July 16, 2009
Flying Dog Brewery Beer Dinner
Gazebo Courtyard at The American Club
5:30pm Reception, 6pm Dinner
$60 per person
Call 800-344-2838 for reservations and more information

Passed Hors d’oeuvres
Paired with In-Heat Wheat Hefeweizen

Appetizer Course
Grilled Calamari Steak
summer green salad, slow-roasted tomato, peri-peri vinaigrette
Paired with Old Scratch Amber Lager

Second Course
Fire-Roasted Tomato and Chipotle Soup
grilled crostini, cracked coriander
Paired with Snake Dog IPA

Third Course
Cuban-Style Pork
grilled pineapple, Swiss cheese, grilled beer bread, citrus salsa
Paired with Double Dog Double Pale Ale

Entrée Course
Grilled Wagyu Flat Iron Steak
steak-fried potato, summer vegetable slaw, green peppercorn jus
Paired with Gonzo Imperial Porter

Dessert Course
Grilled Carr Valley Bread Cheese
tomato conserve, roasted mixed nuts
Paired with Kerberos Tripel

Please save the date of Monday July 20th when we will host The Chefs Association of the Pacific Coast and feature a demonstration by a Master Butcher followed by a Four Course Dinner paired with the excellent beers of The Lagunitas Brewing Company. The demonstration will commence at 6PM followed by and Hors D’Oeuvre Reception at 6:45PM and Dinner at 7:30PM. The menu can be viewed and reservations made at www.beer-chef.com. Please join us for a fun evening of beer, food, education and laughs.

This looks to be an interesting event, especially the prelude to the dinner. At 6PM, there’s a Special Demonstration with a Master Butcher from Marin Sun Farms entitled “Breaking Down A Whole Grass Fed Pig”, which will undoubtedly be an interesting spectacle. Also noteworthy is the “Chocolate Fantasy” dessert course paired with Lagunitas’ Imperial Stout, especially since we’re not all that sure what exactly it entails.

The July/August issue of Beer Magazine arrived at the Flying Dog offices last week, and we took some time out of our busy day to read through it. There featured article was a really great one about beer and food pairing, and they provided 21 recipes for cooking with beer. There are some fantastic looking meals included in this article, including Stoudt’s Raspberry Heifer-in-wheat French Toast and Sprecher Slow Cooked BBQ Beer Meatballs. Also in the article was a recipe from one of our full menus here at beerdinners.com - the Gonzo Imperial Porter Molten Chocolate Cake with Blackberry Sauce & Vanilla Ice Cream (as featured in our Spicy Dog beer dinner).

Do you cook with beer and want to share your recipes with us? Use the submit button on the top right of our website. We’ll post selected recipes as they come in.

Menu overview - Go directly to recipes - More photos here

1st course
Pork and Shitake Dumplings with
Shredded Carrot, Cucumber, and Chili Lime Sauce
served with In-Heat Wheat

2nd course
Poached Pear Salad, Mixed Greens, Pecans,
Blue Cheese with Old Scratch Amber Lager Balsamic Vinaigrette
served with Old Scratch Amber Lager

3rd Course
Doggie-style Classic Pale Ale Steamed Mussels
with Chorizo, Roasted Peppers, Bay Leaves,
and Lemon served with Doggie-style Classic Pale Ale

4th Course
Road Dog Porter BBQ Pork Ribs, Bok Choy with
Roasted Shitake Mushrooms,
and Apricots

5th Course
Chili Roasted Shrimp with Mashed Sweet Potatoes,
Watercress, Mango, Avocado, Citrus and Jalapeño,
served with Snake Dog IPA

6th course
Pan Roasted NY Strip with
Roasted Cipollini Onion, asparagus,
and a Double Dog Cambonzola Cheese Sauce

7th Course
Salami and Fresh Goat Cheese
with Horn Dog Barley Wine mustard fruits,
Watercress and Crustini

8th Course
Gonzo Imperial Porter Molten
Chocolate Cake with Blackberry Sauce and
Vanilla Ice Cream

1st course - Pork and Shitake Dumplings with Shredded Carrot, Cucumber, and Chili Lime Sauce served with In-Heat Wheat

