Brewer’s Tasting Dinner OGBF 2014

At the 2014 Oregon Garden Brewfest, I went to my first Brewer’s Dinner and loved it. This dinner made me want to be a foodie. The food was so good and the beer just made the whole meal amazing. The only down side was choosing a place to sit. It was like high school all over again. I might have whispered to Tiffany, “This is my nightmare.” Are we cool kids or not? Where do we sit? Clearly, I need to attend more of these events so I can learn a thing or two about seating arrangements. I also loved that each brewery had their Brewmaster stand up and say a few words about each beer.

Here is what we ate and drank:

First Course:

Featuring Golden Valley’s Pinot Noir Barrel-Aged Geistbock.

Hazelnut crusted goat cheese fritters garnished with micro greens and a lemon tarragon vinaigrette. This was so light and refreshing for being fried cheese.

Second Course:

Featuring Rusty Truck’s (my favorite brewery at the OGBF) Simcoe CDA.

Smoked sausage potato cake topped with garlic and stone ground mustard aioli. This was also delicious snack, like a crab cake and less of a potato latke.

Third Course:

Featuring Bridgeport’s Mettle & Mash Ginger Hibiscus Saison.

Red baby dandelion leaves tossed with boursin cheese, shaved pickled red onion, candied walnuts and dressed with a ginger / sesame vinaigrette. This meal was completely overshadowed by the (tied) best beer at the Brewer’s Dinner. Seriously, mind blowing delicious beer. I love fruit beer and I love ginger. I.was.in.heaven!

Fourth Course:

Featuring Salem Ale Works’ Juniperus IPA.

Linguini pasta tossed with sautéed garlic, shrimp, laurel and juniper berries in a white wine butter sauce. To quote Tiffany “All the shrimp for me, because Jenna doesn’t eat them, all the beer for Jenna because I can drink it.” Tiffany is allergic to Juniper / pine (debatable), so I got to drink her beer sample and I’m not a big fan of shrimp so she got to eat all my shrimp.

Fifth Course:

Featuring Cascade’s Honey Ginger Lime.

Pork confit inside half an artichoke topped with a honey, ginger, sake sauce. This was the (tied) best beer at the Brewer’s Dinner. Another phenomenal beer. Really sweet, so I’m not sure if this would make a great pint of beer, but it makes a great couple of samples. The sauce was a great dipping sauce for the artichoke. I’ve never dipped artichoke in anything other than butter. It was fun to try something new.

Sixth Course:

Featuring Stone’s Stone 2014 Old Guardian Barely Wine.

Chocolate turtle torte with hazelnut and sea salt crust. While I’m not a big fan of barley wine, the torte’s sea salt crust was amazing. I had another glass of Cascade’s Honey Ginger Lime with in and was in heaven. The best way to end a fancy dinner, with a girl’s (other) best friend, chocolate!