A funny thing happened to me the other day — I was invited to my first beer dinner — and what a surprise it was.
Hosted by Trapeze Pub downtown, I was 'wined and dined' for lack of a better word, as good as if I were sitting slap in the middle of The Five and Ten. Five beers and a delectable five course meal threw my taste buds into uncharted territory.
Our first tasting was Unibroue's 17. Essentially 17 means this is the 17th anniversary special brew; a one time recipe. Enjoy it now or forever hold your peace. Once it's gone; it's gone. I found this fascinating and tasteful too. Paired with an amazing banana crepe with hazelnut creme.
Next was my absolute favorite and real eye opener. The white ale, Ephemere, (eff-eh-mehr) named because it changes with the seasons, (this time it's apple) served with the most outstanding apple stuffed pork tenderloin atop mashed rutabagas which was simple perfection. At first, I didn't really comprehend what a pairing is all about. I tasted the beer and yum — I could taste the apple - I mean it was definitely fruity. Then, I took a bite of my apple stuffed pork and casually another sip of my green apple Ephemere and WOW what a difference. So this is what all the fuss is about. Pairing, what a concept. This was getting fun. (Not to mention I've heard of rutabagas, but what they hell are they - everyone at my table with an iPhone pulled theirs out to look it up - its a root vegetable, thank you, a swedish turnip.)
Terrible (tear-reeb) was absolutely wonderful. It had an earthy, fruity taste and 5PBS wine expert, Svetlana, kept remarking how much the aroma reminded her of Bordeaux. Then there was Maudite (moe-dzit), which was a beautiful deep amber-red and had a nice touch of spice. Loved it. In there, and to be highly noted, was the most delicious cherry vinaigrette salad topped with smoked salmon that I have ever had in my life. Someone pinch me!
And finally, the most fun of them all, THE O4. Released on Unibroue's 14th anniversary, it was meet and right so to do — finish with a fantastic edition that has come and gone — just as the evening opener 17 will be finis before long. Edition 2004 is available nowhere! Save this night, when our gracious Unibroue co-host, Mike, pulled a case from his cellar and shared it with all of us. But here is fun, everyone, and I mean everyone, exclaimed, "Peppermint!" in the first seconds of pouring. It was a milieu of pure candycane delight. How could a beer have a definite peppermint nose and such exotic spices?
Well, as Unibroue says, "Rediscover beer, discover Unibroue."
And how! Here I was expecting typical beer fair, and I remember remarking how I couldn't believe how delicious the food was at a beer tasting. And my friend Sachin says, "It's the beer interpretation of the food that makes it so great!" Indeed, to my delight and humble enlightenment, it was.
Thanks to Eric, his impeccable staff and 5 star chefs at Trapeze. It was a fantastic evening. (And I didn't even miss the hamburger and french fries.)
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