1 pound ground pork
4 tablespoons chopped ginger
4 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/2 bunch scallion chopped
1 tablespoon Allspice
2 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
1/4 bunch of cilantro chopped
1/2 pound shitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 pack wonton wrappers
1 egg, mixed
2 carrot, peeled
1 cucumber

Sauce

1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
4 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon scallions chopped
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
2 lime, juiced
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar/white
1 tablespoons ketchup
4 tablespoons soy sauce

- Remove stems from Shitake mushrooms and discard.
- Chop shitakes roughly and sauté in oil for three minutes until cooked. Set aside to cool.
- Place ground pork in bowl; add ginger, garlic, scallion, allspice, chili garlic sauce, cilantro, and soy sauce. Mix well. Mix shitake mushrooms in with pork mixture and set aside.
- Grate cucumber and carrot with large hole cheese grater into a separate bowl and set aside. Mix all sauce ingredients together and set aside.
- Place one wonton wrapper on a clean surface in front of you. Place 1 teaspoon of pork mixture in the middle of wrapper. Dip your finger in the egg and run around the outside rim of the wrapper and seal by taking one corner of the wrapper and placing it on the opposite corner and pressing together on the seam with your fingers. Repeat as necessary. 20 should be enough for 10 people.
- Bring a pot of water up to boil and carefully put the dumplings into boil for five minutes.
- To serve: Place the cucumber and carrot in the middle of the plates. Place two dumplings on each plate and spoon the sauce around.

Tasting Notes: The acidity and spiciness of the sauce and dumplings pair well with the light, malty flavor of the In-Heat Wheat Hefeweizen. The beer cools the chili spice while the lime in the sauce gives the beer a sharp finish.

2nd course - Poached Pear Salad, Mixed Greens, Pecans, Blue Cheese with Old Scratch Amber Lager Balsamic Vinaigrette served with Old Scratch Amber Lager

1 pound mixed greens
5 pears, peeled
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 cup water
1/4 pound salted roasted pecans/walnuts
1/2 pound blue cheese (good quality)

Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Old Scratch Amber Lager
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

- Bring water and sugar to boil and add halved and peeled pears.
- Drop the temperature down to a low boil and poach for 10-12 minutes or when a knife pierces the pear easily.
- Strain liquid and set pears aside to cool.
- In a small bowl, mix honey, balsamic vinegar and Old Scratch Amber Lager. Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking or mixing with a fork.
- Season with salt and pepper.

To Serve:
- Add mixed greens to bowl, add vinaigrette and mix to coat greens.
- Add small mound of greens to the center of each plate.
- Take pears and scoop out seeds with a small spoon and place pear on top of greens.
- Crumble Blue Cheese evenly over the salads, add pecans and drizzle remaining salad dressing around the plate.

Tasting Notes: The Old Scratch Amber Lager vinaigrette has a rich, malty toasted nut and honey flavor and ties the beer together with the sweet pear, toasted pecans, and blue cheese. The flavors compliment each other without taking away from each other.

3rd Course - Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale Steamed Mussels with Chorizo, Roasted Peppers, Bay Leaves, and Lemon served with Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale

3 pound fresh black mussels
1/2 pack fresh thyme
1 bunch green onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic chopped
6 bay leaves
1 pound chorizo sausage (best quality)
2 whole roasted red peppers, sliced
2 bottles Doggie-style Classic Pale Ale
4 tablespoons butter
2 lemons, cut in 1/2 and juiced
1 baguette, cut into 1” slices for toasting
4 tablespoons olive oil

- Heat oil in large sauté pan or soup pot and add sliced or crumbled chorizo sausage.
- Cook three minutes add garlic, thyme branches, bay leaves, peppers, green onion, and then add mussels.
- Add both bottles of the Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale and cover with a lid to steam for five minutes. Remove cover and check to see if mussels are open, if not cover and cook longer.
- Drizzle olive oil on the cut baguette and toast in a 350 degree oven for seven minutes. When mussels are ready, add butter and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
- To serve: Divide mussels and sausage among the ten bowls, add the toast baguette and ladle the broth over the mussels and serve.

Tasting Notes: Steaming the mussels in the Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale gives a strong herbal flavor while the fattiness and the spice of the chorizo gives the broth the rich flavor and the lemon juice at the end balances the slight bitterness of the broth and compliments the beer.

