DRAFT Magazine

As always, some of us didn’t have a clue what to get our significant others for Valentine’s Day this year. With the economy tanking, most of us opted out of pricy gifts and opted to create memories instead, with romantic dinners, walks, or scenic day-trips. Not me. I again avoided the last-minute box of chocolate. I didn’t buy flowers. Instead, I took my wife of 11 years to the world-famous Toronado Barleywine Festival in San Francisco, where we both got to judge some of the most ass-kicking beers you’ll find anywhere.

We arrived early, around 9:30 a.m. and were both assigned to judge in the first round. In a Valentine miracle of sorts, we were seated just a few spot apart. (We were on different panels though.) Tracy isn’t a newbie when it comes to beer. She grew up on a barley farm in Canada and is proud of the fact her family was able to harvest malt-grade barley year-after-year. Her family has been enjoying fine malt-based beverages for more than a couple decades. She appreciates a good beer as much as the next person and recently took her BJCP exam, just so we could travel to more beer-judging events together (next up: Sam Adams Longshot). With her powerful beer knowledge, I’m certain she did a great job passing along stellar beer. Okay, that about covers the cutesy portion of this post.

With the judging over for the two of us, we were able to jump across the street where the festival was in full swing. As the case with most Toronado events, the bar was standing room only. Tables on the left were occupied by notable figures, such as John Harris of Full Sail, drinks writer Stephen Beaumont, and the crew from Seattle’s favorite bar, Brouwer’s Café. Folks from Portland, San Diego, even the UK were seated at one of the prized tables. More than 100 glasses of beer sat in front of the kids from across the Pond. (These guys don’t mess around!). Getting there early, pacing themselves, and keeping hydrated, a whole lot of people were able to taste each of the more than 50 barleywines available. Sure, there were a few unruly folks — there always are — but the crowd did a wonderful job managing itself and overall the event had a community feel. As always, it was a beautiful thing to see.

With our time among the crowds complete, we stepped out and headed back across the street to play paparazzi and catch the final round of judging. I’ve been around Best of Show panels many times, even have had the privilege to sit on them, but they never get old. Sitting around one large table were highly qualified beer judges sipping samples, taking notes, holding glasses up to the light, and carefully formulating their thoughts about the beer in front of them. With their thoughts collected, the panel began the arduous task of championing their choices. In this round there won’t be any stinker beers, so the arguments had to be compelling and the beer must be a fantastic representation of the style (English, American ,or Barrel-aged barleywine). Balance, complexity, overall enjoyment – these were the factors being dissected at this table. It was a highly entertaining and, yes, tense activity to see.

In the end, two beers from Alaska took top honors, with San Francisco’s own 21st Amendment rounding out the top three. (Firestone Walker won a much-deserved honorable mention.)

After the winners were announced, it was time for the judges to eat! The jambalaya we were served after the judging at Toronado was fantastic, just in case you were wondering. The pitchers of beer allotted for the judging were quickly depleted and merriment soon followed. For those of us who’ve been judging for years, this is when we catch up with old friends — the friends we only see at judging events. Within the hour the majority of judges (most of whom are homebrewers) headed toward Anchor for the annual Homebrew Club of the Year announcements and dinner. I’ve enjoyed several of these homebrew club meetings at Anchor, but this year Tracy and I stayed back to enjoy a few more beers and to spend time with friends in the industry.

It wasn’t long before the judging tables were replaced with washoe boards and another celebration started. I tried my hand at washoes again, but really sucked it up pretty bad. It was only a little embarrassing. No matter, it was still great to sit and watch the pros go at it. (Jay Brooks and Dave Keene were unstoppable!) As the minutes slipped by, the festivities at the Toronado were still going strong and we weren’t about to try and keep up with the folks over there. Instead we opted for dinner, a few more drinks, and a cab ride back to our hotel.

I don’t know what your motivations are for attending a beer festival and I suppose that doesn’t matter, but for me I get so much enjoyment out of the culture we’re developing — a culture that appreciates friendships as much (or more so) than the beer. What Keene has built at Toronado is testament to that community and I hope you’ve been able to witness that firsthand.

View more Toronado Barleywine Festival pictures on our Flickr photostream.

If you’ve got a running list of things to do before you die, I’d seriously consider adding “go to a Sean Paxton beer dinner.” As part of San Francisco Beer Week Paxton worked with Firestone Walker and Toronado to put together a beer dinner that exhibited imagination and skill like few meals I’ve been privy to enjoy. I’ll admit I’m a bit bias here — after all I consider Sean a good friend and have been enjoying his work in the kitchen for several years. With that in mind I wanted to get some other opinions of Paxton and his dinners. I first called Dave “Big Daddy” Keene, owner of the world-famous Toronado and host to Sean’s most recent beer dinner. His words echoed my own: “imagination” and “his ability to infuse beer and food.” Keene went on to say how impressed he is with Paxton’s ability to wow folks who aren’t even “beer people.” He told a story of a couple who are more interested in cocktails, but are huge fans of Sean. “They came to his Belgian beer dinner [at Toronado],” Keene says. “When they heard he was doing another dinner for us, they were among the first to buy their tickets.”

