Beer dinners have become somewhat frequent events around Dallas over the past year; if you try hard enough, you’ll likely find at least one dinner every month. Last night, the Meddlesome Moth hosted special guest Ken Grossman, the founder of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and widely acclaimed as one of the pioneers of the modern craft beer movement.
Sierra Nevada celebrated their 30th Anniversary last year and in commemoration of the event, Mr. Grossman brewed special beers in collaboration with other “founding fathers” of modern craft beer. The Moth tapped kegs of all four 30th Anniversary beers, plus Life and Limb (a collaboration with Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head), and these were all paired in a five course dinner. Perusing the sold-out crowd of 130, I spotted food writers, fellow beer enthusiasts, and various beer/industry professionals ranging from distributor representatives as well as beer store/bar owners.
Captain Keith Schlabs gave a brief introduction, recollecting the day he graduated college. That was also the day he tried Sierra Nevada Pale Ale; the beer which “changed everything” for him. The microphone was turned over to Ken, who would be our host for the night. Ken captivated the attendees as he shared stories throughout each course, such as his transition from a homebrewer to a commercial setup, and the challenges in starting a brewery in the 1970′s.
First course:
Charlie, Fred, and Ken’s Bock
Paired with Arugula salad with mango, crispy shallots, and a red chile vinaigarette
Brewed in partnership with Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewer’s Association, and homebrew guru and author Fred Eckhart, this Imperial Helles Bock was the second beer released in the 30th Anniverseary series. The trio agreed to brew this beer as a tribute to Fred’s pioneering book on lagers, A Treatise on Lager Beer, that was published in the 70′s. This unique lager does not exactly fit a particular style, as it balanced alcohol, upfront sweet malt character, a hoppy finish, all while retaining smoothness and high drinkability.
A variety of tastes and textures were easily distinguished in the salad, ranging from sweet, slightly spicy, savory, and bitter. This pairing was a miss however, as my companions generally agreed that this beer’s sweetness was too assertive and dominated the flavors of the salad.
Second course:
Grand Cru
Alaskan Black Cod, brown-butter cauliflower with basil, almond, and orange
The Grand Cru was the fourth and final installment of the 30th Anniversary series, and celebrated Sierra Nevada’s ales by blending Oak-Aged Bigfoot (their barleywine), Celebration Ale (the winter seasonal IPA), and their flagship Pale Ale. This fascinating beer is aimed for the hopheads with a strong resinous mouth-coating piny/citrusy wet hop bitterness that lingered, while retaining a solid chewy toasted backbone. Last night was the first opportunity for me to try the beer on draft, and I found it difficult to resist asking for more pours of my personal favorite out of the 30th Anniversary line. Bold, balanced, complex, intense, and borderline perfect.
The flaky cod melted in the mouth, and was not aggressively seasoned to showcase the delicate fish. The real star of this course were the almonds; their nuttiness paired ingeniously well with the Grand Cru’s hoppy assault.
Third course:
Fritz & Ken’s Ale
Broken Arrow Ranch Antelope, Brazos Valley Pecan cheddar mac ‘n cheese.
The 30th Anniversary series kicked off with this imperial stout. Grossman collaborated with Fritz Maytag, the former owner of San Francisco-based Anchor Brewing company and widely considered as a founding father of the craft beer movement. The imperial stout hit the nose with strong earthy malt aromas, with flavors of coffee and sweetness that matched the aroma, and felt viscious and syrupy in the mouth with a lingering sweetness.
Cooked rare, the antelope was juicy, lean, but not chewy or gamey. To me, this course was about contrast: simplicity of the meat countered the complex caramely beer. I also enjoyed the crunchy, nutty pecans topped over the macaroni and cheese.
Fourth course:
Jack & Ken’s Ale
Bacon & Eggs with maple glazed Neuske’s slab bacon, sunny-side up egg and silver dollar pancakes
The third isntallment in the 30th Anniversary series was brewed in honor of Jack McAuliffe and his contributions to craft beer. He opened New Albion brewing in 1976 and despite the failure of the brewery, McAuliffe’s ambition influenced many others to follow his lead.
Ken tracked down Jack last year and in their discussion on what to brew for the 30th Anniversary series, Jack brought up the idea of reviving the “Old Toe Sucker.” Back in the 70′s, New Albion and Anchor would host a festival celebrating the summer solstice. The Old Toe Sucker was a barleywine, a beer style noted for high alcohol content. Combining that with the California summer was a recipe for strange things, as an employee who enjoyed too much of the barleywine, crawled alongside a row of women wearing open-toed shoes, sucking on their digits. Hence the name “Old Toe Sucker.”
A boozy aroma was up front, followed by a massive full frontal hop attack on the palate, which was countered by a presence of roasted chocolate malt. The bitterness leaves a lasting impression. Most younger barleywines are too “warm”, but the was not the case with the Jack & Ken’s, which hid the alcohol content very well.
This was a particularly heavy course because of the “slab” of bacon, and the beer paired remarkably well with the protein’s maple glazing. Believe it or not, I didn’t finish the bacon. I also would have preferred the pancakes to be served warm; they also tasted wonderful with the maple glaze, though I can’t fault the kitchen staff given the magnitude of the dinner.
Fifth course:
Life & Limb
Petit Basque, almond, dried fruit
Both Ken Grossman and Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head Brewery, started as humble homebrewers with a radical desire to push innovative limits and promote the philosophy of craft beer. The two share ideals and passions, and their mutual respect and admiration for each other led to the creation of this deeply meaningful beer.
Ken highlighted trends in craft beer such as sours, high alcohol, and collaborations, noting that Sam has brewed many collaboration beers with many breweries throughout the years. Sierra Nevada specifically chose to partner with Dogfish Head for Life & Limb, their first collaboration beer released in 2009. Every detail that went into this beer was closely scrutinized; even the label’s artwork was designed by a children’s book illustrator:
Life & Limb used hops and barley grown on Sierra Nevada’s estate farm in Chico, while Dogfish Head provided maple and birch syrups and sugar. The breweries blended their house yeast strains, then the beer was bottle conditioned and carbonated with birch syrup from Alaska. Ken said that he was not aware of any other beer to use birch syrup in the recipe.
BA considers Life & Limb an American Strong Ale, but to me, it defies all style characteristics due to the palate of maple and birch syrup; sugary flavors which are not normally associated with beer. The mouthfeel is full-bodied and viscuous, yet this 10.2 percent giant is dangerously drinkable.
The Petit Basque almost looked buttery in color and had a slightly oily texture; it’s subtleties were a wonderful counterpoint to the massive flavor profile in the Life & Limb.
Unsurprisingly, The Moth had one final surprise after dinner: the first ever Sierra Nevada firkin tapped in Texas, 2010 Celebration Ale. The beer poured on cask was far smoother and gentler compared to it’s tap or bottle version. The pine, citrus, and malt flavors were more balanced and the medium-bodied beer felt wonderful in the mouth.
Guests brought home souvenir Sierra Nevada bottle openers, glassware, and information detailing the Moth’s upcoming Ale Festivus. After some talking with other guests, there’s good interest in having an unofficial bottle share after the tasting events on that saturday – so stay tuned!