4th Course - Road Dog Porter BBQ Pork Ribs, Bok Choy with Roasted Shitake Mushrooms, and Apricots

2 ea baby back pork ribs
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
3 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons black pepper
1 pound bok choy
1/4 pound shitake mushrooms
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Road Dog BBQ Sauce

1 cup Road Dog Porter
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup onions, chopped
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons regular or grainy mustard
1/4 pound dried apricots, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

- Start with the barbecue sauce. Heat all the ingredients together in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming. Cool.
- Preheat oven to 350. Cut the racks of ribs in half crosswise. Mix cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper together. Spread evenly over the meaty part of the ribs. Coat with 1/2 the BBQ sauce and lay the rib pieces, meat side down, in an 11″ x 13″ baking dish. The pieces will overlap slightly. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the meat pulls away from the ends of the bones and the ribs are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. You can bake the ribs up to three hours before you grill them and leave them at room temperature. Or you can bake them the day before and keep them refrigerated. Bring the refrigerated ribs to room temperature about one hour before you grill them. Remove the ribs from the baking dish but reserve the cooking liquids adding back to the Barbecue sauce. Grill the ribs, brushing them with the remaining sauce, until they’re browned and heated through, about 10 minutes.
- To serve: Cut the ribs into single bone servings. Heat up oil in sauté pan. Sauté bok choy and shitake mushrooms adding 3 dashes (tablespoons) Soy Sauce and sauté for 4 minutes. Divide bok choy mix among ten plates. Place two pieces of rib on each plate and pour remaining sauce of ribs.

Tasting Notes: The Road Dog Porter gives the BBQ sauce a deeper, richer flavor which gives the ribs a complex and almost smoky coffee flavor.

5th Course - Chili Roasted Shrimp with Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Watercress, Mango, Avocado, Citrus and Jalapeno served with Snake Dog IPA

20 each u-10/12 fresh shrimp
2 teaspoons Chili flake
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil

3 sweet potatoes
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk

1 mango, peeled and cubed
1 avocado, peeled and cubed
1 jalapeno, seeded, chopped fine
1/4 bunch cilantro chopped
1 red pepper, chopped small
1 lime, juiced
1 tangerine, peeled and segmented
1 bunch watercress

- Preheat oven 350 F. Place whole sweet potatoes in oven for 35 minutes or until soft. Peel shrimp and discard shells, toss with olive oil, chili flake, paprika, and cumin. Set aside to marinate until ready to cook. Meanwhile place avocado, mango, jalapeno, cilantro, red pepper, lime juice, and tangerine in a bowl. When sweet potato is cooked, let cool for 5 minutes and then carefully peel and place in bowl. Add vanilla, maple syrup, butter, and milk and mash with a whisk or a fork until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Set oven at broil and place shrimp on a pan to broil for 3-4 minutes until firm to the touch and cooked through.
- To serve: Place spoonful of mashed sweet potato on the center of each plate. Place two shrimp on top of sweet potato, place small bunch of watercress across shrimp, and top with mango and avocado salsa.

Tasting Notes: The Snake Dog IPA has a very hoppy nose with floral and citrus notes that compliments the sweet and spicy shrimp. The sweet, spicy, and citrus flavors in the dish help to smooth out the hoppy finish of the beer.

6th course - Pan Roasted NY Strip with Roasted Cipollini Onion, asparagus, and a Double Dog Double Pale Ale Cambonzola Cheese Sauce

4 12 oz. NY Strips
1 pound Cipollini onions/1 bag pearl onions
1 bunch asparagus
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
4 ounces Cambonzola Cheese/ Blue Cheese, cut in cubes
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup Double Dog Double Pale Ale
2 tablespoons butter