There was also a gentleman named Birk who I met at the dinner. While he likes beer and food, he certainly wouldn’t put himself in the uber-beer-geek category. He wanted to do something “different” for his birthday and while having a pint at his local bar (Toronado), he found out about the dinner. He came and was utterly blown away with the food and how well each dish went with the selected beers. He told me before leaving that he would certainly do something like this again, hopefully with Paxton in the kitchen.

Let’s talk about the dinner for bit. This six-course affair had everything working: the dishes were beautiful, aromatic, flavorful, and perfectly prepared. It started light, sort of, with a warm prawn dish served with lightly dressed arugula. I’ve eaten a lot of prawns in my time and often find they can be rubbery or mushy, but these were crisp and gently spiced. The salad came with a garnish of quail eggs that the Homebrew Chef had aged in a pillow of Simcoe, Amarillo and Cascade hop cones for one week. The porous eggs allowed just a hint of hop flavors and spice to seep into the egg and led to an unbelievably good flavor. In fact, as good as the prawns were, the delicate quail eggs stole the show in this first act. Stunning really. The first course was paired with Pale 31, an assertively hopped pale ale that matched well with the arugula and eggs, which seemed to cut through the hops and made the beer wonderfully creamy.

Up next was the cheese course where Paxton put three delectable fermented dairy products on top of a sweet honey-wort sauce made of Firestone Walker wort (unfermented beer) that was shipped overnight to Sean by Matt Brynildson and then reduced to half, then combined with local Sonoma blackberry honey. The sauce was sensational, but couldn’t steal the spotlight that belonged on the reserve cheese from Point Reyes (Reserve Blue), Yellow Buck Camembert, and Cowgirl Creamery’s Red Hawk. Returning to Paxton’s imagination, the guy had the nerve to pair this dish (with home-roasted nuts and beer-soaked grapefruit) with Union Jack IPA. I was more than a little leery at this pairing, but it worked remarkably well, especially with the Camembert, which had the uncanny ability to cut through the bitter hops to create a delightful palate experience.

At this point my table started chatting. We were impressed by Sean’s ability to make each course better than the last and even more impressed with his ability to make each dish come alive with his personal tales of inspiration and the process he followed to get each plate to us. He clearly wasn’t just pairing a beer with a food item, but was focused on creating a memorable experience for each of us — even though this is a harder road to follow. The effort and thought put into every dish seemed over-the-top, even outlandish, but the results were more than appreciated. It’s safe to say Sean was doing a good job of inspiring those at the table to rethink what food and beer means.

Next up was a dish that I find nearly indescribable, Sean’s deconstructed Reuben sandwich. To begin, Sean found it appropriate to make duck pastrami (no, that’s not a typo). Seriously, duck breasts cooked to perfection with a slightly acidic, smoky taste. Then there was the fresh bread, crisp fermented cabbage, pickled mustard seeds and a topping that consisted of (I kid you not) slow-cooked duck tongues in a duck sauce! The sauce employed four pounds of duck tongues and 10 gallons of stock that was reduced to 1 gallon for the dish. I don’t know what four pounds of duck tongues looks like, but that had to be a sight to see. When Sean announced this not-on-the-menu topping I was admittedly leery, expecting the tongues to be chewy and, well, less than spectacular. I was wrong. The combination of the duck pastrami with, cabbage, bread, and duck-tongue topping created a palate experience that had people begging for more, even though we were getting quite full.

As good as the flavors were in this dish, it was around my fourth bite that I finally understood the genius of Sean Z. Paxton: he gets texture. I know photos can’t convey this, words won’t do it justice either, but along with exceptional flavors we all expected in a great dinner, Sean gave us texture in every bite. Tender meats, crisp veggies, chewy breads, creamy cheeses, and sparkling fruits all created something more than just great flavors, they provided memories. Very good memories, too.

NEXT!? Sean, are you kidding me? I’m about to waddle like that duck in his prime here…

Next Sean did something I’m sure you’ve thought of doing with a Russian River beer at home: blending it with liquid nitrogen. What’s that you say? You were going to do that last night, but you were fresh out of liquid nitrogen AND Russian River beer? OK, so none of us are likely to make this dish at home, nor will we likely see it anytime soon at any local or chain restaurant, but trust me when I tell you this rocked in every way. For starters Paxton made this himself, table-side, for everyone in attendance (a type of flair you can’t find anywhere else). On top of the excitement the presentation generated, this sorbet-type-thing was sensational and made short order of cleansing palates. Unreal.

Sean disappeared back to the kitchen, which could only mean we weren’t done.

Have you gotten the impression that every dish Sean prepared was better than the last? If not, I should just point out that was the basic sentiment felt by everyone. At this point, we wondered if Sean could actually pull out one more magic bullet. Silly us.

