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Beer Dinners A-Brewin': Chefs and brewers tap into beer's sophisticated side
• by Ligaya Figueras - Photos by Josh Monken
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It's no wonder that in a town that boasts the country's largest brewer and numerous microbreweries, so many restaurants and pubs are hosting beer dinners, educational yet entertaining evenings of fine drinking
and dining.
Apart from affording beer mavens the chance to taste the subtleties of different lagers, porters, ales and stouts, beer dinners are an opportunity for brewmasters and chefs to showcase their craft through a multicourse, beer-inspired menu. "The chef and brewer are both 'cooking,'" explained James "Otto" Ottolini, head of brewing operations for the St. Louis Brewery, brewer of Schlafly Beer. �The art and science � how they blend and play together � is very, very similar.�
At beer dinners, the job of the chef is to elicit the unique character of each beer through his or her menu selection; in essence, to find a marriage of flavors between food and drink. �When you taste beer, you figure out the complexities and subtleties of it and what ingredients enhance it or better serve the beer,� explained Clint Whittemore, executive chef and general manager of The Schlafly Tap Room.
Beer dinners commonly feature traditional and seasonal brews of only one brewery. For example, Mangia Italiano on South Grand hosted a beer dinner last fall that showcased beer from Bell�s Brewery in Michigan. Likewise, Colorado�s New Belgium brews were on tap in the Central West End at Duff�s seventh annual autumn beer dinner.
�People in general are more educated about beer these days,� Ottolini said. Beer dinners can be intimate gatherings, like the one held in November at the Ritz-Carlton in Clayton, where 10 bons vivants savored a five-course feast paired with a spectrum of Schlafly brews. �We started with lighter beers and moved to heavier beers,� explained Ritz-Carlton wine director Rhett Haynes, a sommelier. For the second course, Haynes and the kitchen staff mated Schlafly�s seasonal Christmas Ale with hickory-smoked Atlantic salmon served with a bean salad dressed in mango mustard. Ottolini noted: �The Christmas Ale is sweet but spiced with orange and clove and dry-hopped with Chinook, which gave it a piney element. This went well with the smoked salmon dish.�
Guests had the opportunity to compare the 2006 and 2007 vintages of Schlafly Reserve Oak-Aged Barleywine alongside roast pepper crusted rack of lamb and �06 and �07 bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout with a dessert of gianduja orange mousse, matcha green tea financier and citrus sauce. �Lamb has an almost gamey taste; the barleywine paired best because barleywine has earthy notes to it,� Haynes said. �Orange, chocolaty mousse is a fancy of our pastry chef. The stout had a deep, rich, chocolaty, smoky flavor, and the herbal cookie cut through all those deep flavors.�
With all of that beer, one might wonder if a beer dinner isn�t just a guzzle-fest masked behind a mellifluous menu. �Evaluating a beer is the same as that for food,� said Ottolini, who�s been brewing Schlafly Beer for more than 15 years. �It may seem ostentatious or snobbish, but there is an element you can describe and talk about. In the end though, it�s about creating community and atmosphere.�
Creating a laid-back environment where �Cheers!� is the word of the day is exactly the spirit in which restaurant owner and executive chef Anthony Devoti hosts monthly beer dinners at his recently opened Newstead Tower Public House in The Grove neighborhood. �We offer low-key beer dinners that are casual and relaxed,� Devoti said. For $40, gourmands can enjoy a multicourse meal featuring locally grown food paired with regional microbrews. The pub�s January beer dinner with O�Fallon Brewery featured brilliant wintry pairings, like O�Fallon�s Smoked Porter and braised locally raised beef with couscous, raisins and black currants. �The smoked porter is super-�bersmoky with hints of dark, dried fruit flavor,� Devoti noted. Rather than smoke the beef, Devoti opted to involve the smokiness through the beer pairing. �We�re not trying to bring the flavor out of the beef; instead we�re adding a component of flavor.�
�No matter how complex or refined the dish, whether it�s foie gras or a simple sausage, there is a terrific beer out there that will provide a perfect accompaniment,� wrote acclaimed brewmaster Garrett Oliver in his beer-and-food-pairing tome The Brewmaster�s Table. If the trend toward beer dinners is any indication, St. Louisans are indulging their epicurean palates more than ever, discovering the rich variety in the spectrum of beers and awakening to beer�s versatility and flavor compatibility with food.
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Here�s what we knew at press time about some upcoming beer dinners. Be sure to call ahead for more information.
The Ritz-Carlton in Clayton is again having dinner with Schlafly Beer. This time, the two are planning a multicourse menu � featuring eight Schlafly styles � in conjunction with the Repeal of Prohibition Beer Festival. Dinner starts at 7 p.m. on April 4 at the Ritz. Cost is $60 per person. 314.863.6300 x433.
Mangia Italiano on South Grand serves up two beer dinners a year. The next one is set for late April or early May. 314.664.8585.
Beer dinners are a monthly event at Newstead Tower Public House in The Grove neighborhood. Next up: an Irish beer dinner on March 12 at 7 p.m. Cost is $40. In addition, Newstead Tower will feature Colorado�s New Belgium Brewing Co. in a beer dinner on April 9 and brews from O�Fallon Brewery, Schlafly Beer and Griesedieck Bros. in an April 30 dinner focusing on the St. Louis Brewers Heritage Festival. 314.535.7771.
Big Sky Caf� in Webster Groves will host a three-course meal highlighting four beers from O�Fallon Brewery on March 5 at 7 p.m. Cost is $37. 314.962.5757.
Banana-Coffee-Whopper-Heath Bar Tart paired with Warm Schlafly Coffee Stout
Courtesy of The Tap Room�s Clint Whittemore
12 servings
Ted Drewes� Banana-Heath Bar Concrete inspired The Tap Room�s executive chef and general manager to create this decadent dessert.
For the tart shell:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup powdered sugar
� lb. butter, cubed
1 tsp. salt
� cup ice water
�Sift flour, sugar and salt together in a large bowl.
�Mix in butter until the mixture reaches a fine crumb.
�Gradually incorporate enough ice water until the dough adheres to itself when pinched. The consistency should be such that dough is satiny and barely sticks to the fingers. Do not overwork the dough.
�Gather dough into a ball and wrap in a sheet of plastic wrap. Let rest in refrigerator for 1 hour.
�Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into an 11- to 13-inch circle. Turn the dough into a 10- to 12-inch tart pan, pushing gently into the corners and up the sides. Let excess dough hang over the sides of the pan.
�Line the top of the shell with foil, and place a handful of dried beans on top of the foil to keep the shell from puffing. Bake shell in the oven for 30 minutes.
�Remove from oven, let cool and remove excess dough by trimming the edges around the tart pan.
For the filling:
1 quart heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 Tbsp. ground coffee
4� oz. sugar
1 banana
8 egg yolks
5 oz. Heath Bar, crushed
4 oz. Whoppers, crushed
�Heat cream, vanilla, coffee and sugar to scald.
�Strain mixture through fine strainer into a blender.
�Add banana and blend for 2 minutes.
�Slowly add yolks, blending 1 at a time.
�Pour filling into prebaked tart shell.
�Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until set.
�Remove from oven and sprinkle with crushed Heath Bars and Whoppers.
�Let cool completely. Serve at room temperature.
For the beer:
�Bring one quart of water to a boil in a pot.
�Turn heat off and place 3 open bottles of Schlafly Coffee Stout in the pot.
�Let sit until beer reaches temperature of 90 to 100 degrees.
�Pour into 12 demitasse cups. Refill as needed.
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