- Preheat oven 350F. Cut the ends off and peel Cipollini or Pearl Onions and place in bowl. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast in oven for 25 minutes or until they are soft and caramelized. Bring a medium sauce pot of water up to a boil. Cut the ends off the asparagus and add to boiling water for 4 minutes. Place in bowl of ice water to stop the asparagus from overcooking and set aside.
- Trim the fat off the edges of the NY Strips and cut across into thirds to give 10-12 portions. Place a large sauté pan with 2 tablespoons oil to get smoking hot on burner. Season steaks and carefully add half the steaks to the pan. Let cook for two minutes and then flip for another two minutes and set aside. Let pan reheat for two minutes and add the rest of the steaks. If you want to cook the meat more place in oven to bring up the temperature. Save the pan that you cooked the meat in and pour off the fat from the pan. Add garlic and Double Dog Double Pale Ale to the pan scraping up any bits. Reduce by half and then add mustard, red wine vinegar, and the cheese. Whisk the cheese into the sauce to melt smoothly and add butter, salt, and pepper.
- To serve; Heat a pan with 2 T butter to melt. Add asparagus and Cipollini Onions to warm and season with salt and pepper. Add two asparagus to the center of each plate. Slice the meat into four slices and place on top of asparagus. Pour cheese sauce on top of steak and add 2 to 3 Cipollini Onions to each plate.

Tasting Notes: The Double Dog Pale Ale is a heavyweight beer with a super hoppy flavor that helps to cut through the fattiness of the beef. The Blue Cheese sauce for the beef ties the dish together and the cheese and mustard smoothes out the finish and makes a beautiful sauce.

7th Course - Salami and Fresh Goat Cheese with Horn Dog Barley Wine mustard fruits, Watercress and Crustini

1 log salami (artisanal quality)
2 logs Goat Cheese 12 oz
1 baguette
3 tablespoons olive oil
watercress
pecans (optional)
2 pounds mixed fruit (apples, peaches, pears, apricots, citrus)
3 cup honey
1 lemon
1/2 cup mustard seeds
1/2 cup Horn Dog Barley Wine

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Wash and dice all the fruit. In a casserole dish, cover the fruit (first the ones which take longer to cook) with water and add one tablespoon of honey, the grated rind and the juice of a lemon. Cook the fruit for 30 minutes over medium heat. Remove from fire and cool.
- In a second casserole, warm the Horn Dog Barley Wine and the rest of the honey; reduce the syrup by one third and mix in the mustard. Remove from heat and cool.
- Combine the fruit (not drained) and the syrup. Mix well and refrigerate.
- Slice the baguette into rounds 1/4“ thick and place on sheet pan drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper and bake for 6-10 minutes until brown and crusty.
- To plate: Slice two or three slices salami, slices two rounds goat cheese per person, and divide among plates. Add crustinis, watercress, pecans, and a tablespoon of mustard fruits to the center and serve.

Tasting Notes: The classic Italian mustard fruits are given a lot more depth with the addition of the Horn Dog Barley Wine rather than white wine. The sharpness of the goat cheese and the peppery watercress are smoothed out with the rich, malty Barley Wine.

8th Course - Gonzo Imperial Porter Molten Chocolate Cake with Blackberry Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream

6oz dark chocolate (70% Cacao, sweet) chopped
1 1/4 stick butter
3 large egg whites
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup Gonzo Imperial Porter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 packs blackberry or raspberry
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 pint vanilla ice cream

- Preheat oven to 450.
- Place chocolate and butter in a metal bowl over a pot of boiling water to melt. In a separate bowl whisk eggs with sugar until pale yellow about 10 minutes. Once chocolate and butter are melted, let cool slightly and then gently fold into the eggs and add flour until just mixed. Add Gonzo Imperial Porter and vanilla being careful not to over mix.
- Meanwhile place 1/2 blackberries, sugar and water in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce by 1/3, transfer to a blender and puree.
- Prepare muffin tin or individual ramekins with oil and flour to prevent cake from sticking. Fill the pan with the cake mix up to 3/4 full. Place in oven and bake until the sides are firm and the top just starts to crack, about eight minutes. (You can fill just one pan and practice baking to see how long it takes until it cooked on the outside but is runny in the middle.)
- To serve: Gently cut around the outside of the cakes with a knife and turn out onto a plate. Mix the remaining blackberries into the sauce and place around the cake. Place a scoop of ice cream on each plate and serve.

Tasting Notes: The Gonzo Imperial Porter in the chocolate cake recipe adds a deep, malty flavor with coffee aromas.