Our next plates arrived with something straight out of a magazine: veal cheeks braised in porter. At this point I have run out of ways to say just how good this plate really was, except to say it brought an entirely new meaning to the trope “melt in your mouth.” Because of the way Sean cooked the veal, there was simply no need for chewing; just enjoy as the savory, sweet meat fell apart in your mouth. Again, his ability to play with the textures in the dish couldn’t be overstated.

Right about now I have a bittersweet feeling. I was getting extremely full, feeling happy and satisfied, but the event was a roller coaster for the palate and I wasn’t quite ready for the ride to end. End it must, however, and for dessert Sean plated cake made with Velvet Merkin and chocolate next to two chocolates filled with Firestone Walker XII caramel (you read that right) served with THREE beers: XII, Saucer Full of Secrets, and Velvet Merkin. The dessert was lovely, the beers off the hook. Sean poured us the Saucer Full of Secrets himself, relaying the story that the beer was the original homebrew he got to brew on Firestone Walker’s big system. Again, Paxton made the meal come alive, giving us more than good tastes and a full belly.

This was a dinner that will not soon be forgotten.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the great service and pacing the meal had. The kitchen staff was made up largely of beer bloggers and friends of the Homebrew Chef, and they kicked ass with the platings and their ability to get the food out to all of us in a timely manner. Very courteous folks poured the beers at the table, and the whole staff made each of us feel welcome and wanted. What a treat it was for everyone there.

I don’t know when or where the Homebrew Chef will pop up next — could be back in San Francisco, it may be back in Lovell, Maine, but if you ever see him coming to a town near you I suggest you save up and make a Homebrew Chef dinner something you experience first-hand. When you do, be sure to check in with us and tell us what you think of Sean Z. Paxton.

Check out more pictures at our Flickr feed!

Last year we witnessed a nationwide re-awakening for beer’s place at the dinner table. While this isn’t a revolutionary concept, it is one that hasn’t been openly discussed in the media and online forums as much as it was in 2008. Today it seems that brewers big and small are jumping on the beer dinner bandwagon, and that’s a great thing. Having been to a number of beer dinners around the United States, I am convinced there’s no better way to open people’s minds to the depth and complexity beer can provide. Additionally, the simplicity of some beer absolutely works with the right dish.

My most recent beer dinner took place last night at my local craft brewery, Sacramento Brewing Company. The dinner was different from many I’ve been to in that it was a themed event: all the dishes had a Mexican flare to them. Also, the beer-food pairing concept was unique, with each beer chosen to balance the dish’s spiciness. Each course was a bit more spicy and complex than the last, until desert that is. The focus for each beer was how the hop flavors and bitterness could complement the spices of the food: the spicier the dish, the hoppier the beer. It was absolutely brilliant pairing the whole night through, not surprising given that the SacBrew brewmaster worked with his head chef for weeks on the menu.

If you have not partaken in a brewer’s dinner, I recommend you call your local brewery to see if there is one planned in your area. If so, invite a friend or take a loved one and let us know how it went. Prices for these dinners vary greatly, typically starting for an all-inclusive price of $35 and running as high as $100 per person. Obviously, your expectations should be correlated to the price. Sometimes you’ll find area fine-dining establishments putting on a beer dinner, and while they may lack on the beer knowledge, they’re almost always fantastic at the matching of flavors in dish and glass. Once you get an idea how beer dinners work, don’t be afraid host your own — or work with a culinary inclined friend to put one together for your family and friends.

Below are some pictures and descriptions of last night’s beer dinner.

The pre-dinner snacks, house-made potato chips sliced and fried just before we arrived. Oh man, if you haven’t had a fresh potato chip, you don’t know what you’re missing!

First Course: Gordita de Carne — fresh corn tortillas filled with shredded beef and paired with SBC’s Brewhouse Lager, a lightly hopped, very drinkable brew.

Second Course: Sopa de Pollo con Tortillas — a slightly spicy soup made with chicken and fresh vegetables and paired with Barrister’s Bitter, an assertively hopped ESB-style beer.

Third Couse: Enselada de Pato — My course of the night. The duck confit was prepared by the brewmaster, Peter Hoey, a labor of love that took several days to complete. Duck was crusted in ‘green salt’ made by Peter, then cooked in duck fat and added to a fresh salad. If you like duck — wow! Dish was paired with Red Horse Ale, SBCs flagship American Amber Ale, featuring aggressive hops and a big malt backbone.

Fourth Course: Camarones En Pipian De Almendra — Incredible, buttery giant shrimp that seemed to absorb every bit of bitterness from the house-made IPA. The pairing surprised me, I wasn’t sure the mild meat would hold up with a super hoppy brew, but it did.

Dessert: Pastel de Tres Leches — Three types of milk went into this dish, and while it looks like a heavy, saturating dish, it was remarkably light. The caramel sauce and creamy milk flavors (think condensed milk) went perfectly with the Old Pappy wheat wine, a huge brew aged in Pappy Van Winkle barrels to give the beer a coconut, chocolate flavor and aroma.