I attended the first Beer Makers Dinner at Rockbottom Brewpub. It was very well attended and the offerings were both beers and foods were great. The first course was Drunken carrot, ginger and goat cheese soup with beer batter mini onion rings and served with a Fathom IPA. The soup was a nice thick carrot puree with a slight spiciness. I was a little confused thinking a plate of onion rings were on the way only to discover them in my soup. The little crunchy onion chunks gave some texture. The fathom IPA hoppy bitterness really paired well with the sweetness of the soup.
The main course was smokey and delicious and absolutely outstanding. It was Boilermaker BBQ braised beef short rib served on a pork belly and beer mac & cheese paired with Baltacus Smoked Baltic Porter. The rib was smokey and so tender it practically melted in your mouth and the macaroni was slightly creamy. This course paired with the delightfully smoky smooth Baltacus seemed, well, just right.
Finally it came time for dessert and it was Chocolate & Russian imperial Stout Pecan Pie with Bourbon Sauce served with Wreckoning Russian Imperial Stout. The dark chocolate and coffee of the stout and the sweetness of the pie ended the dinner deliciously.
I was glad I made it to the dinner, it was very enjoyable. I was wondering how the staff would do serving 40 meals at the same time but they did great. Rock Bottom is planning on doing these once a month so check them out for tickets and details.
