salted peanuts) paired with South Texas Lager
Thai-style Coconut Curry Oatmeal Cookies paired with Oatmeal Pale Ale
Figs topped with goat cheese and honey paired with La Bestia Aimable
Decadent Chocolate cupcakes topped with dark chocolate ganache and brined bacon crumbles* paired with Mesquite Smoked Porter
* uncured bacon brined in Mesquite Smoked Porter and mesquite smoked sea salt, then cooked with mesquite smoked sea salt
This evening of mouthgasmic proportions will take place at the Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling facility (4834 Whirlwind Dr. Ste 102, San Antonio, TX 78217) on January 22 at 6 pm. The cost is $35 per person and is open to anyone wanting to have a mouthgasm, or learn more about beer and food pairing. To RSVP, contact Jennifer Litz- jennifer@girlspintout.com. 30 spots available, so RSVP today!
