Dogfish Head Beer Pairing @ 622 North

Ah my fellow winos, I'm back for another great read today inspired by my beer dinner attendance a couple weeks ago at 622 North. Dogfish Head Brewery sponsored this event and Executive Chef Katherine Shipko prepared the meals tonight in honor of the pairings.

Intro: 60 Minute IPA

The picture of the beer was photograph taken from Google images, unfortunately I was so distracted by the food, beer, experience as well as my fellow dinners, I forgot to take pictures of my beer glasses, etc. However the picture above closely resembles the glass in which we had the beer served. 

Beer Description: "60 Minute IPA is a continuously hopped --- more than 60 hop additions over a 60- minute boil. (Getting a vibe of where the name came from?) 60 Minute is brewed with a slew of great Northwest hops. A powerful but balanced East Coast IPA with a lot of citrus hop character, it's the session beer for hardcore enthusiasts."
http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/year-round-brews/60-minute-ipa.htm

My Review: Very mild for an IPA, normally I am not an IPA drinker because of the bitter after taste but this was a great selection to start the palate on because it did not have a bite on the finish but more a smooth gradual taste.

First Course: Sixty-One

 The picture of the food on the right hand side is photographed by me: Rachel Milteer, the picture of the beer was photograph taken from Google images, unfortunately I was so distracted by the food, beer, experience as well as my fellow dinners, I forgot to take pictures of my beer glasses, etc. However the picture above closely resembles the glass in which we had the beer served.

Food: Seared scallop, with grape leaves stuffed with braised pork, rice, fennel, golden raisin, and pine nuts, with a carrot orange and ginger puree, and shaved gruyere.

Beer Description: "Sixty-One, our first new core beer since 2007, was born at the crossroads of serendipity experimentation and brotherhood. Sixty-One captures that tradition in a bottle and marries two Dogfish Head innovations: beer/wine hybrids -- which Dogfish has focused on for well over a decade with beers like Midas Touch and Raison D'etre and continually hopped IPAs. The name Sixty- One is a reminder that this beer is Dogfish Head's best selling 60 Minute IPA PLUS one new ingredient: Syrah grape must from California."
http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/year-round-brews/sixty-one.htm

My Pairing Review: The food was amazing, something so unique and different I think the carrot, orange and ginger puree really picked up the grape notes in the beer as well as the overall experience was fantastic. This beer was sweeter than the 60 Minute and had a wine finish and that fuller body. The scallop was cooked to perfection, and I liked how she paired the braised pork to give that great meaty flavor that paired well with the tender scallop.

Second Course: Midas Touch

 The picture of the beer was photograph taken from Google images, unfortunately I was so distracted by the food, beer, experience as well as my fellow dinners, I forgot to take pictures of my beer glasses, etc. However the picture above closely resembles the glass in which we had the beer served. Also I was so hungry that I completely forgot to take a picture of the food this course, but promise the rest of the post has pictures.

Food: Pineapple marinated duck breast, with soba noodles tossed in a thai chili papaya sauce, lime segments, peanuts, green onion, pineapple, finished with a saffron lime creme fraiche.

Beer Description: "This was the first beer in our Ancient Ales series. This sweet yet dry beer is made with ingredients found in 2,700 year old drinking vessels from the tomb of King Midas. Somewhere between wine and mead, Midas will please the chardonnay and beer drinker alike."
http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/year-round-brews/midas-touch.htm

My Pairing Review: A mead/wine version of beer, sweeter, a very mild wine undertone, good and light, wouldn't recommend with meal and I wouldn't drink this beer over a long period of time. Smells like welches, served in a wine glass. (All from my notes). The meal was very citrus intense and I thought it might have overpowered the entire meal a bit even the beer too. The acidity level I thought was too high, but then again I do like a meal that has more punch than no punch. The duck was cooked perfectly and I thought the dash of onion on top was an excellent choice. I think the main reason I didn't think the pairing worked was the acid level in the dish.

Main Course: Noble Rot

 

 The picture of the food on the right hand side is photographed by me: Rachel Milteer, the picture of the beer was photograph taken from Google images, unfortunately I was so distracted by the food, beer, experience as well as my fellow dinners, I forgot to take pictures of my beer glasses, etc. However the picture above closely resembles the glass in which we had the beer served.