Oskar Blues Beer Dinner at The Barking Goat Tavern
Thursday, June 18th, 2008 at 6:30 p.m.
$42 per person, tax and gratuity not included

The Barking Goat chef, Dorne Webster and owner, Eric Warner have collaborated with the brewers at Oskar Blues to put together a special menu paired with beers from the brewery in Lyons, CO. Eric has designed and emceed numerous beer dinners across the country and Marty Jones of Oskar Blues will join us for a memorable evening. Call 303.663.6644 to make your reservation now!

Appetizers, paired with Dale’s Pale Ale

Beef Tenderloin Sliders topped with caramelized onions and served with a Dale’s Pale Ale mustard and Cheddar Horseradish sauce.

Wild Mushroom Strudel Salad, paired with Gordon Double Red Ale

Arugula, Endive and Radicchio topped with toasted almonds, mission figs and applewood smoked bacon. Garnished with shaved Pecorino cheese and dressed with vinaigrette dressing made with Gordon’s Ale.

First Course, Grilled, Cedar-plank, wild, fresh Alaskan salmon topped with a beurre blanc made with Mama’s little Yella Pilsner. Served with couscous and seasonal vegetables. Paired with Mama’s Little Yella Pilsner

Second Course - Pork Medallions braised in Old Chub, served with grilled polenta and Haricot Verts. Paired with Old Chub Scottish Ale

Dessert - Ten Fidy Float served with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Paired with Bourbon Barrel-Aged Ten Fidy Imperial Stout

Here’s the attendee guide from the Brewer’s Association. You can also National Building Museum, which looks like a pretty impressive building (which makes sense, right?).

Finally there are the beer and food pairings, which is obviously the most important part of this whole blog entry. Flying Dog will be sampling the following:

• Woody Creek White Belgian Style Wit Paired with Chicken Breast a la Blanche de Chambly
• Gonzo Imperial Porter Paired with Espresso Sambuca Parfaits

If you’re going, have fun on Saturday. We’ll be asking for reader reviews next week, and will publish your thoughts in an upcoming blog entry. Cheers!

Memorial day is the unofficial start of “Grilling Season” - with that in mind, here are some cookout recipes and the beers we recommend pairing with them. If good people drink good beer, then good people also pair great grilled food with great beer, too! All these recipes have come from the Food Network (from Emeril, Bobby Flay, Alton Brown, Rachael Ray, etc.).

Pulled pork BBQ sandwiches with Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale

Beer Simmered Brats cooked and paired with Gonzo Imperial Porter

Buffalo Wings paired with Old Scratch Amber Lager

Smoked Ribs paired with Double Dog Double Pale Ale (or Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale)

Grilled fish sandwiches paired with Tire Bite Golden Ale

If you’re pairing our beer with your Memorial Day food, take some photos, send us some recipes or send us a tweet to let us know what you’re doing! Cheers!

• Thai Chicken Skewers paired with Old Scratch Amber Lager

• Louisiana Cajun Beef paired with Road Dog Porter/Dog Schwarz Smoked Double Lager

• Chocolate Mousse Dome paired with Gonzo Imperial Porter

Tickets up for sale momentarily via our website, www.DuffysOnPotomac.com.

Duffy’s on Potomac
28 South Potomac Street
Hagerstown, Maryland 21740

Tickets are $35, and can be bought at the Duffy’s website, or you call the restaurant at 301-745-6648.

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A confluence of music, beer, and food will collide at Blue Palms Saturday, May 16th. As a warm-up to the Firkins 9:00 PM performance, the Los Angeles Chapter of the Prime Rib Association will have a unique beer dinner inspired by Blue Palms Proprietor Brian Lenzo and Firestone Walker Brewer Matt Brynildson.

- 16 oz USDA “Prime Grade” Prime Rib marinated in your choice of Firestone Walker 11th or 12th Anniversary Ale. Baked potato, au jus, fresh horseradish, and dessert.
- Half - Pint of Firestone Walker Double Double Barrel Ale
- Firestone Walker 10-11-12 vertical tasting (4oz of each)
- Limited to 30 guests
- Cost $50 per person

http://www.myspace.com/thefirkins
http://www.bluepalmsbrewhouse.com
http://www.primeribassociation.com
Firestone Walker Brewery