Food: Lobster cake with a red cabbage, pear and coriander salad, pear and apple parsnip puree, port wine and honey reduction, pear coulis and a salami chip.

Beer Description: "This saison-esque science project gets complexity and fermentable sugars from two unique wine grapes sourced with our friends at Alexandria Nicole Cellars in Prosser, Washington. The first addition is unfermented juice, known as must, from viognier grapes that have been infected with a benevolent fungus called botrytis. This noble rot reduces the water content in the grapes while magnifying their sweetness and complexity. The second is Pinot Gris must intensified by a process called dropping fruit, where large clusters of grapes are clipped to amplify the quality of those left behind. This is the absolute closest to equal meshing of the wine world and the beer world that has ever been done commercially" -Dogfish's Sam Calagione.
 http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/occasional-rarities/noble-rot.htm

My Pairing Review: Served in a Champagne flute. Many apple tones, very sweet sweet beer. Thought the lobster was extremely rich and meaty, loved the mixture of the apple pear puree, added that slice of sweet to cut through that savory richness. Thought it was an overall great pairing, along with the beer being a great subtle wino flavor profile.

Dessert: Positive Contact

 The picture of the food on the right hand side is photographed by me: Rachel Milteer, the picture of the beer was photograph taken from Google images, unfortunately I was so distracted by the food, beer, experience as well as my fellow dinners, I forgot to take pictures of my beer glasses, etc. However the picture above closely resembles the glass in which we had the beer served.

Food: Peppercorn crusted goat cheese, cheesecake, apple compote, caramel popcorn and spiced peanut mousse.

Beer Description: "A positive combination of Fuji cider, slow-roasted farro, a bit of cayenne and fresh cilantro. Named after a key track on the first album, Positive Contact is a 9% ABV hybrid beer and cider brewed. This sweet and sour Belgian-ish brew is a light straw color with fruity cider like notes. The cayenne an alcohol give it a warming finish."
http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/occasional-rarities/positive-contact.htm

My Pairing Review: Personally think that the bitterness was extreme in the beer and had absolutely no correlation to the dessert in my opinion. The dessert was a fantastic mix of sweet and salty and probably was the best of the night. I loved that peppery note at the end, gave it that punch but still kept the silky texture of the cheesecake quality, it was not that sweet which I loved and was the perfect ending to the meal. The beer I could not drink it was so hoppy and bittery. Unfortunate that, that was the beer that had to end my meal.

Conclusion:

  The night was overall a great success, I think the chef did an excellent job bringing a lot of flavor out of the beer with her ingredient choices. She really woke up my palate in new and unusual ways and I was excited as the dinner progressed! A true evening of great food, great drinks and great times.

FOR TA ONLY:

If any verification is needed for this dinner, please feel free to contact 622 North and they will be happy to relay the guest list with Walker Perkovich who invited me to this event a long with 3 other guests seated with us, Chef Tim being one of them! THANK YOU!

60 Minute IPA is continuously hopped -- more than 60 hop additions over a 60-minute boil. (Getting a vibe of where the name came from?)
60 Minute is brewed with a slew of great Northwest hops. A powerful but balanced East Coast IPA with a lot of citrusy hop character, it's the session beer for hardcore enthusiasts!

- See more at: http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/year-round-brews/60-minute-ipa.htm#sthash.iQCB5Wu8.dpuf

60 Minute IPA is continuously hopped -- more than 60 hop additions over a 60-minute boil. (Getting a vibe of where the name came from?)
60 Minute is brewed with a slew of great Northwest hops. A powerful but balanced East Coast IPA with a lot of citrusy hop character, it's the session beer for hardcore enthusiasts!
- See more at: http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/year-round-brews/60-minute-ipa.htm#sthash.iQCB5Wu8.dpuf

60 Minute IPA is continuously hopped -- more than 60 hop additions over a 60-minute boil. (Getting a vibe of where the name came from?)
60 Minute is brewed with a slew of great Northwest hops. A powerful but balanced East Coast IPA with a lot of citrusy hop character, it's the session beer for hardcore enthusiasts!
- See more at: http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/year-round-brews/60-minute-ipa.htm#sthash.iQCB5Wu8.dpuf